After Hours with Amy Lawrence PODCAST: Hour 2

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Call 562-314-4603 for details. Now, if Russell Wilson and his social media team, I'm sure he has one, put together a video featuring the Backstreet Boys, a little BSB, I'm all about it. Everybody. Then I could buy into the hype video. It dropped not long ago because Russell Wilson already has a new home. His intent is to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers on a no-brainer. On a no-risk contract.

I agree. The Steelers might as well take a flyer. They have a young quarterback who's still a project. They don't have a ton of money to spend. The Broncos are picking up most of the tab anyway. Who cares? Might as well try it.

No blood, no foul. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. We're asking your reaction. Already taken a handful of phone calls as well as your thoughts on our show, Twitter. After Hours, CBS. You can find the hype video there if you would like to see it.

It's something. On our Facebook page, too. It's so morbid until it picks up. And Jay knew the music right away.

I'd never heard it before, but of course Jay knew because he's a big music guy. Facebook is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. We'll get back to your calls. 855-212-4227.

That's 855-212-4CBS. That is other news from around the NBA slash college basketball world. But you know what? The NFL, such a jealous lover, steals our hearts.

And every time we dare look somewhere else, jerks us back again. There's memes for that. Let's welcome Matt Verderam, who covers the NFL for Sports Illustrated and is joining us from Chicago.

Dare not sleep at this time of the year. You thought it was intriguing to follow games every Sunday. Well, this is just as interesting.

The legal tampering period. Alright, Matt. It's happened. Russell Wilson has a hype video. So what's your reaction to him signing a new deal with the Steelers? I thought it would be the Steelers, maybe the Raiders if things fell through in other avenues for the Falcons, but the Steelers need to get better at quarterback. They made the playoffs last year, but I don't think anybody feels like Kenny Pickett's the future.

Neither is Russell Wilson, but he's better and he's a bridge to the next guy. And so now, at least if you're Pittsburgh, you can look at it and go, all right, well, we're not where we want to be, but we're in a better spot in a conference that if you don't at least have average quarterback play, you have no shot. So it's an easy move for the Steelers. You're getting for 1.2 million while Denver pays the freight. And for Wilson, he goes to a team with a good defense, a great coach and some weapons. I like how you put that. We'll talk about the Denver part of this, but for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the one year deal says what to you, Matt? This is something to get them to a better spot down the line.

I mean, I don't think there's any question. Russell Wilson's in his mid thirties. And while you can look at the numbers and say, hey, you know what? He played better last year, 26 touchdowns, eight picks. Yes, he played better than he played in 2022, which was a pretty low bar to clear. If you watch the games last year against anybody, I mean, I watched every snap Denver had last year. He was not good.

He wasn't atrocious, but he was average at best. But if you're Pittsburgh, average is great compared to what you were trying out there last year of quarterback. So again, I think it's, hey, get us through 2024, make us a better team. And then I still think if you're the Steelers, you are looking for any opportunity to upgrade at the quarterback position here over the next year or two. When it comes to the Denver Broncos, how much does that hurt to pay $38 million for Russell Wilson to play for a team that is competing or trying to compete for the same real estate that you are in the AFC? I think for Denver, look, this is not a mitigated disaster just in general. I mean, you're talking about having to split an $85 million dead cap hit, which is more than twice the biggest that cap hit that there ever was an NFL history before this. I think the narrative that's going to slowly emerge out of Denver is this idea that, well, now that they've gotten Russell Wilson out of town, they've kind of exercised all their issues.

And I just completely disagree with that. Yes, he's out of town. His $85 million cap hit split over the next two years is going to basically keep them from competing for the next two years. And on top of that, now you've got to cut Justin Simmons, who's still a good player, who's now gone because you can't afford him. Jerry Judy had to be traded.

We'll see if anybody else goes. George Payton is still there as their GM, who is the guy who hired and then fired Nathaniel Hackett. He was the one who gave Russell Wilson a five-year extension he never played a down on. He's the one who gave Randy Gregory $70 million, and Randy Gregory then played 10 games in Denver before being released. This has been a disaster in Denver for a while, and now it's culminating, but Payton is still there running the front office, of course, alongside the other Payton and Sean, who now has to deal with a little bit of a rebuild on a chance. Matt Verderam of Sports Illustrated with us from Chicago talking about the early couple hours of the legal tampering period and movement already in the NFL among the QBs.

It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. We also know that Baker Mayfield is staying put, but Kirk Cousins will test free agency. What are the best options for him, Matt? Well, the Vikings remain an option. You could go back there, and if you're Kevin O'Connell and you're Minnesota, while Cousins may not be the future, as now he's in his mid-30s coming off the Achilles, you still need somebody for the present. Cousins, when he's healthy, is still a top-12 quarterback in football.

That's an option. Atlanta, I think, is the team. When I was down in Indianapolis in the scouting comic, everybody was talking about Atlanta is going to make a move here quarterback. I was there when Raheem Morris was saying, if I had a better quarterback playing Atlanta, I probably wouldn't have this job in the first place, which was accurate.

He's right. I think Atlanta is going to be aggressive here. It doesn't mean they're going to land them, but I think they will be aggressive if they strike out on Cousins. I think they're a prime candidate to take a quarterback in the first round with the eighth pick. Denver has no money. Denver has no ability to pay Kirk Cousins, so I don't think that's viable. The one other team I'd watch is the Raiders in all this. The Raiders have a lot of cap space. They have Devontae Adams and Jacoby Myers, and they need a quarterback.

Aidan O'Connell is not the guy. Jimmy Garoppolo got himself suspended, which means they can cut him without paying him a dime. I think the Raiders are the one dark horse here that if they really wanted to, they could make a serious run at Custis. Why isn't there a more active market for a quarterback as young as Justin Fields, who if they decided to trade for him, the Bears would give him up with still a year left on his rookie deal? I think, Amy, just again, being at the scouting combine and talking to people, you just got the feeling like there's just not a lot of interest at the second round price point. I do think it'll get dealt. I do think it could be for a third rounder.

At this juncture, there's just no appetite at the second round level. I think that's because, quite honestly, at this point, while he has shown brilliance in athleticism and being able to make plays with his legs, he's not been good with his arm. He has not been a guy who you look at and go, hey, there's somebody who's going to be a top 10 quarterback in the NFL. Eventually, I do think the Bears will find their way into at least a pick that they can use to help them in the future. They're going to take Caleb Williams. I think everybody in the league feels that way.

But, yeah, right now, there's nothing going. If you're at Ryan Polls and you're their GM, you're sitting there saying, all right, look, if there's nothing doing, let's wait. Let's see if a team like the Falcons or the Raiders, if they just strike out across the board and create into a quarterback and if they maybe revisit an idea of trading for fields because they say, hey, you know what, let's give up a day two pick so that we at least know we have this kid. And if we still want to draft somebody, we could theoretically, but it gives you some insurance.

I just think right now, a lot of these teams are looking at the quarterback class coming out, some of these veteran quarterbacks and say, hey, we have we have better options on the table. Considering some of the speculation, some of the reaction to Williams and his team's decision at the combine, but also some reaction to how he carried himself there. Do you have any qualms at all about drafting him if you're the Bears? I'd put it this way. I would draft him.

I would draft him. But there's definitely a little bit of uneasiness that comes with some of this, some of this stuff in terms of, hey, I'm not going to divulge my medical history to everybody. It's going to be to a couple of teams. So, all right, fine.

I mean, you're the Bears. You get his medical history. I guess who cares? Kind of ask the question like, OK, was that his idea? Was that his agent's idea?

Was that somebody in his own personal camp? And if that's the case, is this going to be something where this is always going to happen or it's going to be, hey, you know what, don't don't listen to a conventional norm. I know there are people out there say, hey, that's great. Push back against your style.

That's fine. The NFL is not a big fan of that. That's reality. You may not like it. You may love the way Williams handles himself at times. Teams are not going to be enthralled with it. That being said, what they're going to be enthralled with is his ability and his tape. And I think if you're the Bears, unless you uncover something that everybody's unaware of at the moment, I would take that kid 100 times out of 100. Hasn't been a problem off the field.

But yes, he's gone about this differently. And whenever somebody goes about something differently, especially something as rigid as the National Football League, there's always going to be some raised eyebrows. Matt Verderam of SI is with us here after hours. CBS Sports Radio. The news just starting to break now as we head into Monday.

And we're just days away from the new NFL league here. The commanders there at number two. If it's not Caleb Williams, Matt, what's the next best thing? I still think it strikes me. And I know there's this big argument between he and Jayden Daniels.

And I get it. We have sat here now for a year and everybody has said, hey, Williams at one, May at two. And then all of a sudden, which has happened every year around this time of the draft, everything changes. Oh, you know what? Actually, this guy actually, listen, there are some people in the NFL who would tell you they would take Daniel second.

And I'm not saying that that's all made up completely fabricated. But if you look at Daniels, his his talent is obvious, obviously winning the Heisman Trophy at the same point. There are definitely spots in his game where, look, if he's got to move, he can move, he can run.

He's incredible in that regard, but he doesn't throw a lot on the move. If that's something that if you're a team, you've got to go, OK, well, can we can we coach that up? Or is this going to be a problem every time there's pressure like he's gone and he won't throw the football? I do think it's a legitimate argument as to which guy you would take. But if you ask me right now, who do I think Washington would take, I think he would take. Although we still have time, right? Still, what, six weeks to go before the draft begins.

All right. Before we move on from quarterbacks, let's play a little game. I'm going to name a team and you take a wild stab or an informed, educated guess as to who is starting for the team next season.

What about the New England Patriots? Whoever Washington doesn't take is who I think is starting for New England. I think they're taking the quarterback at three. Easy decision for for New England here after after the first two picks returned that Tennessee Titans.

I think we'll love this. OK, I love this is going to be the starting quarterback. The Raiders.

A lot of flying doors at the Raiders. I think they will try to trade up and draft the quarterback. I think they'll try to go after something in the top 10 like J.J. McCarthy if they don't land somebody in creates. In the same division, the Broncos starting a dead cap hit.

Jared said him, but I will say in all seriousness, I think Bonix is a guy you heard type them a lot of the combine, so I'll say Bonix. The New York Giants. The Giants are a team. I think if the Raiders can't get ahead of them, I think they might take J.J. McCarthy. OK, and then the Atlanta Falcons.

Cousins. If he gets out of Minnesota, I think that's where he goes. Well, OK, well, then you left me with the Vikings. I wasn't going to ask, but what about the Vikings then?

That's a great question. I mean, then now you know Tannehill is out there, so like maybe maybe he's a bridge there for the team to kind of gets left in the cold. Or maybe Minnesota goes Michael Pennix junior Michael Pennix junior. That offense would be interesting because he can throw the football. I know this question.

Yes, I get it. He's got injuries. You know, he's an older rookie that kid in that offense. Like if he hits, he's going to really hit.

So I'll say Pennix. How much of what the Vikings do is at least with an eye on trying to keep Justin Jefferson in the fold? I mean, look, there's a big part of this. Like if you're the Vikings, you can't trot out a quarterback who Jefferson's looking at going, what are we doing? Why? Cousins is a good quarterback. I think Jefferson would be pleased with that scenario. And if they draft a kid like Michael Pennix junior.

Look, obviously it could go south. He could he could be a bust and then they're they're stuck. But if that kid goes in there and he's really good now, all of a sudden, now you're in business. Now you've got a cheap quarterback for five years.

He's a first round pick and you've got this situation where you're like, hey, fine. We'll pay Jefferson huge money. We're not paying the quarterback.

Right. That also factors in as well. It is a very expensive and very complicated puzzle for each NFL team.

And yet the hard salary cap is why we see teams go from worst to first every year. And why half the playoff field turns over. Matt Verderam of Sports Illustrated from Chicago. He's got the phone on.

He's monitoring just like we are. Need you to hang on a couple more minutes away from quarterbacks. Just right through our break here, it's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio, you are listening to the After Hours podcast. I think that God has blessed me financially beyond my wildest dreams.

So at this stage in my career, the dollars are really not what it's about. This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence, the voice of one Kirk Cousins from Radio Row on Sirius XM NFL Radio. That was Super Bowl week. So going back now.

Oh, my gosh. A month ago. Has it really been a month since Super Bowl week?

In fact, as we head into Monday, March 11th, I hope you survive the time change, at least for the first day. It's exactly one month since the Super Bowl. Oh, it's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. Paul Allen is the play by play voice of the Minnesota Vikings radio network.

We're spending a couple more minutes with Matt Verderam of Sports Illustrated. And before we get to some of the other burning questions about free agency. The Kansas City Chiefs pay their quarterback.

Now, Patrick Mahomes is not the highest paid QB anymore, though he's in line for another extension. How do they also pay Chris Jones the ninety five million dollars in guaranteed money? They continue to have this revolving door in which they're bringing guys in and out and back in again.

And yet they're still winning. Because Bread Beach over the last four years is the best drafter in the NFL. If you look at their drafts over that stretch, the draft has been unbelievable. I mean, they had a draft prior to the twenty twenty two season where almost every single guy they took ended up being a plus starter for them. Literally, like they drafted Jalen Watson, Isaiah Pacheco in the seventh round. They drafted call office and McDuffie in the first round. They drafted Brian Cook. They drafted Leo Channell in the rest of those drafts in that span. Creed Humphrey in the second round, Willie Gay in the second round with Jerry Snead in the fourth round, Trey Smith in the sixth round.

They just find guys and they plug them in and they play them. And when you have that many guys and I didn't mention or she writes when you have that many guys on rookie deals and they're getting paid. Next to nothing by NFL standards for four or five years, you can pay Chris Jones. What essentially is a three year ninety five million dollar deal.

You can pay the homes fifty five against the cap and not care. You can do those things because you have so many guys who are just really, really special players that are getting paid a million bucks against the cap for four years. That has been their secret sauce.

That's the problem. The bills have had the bills. I think their last draft class was better, but they've not drafted well. They've been stuck paying older players a lot of money. That's why Von Miller is there on six and 120 because because Boogie Basham didn't work out when you don't draft well and then you pay the quarterback.

Now you've got a real problem. Matt Verteram of Versailles with us here after our CBS Sports Radio. If you check him out on Twitter, he recently shared a photo of Patrick Mahomes enjoying his offseason. So, Matt, how many people look at Pat Mahomes in his swimming trunks and think, are you kidding me? That's the best quarterback in the NFL. I have a body just like that. Believe me, as a father of two who I think pretty much also looks like that. I'm thrilled.

He's bringing up the standard for dad bots all over the country. The funny thing is, when you really think about it, Brady now is kind of like this health freak by a lot of people's standards. Tom Brady was not exactly walking around with an eight-pack most of the story. Like Peyton Manning? Like, was Peyton Manning ever the guy you looked at? That guy's in unbelievable physical condition. Like a lot of quarterbacks you think of, even Joe Montana. Like, he was a skinny guy, but Joe Montana wasn't some Greek god chiseled out of stone. I mean, maybe there's something to that.

Maybe the dad bot is working out with Mahomes. I love doing that photograph. You like multiple drinks in his hands.

Totally relaxed. But if you've won three Super Bowls in five years and you're really durable, you can run away for defenders. Hey man, go for it.

It's working out for you. I think that the dad bot can take a hit. We know that he's pretty tough, and he manages to get up from whenever he does get laid out, which isn't very often. Matt, other than quarterbacks, what's another major question that you need answered in the next few days?

You look at the receivers. Now, it's not quite the group that it was, because Evans is now signed, and T Higgins and Michael Pittman are tagged, but you still have Calvin Ridley. For the past 20 years, you've enjoyed the refreshing tropical lime flavor of Mountain Dew Baja Blast. So in celebration of this milestone, we're bringing Baja Blast in stores nationwide. And for a limited time with every purchase of Baja Blast, you can collect coins for a chance to get Baja Gear or a Taco Bell deal.

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Void where prohibited. Old man winter here. If I had it my way, it would stay winter all year long. Hot days. Wind chill. Black ice and a good polar vortex.

Heaven. Wait, is it getting warm in here? Your cold snap is over, old man winter. Spring has arrived.

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I'm kinda busy. Visit Carvana.com to finance your next car. Financing subject to credit approval. Gabe Davis. With the Chargers, now neither one of these guys are free agents, but Mike Williams, Keenan Allen, something's gotta get. Because they are over the cap. Those guys have huge cap hits. They're both going into the final years of their deals. I would expect that Allen stays and Williams is gone.

I think they cut him. Hollywood Browns, another free agent out there. Darnell Moody, Tyler Boyd. There's a lot of receivers who are real players. Deontay Johnson, again, not a free agent in that case, but may get traded. I think that's a really interesting position to stand the offensive side. Running back.

Yes, Stacorn Barkley is the headliner. And I think he's probably the first off the board. You have Derrick Henry, you have Austin Eckler, you have Tony Pollard, you have Josh Jacobs. These are real guys. This isn't like, hey, two guys and a bunch of afterthoughts.

Eckler had 107 catches in 2022. It'll be very interesting to see, do those guys go off the board quick and say, hey, look, let's just take the most money we can get right away? Or do they try to slow play it and see what shakes?

I think it's going to be fascinating to see how that market plays out. Has there been any change from the franchise or team perspective in paying running backs in the last year since they made so much noise about it? No.

No. Because the reality is the game is moving away from being a running base game. The game is moving toward throwing the football.

That's the way the rules have been shifting for the last two decades. How many running backs are there in the NFL that you look at and legitimately see? That guy has to get another contract with the team he's on right now or they're sunk.

And I know that's unfair to the running backs, but it's the truth. You look at James Cook and Buffalo. James Cook had a great, great year. James Cook at two years and his contract's up, probably going somewhere else. Isaiah Pacheco, he's been awesome for Kansas City, probably not getting a second contract with Kansas City.

It's probably not going to happen. They're going to look at it and go with the way he runs and that style. We're paying him big money. It's hard. So many guys come out of the draft that are a dime a dozen.

I will say this, it does add to this class in particular. The running back class coming out of college this year is not good. So if you need a running back, you might be inclined to spend a little more on free agency this year than you normally would. But a lot of years, that guy's coming out of the draft and you go, hey, I'll take that guy in the third, fourth round and I'm fine with it.

Who would be your first target then if you could have your pick of the litter? I think Barkley's the best of the group, but I think value-wise, Eckler's interesting. We've mentioned that if I'm a team like Kansas City, I'd put in a kind of heartbeat.

You know, hey, Ayles, you know what? Two years and 12 million bucks will give you 80 swing passes for Mahomes. And you can just swing on out there for 10 yards a year and 12 yards there and 15 touchdowns. I think Eckler might be the best value.

I think Barkley, though, of the guys factoring in age, everything else, I think he's probably the guy who gets the biggest deal. We are just getting started. New league year in a couple of days, but a lot of drama and intrigue before then. So make sure you find Matt on Twitter at Matt Verderam, V-E-R-D-E-R-A-M-E. And he's got a lot of insight and also dad bod pictures.

Covers the sport for Sports Illustrated coming off the combine and heading into free agency. Matt, thank you so much for a couple of minutes. It's good to talk to you. Anytime.

Take care. The dad bod stuff is so funny. But if you haven't seen the photo of Patrick Mahomes, he's right. I don't know if there's a pooch. I wouldn't call it that. But there is no sign of a six pack.

And I am not criticizing. I honestly think that him being thicker helps him take hits. Not that he gets hit a ton. He's pretty good at not getting hit and extending plays, but he's durable for that reason. Something to it. So check out Matt's Twitter and also his reaction about the Steelers and the Broncos.

He blasts Denver, says they're nowhere near being out of purgatory and puts the blame at the feet of the general manager who's been there the last couple of years. And I also love the game that we play with Matt about the teams and the quarterbacks that could be starting there next year. Honestly, it's like guessing the outcome of games. It's no different.

It's not exact science. There certainly are betting lines and all these things. But just to try to take a stab in the dark at where these teams will go and how their backfields will look both running back and quarterback in the next six months.

And we'll have a lot of those questions answered coming up in the next two days. So on Twitter, A-Law Radio, our show Twitter as well, your reaction to Russ moving to Pittsburgh, black and gold hype video, the whole damn thing. Kirk Cousins testing free agency. Matt believes he'll end up in Atlanta. Where does that leave Minnesota? There are only so many starting quarterbacks in this draft.

I get that there are a bunch, but how many of them are ready made? And also really appreciate his insight on Caleb Williams. There may be a risk. The Bears are going to take him anyway. 855-212-4227.

That's 855-212-4CBS. Mac Jones heads back to Jacksonville and I say that because that's home for him. And we'll have more QB news, but want to mix in some of the other storylines from the weekend in sports alike. First ever Big Ten Women's Championship on CBS live Sunday afternoon. And boy, did we get served up a great game between Nebraska and Kaitlyn Clark's Iowa Hawkeyes. Oh, and a brawl at the end of the women's SEC championship. I really appreciate the reaction of decorated head coach Dawn Staley. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio.

You are listening to the After Hours Podcast. Kate Martin swish for three. Clark walks in across the timeline. Crossover dribble. Gets into the paint. Moves her way to the basket.

Shot up off the window. Good. We're tied at 77.

This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. It was not a great start for the Iowa Hawkeyes. Trying to win their third straight Big Ten championship. Taking on upstart Nebraska who had a couple upsets along the way by the way Ohio State was taken out by Maryland, I believe. And Kaitlyn Clark started 0 for 8 from beyond the arc. Even the NCAA all-time leading scorer at the Division 1 level. Best of the best. Most productive ever.

Even her. Can have an off night. Can have a game in which she's tired. It's the end of a long season. She's had a ton of responsibilities on her plate.

A lot of not just media obligations but a lot of extra extra extra if you will. Every single game. Feeling the spotlight.

And this one included. For the first time ever. The women's Big Ten championship. Was aired live on CBS Sports. Boom.

And so the Hawkeyes fall into a 13 point hole and Kaitlyn can't hit the broadside of a bard initially. Had a couple of layups but even missed from point blank and was frustrated. My mom texted me. Are you watching the game? Yes mom.

Yes I am. And so Nebraska played really well though they had their fourth game in four days. And took advantage of the fact that Clark was off. She was setting up her teammates. Other seniors like Gabby Marshall.

Veterans like Kate Martin. You hear the calls there on Learfield IMG. They did have to climb out of a 13 point hole early. And still trailed by 8 points with just over two and a half minutes to go in the fourth quarter. This game went into overtime because of some late defense.

And the veterans for Iowa stepping up. When the whole family comes together to watch the game nobody wants to miss a second of the action to run to the grocery store. With Instacart you can get all your weekly groceries in as fast as an hour.

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See 5G device coverage and access details at T-Mobile.com. She dribbles it out across the timeline. There it is. Count them up.

One, two, three in a row. Iowa Hawkeyes Big Ten Tournament champions. This was a fantastic display for Nebraska to be sure. And for Iowa roaring back.

It's after hours with Amy Lawrence CBS Sports Radio. I love the impact of Kaitlyn Clark in Iowa. And then stepping up to another challenge in adversity. They're getting every other team's best shot. No hiding them this year.

They're not an upstart fun idea. They're not new on the scene. No this is Iowa women's basketball that's in the center of the spotlight. Now for two plus years. As Clark goes over a thousand points for the second consecutive season. And this will be the end of her tenure with Iowa. But it's the third consecutive Big Ten championship game.

So probably her last unless Iowa encounters another Big Ten opponent in March Madness. What better way to end it all? I mean you know you have the overtime, you have the fight back, bad shooting, good shooting, defensive stops.

I mean it just really had it all on the biggest stage. And can't be happier for our group. And you know this was the only way we could end it.

So I'm just really grateful. Not very often that we have fought from behind. That was our biggest deficit at halftime. And we just tried to reset at halftime. I thought they came out in that third quarter was really good, really good. And then we lost the lead and they fought back again.

So I'm incredibly proud of our group. Clark rallied in the second half at overtime. Finished with 34 points. This is after barely scoring in the first half. Had a dozen assists.

Seven rebounds, three steals. And she is the Big Ten tournament MVP for the third consecutive year. But it wasn't all her.

And she knows it. She got a lot of tough defense from the Huskers. They were just shy of face guarding her. But they were hounding her.

Playing her physically. And the officials were letting these two teams play. Not quite like LSU, South Carolina, which we'll get to. But they were letting the Huskers and Hawkeyes play.

Which I appreciate. Still should be a contact sport. And so you've got players like Kate Martin and Gabby Marshall hitting threes. They combined for I think 19 points total. But four of five from downtown for Kate Martin. And certainly Clark had to rely on her teammates in this one. When you get into the groove and into the game.

Those thoughts kind of don't even cross your mind. Like you're just there. You're playing. You trust one another. And the girl helped off Kate quite a bit. Trusted her to make the shot. And she knocked it down. I think it was the first three she had made all night. That kind of just fed into her. Honestly going into the overtime.

I think she maybe even had another two threes or maybe three threes. But those are the moments you live for. When you're down in the game.

You've just got to work your way back bucket by bucket. And really the defense can be a spark. As for Nebraska, they had come up with some huge upsets. We're hoping to earn the automatic bid into the NCAA tournament.

But Amy Williams' crew won't have to wait for the selection show. This is heart wrenching and just a super disappointing loss in overtime here. Our kids came here expecting to win. And nobody else really probably believed that we would even be in the championship game.

Much less have a chance to win it. But we believed. And our locker room believed. Our whole team believed. And I'm so proud of the contributions we got from our entire roster this entire tournament. And I am proud of the classy group of champions that compete the way they do. That we have here at Nebraska.

Easy to root for the Huskers and Coach Williams to get into the NCAA tournament. But yeah we have to wait. Both of the men's and women's selection shows take place next Sunday. So we're inside of a week. And March Madness is just gearing up. 855-212-4227. That's our toll free line on Twitter and Facebook. We got a big week planned.

Not just college hoops in both the men's and women's side. But of course the start of the legal tampering period. If you missed it. Russell Wilson headed to Pittsburgh on a no risk deal for the Steelers. One year prove it to us.

But even if you do prove it to us. We're probably moving on anyway. And we'll do this because the Broncos are picking up the tab. What's your reaction to Russ in a hype video with the black and golds. And then Kirk Cousins testing free agency. He's the best of what's available outside of the draft.

So what do you think? Would you want Kirk as your quarterback Atlanta? And then we've got Tampa keeping Baker Mayfield. Mac Jones getting traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars. We'll do more with the QB news in the second half of the show. And also Fletcher Cox retiring after a highly decorated season. Or not season.

Career with the Eagles. But while we're talking college basketball. You may have seen not the SEC championship game between LSU and South Carolina. Who by the way has just completed a second consecutive undefeated regular season.

And was trying to win this title again. Maybe you didn't see any of the game. But you've seen the I hesitate to call it the highlights. We'll call it low lights of a brawl between the two schools.

In the final couple minutes. Six total players ejected. Because the bench is cleared. That's a no no. It's pretty much a no no in any sport.

You don't leave the bench area. And actually if you watch the video. Oh shoot I forgot what network the game was on. Maybe Fox.

But if you watch the video. Angel Reese is standing near her bench. The majority of her LSU teammates are booking their way from the bench to the half court line. To be part of the fray. To go defend their teammates. Maybe to extract their teammates. Or extricate their teammates.

Whatever it is. Kim Mulkey starts running from the bench area. Of course she's allowed to. Angel Reese does the smart thing. Walks the opposite direction. Toward the end of the LSU bench.

And waits it out. Six players ejected. They had almost nobody on court to celebrate after South Carolina. Won the SEC championship. So a couple minutes to go.

6-8, 6-7, 6-8 Camila Cardoso. Shoved a much shorter LSU Flau'jae Johnson to the floor. And the brouhaha ensues.

And actually if you watch the video or listen to the call. As this is unfolding. Johnson's brother jumps over the scorers table onto the court. In defense of his sister.

Who again got knocked down by a much larger Cardoso. But then he gets taken away in handcuffs. Man what a dramatic couple of minutes. And honestly. I know that was the wrong thing to do. I at least understand that emotion. Now granted Flau'jae was not in threat of her life.

Right? She wasn't going to die out there on the court. But the larger Cardoso shoves her to the ground and is standing over her. And she's kind of in the middle on the ground. As players are rushing in from all sides.

Coaches. I mean there's a chance she could have gotten stepped on or kicked. I understand wanting to make sure she's okay. But he definitely was going to get led away in handcuffs. It was never not going to be the outcome. As he jumps over the scorers table. He could have hurt someone himself.

Lots of reaction. We'll get it from Kim Mulkey who of course is leading the defending champion LSU Tigers. But I really appreciate what Dawn Staley had to say in the wake of this game.

I know if they had a chance to do it all over again they would do it differently. But now we have that. I just don't want the people who are tuning into women's basketball to see that. And think you know that is our game because it is our game is a really beautiful thing. And to be quite honest this is this is a part of it now. So we have to fix it and we have to move on. Dawn's thought is for fans who are watching the SEC or women's college basketball for the first time. Or the first time in a long time. And this is what they see.

And I appreciate that. She is always an ambassador for her game. She fights fiercely. Has through her playing career. Her USA career. Now her coaching career. Where she is highly decorated and her team is one of the best in the country. And she's worried that this is the impression that fans will have. New fans will have of women's college hoops. As for Kim Mulkey she is a fighter. I don't mean physically.

But she's always one who will defend her players but doesn't like it either. It's ugly. It's not good. No one wants to be a part of that. No one wants to see that ugliness.

But I can tell you this. I wish she would have pushed Angel Reese. Don't push a kid that you 6'8".

Don't push somebody that little. That was uncalled for in my opinion. Do you realize there was only one foul called on each team with two minutes to play in the fourth quarter? Are you kidding me?

That might have created some of that. Not the way we play. We're going to foul your ass. Not the way they play. They're going to foul your ass. But you only blew that whistle one time?

Think about that now. I know not everyone loves Kim Mulkey. I have done personal interviews and had personal conversations with her. Sat in with her when she's talking to other Hall of Famers. She is terrific. And she's so good for college hoops. Obviously. But she makes a point. We don't play one foul. We use our fouls. And so why are you letting it go to the point where it escalates?

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