After Hours with Amy Lawrence PODCAST: Hour 3

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So pick up a Baja Blast wherever you are, in stores now. Is that really effective? Kissing me through the phone? Nah, nah. Oh my gosh, that seems like a world ago. But I do remember when we were having that conversation here on After Hours, and there are bits and pieces of it that I don't remember.

That have been pulled, obviously, for that production, that montage. But the fact that people were not admitting to how they were dating, they were giving me dating advice, but not admitting to how they were dating. Oh, and everyone just so happy in their current relationship, which we know is not accurate. But I couldn't be more thrilled that that's no longer applicable in my life. Dating sucked for the longest time.

I absolutely hated it. I just felt like I was too much of a dinosaur for it, or too old school for the current method of dating. And then to be in a situation where you're a semi-public figure, and dating apps as well as websites.

I was not comfortable using them. So yeah, feels like a world ago, and yet it really wasn't that long ago. Which is why when my single girlfriends, I talk to them now, or when they tell me how blessed I am. Of course I am, and I'm so thrilled to be married after all the time waiting. But I tell them I will not forget.

I will continue to pray for them and empathize with them, and be their sounding board, because I know I went through that for a really long time. Instead just celebrated three months. Three months of being married. I can't decide if it's going fast, or if it feels like a lot longer than that. But I do know that the spring starts to get fast and furious in terms of work and sports, and gosh, inside of a couple of days until we've got the start of Major League Baseball. Not just the series that will, well it's already taking over Korea, but not just the series that will signify the official start of the 24th season, which is coming to us from South Korea. The Dodgers and the Padres, and kind of interesting to see the buzz, the excitement level. It's a little bit like Kaitlyn Clark and Iowa women's basketball, only it's baseball, and it's Korea, and they are over the moon excited. So there's a friend of mine who I worked with in my previous network who is kind of delivering a report.

He's there on scene, I want you to hear it, because it's kind of cool. To think about the start of the baseball season in a place where this is nearly unheard of, and yet they have so many guys to root for now with the Dodgers specifically. So we'll get to that. Also, coming up, just a moment for Anthony Edwards that I think signifies his arrival as, and he's a star, but as a star who can carry a team. We're seeing this more and more now with Anthony Edwards. He's raised his level of play, and the Timberwolves haven't seen a drop off, even with Kat injured.

Karl-Anthony Towns could be back at some point in the playoffs, but Edwards appears to be game for the challenge. Now we had the huge block, was it last week? The crazy block or the week before?

Just the game-saving block, game-preserving block in which his head hit the bottom of the rim. We had another rim encounter on Monday night, so we'll get to a little more of the NBA. And then also QB news this hour, but straight ahead actually, in 15 minutes, a conversation with Stetson Hatters, head coach Donnie Jones. The Hatters. I will fully confess that I had no idea their nickname, no idea their mascot, when I saw Stetson's name pop up on the selection show. A Stetson as a 16 seed that now heads into a daunting matchup with the number one overall seed, UConn. And this is kind of fun because we had UConn and Stetson as guests that were booked to start this tournament week, even before we knew they'd play each other. And so I'm sitting there with my list and I know who it is that we're going to talk to in the wake of the selection show. And the first two teams that you see on the screen are UConn as the number one overall seed in the East and Stetson making its first ever tournament appearance.

Always go with your first answer. It is both their first tournament experience and their first appearance. But how crazy is that? You're talking about two teams that come from the complete opposite end of the spectrum and yet their coach, he makes a difference. Well their coach and one player who could very well be NBA bound. It's a story and a team worth watching. But yeah, UConn 31-3 defending champion, Big East regular season and tournament champions against Stetson, who's never been there before. I mean, this is why I love March Madness.

But again, the difference maker and the bridge to that world, I guess the bridge between the two worlds is Donny Jones. And you'll hear him explain why coming up. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. Our phone number 855-212-4227.

That's 855-212-4CBS. This happened last night as well. CBS Sports Network carries their bracket challenge show or their bracket games show. And they've got analysts that are kind of going through each region of the bracket. And then they go from that to poker on CBS Sports Network.

And if they follow the format that I saw previously, they'll also work in some bull riding. So it goes bracketology on CBS Sports Network to poker to bull riding. Sounds about right on the network. This is not big CBS. This is CBS Sports Network that carries our New York affiliates morning show.

That's Boomer and Geo. And I think used to carry some network shows as well, but doesn't anymore. You have to find them on YouTube now. When's pickleball on? Do they carry pickleball? Probably. Hey, the rights to pickleball could be pretty expensive. They might be out of the price range of CBS Sports Network. You're not wrong.

They only seem to be going up. Speaking of brackets, we've got not one, but two bracket challenges. Why? Because for the first time ever, we decided to throw a women's bracket challenge at you. And so you can find both of those links on our show Twitter after our CBS. So the men's challenge, if you were in it before, you should get an automatically generated invite to your email.

If it's an email, that's a junk email that you haven't checked in a year. Well, it's time. Oh, I just kick something underneath here. Oh, there it is. I don't know. Some kind of a cord and a marble, you know, something. Oh, gosh. It's not just a cord, but it's someone's charger. It's just hanging down behind the board.

I think I know who it is. Yeah, it's always a mess back there. And because I have big feet and long legs, I'm constantly kicking things on accident. I'm like Shaq. Remember that moment where he started to get up from the inside the NBA on TNT desk and his feet were tangled up in the computer cores that were underneath the desk? Classic moment. We actually put it into the Hall of Flame, the after hours Hall of Flame.

Oh, down goes Shaq. That's so me. It's so me. There's just no one here to record the noise.

Although if it was loud enough, I suppose the microphone that the studio mic would pick it up. But it's happened to me before I've tripped over power power strips. I've tripped over cords underneath. My foot's been tangled up in them.

Yeah, it's a mess under there. Not to mention the equipment's from 1992. So I really can't afford to be pulling cords out. But anyway, wireless.

Should we? Yeah, but okay, except that I feel like wireless is a risk not worth taking when you're in a network studio where I mean, I get that the wires are a pain in the rear, except that that signifies you'll always well 99% of the time, unless the entire building goes out, you're going to have a signal. This is the challenge with what you didn't do shows from home. I mean, you were here during the pandemic.

I was doing shows from home. And there were times when my my wireless router went out, or my Wi Fi connection was was gone. That's a problem. So let's not do that here. I don't think the quality is good with Wi Fi either. No, it's not definitely not to be wired is the best option.

The problem is there's a there's a series of cords and wires underneath these desks that often get forgotten. So just me and my big feet need to stay away from them. All right. Now that I've called attention to it, something's gonna happen. It's after hours here on CBS porch radio. So we're gonna get to some QB news and QB news that also comes through the eyes of receivers.

Oh, there's buzz around Stefan digs again. Why does this keep happening? It's because he's playing with his social media. It's just a thing. It's a thing that athletes do.

It means nothing. Ever. Of course, it's just for fun. Just I just feel like changing it up. So let's scrub all reference to what I do for a living. And where I reside in who I play for those things. Those things on Twitter, those things don't matter.

Anyway, you know what? I shouldn't be surprised anymore. But there is buzz around Stefan again. So we'll do a QB news on the back half of the hour. And that includes Patrick Mahomes new target, as well as Deshaun Watson weighing in on Russell Wilson in the same division. And also, why did Josh Jacobs pick Green Bay?

These are all quarterback related themes. Trust me. Just trust me. Watch the ball.

The ball that's swinging back and forth. I wonder if I could ever hypnotize anyone. Have you ever tried that?

Try to hypnotize someone with either a pendulum or a pendant. Some of it's swinging back and forth. Way back in the day. Yeah, of course. You've seen it on cartoons. No, it doesn't work. So would I see it on TV?

No. You don't think hypnotism works like for a real hypnotist? I think a real hypnotist. Professional, if you will. What makes someone a professional hypnotist?

You watch the video on YouTube, I would imagine. I don't know how much more than that. Is it the sound of their voices? Is it they have a special pendulum?

It's got to be like some sort of rhythm to it, right? I don't know. I don't think it would work for me.

I don't know. I've never been hypnotized. A deep trance? Anyone out there ever been hypnotized?

I'm not saying I can do it, so don't worry about me. But if you have, we'd love to hear from you. If you think it was legitimate.

I hope you didn't pay a lot of money for it to not be legitimate because that'd be a problem. I mean, I think people can get into a kind of a glossed over glazed glazy eye look just when they're tired. They're zoned out. If you're zoned out, I suppose you might be more susceptible to mind games. It really is a Jedi mind trick.

It's all it is. It's a Jedi mind trick without the pendant or the pendulum or the ball for you to look at. When they're awake. Did you actually try to yo-yo? A yo-yo? I don't think it's supposed to be with a yo-yo. But when someone's awake and they just go snap their fingers and they sleep, they pass right out.

I don't know. I've actually never seen it in person though. First of all, I think I can count on one hand the number of times I've ever fallen asleep sitting up in my entire life.

So there's absolutely no way I could be that comfortable. Noise around me. Someone's talking to me. But it's not you. You're hypnotized.

You're not there. You have to get to that point though. I wouldn't ever be in that place. First of all, I don't trust anyone that much to even try it. But also, I don't ever get that comfortable where I can be asleep sitting up. Unless you're hypnotized into it.

I'm not. But I would like to try it if it meant I could sleep on planes. Oh, that'd be nice. I have an 11 hour flight coming up to Hawaii one way. I think I might be too excited to sleep. But sleep on a flight to Hawaii would be awesome.

A little bit. Every flight you just have an onboard hypnotist now. You don't need an air marshal. You need a hypnotist. Don't worry about your stuff. We've put it in a safe place for you.

It's disappeared, but we've got it. Don't worry. I actually have told my husband that if he dares to sleep on that flight, I'm going to accidentally elbow him in the ribs. Yes.

That's not fair. We're going on our honeymoon and you're sleeping next to me. No way. Negative, Ghost Rider. If I can't sleep, you can't sleep.

What if he just happens just to pass out? No. No, this is togetherness.

When you do everything together. Alright, coming up. QB news at the back of the hour, but straight ahead. Stetson coach Donnie Jones, who makes the difference, bridges the gap between a team like his that's never made the NCAA tournament before and a UConn that's a Blue Blood. You'll get it soon. On Twitter, ALawRadio joined the bracket challenges, both men and women.

It just requires an email and a password. Also on our Facebook page, it's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. You are listening to the After Hours Podcast. It means everything. You know, sometimes when you work so hard, you don't know what to expect to come out with this today and this result. You just, you know, it's wonderful. You know, it's great to be part of this with this team and brotherhood. Yo, next round is about to start.

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This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. A pair of the Stetson Hatters. Jalen Blackman. And who is the other one?

Stefan Swinton. Because they made the tournament for the first time. How cool is that? I love these stories. These are classic March Madness Cinderella stories. A number 16 seed, Stetson goes 22 and 12 and is into the big dance for the first time ever. And because the conference tournament, that championship was a week before Selection Sunday, had a chance to let it soak in.

I love that. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. As opposed to some of the power conferences where they play, they win their tournament or they're out of their tournament and then right away they have to turn in to the selection show and know what's happening. Really not a whole lot of time for them to breathe. But for a small school like Stetson, for a team that can play that conference tournament early, it's cool.

Because then they have the chance to enjoy it. Now the Atlantic Sun, the Hatters, are headed to the NCAA tournament. Had a chance to catch up with coach Donnie Jones.

And I brought that part up. You've known for a week that you'll be in the NCAA tournament. But as a coach with a bunch of young guys who were so excited, what was it like to see your name pop up on Selection Sunday night?

And then right away? Yeah, no, thank God. We didn't have to wait too long because we've been anxious for, it's been the longest seven days. I feel like it's been a month. We've enjoyed the time to rest and recovery, but we've been practicing against ourselves all week long.

It's been a little different for that. But there's been a lot of love in this community and it's been amazing to see the support, especially for our guys who've never experienced anything like this before. So as a coach, you see your name, but then you realize you're attached to UConn.

What are the emotions that go through you just in those kind of 15 seconds? Yeah, you know, as a coach, you know, we anticipated it was going to be one of, right? We thought it was one of UConn or Purdue or Houston. So we know now it's reality. So now we got to focus on the day-to-day process of how we prepare for that and how we approach that as a staff. We'll put long hours in here tonight, you know, looking at that and making sure we try to keep our guys locked into the moment, you know, because we know that stage is big.

Now we just got to try to simplify it as much as we can. You've been around basketball a long time. I love the synergy too, of you were part of that Florida team that won back-to-back national championships. And now, of course, that's the story around UConn. What does it mean to you to take a group, though, that has no clue, really has no idea what it's like at that next level?

Yes. So yeah, that will be an incredible challenge. I was a part of that, like you mentioned, and I know how difficult it is to do.

And what you've done the first time is completely twice as hard as what you do the second time. When you experience that as a team, when you're on that side, like UConn is, but, you know, our guys are going to play free, you know, we're going to play respectful, we're going to come out. That's who we've been all year long. You know, we played number one Houston at Houston to open up the season, because I wanted our guys to understand that level, because our goal was to get the ball. So we played a very difficult schedule early on, and it helped us. And I think it's prepared us. I know our guys will respect who we're playing, but they won't be scared of that. And they will go out and play with a lot of confidence. We're excited to spend a couple minutes with the head coach of the Stetson Hatters.

Get to know them. 16 seed taking on UConn in Brooklyn in the first round and Donnie Jones. As a head coach, this is your first appearance, right, leading a team to the NCAA tournament? It is. This is my first as a head coach and very exciting to be able to do that. Yeah. Well, congratulations. What a cool milestone. It's after hours here on CBS Sports Radio. If people don't yet know about Jalen Blackmon, they're about to know what makes him so special.

Yeah. You know, he comes from a great pedigree. You know, his father was a great player in Kentucky and played in the NBA.

His brothers played in Indiana, were great players. And, you know, Jalen's been the baby of the family and, you know, they got their own gym in their house. So he grew up in the gym, literally, and playing. And so he's got great confidence. He was a four star player out of high school and transferred in here from Grand Canyon.

And, you know, he's just walked in here and it's just taken our program the last couple years to a place where we are today. So he can score in a lot of different ways. He's, you know, he's got the ability to get it going and get it off the dribble, get it off catch and shoot.

So that's what makes him so dynamic and being able to defend him. Why Stetson? What were those conversations like with him that he chose your school?

Yeah. You know what? We had a few kids from Indiana that had mentioned us. You know, I think I've been fortunate. I think my pedigree where I've been, I've had 23 NBA players. I had coached and recruited, been a part of, you know, three national championship appearances, won two, been to the tournament 14 times. So I think as a coach, his family felt comfortable with the development of him, style of play. And I think being able to come in and help us become who you're seeing us become today. And how does he raise the level of play for the guys around him?

You know what? I think he raises it. He gives a lot of attention, obviously. Stephon Swenson, the other guard, has been terrific. Thousand point scorer, all time leading the CISSC at the point. Those two together, all conference players, both of them, have been very dynamic.

You know, they're both juniors and seniors. So I think, you know, it starts with your backcourt. Those guys can really control a game and can score in a lot of different ways. Putting up 94 points in your championship, your conference championship, and having the ability to put that type of an offense out there on the court. What types of defenses have you seen from opponents as they try to slow down, not just Jalen, but try to contain your backcourt?

Yeah, absolutely. We've seen a lot. You know, we've seen pressing, we've seen trapping, we've seen mixed up defenses. So, you know, we've played a variety of really good teams this year, which I think has helped us evolve as a team offensively. You know, we lost a key frontcourt player a little less than three weeks ago, who was a senior at 6'8 and Josh Smith. So we had to start playing smaller, and I think that made us more dangerous on the perimeter with guards that could shoot it, pass it, space it, and be able to create for each other. So I think that really helped us offensively play to a different level. I can imagine that's tough for him, though, watching you guys win the championship and not being on the court as a senior.

Yeah, really hard. And, you know, he just came back in January. He had blew his knee this time last year.

So two ACLs within 12 months for him, which has been a really hard thing. Head Coach Donnie Jones of Stetson is with us here after hours on CBS Sports Radio. People paying attention as you make the tournament for the first time. Ultimately, though, you have to go out and play a basketball game.

So how do you get your guys ready for the stage? Yeah, absolutely. Well, you know, we realize, you know, we've talked about the process. I think that's the biggest thing my experience brings to this platform is, you know, you have to embrace where it is. We've had a week to digest it, and then we try to lock into our time together. And so now for us, as we move forward, now we know who we're playing, which really helps us lock in. And I think with that, you know, we just talk about how to take that in and respect that and you got to be able to flush it and you got to be able to move on. And so that's where we got to be able to, you know, grow our gods right now. This group's been trust, very trustworthy.

I think they've trusted our staff and understand what it takes to get them to this point. Just preliminarily, Coach, what's the strategy for trying to defend a 7-2 guy? Yeah, you know, I had Taco Fall. I was the head coach at UCF. Recruited him.

He was 7-6-300. So they're different players, but I understand and respect that. I coach Noah, Joe Kim Noah, and Al Wilfred. We've had some big players.

Assam Whiteside was one of my players as well. Played in the NBA for a long time. So I've had big guys and I'm aware of it.

So obviously stopping is another challenge. He's a terrific player. He's got a lot more players around him as well.

But we'll have to mix it up with how we defend him and how we try to contain him and eliminate his ability to dominate us on the glass. 20-21 year old guys and gals, they're not always cognizant of history. Do your guys know that you were part of national championships and recognize the experience that you bring to the table?

Yeah, absolutely. We talk about that. I talk about the journey with that and how that was developed. So that's been part of the process of coming to a school. 53 years we've never been to a NCAA tournament. We've had one 21 season in 49 years. So we have been way behind the times with our level of our play and just teaching kids how to win and what it looks like has been the path for the last three or four years. So it's been a journey to get to this point and a lot of it's been that path that I was fortunate to be a part of at Florida. Why did you pick Stetson coach? Yeah, I had the opportunity to come back home as an assistant at the University of Dayton with my best friend Anthony Grant. We coached side by side at the University of Florida for 12 years. This opportunity came up and I had a chance to come back to Florida and I really thought this could be a program that could bring my family into a town and a vision that this could be somewhere where we could settle down and build a program that could compete in an ASUN championship and an NCAA tournament every year.

I felt it had the qualities to do that location, size, and the ability here in the south where there's so much talent that this could be a win-win in so many ways to build a program. Considering all of your years in college basketball, do you ever look around and go, whoa, this sport has changed so dramatically? It really has. You've got to be able to adapt and adjust. It's my 35th year in college coaching and I've just been so fortunate to be around so many great players and great coaches. There's been different times where you've always had change but it's been dramatic the last three years.

You went through COVID, you went through NIL, you went through transfer. It's been really hard to be able to put a team together and it's really hard for the little guys like us because the big schools come and get your players. It's hard to keep them. You've got to keep evolving. You've got to keep teaching and adapting. What you did in four years, you've got to be able to do them one now in developing kids.

It's a different method and you've got to adjust. I can imagine though school history being able to make the tournament for the first time makes it all worth it. It really does. This community is 36,000 right outside Daytona Beach. Great little small town and these people love it. We packed the Edmonds Center for the first time probably since they opened the building for the championship game. Winning brings a lot and we've got great kids too so that makes it even better. Well congratulations on this conference championship and the first NCAA tournament appearance in school history. Donnie Jones, a Stetson head coach, his first appearance as a head coach which is neat too and we appreciate it a few minutes. We're excited to watch you coach. Awesome. Thanks so much for having me. Really appreciate it. You see why I call him a bridge between the world of UConn, the Blue Bloods in college basketball and Stetson, a school that maybe some of you have never heard of.

I didn't know they were the hatters. Watch them win the Atlantic Sun. Watch Jalen Blackmon. He's NBA caliber.

He continues along this road. He put up 43 in their conference championship. But the difference with having a coach who's got so much experience and what a neat thing for him as a coach even though it's not about him. But he's been part of what do you say 14 different tournament appearances.

His first one as a head coach. He won back to back national championships as an assistant on the Florida bench and that's why he mentions Joe Kim Noah, Al Horford and some of the other NBA players that he's worked with. And so he can bring all of that experience into Stetson. But gosh, what a challenge against UConn and just the synergy of it too, right? He's trying to prevent or at least being the first line of prevention against UConn who wants to become the first repeat champ since the Florida Gators, his team back in 06-07. It's hard because we hear their stories and then we want to root for them. So it's just neat to be able to talk to Donnie Jones.

He was very gracious with his time and obviously some incredible experience that he has that he can share with his players. That's a 1-16 matchup which is no longer so far-fetched. Have you filled out your brackets? If you have, well we've got more. If you haven't, you've got until Thursday at noon when the men's games tip off and the women on Friday. So we've got both a men's and women's bracket challenge for the first time ever here on After Hours. The links are available on our show Twitter, After HoursCBS, you can find my Twitter as well, ALawRadio and then our Facebook page too. We're expanding with the buzz around the women's tournament.

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Here's the snap. Josh going to keep it himself and run it again inside the five. Into the end zone. Touchdown Buffalo! Josh Allen, nine yard touchdown run. The Bills respond and then some. It's time for QB News on After Hours. It is. It may very well be March 19th, but that means nothing in the world of the NFL.

It never stops. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence here on CBS Sports Radio. And yes, we've got bracket challenges, we've got hoops on the brain, but a lot of quarterbacks talking. And that includes Kenny Pickett, now a member of the Philadelphia Eagles. All right, he's happy at least, but what happened? Why did it go so horribly wrong with the Pittsburgh Steelers? Why did he want out after they brought in Russell Wilson?

A lot of rumors about how this went off the rails, but I think it wants to set the record straight. I just thought it was time. It just felt like it was time from the things that transpired and wanted to get a chance to go somewhere else and continue to grow my career. And the fact that it's in Philly, the place that I grew up, found love for the game here with a great coaching staff, great players. I'm looking forward to meeting all these guys in a couple of weeks when everyone gets back into town, but I think it's an awesome opportunity here to join this team. I think the communication is what it is.

It was behind closed doors. I'm confident in the way that I handled it. I handled it the way I should have handled it.

I'm excited to be here. It worked out so well that Philly was the place I ended up landing in, so I think everything happens for a reason and I'm right where I'm supposed to be. I handled it the way I should have handled it. I mean, there were reports that he did not handle it well at all. Didn't want to be in the emergency QB to end last season. Didn't want to compete with Russell Wilson or maybe, depending on which report you believe, finding out that he wasn't going to compete with Russell Wilson and wasn't going to get a fair shake at starting again.

But he is from New Jersey. Originally, he grew up an Eagles fan, and so you can hear the glee in his voice. I don't know, does that mean he's not disappointed it didn't work out with the Steelers? Gave everything I had there and loved all of my teammates and the coaches that I came across. Some absolute great memories that I'll take forever and lifelong friendships and talking to guys after it all went down.

Just grateful that we had the time we had together and wish everyone over there nothing but the best. 24 starts for the Steelers ultimately. 63% completion rate. 13 touchdowns, 13 picks.

That's crazy. 24 starts, only 13 touchdowns, which is why there was so much consternation and why there was a split decision about whether or not the Steelers themselves, the organization, should continue to invest in Kenny Pickett. But he decided he wanted out anyway, and while they likely could have gotten something more for him, maybe, maybe, the timing was a little off because most teams have their QBs now if they aren't drafting.

But the Steelers jumped at the chance to trade him because they realized it was going sour and it was going south and they didn't want to hang on to him. But yeah, as you can hear, Pickett couldn't be happier about being now across the Keystone State. It's pretty unbelievable honestly. I've been coming to games since I was 5 years old. I have great memories of my dad taking me here, my grandfather, all my family members coming out to the games together and just having great memories.

Hopefully I can help provide some great memories for some other families now coming up. It's pretty surreal and a full circle moment for me. Again, you've got to be careful what you believe. There are two sides to every story.

Maybe it's somewhere in the middle. Pickett says, I didn't refuse to play. Late in the year, I wasn't told honestly what the Steelers had in store. Maybe they didn't know they were going for Russell Wilson.

A lot of the timing and the communication, it matters too. But the Pickett experience is over in Pittsburgh and I don't know how many Steelers fans are upset about it. It's like reality television. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence, CBS Sports Radio. Deshaun Watson on his own show called QB Unplugged.

I don't know where I got that from. He was talking about Russell Wilson now being in the AFC North with the Steelers. Pittsburgh is a good organization.

It's crazy for me to say that I'm just keeping it 100 because I'm a Brown. But at the end of the day, you've got to give respect where respect is due. Tomlin is going to have them boys right. It just made sense for him to go there. I think it was them or New York. But New York feels like they're starting over. Pittsburgh feels like they've got pieces just because of Tomlin.

So they're going to compete. Welcome to the North where things get real spooky. I do like that. I might use that during the season, the AFC North where things get spooky.

But just to go back a bit there, he did identify as a Brown, which of course is critical. Browns and Steelers are rivals. Is there something to him in the way he pronounced Pittsburgh? You think? I don't know. This might be just to, I mean, I mess up words all the time, so what am I talking about?

But it might be somewhat intentional, maybe even subliminal intentional. Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh feels like they've got pieces. Pittsburgh.

I mean, compliment them and still call them by a nasty name. I feel like they're starting over and we're Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh. Huh.

All right. Just something I notice working in radio. I listen to how people pronounce things.

Again, I'm not making fun of them because I get things wrong all the time. I just called them Unplugged. Don't know where that came from.

QB Unplugged. It's something new. It's a new show.

Catch it now while it's hot. Deshaun Watson also using his show to react to Kirk Cousins' contract, which isn't as much guaranteed money as he's getting with the Browns, but the Falcons are giving him $100 million fully guaranteed. I think people forget, though. Kirk is a good player.

I think we were talking about it in the other episode. Kirk Cousins is a good quarterback. You feel me? Certain things didn't go his way last year. He got injured, so I hope he's healing well and things like that. But I think Atlanta is a good fit for him, especially if he wanted to change out of Minnesota. Hmm. I wonder how many people agree with Deshaun Watson.

I do. Not his fault. The Minnesota Vikings didn't make much of their NFC North title, didn't make a championship run in 22 because his numbers, Jefferson's numbers off the charts.

That defense was awful. And then, of course, last year he got injured with the Achilles. It's after hours here on CBS Sports Radio, so staying in the AFC, Hollywood Brown is on his way to Kansas City, and he's already been in touch with his new quarterback, Patrick Mahomes. I stay out in Texas, so I'll be working with him. We're going to get together this week and, you know, just looking forward to, you know, building a relationship there. He says he hasn't had a chance to showcase his skills lately, and so he's really excited about pairing up with Mahomes. Who wouldn't be? I think that's a wide receiver's dream, and the Chiefs did enter free agency yet again in need of a wideout. So Hollywood Brown, Marquise Brown, it is. That was sweet. Keenan Allen is headed to the Bears.

They'll have a young QB. How could he help? I know the game. I know the ins and outs. I know the zones. I know, you know, how to beat man. I know pretty much how to play the game, so I just think I'm friendly for the quarterback because I'll be in the right spots.

I know how to communicate with him, and my body language is solid too, so. It'd be nice if they could put more pieces like that around Justin Fields, but he's already in Pittsburgh himself. What a tangled web. Josh Jacobs replaces Aaron Jones in Green Bay, and he points to Jordan Love. This is why I wanted to be a Packer. I was telling people, man, we were scouting for when we was playing them last year.

I seen them make some throws. I'm like, yeah, a lot of people can't do it. I'm like running backwards on one foot and slinging it on a dime. That kind of got me excited when I just started thinking about him from watching film on him. And just to see the way he throws the ball effortlessly and the grit he plays with, you know, I'm very excited to play with him. It's an interesting question I heard posed on another show somewhere.

I can't remember exactly where it was. Is Jordan Love now the best quarterback in the NFC? I mean, Dak Prescott was an MVP candidate last year, so I'm not sure you can say that about Jordan Love, but maybe one more season, and Jordan Love could definitely fill that spot. Dak, by the way, just reworked his deal to give the Cowboys more room under the salary cap, something that we know a lot of quarterbacks do, and yet there's still talk that the Cowboys need to boot him, that he's not worth the money. I don't know. He and Mike McCarthy in their first season together were able to put up the kind of numbers that he hasn't in his career to this point.

And so that's not something to sneeze at. I know they're going through transition on their defense, of course. Lost a couple of guys that are now with Dan Quinn in Washington. Leighton Vander Esch retires. He's gone through so many injuries. His physical body is beat up. So I know there's transition on the defensive side of the ball. I just don't think you sneeze at a guy who had such great numbers last year like Dak did.

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