After Hours with Amy Lawrence Hour:4

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This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. And good morning to you. It is Thursday. Wow, we finally got toward the end of the work week.

I didn't even work on Sunday night into Monday and I still feel like it's been a long week, but we're getting there. And as a July weekend looms, that usually means vacations, beach trips, maybe some boating, some fishing, golfing. Although I wonder if there will be any place in the United States having the type of weather they're currently having at Royal Troon in Scotland. So we're keeping our eyes on the opening round of the Open Championship. I get all kinds of giddy when we've got live events taking place and that is happening not just this week with the Open, golf's final major, but also happening next week when the Olympics get underway. So yeah, it's a good time to be a fan or a listener of After Hours here on the Infinity Sports Network on Twix, ALaw Radio, our Facebook page too. And if you're into either golf or the Olympics, there's certainly a reason to stay up overnight. And then of course you can listen to our show, but I say mute the TV.

You can still watch. Oh yeah, it's definitely raining. Now I'm seeing a camera shot from a wide angle. And not only is the camera lens completely soaked with large, large raindrops, but you've also got umbrellas that you can spot in the bleachers. So there's definitely rain there along with the wind.

The wind appears to be whipping off of the water at Royal Troon. And you know what that means wreaking some havoc there for the golfers in this opening round. I don't want to say it's fun to watch pro golfers struggle, but there's always got to be some sixth sense of amusement.

Because if they can struggle, well then maybe it's not so bad when we struggle, right? Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are later, so not for another four, four and a half hours for those two former champions. But you've got Rory McIlroy, who tees off in just a few moments at Royal Troon. A lot of eyes on him considering what just happened at the U.S. Open. But also because it's Scotland and he's certainly familiar with Lynx golf from being a Northern Irish.

That sounds funny, Northern Irish golfer, Northern Irish descent. We've been talking about what we generally do in July, talk about a mix of everything. But a little more emphasis on football, specifically college football on this edition of the show. Big 12 Media Days in Vegas last week, SEC Media Days wrapping up on this Thursday in Dallas. And it was really neat to catch up with my friend Jenny Carlson, who is a long time college football insider based in Oklahoma. She's, gosh, she's been covering sports there in Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, as well as the conference for the last two plus decades.

I have a ton of respect for her. So we're able to catch up with her earlier in the show and I want to bring back part of that as we get later in this hour for those of you who didn't hear it. But these Big 12 Media Days getting a big emphasis on Alabama and the transition from Alabama on day number three. And now Nick Saban's been holding court. He's been there the whole time. He's not only part of the SEC network now, but he still has an office there at Alabama.

And whatever his role is, he's always going to cast a very large shadow. And for that reason, of course, Kalen DeBoer is excited to take this job with Alabama and start fresh coming off of what he had in Washington. But also recognizing that, yeah, you're being held up to a very high standard with Nick Saban.

First of all, I want him to always know that he's welcome. But I also appreciate that he has put forth the ultimate respect in trying to let us kind of establish who we are. Now, think about where he came from, not to not in any way to diminish what he accomplished, because even with the demise of the Pac-12, he was able to get Washington into the college football playoff and really capitalizing on. We were just talking about Glenn Powell as man of the moment. He was man of the moment in the wake of Washington's success. He's still in his 40s to be able to take Washington into the college football playoff in the final year of the Pac-12 as we know it.

It was really the culmination because he was there for, what was it, eight years or so, had an incredible record, 90 wins over that time. And so capitalizing on that success and, of course, the surprise of retirement of Nick Saban, it's quite a leap to make. And not just because of the conferences, not just because of the differences in geography or the fact that he's having to follow in Nick Saban's footsteps, which can be a positive. I mean, Saban built such an incredible program to the point where you have all the resources and all the name recognition and all the, gosh, the boosters and the money, the NIL money, the pay-for-play money, for heaven's sakes.

It's all there and set up. Kaelin DeBoer just has to walk into that structure and maintain some type of success. And I know a lot of guys, they hit the transfer portal, they beat the heck out of, well, if they weren't already there, they beat the heck out of Tuscaloosa if they were. And yet still he's been able to, even now, get commitments from blue chip recruits. And in his own way, he's building up this program or rebuilding this program, reloading the program. But yes, it's definitely different for him, he says, coaching in the south.

I've sweat a lot more. It's hot, you know. It's, you know, I think, first of all and foremost, I think people are always what make places, right? And there are so many great people in Tuscaloosa and obviously they're passionate about their football.

It's really made this transition smooth and enjoyable. It probably is close to being the place that reminds me the most of honestly being back in South Dakota. Just the people, not necessarily, somewhat I guess, just the geography.

There's no coastline, I guess, down up in South Dakota. But there's a lot of just great things that are similar to what feels like home. Let me just quick clarify, he wasn't, I remember this now, he wasn't at Washington for all of that time. He's been in coaching now eight years, some at the minor schools, some at a couple of major schools. And over that time, he's compiled that great winning record.

So good for him. He's been stepping it up at every point at which he's been and has turned the programs into successes. And then capitalizing, of course, on Washington getting to the college football playoffs.

So yeah, sorry about that. His overall coaching record has featured several different stops, some at smaller schools, and then into the Pac-12 where it kind of the culmination of it. But really, it's the perfect storm because regardless of what he did at Washington, there may have been other coaching jobs available, but he wasn't going to get the Alabama job unless Nick Saban retired.

So it happens to be perfect timing. I'm excited to see what he does there at Alabama. And he does inherit a strong program, even as it loses people. Like I talk about, you've got structure, you've got pieces in place. It's the machine Alabama, sometimes just more about the Crimson Tide and their tradition and their history than it necessarily is about what he brings to the table. You just have to know how to navigate the fine line.

This is the program I'm building. This is how we're going to do things. It's not Nick Saban. And what a classy move by Saban to give the guy his space. We know from Saban that he wanted to hand over the program to the next coach, leaving it in good condition. But yes, there was, I don't want to say a mass exodus, maybe it wasn't that drastic, but there were a lot of guys who left who decided that if they weren't going to play for Nick Saban, that they wanted to try something else. And yet Saban, maybe he could have dropped in to be the savior, but he understands that the more he hangs around, the more he casts that shadow, the less Kalyn DeBoer is able to feel comfortable building the type of program that he wants and putting his voice there in the locker room as opposed to trying to be the next Nick Saban, which just is impossible.

It's after hours with Amy Lawrence on the Infinity Sports Network. Jalen Monroe, he's the quarterback member, got benched early last season, did finish in the top 10 for the Heisman, played much better when he got the job back. And there was steadiness there.

There were fewer turnovers as well. And he's looking forward to this 2024 group. Once we have that, you know, with our goals, as far as short-term goals, long-term goals that we want to achieve, it's all about building each and every day to be the best version of ourselves, each and every day that we come into the building. You know, with the time that we're in the building, you have quotes, you know, throughout the day.

So you're honestly motivating each and every day. And with our team, we have shared success. So I'm super excited for what the future holds for our football team because of the family-oriented group that we have.

And that's neat. You have a quarterback who stuck around. You have a quarterback who can kind of carry the team forward and be a steadying force for the offense, for sure. It was kind of fun when we were talking to Jenny Carlson earlier, and she was talking about Texas and Oklahoma coming into the SEC. And just the large mountain that you get with some of these offensive linemen or defensive linemen that walk around. She said she spent some time covering Alabama and being around the Alabama contingent on Wednesday. And yeah, that's something that you know about Bama and some of the schools in the SEC is they have really large linemen. It's going to be quite the transition and quite the, I don't want to say shock because I don't know if that's the case, but quite a change for both Sooners and Longhorns.

And so we'll bring back part of that conversation coming up here on the show. Now, Steve Sarkisian, who had great success last year with Texas. Obviously, they were into the national championship against Michigan. He gets to lead this charge and this transition into the SEC.

I think the key word is respect. We have a ton of respect for this conference. We have a ton of respect for the teams, the coaches, the players and the fans. This is the elite conference in college football.

And we're fortunate enough to be part of it. So Steve Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns, remember they, she wasn't at some, it was a game, Quinn Ewers had a late touchdown throw that, well, it wasn't a touchdown throw because it was an incomplete pass. But that was good to the last drop, the game against Michigan. Washington goes on then to play Michigan in the final. And we know, actually think about the four teams that made it into the championship and how much they've changed in the wake of that, especially the two teams that made it into the national championship game in Washington, who loses its coach. And then Michigan, obviously, with Jim Harbaugh, who ends up taking the job with the Chargers. So success very often leads to changes to your coaching staff. If it's not your head coach, well, then a lot of times it's your assistant coaches.

Or, as we pointed out, transfer portal that really affects college sports now in such a drastic way. Very often when guys play on a winning team, maybe they don't have as many minutes or maybe they don't have the role that they want. And so they're out looking, kind of hoping that the banner year for the school they just played for will translate into something better down the road or elsewhere.

That's the same thing in the pros. When a pro team has success as well, it generally leads to some defections because guys or gals are out looking for something else, whether it's a bigger contract, whether it's a step up on a job. I mean, think about Dan Hurley getting offered the Lakers job after he leads UConn to back-to-back titles. And on his staff, a couple of guys end up leaving for the pros, including Donovan Klingen. So yes, success does always lead to change because individuals who are part of that team's success then want to translate that and see what they can find as they strike out on their own, or see how they can use that success to translate into personal gain. I mean, I was trying to think of another maybe tactful way to say it, but that really is what happens. Very often when teams win together, then you've got individuals who start to branch out and are looking, how can I cash in here?

How can I use this as an opportunity to either make a bigger contract to get a raise or to go somewhere else where I feel like I either have more autonomy or more power or a better role? And so you do have some holdover with Alabama and obviously some continuity with Michigan, but you don't necessarily know that the new leaders are going to be able to replicate the success right away. So there's always some intrigue there. But yes, success very often leads to change on coaching staffs and certainly on rosters as well.

It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence. Now, another big story for Texas is Quinn Ewers, Arch Manning had a chance to ask Jenny about it and how quickly the name Arch Manning came up when Steve Sark was talking to the media. And it was the very first question. So he goes on and on about the transition to the SEC for the Big 12, talking about some of the things that he likes the most, what makes the SEC so special and what happens is, oh, well, when will we see Arch Manning?

Of course, because sometimes we as the media, we don't really have any new tricks. Well, Quinn Ewers is the starter for now and he earned that. And the big game, the big game that's already circled on my husband's calendar, it's the September 7th noon kickoff on Fox, Texas at Michigan. And you can imagine the players themselves are pretty excited about it, too.

And then going up to the big house. Yeah, I mean, it's going to be an awesome environment. The place is going to be rocking, especially all the hype, just because it's an early game. And, you know, they're coming off a really big win of the national championship and, yeah, the team up north.

So for Quinn Ewers, who maybe represents to some people blocking Arch Manning from getting out there on the field, it's still cool for him because of his past, right? So if you are familiar with the Big 10 and you know about the rivalry between Michigan and Ohio State, if they go back and forth, obviously this is one rivalry, thankfully, that's not been affected by conference realignment. I actually, again, was just talking to Jenny about the demise of Bedlam.

I'm going off on a quick tangent here. The demise of Bedlam, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, it's breaking up for now because of the OU move to the SEC. And so with that happening, there's a lot of people that are lamenting the loss of that rivalry, similar to what happened when Texas, well, when Texas A&M moved to the SEC and you no longer had the A&M rivalry with Texas for a couple of years, though it will be renewed now. Well, here you've got Quinn Ewers, who is, well, the reason why the quote is making the rounds is because he was part of that rivalry, was with Ohio State before he made the transfer, and so he knows firsthand what that rivalry and that pageantry is all about.

So that's why he calls it the team up north because he was on the other side of that. So maybe he can tell some of his new Longhorns, well, the new Longhorns that have never had a chance to feel it, to understand it, and yet as much as the SEC is known for all the pomp and circumstance and the incredible home atmospheres and some of the traditions for the various stadiums and the fan bases, well, the Big 12 had that, too, and so I don't think that Texas is so out of its element when it comes to that part of the SEC. The beauty of this conference is really the pageantry. I've been fortunate enough to have spent three years in the Southeastern Conference. The pageantry of the games, the stadiums that you get to play against, the iconic programs, that's the beauty of the Southeastern Conference, and the fact that we get to be part of it now, it's finally here, is pretty exciting.

It's just a great opportunity. Well, and Sark, because he was at Alabama, he maybe has a little insight and understands what the SEC is all about firsthand, but these guys are going to have to live it. And I think it is sort of funny that Nick Saban was throwing shade at Texas a little earlier in the week at SEC Media Days. You'll hear that coming up, and then part of my conversation with Jenny. For those of you who are SEC football fans, they still have one more day to go. The extensive nature of the media days in Dallas, I asked Jenny about that, too. You'll have to get that off the podcast. You will not believe the number of credentialed media for SEC football.

Whatever your guess is, it's higher. Good morning to you. It's Thursday. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence.

Download the free app today and make the most of your summer with AllTrails. Have you ever covered a carpet stain with a rug? Ignored a leaky faucet? Pretended your half-painted living room is supposed to look that way? Well, you're not alone. We've all got unfinished home projects.

Whether it's a door that sticks or a disorganized closet or an AC unit that only works half the time, it all matters. You just haven't taken care of it yet. But there's an easier way. Just download the Thumbtack app. You can search for what you need done and find tons of highly-rated pros right in your neighborhood.

Check prices, reviews, and book a pro right on the spot. Plus, you'll know what to tackle next, because Thumbtack is the app that shows you what to do, who to hire, and when. Pull out your phone and in just a few taps say goodbye to all those unfinished home projects and say hello to caring for your home the easier way.

Download Thumbtack and start a project today. Hi, I'm Angie Hicks, co-founder of Angie, and one thing I've learned is that you buy a house but you make it a home. Because with every fix, update, and renovation, it becomes a little more your own. So you need all your jobs done well. For nearly 30 years, Angie has helped millions of homeowners hire skilled pros for the projects that matter. From plumbing to electrical, roof repair to deck upgrades. So leave it to the pros who will get your jobs done well.

Hire high-quality certified pros at angie.com. Characters. We've had so many characters in our 12 years of after-hours. And honestly, that's what I love about sports. The characters, the personalities, the personal stories that we get that make up these teams. Yeah, yeah, the team success is great and all, but ultimately these teams are made up of people. And so it's the people, the human interest stories that I dig.

It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence coming up. It will see, it will be, excuse me, the SEC that is going through another transition here. So adding two new teams like the Big Ten going through transition there as well. The Big 12. We're looking at a lot of change in the landscape of college football. And I'm not sure anybody really knows how it's going to work out.

However, it is fun to think about the possibilities. I had a chance to catch up with Jenny Carlson, who's a longtime Big 12 insider based in Oklahoma. I knew her. She was just getting started when I was just getting started my years in Oklahoma. And she not only covered Big 12 media days in Vegas, but also her first SEC media days.

And I asked her bring back part of this conversation. I asked her how Texas and Oklahoma fit in the SEC. Something I mentioned earlier, the passion of the fans. I think that's where culturally I think these two pools and then by extension football programs really make a lot of sense in the SEC. I heard somebody say at one point when SEC football teams lose, it affects the mood of their fans for days. When they win, it affects the mood of their fans for days. And that's very familiar territory for Sooners and Longhorns. When they win, it's great.

When they lose, it's the worst thing in the world. So I think that culturally makes a lot of sense for Oklahoma and Texas. Obviously, how they fare on the football field, you know, the history, the tradition for both of these programs, I think stands up when you look around the SEC. Obviously, the recent history of the SEC, especially with Alabama and Georgia, is otherworldly.

I mean, it's to a different level. So nobody anywhere stacks up to what they have done in recent years. But as you look historically, Oklahoma and Texas look very similar to a lot of the teams around the SEC.

And then how do they fit right now? You know, I think Texas will enter the SEC in a much better place to compete and contend right away. They return, you know, a bunch of the team that they had a year ago when they went 12-2, won the Big 12, went to the college football playoff.

So when you've got that kind of recipe, I think that bodes really well for Texas. Oklahoma, while not as bad a place as they were when Lincoln Riley left them for Southern Cal a few years ago, they definitely still have several question marks and probably the biggest question mark on the lines of scrimmage. You know, they lost some guys on their offensive line. It's going to be largely rebuilt with either guys that are inexperienced and have been in their program or guys that they brought in as a transfer portal. So how they perform as an offensive line remains to be seen. And then their defensive line, while it has some talent, it's pretty young.

So you're taking, you know, two kind of question mark lines into the SEC. A conference that if you spent any time at the Dallas Omni this week, you're likely to have seen some very large humans. And those who are offensive and defensive linemen had a chance today to be around some of the Alabama players.

And Tyler Moore is one of their offensive linemen who was there today. He's definitely one of the largest human beings I've ever been around. Probably one of the biggest five human beings I've ever been around. Guys 6'5", 352 is how he's listed. Probably in the off season he runs a little heavier than that even.

I mean, just a super-sized human being. But that's the type of lineman you find around the SEC. So Oklahoma, how do they match up?

That is still very much unknown at this point. It might be great, but at this point you just have to feel like for the immediate future how these two programs fit in. Texas seems much more ready to go, you know, plug and play, be in the mix for a conference championship. Oklahoma might be there, but it's going to have to require them answering some of those questions in the affirmative. Well it's sort of funny to hear Nick Saban throwing a bit of shade on Coach Stark, who of course coached under him so they know each other well. But this idea that Nick Saban was scoffing at, that Texas was just going to come in and be a dominant team or come in and challenge for the conference championship right away. It is kind of funny to think about these two teams joining a conference that has had so many championships and championship opportunities over the last couple decades. I think Saban was right in that Texas and Oklahoma have largely been lockstep towards the top of the league, you know, not maybe every year. But, you know, there are programs that other teams in the Big 12 knew they were going to have to contend with.

And because of how good they were on the football field, that really translated into how they ran in a lot of ways, what happened in the conference as far as from a leadership perspective, a boardroom perspective, if you will. So from that standpoint, especially even if Oklahoma and Texas come in and, you know, become, you know, high level championship competitors in the SEC right away. Everybody else in the SEC is going to be like, we've got our own national championships. Like we see you, but we do this, too.

So it's not like they come in and can suddenly like separate themselves from the pack. So that will take some adjusting for the Longhorns everywhere. But Nick Saban in the days since he said what he did about how they won't maybe come in and run the league, he's also made his pick for the SEC championship game. And that was Georgia and Texas. So he picks against his team that he led the school where he still has an office. He still has a position as an adviser for the athletic department. He does not pick Bama said there were just some questions in the secondary. And I think that speaks sort of going back to the fact that Texas doesn't have as many question marks. So while he while they may not run the conference, I think he even recognizes that they're probably going to be pretty competitive in the conference this next season. How much talk is there still about Arch Manning, who presumably would be number two on the depth chart this season?

You know, it's funny. I actually made a comment today to some of my cohorts after Steve Starkey's and had his press conference in the main media room, which is the big interview ballroom that a lot of people are set up in. He makes his opening statement long, you know, talked about last year, talks about this year, talks about the move, all these sorts of things.

Take several minutes and then questions begin. The very first person that gets called on the very first question is about Arch Manning. You know, they've got Quinn Ewers, who could potentially be a Heisman candidate. They've got, you know, several players that are probably, you know, high draft picks in the NFL draft next year.

They've got a team that could contend for the championship playoff spot, blah, blah, blah, blah. First question is about the second string quarterback. So it was really kind of illuminating, but clearly people are fascinated by him. Quinn Ewers is, you know, talented. He had a had his best season last year for the Longhorns. But before that, he had had kind of been up and down career a couple of years ago.

They went to Stillwater and I saw him in that game against Oklahoma State. He was really, really inconsistent, just not seeming comfortable at all. The last year was a big step forward for him.

Doesn't mean he won every game, but he was really good for them a year ago. But they need to have him take, again, another step forward because they're bringing in some new receivers. You know, they seem to always have running back things to fall out of trees in Austin. So I assume they're going to have a good running game. But, you know, you want that that quarterback play to continue to evolve. So I can't imagine there are many questions about Quinn Ewers job security. You know, if he would have injury, he has had injuries in the past or he would, you know, maybe see some struggles. What happens then?

How does that play out? You know, a few years ago, we thought Oklahoma Spencer Rattler got to got drafted this last year after he moved on to South Carolina. The fans got up in arms. They didn't think he was playing well enough. They wanted Caleb Williams. They even got to the point they booed Spencer Rattler at home.

I mean, just some crazy things that happened. But Caleb Williams came in. He obviously was the number one pick in the NFL draft. Not to say that Arch Manning might not be a better quarterback than the guy he's backing up. But at least for now, I think it's pretty sure that Quinn Ewers is the guy that takes the majority of the snaps for Texas this year. And yet because of the name Manning, there will still be a ton of attention on him, especially since it appears as though he will be the next guy up. Right.

So if something would happen to Ewers, as Jenny points out, well, then Manning would be forced into duty. And how? My goodness. The rest of that conversation. And there's more about the loss of Bedlam, about just the SEC in general, about Alabama and the transition there, this good stuff.

But really the Big 12 having to go through yet another transition itself. So all part of that conversation that will be podcasted separately. And our podcast is available within minutes of the show getting over or wrapping up each morning.

So you can check that out. I did post the link, the eternal link for the podcast. It's pinned to the top of our Facebook page after hours with Amy Lawrence. And then if you if you go to our Twitter or my Twitter, I should say a law radio. I did share it earlier on Wednesday as well, because I know we're not posting it every day like we used to while we're in a bit of a transition. But if you bookmark it, save it or maybe just Google it or tell your smart speaker to find it.

But that way you don't have to if you want to go ahead and find it on our social today. I'm not going to start singing. Don't you worry. It's way too early for that for you, for you. It's way too early for you.

It's after hours with Amy Lawrence. It is a Thursday morning and we are watching the Open Championship as it cruises through its first round. Lots of rain, lots of wind.

It looks chilly. Their Royal Troon in Scotland and a lot of big names already on the course was still big names to come as well. But I think if you were asking anyone as much as Scottie Scheffler is the odds on favorite because of how dominant his year has been. The number one player in the world. He's always a threat, but it is all eyes on Rory McIlroy because of what happened at the U.S. Open and because he's from the British Isles, because he's from Northern Ireland and this is the type of golf that he theoretically grew up on. Right now he's sitting at plus one, though, so not a great start for him.

Get this, Justin Thomas. He is now sitting atop the leaderboard. The American has had a recent surge. He has birdied three of his last four holes. He's just made the turn onto the back nine. But, yeah, he's got a bit of a streak going now, but also has five birdies and just one bogey so far in his round. So this is neat to see him on top of the leaderboard.

Of course, a long, long, long way to go, but he's out there on the course right now. And so if you're wanting to watch the early coverage, it's on USA these early mornings today and then also again on Friday. But back to Kaitlyn Clark. She and, well, it was the Fever in the Wings. She and the Fever in the Wings, they are the grand finale for the first half of the WNBA season. And you hear it on ESPN, a record 19 assists, not a record for her, although it was a personal record. No, best game in the WNBA's history when it comes to assists. No one has ever had 19 assists in a WNBA game until now. The Fever did end up losing to the Wings on the road, a strong push in the final quarter for Dallas.

But how about that? 24 points for Kaitlyn Clark because, oh, yeah, she can still shoot. But she is tearing up the league with her passing. It's become routine now for her to have double-digit assists in these games. But to have 19 in one game, yeah, that's the stuff that legends are made of.

Colton, can we hear from her? I just try to set my teammates up for success. I think at times, like, I can almost overpass. And that can maybe, I don't know, there probably could have been a few times where instead of passing that leads to turnover that I might have, I can probably shoot the ball. But especially with AB, like, I'm just looking to set her up so much. Like, my eyes are always on our post players, whether that's Liz or whether that's AB or whoever's in the game at the time.

And then kind of look out from there. But, yeah, I mean, we still didn't shoot it very good from three. And, you know, I thought we finished really well around the paint. I'm sure our points in the paint were pretty good.

Sixty-two points in the paint. So she's always deflecting. And she's very modest.

She doesn't want the attention. She tries to talk about her teammates more. And then, of course, they want the wins badly as they head into this break. That's actually the all-star break. And then we'll see Kaitlyn Clark and Angel Reese on the same team.

The two dynamic rookies who are vying for Rookie of the Year honors. Angel's had, what, 16 double-doubles in her last 17 games. She already owns that record for the league. And now Kaitlyn Clark, who's going to continue to break records.

But this one, with assists, is pretty impressive. Even as the teams in the league have had to come up with defensive game plans specifically because she can shoot from the logo and because of her shooting prowess. Well, now she's taking what the defense gives her and she's setting up her teammates. And it's really impressive to watch.

It's so much fun. So congratulations to Kaitlyn. Now, soon, she'll get a break, which I'm sure she's looking forward to. Speaking of rookies, they're going to be in the spotlight soon in the NFL. And it's a good time to get a checkup on the young rookie quarterbacks who are going through their first training camps. Remember, rookies generally report early. Not for all of them. But a lot of the rookies will report a few days early so that they can get their feet wet, if you will, before the rest of the veterans come in.

Well, Caleb Williams, he signed his rookie deal, so he's in camp. And he keeps saying he does not feel pressure to perform a certain way or to carry this load for the Bears. I go out there. I handle my job.

I be a great teammate, first and foremost. I handle business on and off the field. And then I go to work. I enjoy what I do.

I love what I do. I'm in there with my guys, and my guys are seeing me. They see how hard I work. They're a guy.

They're QB. And we go get it. We go win games together. That's the biggest thing is winning games together. Because I can't win a game by myself. Keenan Allen can't win a game by himself. And so, making sure that we're all together, offense, defense, special teams.

And we go get it. He says all the right things. He's been that way since he's gotten, well, since he was at USC. And he was being groomed to be the number one overall pick. Not that different than Kaitlyn Clark. Though I would say the attention on Kaitlyn was much more of a surprise. Yeah, she and the Iowa Hawkeyes, they grabbed the headlines when they went to their first Final Four in the National Championship game.

Especially knocking off South Carolina there. But to see the explosion of attention around her may be more unexpected. But she has handled it with such grace with professionalism even before she was a professional. Kayla Williams has been groomed to be the number one overall pick. And so from one number one pick to another, he also is ready for the spotlight.

And it's true. His teammates have talked about how hard he works and he just goes about his business. So then the number two overall pick, also a quarterback, Jayden Daniels.

There's been a lot of chatter about him even this summer. And his new head coach, Dan Quinn, he likes what he sees so far from his young QB. You can see how hard he worked to get the system down and in place. And so that was evident through the camp. And so I'm excited for everybody else to see that.

You know, to see the work ethic that goes into something like this. Because once you see the quarterback play in the position and the plays, to see that kind of detail that he put in in a short amount of time. I think it'll be pretty obvious for the guys watching. Who's got more pressure, more weight on his shoulders? Is it Dan Quinn who gets another job as a head coach after the great couple years of the Dallas defense?

But remember it was a, I don't want to say it was a miserable failure, but it wasn't a success in Atlanta and the defense was actually the issue. So now he gets another chance at a head coaching gig and it's a rebuild in Washington. Or is it Jayden Daniels who's a rookie quarterback and a lot of eyes and expectations for him?

Alright, one more, Kevin O'Connell. He's got a lot of chatter around him. Questions about J.J. McCarthy, how quickly he might start, when we could see him on the field for the Vikings. His growth from day one to today was really evident. There's always going to be throws and decisions and different things that we can coach off of. And that's going to be part of his development process through a competitive camp and want to get him exposed to playing with different guys and different groups.

And we're going to have a really good plan to do that. Speaking of a rebuild, I do think that the NFC North could be uber competitive this year, but I wonder about the Vikings. So J.J. McCarthy, he gets selected there.

Number 10 by the Vikings. Well at least one Hall of Famer believes that he should be the guy on day one. I want to see J.J. McCarthy at all this year. Why not? Because I just feel like the best thing is for him to sit, learn, because that means Sam Darnold is doing a good job.

Ew. You want to see J.J.? Well, my thing is when we play, the first three guys that drafted, they're playing.

There's no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Now the fourth, fifth, and sixth round we'll see, they may or may not see the field, maybe a special teamer. First three rounds back then we played, now you're drafting guys first round, they're not even seeing the field.

So you ask me a question, yeah J, I don't care if he's not ready, he needs to be out there. That voice, if you don't recognize it, Hall of Fame receiver Randy Moss, he's with Kay Adams on up and Adams. And he says, I don't care if he's ready or not, if you draft him in your top three, he better be out there on the field. So yeah, a bunch of quarterbacks that we saw go. Remember it was a record haul for QBs in the top ten of this year's draft. Drake May going number three. And then we had Michael Pennix as the surprise to the Falcons at number eight. And then J.J. at number ten. To say nothing of Bo Nix who was drafted by the Broncos at number twelve.

So look at that, spotlight on the rookies. Alright, enjoy the open, we're back tonight to wrap up the work week. Thanks for hanging out with us.

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