Rob Maaddi | AP's Lead NFL Writer | Host of Faith on the Field

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That's BetterHelpHELP.com slash positive. I'm joined by Hall of Famer John Smoltz. Smoltz, tell me this. What's harder, winning a Cy Young or an Emmy Award? Oh man, winning a Cy Young takes a lot longer to happen. You know, it's funny when you mention something like that, I just go back to all those years of being predicted to win and just feeling like a failure.

But in 96, fortunately, I was able to at least get that off my back because that was starting to bother me. Download the Brett Boone Podcast available on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcast. It's one of those weeks in sports where we get to be creative and get off the beaten path and spend some time watching and listening to other products, other projects like this new Netflix series called Quarterback, which I got into on Wednesday evening and I'm already excited about it. The star of the show will be Patrick Mahomes. I'm excited for everybody to see this, especially Cheese Kingdom and see the journey. I mean, everybody saw the Super Bowl and was excited for it, but they're gonna see the step-by-step journey of how we got there. Not only myself, but of the whole team and so I'm excited for everybody to see that. Everybody sees the Sundays, they see the game days, they see the Super Bowl, but they don't see that day-to-day grind, not only myself, but the whole team. And then they also get to see my family and how they support me and I think Cheese Kingdom knows them very well, but they're gonna know me even better. So Patrick Mahomes, Kirk Cousins, and then Marcus Mariota, along with Peyton Manning, who's narrating, just started it.

Probably will give you my review as I head through it. Let's see, that's a good setup to welcome our next guest, Rob Motti, who joins us from the Associated Press. He's the lead NFL writer and even though it's still a couple weeks until training camps are in full swing, Rob, the NFL is year-round. I hope you've had some time off because ready or not, here it comes. What do you do to prep for the season? Yeah, Amy, I try to take some time off and like you said, the NFL never sleeps so there's constantly something going on, whether it's suspension for players in the gambling situation or dance night or news, that's constantly consistently always in the news, but I did manage to get a little bit of vacation and squeezed in at the same time. If you're going to get a one-on-one with Jalen Hurts or Patrick Mahomes in that time span, I'm going to come off vacay for a few minutes.

I'm going to do that, roll some of those interviews out. So it's been a good time, but I feel like as we get closer to training camp, it's back to being a kid when summer's over and you're ready to go to school, summer's over and now I'm ready to go to school, except I don't come home, it's three o'clock and do homework. It's just constant for the next seven, eight months, it's going to be a grind. Yes, it absolutely is and yet I love the fact that it's so compelling and that fans can get into it year-round now, really, but as you point out, it does require a lot of us too. You mentioned the gambling and I'd love to get your reaction to that as someone who's covered the sport for a long time. What kind of problem do you think the NFL has on its hands with what we've seen over the last two years? Yeah, I think it's a real problem because we're seeing more players who are being caught, suspended and then also claiming they're not sure what the rules are and I think there's a little bit of confusion maybe. I mean, it's always been don't bat period and then all of a sudden that's changed and now you can't bet on football.

That should be understood, that you should not need any kind of classes or anything else. Never bet on football, but the fact that you can bet on other sports but then don't do it from team facility or anything that is anywhere associated with the team, that kind of gets confusing. So my solution to all of this, Amy, would be very simple. If you are a current player in the NFL, coach, whoever you are, ban betting altogether. I know the sports books aren't going to be happy with that and I know there's all kinds of money involved here. If you made it clear and simple instead of, don't bet on football but you can bet other sports but just don't bet from here and don't do that, just don't bet, period. For that two, three year period you're in the league or the 16 year period if you happen to be fortunate enough to play along, don't bet on football.

That would be the easy solution. They're allowing players to dabble in the other sports and that's where it's getting confusing but I don't know where it's headed that could eventually get to that point where they just say, hey let's go back to no betting whatsoever but the league is making so much money from all of these partners in the sports books and the gambling industry that it's difficult at this point. And you make a great point. There are players who are actually saying I didn't know the rules. Now some are cognizant of the rules and violating them anyway and I actually thought the Calvin Ridley situation would be a cautionary tale but as it turns out, not so much.

Other guys are willing to try it. They're willing to risk it. You're right because when you see a player of that magnitude suspended for an entire season, you would think other players would understand, hey it's not worth that $5 parlay or that $50 parlay or whatever you're laying down on whoever it is that's playing but that hasn't happened. And I wonder what happens if a really superstar, big-time player gets caught in this. How is the league going to handle that?

Is there a way to avoid at some point that happening and you hope that that doesn't happen? You hope that these lessons have been learned that all of the extra, the magnification of this will get to these players and they will understand but I'm sure at some point somebody's going to slip up and say, hey I didn't know. We're so excited to welcome back to the show Rob Motti who is writing for the AP but also has an awesome podcast called Faith on the Field so has a chance to intersect two of his passions.

It's after hours here on CBS Sports Radio. The Chiefs, they not only won the Super Bowl but Patrick Mahomes, the MVP in both the regular season and the Super Bowl and is if possible his star power is growing. I actually really enjoyed watching him and Travis Kelce in the golf match recently in Vegas against the Splash Brothers.

The two of them are a hoot and sometimes I wonder if people are going to get tired of them. Yeah, I still can't get enough of their personalities and think they're just such great ambassadors for the sport. It's so great and refreshing to see guys just going out there being who they are having fun and I've always enjoyed Travis Kelce knew his brother Jason when I was in Philly and just to see Patrick the way he handles being a superstar, a mega star and with Tom Brady retired he's the face of the NFL unequivocally. It's Patrick Mahomes and if ever there's going to be a player to challenge Tom Brady's goat status it's Patrick and and I he's got a long way to go.

He's got five more rings and I don't think anyone will ever get there but he's the he's the only guy who could potentially at 27 years old two-time Super Bowl champion, two-time AP NFL MVP so and he gets it. I just I just love the way he approaches getting better still no matter what he's accomplished. He's looking at and focusing in on how can I be better every day, how can I continue to do this, sustain the success and what they have going on in Kansas City with coach Andy Reid who's now cemented his status as a hall of famer. There's some changes Amy. Eric Bienemey is no longer the offensive coordinator there.

He's left. He's going to Washington so there's going to be a little bit of an adjustment but Matt Nagy steps in. He was there six, seven years ago as the OC before he went to Chicago so there's going to be a little bit of of getting accustomed to someone else in his ear and all of that stuff for Patrick but this team's built for continued success and as you said it's fun to watch these guys. You had a chance to talk to Patrick one-on-one for your AP Pro Football Podcast. What did you all talk about?

I can imagine it's tough to narrow it down when you only have a limited amount of time. Yeah and you know I wanted to ask him that legacy question because he's young, he's accomplished so much and I said do you even think about that? It's interesting when you talk to different guys how do they handle that question?

How do they approach it? It's too far down the line. He said no, I think everybody thinks about legacy and how they're remembered but he said at the same time you have to value the moment in hand and trying to be better that season and making sure that you put everything into it so you have no regrets and he said as long as I have no regrets at the end of my career that's what it's all about. It's not about the rings or the trophies or the accomplishments, it's making sure you work as hard as you possibly can to be the best player you can be. You know I talked to him about repeat, it's been two decades right Amy since anybody since the Patriots in 03 and 04 repeated and they know, the Chiefs know how difficult that is because they had that opportunity and lost to Brady and the Buccaneers three years ago and he said it's just hard. He's like it's hard to win a Super Bowl except you can do everything the right way and still come up short. They've been a five straight AFC Championship games all hosted at Arrowhead Stadium and lost two of them three times they advanced, two times they they win the Super Bowl so you know we had we had some great conversation a little bit about what Andy Reid has meant to him and what Eric Bienemie's departure is going to look like and had some fun. He's a dad, I got two little girls, he's got a boy now and a girl so you know his diaper games gotta be right there as good as his All-Pro status on the field.

He's got to help out and do a little bit of that too as well. I'm glad that you brought up Andy Reid because I think the relationship is so unique and who knows how much longer he has but you can hear the joy when he talks about that relationship. How would you characterize the way that the two have been able to work together? I think it's been a perfect relationship and he said Andy has meant the world to to him and he said that if he went somewhere else he may have been forced to play a different kind of way and not be who he is as a quarterback and he credits Andy for helping him and allowing him to be that playmaker to be that dynamic off-schedule plays and you know we see Patrick Mahomes throwing balls left-handed sometimes and everything that he does Andy allows him to do that he doesn't try to fit him into an image or allow want him to be somebody he's not. Andy gets it he learns in Philadelphia what it takes to win a Super Bowl unfortunately didn't do it there for the fans and for the Eagles but he goes to Kansas City he lands Patrick makes a point to move up to get him in the draft and kind of hit the jackpot and I don't think he's done and I know there was some talk about hey potentially he that could have been in that series I'm having fun he's got Patrick Mahomes why not chase a third ring a fourth ring and more so I think that's the ideal relationship now you look at Brady and Belichick and now Reid and Mahomes but I think those relationships are different with Belichick and Brady it wasn't quite as friendly as it is like you got Andy Reid imitating Patrick Mahomes his voice all right that's something you'd never see Bill Belichick do and I think it's just a different kind of relationship it's a very special one unique one. Rob Motti is the lead NFL writer for the Associated Press and with us here after hours on CBS Sports Radio did you have a chance to ask him about this new Netflix series that he is a part of with Kirk Cousins and Peyton Manning and then Marcus Mariota I started watching it it's actually really compelling. I'm hoping I get another opportunity to talk to him about that too specifically I'd like to see it and I'm sure it's very compelling but you know though Andy I'm surprised that Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid would agree to do something now I know Andy made sure that there were some restrictions and limitations on there but Andy's always been an all business guy right no don't bring in any extra distractions and that speaks to the relationship that he trusts Patrick enough right to where he can do something like that because like it or not and they could say whatever that's a distraction I don't know if you know this but I know a little bit about reality tv and having some cameras around and my wife and I did it way back like 10 12 years ago it's a big time distraction to have people following you around and everything else and it's not something that you would expect an NFL team to really agree to but I guess Andy trusted Patrick to be able to handle that and it paid off they won the Super Bowl it didn't take him off course. Speaking of reality tv the Jets are the team that will be part of hard knocks and you talk about the distraction now Aaron Rodgers is certainly used to that but kind of interesting to think about his first time outside of Green Bay not only getting accustomed to a new team and teammates and routine and everything else but also having the cameras follow them around. Yeah it's going to be a circus if it wasn't already it's and you know obviously you're there in New York you know what that that market is going to be like and it already has been and I was asked a couple weeks ago I forget which show I was on and who's got the most pressure going in the training camp and I said Aaron Rodgers and I think now it's even magnified because of all the spotlight the hard knocks the cameras and everything else there's going to be some drama that comes out of it I'm sure there's going to be some stuff that's made for tv a little bit I know how that goes behind the scenes and here you got a team that was seven and four and then lost out they bring in Aaron Rodgers they're trying to get to the next level they haven't made the playoffs in forever it's going to be fun that's going to be some compelling tv that's going to be some must watch tv and it's good I'm very interested in to see how Aaron Rodgers handles it because he doesn't hold back you know that Amy he doesn't hold back in his criticism of the media he doesn't hold back in his criticism of anyone who has a different viewpoint and I think he's got a raw deal over the past few years I actually appreciate someone who's going to go out there and try and think for himself and I like that about Aaron.

Rob Motti, AP lead NFL writer not only sat down with Patrick Mahomes but maybe the other brightest star in the NFL at his position so I need you to hang on Rob we're gonna ask you about this other really compelling conversation that you had got to take our quick break though here thanks for joining us after hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. Here's Amy Lawrence yeah yeah we're working our way toward another summer weekend but you know as the summer weekends hit the rearview mirror that means we're closer and closer to NFL training camps and preseason and before you know it the season will be kicking off so enjoy this some some summertime while you can it is after hours with Amy Lawrence on Facebook we've got our YouTube channel and then also on Twitter after hours CBS but you're all gonna have to wait because we've got a few more minutes here with Rob Motti who is the lead NFL writer for the Associated Press and Rob we talked about your one-on-one with Patrick Mahomes really need to be able to catch up with him in the wake of another MVP and a Super Bowl MVP which came at the cost of the Eagles and Jaylen Hertz and you had a chance to sit down with Jaylen recently as well two brighter stars you can't find in the league really except their personalities are so completely different so what stands out about your conversation with Jaylen yeah yeah you're right their personalities are so different like when you're speaking to Patrick it's fun it's engaging it's uh there's a lot of energy in the room Jaylen comes from that Nick Saban school don't give them anything that could be headlines right and um he I I don't know if I've covered an athlete who is under a microscope like Philadelphia can be as difficult as it is who hasn't said the wrong thing yet since they drafted him in 2020 and and back then I was still there I was in the middle of that I saw how that went down Jaylen Hertz knows exactly what to say whether he means it 100% all the time or he's not he knows exactly how to portray himself the way and I think he goes back to his background and the way he grew up also as a coach's son uh this is a guy who's accomplished so much yet he's he's motivated because they lost that Super Bowl they didn't win that game as creative a game as he played he lost he kind of carried some of that burden with him with that fumble that turned into a touchdown the other way and and you know we do the math 38 35 you don't lose that ball they can win that game so um he's determined to get back there to win it all uh he's working as it's offensive coordinator Brian Johnson said he's working like a madman and here you got a guy who just got paid and there's some athletes who get paid and then they that's it that's it for them they got paid they're okay they're happy they're satisfied he's not content I expect to see Jaylen Hertz try to take his game to another level get even better improve in certain areas but I think it's going to be tough Amy for the Eagles to to bounce back as good as they are as talented as they are as deep as they are they lost both coordinators sometimes there's a little bit of a Super Bowl hangover when you lose it's hard to go back the next year uh only two teams lost and won it again the next year in the history of the NFL so I think it might be a little bit it won't be as smooth sailing this year for Philly. I saw a quote from your Twitter as you were talking with Jaylen this team has to find an identity for itself and isn't that a major part of the challenge is that you're not the team that you were a year ago there are expectations obviously and there's unfinished business and yet it's still a completely different team with a different mission. A different mission different team lost some players lost some assistant coaches Jaylen gets it Jaylen understands it and as a leader he tries to convey that message but there are going to be guys within a 53-man locker room who are going to not necessarily mail it in but walk in and be like hey we were here last year this is what I did it's hard for every player to have that same kind of motivation that same kind of determination and you got to be able to weed out those guys I think when the Eagles won the Super Bowl at 17 to 18 there was a little bit of a letdown there were some guys who kind of rested a little bit on the success and the achievements of the past season so Jaylen as a leader's got to step up and make sure that these guys understand that that you got to carve out your own identity you're not the same team that no matter what you did last year all those accomplished this they don't mean anything everyone zero and zero at this point going into week one and everybody thinks they have a chance. Well that's the great thing about it is that hope springs eternal at the very beginning. So Rob you've got your show Faith on the Field what's new there because I know that's a special project to you. Yeah and it's something that I'm really passionate about I'm excited in the next couple weeks we're going to be adding four new stations a couple in Florida a couple in Texas who are going to air Faith on the Field so we're continuing to grow Amy it's been something for seven years that I've been able to do and each time I get an opportunity to sit down with an athlete if they're a man of faith if they're a believer I ask them about what the work that the Lord has done in their life and cool enough Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes are both men of faith and I was able to ask them those questions so they'll be coming up in the next couple weeks as we grow and expand and move into new markets and continue to try and reach new people and with a message of hope joy and peace and it's something that I'm really excited about I've been able to do some Faith on the Field live events recently one with Hall of Famer Brian Dawkins in Philly one with New York Jets cornerback Bryce Hall recently just this past week so that was really cool to be able to just go speak to some kids speak to some fans and just share a little bit about the the work God has done in their lives. Always great when we get to know these athletes away from the field the court the ice a little bit and understand what drives them and where they find not just their motivation but as you say their hope and their peace so make sure you find Rob on twitter at Rob Motti m-a-a-d-d-i yes is the AP lead NFL writer but also has his show about which he's passionate Faith on the Field and so you want to find his twitter so that you can figure out where to listen and where to grab that audio and those interviews it's really good to connect with you again and we still have a couple weeks to go before training camp so promise me we'll do another like actual football podcast soon. Oh for sure for sure Amy always good to talk to you.