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For more details request your appointment at Midas.com I'm not sure when I said that on the radio, but I've got way more than 98 problems or 99 problems. And it's true. Twitter still ain't one. Thanks so much for hanging out with us. We're halfway through already see your reactions to the conversation with Jennifer Rosati about the USA women's basketball Olympic team, as well as Caitlin Clark's reception in the WNBA.
Food for thought. Of course, you don't have to agree. Jen even said if you have an issue or opinions about how we selected the committee, great. I can handle that.
I'm here. I'll answer the questions and she has done so. She did not shy away from any of the questions that I asked her.
And we did not talk about it ahead of time. Now Jen knows me well. I've earned her trust and respect.
And so I'm appreciative for that groundwork going back to eight plus years of working together. I know that when she talks, she's candid. She's open. She's fairly blunt about things. She doesn't beat around the bush.
She's been in women's basketball, both at the pro level, the college level, and also the USA level for a long time. And you wanted the answers. There they are.
Discuss. 855-212-4227. That's 855-212-4CBS. You can find me online, Facebook, After Hours with Amy Lawrence, and then also on our Twix account, which is at Amy After Hours.
Mine is boring at ALawRadio. Thanks so much for not just responding to the interview, but I've posted a few photos lately, even changed the profile photo on our Facebook page. And a bunch of you have responded with some kind words, which I do appreciate.
Coming up on Thursday evening. So it's a 715 Eastern Time start, which is 615 Birmingham time. There will be an even more poignant and I say impactful ceremony to honor some of baseball's greats who were part of the Negro Leagues before they integrated into Major League Baseball. And we had said last night Willie Mays, the 10th African-American player to break into the Major Leagues, not the first, but not the last.
And early on in the process, no doubt heard plenty of vitriol, had the same discrimination and prejudice and racism directed at him. And yet he's still widely recognized as one of the top center fielders of all time, if not the absolute best. I keep seeing because I've got MLB Network up in front of me. I keep seeing some of the video from Rick Woodfield in Birmingham, where players are already gathering for this tribute. Again, it's to the Negro Leagues, but it will very much now pivot to a memorial of Willie Mays specifically, because he was supposed to be there.
He let them know on Monday he wouldn't be able to make it, wouldn't be able to travel from the Bay Area, and now it becomes an opportunity to honor him. So the game is going to be played at the oldest professional baseball park in the United States. I've been there, I've visited, it's quaint. Now they've done $10,000 worth of renovation, so it's a little more modern now, but it's quaint, it's rugged, it's historical, it's all of those things. It's one of the perfect settings for baseball. It just reminds me of Field of Dreams and why we fell in love with baseball in the first place.
And not to mention, as a history buff, there's so much history that is preserved there. So it's Giants and it's Cardinals coming up at Rick Woodfield on Thursday evening, and the game will be broadcast live on Fox. If you don't want to watch it or if you can't watch it, you can always listen to it on the radio. No doubt, the Giants radio network will have incredible coverage, and because Willie Mays was a Giant, a lifetime Giant, they'll have a lot more of their perspective. I'm sure they'll have special guests.
I've seen, gosh, I've seen Alex Rodriguez, I've seen Albert Pujols, I've seen Ken Griffey Jr., and more of the game's greats. This is a big time event. It's really one of the crown jewels of this 2024 MLB season.
Even more impactful and even more poignant now. So I'm excited to watch it, actually. Really looking forward to sitting down and watching it. We hope to have a live guest from the game, well, from the game, from Rick Woodfield after the game there in Birmingham, which is a city that I really enjoy. I've done work there, I've visited friends there, and I happened upon Rick Woodfield and ended up getting a tour from a caretaker who happened to be working outside the stadium that day. He took a friend and I into the stadium and showed us all around, and it was awesome.
It was awesome. So yeah, being up in the broadcast booth and out on the field, they hold minor league games there a lot of the time. It's not a major league sized park, but they have retrofitted it, if you will, to make it a suitable venue for a game like this.
Not that dissimilar from what we saw the last couple years at the Field of Dreams, though now they're doing renovations and construction there, and so they won't be able to do that again. But it was received with rave reviews, and so I hope that you will also tune in for this game coming up on Thursday evening. Now, I came across this story.
Maybe you've seen it as well. There's a new mural in Alabama, not that far from the park, where Willie Mays is being honored. His likeness has captured some of his greatest moments in the majors, also depicted there. But something that I didn't realize until I read this story, he actually gave a message, a note, to Dusty Baker the day before he died. And the reason he did it is because he knew he wouldn't be able to make the trip to Birmingham for all of these festivities. He wanted Dusty to share this message to the city, because it was his home for a long time. And so on Wednesday, there was a ceremony to honor his life, his career, they had on the video board, had his likeness up and just it was, again, emotional and poignant, but the perfect setting to honor Willie. Because he started there when he was 17, he was still in school, so he could only travel with the team on weekends or during the summer times. And yet that was where he broke in.
That was where people first started to know about Willie Mays. Birmingham, I wish I could be with you all today. This is the statement.
This is where I'm from. I had my first pro hit here at Rickwood as a Black Baron. And now this year, some 76 years later, that hit finally got counted in the record books. I guess some things take time, but I always think better late than never. So that's Birmingham as a place he called home, his love letter to the city and to the stadium. Willie Mays in his own words, time changes things. Time heals wounds. And that's a good thing.
I had some of the best times of my life in Birmingham. So I want you to have this clock. He gave them a clock as a gift to remember those times with me and to remember all the other players who were lucky enough to play here together.
This is an antique clock, by the way. And so Willie had the foresight not only to send the gift, but also to write this note, to express his emotions, to express his gratefulness. And whether or not he knew that he wouldn't make it through the week, I suppose there's no way to know that. What did Logan Webb tell us on Tuesday evening? He said the last time that Willie was around the Giants, he wasn't doing well. He was struggling.
I think the word he used was struggling. And so whether or not he knew that this was the end for him, this week was the end. Thankfully, he passed away in peace with his family all around him. Whether or not he knew that, to have the foresight to be able to get this clock and this message to Birmingham in lieu of his presence just speaks volumes about him as a man. If you didn't hear it, this is what Logan had to say when he found out. So it was after the Giants-Cubs game. He was pitching, found out in the seventh inning when it was played.
Well, it was put up on the video board and they had a moment of silence. And this is what he said after the game about the Giants. I think he came around last year one day and I got to say hi to him.
I could tell he was struggling a little bit and it was sad. But being able to see him, it really sucks that it happened two days before we were playing at Rickwood Field. But we're going to play in his honor. So Willie is kind of the giant, right? Like he is the guy. Willie is the giant.
He is the guy. So this is really neat as well. When the Giants head to Birmingham for this game on Thursday, they're opening up Oracle Park, their home stadium, for fans to watch the game on the scoreboard.
How about that? And the Giants are wearing patches with number 24 on it. That will be, I'm assuming, something that they'll incorporate into the rest of their season. It's been neat to hear the stories of people who interacted with him more recently. Guys who played with him, guys who played against him.
I've seen a bunch of comments from Will Clark and some of the stories that he told. You've got even athletes from other sports who have their stories or their memories of Willie Mays, their interactions with him. Jameis Winston, he was at Rickwood Field on Wednesday. And a lot of people flock to Rickwood and flock to Birmingham to be able to be there, national media included, as this celebration for Willie Mays becomes more intense. But there was also a celebrity softball game.
So Jameis Winston, he grew up in Alabama. And so he was there for the celebrity softball game. And you had other guys too, actors and entertainers. And then a lot of the greats, the more recent greats who retired from Major League Baseball. Bob Melvin, he was speaking on Wednesday. So a lot of people, of course they found out the news on Tuesday, but whether or not they had a microphone in front of their faces, whether or not they were able to share their reflections or share their emotions, more of that was trickling in on Wednesday, including Bob Melvin. I have so many that would be here for a long time, just as a kid being able to watch him play.
I grew up watching games of Candlestick Park and loved baseball because of Willie Mays. So it meant that much. What was your last interaction with him? I talked to him when I got the job. I called him and talked to him for a while and he was great. The fact that he even remembers me to me was an honor, but he was talking about my career and how happy he was to have me here again. I knew I played before and it was just an honor to talk to him. Given that Rick was on Thursday, a chance to celebrate him, just how incredible do you think that will be? It will. Obviously we would have loved for him to be able to watch that game and watch the Giants take the field where he played.
But yeah, I think it probably, if possible, adds more to going there. Bob Melvin, the Giants manager, called Willie Mays when he got the job and wanted to talk to him. That's how accessible he was. That's how much he was associated with the San Francisco Giants. Of course he started with the New York Giants, but everything that I remember about him, now I never saw him play.
He's the athlete that I wish I had seen live. But everything that I associate with him has to do with the San Francisco Giants, even though producer Jay and I just, I don't really believe in luck, but just happen to be at the stadium in Queens. So Citi Field, that's not the one that he played in.
Of course he played at Shea Stadium the last two years of his career, but Citi Field had its old-timers day and its old-timer baseball expo going back two years ago. And as a surprise, they retired the number 24 of Willie Mays. So we had no idea it was happening.
Nobody had any idea it was happening. All of a sudden there's this big display out of an easel in the middle of the field and they're retiring Willie's number. So we had the treat and the honor of being there. It was pretty cool. Jay and I both have photos.
I'm going to have to go back and look at my photos to see. Yeah, actually that's kind of cool. I just thought of that. And so it was awesome to be there and all of the guys who were there, former Mets. Now I was psyched about Pedro Martinez. Who were you most psyched about? I mean, they trotted out a lot of different guys. Oh, there were so many good ones. Benny Agbiani was a big one for me.
I mean, it was cool. Mike Piazza. I mean, there were just a lot of great names that were former Mets. Keith Hernandez.
Yeah, so that was kind of the draw. We were excited about old timers day, but then to have this surprise dropped and Willie spending his last two years with the Mets, including a World Series trip as they were NL champions in 73. Thanks 73. And so there's a lot of different ways that he's impacted Major League Baseball, but he was a giant. I associated him with Barry Bonds as his godfather and the fact that he was around all the time when Barry was chasing the home run records late in his career. And I'm wondering, I have not seen any video of Barry Bonds. Of course I saw the, I think it was a tweet, maybe it was Insta, but he posted on social media and he's heartbroken as you can imagine. Willie was family to him.
They were together a lot. And so I am hoping that he is there well because of all the players in baseball history. There isn't one who knows him better and more personally than Barry Bonds.
And it's a big deal I would think for him to be there. I know that when Bonds had his number retired by the Giants, actually was reading through some of the comments from the speech on Tuesday. But when Barry got his number retired, Willie was there. He had to have some help to stand up and walk to the podium.
I believe it was Dusty Baker who was helping him along with some others. And not only did he honor his godson and help to provide some of the narrative for that day as the number was being retired, but also he made a plea. He made his case for Barry to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, into Cooperstown.
Now it didn't work, but he did do it. And he was staunchly not only family, but a supporter of Barry all the way through his chase for the all-time home run record, the single season record. So Barry was there. Barry was there on Wednesday? He was the captain of the Say Hays, the charity softball team. That's awesome.
Good. Well I hope that we hear from him. I hadn't seen any audio from him or any video with him, but I do hope that we hear from him. I'm glad he's there in Birmingham because, again, of all the Major League Baseball players who've had interactions with Willie, who've played for the Giants, Barry knows him better than anybody. And his perspective and his presence there, regardless of what you think of him, it's Willie May's family. I'm assuming his son will be there as well and other family members, but that's a big deal. So good. I'm looking forward to it.
I know MLB Network is going to have coverage throughout the day from Birmingham, and then the game will begin at 6.15 Central Time at 7.15 Eastern Time on Fox. So I'm excited to watch it. Actually, it's a baseball game, but that will be secondary to the tribute and the memories. And the fact that these men who knew him and respected him and admired him and were inspired by him get to be together to commiserate and just talk about Willie the way that he deserves. And I think that's always such a benefit of funerals or memorial services, as hard as they can be, as painful as they can be. So we'll talk about it, of course, tomorrow night when we're back here together. Coming up, it's a new idea from NFL owners that I think a lot of you might get on board with, but I'm thinking players probably not. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence.
This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. Why, you ask, do we begin a segment with a Trevor Lawrence highlight on the Jaguars radio network? Well, because he's the latest QB to get paid.
OMG. Trevor Lawrence, come on down. You are the next contestant on The Price is Right, $55 million average annual value of his brand new contract. But remember, we're talking about the most guaranteed money. Let's say talking about the most guaranteed money at signing.
He and Joe Burrow are making $55 million per year. So the Jaguars have locked up their superstar QBs, coming off a tough year. He had some injuries, and they fell off the map at the end of the season.
They went one and five over the final six games and missed the playoffs. The Texans win the AFC South, but they like what they have in Trevor Lawrence. Obviously, Joe Burrow coming back, getting healthy. Jared Goff, $53 million per year. Justin Herbert, $52.5 million per year. Lamar Jackson, the MVP at the bargain basement price of $52 million per year. Jalen Hurts, $51. Kyler Murray, $46.1 million.
He's cheap. Deshaun Watson, oh, remember when his guaranteed contract was widely panned as one of the worst moves an NFL franchise has ever made? Yeah, he only makes $46 million per year, but he actually hasn't even played a full season with the Browns yet, so there's that. Kirk Cousins, $45 million per year with the Falcons. Patrick Mahomes, only $45 million per year. Can you believe that? He makes $10 million per year less than Trevor Lawrence.
Huh, all right. It's going to change, trust me. Well, here's an idea. The NFL owners apparently are closing in on a way to limit the salaries that are being paid to the quarterbacks in the NFL. There certainly has been discussion within the league among certain owners about even the idea of a quarterback cap, that at some point you want quarterback numbers to not go over a certain percentage of your salary cap. To my knowledge, that really hasn't gained traction, in part because so many teams have paid their quarterbacks. And if you went to suddenly an NBA model where all of a sudden you have the max and the supermax and there's really only a couple levels that guys can get paid at, it kind of changes the dynamics in terms of how you set yourself up salary cap-wise and whatnot.
Whew! Some teams out there are saying, no freaking way. You paid your quarterback, now you want a salary cap?
Nope. But I'm thinking a lot of fans actually would find this appealing. It's Tom Pelissero on the Rich Eisen Show. How about that? A salary cap just for quarterbacks. Is that for anybody else?
Just for quarterbacks? Because the numbers, the salaries, the guaranteed money, it's sky high. It's sky rocketing. It's only going to go up. Can you imagine the year is 2031? And we are talking about the first quarterback who's making $100 million per year.
Now, don't kid yourself. The NFL owners, they make $20 billion a year in revenue. Trust me, they can afford it. Do they want to pay it?
No. But I think this should squash any talk of collusion when it comes to paying players. I've told you this before, take my word for it now after hearing Tom on the Rich Eisen Show. The reason why owners will not collude together is because they don't want another owner, another businessman or woman telling them how they can spend their money, how they can pay their quarterbacks or not. And the idea that another team has already paid his QB and he's got the best of the best, he's got his free agent locked in, but I can't pay mine, it's an affront to their hearts and souls and minds and wills. There's no collusion in the NFL. These owners are going to do whatever they want and they're not going to agree to a salary cap for quarterbacks specifically. Obviously, one of the reasons the NFL is so competitive is because there is a hard salary cap and because you can only spend so much money. It's set every single year. There's no exceptions, no, what else, exceptions or loopholes in the rules. There's no Larry Bird exception or supermax that you can pay your own players.
No, the reason why NFL teams go from worst to first frequently is because there are salary caps that allow them to be competitive and to overhaul their rosters from year to year. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence. You can find us on Twix at Amy After Hours or on my Twix at A Law Radio, also on our Facebook page. We're going to do some QB news coming up after the break, but Jay and I were giggling earlier as we're getting ready for the show because guess what, Jay Monahan, he has resurfaced. This is nutso.
Jay Monahan, the PGA Tour Commissioner. We're just going to keep dropping this in so you can hear how slimy it sounds. He insists still that the Liv PGA merger is a go. It's a thing. It's not a thing. It's dead. It's a sham, actually.
It never was a thing. The only reason that the PGA Tour wanted to negotiate with the PIF, which is the Saudi Arabian Financial Fund, whatever it is, and they are the ones that run Liv. The only reason they wanted to negotiate with them is because that would get rid of the lawsuits that the PGA Tour was facing. Also, there would be an infusion of money coming into the PGA Tour, and boy, do they like their money. Jay Monahan, answering questions before the Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Connecticut, which by the way, does not include Rory McIlroy. He is taking some time off. He was asked about the deal and where it stands and what's happening and about the framework.
Anything that can tell us that this is moving forward. I would say that worried about letting someone else pick out the perfect avocado for your perfect impress them on the third date guacamole. Well, good thing Instacart shoppers are as picky as you are. They find ripe avocados like it's their guac on the line. They are milk expiration date detectives. They bag eggs like the 12 precious pieces of cargo they are. So let Instacart shoppers overthink your groceries so that you can overthink what you'll wear on that third date. Download the Instacart app to get free delivery on your first three orders while supplies last.
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Shopify.com slash Odyssey podcast. The framework agreement is still relevant. There are aspects of it that, you know, certainly continue to be in play.
But I would put Alex Moore back towards. We've kind of stepped back. We've all stepped back and we started anew.
We've all stepped back and we've started anew. We've scrapped the old framework. The only part that's still there is this idea that somehow we might merge.
No, it's bunk. They're not merging. It's not a benefit to either one of the tours.
But also, now that the lawsuits are tossed and they got their money, there's no need to merge. What they really want is for the live tour to fold so these guys come back to the PGA tour. I mean, it's gross. And I still can't get over the fact that the PGA tour is not allowing Bryson DeChambeau to earn any points for the Olympics. And really, it's stupid.
There should be no points. The Olympic team should be chosen based on who's the best to represent the United States of America. Bryson wins the U.S. Open but can't compete in Paris because he doesn't have enough PGA tour points. Why does the PGA tour have any say over the U.S. Olympic team? That ticks me off to no end.
Jay Monahan, I don't really take anything that he says to heart. But he wants the public to know that there are pieces that are moving and really it's just a lack of understanding. When you have people the likes of John Henry and Arthur Blank, Sam Kennedy, Andy Cohen, Joe Gordon, Joe... A lot of people that – some people are new to our sport but have massive experience in sport and in the corporate world. And they say that this is one of the more complex scenarios that they've ever seen. I think that says a lot. So as it relates to whether or not the complexity is being underestimated, I think it's only fair to say that unless you have a full context for everything that's being discussed, it would be unreasonable for anyone to think that you would fully understand the complexity.
In other words, you're on a need-to-know basis. This is way over your head. You can't possibly understand it. It's too complex. No, it's really not. Business mergers have happened since the beginning of time.
It's a fabric of our American economy. The fact that you've got all these other executives and owners from outside the world of golf I think just makes it more complicated because it's more cooks in the kitchen, if you will. It's not that complicated.
He just called the public stupid. Right. In other words, he wants you to believe that you can't possibly understand it so you can stop asking questions. So okay then, is there anything we should know about this deal?
I don't think so. I mean, there are a lot of people seem to think that there are things that are happening that aren't happening but ultimately we're the arbiters of that. Listen, I understand there's a lot of attention and there's going to be a lot of opinions and there's probably going to be a lot of rumors. And that's part of the position I and all of us find ourselves in is we're focused on trying to get to the right outcome, the right outcome for players, for our fans, for the game of golf.
And, you know, that's where our focus is. I would like to ask him, if Jay Monahan was here in studio or we had him on the phone, I would like to ask him what's the incentive to merge? Now, for him to say there's nothing that we need to understand is rich. Considering that half the players have no idea what's going on and it's still this incredibly damaging narrative around the world of golf. We've talked about it with Matt Adams, we've talked about it with others in the sports world.
Because people don't understand what's going on, because nothing's happening, especially not out in the open, it's just a money grab is what it looks like. And for that reason, golf is fractured. Golf fans are fractured. I dare say the U.S. Open ratings on Sunday were big because of Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau.
I haven't had a chance to see them yet, I will. But Rory's really the only guy who moves the needles right now. When Tiger's not playing, golf fans are tuned out unless Rory's competitive. They're dropping the game like a hot potato. It's unfortunate, and yet the fact that still nothing's been done, he continues to tell us that they're working on it, it's complicated, we can't possibly understand, oh we're gonna get this done, blah blah blah blah blah.
All it does is drag out what is, I think, a sham. I don't think so. Is there anything we need to know? Nah. I don't think so. You wouldn't understand it anyway. Okay, good, we'll go back to football then.
QB News is next, thank you, I'm dead. No, I should never say that. I don't like that trend, that whole social media trend.
Yeah. Yeah, I don't, it's not, I don't know. It's in bad taste.
Thank you, it is in bad taste, but also it's weird. Despite all this, we often go about our busy lives removed from it. But the outdoors is closer than we realize. With AllTrails, you can discover trails nearby and explore confidently with offline maps and on-trail navigation.
Download the free app today and make the most of your summer with AllTrails. It's just weird. Why speak that into existence? You are listening to the After Hours Podcast. Back to throw and it is, is it lost? Oh my goodness, it's on. DeAndre Hopkins caught it. Backward from under center, steps back, throws the fake. Cooper, touchdown LA. Burrow back to throw, looking, firing deep for Chase in the end zone. He's got it. Touchdown.
Joe Burrow in the bagels. The Holmes fires for the end zone, caught. Touchdown Kansas City. And off to Ekler again, no, Herbert keeps it in zone, touchdown. Chargers, Herbert with his second of the day. 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. Yeah, why would we talk about golf?
Jay Monahan would prefer that it's confusing, it's dark, it's murky. So let's talk about mandatory minicamps and the NFL. And my goodness, do you know the first training camp start in just over a month?
It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence. Love to connect with you on social at ALawRadio and also on our Facebook page. In Pittsburgh, not only are they keeping Mike Tomlin, but they're turning over the QB room again. And this you know, Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, neither one of those guys is going to get a whole lot of grace, a whole lot of opportunity to mess up. Because if they do, it's going to feed into the narrative that these guys don't have a future and the Steelers are just taking also-rans. But Omar Khan, the general manager, really likes what he sees with the QB room. If you would have told me that that we'd be sitting here with Russell Wilson, Justin Fields and Kyle Allen even five months ago, I wouldn't believe you.
Just the skill set that those guys, those guys are a little a little different. We really like Justin coming out of college and obviously he had an up and down situation in Chicago and the opportunity was there to do business and get him here. I'm excited. He's really looked awesome. He's a great individual too. I didn't really know him personally until he got here and just, man, what a special person he is.
I'm excited to get to La Trobe and just see how all this comes together. Steelers 10-7 last season finished the year on a three-game win streak in large part because of Mason Rudolph. But he's no longer there, so brand new group. That's Omar Khan on our Pittsburgh affiliate 93-7, the fan. Staying in the AFC North last year, the most competitive division in football, every team above.500. Browns fans want to know when and how and why. Deshaun Watson, how's he doing?
Well, Andrew Berry, their general manager on the NFL Network. Deshaun has really worked his tail off during the rehabilitation process over the past several months. He's really actually ahead of schedule.
He's really chomping at the bit to take the governor off, so to speak. He's had a really nice spring. He's thrown the ball well, did a really nice job during our 7 on 7 and team periods during this veteran minicamp. So we're excited as he gets into training camp and we get the pads on.
He's making excellent progress. And honestly, if you didn't know he got hurt last year, you really wouldn't be able to tell the difference. So we're very excited once camp starts. Okay, quarterbacks in both Pittsburgh and Cleveland. Also Jamis Winston now is the backup QB there with the Browns. In Cincinnati, they're also looking for their quarterback to return. Remember, Jake Browning was starting for the team last year after Joe Burrow was hurt again. And Browning, a guest on Furious XM NFL radio, welcoming back the star in their QB room.
It's been good. You know, Joe and I got a really good relationship. You know, I think I obviously learned a lot from him playing. And I like to think maybe, I know for myself, I did what he did in the NFL in college where I showed up and I didn't watch anyone else play. And I played right away. And that's hard.
Like, I don't think a lot of people realize how hard that is. And so for him to be a rookie, it never really watched anyone else play. And so, you know, there's going to be, obviously he's an unbelievable player, right? He's one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. And no one's going to debate that.
But, you know, for me, I got some strengths too that, you know, I'm sure there's different things. He's like, oh, okay, that's how you did this. So intriguing, the quarterbacks in the AFC North. But also in Jacksonville where the Jaguars have got some make-goods that they owe their fans after falling off a cliff at the end of last season. We talked about Trevor Lawrence getting paid.
Well, Andrew, excuse me, I don't know why I said Andrew, I was looking at Andrew Berry. Andre Sisco, who's on the defensive side of the ball, he actually believes that Trevor Lawrence should use that money for good, like food for the rest of the team. He's always been a generous guy, but I hope to take a step forward now.
I'm really happy for him though and congratulations to him. I think there's a lot of forward thinking going on in the front office. And I think they're planning for, you know, winning in the future.
So, you know, that's something that I want to be a part of and something I'm happy to be a part of this year. Jacksonville missed out on the playoffs last season. They finished 9-8, but the Texans surged by them and at 10-7 made the playoffs for the first time.
Of course, with the D'Amico-Rions combination, C.J. Stroud, and now they're the team to beat in that division. But remember, the Colts also finished 9-8 and the Titans, they're reworking a whole lot, so they're now trying to improve on Lester's 6-11 record.
In the NFC South, a division that probably couldn't be more wide open, even though the Buccaneers have won it the last few years. Now they've got Kirk Cousins in Atlanta and Drake London is excited to work with him. This building's feeling different, you know.
But yes, I will say that it does feel different having Kirk here. He's a very vetted guy who's been in here for now going on his 13th year. So, to learn from him is a really cool thing. I think it's just attention to detail, honestly. He takes that very, very seriously. And then too, he's seen a lot of pictures in his day playing football. So, to be able to go out there and see those and help us see it with him is a huge thing, too.
So, I think that's what I've learned the most. Drake London on the NFL Network as well. So, yeah, last year, 7-10, the Falcons, a new coach, new quarterback room. Heavens, they drafted a quarterback and only told Kirk about it moments before it was happening. It's a lot to watch there in the NFC South.
We don't really care. Baker Mayfield is still the quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Hey, maybe by now you've heard this one, but Brandon Iyuk, who was talking to Jayden Daniels in, what was it, FaceTime? So, talking to the rookie quarterback for the commanders about his role with the 49ers.
They said they don't want me back. I swear. Well, I'm going to assume even though I couldn't exactly hear what he was saying, that he's trying to recruit him to come to the commanders. Could you imagine? It'd be a bit of a safety blanket for Jayden Daniels, but also the fact that Iyuk is a playmaker and has been part of the Niners and their success over the past few years.
Yeah, so he's started in COVID year 2020 and now through 2023, we're talking about 269 catches, nearly 4,000 yards, 25 touchdowns. That would be a boost to the offense for the commanders. Still though, this whole thing about having a conversation that's supposed to be private and somehow it just ends up on social media, I don't know, maybe trying to push the Niners along, right? Put it out there that they've said they don't want me back. So either you're letting other teams know that you might be available or you're lighting a fire under the Niners thinking, uh-oh, we might lose this guy.
Eh, it seems a little bit like a veiled attempt to get out in front of the narrative or to tell your own side of the story, maybe create some competition. It's June with QB News after hours with Amy Lawrence. Right here on TuneIn, go to TuneIn.com or download the TuneIn app to start listening. Start your summer road trip at Midas and get up to $30 off your next repair service. Plus get a free Closer Look vehicle check to make sure you're road trip ready. So if you need brake service and alignment check or tune up, hit up Midas for up to $30 off.
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