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Welcome in, everybody. David Shepard in for the great JR Sport Brief. Unitas won Super Bowl V. Caller said. Boston, is that you?
Did you tell me? Yeah. United's never won Super Bowl. Five. I googled that he did.
Wow. With with wow, no kidding. He won three pre-Super Bowl and then won real Super Bowl. I knew he won three NFL championships. Because I know he lost that big one.
Are you sure he won Super Bowl V? Are you positive? Wikipedia. I should know this. You can't always trust Wikipedia.
Okay, I will double-check right now.
Okay, I just, because I saw that. And you are 1000% right. The Colts did beat the Cowboys 16 to 13. Man, I didn't realize Johnny United has played that long. 'Cause he was old.
I don't mean old in life. I just mean old by football standards. when he played the New York Jets in Super Bowl III. I man, I should have How did I not know that? Man, you learn something every day I'm glad.
See, I'm glad that Brian Botcher typed that because I wouldn't have known that. Johnny Unidas did win a Super Bowl. I knew he won NFL Championships. I didn't realize he won Super Bowl V. You learn something every day, folks.
Number to get avoid 888-7104-ISN, 888-710-4476. This is David Shefford, in for the great JR Sport Brief, right here on the Infinity Sports Network. And speaking. of legendary names Gotta point this out. For the first time, Texas.
is going to open the college football season ranked number one. in the AP Top 25 poll. And here's the really cool thing. In less than 20 days from now, I know it flew by. less than twenty days from now.
We will see. that same Texas team. Play Ohio State. The number one ranked team in the country versus the number three ranked team in the country. And the Big Ten, as one would expect, they have the last two national champions, Michigan, Ohio State.
They have two of the top three ranked teams in the country in Penn State, number two, and Ohio State, number three. But the number one team, Arch Manning. There is Manning Mania right now in college football. And you got to credit Steve Sarkesian for what he has been able to build at Texas. Remember, This team was 5-7.
in Stark's first season just four years ago. And what they have done the last thirty games, they have won twenty five of them. That includes making two straight national semifinals. They are the only football program that can make that claim over the last couple of years. And they have been ranked number one As recently as last year, where that was the case for over a month.
So the fact that the Longhorns come into this season with so much hype, so much expectation. It's for the right coach, and I believe the right quarterback is going to be able to withstand that pressure and those expectations. And we all remember the Longhorns, you know, the times they have come into the season, number one. You know, it's been far and few between. But the truth of the matter is, when you think of Texas football, what you always revert back to is 2005, Vince Young versus Matt Leinhard and Reggie Bush.
And Vince Young was able to get the best of them. Texas is going to try to become the 12th team to start number one and finish number one since the fall has debuted since 1950.
Now, I brought up Vince Young because. He had one of the legendary football careers at Texas in terms of quarterback play. No denying that. He was outstanding. In that Rose Bowl in 2005 against USC.
And you can make an argument: there was not a better player in all of college football in 2005 than Vince Young.
Well He wasn't great with Tennessee. In fact, there has not been a great quarterback in Tennessee in two decades. The last Steve McNair. And that's why having the number one overall pick and having cam board, Means so much to this franchise. And you saw what he was able to do in his preseason debut with a very impressive throw to Calvin Ridley.
That's soon becoming his early and favorite target. And when he made that pass, you saw it end up in a very impressive touchdown drive with not one. But two. Third down conversions. And he's going to develop more chemistry with others, not named Calvin Ridley, as time progresses.
We all understand that. considering he didn't even have to play all of the first half. He looked pretty good. 67 passing yards, 5 of 8 from the field, 0 turnovers. There's a lot of expectations this season with Cam Board, more so than any other rookie, and with good reason.
We saw him do something in Division I football that's never been done before, and that is throw for 156 career touchdowns. And you saw what he was able to do in his one year at Miami when he set a single program record for most touchdowns in a given season. And he was able to do that in just one year in Miami. And the fact that he was brilliant against Iowa State, a top twenty team in their respective bowl game, where he had three touchdowns and zero interceptions by halftime, shows you he can absolutely get up for the big moments. And remember, this Miami team began the season 9-0.
And we saw what happened when they lost those two games to, of course, Syracuse and Georgia. They lost by a combined nine points. But Cam Ward in those games averaged over three hundred fifty yards In passing, Through. For five touchdowns and zero interceptions. And so basically, this is just another way of saying Cam Ward was never the problem.
And if he was playing with a somewhat competent defense, they would have absolutely been in the national championship picture. And aside from Alabama, the most dominant college football program the last forty years, has been the you. The University of Miami. Five national championships and counting, and they've had some incredible quarterback play. Legends, not just in college, but ultimately the NFL.
Jim Kelly, Bernie Kosar, Vinnie Testaverdi, the headset throwing Ken Dorsey, and Gino Toretta. Nobody. And I've seen all of them. minus Jim Kelly. None of them have had a finer individual season for the University of Miami than what Cam Ward was able to put up in twenty twenty four.
And so as a result, If you are the Tennessee Titans, It has been a miserable experience at the quarterback position over the last two decades.
So you gotta be incredibly excited. To have this particular number one overall pick on your roster as your future quarterback, and you gotta be excited because it wasn't just Shador who was impressive as a rookie in preseason game number one. It wasn't just Jackson Dart, it wasn't just Jalen Milro. Cam board. He was special.
as well. And he's also reflective And honest. And he was asked after his preseason debut with all the success he's had in Division One. Hey Cam, what do you think? What's harder?
College or the NFL? It was. It's not really too different from college. Just more being. I would say alerted on third downs.
Just the cans that you can get to in Coach Callahan's offense, and then just getting the ball out when it needs to be out.
So Kim, when you talk about your preparation, you know that's going to be a big factor. in how your rookie year goes. It's been well documented that you're often the first guy in the building, last one to leave, and your work ethic. is on par with your ceiling of talent. And so You're showing up six and a half hours early to a preseason game?
It passes by quickly, especially when you keep your mind busy. In Miami, we used to be in the game early, so it really doesn't. change anything for me process wise, or just playing at a at a higher level. Um, sit back, relax, reminisce. Watch a film, watch a movie, just getting my mind in the right headspace I need to be in.
Well, it just depends on the game. It depends on the game. In Miami, we had nine games loose, so. A little bit earlier. We got a lot of noon games this year.
So it'll be like normal time, like four hours before the game. Folks, I I'm excited for Cam Ward. I I'm I'm excited for Tennessee. There have been some real Darths in terms of Absences of success at the quarterback position with multiple franchises the last 20, 25 years. You think of the Cleveland Browns, they've won one playoff game over the last 30 years.
Okay. And The reason they were able to win that one playoff game is because they had the ultimate Moxie quarterback in Baker Mayfield. And how does Cleveland react to that? They end up giving him away a year later. At the expense of Deshaun Watson, we know how far they have fallen since.
You talk about the Miami Dolphins and all the great seasons they had with Dan Marino. I know they didn't win a Super Bowl, but they were in contention for a majority of them because you always had Dan Marino's arm. We know they have only won one playoff game in the last 25 years, and that came 25 years. 25 years ago. And so you have this talented Tua Tonga Vailoa, and you think finally, you have a franchise altering quarterback the guy can't stay healthy the majority of the time.
So there have been a lot of franchises when it comes to quarterback play that have had Bad luck.
Well, I don't know a franchise that has had worse luck over this century than the Tennessee Titans at the quarterback position. Since Steve McNair. They have had eight different starting quarterbacks. This has been a complete revolving door of mediocrity. The last 16 seasons, They have been to the playoffs just four times.
Obviously, we all remember that magical 1999 Super Bowl game between Kurt Warner and the late great Steve McNair. That's obviously the last time Tennessee has been in a Super Bowl. And so what has happened since?
Well, I mentioned Vince Young. and all the expectations that came with him being the third overall pick. And ultimately in five seasons, he wins just 30 games.
So the Tennessee Titans, they hope to start all over with Jake Locker. He's a top ten pick as well in 2011. He's even worse, winning just nine games in four seasons. And then you got a Heisman Trophy winner. Marcus Mariota falls to you after the Buccaneers select Jameis Feynman Winston.
He's the number two overall pick. He's going to be a difference maker. He ends up being 29 in 32 with the Tennessee Titans. And then the guy who was a complete joke, which is why ultimately the Titans ended up with the number one overall pick in Will Levis. five and sixteen over the last two seasons, the number one pick of the second round in the twenty twenty three NFL draft.
And then you saw what he did in year two. He got even worse, finishing just two and ten. The Tennessee Titans as much as any other franchise. Are deserving of credible an effective quarterback play. And I have seen situations in the last two years.
In which you have that special somebody come along at the quarterback position. and reignite And transform a franchise. You saw that in 2023 with CJ Stroud. The Texans, they only win three games in 2022. CJ Stroud gets there, they win double-digit games that season, they end up winning in the playoffs, they do the same the next year.
You look at what happened in 2024 with the Washington Commanders. They were on a road to nowhere. They had not been in an NFC title game in more than 30 years. Jaden Daniels gets there, takes them from four wins to 14, and that NFC title appearance that they had been lacking for the better part of three decades. I believe Cam Ward and what he was able to do at Miami.
Had just as good of a season as anyone in college football at the quarterback position, minus Joe Burrow, in the last decade. I thought Cam Ward's season at Miami was more impressive than what we saw from even C.J. Stroud in 2022 at Ohio State and then Jaden Daniels at LSU in 2023. I am expecting a jolt and I am expecting a complete transformation from Cam Ward when it comes to the Tennessee Titans in 2025. Number to get aboard is 888-710-4ISN.
That is 888-710-4476. There are countless examples of high draft picks that have come in. And changed the trajectory of an NFL franchise. I cited C.J. Stroud, I cited Jaden Daniels.
Don't forget, 2012, we saw that on three different instances. Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Russell Wilson. These are five quarterbacks. that change the trajectory of their respective franchise right away. I expect the same thing.
with Cam Ward, and I will be shocked if I If the Tennessee Titans do not have one of the biggest turnarounds in the NFL from 2024 to 2020. 25. Number to get aboard is 888-710-4ISN. That is 888-710-4476. When we get back, There was a statue unveiling over the weekend, And it involved the greatest of all time.
He had some interesting comments. We'll react to those comments by Tom Brady. We'll get to your calls as well.
So much more to do on the JR Sport brief with David Shepard filling in on the Infinity Sports Network, and we are coming right back. You're listening to the JR Sport Brief. Here's David Shepard. Welcome back, everybody. This indeed is David Shefford in for the great JR on the Infinity Sports Network.
Number to get aboard, 888-710-4ISN, 888-710-4476. Think O'Reilly Auto Parts for all your car care needs. Get guaranteed low prices and excellent customer service from the professional parts people at O Riley Auto parts. You know, O'Reilly. has been such a steadfast, consistent partner for us, for years.
We appreciate them, we know them. feel like they're the Tom Brady. Companies, when it comes to the Infinity Sports Network, they're just so reliable, right? They've been with us for so long. And that's what you feel like when it comes to Tom Brady in New England, even though he hasn't suited up for them.
in five years. The New England Patriots very much continued to live. In the Tom Brady shadow. And it was unveiled that they had a 12-foot bronze statue of the seven-time Super Bowl champion, six of those being with New England over the weekend. They celebrated him, they honored him, they commemorated him, they immortalized him on Friday with the bronze statue being 12 feet.
No accident, it is 12 feet, given that was the number that he played with. I love that New England Patriots head coach Mike Brable, one of Brady's teammates, took part in the festivities. There is no doubt. This is not just a move to To honor the great career of Tom Brady and his time in New England, it's to really set a precedent and set the standard for what is expected and what is to come for New England. You know, Brady had his fair share of jokes at the ceremony.
The patriots, they understand. They don't come much better than Tom Brady, and you could tell how. How much Brady still means to the fans when in the 20 minutes there were chances of Brady continuously breaking out. And obviously, Robert Kraft. That's like a son to him.
So, you know, this was very fitting that Tom Brady had this particular statue unveiling during Mike Ravel's first season. I think there's a little bit of a jolt and a message to Mike that this is the most dominant professional team we have seen in North American sports this century in any sport. And so this is ultimately what I think New England's saying we can get back to the golden age of New England sports, that being when Tom Brady was suiting up for New England. And, you know, Kraft, he detailed what took place at this statue. He said, look, we wanted to make it larger than life because Tommy, he always calls him Tommy, was larger than life.
And I love how Brady, you know, showed off his sense of humor saying that, you know, Bill Belichick's on the phone. Hold on. I got to take this. And by the way, this is Bill Belichick saying the statue needs a little bit of improvement. Thank God it's better than the statue of Dwayne Wade.
I mean, any statue is better than that. But to me, It's very clear the type of command and respect that Brady still has in New England. You would be hard pressed to find an athlete that means more to that community than what Tom Brady means. And Tom Brady? He spoke in great detail about how significant this statue unveiling was over the weekend.
Let's take a listen. As RKK just said it perfectly, people will never forget how you made them feel. Right now, I feel extremely honored, deeply grateful. And if I'm being honest, kind of old. I'm also a little surprised because usually they don't build statues until you're really old.
Like. Vrabel and Bruski. It's not every day you get a statue, at least not one like this. Seeing myself as a statue isn't something I could have imagined growing up. When I was drafted, I just.
hope to make the team I never dreamed I'd be standing here two and a half decades later, made of bronze and frozen in time. It actually It actually feels pretty appropriate given my 40 yard dash time. Yeah. For all those that don't know, he didn't have the fastest 40-yard dash times. By the way, Ryan Bacher.
We may may have a statue of you one day if you keep putting up You know, air checks and audiograms. That's unbelievable. In the middle of the show, you're not only producing, playing cuts, screening calls, you're putting up audiograms on our Infinity Sports Network Twitter page of my quotes about Cam War. That's unbelievable, brother. Yeah, but they can't afford statues here.
There's no space either. We're on the 10th floor. Hey, let me ask you a question. I'm going to put you on the spot for a second. You can play the fifth if you want.
We gotta have one statue. of one person at infinity's force network. Who's getting the call? Like all time? All time.
Who's getting the call? Nice. Gotta be Jim Rome, right? Yeah. It's gotta be.
Interesting. Mm. Interesting. Okay. That's not a bad choice.
That's not a bad choice. I would Can I give you mine? Yeah, I'm not gonna judge.
Okay. People listening might judge, but I won't.
So I think that You have to look at the totality of everything that's happened at Infinity Sports Network. and while Rome's impact, is immeasurable I look at a guy who's been here the whole time. I look at a guy that has given so many people an opportunity to get on these very airwaves and transform. the Infinity Sports Network because of that. I look at someone That has been the steady hand And the leadership that this place has had.
For the better part of thirteen years, And to this day is as nice a person in twenty twenty five as we saw in twenty thirty. when this play is launched. That's your hint. I wasn't here from 2013, so I don't know if the people the staff has changed.
So I'm gonna. All right. If I say it wrong, I don't wanna get in trouble.
Okay, okay, fair enough. But that's very impressive that you were putting out audiograms in the middle of the show. Hell yeah, Cam Ward is gonna transform the Tennessee Titans in 2025. You don't have to be a genius to be able to make that determination. Here's another determination that I will make.
The statue unveiling comes. Because they want to send a message. To Drakemay. Drake May, For the first time, is giving The New England Faithful. A real look and shot at a franchise quarterback since Tom Brady.
Mac Jones was a a flash in the pan. Cam Newton, we all knew, was there on borrowed time. He was a one-year rental. We obviously knew when it came to Bailey Zaffi, like there just hasn't been a franchise altering quarterback since. Drake may And I think there was a reason.
Why they did this particular statue unveiling this year, because they do truly believe they have themselves. their quarterback for the next 10, 15 years. Drake May. I know a lot of attention was given to Jaden Daniels and him being able to turn around the Washington Commanders from four wins to 14 wins and, you know, winning two games in the playoffs and beating the NFC's best Detroit Lions and getting to a title game for the first time, a conference title game at that for 30 years. And then you talk about the rookie impact of Bo Nix and how he made the Broncos playoff bound.
And I know a lot of people are high on Bo Nix in year two. But let's not sleep on Drakemay. Drake made what he was able to do his rookie year. Given all the distractions around him, given the lack of structure when it came to coaching, given the lack of help that he had. The fact that he was still able to set a franchise rookie record of throwing eight touchdowns in consecutive games.
That's something Tom Brady wasn't even able to do his first year as a starter. And by the way, as you all know, when Brady was a starter, That was his second year in the NFL. Drake May was a true rookie. May had a higher completion percentage. His rookie season.
than Brady's first year as a starting quarterback. The touchdown to interception ratio was nearly identical. Drake May had just 14 less yards per game. And here's the real kicker. Drake May had four hundred and twenty one rushing yards on the ground.
which shows you the multi-dimensional quarterback play he can bring. Because that's what you need in 2025. You look at the five best quarterbacks, and I don't think there's any debate who those are right now: Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow. Obviously, you talk about Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Jalen Hurts. What do those five all have in common?
They are tremendous dual threats. They can beat you in a multitude of ways. And if you press. and you load up in a box, or you have a heavy blitz package, they're going to be able to deter that and offset that. and beat you with their legs.
That is what Drake may has been able to demonstrate in his rookie year. 'Cause the 421 rushing yards he put up as a rookie That's quadruple. Annie. of Tom Brady's best seasons running the football. And Drake may again is just coming into year two.
So if you are a Patriots fan, There's good reason why they decided to have the statue unveiling in 2025. It's not just a celebration. It is setting the tone on what is to come and because they very much believe. they have something for the first time since Tom Brady suited up for them in 2019, and that is a reliable Quarterback. In the near future.
Number to get aboard is 888-710-4ISN. That is 888-710-4476. We're going to take your patriot calls on the other side. What was your biggest takeaway of the Tom Brady statue unveiling? He had some stray, and had some heat for the New York Jets.
He did not have anything to say about the New York Giants. which made me wonder something. How in the world? Can you tell the story of the NFL without Eli Manning? You can't.
We all know this. Eli Manning is the one guy That consistently Outplay Tom Brady. when it matters most. Yeah. Nick Foles was able to put up 40-something points in the Super Bowl as a back-up quarterback.
He did it once. No one else was able to do it twice except Eli Manning. But he's not. in the Hall of Fame. And I have an issue with that.
and it made me think Why in the world? is Eli Manning. getting sele not selected at the expense of Sterling Sharp, Eric Allen, and Jared Allen. Antonio Gates I got no issue with. That's one of the ten greatest tight ends to ever play.
But the other three? They're more Hall of Fame worthy than Eli Manning? Come on now. And so it had me thinking Can Eli Manning miss the Hall of Fame again? Think about who's going to be.
in the conversation next year. Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald, Jason Witten, they're all locks. Bill Belichick is a coach/slash contributor. He's a lock. Frank Gore.
But the other guy who's up for Hall of Fame eligibility in 2026. is Philip Rivers.
So Marco You're not going to be here for next segment because you're going to be doing other things because of your professionalism. Let me ask you this question. Philip Rivers. or Eli Manning. Who is is more deserving of the Hall of Fame.
It's not even close. It's not even close. Wow. It's really not. I thought this was a debate.
It's really not. I wish it was. I understand why people do it. They look at some of the numbers that Rivers had that are a little bit better than he is. It's really not close.
I mean, how many times when you take in the postseason. Part of it. And that is a part of the equation. Not always, and it's not just you and what you do. Phillip Rivers walked into the playoffs with the best team in football.
How many times? And did what with it? One AFC title game appearance. I'm sorry. Yeah.
I'm sorry. You take a shot at that. When you have, you had a Hall of Fame running back for most of his career, you had a Hall of Fame tight end for most of his career. Sure. Your offense was stacked.
Yeah. What'd you do with it? And his numbers were better than Eli's on a consistent, regular basis. I will say that. I don't think they were that much better.
Why did so, so this is a topic I'm doing next segment because, and the reason I'm doing this, Marco, is because. Um I look at Brady's speech. And he and he went after the Jets hard, I thought. And I know it was all good, you know, good fun, but to me, He didn't go after the other New York team for a reason. And what's there to say?
Exactly, exactly, exactly.
Well, I don't know if you saw I don't know if you saw the imaging on social media, but there was like a there was the 12-foot statue of Brady and then there was the 30-foot statue of Eli over Tom Brady. How is this guy not in the Hall of Fame? It's unreal. I think it's been, look, it's always himself out, did he? It's always been just the idea of, I mean, he's taken a lot of flack.
One, he's not Peyton, and that's part of it. And two, I mean, he became the running joke because he's goofy and he became the running meme and the chin strap on his face and all that. He had a lot of bad moments. He had a lot of bad interceptions. He had a lot of down plays during his career.
And that's part of it. But it became like a running joke. And there are too many people that didn't watch Eli play. And you just look at the numbers. And when you look at the final numbers, when you look at him in totality, it's like, oh, yeah, well, he finished top 10 in this and top 10 in that.
But when you break him down by year, he wasn't a great fantasy player. He wasn't a great, you know, stat monger type player. And unless you watched him play, you didn't understand why. Right. You watch him play and you realize a lot of those interceptions, not all of them, he had a lot of mistakes.
A lot of those interceptions were late in games when you were down. Eli was not the quarterback that was worried about we lost by 12 or we lost by six or we lost by 20. He didn't care.
So he was trying to fit things in the windows that he had no business fitting into. Because what's the difference? Do we lose by 24 or maybe I make the miracle comeback? Yeah. Eli was about wins.
He didn't care about anything else. And his numbers at times took hits for that. When he had a good running game, he didn't put the ball in harm's way. When he didn't have a good running game, he threw the ball. Like, he just was more of, he took chances.
He was more of the gunslinger without monster numbers. And he took flack, and he also became like a running meme. And those things hurt him. The biggest problem I have with his Hall of Fame. Omission is It wasn't him not getting selected.
it was the guys over him. Like outside of Antonio Gates, and I'm glad Sterling Sharp eventually got in. And we all know he was heading towards a Hall of Fame career before the injury cut his career short, right, in his 20s. We all get that. Eric Allen, outstanding career.
Mr. Rader, we love what he did. We love what Jared Allen did with the Vikings. You can't tell me those three guys were more important, more impactful in the NFL than Eli Manning was. Antonio Gates, I'll give you, if Eli didn't get in because he's going against Drew Brees, Jason Witten, Frank Gore, you know, Larry Fitzgerald, I understand that.
But it's the guys who gotten over him in 2025 that I take the biggest issue with. No, I get it. I think that's partly the. Poor job that the NFL does with the Hall of Fame, and that's part of it because it's not just you're not going up against players at your own position, you're not going up against equal competition. And they do feel like, and this is a difficult procedure, I understand, but the committee feels like they have to get other guys involved.
So, if we're going to have a wide receiver, well, we can't have two wide receivers, we're going to have one wide receiver.
So, maybe next year you can get in, but we got to have at least six guys this year. We can't have eight. That's too many. They have too many rules and regulations and too much nonsense and red tape that goes on with the Hall of Fame.
So, you have guys that should be there for. Years that wind up having to wait their turn, quote unquote. Torrey Holt's still waiting, and then you have to have other guys that you're like, Wait, you're really a Hall of Famer. It's like, Well, you know, he's been there for a while, and you compare him to this guy. And it's like, What exactly is your criteria?
And that's going to be something where this will be the funny part: Eli went from, I can't believe we're discussing whether or not he's a first ballot Hall of Famer to now he's going to get sympathy when he doesn't get in for four or five years because that's coming. That's it. Because all the quarterbacks that are going to be out there, Eli is going to suffer and he's going to sit and watch all these other guys go into the Hall of Fame.
So when he gets his day seven years from now, maybe then he'll get some credit.
So, who?
Okay, so who gets in first, Rivers or Eli? I know where you stand on who should get in first, who does get in first. I would still imagine they would probably get in roughly at the same time, maybe a year apart. And I would think that Eli would get in, but I think Rivers is going to have to wait too. Ben's first ballot, we both agree.
Yeah. Matt Ryan, first ballot. You know, I don't know what their criteria is. I really don't anymore because, yeah, he had the one MVP, he got his ups and downs too.
So I don't know. I would imagine, but I don't know. Because the guy's coming up. Breeze is getting in first ballot. Breeze is getting in.
Brady's getting in first ballot. Rogers will get in first ballot. You're going to disagree with this. I think Stafford will get in first ballot. I'm not going to disagree with that.
He belongs in first ballot. Good.
So we're both in agreement on that. This is going to be fascinating to see what happens with Eli Manny. You might have to see. Honestly, he's going to be one of those guys where he's going to wait so long where he becomes sympathetic. And then there's going to be an outcry: how the hell is Eli Manner in the Hall of Fame?
But in the beginning, it's going to be, how the hell did you put this guy in the Hall of Fame? Because of two games. There's so many people that do think that it's just, it was two games or two runs. But it wasn't, though, because he was great in the entire postseason, both seasons. And even just if you look at it, eight and eight, what was he?
Eight, eight, no. And what do you have? 14 touchdowns, two interceptions in that run? And it's not just the two runs. Like, that's where I take a little bit of a, where it's like, all right, step back for a second.
Like, the idea that in 2011, it was just the run. The only reason they were in the playoffs was Eli Manning. Correct. And they had nine wins that year. Seven were fourth-quarter comebacks.
And it was Eli basically dragging a team that were last in rushing. They were last in defense. They had no business being in that game. They had no business being in the playoffs, never mind putting the run-in they did. And everybody thinks back to 2007 with Strahan and Tuck and 2011.
That team was garbage on defense. They were bad. They had a good front. We didn't play well all year. And then Pierre Paul finally kept.
There's revisionist history. And I understand why, because he. Lays himself into that because he had so many bad moments where it's like, really? Was he really that good? Yes, he just had a lot of bad moments.
And we always hark back to Tom Brady. Look who else he beat in those postseason runs: Aaron Rodgers, Brett Favre, Alex Smith, when Alex Smith was at his peak. Like the guys. And all on the road. Yeah.
Like the teams that he was able to beat, how great those teams were, even getting out of the NFC. Is just remarkable. The only one he won home was against Matt Ryan and the Falcons. That's a good point. That's a good point.
And when he beat Romo, I thought Romo was at his peak in 2007. He was. That team was a 13-win team. The Giants had no business winning that game. I agree.
I agree. The Cowboys were the number one team in the NFC that year. Correct. They went on the road. They beat Tampa.
They were a four-seed. They beat the Cowboys who were a one-seed, and the Packers were a two-seed. Everyone was beating John Gruden back then when he didn't have Tony Dundee's team. Nobody get award. 888-7104-ISN.
888-710-4476. When we get back, I'm glad I had the debate with Marco. I want to have it with you. Tom Brady went out of his way to insult the New York Jets. He had nothing to say about the New York Giants, which begs the question.
How can you tell the story of the NFL without Eli Manning? How is this guy not in the Hall of Fame? And then with Rivers coming up for Hall of Fame induction. Who do you believe is more worthy of being in Canton, Ohio? We get to that on the other side, along with your calls.
Before we do anything else, let's get to our latest sports flash with the aforementioned Marco Belletti. You're listening to the JR Sport Brief. Here's David Shepard. Welcome back, everybody. This indeed is David Shepard, and for the great JR Sport Brief, you can always follow me at Shep on Air if you can't get through our busy phone lines at 888-710-4ISN, 888-710-4476.
Hope everyone is having a wonderful Monday evening so far. Tom Brady. He joked. about Bill Belichick. He also had this to say About the New York Jets.
Cheap shot? or funny. at his statue unveiling. Over the weekend, you be the judge. But in the end, this statue isn't just for Pats fans.
It'll also give all the Jets fans something to throw their beers at as they lead the stadium every year. Probably in the second quarter. Botcher, do you feel like Brady's taking this roast a little bit too far? I feel like everything he does now... Is either way like, have you seen this documentary of him owning a football team and not obviously American football?
I have not seen the documentary.
So, is he just the s so I heard the first couple minutes of his speech. and the sarcasm level on Tom Brady Was that probably a hundred out of ten? Yes. It's like he's turned heel. It's always been heel.
Yeah, no, he hasn't been. He's been the buttoned up You know, uh Stereotypical all-American quarterback, golly shucks.
Now, he can be a menace on the field in terms of his competitive nature, but I. I've always felt like he's walked the company line. He doesn't do anything to distract himself. Minus the Super Bowl celebration when he was throwing the trophy and all that on the vote with Tampa. But, like.
I I just feel like he's he's 47, no, it's 48 now. 48 going on 18. It's because he's single. He's got the new life. Yeah, I know.
He got divorced, and then now he's got a new. Energy, spirit? By the way, his single at forty-eight is different than pretty much any other single forty-eight-year-old male on planet earth. Oh, yeah, because he's close to a billionaire. Yeah, yeah, you're not kidding.
But he, you know. It's not lost on me that in that botcher Um He didn't make any jokes at the expense of the New York Giants. And so... To me it got me thinking. Why isn't Eli Manning in the Hall of Fame?
Like It doesn't seem right to me. And I mentioned the Hall of Famers that just got in recently. We all know Antonio Gates should have been first ballot. But Eli Manning was better. Than Eric Allen.
He was better than Jared Allen. He was better than Sterling Sharp. I know Sterling Sharp had a better peak, but you can't tell me Eli Manning finishing in the top 10 of every single passing category and winning two Super Bowl MVPs doesn't qualify him as a Hall of Famer. It's going to be even tougher when you factor in who's getting in in 2026. We know the locks.
The locks are Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald, Jason Witten, Bill Belichick, and Frank Gore probably gets in.
Now that then leaves me with Who is better? Philip Rivers or Eli Manning. Who is more Hall of Fame worthy?
Well, Eli Manning's case. 8-4 in the postseason. And in those two Super Bowl runs. He had 15 passing touchdowns. And just two interceptions.
Philip Rivers, on the other hand, found 5-7 for his postseason career. And at least one interception in every single one of his first seven playoff games. Then you look at Eli Manning from a statistical standpoint. Philip Rivers is a little better. He made significantly more Pro Bowls with eight.
He had more passing yards. He had more passing touchdowns. When he retired, he was in the top five of both major categories.
So, to me, It's gonna be interesting to see who gets in first, but when Brady was... taking his shots at the Jets. It wasn't lost on me that he stayed away from the giants. And how can you tell the story of the NFL without Eli Manning? And therefore, how can he not be in the Hall of Fame?
Botcher, to you. Who do you believe? is going to get in the Hall of Fame first. Who should be in the Hall of Fame first? Eli Manning?
Or Philip Rivers. When it comes down to it, Eli deserves to be in the Hall of Fame just because he has the two Super Bowls. I don't care about counting stats in the long term. When they have similar-esque numbers, because there's total numbers and average it out, when you have two Super Bowls, two Super Bowl MVPs. Eli Manning Jumps to a different level.
Yeah. Name has got in because of the Super Bowl. Right, but but the guys who have won two Super Bowl MVPs: Montana, Brady. Bradshaw. Mahomes.
And Mahomes. Yes, correct. Mahomes has three. Um outside of those guys. He's one of butchery, he's one of five.
How is he not in the Hall of Fame? Like it it it that that just wasn't right. I think his end of career. The end of his career. Where he struggled on a bad Giants team.
It really turned away the media attention from him in a good way. Sure. So he's now going to have to have a revisionist like, oh, let's go back to his early years, his Super Bowl years and see how good he was with this team. Yeah, that's and that's and that's fair. But we have to really put it into its proper context.
And it wasn't just Eli Manning struggling. It was then Daniel Jones struggling. Eli wasn't the problem. It was more the franchise and the offensive line. Number to get aboard, 888-71-4ISN, 888-710-4476.
Who do you believe is more Hall of Fame worthy? Phillip Rivers or Eli Manning? We get to your calls next. And speaking of New York football teams, how about Justin Fields' preseason debut? That's next as well.
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