After Hours with Amy Lawrence PODCAST: Hour 2

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Donate today at your local CSL Plasma Center and be rewarded for your generosity. We are cruising toward the weekend, just three hours left in our schedule. People say to me, happy Friday, happy Friday night. It doesn't feel that way, but I do love that we get to start our weekend before any other show on this here network. So yes, bidding farewell to a Thursday in the first round of the NFL Draft now in the rearview mirror. Of course, it wasn't just the draft.

It had to be some other bombshell news earlier in the day from the National Football League. The draft continues on through the weekend, as do the NBA and NHL playoffs, and we could have game sevens. We could. We might not, but we could have some game sevens. There's definitely potential coming up this weekend. But we also have second round of the NBA playoffs beginning in the next couple days as well. For instance, Knicks and Heat will tip off on Sunday. It's one o'clock Eastern time.

Of course, 10 a.m. on the West Coast. And then you also have the first game between the Suns and the Nuggets that takes place on Saturday night. The other two Western Conference Series, they may wrap up on Friday evening, so the NBA has got to work through the weekend. We've got Kings in the other part of the Bay Area, San Francisco, Kings and Warriors. That's an eight o'clock Eastern time start, but five o'clock actually.

I heard Tim Roy talk about how it was an afternoon game, a day game for them. So a five o'clock West Coast time, and then you've got after that Memphis and Los Angeles, and that will take place in L.A. So you've got two games, both coming from California, both coming from the West Coast, and those could be close outs for both the Lakers and the Warriors, or we could see both those series go the distance, in which case they would have to finish up on Sunday. So yeah, not only will we end up with the opener of the Knicks and the Heat in the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Sunday, we know that for sure, but we could get a pair of Game 7s before that.

Okay, and then we're waiting to see what happens in the NHL. So we'll get to the hoops and the hockey starting this hour and then continuing on through the rest of the show. It's after hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio.

Our line, our toll-free line, I should say, I should qualify it, our toll-free line 855-212-4227, that's 855-212-4CBS. On Twitter, after hours, CBS, your response is already coming in to fill in the blank. The first round of the NFL Draft was what?

I like this from Aaron, long. The NFL Draft was, the first round of the NFL Draft was as long as Aaron's answer is succinct. Oh yes, do you know they were still choosing the final couple picks as we were heading up toward midnight Eastern time, so 11 o'clock Kansas City. They still had not finished until just before 11 p.m. Kansas City time. It was, in fact, a long spring spectacle, a show.

If you're a fan, you got your money's worth. But I'm telling you, it really underscores my point that this is less and less about the actual selections and more and more about all of the pomp and circumstance. But congratulations to all of those young men whose dreams were realized. And in some cases where they weren't in the green room, you had huge parties, which reminded me of the pandemic draft when Roger Goodell was in his basement. And then you remember the NFL sent cameras to hundreds of different places so that they could be virtually connected with the various picks and their families. And I don't know if it was a rule, but at that point it was still frowned upon to have more than two people in a room at the same time. And so it was very clear, though, you would have a prospect and his parents, and they'd be sitting on a couch.

Remember, Joe Burrow had his parents on either side of him, and that was it. It was so quiet, and he's so quiet anyway. But then you could see other family members and friends kind of peeking out from behind doorways or peeking out from other rooms. And when the pick was made, the initial reaction, you might have thought it was subdued until you start hearing the noise from the other rooms. And you realize there are dozens of people there.

Good for you, family's more important. And so it reminded me of that, some of these various draft watch parties that the prospects themselves had either organized or their families had organized. And there are about, I don't know, there's about four dozen people crammed into a living room. For Broderick Jones, that was one that stood out, the lineman out of Georgia.

So you can find us on Twitter or Facebook, and we'll get to some of your responses. Yes, Erin, it was a long first round of the NFL draft. John says it was exciting and entertaining with all the trades. The Eagles, A-plus draft after the round one. Glad to see the Steelers trade up and select Broderick Jones. So there you go.

We'll be back on the clock in round number two. So yeah, exciting to see teams address their needs. But also I love the cameras in the war rooms. This is something else that we have kept over or left over from the COVID draft, which is where now we have access to the war rooms. What we don't have is Andy Reid sitting right next to the camera. Remember Andy Reid and Mike McCarthy? They were sitting so close to the cameras, they could almost see up their noses.

But yeah, we don't have that anymore, but what we do have is access to the war rooms. And it was pretty cool to see all the different general managers and scouts, coaches, team personnel, in some cases the owners in a room. And they're so excited, right?

They're cheering, they're shaking hands. It reminded me a little bit of the old NASA launches where you would have all the various factions and factors in the techs that would be in Houston or in Florida, mostly Houston. And as they had a successful launch, they would all clap and then they would shake each other's hands to congratulate one another for a job well done. It was like that. You kind of had the rows and rows of scouts and personnel and coaches.

And after the pick was made or after they realized they got the pick they wanted, well then you would see them all shake hands and congratulate one another on a job well done. Attaboys. A lot of attaboys going on. That was beautiful. It was kind of beautiful.

It's After Hours here on CBS Sports Radio. What else was beautiful is to finally, finally know that Lamar Jackson and the Ravens have mended the fences. They've patched things up. They've decided they are better together than they are apart.

I told you this over a month ago. This was best case scenario for Lamar. Best case scenario for the Ravens. Figure out common ground.

Compromise often means neither side is happy, fully happy with the outcome. This is best case scenario for both the Ravens and their quarterback. Lamar Jackson was not going to find a better fit anywhere else. It was clear that there was not going to be a contract worth more somewhere else than he could get with the Ravens.

He does now become the highest paid NFL player in history in terms of average annual value. We'll get the details from Ian Rappaport. This was the best outcome for both parties. And wait till you hear what Eric DaCosta had to say about the personal aspect of this, which we knew there was an element. Because Lamar does not have an agent, because he was negotiating on his own behalf, there was no buffer. There was no one to hear what the Ravens had to say and kind of filter that when going back to Lamar.

No. This was direct communication and if I'm Lamar, my feelings are hurt too. Whether or not my expectations are unrealistic or otherworldly doesn't matter. When you hear an employer or a coach somehow indicate to you that you're not worth what you think you are, it hurts. Again, numbers aside, what you want to believe is that your employers and your bosses value you as much as you value yourself.

That they see you the way you want to be seen. The deal gets done. It's a lot of money. It's for five years. I'm glad it's done.

I'm happy for Lamar and I'm also happy for the Ravens. Finally, here are the details. It's a five-year deal. $260 million. So he is the new highest-paid quarterback in NFL history. $52 million per year based on new money. $185 million in guarantees. Just over Jalen Hurts, which really is how the Baltimore Ravens got this done. As soon as Hurts got done, they say, we want Lamar Jackson to be our quarterback. We're just going to offer him more.

That is what they did. They offered him more in all metrics, and the deal gets done right before the draft with the Baltimore Ravens opening up some cap space. We'll be curious to see how that cap space is used. Do they use it to make a player acquisition or simply pay their draft picks? A lot of time for all that in the future, but the most important thing right now, Lamar Jackson has his contract.

So Ian Rappaport on NFL Network with some of the details. Yes, he does get $1 million more per year than does Jalen Hurts. So $51 million average annual value versus $52 million for Lamar.

And did you hear he has more guaranteed money? Now, this caused me to think about it a little bit. I will just underscore this point. You are worth what an employer is willing to pay you. So don't give me the whole, he's not worth it.

It's relative. Would you rather the owners just continue to haul in money hand over fist? Or would you rather the league itself, which actually the money then gets distributed to the owners? The money is there. Trust me, these teams have the money. They just got a $20 billion infusion of cash from YouTube, for heaven's sakes, on top of what they got from Amazon. The league has plenty of money. Roger Goodell's stated goal a few years ago was that the league would be a $25 billion a year industry. And they are well on their way if not already surpassing that with this new broadcast money.

The new digital money. Oh my goodness, I'm looking up on NFL Network and Kyle Stickles is up there in his cute little Jets tie, getting the crowd all excited. Let's go! Yeah! Let's go! So cute, so cute.

He's all dressed up in a suit. Anyway, Jay, if you want to retweet that from the NFL account, that'd be great. Anyway, you're worth what an employer is willing to pay you. For instance, you may think that a broadcaster isn't worth a million or two million or five million dollars a year.

But if there's a company out there willing to pay that broadcaster five million dollars a year because that company believes the broadcaster is worth it in terms of profile, in terms of listeners, in terms of ratings, in terms of sponsors and corporate partnerships, well, isn't that between the employer and the host? By the way, I do not. I mean, I won't make five million dollars in my entire lifetime. Anyway, the, I just said anyway three times in the past 60 seconds.

I won't say it again. Anywho, I did think about it. The Ravens want Lamar. Lamar wants to stay there, which means they were motivated to get the deal done. But I thought about it compared to Jalen Hurts.

Which quarterback would you rather pay is kind of an interesting question. Lamar's got an MVP. Jalen's a little younger. He's got a Super Bowl appearance and a career year. Lamar's finished up the last couple of seasons hurt.

Jalen right now surrounded by weapons. The money is close, but Lamar did end up with more per year, slightly more, and his guaranteed money is higher. Now, is it as high as Deshaun Watson?

No, but we don't really count that contract. Lamar, the second domino to drop, and he does take to social. Well, there's a surprise. He takes to social to express his excitement. You know, for the last few months, there's been a lot of he say, she say. A lot of nail biting, a lot of head scratching going on.

But for the next five years, it's a lot of flop going on. Let's go, baby. Let's go. Let's go. Can't wait to get there. Can't wait to be there. Can't wait to light up M&T for the next five years, man.

Let's get it. To hear how excited Lamar was on the phone about it, you know, when we talked about it. That was really a great moment. You know, I know I felt that way. I know you felt that way, Eric, when you talked to him. That just kind of made it all come together. Plus, our players are fired up, too.

Sometimes these things can happen in two weeks and sometimes it takes two years. And this was on that scale. I know that our appreciation and love for Lamar has really never wavered. But it was business, as well. And, you know, I said today, and I feel that way. Sometimes with family, things can get tough, right? And we all feel that sometimes.

You even fight with your parents or a sibling or you're trying to figure something out. And it's like the emotion of it. And there was definitely some emotion. But in the end, we've been blessed to have Lamar as part of this organization for a long time.

We've won a lot of football games. I think he feels this place is special, too. And, you know, it was business. It wasn't personal.

And I think over time, that's kind of what developed. So, Eric, to Costa mentions the personal element. It wasn't personal.

It was business. But, of course, we're family, which means it is personal. And I agree with him, whether it's a significant other, whether it's a sibling, whether it's a best friend, whether it's parents, whatever it is, often those we love the most, we hurt the most.

They're the ones that are closest to us. And in this case, John Harbaugh, Lamar, tight relationship, Eric to Costa a little later to the party. But this is a family. And as much as they care about each other, there's also a lot of money involved. But the closer you are to someone or something, the easier, well, the more vulnerable you are, so the easier it is to get hurt because your heart and your soul are kind of exposed. And we know Lamar Jackson puts heart, soul, blood, sweat, and tears into his craft and into the Ravens.

And so, of course, he was exposed and vulnerable when things didn't quite go his way initially. But to Costa admits this is a two year process. Sometimes it takes two weeks.

Sometimes it takes two years. It's not perfect. It's not pretty sometimes, usually, but it is us.

I'm so excited for the Ravens and thrilled for Lamar Jackson. Finally. Yeah, but interesting question. And there is no right answer.

It's more preference. Who would you rather have, who would you rather pay, Jalen Hurts or Lamar Jackson? Jay doesn't like my question.

That's a tough, no, I'd like it a lot. I think it's hurting my head, though, because I'm trying to think about it. Tough answer. It is. Again, there's no right or wrong. It's more preference.

It's more subjective than it is objective. But Lamar ends up getting more money than did Jalen Hurts. Now, we still have the Joe Burrow domino, although I don't know when.

I'm not sure there's a huge sense of urgency. Maybe the Bengals and Joe were content to wait until these other two dominoes drop so that he could become the next highest paid. I will say right away, I'd rather have Joe.

So that's, it's again, personal preference. I think both Jalen and Lamar are phenomenal. I like Joe's game better.

But that's just me. Certainly, all three of these quarterbacks with their teams have great potential. We did put a post up, or I did put a post up on Facebook earlier on Thursday, and many of you are responding about the Lamar contract. But we're also asking you to fill in the blank. The first round of the NFL draft was what?

On Twitter, after our CBS on Facebook, too. We'll get to more of the ripple effect because it starts at the top and then it trickles down into the draft. The Colts select Anthony Richardson. Kind of some fun other moments, too. Will McDonald gets to play with Aaron Rodgers, and he's a Wisconsin native.

How about that? So we'll bring you some of the stories that caught our attention. But straight ahead, one basketball game on Thursday evening. Hawks trying to extend their Eastern Conference series with the Celtics. And lo and behold, Celtics were in the same position as they were a couple of nights ago when the Hawks went on that scorching run to stay alive. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio.

You are listening to the After Hours podcast. Trey dribbles behind the pick. Trey out to Johnny Collins. Wide open three.

It's good. John Collins hits the three. And the Hawks lead 109-108. Trey Young down the right side. Blocked by Horford. And Al comes up and loose ball.

He outlets Jaylen Brown. What a sequence. Jaylen steps around Collins, flips it up and in, and the Celtics regain the lead. Wow. Unbelievable. Now the shot against Al Horford gets it down now to Johnny Collins. Turn around right-hander.

It's good. John Collins stepping up big. It's 111-110. Hawks lead by a point.

Under seven to go in the game. Trey into the corner. Trey on the baseline. Turns back the other way. Now Trey fakes.

Alley-oop. Clint Capella puts it up and in. He got hit right on the arm. They didn't call it. And the Hawks lead by three. Jaylen Brown's going to pull up. Shoot a three. And tie the game. Ball don't lie.

This is hot stuff, man. 113 apiece. I know.

I almost ate through my whole pretzel. 21 lead changes. 16 ties now. This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. Cedric Maxwell, Sean Grandy. Grandy and Max on the Celtics radio network. I was actually listening to the last, oh, six minutes of this game on Celtics radio and so I happen to hear all of these moments live and they are just the, I mean, they are the yin and yang. They are a perfect duo together. I really have enjoyed listening to them for years now as have many Celtics fans.

It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. Ultimately they end up with 22 lead changes and 15 ties in this game six in Atlanta between the number two seed and then the Hawks and while you're here on Hawks radio, this was a team that was game. I was really impressed with how they hung in and the way that they could dig down deep and find another gear. Multiple times over the course of the series we saw it where the Hawks were able to match the urgency, able to match the shot making. Man, the points put up in this series made me question a little bit the Celtics defensive abilities. It only gets tougher from here as they take on Philadelphia in the next round.

Now, it remains to be seen whether the Sixers have Joel Embiid. That's still a major question mark, but there were a lot of points given up in this series. So, listen to this, going back to the opener against the Hawks, that was the only time the Celtics did not give up 100 points. So, 99 in the first game, 106 in the second game, 130 in game number three, 121 in game number four, 119 in game number five and 120 again in game number six.

That is a lot of points. I get it, scoring is up in the NBA, but the Hawks were able to find ways and put together really impressive runs. Remember at the end of game number five, the Celtics were up by a dozen, I think it was, and it was the Hawks who started soaring and surging and stunned the Celtics in the late stages of the fourth quarter. Yet another opportunity for the Hawks against the Celtics on Thursday evening. Next up, the Hawks' game number six, Tatum to Smart, pump fake, one dribble, kick to the corner, Al, three, rims out, offensive rebound, Jason Tatum flies through the air with a cape flying off his back, throws home the offensive rebound and the Celtics lead by eight with two minutes to go. Marcus Smart sets the screen, Tatum finds Smart, he's going to duck the shoulder, drive, ball fake and lays it in with the right hand. Everyone played the pass, Trae Young watched Marcus Smart walk right by him and lay it and the Celtics are a minute three away. Ultimately, it was the Celtics who found another gear that the Hawks could not match. An 11-0 run, they finished the game 16-6 run, but 11 consecutive points was really the kicker. Three big triples, a couple of them by Al Horford, Jason Tatum comes flying through the air for an offensive rebound that he jams home. The Celtics are able to withstand the Hawks' best effort to now move on to the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

It's after hours here on CBS Sports Radio. Tatum ends up with 30 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists to go along with some steals and some blocked shots. We made winning plays and we talked about it before the game, do whatever it takes and essentially, I don't ask the guys to do anything I wouldn't do. Pick up full court, block shots, dive on the floor, start from the top and rest will follow. We made winning plays, extra kickouts, Al made big shots, Smart made big shots, JB.

This was a tough one. It feels good that we won. There's multiple ways to win a game. Tonight, that's what we needed, but going down the line, we're going to need some of the guys to step up. Each and every game, we don't got to be pretty.

We just got to get it done. Tonight, me and Tatum stepped up big, but going forward, we might need D. White, we might need Malcolm, we might need Smart to lead us in scoring and we got to get the job done however we can. Jalen put the mask back on, 32 points for him in this one and yes, they were able to get by the Hawks.

I still think a little bit about their defense. Joe Mazzulla talked about them getting to the big rebounds and also making the shots when they had to and that he made some adjustments, but if you were looking for a test in the first round, then they got everything they could handle with the Hawks. Now, there were some people who thought, and I don't know how intelligent this is, but thought that it might end up being a sweep or an easy series. Remember, the Sixers have been sitting around waiting. They actually did sweep their first-round opponent, the Brooklyn Nets, but Tatum, he's resisting that whole narrative. I know the narrative of we're supposed to sweep them or we're supposed to be a cakewalk, but the playoffs is, that's why it's so special. Each game is different.

Each series is different. I would say up to this point, the playoffs hasn't went what everybody would expect. There's been some high-level basketball being played by individual players and teams and great coaching. Tatum and Brown were a handful, which we expect, and they blitzed their pick and roll. We hit them from the high quadrant and hit them on the dribble, hit them on the pass, and when we didn't, they were a big place.

That's the voice of Quinn Snyder, who, remember, took over for the Hawks. It wasn't midway through the season, but took over and guided them into the playoffs. Still, the Trae Young that we saw a couple of years ago that took over the playoff stage, at least for the first few rounds, he has been spotty. In the second half, the Celtics defense did at least get to him, or the tired legs did. One of 13 in the second half. They just picked up the physicality and things like that. The rest were allowing him to play and things like that, so it was in their favor.

Yeah, it was tough. John Collins echoed the idea that the Celtics picked up their intensity, and that's what I mean about finding another gear. So, yes, moving forward, we now know what we've got in the Eastern Conference. The Celtics and the Sixers won't start their semifinal series until Monday. That'll already be Game 2 for Suns and Nuggets.

We've got Miami and New York beginning on Sunday. And we'll see what happens with the other two series in the West. I'm still fingers crossed for some Game 7s, but they would have to... Well, Desmond Bain guaranteed us a Game 7 back in Memphis against the Lakers.

We'll see how that works out. They've got to get through the crowd at L.A. first in Game 6 on Friday. But then Kings and Warriors, and this to me is fascinating because the Warriors win their 12th game on the road all season long.

Only 12 wins on the road. They do that, but it really underscored and emphasized the difference in the experience and the mental toughness of the Warriors versus the Kings. They're great players, but they're young players, and many of them don't have this postseason experience.

Even though Mike Brown does and his coaching staff does, they're not out there. And so it's about having to build up those muscles, so to speak. They're kind of learning how to use those muscles. And the Warriors, efficient, patient, they're impervious to pressure.

That particular group is impervious to pressure. Look, this is a good Kings team. This is a really tough first round matchup. We said that right from the start simply because you're facing a team that's been through everything.

There's no situation that they haven't seen. And as good as the Kings are, the Warriors are just going to keep coming. And it's really hard for a young team to figure out how to close out. And one little slip up, one little mistake, every possession down in the fourth quarter in a close game, especially in the playoffs, they're vital. And it's really hard to be able to keep that mental focus for a seven-game series. And one little slip can cost you a game.

And one little slip costs you one game, costs you a series. This is a tough spot for the Kings right from the get-go when you saw it. The Warriors are not the same Warriors team that we've seen win titles before.

But the Moxie and the Smarts are there and they never go away. Well, you remember this time last year, the Warriors weren't looking like a champion either. Andrew Wiggins was still trying to find his footing. Gary Payton was just becoming a factor.

Remember Jordan Poole started the playoffs in place of Steph because he wasn't ready to go last year. And then they did the same thing to the Grizzlies, really. They kind of took advantage of the Grizzlies' youth and inexperience and were able to pull that series out.

So yeah, that's the part. They're the toughest out in basketball. They're a dangerous animal, yeah. Yeah, because they know what to do in the playoffs. And really, it's a completely different situation from the regular season. I don't love what they do on the road, but their defense on the road in Game 5 was really impressive. Well, and I think we kind of talked about it. I think we talked about it a little bit before the playoffs started. As bad as they were on the road all season, as much as they were Jekyll and Hyde at times, you know that it's still there.

It's inside them. And any team that's going to face them, you would want for a matchup, you would want a veteran-type group that's been through it before to go up against them because at least there's nothing that they haven't seen before. For the Kings, you would want as good as they are at sale Grizzlies-type matchup where they're both kind of learning it.

They're both going through it. The Timberwolves. Well, the T-Wolves also aren't as talented.

So it's just the idea that that's why. The Kings are a good basketball team. This is not because the Warriors are that much better than them.

This is just because they've been through it before. And we'll see if the Kings, this is a tough spot to go on the road to be able to get that win to go back home for a Game 7. And even then, you're not necessarily, well, we go home. You go home but with the Warriors. So it's a little bit, it's a rough spot for the Kings to be in.

It is. Alright, coming up. So a little bit of basketball there. We'll do some hockey later on. And then we're going to get back to the NFL Draft and we're asking you to fill in the blank. The first round of the NFL Draft was what?

So on Twitter, ALawRadio, also on our Facebook page. The Colts end up taking Anthony Richardson at number 4. They'll explain that decision. And also, I really like the pick of the Falcons of Bijan Robinson, the running back out of Texas. A lot of great compliments and accolades being showered on this young man. So we'll get back to the Draft.

It's become one of those deals where you can't even really get through every pick. And you don't even need to analyze it. I just kind of go for some of the stories. Oh, and speaking of stories, Brittany Griner speaking for the first time since her detainment in Russia that lasted 10 months.

So we'll get to her a little bit later in the show too. I knew it was going to be emotional for me because I always dreamed of this. But when I got the call, it just hit me.

It really hit me deep that I finally made it to this level. And I just got to keep working and do the best. I'm going to be a dynamic player for the franchise. I'm going to work hard. I'm going to be a leader.

But it's time to make my own legacy now. No more Karen Jackson. It's Anthony Richardson now. This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. Congratulations to Anthony Richardson, the third quarterback selected in the top four picks of the first round on Thursday. Here's a reaction to getting selected by the Indianapolis Colts on NFL Network. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence, CBS Sports Radio. You can find us on Twitter.

After Hours, CBS, you know our Facebook page too. We're going to get to some of your reactions about the draft so far. Definitely agree it was long and definitely agree that it's a spectacle, meaning it's a show. And there just happen to be a few draft picks in there as well. It's hard actually to keep up with the themes and the picks and not lose focus in between the picks. Even after the pick is in, it generally takes another five, ten minutes before it gets revealed. Whether it's because of commercial breaks or because the NFL has these musical acts that are scheduled.

There are various special guests on the stage. And then Roger Goodell would bring people out with him. For instance, when the Seattle Seahawks made their pick, I don't think it was their first one. I think it was their second pick that they made.

He's got members of the youth football teams that Seattle supports. We had, oh, I love the moment. I'll have to go back and remember which team it was. But the moment when the big brother and the little brother, you know, big brother, big sister organization.

I actually was a big sister when I was in college in the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania area. But the big brother, little brother combo was out there with Roger Goodell. And it was so sweet to see and to hear. You could kind of hear him in the background. The big brother encouraging the little brother who was so nervous. He was, in fact, I wasn't sure he was going to open his mouth and say anything at one point. He had the card in front of him. But you could tell he was petrified by the crowd and he was nervous. And his big brother was standing behind him off to his right and was encouraging him, you've got this, you've got this, you can do it, let's go, you can do it. It just, oh, I love that. I love that dynamic and the fact that he was encouraged and he felt like he was not alone because his big brother was out there with him. Those relationships, they can be so invaluable. Again, had a chance to do that when I was in college and it was totally worth it for me.

I hope it was worth it for her as well. So I don't remember exactly what pick that was. But all that to say you have special guests that have to join the commissioner on the stage. Sometimes they are being wrangled by the stage managers. It's just a lot of logistics and moving parts. And so for that reason, we don't always get the picks right on time and pronto and with any sense of urgency. But the NFL doesn't want that. The NFL actually asked the Panthers to take their time in submitting their pick even though they knew it was Bryce Young, they've known it for months. The NFL wanted more time to trot Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce and the Vince Lombardi trophy out there. No, they want to put on a show so that more teams around the NFL will bid to host the draft and they can continue to make it must-see TV or an event for which fans will buy tickets. So let's get to that number four pick, Anthony Richardson. The Colts were very excited in their war room.

They're clapping, they're congratulating each other. And so the Colts feel like they're turning a corner here and they can start fresh. Excited. If you've seen the draft room, we've got a little tense there at three, but we're excited. We did a lot of work on Anthony. Spent a lot of time with him over the last month and I think he's a good fit for us. Let's don't crown him yet. He's a young player.

He's got work to do. But we like his talent. We like what he can be.

And I don't think Shane can tell you either. But what I can tell you is, you know, we drafted him for what we think he can really be in the future. He's a very smart young man, good kid.

He works. We think it's all in front of him. So we're excited to get him.

Obviously the tape was the first time I saw him, just his play-making ability, what he brings from a play-making ability and his physical skill set is impressive. Obviously there's a lot of work that we got to do with the whole team, not just him. But there's certain things that he brings to the table that we're so excited about as a football player and the future of this organization. First you hear Chris Ballard, the general manager of the Colts, and then Shane Steichen who left the Eagles to become the Colts' new head coach. Now Gardner Minshew is right now listed as their QB 1, so it's an interesting question. Because everyone knows that Anthony Richardson is raw talent. There's a lot of potential there, but Chris Ballard even acknowledges they don't know what he's going to become.

Shane Steichen doesn't know that either. And also did you hear him admit they were nervous at number three? Because if the Texans hadn't moved up, the Cardinals, while they weren't going to grab a quarterback more than likely, might have traded to somebody else. So might have traded to another team that wanted a quarterback and wanted to make sure they got Richardson. If the Colts decide to stay in pat, they don't flop with the Cardinals at number three, but they knew the Cardinals were shopping that pick and they knew there were teams that were trying to move up.

Now the C.J. Stroud domino probably meant there were fewer teams that were looking to move up, but you can imagine why they were nervous. That somebody would leapfrog them and they wouldn't be able to get Anthony Richardson. And also considering they were sitting at number four, there was a lot of talk the Texans actually would take a defensive player instead of a quarterback at number two. So all of that to say, they probably thought whether it was to the Texans or whether the Texans traded that pick. Now it turned out they ended up trading into the third spot. But a lot of the conversation was about the Texans potentially trading out of that so that another team could move up and draft to QB. So the Colts are probably thinking both Bryce Young and C.J.

Stroud are gone. So what's our next best option? And yes, there's a lot of potential there, but they don't know what he's going to be, which means it could be Gardner Minchu's job if he's not ready.

Gardner's a good player. Obviously we brought him in here for a reason. And obviously we'll see how that whole thing shakes out. You know what I mean? I mean, we've got to get Anthony in here and get him started and OTAs and go through training camp and go through that process and see where it goes from there.

We don't have time for his brother's message, do we? Okay, so we'll get to that at some point. But what happens is you see three quarterbacks and the top defensive player go in the first four picks. And at that point, there was more talk about Will Leviss and how he wasn't likely to go then even in the top ten. A couple Ohio State players take it in C.J. Stroud and then Parrish Johnson. He went to the Cardinals, so the Cardinals flip-flopped, dropped down to number six. The Seahawks go cornerback with their number one pick. And then the Eagles, how about the Eagles moving up into the top ten to grab Jalen Carter, who many thought was the top defensive lineman available in this draft. So a lot of intrigue and still more to come because there are players that didn't even get taken out of the green room. All right, we're halfway through.

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