After Hours with Amy Lawrence PODCAST: Hour 1

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That's BetterHELP.com slash positive. We now know the first domino is dropped when it comes to our quarterback chessboard. That's what I'm calling it this offseason. Not a carousel, because as you've noticed, it's not spinning very quickly. So not like a carousel.

More like a chessboard in which the players are methodical and taking their time and in no rush. There's no pitch clock on the QB chessboard this offseason. And so we have our first piece.

And it's honestly, it's a surprise to me that this is the domino that drops first. I would have expected pretty much anything else, say the Aaron Rodgers decision, although I feel like he enjoys dragging things out. I would have expected a Lamar Jackson franchise tag or a Daniel Jones franchise tag or really anything else besides this. And so it's Carson Wentz who becomes the first big move on the QB chessboard. And before you yell at me or laugh, either one, a big move is only defined as, whether it's expected or not, a move that leaves a team either without a quarterback, without a veteran quarterback, as much as we know the commanders have been thinking about Sam Howell as the guy who would at least get the first team reps this offseason.

What they have on their roster is not enough. And I am in no way of the mindset, nor do I believe that they're going to go into this upcoming season, next season, with Sam Howell as their top and only option, which means they're going to have to grab a quarterback at some point. The commanders are stuck in a cycle similar to the Carolina Panthers or the Indianapolis Colts, or, well, no longer the Browns because they've paid their quarterback a ton of guaranteed money and they're hitched to him for years, like it or not. The Broncos, same thing with Russell Wilson, though they were in a cycle where there was a lot of turnover for years in a row. The Jets, kind of in that same situation now again too, because as much as they're keeping Zach Wilson, well, they don't expect him to be the starter next year unless something drastically changes. And so here are the commanders who make Carson Wentz, we'll call him a salary cap casualty, but that's only the most immediate reason. That's the reason why the move was made on Monday. Monday as in the second to last day of February. Wowzers.

It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. If you are in the snow, well, please be safe. I know there are people all over the country who have been dealing with the snow over the last couple of weeks, really Southern California dealing with snow. And so I don't know if that reaches all the way down to San Diego where we have our affiliate 97.3, but we know lots of places in California are dealing with snow where they don't normally have to deal with it. And then on in this steady march from left to right, from west to east across the United States, lots of places dealing with snow or sleet, freezing rain, wintery weather, it finally reaches the northeast. And so now you've got just millions of people who either having to shovel, having to drive in it.

I suppose working at home option makes it a little easier for a lot of people. I'm hoping actually there's a lot of people who stay home on Tuesday morning when it comes time to get in the car so that there are fewer people on the roads, even as Princess Leia and I have to navigate getting back up to Jersey where you will not hear me complaining. I'm the girl who prays for snow. And so it's gorgeous. It's absolutely beautiful. There were already three inches on the ground when I left.

Penny had fun going out for her last little hurrah before she fell asleep. And certainly she will enjoy the snow in the morning. We will enjoy the snow in the morning.

So I'm in no way complaining because I love snow. But I know a lot of people are dealing with it, which means we have a lot of you who are out plowing, out clearing roads, and listening to us on this late Monday night into Tuesday morning. So we're glad to keep you company. Whether it's Twitter or Facebook. You're welcome to connect with us there our YouTube channel as well and then our phone numbers 855-212-4CBS.

That's 855-212-4CBS, 4227. So we'll talk more about the Carson Wentz situation and what that could potentially mean. But for him personally, because he's getting into that territory where he may be out of chances. Now he's not a cat.

He hasn't used nine lives. But he may be out of chances at the very least to start. Now you're always one injury, one snap, one impatient team away from being a starter again. You as a backup quarterback, you can earn a nice living.

Not that he needs to worry about that really. But you also have to stay ready. The best backup quarterbacks stay ready, recognizing they can be called on at any time. Last year, last season, more than two thirds of the NFL used multiple quarterbacks because of injuries or ineptitude. And Wentz is now free to sign with any team before the start of free agency similar to what we know is happening with the Derek Carr sweepstakes.

I like that every time I use that some of you give me the eyebrows up. The what? The Derek Carr sweepstakes. So this move financially is not a surprise at all because Washington is saving better than $26 million on the salary cap this offseason. There was no guaranteed money left for Wentz.

So this is really, yes, a salary cap casualty. But in terms of Carson, if he plans or if he wants to be a viable option in this league again, to have a regular gig again, he may have to come through the backup role. He may have to play his way into it. He's been given multiple chances around the NFL, going back to when he was drafted number two overall. And we know what he did initially with the Philadelphia Eagles.

He was an MVP candidate the year they won the Super Bowl and earned the top seed. But he got hurt going into December. And I'm not sure he's been the same since. Whether it's mental, it doesn't appear as though it's a physical limitation for Carson. Now, there is some validity to the idea that it's been nothing but constant change for him.

That's on him. We're not talking about him being in one system where he's only had one team, but it's been different coaches and different coordinators and different systems. That certainly was the case for say, Derek Carr in Oakland and then Las Vegas. With Carson, this has been brought on really by his play going back to 2020. So that was his last season with the Eagles. He played 12 games that year, 16 touchdowns, 15 interceptions. But also a problem, he was sacked 50-50, as in 5-0. 50 times that season.

Okay, so that's a major issue. But then, with the Colts, given a fantastic offensive line, this is in the wake of the Philip Rivers retirement and the Colts scrambling to figure out what to do to plug that hole because they felt like they had a team that could win. Frank Reich obviously was very familiar with Carson and vice versa because of the Super Bowl season. And really, the year he was drafted and then the few years when he was developing, he and Frank had a rapport.

So that made sense. And his numbers were better, to be sure. 27 touchdowns, 7 interceptions. But then you remember what happened at the end of the regular season where he had two just brutal games. Week 18, he started to throw more interceptions.

There were more towards the end of the season. Otherwise, this was a great improvement from the year before. His completion rate was up. Not only that, but he was healthy for most of the year. It was a foot injury, I think, in preseason.

A broken toe, a broken foot, something like that in preseason. But he ended up starting every game for the Colts last year. So his completion percentage was up 5 points. He had an extra 800 plus yards. His passing average and yards per pass was up. As I mentioned, his touchdowns were up, his interceptions were down. His QB rating was just shy of 100. This was not a bad year for Carson. The problem was those last two games, but specifically the loss to the Jaguars in Week 18 changed everything. And so instead of Carson and the Colts making the playoffs, even if they don't end up getting to the AFC Championship or challenging for a Super Bowl, with Jonathan Taylor in what was a phenomenal season in 21, with the offensive line they had, where his sacks were nearly cut in half, and with the fact that he was playing smart football, he likely would have kept that job.

He likely would have remained their quarterback. But Jim Irsay, the franchise, really, I have to believe it was more the front office than it was Frank Reich, because he's one of those rare loyal guys in sports. The fact that he finished on such a low note and that his play was so bad in the last two weeks of the regular season, it ruined the relationship with the Colts.

But I specifically believe Jim Irsay in the front office. It's after hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio this year, starting the first, I think, six games before he got hurt, although he was perilously close to being benched even before he got hurt. He broke a finger, and Taylor Heinicke comes in, Carson, essentially even after he gets healthy, serves as the backup to Taylor, the backup to the backup. And then, again, as much as this one is about money, too, and you could say that that's fairly black and white, when Ron Rivera was looking for a spark for the offense, when he needed a quarterback who could throw the ball downfield, felt like with Taylor Heinicke, their passing game was stunted. We know Carson has a big arm. Now, he's not always accurate, but there are stretches where he can be very good. In passing situations, they wanted someone who could stretch the field, who could keep defenses off balance in those last couple weeks of the season. So then he gets the start on Christmas Eve at San Francisco.

They get blasted. Not necessarily his fault, but it really wasn't a huge improvement. And then, and he does have a touchdown, no interceptions. But then on New Year's Day, against the Browns, he starts again, throws three interceptions, has three sacks. There was a rushing touchdown in there.

And just so you know, I'm looking at a box score. I don't remember all this, only that it was bad. And that's the end of Carson Wentz. There's been a lot of positive, especially that season with the Colts. But because of how poorly it ended, the old adage of what have you done for me lately, but that bad taste, that sour taste, the Colts couldn't get over it.

And the commanders don't really want to because of the money and because it was a failed experiment. There weren't a whole lot of highlights. Now, to be fair, there weren't a ton of highlights in the first half for the commanders anyway. Their defense was not playing well. But Carson had a couple of games early in the first month in which he had two interceptions.

This never really did find a good rhythm. The offensive coordinator gets fired by the commander, so it's not all on Carson. But he wasn't the answer. They needed an answer. He wasn't the answer.

Even when he got healthy and had another opportunity. And so there's lots of industry chatter now. And by industry, I mean NFL chatter about what happens to Carson Wentz moving forward. Whether or not he's got another opportunity in the offing, whether or not there is another team that will take advantage of him being available. This is all speculation, of course, because what do we know about the NFL? It's a copycat league.

And a lot of times, once you've used up a few chances, teams are less likely to give you one. And he's had some. But CBS Sports NFL analyst Bryant McFadden speculates about the future for Carson Wentz. Backup, backup, backup.

I think the story is out on Carson Wentz in regards to being a starting quarterback. That ship has sailed. Well, actually, that ship is sunk. It didn't sail anywhere.

It now is in the bottom of the ocean. So he has to humble himself down, in my opinion, to take a backup job. And we know backup quarterbacks are extremely important in the National Football League. It's not just about having a big time starter. You have to have a reliable backup on your team just in case something happens to the starting quarterback. But his time starting in the National Football League clearly is done for right now.

I don't know what will need to happen for him to be able to showcase that he can be a consistent starter. But I think that's the best role for Carson Wentz. If he's willing to accept that role, becoming a backup quarterback, clearly, Mike, there will be a nice market for him based on the experience and, of course, the potential knowing that, hey, our backup quarterback is Carson Wentz. I think most teams would like that if they had that as an option. He's got a bunch of years in the league.

And so there's some experience there. I think he could be beneficial to a young QB. He's a good guy.

People really like Carson. But he's going to have to work his way back up through the depth chart. And again, you could say he never plays again.

He never starts again. But as long as he's on a roster, there's always a chance. I mean, how many teams this year? I can think of three who used more than two quarterbacks. Not saying that's a recipe for winning, although worked well for the San Francisco 49ers until the NFC Championship game.

Depending upon the team that you've got. But there are so many teams out there who have quarterback holes, whether it's at starter, which I don't think he's going to be a top option, but you never know how things shake out. There are teams that are going to need to fill their rosters, bring in veterans, maybe with a veteran minimum. And they'll look at Carson as a cheaper option, someone that they don't have to commit a whole lot to, don't have to commit any time to down the road.

He's at least at a point where he has no bargaining power for any type of guaranteed money or significant guaranteed money or a deal more than one year and a veteran's minimum. And interesting, some of the teams that are being named too, like for instance, I saw the Kansas City Chiefs as part of the speculation because Chad Hennie retired after the Super Bowl. So it's a completely different situation, completely different world that Carson Wentz lives in now than even two years ago. Thinking about the offseason options, and we don't know about Aaron Rodgers yet, so that's one that is still up in the air. But we know Derek Carr is available, we know Jimmy Garoppolo is available, Carson Wentz is now available, Sam Darnold is likely going to be available, Baker Mayfield, we know he is to be sure. There are a couple of quarterbacks in the draft that people are excited about, Bryce Young out of Alabama, CJ Stroud going back and forth on who's the better option. And actually now the Bears are willing to trade that overall number one pick because they're set with Justin Fields. We love to rank things in pro sports. So, rank the QB options this offseason.

You can give me top five, you can give me top three, and you can make whatever assumption you want about Aaron Rodgers. I don't know why, I just continue to feel like maybe this is much ado about nothing and it's actually not going to change, he is going to stay in Green Bay. But I don't have any insight into that, there's been reports on both sides of it. So I have no idea, but feels like the longer this goes on, the less likely it is that he leaves. But again, I could be completely wrong, that's just me spitballing. So again, you can find me on Twitter ranking the offseason QB options and it could be a young QB from the draft.

If you want to go Bryce Young over a Derek Carr, that's what being a sports fan is all about. So on Twitter, ALawRadio, on our Facebook page too. We'll also take your calls, 855-212-4227. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. You are listening to the After Hours Podcast.

This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. It was short lived, just one year of Carson Wentz with the commanders. It's Bram Weinstein on the commanders radio network.

It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. What is in store for Carson now? And I get it, it's easy to pile on and say, nobody would want him. Why would he ever play again?

His career is done. It doesn't work that way in the NFL where there aren't as many viable quarterback options. And when teams bring on a veteran, there's always the chance. I mentioned the Chiefs before the break. And we've seen in the last two years that Chad Hennie was called on to fill in for a Patrick Mahomes who was banged up or nursing an injury.

I get it, he's super tough and he'll play on a high ankle sprain where very few guys can. But he has missed a couple of starts. And he's had opportunities, or he's had games where he's been out and there have been opportunities for his backup to be out there on the field. And that's really the story for most NFL teams. Very few get through a season with one QB. And there are teams out there that need QBs too. What are the Buccaneers going to do? They're in a situation where they don't have a lot of money to spend on anyone. So they're not looking at a long-term type of a solution post Tom Brady.

Because they can't afford to pay a quarterback $45 million a year right now. 855-212-4227, Crystal is listening in Atlanta. Welcome to After Hours. Crystal. Oh, hi Miss Amy. Hey. Hi, sorry. Thanks for taking my call. Sure. This is your favorite Colts fan from Atlanta. Anyways, so I had a few comments, but I got a little distracted.

Sorry about that. So Carson went, bless his heart, I think it's about that time to pop a squat. But if he does go somewhere, it seems like he might end up doing some like Michael Vick-ish type of stuff.

Minus the extra stuff if he does. Not only that, but I really feel like if the Colts end up getting somebody young for once, that would be great. And yes, I skipped all the way past Carson Wentz, bless his heart. Those interceptions, him and Matt Ryan did the same thing. Same thing that Carson Wentz did with them. They were very important plays that shouldn't have happened interception-wise. Well, the difference between the Matt Ryan year and the Carson Wentz year is that Carson actually had a fantastic offensive line in front of him.

And as I say, his numbers were really good until those last two games, which just ruined the relationship. Matt Ryan never had that, and he is even less mobile than Carson Wentz. Whatever happened to that offensive line in 2022 is still a mystery, but it was horrible.

I know exactly what happened. They were sitting up there worried about what he was doing in Atlanta, which they don't realize that Matt Ryan had a line from years back. I'm from here, so I was watching it. He had a line, and then it switched. And then once he got here, we didn't have that same line that we had steady and stable. We had the same five or six starters, you know, center included. And then it wasn't there. So once that went away, Matt Ryan was salsa dancing back there, which was scary, but he did run for 39 yards against the Raiders.

I remember that. Definitely not a recipe for success. Not at all.

It was horrible. They needed to call us all out. But hopefully, wherever Carson Wentz goes, I wish him luck because he had a tough time in Philly. And not only that, but I don't know if... Not Darius Leonard, but T.Y. is going to say...

I wanted to ask you about that online, but I didn't get a chance to. Do you think T.Y. is going to stay there and be great in Dallas?

In Dallas? T.Y. Hilton.

Right, now I know who you're talking about. I don't know. They need to fix their receiving corps, obviously. They didn't have a lot of great options this year. That was one point of weakness for the Cowboys, but I haven't really looked at their cap situation. That is a big thing right now.

I'm not sure. Thank you, Crystal. I appreciate your phone call in Atlanta. If you are listening and you want to give us your top options for quarterbacks in this offseason, like I said, it's just a feeling that I have that Rogers is going to end up... That's Aaron. Is going to end up staying in Green Bay, but that could totally not be the case. I just look at the landscape in the AFC, and I don't know why, if you're Aaron Rodgers, you would want to leave the NFC and go to the stacked AFC. And I'm not saying the Jets can't win, only that it's a lot more difficult to come through the AFC based on what we saw this year and the number of really good teams. So, you still have to contend with, and I know the Raiders are an option too, but even more so in the AFC West, you have to contend with the Super Bowl champion, Sean Payton, who's now in to help with a reclamation project that is Russell Wilson and the Broncos offense.

Justin Herbert in that same division, to me that feels like a much more difficult road. And I'm not telling you Aaron can't still play, he certainly can. He's presumably going to be better.

His numbers and the offense are going to be better than they were last year. So, a lot of moving parts and new peeps, new elements to the Packers offense last year. But if you move over into the AFC, it's a log jam. And there are some really good teams, just ask the Bills.

Ask the Bills how easy it is to come out of the AFC. So, I don't know, I'm kind of feeling more and more like Aaron may end up staying in Green Bay, and Marco Belletti is here in studio, so I don't even know if he's going to be an option. Derek Carr, Jimmy Garoppolo, Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Carson Wentz now, or Bryce Young, CJ Stroud. But those two guys are not available to everyone because they'll likely be off the board pretty quickly at the top of the draft. Though if you are willing to deal with the Bears, you could potentially leap up to number one.

But I don't know, what's your top option? Derek Carr? It depends on what team we're talking about because every team's got a little bit of a different scenario. If you win now, absolutely you think you're... The Jets think that they're a quarterback away from winning.

I don't know if I agree with that, but they feel they are. If I'm them, I push hard for Aaron Rodgers. I hear what you're saying, and it is more difficult to go through the AFC. However, I think the Packers might be done with Rodgers more than Rodgers has done with the Packers. And because they have Jordan Love, which they have to decide now.

I mean, he's in year four. You're picking up the option, you're keeping him, what are you doing here? So I think they have to at some point figure out if they've got the next Aaron Rodgers. So I think they might be done.

We'll find out. And I think if that goes that way, they're not trading him to the NFC. So he's now going to have to figure out where he's going in the AFC. They might say, hey, you got your pick of the AFC, which basically comes down to the Jets and the Raiders.

And what else? Maybe the Dolphins could be like a dark horse in that regard if they're afraid about the Tua situation with the injuries. So it depends on where you are. Like, if if if you're a younger team, I would do everything I can to move up in the draft to get a young quarterback to try to work my way that way. Well, it's cheaper.

Right. Although you have to give up a lot because you're probably going to get the Bears, depending on where you are in the draft, a heck of a lot of capital. If you're the Jets after picking Zach Wilson two years ago, you can't go the draft route. You know, like they need a veteran. So they're going to if they swing and miss for Aaron Rodgers, if that's their top choice, they're going to have to go to the Derek Carr's or the Jimmy Garoppolo's. They're the problem with them is because they still have Zach Wilson on the roster and they've made it so clear and so impossible to be able to go back to that route. They have to get someone. So if they go Rodgers, Carr and they strike out on both, they better hope Jimmy Garoppolo wants to be a Jet and they better hope Jimmy Garoppolo stays healthy. Where does that leave the Raiders?

Because you want to talk about a win now situation. That is them. No doubt. In Josh McDaniel's second year and even the Cardinals. Now, I know they've got Colt McCoy, right?

They're bringing back Colt McCoy. I don't think he's signed right now, though. He's also coming off an injury, too. Right, and he's injured. So you need a quarterback there because you don't want to start out, say, 0-3.

You don't want to start out limping out of the gate because that's a tough division, too. Depending on Murray, yeah, if he's ready. Right, and they don't really think he's going to be ready for week one. Or at the very least, not going to be ready to be Kyler Murray. So there's a lot more teams out there that need quarterbacks, at least at the beginning of the year. Right, and I would say the Cardinals, because you've paid Murray and you've got a first-year head coach in Jonathan Gannon. So you could go the Carson Wentz cheap route for three, four weeks.

Hey, can you stabilize? We get our guy back. If we don't have a playoff year, it's okay. It's year one.

We're building. We're getting our franchise quarterback back. You can have that year. Robert Salah with the Jets, he doesn't make the playoffs. He's likely out of a job. He can't go that route. He can't go Band-Aid.

He's got to get a guy. The Raiders, Josh McDaniel is going into year two. They don't make the playoffs or don't show that they're a competitive team. He took over a playoff team and drove them right down. He may be out of a job. He can't go the Carson Wentz route. He better find the guy he wants, whether it's Carr, whether it's Garoppolo. He obviously has a connection with him with the Patriot days.

I don't know. There are a lot of saints. You know, Dennis Allen, does he go try to get Derek Carr? The Bucks, that same division. Right, do they try to, you know, Todd Bowles in that same spot. Took over a team with Tom Brady.

Now he's year two. He's got no quarterback. Does he go the veteran, hey, stabilize, let's make the playoffs so I keep my job? Or are we going straight rebuild and we're gutting this team? Because Tampa's got a lot of questions with a lot of guys making money on the offensive side. And if they don't have a quarterback, do you try to go all in? And then Todd Bowles, again, does he sign up for that? Because he knows he's probably not there for the rebuild.

There's a lot of moving and interesting parts. It still feels that there are more teams that are in need than there are QBs. Every year. So I still don't believe that Carson Wentz is done. Though I think he's at least spent his chances to be a starter right now. He's going to have to work his way back up.

The depth chart is what it feels like. Although it may not be that way because there may be seriously more teams that need QBs. And he's going to luck into one.

So we'll see. But it's going to have to be on a veteran deal. It's going to have to be some kind of really reduced salary and a more prove it type of a situation.

Maybe a veteran minimum. Because there are teams, like the Buccaneers for instance, that can't afford to pay a starting quarterback right now. I'm starting to get all kinds of tension in my stomach thinking about the NFL offseason and what's at stake. It's been such a quiet kind of lead up.

They actually do have activity or at least a lot of rumors and speculation. Well I guess there's been that before the combine. But now that the combine is here and the league, the new league year starts what next week right? March 7th? 9th? Something like that? 9th sounds familiar yeah but I could be wrong.

So it's all going to happen fast and furious. Okay we've got a spot up on our show Twitter. After our CBS we want you to rank. We love to rank things in sports.

The top QB options in the NFL this season whether it's free agent, whether it's college, how do you get there, thinking about money. Who is it? Who are they?

Because it's not as cut and dried as you might think. Again on Twitter, After Hours, CBS or on our Facebook page. You are listening to the After Hours Podcast. Nick Brunson crossover against Wright, attacks in the lane, up with the left and good and the foul. Rolling off the back of the iron. It's been all Nick's in the second leading this one 46-27 in the midst of a 7-0 run. Tennis shoot, up fake, kick, quickly, left wing three, knocks it down.

Emanuel quickly relocates and saves the day. Nick's up 84-69. Brogdon denied by Robinson with the left. Here come the Knicks.

Hart up top, swings to quickly, fake to three, goes baseline, fires, shot short, tip is good. Mitchell Robinson time out Boston with 6-18 to go. The Knicks with the answer again. The theme of the night, 186 with the lead at the Garden.

This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. That's Ed Cohen on Knicks radio. And if you were trying to make a case for why Jason Tatum is the NBA MVP. A dark horse, we'll call him. This would be a game or this would be a stretch where his value is underscored.

But in this game it's more of a backdoor type of an argument. Because right now Tatum is not playing well. He's not shooting well. Still drunk from vacation. That's how I played the night.

Let's hope that's not the case. But 6-18 shooting in this one and then he ends up getting excused early. An excused absence out of school early for the first time in his career. Lobs it to Williams. Graham Williams looking.

Nothing doing with Mascala. Back for Tatum. Down the lane, skies for a monster two-hander and hangs on the rim. And he's teed up. Tatum with a massive slam, soaring to the sky. But he's teed up. I'm not sure if it was hanging on the rim or it was after for arguing with the official.

But the crowd's gotten into it now. It came from the reaction from the dunk. That one was tough. Because they literally glided me to the rim.

Two hands on my back. That would have been scary if I didn't hold on to the rim. I was upset about that. Upset about the three. I feel like he smacked my arm.

It didn't go my way. Jason Tatum explaining his perspective in picking up his first career ejection. And it was late in the game. I'm not telling you the Celtics couldn't come back. But they did have multiple opportunities in this game to rally. They pulled within single digits a couple times. And the Knicks were able to respond each time. In large part due to the fact that there was no Jalen Brown. And this wasn't a Jason Tatum who was locked in playing his best basketball.

So they could have made a run. Instead he gets tossed. First he's arguing for a call on a dunk.

You hear him talk about that. And then he loses his mind a little bit. When he feels like he gets slapped on the arm. And the replay does show he slapped on the arm. His non-shooting arm but slapped on the arm nonetheless. In the fourth quarter.

And so the frustration boiled over. From calls to the shooting to the way the Celtics were playing. Just had one free throw. I actually saw him tweet about this earlier. Something about fouling LeBron. I'll have to go back and find it. This is what I get for fouling LeBron.

Something along those lines. And so as you hear with Ed Cohen on Knicks radio. Tatum's not available at the end. And instead the Knicks are able to win their sixth game in a row.

While the Celtics. Who can't lay this all on Jason Tatum. Go 9 of 42 from beyond the arc. 9 of 42. That's. You know what I'm going to say.

That's a Jason. That's a James Harden situation. 9 of 42. Thought we missed a lot of good looks. Put pressure on our defense. They do a good job of putting pressure on the paint in free throws. And so if you can't make open shots you constantly have to guard.

Paint threat, paint threat, paint threat. And they put a lot of pressure on our defense. But didn't think it was our night.

It definitely was not. And Tatum meanwhile is trying to figure out how to find that rhythm and groove again. Get back home. I ain't been home in two weeks. Right. Miss my bed. See Deuce. You know. Just get back home.

Get some home cooked meal. Get ready for Wednesday. It's a long season. And Jason's been playing. As we all know at an MVP level.

For most of the season. And I mean. You know.

If you go all 82 playing like that. That's just tough. You know there's going to be ups and downs. And he's the last guy that I'm worried about. You know I know what he's about.

And my biggest thing with him is. You know making sure that he feels right. And that he's good to go. You know in April. Once the playoffs start so.

I'm not worried about it. You know he's there. And that's just a part of it. A little bit later we'll hear from the Knicks locker room. But they are now nine games above five hundred. And while the top two teams in the Eastern Conference are still.

Sitting on a nice cushion. Actually the Bucks have taken over. Just the half game. Well it's percentage points.

It's actually. One less loss. But one less win. Initially tied in the standings. Except the Bucks have a slight lead in winning percentage. Based on that fourteen consecutive victories. Celtics slip to number two. The Knicks though are sitting in the five spot. Having won eight of their last ten. So a nice surge for Tom Thibodeau's club. It's after hours on CBS Sports Radio.