2.5.24 - JR SportBrief Hour 1

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Instacart for the win. It is! The JR Sportbree show here with you on CBS Sports Radio. I am coming to you live from Atlanta, Georgia.

Our super producer and host, Ryan Hickey, he's holding it down for us in New York City. And man, and man, it's good to be back! I had a good weekend, I hope you did too. And if you didn't have a good weekend, I'm sorry, I can't do anything about it but tell you, I'm gonna have fun here over the next four hours. I will try my best to help you forget about your weekend if it sucked.

And if it was amazing, we just gonna keep on rolling. This is the beginning of the JR Sportbree show. This is when I get started every single weekday at 6pm Eastern, 3pm Pacific. You can always listen on the free Odyssey app, you can lock in on your local CBS Sports Radio affiliate. Shoutouts to everybody tuning in on Sirius XM channel 158 and everybody listening on a smart speaker. All you gotta do is ask that smart speaker. Just say, hey, play CBS Sports Radio.

It's really simple from there. Also at the same time, if you want to participate in the show, you can do so by calling up. It's 855-212-4CBS. It's 855-212-4CBS.

You can also find me, I am everywhere, at JR Sportbree. We know what the deal is. We're now less than a week away from the Super Bowl in Las Vegas watching the San Francisco 49ers take on those Kansas City Chiefs.

We already have news. Tonight is media day or media night, whatever the hell they call it. Gonna have a bunch of, I don't know what you call them, 6,000 members of the media standing around, 600, whatever it is. A bunch of people, some people don't even know what a football is, and they're going to be asking some pertinent questions to the Kansas City Chiefs and the 49ers. Maybe they'll ask them what their favorite deodorant is. Maybe they'll ask them what they ate for breakfast, what that has to do with the Super Bowl. Nothing. But people pay attention.

People watch. And so media day, media night, whatever it is, it's going down in about two hours from now. And so we'll talk about it as things go on. Unfortunately, there was also news over the weekend. Patrick, my home's dad, I'm sure you heard. He got a DUI driving under the influence. It's like, hey, Dad, what what type of timing is this? We learned officially on Saturday, Joel Embiid, I don't even know, meniscus flap tear.

God only knows how long he'll be out. And so we got a lot to do. How about this? We got guests, not just today, not just tomorrow, but all week as well. I mean, we had some hirings today, some press conferences here in Atlanta. Rahim Morris introduces the new head coach of the Atlanta Falcons up in D.C. Dan Quinn introduced as the new head coach of the Washington commanders.

And so we're going to hear from these coaches and learn more about their coaching staffs and what they got going on. And then Thomas Dimitrov. You don't know who that is?

Well, it sucks for you. He's going to join us in about 20 minutes. He is the former general manager of the Atlanta Falcons. So we're going to get a first person view from someone who has hired coaches, someone who's had to let coaches go.

And oh, yes, someone who helped put together a team that went to a Super Bowl with those Falcons. We know the result of it with the Patriots, but Thomas Dimitrov is going to join us. And let's now say 15 to 20 minutes. We're going to have a conversation later on in the show.

Solomon Wilcott's been covering the league forever. We're going to get his thoughts and perspective on a matchup that's coming up. And then later on to just kind of give us a wrap up as to what the hell is going on with Joel Embiid.

What could potentially happen on Thursday with the NBA trade deadline? But Kurt Heelan is going to come through and join us. So we got a busy, busy show in front of us before we do anything else. Ryan Hickey, man, how you doing? You good? J.R., I am doing good.

Excited for what is going to be a fun week here leading up to the Super Bowl. Amazing. Now, I know when we left each other on Friday, unfortunately, we had to talk about the passing of Carl Weathers. Did you see Predator? Did you see a trailer? Did you see anything? No, no, I did not. I didn't see any movies, so at least it's not like I boycotted them, but no movies were consumed this weekend. I'm sorry. Well, what did you do this weekend? Just basketball?

What's going on? My girlfriend and I actually went skiing for a day on Saturday, and I am proud to report I am standing here in one piece. No broken bones, no broken legs, no bumps, bruises.

No torn ACLs, no ripped up knees, ankles attached to the leg bone, leg bone attached to the thigh bone. We are all good here. That's good, man. Leave all the injuries to Mr. Joel Embiid. I'm sorry, Joel Embiid.

We're going to get into Joel Embiid later on in the show, but Ryan, I'm glad that you are healthy. You know, this week is always crazy when everybody's preparing for the Super Bowl, and we get the wildest stories. I already told you about some of the ridiculous questions that come through on Media Day. This story popped up earlier today, and so for people who are not aware, everything is a big to-do, right? The planes for both teams, the 49ers and the Chiefs, they arrived in Las Vegas yesterday, taken as someone who's covered all of this stuff. They invite the media out to the airport to witness these dudes step off of the plane.

It's just, everything is there for consumption. And so the planes arrived yesterday, and the San Francisco 49ers are practicing on UNLV's field. They had a football team, right? And the Kansas City Chiefs, they are practicing on the Raiders' field. Now, we have already gotten a story about how the 49ers' field is crap. The 49ers allegedly are not happy with the field that they have to practice on over at UNLV. It's being reported that UNLV's field, their practice field, it's turf. But the NFL, just last week, decided to throw some sod on top of it. And so there's a whole complaint that the field is too damn hard. And so if we get a story next Monday about how the 49ers and their legs are tired, we know who to blame. We're going to blame the people who put the field down. A matter of fact, Adam Schefter was talking about this earlier today with Pat McAfee. Tune in.

Listen. I think there are a couple of options that are being discussed. I think the Niners would prefer to stay at UNLV. I think that the league may wind up offering that somehow they share practice times at the Raiders' facility. But that becomes an inconvenience.

You don't want it to continue to uproot and move around. And again, that'll be up to them to decide. It'll be up to the league to see if it can address it in an appropriate way. I think that we haven't heard the last of it.

And let's see how the Niners react once the players take the field. But again, like I was told, there are seams on the practice field and it feels like they're practicing on a sponge surface. It's the highest level, Shefty. It's the highest level. You hear players say that around the locker room whenever something happens like this is the highest level.

Remember, this is the highest level. Last year, we were coming up with the incident last year where in the Super Bowl, players were sliding around on that field in the Super Bowl. And now, again, when we get to a Legion Stadium on Sunday and the game is played, there won't be any issues there.

I don't expect. But this week, Niners not happy. How could they be happy? They feel like they're playing on a sponge. They threw sod on top of, you know, some field turf.

Like what type of crap is that? What happens if Nick Bosa goes out there and get his foot caught in something and he has a blown out ACL? The NFL, I mean, for the billions of dollars they got, they're a little lazy here, right? And Adam Schefter did bring up a good point. I remember vividly last year, last Super Bowl, by the time we got into the second quarter, excuse me, just the second half, those players were slipping and sliding all over the place. They had to change their cleats from the first to second half just to go out there and gain some type of footing. Yeah, the Kansas City Chiefs won, but everybody was rolling all over the place. And so I guess at this point there's a built-in excuse if the 49ers lose. Now, having said that, do the Chiefs have an excuse?

Yeah, so a many-who, defensive end. Yeah, he got a torn ACL. He's not playing. But maybe Patrick Mahomes' dad, maybe his father, Patrick Mahomes Sr., maybe he can be an excuse.

Maybe he could be a distraction because, damn it, he already is. Patrick Mahomes Sr. arrested Saturday morning. Don't take my word for it. This is terrible news to pretty much come on down the pipe. This is courtesy of CBS Texas. Some super trouble before the Super Bowl for the father of NFL quarterback, Patrick Mahomes.

Police arresting this man. That is the father of Patrick Mahomes. Jail records showing Patrick Mahomes Sr. taken into custody this morning on the charge of driving while intoxicated for the third time or more.

This happened in Smith County in the Tyler area of that county. Back in 2018, Pat Mahomes Sr. received a 40-day jail sentence for a second DWI offense. Damn. Third time? I mean, shoot.

I mean, in a lot of cases, they tell you third time's the charm. Not in this case. And so Patrick Mahomes Sr., by the way, he's out. He's free. And also, the judge said he is free to travel, although he is not allowed or he's not supposed to be partaking in of the alcohol. And so there is a possibility that even though Patrick Mahomes Sr., out in Katy, Texas, decided to roll around allegedly with a 16 ounce open can of Coors Light, that he can still go to the Super Bowl.

Now, Hickey, help me out here. Is it a smart move for somebody who just got a DUI to just go to Vegas the next week for probably the biggest party of the week? Is that a good idea or bad idea?

I would say that is a bad idea. Do you think Patrick Mahomes Sr. is going to show up or is he going to stay home? What do you think? Oh, he'll be there. You think he's going to be there? He shouldn't be there. He'll be there. Why do you think he's going to show up?

Well, he's free, right? Why wouldn't you go to the Super Bowl? I mean, this is the third time getting a DUI. Clearly, the rules don't apply to him or he doesn't care. So I don't think getting arrested again is going to stop him from watching us on the Super Bowl.

Yeah, I don't. But I don't think it's so much about the Super Bowl. I think at this point he's he's already a distraction. And I think, look, Patrick Mahomes, I find him to be good enough. I think he's professional enough. Unfortunately, this is not the first time he's had to deal with this, even since, you know, Patrick Mahomes has been in the NFL.

This is his third time. And so I don't want to say this is something that's normal. But I would think and expect at this point is just like, aye dad, you got to cut back. Like we know tonight they're going to get asked ridiculous questions. And I'm sure before Patrick Mahomes sits at his little desk and has a million microphones stuck in his face. I'm sure he's going to preface everything by saying, hey, guys, obviously there was an issue with my father over the weekend. I'm down to answer any question involving football.

But as it relates to that, nothing. Now, do you think that's something that he says first or does he wait for the question to come? Oh, I could see a PR person coming over before he sits down saying it. I know I could be wrong. Mahomes doesn't seem like the person that's going to be like, sorry, like no questions about that.

I think he'd have someone else do it for him. Yeah. Yeah.

Someone very well. I mean, those it is such a circus when you get to doing what is this thing called Hickey? What is it officially? Not radio radio roll is media night, media night, media night. They changed it because if I remember correctly, it used to be in the daytime, I think. And it wasn't televised the way it is. And so now it's an entire spectacle. They do it in the arena.

It's it's an entire show. And it is a zoo. It really is a zoo. They throw the players and the coaches out onto the floor of the arena, the stadium. And it is a media free for all. I mean, you'll have players that are five, six, seven feet apart in arm's length apart. And then there are 50, 60, 70 members of the media all cramming in there trying to get their questions in.

A matter of fact, it sounds pretty nutty. Listen to this media night mashup from 2019. This is the last time the Chiefs and the 49ers got together. This is courtesy of the NFL. What's my favorite Patrick Mahomes moment? Probably when he comes in the huddle and he sounds like a frog. That's probably my favorite moment.

I crack up every time. You're right. You're right. I can't do that no more because look, he ain't gonna throw me the ball no more. He is the worst texter of all time. I'm telling you, he leaves me on red all the time. Hey, Jimmy, I got a question.

Maybe on this play, should I run my route like this? No response. Jimmy, you want to go to a movie? No response. And then the next day he's like, yeah, I got your text. I just hit respond. Thanks, Jim. That's awesome.

How did you get all the swag in your family and the brothers didn't get any? Oh, you talk to Jason. He'll show you some swagger too, man.

He's a confident individual who he is and all that. Are you going to be wearing a speedo? No speedos. You go out on a date with Lizzo, Rihanna or Cardi B, who would you choose? Lizzo, definitely. Yeah. My kids love her music the most, so that's the one we listen to in the car the most.

So it'd have to be her. How many swipes of deodorant do you do on each arm? Man, depends on how musty I am. If it's just a fresh morning, I'll probably go three, one, two, three, one, two, three and call it quits.

How many swipes of deodorant under each arm? Did I hear that right, Hickey? That's what I heard?

Unfortunately, you did, yes. Somebody's going to ask Patrick Mahomes or Kelsey. They're going to ask Kelsey, hey, how many times does Taylor Swift, a wife I ask before she gets up? That is probably a question that's coming tonight at media day.

I guess that could be more ridiculous than asking Patrick Mahomes Jr. about his dad. It's coming. It's going to be, you know, that question is coming. It will be discussed. Hopefully it's discussed and put on out the way. And maybe we can get to some football, but probably not. There's going to be a lot of ridiculous questions coming. NFL media night in about two hours from now.

But right now, live, you're locked into the JR Sport Reshow here with you on CBS Sports Radio. There's a lot to discuss. Dan Quinn introduced to the Washington Commander fans. Raheem Morris introduced to the Falcons fans.

There's a lot to do. We got Solomon Wilcox coming our way. But in five minutes, we're going to be joined by Thomas Dimitrov. Hey, he used to be the general manager for the Falcons.

I'm going to ask him about Super Bowls and coaches and hirings and firings. We got a lot to do. We're just getting warmed up.

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Just use Instacart, Brian. It's the JR Sport Brief Show here with you on CBS Sports Radio. Oh, we got a long week in front of us. We know the Super Bowl is gonna go down on next Sunday, less than a week from now.

49ers, we got the Chiefs out there, we already got complaints about practice fields and turf and controversy ahead of NFL media night. Well, we're gonna talk to someone who's helped construct the team. We're gonna talk to someone who has scouted. We're gonna talk to someone who's hired coaches.

We're gonna talk to someone who knows everything about the NFL, its system and all of the above. Joining us right now here on CBS Sports Radio, Thomas Dimitrov is here with us, CBS Sports Radio. Hey Thomas, man, what is the correct pronunciation of your name? I hear it a million ways. Dimitrov, nice job. Dimitrov. Here in Atlanta on the airwaves, it's been said so many ways.

It's just like, which way is it? Well, thank you, Thomas. Appreciate you.

You got it. No doubt about it. We're gonna talk more as well about what you're currently up to, CEO of Sumer Sports.

I know your background in scouting is coming in handy. You're ready for Super Bowl week. What are your thoughts on how things are set up already between the 49ers and the Chiefs? Look, I think it's gonna be a really close game.

I'm just gonna be really interested. As you can imagine, Atlanta, we know the story with Kyle Shanahan in a tough Super Bowl we lost a while ago. And Kyle's record, this is a big game for him. He's a really good football coach and he's won a lot of games, but the big one, this is a really, really important game. He's really honed in on that after, obviously, what happened back in the 16th Super Bowl, 16-17 Super Bowl.

Thomas Dimitrov is here with us at the JR Sport Reshow on CBS Sports Radio. Yeah, there's a lot of skin in the game based on your experience, former Falcons general manager. You obviously know about Mr. Shanahan. What makes him an excellent coach, just even from what you saw years ago when he was here in Atlanta?

Yeah, look, I think his big deal is he's as close to genius as it comes with his system, and I don't like throwing that word around a lot. I think he and Josh McDaniel are the two guys who have it wrapped up as far as understanding offense. What he does really well is he knows the personnel that he needs for that system, having been around it as long as he had with his dad, you know, Mike Shanahan, the former coach of the Broncos.

So that's a big thing. You parallel that with a guy like Bill Belichick who knew his system inside out. And those two men can be really, really obviously excellent coaches because they know how to utilize personnel, and sometimes they can even do that at a good value. And I think Mike Shanahan, Kyle's dad, did it with running backs. You remember some of those fifth-round running backs.

And I think Kyle does it. Look what he did with Purdy, right? I mean, it's a pretty special ability to know your scheme and know how to utilize your talent. Well, Thomas, you cut your teeth as a scout, and you talk about Brock Purdy. People are still trying to figure out how he was the last dude selected in his draft class. What is your evaluation of Brock Purdy? Do you think he gets the credit that he deserves?

You know what? I've been back and forth on giving him the credit myself, and I feel bad because obviously he's a very good football player. There are some times when things go awry, like any quarterback. We got a chance to see Matt Ryan do some great things, and there were times where there were challenges. I think the same thing. Someone said the other day that he was just kind of an okay athlete, and I thought, man, the way he was running in that past game came back after a bad first half and recovered.

And I'm a big believer in that, right? If you can recover and you have resilience as a quarterback and you have a tough element to you, mental and physical, and then you have the skills like he does to throw the ball and get it off quickly, I think he's a good quarterback on his way to being very good. Now, you've got to understand in the scouting world, semantics are huge, right?

Good and very good are two very different places in the world. Former Falcons general manager, current CEO of Sumer Sports, Thomas Dimitrop is here with us on CBS Sports Radio. Just briefly, you mentioned Matt Ryan, and you were able to draft him out of BC.

Unfortunately, you weren't there for his exit. Do you think he gets the credit that he deserves, and do you believe we're going to see him in Canton? I think Matt Ryan is, I've always thought that he was an upper tier quarterback for sure, you know, at his top range when he was rolling and he had that MVP during the Super Bowl season. Man, he was, I thought he was, he should have gotten even more recognition from that. I think eventually he is. I mean, look, I know the people in the NFL and the people at the Hall of Famers don't like anyone throwing around first ballot and making it kind of flippant like that.

I mean, Matt will get in there eventually, and I think he deserves to be in there. Unfortunately, the city at times, I thought, were down on him. And, you know, there were some times when, you know, look, we didn't put together the O-line, we needed to do, you know, put together all the time. And there were other times that he did have it. Look, the one thing I do know is we put a lot of really good talent around him, starting from, you know, you can look all the way back to Tony Gonzalez, you can look to Michael Turner, you can look all the way through to Julio and such. There were some good football players around him. I'm proud of that. And I think Matt capitalized on it for the most part. I was disappointed to see him go as he did, finishing up in Indy the way he did.

That's unfortunate. Well, Thomas, your tentacles kind of reached out to every place. We talked about Shanahan and Matt Ryan. There were two gentlemen introduced today in two different markets. You have Rahim Morris here in Atlanta, introduces the head coach of the Falcons, and then Dan Quinn, you know, getting his second chance as a head coach, you know, up in D.C. with the commanders. What are those two respective teams getting with those new individual coaches? Well, look, you look at Dan Quinn, for instance, and I have a great deal of respect for Dan. I think Dan comes into the commanders with a really good understanding of all the really good things that worked out well for him as a head coach in Atlanta. But Dan's a very aware guy, and he's a very smart football coach, and awareness is big for him. He's always looking to get better. He's always looking to grow. And over the years that he's been out of everything, he's looked at some of the challenges and, you know, sort of misreads along the way that were both he and I.

They can't just be put on him, right? I'm a big believer in raising the hand there. When we go in as partners, as head coaches and general managers, yeah, there are certain things that happen on the field and the coaching side, certain things on the team builder side. But Dan's going to go in there with unbelievable passion, a really good understanding of where he was and where he is today. I think he goes in there also with a GM that's a first-time GM. And normally when you're a first-time GM, you really want to be able to work with a guy. And normally you don't get a guy that has that kind of experience as Dan Quinn. So I think Adam Peters is in a great spot to be able to go side by side with Dan Quinn. And remember, what Dan brings to the table versus other coaches, he has a real passion for player personnel and understanding the talent that he has. He's not just randomly saying, you know, bring me whoever and then blame the GM later for it, right? He's involved in a good way and not an over sort of exuberant way, right? Like he's not in there pushing himself around.

I think it's a really good thing that they got up there as far as that goes. And, you know, he's hiring the right coordinator. I mean, he has a chance to pick a big-time quarterback maybe a little bit earlier in Atlanta. I think it's three, right? Three or two or something. Eight. Falcons later. Falcons are eight. Oh, two, two.

Right? Correct, two, two. Yeah, they're two. So, I mean, both of those guys, I mean, Rah, and we can get over to Rah. Look, I love Rahim.

I'm so happy that Rahim got another chance. I was pretty outspoken about it early on in the process, and I thought, I was surprised he was at Atlanta. Quite honestly, I thought Bill was going to end up in Atlanta, Belichick. But this is an interesting hire for Arthur & Co.

The way they're putting it together there. I think he brings an unbelievable amount of energy, even more energy than Dan, of course. Guy is sharp. I mean, I've told him and I've told other people and other owners, you're not going to meet a guy who's sharper, quicker. He's not only quick-witted, man.

That guy does not miss a beat. And I think it's going to be really good. He's so well-respected by the players out there. And I think that organization, no beat on Arthur Smith.

I think it's going to benefit from the energy that Rah brings to the table, as well as his football intelligence, which I love his defensive intelligence. They get the right offensive coordinator there, and they brought a guy in there that has a lot of background in data as well, in a good way, not it. And believe me, I know there's this place for data, and there's also a place where you have to step back and be football people.

Thomas Dimitrop is here with us. I want to talk about what you got going on with data and all the information you're utilizing with Sumer Sports. You talk about Raheem Morris being someone who's relatable and brings energy.

I know the NFL Players Association, following their most recent poll, they said he was one of the top five defensive coordinators in the game. If I got to take a look up in D.C., there are horror stories right now being written about Ben Johnson and potentially burning bridges and not being as personable in his interview process. How does that situation typically work, given your experiences? I mean, are bridges burned in that process? Do you think it's going to be difficult for him to get a job in the future? No, you know what I'm thinking, and just like players sometimes, right?

Whether it was players who were extremely talented or had a brush here and there, you know, potentially with substance or something stupid that we saw over the years, back in the days. And everyone's like, well, that guy's going to have a hard time getting back to wherever he was. I don't believe that at all. If you're excellent at what you do, you'll weather the storm. There may be some people that don't want to go after you, but a guy like Ben Johnson, he's getting a job, he's getting it fast whenever he wants to.

There are way too many people out there. I don't necessarily, from what I know, and I don't really know what it is, I think, and I did say this a little bit earlier, I think it's better for the commanders to have Dan up there because of what I mentioned about the relationship between the GM and the head coach versus having two knee-up fights in that job. And I did that with Mike Smith, and we were very fortunate.

I mean, Mike Smith, my God, he was a three-time coach of the year and five years in Atlanta. That's a big deal. So, yeah, I get what you're saying.

It may put a little bit of a burn bridge element to it, but I don't think it's burnt through. No way. Well, Thomas, you've seen a whole lot, including a Super Bowl week. What is this week like from a management perspective? How do you eliminate those distractions? We know two hours from now we're going to have Patrick Mahomes ask about his dad.

People are going to request tickets all week long. It's in Vegas. How do you or can you shut out the noise? You can. I mean, I was pretty impressed with how we shut it out.

We weren't in Vegas, of course. It's a little different, right? There's a lot going on here. I mean, this city is always popping. Very quickly, we were at a steakhouse the other night.

It was called Poppy Steak. It's the best place in the world. And you go in there just to have a nice, quiet dinner, and they're raising the roof left, right, and center. I mean, there's energy coming out. So you have to be careful of that.

Ultimately, I was talking to someone about this earlier. The head coach needs to rely on the general manager and his people to make sure they're taking care of everything else so that as much as you can, you're out on the practice field, you're at a good hotel, and you're able to keep the families at bay in the right way, of course, respectfully. That's a big part of everyone else so that the head coach and his staff can really focus with the team, and you just pray to God that no one gets in trouble out on the strip. Listen, I'm hoping that we don't hear about anything next week, two weeks, two months, two years, 20 years.

I want no stories. I'm not all that confident, though, Thomas. We'll see. We'll see. I know.

We'll see. We'll make sure that it's pretty clean here as much as we can. Well, listen, with all your current work and all of your experience as a scout, as a general manager, what are you up to currently with Sumer Sports?

Yeah, thank you. Sumer Sports, we started two years ago. Our founder was Paul T. Jones, huge money guy out of Connecticut, one of the biggest macro traders out there. He was so interested in putting together a football analytics company, hired me as the CEO, and we've been rolling for two years. We started with just three of us, and we're at 60 data scientists and engineers. We just hired about 12 former NFL guys.

We have over 400 years of experience, so we created our own internal scouting staff. Remember, in analytics, and I've told Paul Jones this and anyone else in these third-party analytics companies, if you have the right football foundation and you supplement properly with data, and I'd say that to anyone. I'm an old-school football guy, but I understand the evolution of this league, and if you utilize data, and remember, I always say this to people, this is not about man and machine.

Sorry, this is not black box. This is man and machine, meaning black box, people think, oh, you just throw it into the algorithm and it churns out what you're supposed to do. We don't believe in that at all. We believe that the person that's in charge, a general manager, for instance, can take the data that is available to him along with his very good evaluation prowess, and that's what I believe, and then you can supplement with your choices, whether it's in free agency of the draft. Remember, sumersports, we're not providing coaches with the decision-making ability on game day.

That's a whole other part of data, and we believe it. We're about roster optimization. It's all about building the team the right way and all the data that we have and hopefully making the correct choices. I'm really, really excited about it. I'm trying to sell Arthur on it.

He hasn't bought my product yet, but I'm knocking on his door a lot. I understand. Well, Thomas, we know that there are a lot of folks, and it doesn't matter if it's in the NFL or NHL, Major League Baseball especially, how about society?

There are a lot of folks who are afraid of utilizing data, utilizing technology to get optimization because they think it's a quote-unquote replacement. What do you tell these teams in regards to, hey, we're not trying to eliminate folks. We're trying to help you out.

How do you sell that? That's a great way to lead in, and it has everything to do with what I said a little bit earlier. It's an augmentation tool. It's what I believe takes a good GM to being a very good and a very good GM being a Hall of Famer because there is so much data out there that's just criminally underutilized. You don't use that necessarily to make the decision, but you juxtapose what you already have. Let's say your scouting staff has graded 2,200 players in the NFL and other teams. You take the data that we have that backs it up, and you look at it side by side with your information, and it helps you make a better informed decision.

Why in the world would we ever not look at that? In the end, it's up to that person who's making the decisions. I used to go to Arthur Blank in those earlier years in 2008 through 2015 and say, man, it's just in my gut.

So what I believe, that's change. You can't go to someone like Arthur Blank or someone like David Tepper, whatever you think about some of the owners out there. They're not just listening to a football person saying, there's just something I feel about this guy.

That doesn't play anymore. You have to be able to back it up with data. It's not making your decision, but it is, and it ends up being a situation where you can either justify, rationalize, or you can really, I can use data, not only for the judging of the players that you're evaluating, the most fascinating part that I'm really interested in, because there's so much wasted money in coaching in the NFL and in the NCAA, you can utilize data algorithms to make better coaching, higher decisions. Not only with your head coaches, but potentially in time with your coordinators, of course, and your position coaches, who, by the way, can be catastrophic to the success of your team if they're not doing the right thing. Everyone thinks it's all about the head coach. Down the line, you better have the rest of your coaches, and I think our data out there right now can do some unbelievable stuff as it's evolving.

It's amazing to see just how technology has evolved, how you and we as people can evolve in our current positions. Thomas Dimitrov, former Falcons GM, now CEO of Sumer Sports, I'm going to need this from you. I need the gut answer, and I need what you got analytically too, Thomas. Who do you edge toward walking away with the Vince Lombardi come Sunday night? You know what, I believe it's going to be San Francisco, and I think what I said a little bit earlier, I think Kyle's going to finally walk away with his Lombardi, and I think that's what our data is saying as well. It's going to be a really close game, however, it's just going to be really interesting. I think the time has come. And we're going to find out sooner than later.

We're now less than a week away. Hey, Thomas, I appreciate you taking the time to come on and share this information, share your insight. It's certainly very unique given all of your experiences in the NFL and what you're currently doing now as the CEO of Sumer Sports. Where can people follow you and keep up with the product as well?

Go to Sumersport.com. We have a 40-something page downloadable for the Super Bowl that is fascinating. Jump in and check it out. Great graphics, really easy to understand.

There's a glossary on the bottom for any of those of us who aren't data aficionados. It's pretty cool. Hey, Thomas, thank you so much for taking the time.

Have fun out in Vegas and enjoy the game and sell it to everybody, okay? I love it. I love it. Thanks for having me. I appreciate it.

No doubt about it. Thomas Dimitrov, former Falcons general manager, now the CEO of Sumer Sports. A lot of information just shared right there, and that's because he's had a breadth of experience, whether it be scouting with the New England Patriots all the way up to his time and success with the Atlanta Falcons.

We know that the Falcons went to the Super Bowl, unfortunately didn't win, so everything from drafting Matt Ryan to hanging out with that man, Bill Belichick. Thank you again to Thomas Dimitrov. I hit the name.

D-I-M-I-T-R-O-F-F. It's the JR Sport re-show here with you on CBS Sports Radio on the other side of the break. You know what? Let's hear from one of his hires. There's someone that was a part of his staff when he was here in Atlanta. It's Raheem Morris.

He was reintroduced today, or should I say, introduced as the new head coach, the full-time head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. If you want to call me, you can do so. 855-212-4CBS.

That's 855-212-4CBS. A peanut butter M&M's production. In a world where Super Bowl winners get the world's admiration and a fancy ring, but the runners-up get nothing. One retired cop returns. That's one retired quarterback. Read the script.

Oh, sorry. One retired quarterback returns to claim what's his. Um, that's claim a ring with diamonds made from M&M's peanut butter, but you're on a roll. The Ring of Comfort, coming soon to a Super Bowl new you.

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Then pick your ring setting and metal. Shop the James Allen Valentine's Day sale and get 25% off with Promo Code Podcast. That's 25% off at JamesAllen.com Promo Code Podcast. You're listening to the J.R. Sportbrief on CBS Sports Radio. It's the J.R. Sportbrief show here with you on CBS Sports Radio. Thank you to former Falcons General Manager Thomas Dimitrov for joining us here.

Right before we went to break, if you missed it, you can go ahead and hit rewind on the free Odyssey app. He had some unique perspectives about the new head coach of the Washington Commanders, Dan Quinn. He hired Dan Quinn here with his first coaching job and opportunity in the NFL. Also had some thoughts on Raheem Morris, who was also on the staff. Had some thoughts on Kyle Shanahan, who was the offensive coordinator or was the offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons and has now helped lead the San Francisco 49ers back to the Super Bowl. So a lot of great insights from Thomas Dimitrov, who now operates as the CEO of Sumer Sports, working in analytics, trying to help coaches, GMs and owners do better. It's a great, great conversation. I appreciate him for taking the time. 855-212-4CBS.

That's 855-212-4CBS. When we get to the top of the hour, I want to discuss the two coaching hires that Thomas had mentioned, that being Dan Quinn and Raheem Morris. They were both introduced to their respective markets and teams earlier today.

And so we'll get to them at the top of the hour. They spoke. Somebody's speaking right now ahead of NFL media night as the Kansas City Chiefs and the 49ers are expected to get to chat in about 90 minutes from now. As I stand here in this studio in Atlanta, Roger Goodell is talking. And when Roger Goodell speaks, people pay attention and people listen. This is actually a very unique press conference.

Why is it unique? I've been to this event many times. And Roger Goodell's press conference for the Super Bowl on the Monday, you know, prior to media night or the same day, is typically like a free for all. I don't want to call it a free for all.

It's not just let's hound Roger Goodell. But historically, it has taken place in a massive, massive ballroom. You know, pick a hotel. It takes place in a ballroom.

You get a couple hundred people in there. And Roger Goodell, he is someone moderates right now. It is Tracy Wolfson who works for CBS.

And she is moderating this conversation with Roger Goodell. It is very orchestrated. And then they open it up to questions in the seats.

And so you have members of the media who ask questions. Well, this year's is a little bit different. Ryan Hickey, this is a little bit a little bit different when it comes down to the sides of the audience, right?

Yes. This is maybe the most exclusive event in Vegas this week. It is invite only. Wait. So Roger Goodell is having a press conference for the Super Bowl and you needed to get an invite to go?

If you are not friends with Raj, odds are you're probably not invited. This is wild. I guess he got sick and tired of the questions about diversity in the NFL, right?

I guess he got sick and tired of doing his job, answering the tough questions. So he said, friends only. Give me some softballs here. Wow. Yeah.

And looking. Oh, speaking of. Well, Bill Roden is there. I know Bill Roden. Bill Roden, a former writer for The New York Times. I can't wait to hear what he is asking Roger.

You know, maybe we can get Bill on. I'm sure he's going to be real busy heading over to the the media night. But yeah, this is invite only. It is a much smaller crowd than traditionally, as I guess, Roger Goodell and the NFL do what a lot of companies do. They try to let's just say they control the stories and not everybody gets a chance to ask a question. But I guess the NFL is just like, no, we're going to have things even more controlled than traditionally are. And so Roger Goodell, we'll see if he's answering any questions about workplace diversity.

I do know this. Roger Goodell was already asked and had some thoughts about the great, I guess, another Grammy winning Taylor Swift. This is Roger Goodell answering the tough questions. Having the Taylor Swift effect is also a positive. Both Travis and Taylor are wonderful young people. They seem very happy. She knows great entertainment. And I think that's why she loves NFL football. But I think it's great to have have her a part of it. Obviously, it creates a buzz. It creates another group of young fans, particularly young women, that are interested in seeing why is she going to this game? Why is she interested in this game? Besides Travis, she is a football fan. And I think that's great for us.

Yeah, it's true. I mean, anybody who's pitching a fit about, you know, Taylor Swift at a football game or cutaways to Taylor Swift. You ain't gonna stop watching the game because of Taylor Swift.

And if anything, yeah, there is an introduction to a new audience. So just get over it. Who cares?

Taylor Swift is at the game. They could show her, you know, five, six times. Oh, you're killing the core audience.

So what? You're going to watch anyway. It's the J.R. sport re-show here with you on CBS Sports Radio. We're going to hear more from Roger Goodell and his press conference.

He did just answer a question about social issues. I do want to remind you to stream the NFL on Westwood One for free, sponsored by AutoZone. All season long, you can listen to every Westwood One broadcast of the NFL live on the NFL app by asking Alexa to open Westwood One Sports or the Odyssey app. Get in the zone, AutoZone.

AutoZone's free battery testing and charging is available for free at your local AutoZone. Get in the zone, AutoZone. Restrictions apply. It's the J.R. sport re-show here on CBS Sports Radio. We're going to take a break on the other side. Not just Roger Goodell. We're going to hear from the new head coaches from the Washington commanders and the Falcons.

Dan Quinn, Rahi Morris here on CBS Sports Radio, the J.R. sport re-show. Don't move. And now, another episode of Dr. Harry Balzac, underwear therapist. Doc, I'm sweating the small stuff. I can't sit still. I feel like I'm in such a pinch.

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Seaside for details. A Peanut Butter M&M's production. In a world where Super Bowl winners get the world's admiration and a fancy ring, but the runners-up get nothing, one retired cop returns- That's one retired quarterback. Read the script. Oh, sorry. One retired quarterback returns to claim what's his- Um, that's claim a ring with diamonds made from M&M's peanut butter. But you're on a roll. The Ring of Comfort. Coming soon to a Super Bowl new you. There's joy in every journey. 2024 Santa Fe available early 2024.