After Hours with Amy Lawrence PODCAST: Hour 2

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In case you were sleepy, that'll wake you up. Thanks for hanging out with us. We have got a smorgasbord here in the month of August. A little baseball, a little college football, still actually the latest on potential conference realignment dominoes that are dropping. Also, some players from Northwestern speaking out in the wake of another controversy or maybe the latest chapter in their hazing controversy. We'll do QB news both AFC and NFC style because the first full week of the preseason begins on Thursday night and we're doing a deep dive here in moments on the Colts. They could be starting a rookie quarterback. The best thing for a rookie quarterback is a very strong experienced running back. Take some of the pressure off.

Except we don't actually know if the Colts will have that this year. Jonathan Taylor stepping away from training camp. But all questions to head coach Shane Steichen, vague answers at the very best. This is part of his rehab process. If you guys don't see him out here, it's part of his rehab. Is he rehabbing here on site or somewhere else?

I'll refrain from getting into that. If you don't see him back here out on the field, it's because he's rehabbing. He's got an ankle and he's rehabbing his ankle. Like I said, once the medical staff clears him and he's 100%, he'll be out here practicing.

Has there been much progress? Yeah, I think he's in a good spot and we're going from there. Do you think he'll practice during camp? Yeah, I'd like to see that. We'll see how it all plays out though. Again, once he's cleared, he'll be out here.

I'd like to see that. I really would like to see our star running back on the practice field. He's got an ankle. It's all very vague. But Shane Steichen trying to avoid the Jonathan Taylor questions because he doesn't really know either, maybe. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. Let's try to figure it out, shall we? Let's get to the bottom of it. James Boyd covers the Colts for the Athletic and certainly no shortage of storylines right now.

Let's start with the basic. James, what is the latest with Jonathan Taylor? The latest is that he was not with the team for the first time throughout training camp. He had been there previously on the sidelines. The joke among the beach and among the fans is what hoodie is going to wear a blue or black hoodie up over his head all day.

Every day he's out there. But the last practice, he wasn't there. Shane Steichen, the coach, would not confirm or deny whether he would get treatment for his ankle on or off site. But the bottom line, he wasn't at practice because of the ankle. And it's just like another chapter in the JT saga because the elephant in the room is using the ankle as a reason to sort of hold out slash hold in without getting fined for missing time with the team.

Because obviously the trade request is not ever rescinded and he's given no indication that he wants to play for the Colts. So it's just one thing that you kind of have to keep an eye on while you're off to keep an eye on Richardson. Let's say for the sake of argument this is straight injury or it is straight physical related. What's going on with that body part? Yeah, so it's a weird thing because he got the ankle messed up last year, played through it, and kind of re-aggravated a couple of times. Got ankle surgery in January and the timeline for the recovery I believe was like two to four weeks or something. Another player on the Colts, EJ Speed, got the same surgery on his ankle this offseason in his back training and his spine. And Indianapolis Stars, Nate Atkins reported that it was a two to four week recovery.

And obviously we're six, seven months out now. And so if it is legitimately an injury thing, it's very, very concerning. And also it drives home the point of why the Colts would not want to pay him. I don't understand why you want to pay someone, one, because he's a running back, but two, if he's an injured running back. So again, the plot thickens with the ankle injury.

Right, well that's what I was saying on my show last night. After an offseason, it's kind of concerning that the ankle would still be a problem unless there was a re-aggravation during practice or during these early days of training camp. But you're saying that's not the case because he hasn't actually fully practiced? Yeah, he has not participated in a team activity since the ankle. So no OCAs, no veteran mini camp, no training camp. And we asked Shane Stikin about the ankle and if it was re-aggravated, he just said, hey, he's got an ankle.

So it wasn't a yes or a no. Yes, we know he has an ankle. We need to know if the ankle is properly working, which we don't know. So yeah, it's been, again, just a very weird time around the team and with JT, because even when the day he's there, the fans will yell at him, hey, JT don't leave us, we love you, this and that. But at the end of the day, there's no reaction from him whatsoever. And again, no indication on his part that he's willing to play for the team. He hasn't spoken since June to the media, but as you all have seen, it's kind of been this back and forth with social media. It's died down now, but you know, he got the owner tweeting stuff, the agent, the player, and it got very personal very fast here in the last few weeks or so. Jim Irsay was pretty strong in his statement that the team is absolutely not trading Jonathan Taylor. If that's the case, what do they do if there's a standoff?

Amy, I read through the CBA for like a day and a half. He has no leverage in the situation. They could basically force him to play unless he really wants to run the risk of trying to take you through an arbitrator at the end of the season. But like read through the CBA, the bottom line is because he hasn't finished out his contract like a Josh Jacobs, like a Saquon Barkley who got franchise tags, because he still has one year left. He really has to play this year out and make sure that he gets what they call an accrued season. Because basically, if he were not able to get his fourth accrued season and therefore free himself of his contract, then you know, all of this back and forth about not playing. If he were to hold out, basically his contract would freeze. The Colts would continue to own his rights until he comes back and he'd own another season in 2024. So he still wouldn't be free.

So yeah, I read through that thing. I was like, wow, the NFL is the mafia. When you sign a contract, you are in it. You're never getting out unless you get a severe career injury or they cut you or trade you. But if they want you, they have you for as long as that contract says. Yeah, you make a good point. Players don't have a ton of leverage and it rarely works out when a player is the one who stays away from the team and holds out. It doesn't generally result in the player getting the contract or getting what he is asking for. We're spending a few minutes with James Boyd who covers the Colts for the Athletic, his second big training camp here.

And of course, there's drama. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. Now, they did have a meeting with Kareem Hunt. What's going on with the running back room then, James, without JT?

Yeah, I would say it's not looking too good. I mean, the first day of padded practice, the number one running back in place is JT Zach Moss, who they traded for last year. He broke his arm.

I remember watching it and I was thinking, wow, football is so weird and finicky and he broke his arm on a routine just play where he stuck it out, I believe, after going a short run and kind of came down funny and broke it. And so he's out four to six weeks and could possibly be back by the start of the season, but even then, they don't really know for sure. Ideally, he'd probably be back by like week two. And then on top of that, you know, the top guy after him, Deon Jackson, he's now out with an undisclosed injury.

We haven't had a chance to actually think about it. When we do, we'll have to figure out like, okay, how long could he be out because he missed his practice. And so they're down to, you know, a rookie. They signed Kenyon Drake, who's a veteran, but you know, it's kind of got to tread on the tires and I'm sure they don't want him to be the starting running back at the beginning of the season. So now it's like, they're just trying to find, you know, bodies to sort of throw at this thing and stay afloat for the most part, which is why they reached out to, I would imagine Kareem Hunt, who still has other people that are interested in him. At the end of the day, they need reinforcements and they need a lot of help, but the biggest help will be Jonathan Taylor. I just don't know what else they could really do beyond that. I mean, they signed Jason Huntley, a running back today, who has been like a practice squad guy throughout his career.

Shame if I get familiar with him, but at the end of the day, they don't really have a starting caliber running back on their roster right now. So they need some bodies to, again, stay afloat, but also maybe to kind of ride them, you know, in the early part of the season. I love that that's the bottom line right now. We just need some bodies. Somebody, anybody, get out there at the running back position.

It's true. I mean, I would be lying to you if I didn't tell it like it is, and that's basically how it's gone down is, okay, you're missing people. You need somebody to go out there and at least have your rookie quarterback handing it off to more than one or two guys. And as we know, with running back, you know, it's a very dinged up position. You can get hurt pretty quickly as we've seen. And so I think the injury to Zach Moss kind of proved JT's point. Like, I don't want to come back and play this season and play this year out where I'm not getting that long-term job security because if I get hurt, you're going to just throw me to the side. Because Zach Moss is also in the contract here and just got hurt. So again, he'll be back around the start of the season, but it's still not ideal for him either.

As you point out, and I was about to transition, you beat me to it. This is a tough year for it with the Colts because they could really use the veteran presence and the skill of Jonathan Taylor if in fact they're going with Anthony Richardson as they're starting QB. But right now, who is their starting QB, James? They have an oar on their depth chart for Saturday's preseason opener against Buffalo.

I'll let you know how much they don't want to tell us, but I'll say this. I do think that when week one comes, they'll start Anthony Richardson. I was not maybe as high on saying that a few weeks ago, a few months ago, but throughout the offseason, I think that they've been pretty even Anthony Richardson and Gardner Minshew throughout training camp where Gardner Minshew is more accurate and more consistent. Anthony Richardson provides all the wow plays, all the down the field play, all the big runs, things like that.

So I think that wow factor kind of gives him a slight edge. And again, you invested in him with the number four pick for him to be your franchise guy. You know what you have with Gardner Minshew. You don't know what you have with Anthony Richardson. So again, as long as he's not a deer in the headlights, put him out there and take his lumps and hope that you have a franchise guy. Do you expect them both to play in this preseason game against the Bills?

Yes, I do. I think that they both will play because again, even though Gardner Minshew is familiar with Shane Stike and still a new team for him as well, you want to make sure that he at least knows some familiarity with these guys. And Anthony Richardson, reps, reps, reps. Play the guy as much as you can because he hasn't played much in college.

Really just in his life. He hasn't started back to back seasons at quarterback since high school, so play the guy. James Boyd is with us talking about Colts and training camp as they get set for their preseason opener against the Bills in western New York.

It's after hours here on CBS Sports Radio. Shane Stike and obviously another brand new coach. You got a rookie quarterback. You got a rookie at the coaching position, but what stands out about him to this point? Straightforward. We joke that he is the shortest transcript of all coaches we ever had because he doesn't say much beyond the game plan, what he sees, what he doesn't see, what he likes, what he doesn't like.

But he's very straightforward. Truly an all football type of guy and someone I think that a lot of the players have grown a lot of respect for in these months since he's been hired because he's so detail oriented and I think that's a good thing for them. And exactly what they need. You know, considering his quarterback background, how he helped Justin Herbert, Philip Rivers, obviously Dylan Hurts, and so if he can do that same sort of magic with Anthony Richardson, he'd be beloved here in Indianapolis for a very long time. As they get set for their three preseason games, what are you looking for personally? What do you want to see from the Colts even as you've covered some of these different storylines over the course of the last few months? Obviously the biggest thing is Anthony Richardson. You want to see him as much as possible just to kind of get a feel for his growth, his development.

That's number one. That's going to be the number one forever as long as he's in the Colts uniform because if they hit on this guy, if he ends up being a superstar, obviously that's a huge win for the franchise. But beyond that, I think I'm also interested to see if Shaq Leonard plays in your preseason games. You know, this is a guy who is a four-time All-Pro, three-time first team All-Pro, but has been banged up the last couple of seasons and so you wonder if he can get back to being that dominant turnover force in the middle of the defense. And also just that defensive secondary because they're really, really, really young. Isaiah Rogers tenure got cut after being suspended for gambling.

They were already thin. They traded Stephon Gilmore, so now they only have Kenny Moore who's like the only real returning veteran on this team. You know, he's only got to start over four games for them at cornerback, so the rest of these guys are undrafted or rookies. You have to wonder how any of these guys are going to stack up when they get called upon. James, last year, the offensive line turned out to be a major disappointment. It had been so strong the year before in what was Jonathan Taylor's incredible season. Looking at it now, obviously, Quentin Nilsen's still part of it, Ryan Kelly, they've got some veterans on the line. How would you describe where the line's at right now?

I have no idea. They made no changes and that's what gives me the most nerves going into the season. I know a lot of people were very high on the coaches draft class. I think they had a good haul, but I was like, man, you all didn't draft anybody really high to address your offensive line. And particularly at right guard and left tackle, Bernard Ryman came along the last year, Will Fries. He's still kind of iffy to me as a starting caliber right guard in the NFL, but they haven't added any veterans in free agency and so it seems like the only change they made was hiring Tony Sperano Jr. as your offensive line coach and I was joking with people around the beat and I'm like, man, this guy must be a magician because if he isn't, this is going to be a huge misfire by their team because how can you evaluate Anthony Richardson if he's running for his life like every quarterback was last year? Maybe that's why they draft a quarterback who is quick on his feet.

I mean, it would help for sure, but I'm like, everybody still would like to be, I guess, in a calm setting in the pocket. So James, when you think about the AFC South, Jacksonville overtook the Tennessee Titans. We know that Houston's kind of starting fresh with Tamika Ryans and their own rookie quarterback in CJ Stroud. So what stands out about the division, the AFC South, as we get set for this season? To me, the biggest thing is just Jacksonville, can they take that next step to sort of own the division? Because it seems like that's what they are trending to do and then adding Calvin Ridley to that team, it seems like, you know, a huge boost. I mean, anytime a team can add a 1,400-yard receiver who's fully healthy and all those things, it changes the dynamic a lot.

And so I feel like they're top dogs. And then obviously, I think for the Colts, can you just have a respectable season where you're not getting embarrassed or bullied by Tennessee like you do teams like every single year? You know, I'm sure that drives the Colts crazy. And then also with Houston, you know, up-and-coming team, they're working through some things, but in my opinion on paper, they're the weakest team in the division. And in my opinion, the Colts cannot go winless against them again this year. You have to at least get one game against Houston. The Jacksonville Jaguars, the way that they surged toward the end of last season, you kind of got the sense that it was that connection between Doug Peterson and Trevor Lawrence that was really paying dividends.

They speak the same language. So thinking about Shane Steichen, a guy who has worked with quarterbacks, maybe that same type of learning curve, even though Richardson's a rookie and has fewer games under his belt, there's always that potential. Absolutely. And I go back to 2021 Jalen Hurts before he was a superstar when they were really, really, really weren't run heavy, snuck into the playoffs in Philadelphia. I think that Shane Steichen did a good job of making the game simple for him and kind of helping him along before he made that jump last year into being a superstar. So I would look at that season and kind of hope if I'm a Colts fan or if I'm Colts staff, that it can be mirrored with Anthony Richardson this year where you kind of bring them along slowly. I guess you have your growing pains, but more or less, you kind of know that you're going to run the ball heavily, but also give them opportunities to have some of those safer throws to build his confidence. And hopefully in a couple of years, you're looking at him as a superstar in the NFL.

Looking forward to seeing it. Before I let you go, this is your second year on the Colts beat. So I guess this would be your sophomore season. When you think back to your rookie campaign there, James, what are you most looking forward to this season? I think I'm most looking forward to just building better relationships with the guys in the locker room.

I think last year a lot of it was just, where do I stand? You know, who do I talk to? How do I get to this arena or whatever?

Or, you know, when I go to practice, where do I sit? All those different things. And now I feel more comfortable, faces look more familiar. So I'm looking forward to building better relationships, getting better sourcing, which will obviously lead to better reporting.

Oh, yeah. No shortcut to experience. And so you've got a good year under your belt and it's not going to be boring, that's for sure. When is the NFL ever boring though, right?

It never is. And the joke around the beat is that when I joined, everyone told me, hey, the Colts are pretty low key. This is how it's going to go, yada, yada, yada. Even for a guy, we have a guy on our beat, Mike Chappell, he's been covering the Colts since they moved to Indianapolis in 1984.

It's his 40th season this year. He's telling me, you know, hey James, you know, even I haven't been through this. So we're all going through this together. Nice. All right. Well, you can find James Boyd on Twitter at RomeoVilleKid.

He covers the Colts for the athletic. Thank you again for a couple of minutes. It's so good to connect with you. Thanks for having me. I appreciate it.

You keep up the great work as well. We will do our best. It's always a little more compelling, a little more chaotic when we've got football on tap. And yeah, we're inside of a month until the NFL season kicks off. Someone posed this question as part of asking me anything. Now Jay did not use it on the air, but he said to me, are you able to watch all of the preseason games this weekend?

And my tongue in cheek reply was a question. Am I able or do I want to watch all of the preseason football this weekend? I do not. However, we have heard more and more from coaches like Doug Peterson, Frank Reich, Sean Payton. Starters will be playing this weekend. I've even heard that Aaron Rodgers is likely to play a couple snaps for the Jets coming up this weekend as well. And that's unheard of for him. That should tell you how much he finds himself in a different space and relishes being in a different space.

He's not putting up a stink about playing in the opener of their preseason. Jay, did you watch any of Hard Knocks? I have not actually. I plan to. I plan to.

Maybe even as much as today or the next few hours. But actually, I checked out the Johnny Manziel Netflix show yesterday over Hard Knocks. You'd rather watch Johnny Manziel's Trainwreck than watch Hard Knocks about a football team that's going through a new birth, if you will? I will watch it. I am excited to check out Hard Knocks. I just saw like I was on Twitter or something and I saw an ad or someone talking about the Manziel and it just caught my attention at the time.

So I put it on and I got kind of sucked into it. But it seems like he is opening up for his own mental health and just full disclosure. Maybe this is good for him. Maybe it's cathartic to get it all out there. Or maybe it's just about getting a show on Netflix. Could be. Yeah.

As for Hard Knocks, I don't have HBO, so I've only been able to catch bits and pieces of it. Jay, stop it. How many of your passwords can I actually use? I know you've used my Paramount Plus in the past. But how many of your passwords can I actually use? How many of these streaming services do you have? I guess a lot of them. All of them? I don't know if I have Peacock. So that's one I'm not sure if I have.

I'm not getting Peacock. Have you seen the headlines? It seems as though it's every other day that a different streaming service is jacking prices.

Really? Because more people are tuning to streaming. But also in some cases, I won't name any names, the streaming numbers are down even because it's getting more expensive. So the answer then is to jack the prices for the people who are still willing to pay. Like Amazon Prime, they've jacked their prices and apparently are planning to do more of that. Because they feel like they've hit kind of the plateau in terms of attracting new people. So instead they're just going to charge existing subscribers more money.

I don't get that. I looked at YouTube Premium actually last night and they raised their prices too. It's like $15 a month now just to have no ads. That's not YouTube TV, that's just YouTube Premium. Right.

Wow. I know that people have cut the cord for years now. My brother and his family, a lot of friends of mine personally that I know have cut the cord. But honestly, if you want to keep up with all the various shows that you watch or sports, you have to have a bunch of different streaming services. I'm not sure it's that much cheaper.

If you have them all, unless you're spreading them out in your password sharing, which some companies are PO'd about it and try to crack down on it. Really, it's almost impossible to keep your bill lower than cable if you're going to watch just sports that you need or that you crave. Yeah, I know just here in the New York area, the Yankees last week on Wednesday and Thursday were on Apple TV exclusively. And here in the New York area, Yes Network with the Yankees entertainment and sports, you've got to pay for that. So I remember years ago when it opened, there was a huge feud with DirecTV and those subscribers and how they weren't partnered with Yes.

And the whole thing got worked out, it was a huge mess and they finally were able to get Yes. Now everyone has Yes Network, you pay for it. And now they're going to Apple TV where you've got to pay for that. So you pay for Yes, you can't even watch the Yankees on Yes Network here in the New York area. What you can do is listen to it on the radio. Yes, you can.

That's what I'll be doing. It's not Thursday Night Football, it's a playoff game, right, that's going to Peacock. A playoff game, isn't it a wildcard game that's going to Peacock? Yeah, and also a game on Christmas, I think.

Makes sense. Christmas, Christmas Eve, something like that, that's going to Peacock. Yeah, I'll just be listening on the radio. That's why I have Sirius XM, because I can get any game that I want. Christmas Eve matchup between the Bills and the Chargers, exclusively on Peacock. Yeah. I won't be seeing that one.

I'll be catching the highlights on YouTube, listening to it live on the radio. Can't do it. I can't do it.

Unless potentially, maybe. But I think they've spread it out enough where you can't do a seven-day trial and get both games. So how about we do this?

I'll do a seven-day trial for Christmas Eve, you do a seven-day trial for the wildcard game, and then we'll share. I like that. Okay. Good. Break. Ready break. After Hours with Amy Lawrence, we're so smart, on CBS Sports Radio.

Good heart and an open mind. We did the same. And the game of golf is better for what we've done here today. This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. Jay Monahan, commissioner of the PGA Tour, going back to the merger announcement, the bombshell between the PGA and the PIF. The personal investment fund that, of course, is the Saudi Arabian prince and the controversial money, the live merger, the live source merging with the PGA.

Though we still don't have a ton of information about what it looks like or how it happens or when. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. Right after Jay Monahan makes that big announcement and the vitriol, the criticism, it was rich. He steps away. In fact, it might have been the very next tournament. He stepped away because he was sick or he wasn't feeling well. That's what we heard. And this comes from Monahan himself on Wednesday, he took a month-long sabbatical, a leave of absence, because of anxiety. He says that he required medical care because his physical and mental health were in perilous shape or in tough shape. So he was speaking to reporters. I'm not sure if you know this, but the FedEx playoffs began this weekend in Memphis. So he was there.

He finally has resurfaced. He was speaking to reporters and he was saying that part of the reason for his anxiety is the negotiating behind the scenes, announcing this merger, and then the reaction from the PGA Tour members, the players. And it wasn't just the players. It was fans. It was media. It was pretty much everyone getting blindsided and not understanding. So this is what happens when you negotiate these types of things in secret.

Keeping secrets is not good for your health. It's hard on the ticker, especially when you know it's going to affect so many people and there's going to be such a viral reaction. It's after hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. So Monahan is back getting ready to have a meeting with the PGA Tour members to try to explain what this means, how it affects them moving forward. I know it's more money. I think the players all recognize it's more money.

They certainly do need the leadership to be able to lead them through and to kind of come up with something new. And Scottie Scheffler is trying to take a positive, optimistic approach. I went to the player meeting yesterday and I realized I hadn't seen Jay in quite a bit of time. So, yeah, it's definitely good to have him back.

I think the tour's got a long way to go. But it's always nice having Jay back in person. Guys, when they want to, can have face-to-face time with him.

He's always available and he's doing the best that he can to make sure that he's getting as much player input as possible. I guess it's good that no one publicly, none of the PGA Tour members piled on Monahan. Good, that's what you deserve. Negotiating in secret, pulling the wool over our eyes, being hypocritical. What did Rory say?

He felt like he was betrayed. Hit Liv. Well, that too.

We know he's not given up on that. Like, I hit Liv. Uh-huh. I hate Liv. I can't do it. I tried the accent. Can you do it, Marco?

No, I'm not going to do it. Like, I hate Liv. I height Liv.

No, no, it's the wrong A sound. Jay's in there eating chips, which is why he can't play more of Rory McIlroy. Hit Liv. Okay, so there has been some talk, including here on this show, about whether or not Jay Monahan should keep his job. I kind of wondered if he might be made the sacrificial lamb, so that question was posed to Jon Rahm. I think I made my stance on that at the Open clear. I think he should have the opportunity right now to finish this off the way he did. I think we're quickly forgetting how well he managed a lot of things.

He did an amazing job in COVID and kept a lot of people employed. We were the first major sport to come back. I know UFC was doing fights, but we were the major sport to come back.

And, you know, a lot of players were able to earn their cards and keep competing thanks to that. So I think we shouldn't forget that that quickly. And again, we should have given them the chance to see this through. Right. And then after everything's said and done, if players want to make a change, then that would be a better time. But right now, I don't think it is. I appreciate that from Jon Rahm.

I really do. To not forget what Monahan did when it was a bleak time for all of sports and specifically for the PGA Tour. No fans, remember?

The tournaments came back and it was eerie silence on the course. I know that was the case really for every sport, but they were the first ones to try it out. So yeah, I hadn't heard that from anybody else. I appreciate that from Jon Rahm. Hey, he's earned our trust in many ways.

We should allow him to see this through. Rickie Fowler was part of that. It sounds like it was about a 90-minute meeting with the PGA Tour players.

I think we all just kind of continue to learn as we go. Because under the framework agreement, it's not saying there's necessarily a partnership or that all this is going to go through. It's trying to work together to ultimately see what can be done. And at the end of the day, if it doesn't work out or the players don't think it's the best step forward, then reassess and go from there. That's something that came out of this meeting that I was a little surprised to hear. I'm thinking it's a done deal, but some of the players actually said there may not be a deal that gets finalized because they have to get a majority vote on it with the PGA Tour.

And the PGA Tour members ultimately, I guess it could get voted down or fail to be ratified. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that what's the deal? Right, exactly. What does it mean? That's what I mean.

What kind of money are we going to see? And none of it makes a whole lot of sense yet, so until it gets laid out and everybody knows every part of the detail. No, you can't automatically say anything's done because nobody seems to know all the details. Never mind half the details. I feel like everybody's just kind of like, I guess, like nobody seems to know anything right now.

Right, it's still wait and see. Part of that because Jay Monahan was away for a month dealing with his anxiety. I'm telling you, that's what happens when you try to keep secrets. And also because it came out of left field.

Like nobody knew it was coming, so then it happens abruptly. You didn't get any details and then it's like, yeah, it's still gonna, yeah, we'll figure it out. Still no details. Yeah, seriously, it's two months later.

There's still no details. So I think that's part of the reason why. I don't know if players really truly believe that it's not going to happen. I think they look at it and they go, look, I don't know anything about this. So yeah, I'm going to assume it's not necessarily done because I don't know enough to make sure that I could say that it's definitely done.

True, good point. Jay, AFC NFC next. AFC QB news on tap.

Boom. You are listening to the After Hours podcast. It's time for QB news on After Hours. It is that time of the week again. We're getting set for Thursday night football, preseason style, of course, but it does at least look like football for a few minutes. And it definitely sounds like football. It'll get your juices flowing, gets us closer to the actual football season.

It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence here on CBS Sports Radio. Do we have a partner for QB news today? All right, we'll do it for the NFC. This is specifically AFC version. Let's start with the Super Bowl champions.

Patrick Mahomes on Sirius XM NFL Radio. How do you stay motivated when you've had so much winning? I think I always have that chip on my shoulder. I think it's more that I understand how lucky I am to be here. I understand that you don't have these windows where you can win Super Bowls too long, usually.

And luckily for us, that window has been very big. But you go out there and you have that mentality every single year. You're going to go try to win that thing again. You heard Veatch just talk about once you win it once, you have even that more fire to go do it again and have that parade in Kansas City. And maybe I can get on Saturday Night Live this time. It opens up a lot of opportunities for you.

I mean, good to keep your priorities straight. Patrick Mahomes, the Kansas City Chiefs, the reigning champions again. They've won seven straight AFC West titles.

I'll be honest with you, I don't know what rebuilding means. They've hosted five consecutive AFC Championship games. Who will unseat the Chiefs?

Will it be the Chargers? Justin Herbert just got paid. Keenan Allen says that he can see how much more confident Herbert is going into year number four. This guy is way more comfortable. Way more. I was just talking about me saying that.

I say that so much. Way more. But yeah, he's way more comfortable.

Way more. He's way comfortable. He's changing plays at the line of scrimmage. He's putting guys in spots. He's vocal. Yeah, this guy's comfortable. Way more. I like that.

In the middle. That's stream of consciousness. In the middle of talking about Justin Herbert, he acknowledges that he says way more.

Far too much. Alright, the Chargers made the playoffs last year, though they were unceremoniously dumped by the Jacksonville Jaguars, or they choked, or maybe both of those things are true. The Broncos didn't even sniff the playoffs, not in the first year with Russell Wilson's massive contract, and certainly not under Nathaniel Hackett. We've got Sean Payton with the Broncos now, and there are benefits to playing in the preseason, he thinks, and Russell Wilson's on board. The opportunity to play in the preseason, there's three great things that happen, in my opinion. Number one, I think as a player, just stepping in between the white lines. Every time you step in between the white lines, it's a gift.

You know, that's how I look at it. It's a gift to be able to play the game that we all love, that God has granted us the ability to play. I think the second thing is that you get to figure out who you are as a team.

You know, I think in a lot of ways, mentally, emotionally, to celebrate one another. And I think the third thing is the best part about it all is I remember when I was a rookie, and I remember my first preseason game. I got to play Tennessee Titans. The second one was against Denver Broncos, ironically.

And just those moments, those moments are things that you'll forever remember. Russell Wilson, Denver Broncos, new coach, a lot of credibility there. Can he find some silver lining to that offense? I do expect them to improve because Sean Payton's an experienced coach, and certainly as a Super Bowl winner with a Drew Brees, recognizes how to get the most out of his offense. Mr. Mr. Mr.

Unlimited. Not last year. From the AFC West to the AFC North, Lamar Jackson's got a new target.

Speaking of experience, Odell Beckham Jr. wearing the purple. He's really cool, you know. He's just playing football.

He's having fun. You know, he's had time off. You know, he was injured and stuff, rehabbing.

And, man, he's that guy. Actually, I do think that the year away, almost a year and a half away from actual football, could be a big deal for Odell Beckham Jr. in keeping him healthy. As for the Bengals, the team to beat in the AFC North, Jamar Chase not at all worried about Joe Burrow and this calf injury. He shouldn't see the field during preseason. Would this team be okay?

Do you think if he did miss time in the preseason? He wants him out. He's talking about, I mean, we'd be okay as long as he's there for the end of the season. You know what I'm saying? We're worried about the bigger picture, not the small picture here. That's what we're trying to win.

So, you know what I'm saying? As long as he comes in around the season that we need him, then we're going to be okay. We'd be okay if he's around for the end of the season? Is that what we're talking about here? A calf injury that keeps him out until the final month? Stop it, Jamar Chase. Whew, that's kind of scare some people. It's After Hours, CBS Sports Radio, AFC QB News.

Yeah, yeah. Aaron Rodgers, right in the thick of it with the New York Jets, actually did not love how they practiced against the Panthers on Wednesday. I thought we didn't maybe have the same type of energy for whatever reason to start practice, but I thought there were some good things, a lot of learning tape out there. But I thought it was good to be out there against a different defense. I thought we handled the front pretty well in the run game, pass game. There were some issues. Some issues.

Despite that, he has high praise for Bryce Young, of course the rookie quarterback for the Carolina Panthers, and he gave Bryce some advice. Be gentle with yourself. It's a long journey. It feels like every little snap and practice is the end of the world if it doesn't go right.

It's just not true. It's a long, long journey. It's about holding on to your confidence and enjoying the ride, enjoying the little things every day. But I think he's got a great head on the shoulders, and it'll be just fine. Did he say be gentle with yourself? Maybe that's Aaron Rodgers' way of saying don't be so hard on yourself. Be gentle with yourself. Don't beat yourself up. I choose to interpret it that way.

It's just an interesting way to put it. We'll hear from Bryce Young coming up in our NFC edition of QB News. We wrap with, speaking of interesting, Mike McDaniel, who is the head coach of the Dolphins, and now is Mike White as part of his QB room. So how's he doing?

He's had a really cool couple weeks just getting used to everything. The quarterback position, you're in charge of the ball every play, and you have to tell everyone their assignment. So there's a lot that goes into that, which is one of the numerous reasons that I reserve judgment because I'm such a level-minded adult mature guy. I'm a level-minded adult mature guy.

Wait, that's got to be a drop. Now, I can't use it because, or Jay can't use it for me because I'm not a level-headed mature guy. Adult? I am an adult some days. I'm not a level-headed mature guy, though, but Jay, that works for you. I'll use that, yeah. Could we potentially use that, though, to pretend that Mike McDaniel is talking about other people? Like when a quarterback or another player makes just the worst decision ever, maybe they fumble a ball or, oh, I got it, when they try to celebrate running across the goal line, they drop the ball or they hold the ball out and they fumble it because they're showboating, and then we can use Mike McDaniel to remind them that you're a level-headed adult and a mature guy.

So don't do that. I'm here too, okay? It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence, CBS Sports Radio. The official Winning Time podcast from HBO is back. I'm Rodney Barnes, executive producer on the show. Magic and the Lakers are back to defend their title. Join me as I break down each new episode with sportswriter Jeff Pearlman and the actors, directors, and key collaborators who brought the 1980s Showtime Lakers to life. It's not about basketball. It's about winning. Listen to HBO's official Winning Time podcast on Sundays after the show airs on Max.