After Hours with Amy Lawrence PODCAST: Hour 2

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That's BetterHELP.com slash positive. Hey football fans Baldy here. I'm doing something special for this year's NFL Draft. Jason Locke and four myself for hosting the 2023 Odyssey NFL Draft show. Join us on the first night of the draft, talking with local experts from our Odyssey podcasts from across the country and leading up to the draft. Check out our podcast In The Huddle. I'm going to give you some inside scoop on the best prospects for your favorite team.

It all starts tonight at 7 p.m. Eastern on the free Odyssey app. What a night. What a night in hoops and actually what a night on the playoff stage if you include the hockey in there as well. How about the Seattle Kraken now being one win away from eliminating the Stanley Cup champions. They get another victory over the Avalanche and again this one taking place in Denver. So the Kraken edge the Avalanche three to two and now are on the cusp of winning the first ever playoff series in their history. But to do it against the Avalanche is incredible and the Panthers they are still alive still have a pulse in Boston no less.

Florida edges Boston in overtime to avoid being eliminated. Pretty incredible stuff and again by nature I've said this multiple times in the last couple of weeks but by nature hockey postseason is just tense. Because we're talking a goal here a goal there. You can actually dominate a game in hockey and still not have a lead. So so much of it has to do with goalies and the defense in front of the goal and when it's close anything can happen. A breakaway a turnover at the wrong time. Goodness in the game that I saw between Devils and Rangers that was game two last week. There were a couple of goals by the Rangers in which the Devils goalie was screened he couldn't see the shot coming in.

And it kind of unraveled from there. Such a different type of a feel between Stanley Cup hockey and the NBA playoffs. But I will say this it's fairly evident that they share one quality no lead is safe. No lead is safe right now in either hoops or hockey. And so Panthers and Kraken with road wins on Wednesday evening. That sets us up for could be some climactic finishes in those series. And we still have the rest of the first round that's going on. Toronto one win away from its first playoff series in years.

Was it two plus decades for the Maple Leafs since the last time they won a playoff series. Good stuff all around but April is total insanity. It's chaos is what it is. Because you've got so many series that are going on. Even with the NBA now having multiple series ending. So only one game coming up on Thursday which I think is a benefit for hoops.

Because you're up against the first round of the NFL draft. We're still seeing just so much taking place on each night. If you're a fan kind of feels like you're pinballing up and down and all around. From game to game, sport to sport, market to market, channel to channel. But it was a fun night in hoops to be sure.

And hockey continues to deliver the surprising results. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. Love to have you find us on our Facebook page named after the show After Hours CBS on Twitter as well. And our phone number 855-212-4227.

That's 855-212-4CBS. Coming up this hour Giannis explains in his impassioned response to a reporter. Why losing in the first round is anything but a failure.

We'll see whether or not you agree with him because I think that will be a hot take on Thursday. That the Bucks entire season was a failure. They earned the number one seed.

They seem to be a veteran club with a lot of experience. They fought through adversity and yet only win a single game against the Miami Heat. You're going to hear a lot of people say it was an unmitigated failure and disaster. And I would absolutely say they underperformed and it was underwhelming what they showed us in the playoffs. But hearing what Giannis had to say, gosh, I hope that it goes viral on Thursday.

Because it's a near perfect reply to that question. Kind of stops you in your tracks. Also, a couple days after we celebrated a minor league, a career minor league baseball player for finally getting the call up to the big show. After 13 seasons in the minors, he gets his first ever major league at bat. We will hear from him. We'll talk about that moment.

Pretty awesome. Aaron Rodgers, introduced by the New York Jets. I love that he has to take a back seat on this Wednesday.

But yes, Aaron Rodgers, bottom of the hour will get to. I'm offended. Whatevs.

I don't really care. It's not football season right now. Though we do have plenty to talk about as we head toward the draft, which will be all the rage this time tomorrow.

Again, it's After Hours with Amy Lawrence here on CBS Sports Radio. We do now have a couple series that have potential for Game 7s in the NBA. But the tightest series to date has been the one featuring the defending champions against an upstart Sacramento Kings Club. So they were back in Sacramento.

I was going to say back in Northern California. But haha, these two franchises, they're housed roughly 90 miles apart in the Bay Area. So yes, the Kings hosting the Warriors. Now remember, the last time they were there in Sacramento, Draymond Green got ejected and then missed Game 3.

But don't look now. The Warriors, they appear to be a team that can finally win on the road again. As Fox came back to deny Curry, Wiggins on the right side.

54 seconds to go. Crossover by Wiggins. The winner will lead the series three games to two. Wiggins spins, fadeaway jumper.

Good with 47.8 to go. 119-114, Warriors up 5. Curry brings it in. 12 to shoot.

Stumbles outside. Takes it down the lane. In traffic, spins it back.

Gets to the paint, goes up and lays it up. And in with 22.4 to go. Golden State leads by seven in Sacramento.

And some have started to head for the exits here at the Golden 1 center. What a play by Curry. It was a human rain delay on that one. Fox passed to the wing.

Murray for three at the buzzer. No good. Ballgame's over. And the Golden State Warriors, who won only 11 road games. Huh.

I'll finish that sentence for Tim Roy since we... And the Golden State Warriors, who won only 11 road games all year. I got you. I got you. I got you.

All right. So the Warriors win their 12th road game of the year. It says a number I've thrown at you multiple times over the past couple of weeks that I didn't have a lot of confidence in Golden State away from home. And they end up with two losses to start this series in Sacramento. In this one, the Warriors nearly coughed up a lead. A double figure lead in the fourth quarter.

That's how precarious the position on the road. It's been their defense most of the time. Over and over we've heard Steve Kerr lament how lazy, lackadaisical, how they can be so unfocused on defense on the road and undisciplined. And there were the Kings, who were down a dozen early in the fourth quarter, but just kept coming back and coming back. And long stretches, multiple possessions where the Warriors wouldn't score. Steph Curry missed a couple of threes. In fact, the Warriors themselves, they were open looks. You got to give credit to the Kings crowd for the way they made all of this tough sledding in the fourth quarter. Malik Monk, he was the catalyst for the Kings in that run.

11 points over five minutes for Malik Monk. And there they were, about four minutes to go, up by just one. So it was tense for the Warriors. I got to imagine if they did not figure out a way to win this game, that would have been the end of it.

This would have been a crushing blow. But with about a minute to go, Malik Monk missed a three pointer that would have given them the tie against Golden State. So that's just over a minute to go. And from that point on, the Warriors took control. You hear the Andrew Wiggin shot with Tim Roy there on Warriors radio, then Steph Curry, he calls him the human rain delay because of the handle. He just kept weaving in and out, backing up, misdirection, a little bit like a Patrick Mahomes moment to extend his time in the pocket or to extend a play. Finally, Steph makes a layup, gets fouled, makes a free throw. And they were able to hang on from that point. So the final minute, the Warriors showed their experience. And I think there were a couple of shots in those late stages, similar to what we saw in game number, I guess it was four, where the inexperience of the Kings in these moments on this stage was evident. And I felt like this was another last minute or so, maybe less 90 seconds of the game, where the patience of the Warriors served them well. Whereas the Kings got a little more anxious, a little more trigger happy, if you will. Jack it up a three here or there instead of looking for a better shot, a higher percentage shot.

It's after hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. We'll hear from Klay Thompson in a second about why he calls this the best win of the year. But regardless, it's their first road win in the playoffs and only their 12th road win of the entire season. So what was the difference, Steph Curry? It was all defense.

I mean, on the road that's been our struggle all year is just trying to wheel enough stops. And once we did that, I mean, the office wasn't pretty because it's playoffs and you can feel the intensity in the building. Klay hits a big shot in the corner.

Draymond's attacking a glass or attacking the rim. Every possession, every time they got it loaned, 22 rebounds. Like our office, it wasn't high power, but we were decisive and didn't turn it over, which gave ourselves a chance to set up our defense and connecting the game down the stretch is huge. It's the only way to win on the road and it's nice to kind of overcome the history of the regular season on the road final. We know how difficult it is to win in this building and it just took a different level of focus than it would have in the past.

And I just think this was probably the best one of the year. But when the clock strikes midnight, it's a new day. We got to put it behind us because we really don't want to come back. We want to give our fans a show at home and hopefully finish the series there.

So that's the deal. If they don't close out the series in Game 6 at Chase Center where they've been very good. Remember, they're one of the best home teams in the NBA, which is why it's so crazy that they haven't been able to capitalize on their core, their experience, certainly their talent away from home. But if they don't win in Game 6, they'll have to play again in front of those Kings fans in a Game 7, which is tough sledding. Regardless, the Game 7 on the road is tough, but they have not been good away from home, which is why they call this the best win of the year. Now, Steph Curry had 31, but he struggled from beyond the arc, only 2 of 10 from 3. But speaking of that, the Sacramento Kings came out like a house on fire from deep. Most of their damage from beyond the arc was done in the first quarter, because after that they were 10 of 34 from 3. So when Steph mentions the defense, it's what he's referring to, they really cooled off. And that is obviously a major staple of what the Kings want to do offensively. Now, Draymond Green came off the bench again.

Remember, this was his choice. After watching Game 3, felt like the 4-guard lineup with Kavon Looney, Kavon playing really well, decided that it'd be better for him to come off the bench. And we know he's still out there in the late stages of the game, right, because he is their best defender.

And so, don't cry for me Argentina, he still played 32 minutes. And had his most points in a game in 5 years. 21, plus 7 assists and 4 steals. All of them coming off the bench, and Steve Kerr likes it. Draymond was amazing, especially down the stretch. They were calling him Draymond Nowitzki after the fadeaway. It was maybe the biggest shot of the game. That and Wiggs hit a fadeaway as well.

Those two shots probably were the two that stood out. Obviously, Steph and Klay, there were a lot of big shots made in the game, but those two stand out to me when Sacramento played really good defense and those guys knocked down shots at key times. De'Aaron Fox has been the primary star, though Malik Monk has had some big moments too. But Fox with 24 in this game, still led the Kings. Malik had 21 off the bench, De'Montez Sabonis. He's not shot well. This may be the best game in terms of his shooting percentage. He had 21.

Fox goes 3 of 10 from downtown and 9 of 25 overall in this game. And what he was most bothered by were his 6 turnovers. We had a lot of turnovers tonight. I had a lot of turnovers. It's got to be better in the second half this period. Fourth quarter, I just have to play better. Playing the team multiple times, they make adjustments.

I think at times I had good looks that just didn't go in. But I think they played a good game. Defensively, they got their hands on a lot of balls, a lot of deflections, blocked shots. I think they did a good job in the second half defensively.

It's kind of like desperation. It's win or go home. Just like how we was up 2-0 and they did a really good job of coming out strong and hitting us in the mouth in game 3. They kind of took that over. We got to have the same mindset coming in.

It's a really good team, especially at home. But we got to punch them in the mouth first. Not literally because that would get a flagrant too and someone would get suspended. If you're not going to punch me in my face when you see me, then shut up. So there are certainly plenty of people who would love to punch Draymond Green in his face.

But again, that would not only get you suspended, but also might get you arrested. Davion Mitchell says it is do or die time. And the Kings are growing up on the job. The inexperience has definitely been a factor in the late stages of the last couple of games. So the Warriors have now won three in a row. They lost the first two and now have rattled off three consecutive wins, which honestly may be one of their longest win streaks of the year. I think they won five in a row at one point during the regular season, but they were one step forward, two steps back a lot of the time. Now they're on the cusp.

All right, straight ahead. The Cavaliers, an early exit in the playoffs. This one surprised me. Not that the Knicks won, but how tamely the Cavaliers exited.

And when is a first round loss in the postseason not a failure? On Twitter, ALawRadio, also on our Facebook page, Aaron Rodgers, later this hour. I know, don't all flock to your radio. It's After Hours on CBS Sports Radio.

You are listening to the After Hours Podcast. Brunson left to the mid-court circle, doubled as a dribble to Hart, turns, throws it up, Robinson waiting with the stuff. Quickly, straight on, up high screen, drives in the lane, running floater, back of the rim, no, slammed down by Robinson with the left, it was clean. And the Knicks by 12, Robinson a double-double, Brunson high left, doubled. Near mid-court, the bounce to Hart, skips it, Baron waiting, drives in the lane, up with the left, no, tipped up and in, Mitchell Robinson punched it up and through, another put-back, Knicks by 14, Mitchell fitting, dribbling it down for the Cavaliers.

Five seconds to go. Knicks fans rise in Cleveland, three seconds, two, one, Donovan Mitchell of all people, dribbles it out, it's over. For the first time in a decade, the Knicks are moving on to the second round. This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. Ed Cohen on Knicks radio, first time since 2013 that New York is into the second round of the NBA playoffs.

It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. Julius Randle re-injured in this one late second quarter. I don't know if it makes a difference in the fourth quarter. I'm not sure if he would have played anyway. We know that Tom Fibideaux praised the effort that he was getting from Julius even though he did not play in the fourth quarter of their last game.

However, it became a moot point in the second half because Julius didn't return and it looked pretty painful. What stands out to me about this series is not Julius Randle. They definitely need him in what will be a knockdown, drag-out, physical series against the Heat. Both the Heat and the New York Knicks want to play tough, hard-nosed, in-your-face defense.

They want to challenge everything. So that could be a series depending upon which version of the Heat we see. That could be a series with lower-scoring games.

Maybe a throwback, if you will. But in this particular series, even with the Cleveland Cavaliers having Donovan Mitchell for the first season, having Jared Allen, having Caris LeVert, having guys who can score, Darius Garland, who had some really impressive stretches in this series, Evan Mobley. They've got guys. However, the Knicks, in all four of their wins against Cleveland, held the Cavs under 100 points. That's the signature right there.

That's Tom Thibodeau. He's defense first, defense always, doesn't care how ugly it looks. And now he's got his Knicks moving on to the second round against the Heat. Donovan Mitchell probably will get a lot of the attention. It's now six seasons into his NBA career, and in none of those seasons has he or his team ever advanced past the first or second round. So he's not been to the conference finals yet. Clearly frustrated. This was another poor shooting performance for him, so credit Josh Hart for the way that he played defense on Donovan. Mitchell did have 28, but he goes 11 of 26 from the floor.

So a lot of breaks. And he's definitely taking responsibility for their early exit. I don't feel like I was the player I needed to be for this group. That's what's going to keep me up at night is just I've done it all year. You know what I mean? So I just didn't deliver. You know, like I'm expecting myself to and my teammates and everybody expects me to.

And like I said, I take that upon myself, man. I got to be better. Got to be better. And, you know, everybody hates when I say that in the locker room, but it is what it is. You know, ultimately I got to be better for my guys. Everybody's hurting. We talked about this a lot this season, how valuable these experiences are, these learning lessons are for us. You know, we talked about it.

These are things that you can't experience unless you go through it. These guys had a phenomenal regular season. You know, each of them grew in their own different way. You know, those guys should be proud. You know, they put this organization and brought it back, you know, to where it's an organization that's being talked about again as a promising organization and, you know, a ton of things ahead in the future. We did a lot of special things this year, but, you know, for it to end this way doesn't feel right. You know, I'm proud of every one of those guys in this locker room, our coaching staff and everybody. But, you know, they outplayed us.

Got to give credit where credit is due. Donovan, J.B. Bickerstaff, and then Donovan again. And I think similar to the Kings, now the Kings aren't quite as young, but similar to the Kings, a lack of playoff experience came back to plague the Cavaliers, many of them making their debuts in the postseason in this series. But congratulations to the Knicks. What a cool moment, and Jalen Brunson averages, I think it was just shy of 25 points per game in this series. They, remember, they wanted Donovan Mitchell, the Knicks. Instead, they get Jalen Brunson, and now head to head, he's at least got the edge. Now, probably doesn't matter to them, but you can be sure Knicks fans remember.

And I do think it's significant that Jalen and Josh Hart were teammates in college, and now they have the chance to play alongside each other and also sit next to each other and post game pressers. I think, don't do this again, bro. Just look forward and just stop. Just eating, asking you a question.

Mad and meeple. It starts with holding each other accountable, from the coaching staff to the players. It's a... I'm hangry.

I think we all trust each other, most importantly. He's like, don't do this to me again, brother. I'm like Josh Hart, if a guy's got to eat, if a guy's hungry, a guy's got to eat. I feel the same way. I'm just eating, asking you a question.

Mad and meeple. They sound like they know each other really well. I love that. Okay, one more, because I promised this, and Marco Belletti is in studio. If you didn't hear this after the Bucs' loss, best record in the NBA, the question was posed by a reporter named Eric. I don't know who it was, but to Mike Budenholzer. He asked him, is this season a failure? So Mike answers, and certainly there's disappointment there. That was really what he focused on, was disappointment. He said, I don't love the word failure, but yes, there's a lot of disappointment because we felt like we built to this moment, to this opportunity. So then Giannis enters the press room, and the same reporter peppers him with a couple of questions, but then said, hey, I just asked Mike this, is this season a failure?

And this, after Giannis puts his head in his hands, and next to the microphone goes, oh my God, I remember this question from last year, Eric. That's how he addressed him. This was his response. Do you get a promotion every year on your job? No, right? So every year you work, it's a failure. Yes or no?

No. Every year you work, you work towards something, towards a goal, right, which is to get a promotion, to be able to take care of your family, to be able, I don't know, provide the house for them or take care of your parents. You work towards a goal. It's not a failure. It's steps to success, you know, and if you've never, I don't want to make it personal. So there's always steps to it. You know, Michael Jordan played 15 years, won six championship.

The other nine years was a failure. That's what you're telling me. I'm asking you a question. Yes or no? Okay, exactly. So why you ask me that question?

It's a wrong question. There's no failure in sports. You know, there's good days, bad days. Some days you are able to be successful. Some days you're not. Some days it's your turn. Some days it's not your turn. And that's what sports is about.

You don't always win. Some other people is going to win. And this year, somebody else is going to win.

Similar as that. We're going to come back next year, try to be better, try to build good habits, try to play better, not have 10-day stretch with playing bad basketball. You know, and hopefully we can win a championship. So 50 years from 1971 to 2021 that we didn't win a championship, it was 50 years of failures.

No, it was not. It was steps to it, you know? And we were able to win one. Hopefully we can win another one. I love that answer.

I love the perspective. Now, I don't feel the same as Giannis, if it's me personally. I'm not saying the Bucs season is a failure. But if it's me personally, I tend to dwell more on my disappointments and my failures. And I internalize that and I get upset at myself.

But I love the perspective. I'd never heard anyone use quite the same perspective as Giannis before, that it's all a process, it's all steps. So agree or disagree, it really is his opinion.

But I also thought he was very gracious in not trying to make this about the reporter. And instead, he said to him at the end, Marco, he said, I remember you asked this question last year and I wasn't in the right presence of mind or frame of mind to be able to answer you. But now I know how I feel about it. It's a great answer. It's wrong.

It's a great answer, though. Look, because he's right. It's his opinion. I understand that. And he's right in the fact of not every season is a failure without a championship.

He's 100% correct. However, when you win 58 games and you're the 1 seed and you go out in the first round to the 8 seed, it is a failure. Especially when the 8 seed is missing a starter and another really significant role player. I don't care if somebody came off the bench that hadn't played all year.

It doesn't matter. You're the 1 seed, you have the best record, you lose an 8 seed. That season's a failure. You had an opportunity to win a championship this year. That, unfortunately, that's something that you're going to have to wear. It's a great answer. And I hadn't thought of it in the way that he put it.

And it's a great job of kind of spinning it. And he's right in a lot of years where, if you don't win a title, doesn't necessarily make it a failure. I mean, bringing yourself to, he's right in the steps. Teams have to go through the steps to get to that point.

Donovan Mitchell talked about that with the Cavs. This is tough, but we're getting to the steps. He's right. That's not a failure. But this year for the Bucs, sorry, it's a failure.

All right, you can find me on Twitter, ALawRadio. I know you're all anxious to hear from Aaron Rodgers. He and the Jets love fest is straight ahead here after hours CBS Sports Radio.

Donate today at your local CSL plasma center and be rewarded for your generosity podcast. This is a happy day for my brother and I, for the organization here, and especially for the Jets fans all over. The fact that we're here today is really a testament to what's been going on here and what the coach and the general manager and the staff has built over the last two years.

The culture that enabled us to attract somebody of the caliber that we're looking at right now. Aaron Rodgers, a Hall of Famer, future Hall of Famer. Aaron is a tremendous player is an understatement and he makes everybody around him better. And we're so happy to have him. We are delighted and happy.

We couldn't be happier to have him as a New York Jet. This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. Oh, yes.

Oh, yes. Bow down and worship at the feet of one Aaron Rodgers. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. I'm just glad it's done. This was the first time the Jets have held a press conference to introduce a quarterback since Tim Tebow, believe it or not, over a decade ago.

Now, Tebow was their third string quarterback, which made that even more comical. I am not at all surprised that they allowed this press conference and the access to Aaron Rodgers because this has been a trade that was in the works for weeks and weeks, finally consummated. Of course, everyone wants to hear from Aaron now that it's done. And he looked right at home. He sounded like he either hasn't had enough sleep or is coming off of a cold.

His voice sounded like I do when I've been using my voice too much. But the Jets are thrilled to have him, and he is going to stick around for OTAs, according to Aaron Rodgers. He's got not just work to be done in New Jersey to get acclimated, but also wants to get used to the teammates that are new.

Not all of them are new. Some are teammates that he knew from Green Bay. So why, Aaron Rodgers?

Why the New York Jets? I'm here because I believe in this team. I believe in Coach Sala.

I believe in the direction of Joe Douglas. Obviously, he's drafted really well the last couple years, having the Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year. They smoked us last year, so I knew they had a good team. We got to practice against him a couple years ago, and I got to get to know Robert a little bit more. I've always loved what he's all about.

We played him in San Fran a few times, and mostly they got the best of us. But I liked the way that he was leading, his coaching style. It's a great staff, but I'm an old guy, so I want to be a part of a team that can win it all, and I believe that this is a place we can get that done. Says he believes in what Joe Douglas is doing, what Robert Sala is doing, and thinks that they can win it all. Could you imagine what it would be like to win with the New York Jets? Well, it'd be special for sure. I've definitely been a part of an incredible organization that has had a lot of success. Four Super Bowls, 13 championships.

This team has won one Super Bowl, and it's been a while. So to be a part of bringing things back would be incredible. I just think the excitement level is so high. I can feel it from my new teammates and the way that they were texting with me. I can see it in the fans, not just the Mike Greenbergs of the world, but everybody is excited.

I am the same way. I can't wait. I just want to get going, and it's going to be an exciting journey. So just to be a part of that is amazing.

Obviously, to be a part of getting this team back where it deserves would be legendary, and that's what I think we all want to be about, is legendary things. He is a confident person. He believes that every time he steps on the field, he's going to throw for 400 yards, four touchdowns, and win football games, and that's why he's been the type of player he's been his entire career. He's unflappable and just full of confidence, which is awesome.

So this is interesting. As I'm listening to Aaron and as I was listening to the press earlier, what dawns on me is this is a completely different Rogers than what we have gotten with McAfee over his most recent interviews. Now, it's been a while since he's been on McAfee, what, six weeks or so, but this Rogers actually sounds enthusiastic. This Rogers does not sound jaded, doesn't sound arrogant, doesn't sound like this old guy who is on a zen journey of some sort.

I'm not a dumb jock. This guy sounds energetic, excited, full of anticipation, like he's got a new lease on life and his career. I mean, this guy was smiling. He wasn't trying to teach the world a lesson.

He wasn't telling people to lose his number. He didn't sound jaded. He just sounded like a guy who's really excited to play football in a new place.

That's what stuck out to me. We haven't heard this almost youthful Aaron Rogers, even though he did point out multiple times that he's old. Oh, so old. We haven't heard this kind of childlike excitement, borderline giddy from Aaron Rogers in years. It's been so jaded. I've been around the block.

I've seen everything. He actually sounds like a guy who can't wait for this new opportunity. And despite the fact that it took a while, he says he knew at some point he would be a jet and he was not changing his mind. A lot of things had to come together, and I believe there was some major synchronization to make this happen. But I'm excited about the opportunity here.

I always believed this was possible, and things moved pretty quickly on Monday, and thankfully I'm here now. Sounds like a completely different guy, which is good. It's good for the Jets. It's good for Aaron. It's good for the NFL.

You know what I heard from our friend Boomer Esiason on Wednesday morning? Eight Jets games scheduled to air on national TV. Eight. That's half their freaking schedule. Eight. CBS is going to have a field day with Aaron Rogers now in the AFC. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence, CBS Sports Radio.

Now, he was asked about the Packers version of the story that he resisted, his camp resisted their attempts to communicate with him. I don't know if I need to really get into the specifics. I will say people that know me, I'm fortunate to live in a beautiful house. The only downside is I have very limited cell service, so if you want to get ahold of me... Stop it. I have to see your face. You got to FaceTime me.

So the only response to the communication thing is there's records in your phone about who called you, when, FaceTime, and there wasn't any specific FaceTimes from any of those numbers that I was looking at. That's neither here nor there because now we're at this position. Obviously, that's somehow the direction they wanted to go as far as the story, they couldn't get ahold of me, which led for this to be the case. My point was if there was a change that wanted to be made, why wasn't that told to me early in the off-season? Now, obviously, my future was undecided at that time. I didn't know if I wanted to keep playing. I wanted to go into my darkness retreat and sit with it and contemplate. There it is.

But when I came out, it was evident that it was retire or move on to a new team. Interesting. You can only FaceTime Aaron Rodgers. I don't have your number.

You're not going to have my number. I'm telling you, he sounds like a completely different guy. Am I the only person that recognized that?

Also, we'll do one more here. He was asked about being the savior of the Jets. He actually said their lone Vince Lombardi trophy that they have at their facility looks pretty lonely. It's joy. You want to be having fun with what you're doing.

If you're not enjoying it, then it's time to do something else. And I think the opportunity to work with Nathaniel again, to work with Robert, to be around Joe, to be around the Johnsons and the vision they have for the team, I think the excitement of a new chapter has really been fueling my off-season workout so far and just the overall excitement level. I've mentioned the Jets fans, an incredibly passionate group. I'm excited to meet them, to play in front of them, but to be a part of something special is what keeps you coming back. And I think this is building right now. And what Coach has done the last couple of years, he's building something special the right way with the right values, the right type of leadership, and I think I can just fit in perfectly.

I'm not here to be a savior of any kind. I'm just here to be the best quarterback I can be, to lead authentically and to inspire the guys around me to raise their level of play to an even greater spot. The buzz around the New York Jets right now reminds me of the buzz around the Broncos' facilities last season, or last off-season, excuse me, when they traded for Russell Wilson. Now, is Aaron Rodgers a better quarterback than Russell Wilson? Of course. Of course. Four MVP awards and then the Super Bowl, although Russ does have a Super Bowl. But Rodgers is a better individual quarterback. I hope, for the Jets' sake, that they are able to carry this excitement and giddiness forward into a winning season. It's after hours on CBS Sports Radio. Donate today at your local CSL Plasma Center and be rewarded for your generosity.