It's the JR Sportbreeze Show here with you coast to coast on the Infinity Sports Network. We know it's Super Bowl week. It's already been crazy in the NBA. It's been crazy in the NFL.
People are asking for trades. But right now, we got a Hall of Famer here. He's a Hall of Fame everything. Hall of Fame in Canton, Pro Football Hall of Fame, Georgia everything. Former Bulldog, Pro Bowl, all of this.
It's Champ Bailey. Champ, how you doing? I am great JR. Good to be with you bro.
All the time. We know Super Bowl week can be crazy so I certainly appreciate the time. Yes sir. Yes sir.
Always doing something positive. We're going to get into that in a bit. Let's just get into the game right away. I know people have been asking you.
I already saw your answer. You going with the Eagles. Why? Ah, defense. Defense. You know, I feel like they should have beat them the first time a couple years ago.
Right? I think there was a couple plays here and there that kind of changed that game. Now it's hard for me to bet against Pat Mahomes.
Hard. But I just feel like they got a shot this year. It's just something about that defense.
A lot of dogs too so that gives me a little more reason to root for them. But at the same time man, these dudes, they've been playing great ball lately. I can't get away from how dominant they've been on defense. Well Champ, it's hard to ignore what Saquon Barkley has brought to that scene this year.
Yeah. Even if they had an average running back, do you think they'd be able to run that offense with Hurts and the two wide receivers and Brown and Smith the same way? Without him? Well no Saquon.
An average win against the Super Bowl. Hell no. Are you kidding me? No.
He is that team. And I think they know it. And you don't rush for 2,000 by accident. Like, they got to feed you. And man, he showed out.
I think there's at least one organization that's killing themselves right now, right? And everybody would love to have this kind of talent. We all knew what he was capable of when he got drafted.
He just was in a bad situation, has a couple bad injuries. The dude is special, man. Special. They would not be anything without him.
Trust me. I love the defense. That complements that run game. But I feel like they had a good run game back then. The defense is really better now.
Hall of Famer Champ Bailey is here with us on the JR Sport Reshow Coast to Coast. I'll say it. You didn't want to say it. It's the New York Giants, okay?
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Saquon even made a joke last night about it. Told James Winston, you need a Giants.
I see the Giants need a QB. I mean, he's making assessments from the Philly locker room about his old team in the same division. I got to give it to him. That's a bold statement coming from him.
But I agree with him. We know how great you were in defense. That's why you're in Canton. You had to look at the quarterback. You had to look at the wide receiver.
You had to look at everybody back there. How has the game changed when we got these quarterbacks that are so mobile? The running backs are like slot wide receivers, the Camaras, the Saquons.
How is the game different from when you played? I think you mentioned one aspect of the game that's changed a lot, and that's the mobile quarterback. Yeah, we had Michael Vick a little bit here.
A couple other guys I can't even remember because it wasn't a lot of them. But now everybody has to run. If you're not a mobile quarterback, everybody has to run. And I believe that's a testament to the defensive coaches. And you got to think what it takes. If you want a pocket quarterback, you got to be so accurate.
You got to be on time. You got to be able to take a lot of hits in the pocket and stand in there. They just don't survive like they used to because they haven't found another way to beat defenses because the defenses have caught up to it. That's why they're always changing the rules for offense, offensive explosion. Yeah, more illegal contact down the field.
So for me, this is all a testament to the great defensive minds out there who made it so hard. And now you got to have a quarterback that's always a run threat. Where it goes from here, I'm not even sure. Maybe they just start running all the time because they can't throw it to the right team. So we'll see. We'll see.
Well, Champ, you got my mind moving. You started talking about penalties and defense, and it automatically makes me think about Patrick Mahomes. Yeah. You know, you played in the league.
There's no script. Do we got bad refs? Is it hard to ref these games? Like even Goodell had to answer questions media day. Like, are y'all kidding me? You think I'm rigging these games?
What are your thoughts on that whole conversation? I don't believe it's happening, but it's hard to not buy into it if you're the average fan. It's hard because you see, you could see how they get calls in certain situations. But I think it all goes back to Mahomes, Kelsey, and that experience that they have because they're always asking for certain calls, pointing out things before they even happen. Those conversations with refs before plays, after plays, after games, before games, those little moments create opportunities because now the ref is thinking about calling the play that you might have talked about three weeks ago or three years ago. So that experience always helps because those relationships are there.
It's just like any business, right? They know Mahomes. They know Kelsey. They know all these Andy Reid.
I mean, you got everybody's a vet on that squad. So that's usually how it works. It happens in basketball. You see it a lot more clear in basketball, right?
Oh, yeah, you see it. Hall of Famer. Champ Bailey is here with us, the JR Sport Reshow, the Infinity Sports Network, Coast to Coast. You talk about Mahomes. There's so much conversation about already his legacy and people are throwing around. Oh my God, if he three-peats, is he already better than Brady? What are your thoughts on that conversation?
Where do you lie on that? Well, let the guy finish his career first. But, you know, I think it's warranted. I think on some level, you have to look at him as one of the greatest by what he's done in such a short period of time. I mean, this dude. And think about the year he's had this year. And that's what I think people miss a lot about him is you don't have to put up big numbers to win games. He's a game. He's turned into a game manager. He don't throw for four or five thousand yards anymore. He just he wins games. And if you ask anybody that coaches in football, you in certain situations, you will have W's.
That's it. And it's all about winning those moments. They're the best at it. So it's hard to bet against that. And that's why this dude is one of the greatest ever.
That's why people talk about him that way. Champ, you're one of the greatest ever. We're going to watch the Super Bowl on Sunday and see if your prediction rings true. But we've also had a lot of news from a lot of teams that ain't playing right now.
Oh, yeah. The Rams want to get rid of Cooper Cup. And then Miles Garrett is just like, I'm not trying to go from Cleveland to Canton to win a Super Bowl. The Browns like we still ain't moving him. That's just a bunch of bluff. They got to move him, right? I think so. I mean, his value couldn't be any higher. Think about it. He's coming off of he probably win defensive play of the year, probably.
I hope my guy, Pat Sertan, wins. But this dude is a problem right now and will be for the next three to four years. That's almost guaranteed by an injury.
What you get after that is just a bonus. He's worth everything you want to throw at the Browns right now. And if I'm the Browns, I'm shopping the hell out of him.
Because their situation is more dire. You need a quarterback. You've had Miles Garrett. You need a quarterback.
So what does that look like? You got to get draft picks to give yourself a chance. They're about three or four years away from turning that program around or at least that franchise around. Miles Garrett knows his clock is ticking. And I got to give him a lot of credit for sticking up for himself and saying, let me get out of here.
Because a lot of football players don't do that. Well, Champ, you talk about being able to turn a program around. You mentioned Pat Sertan. Let's talk about your old team, the Broncos.
Oh, yeah. Who expected Bo Nix to do this in the first year? Sean Payton got his guy. They're even making a playoff appearance. What are your thoughts on what the Broncos are doing and how they continue to move forward?
Well, it starts at the top. I mean, you get great leaders in there who know how to run a business and run a team. I mean, he put people in the right place. You got Sean Payton, who's a seasoned vet. So now it's all about getting the right quarterback. And you can't shy away from what it takes to win championships. You've got to have steadiness at the quarterback position.
And you don't expect rookies to play that well. The fortune enough for Bo Nix, he came in with a good head coach, good defense, and a lot of good veterans and a classic organization. It set him up for success. And I think for him, it was a blessing in disguise going to Denver because he could have went somewhere else. I guarantee his year wouldn't have been the same.
I know it's hypothetical, but when you surround people with the right groups, they're going to have success. And I think that that's really what it boiled down to. I could venture to say if he was on the Jacksonville Jets.
Well, the Jags or the Jets. Yeah. To name two. To name a couple.
Yes, it's only two. But, you know, there's a lot more out there. Champ Bailey is here with us on the J.R. sport re-show. Someone who people compare and parallel to you when you were playing for the Bulldogs is Travis Hunter. You want to talk about rookies coming in. What are you thinking and how can he toe that line between playing defense and offense and not kind of burning out?
You know, I told him personally, try everything, you know, just, you know, you want to let them know I'm open to playing everything if that's what you desire. But it's going to be timing. It's going to be about timing.
What coach does he have? You know, how bad they need him at one position over the other. You know, so it's all those things have to align. And if they align perfectly for him, like, I promise, my freshman year at Georgia was because, and the way my career played out at Georgia was because of the coach I had. I promise I would have went somewhere else.
I probably wouldn't have done half the stuff I did at Georgia. But that's how it is, man. It's all about timing. And can he stay healthy and excel? That's all it's about. He will work.
I'm not worried about that. He has that kind of mentality. And that's basically what I encourage him to do. Just focus on what you can control.
Let them know what you desire to do and let the chips fall where they may. Champ Bailey here with us on the JR Sportbreeze show. There's something real important outside of football but tied into athletics that you're doing. Tell us about Positive Athletes. Positive Athletes. Well, I joined them this year as their lead athlete.
And what it is, it's a recognition platform. And it's for those 90-something percent of athletes that won't go to the next level. But it's all sports. It's not just a football thing. Mostly what I do is surrounded by the game of football.
And rightfully so. That's what I did and excelled at. But it's sports in general that I care about. All these athletes.
What do they do when they don't go to the next level? So what we do is we recognize those with high character, hard workers, great teammates. Those that will excel outside of sports. And just give them the tools and resources that they need to excel outside of sports. So it's all about supporting that next level. Whether you become an athlete at the next level or not. But it's mostly for those that don't. And I'm happy to be a part of it because I'm always trying to figure out ways to give back. And there's only so much I can tell you about what I did on the field. It's like, how do I help you in life?
And this is one of the tools I'm using. And correct me if I'm wrong, this is something that started in Georgia but this is something that's spreading out all over the country? Yes, yes. We just went national so we're all over the country. And how it works is coaches, administrators, athletic directors, anybody that's in these kids' orbit. Parents. They can nominate any kid with high character, hard working, just a great teammate, great person. Nominate them for awards. They get awards, scholarships, sponsored scholarships.
And the idea is to get them all in one central location so these companies can find them and offer them opportunity. And we can also provide them with the leadership tools and the resources that they yearn for. So you go to PositiveAthlete.org, anybody can nominate an athlete at the high school level. And I encourage everybody to do it.
It only takes five minutes and I think anybody in this room or outside of here can find a few athletes that they would nominate for something like this. And I'm looking forward to seeing how that grows. What doesn't Champ Bailey do? There's a lot I don't do, trust me.
Even with this, I can't do it all. I'm just talking about it, right? We got a great team.
We've hired a lot of people across the country. I just want to see where it goes. Absolutely. Where can people follow you and your work with Positive Athlete? Well, you can follow me at dchampbailey on Instagram, dchampbailey on Twitter or X or whatever they call it. But PositiveAthlete.org, I mean, just click on the website and just follow the instructions.
It's very, very easy and very quick. And last question for you, man. Every time I see you, it's been a few years, you're always in shape. You're now on television now.
There's no hopping back onto the field? No, nothing? No, no.
I'm 46. OK. All right. Let's shut that down, right? OK. Yeah, Champ Bailey, the shutdown corner just shut me down on the JR Sport Reshow. Champ, thank you for the time. Appreciate it. Always, bro.
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