All right, let's get it. Welcome to the jungle. I'm Jim Rome. Program brought to you by FanDuel. As always, Alvie.
Do it. Hit it. Feel good about this Friday. Yeah. Tomorrow's Saturday.
The Hood will be in Dublin. Very important game for the hood. Doesn't have his GM, does now his son. Got to get off to a good start. Got waxed by TCU last year.
Don't want that to happen again. All right, week zero. Lots to get to on this Friday. What's going on? Welcome to the program.
Want to get you up in here. Hey, do me a favor. Can you not be so passive? Can we be a little more aggressive? Can we be a little more proactive?
Get up in here and and and. Please get up in here and talk about something other than some anniversary which is non-existent. All right, can we talk sports? Can we talk about... Any issues?
Can we talk about anything except that one thing that you really want me to talk about that really is non-existent? You know what I'm talking about. I'm not going to say the sound part out loud. Chat is already screaming it at me. All right, let me tell you about the program.
First of all, I'll start you off with your telephone number. It's toll-free. 1-800-636-8686. It's kind of funny, right? Like, you want to know about the smack off, you want to know when smackoff season starts.
If I can't get a good phone call, we don't need to worry about a smack-off. That number is there. Go ahead and use it. If you want to hit me up on X, that works too. Follow me at Jim Roam.
Email me at Rome, R-O-M-E at Habitake.com. And you already know about chat, where you want to find chat. Chat is a different way to engage. Get to our YouTube page at Jim Rome. Once you get to our YouTube channel, check it, channel.
Go ahead and hit subscribe, ring the bell, then go into chat. And thank you ahead of time for doing that. There you go, Avi. All right, coming up today, coming up at 12:40, specifically, the head football coach at Tennessee, Josh Huipel. Coming up at 120.
A former NFLer and college player. He's also an NBC Sports College Football Analyst, Joshua Perry.
So, those two: Josh Heipel, Joshua Perry, Alvis Week the Was. I know you want me to do that other thing. Stop asking. Stop asking. I will only say this about that other thing.
All right, the other thing. These. AI slop. I already did you a solid.
Something I should have never done. I played the first half on the show. immediately regretted it. Then V informs me. Jimothy.
You didn't play the other half. To which I said I didn't know there was another half. Holy crap. It doesn't matter. Yeah, that.
I'm not even going to look at the other half. Full disclosure. Totally tran totally transparent. I saw the other half. Yeah.
I saw the other half. Don't get your hopes up. No, literally, holy crap. No, literally, Alvie, stop doing that.
So I've seen the other half. Do not get your hopes up. Why? Because I've seen the other half. All right.
You can scream as loud as you want. Chat as much as you want. Super chat me as much as you want. I cannot be bought. I cannot be bought.
My Claire.
Alright, so let's get this thing. First things first. I understand that the NFL preseason means next to nothing. Maybe even less than that. This is why I never overreact to anything that I see in the NFL preseason.
However, The Browns did hammer. The Patriots last night. Because the creep, Deshaun Watson, did not get anywhere near the field.
Well, actually, that's not true. He was actually on the grass before the game, taking selfies with a few losers in the stands. Nice try with that creep. You can't essentially tell the entire fan base, F you in a presser one day and then snap a few picks with a few fans the next day and then think that everything's going to be all right. Other than a few losers who wanted that pick, Browns fan pretty much.
All hate you. That's why they're taping signs to Jim Brown's statue, cracking both you and management. And as far as you losers that wanted to pick with that creep, why? Why? Why would anybody want a pick with a dude who's known more for sexual misconduct, allegedly, than anything he's done as a player in years?
Who wants a pick with the centerpiece of the worst trade and contract in NFL history? A deal that somehow just keeps getting worse and worse and worse every single day? Of course, they looked great last night because the creep didn't play, but you know who did? Our very own Alvin Gabriel. Who is out there?
There he is. Carving fools. And before you losers who wanted that pick with the creep come running up on me and trying to tell me that Alvie did it against a bunch of plumbers. and dudes who'll be working in factories next week. Watson faced those same plumbers and factory workers this preseason.
And unlike Alvie, he looked like a complete ass. It's on factories. Alvie looked better than any Browns quarterback I've seen since Baker Mayfield was healthy, and he was slinging it back in the day. Man, you know, even the Monkin and the Browns were not expecting what they saw from Alvie last night. Or maybe.
Maybe. Maybe the reason they rolled Alvie out there and even Taylor Green. and not Shidorah Sanders, is because they thought that Shidora might look good. They thought he might look good, and that would make the fans hate Watson even more than they already do. There you go.
Little conspiracy theory for you. As for Alvie, I may need to find me a new engineer because there's no way the Browns don't keep this guy on their roster after that absolutely electric performance last night. Even the Browns aren't that stupid. First drive, seven plays, sixty-seven yards, and then this. Brown.
First down goal. Off the fake. Comes back this way. Caught. And taking it to the end zone for the touchdown, LucFlorier.
Second week in a row, he has found the end zone. Touchdown Browns. Bam! Touchdown Alvie! Second drive, seven plays, 74 yards, straight cash, homie.
Straight cash, homie. Gabriel caught inside the five to the end zone. Amani marshalled for the touchdown. You see creep. It's not that hard.
Just get the freaking ball out. Be decisive. You know, like Alvie here. Let your playmakers make plays. I mean, damn.
Albie's got Luke Florier out here looking like Webster Slaughter. Our dude is just out here wrecking the defending AFC champs. He goes right back down the field. Field goal. Field goal, and what the hell?
Why not hang seven more on that beleaguered Pats defense that has absolutely no answer for the legend that is Dylan DeLoro? 22 months to come back at his spot. Focus on that. Right. Green running around.
Shows that speed. Yeah, he's dynamic. Yeah, you saw him at the combine. Whoa. Kind of reminds me of Wow, Albie, you got long all of a sudden.
Dan Alvie? Yeah. You grew. Anyway. I'll get to him in a minute.
Green. Alvie finished the night 12 of 15, 186 yards, three tutties. This dude could not be stopped. It was not a question of if the Browns were scoring. It was a matter of how much they would score.
And then how smooth and precise Alvie would look.
So smooth, so precise, my dude Jared Verse should give him his number back stat. And yes, naming the creepier starter on Monday, only to have Alvie come in looking like Otto Graham on Thursday is like the most Browns thing ever. The only thing worse than naming the creepier starter is having multiple guys. On that roster, who are better than he is. Hell, never mind Shador and Alvi.
At this point, I'm pretty well convinced that Taylor Green gives them a better chance to win than the Creep. Did you see that dude in the open field last night? We just played it. We know this dude can move the chains with his legs. We know he's dangerous in the open field.
And even though he didn't show it, We also know this dude has got a cannon. He does. Believe it. Also last night, you know it was absent. No booze.
No toxicity. Look at this dude. Comfortable in the back of the end zone, does not step out of the back of the end zone. Look at him in the open field. Just striding out.
Like one of those robots in the Robot Olympics. Dude, that dude's long man. No, last night, only good vibes. Electricity. That's no coincidence.
It's because the creep did not get anywhere near the field. Don't tell me the creep gives you your best chance to win. And no, I don't give a damn about that contract. Again, just because you have to pay him. Does not mean you have to play him.
helped. The Broncos signed Russet. to the second worst contract ever, but unlike the Browns. They admitted it. They owned it.
They wore it. They broke that dude off. And they just missed the Super Bowl last season. The Browns, meanwhile, made the worst deal in NFL history, and they keep making it worse and worse and worse. I've said it before, I can't say it enough.
Bad guy, bad player, bad organization. Albie. You are going to be missed around here, my dude. But you have my full support. Cleveland!
Albie's for you! This is for you! Albie's for you! Dude, he looked sharp last night. Alvy looked sharp last night.
Why don't they put him on the field? Why is he not getting on the field? And no way you don't keep that guy. You better keep that guy around, even if it means losing him.
So Alex Hattie, get ready to move over a chair. Obviously. It's been fun, dude. It's been fun. Oh Light work.
Alby says light work. I remember when Logan Rome started to drop that on me. Light work pops. Light work. Lightwork.
Telephone number is toll free. 1-800-636-8686. Browns fans. I mean, again, it's only the preseason. But that was the defending AFC champs.
They were in the Super Bowl. And yes, the plumbers and the factory workers may not have pads next week. Don't tell me Avi didn't look sharp. And again, creep. That's how it's done, man.
Get the ball out. Be decisive. You know, like Alvy. And I don't want to hear about how Alvy didn't push the ball downfield. Alvie marched them up and down the field.
Alvy finish drives. Albi did not turn it over. Alvie took care of the ball. Albi looks sharp as hell. Albi, is there something you'd like to add to this?
Hey Abby! Hey Jim! Hey Abby! Light work, you know, light work. Um.
First I want to uh Credit my quick release to my it's in the hips. You know, I have a really good core. I think it's from all that boogie boarding that I was able to get the ball out fast.
So credit that. And if I don't know, dude, I have to interrupt. You've always been a quick Twitch guy, man. Thank you. You always have.
Going back to high school, when you won the state championship playing the point, you've always been very Twitchy. You know, if I could take this moment to give some advice to QB1, Deshaun Watson. You know, we did have a moment to talk on the field, but what I was telling him was: you're too worried about your pressers, and we've been doing this since we were kids. You know, just receive the snap, process the field, get the ball out. Just get the ball out.
What do you say to that? I mean, such good advice. You know what? Did you sun him?
Son, look, son, we've been doing this since we were kids. You know, to his credit, no, I don't really have anything to say. No, you know what he said? When you said to him, I bet, hey, hey, Deshaun, we've been doing this since we were kids. Did he say what?
Sexually misconducting people since we were kids? Or getting the ball out quickly since we were kids? Yeah, I was basically telling him, do you know how easy this is for me? It's so easy. It's a joke.
And I'm sorry you can't do this. I really am because I wouldn't have to sit here and watch you fumble the ball around. It's hard to watch, isn't it, for you? Because it's easy for you. You know, I'm just trying to put some tape out there.
Memo to the Falcons. I know you guys are having some trouble. You know, talk to my agent. Bro, they already have a couple of lefties. What's another one?
Exactly. I think I'm their type. You know, we're talking left-handed. We're talking perennial college quarterback. I think I fit that mold.
Atlanta, I know you have a problem with your quarterbacks right now. We've all seen it. Tua, you know, we haven't even seen Penix yet. I'm just saying, I'm right here. I mean, I got no problem with you using my show to put out your resume.
It's fine. I'm just saying, if Tua and Penix is your quarterback room, you got problems. Uh, that isn't a quarterback competition. That is a race to see whose contract will get medically voided first. There was some degree and difficulty in saying that.
You could have just said it was a race to the bottom. It's a. What's more unstable? 10x's ACLs or Tula's brainstem? Wow, dude.
You're feeling pretty good about you after last night, aren't you, Bobby? I look pretty good out there, I gotta say. You did look pretty good out there.
Okay, I'm gonna go now. Thanks, Jim.
So soon? I'll be. All right, so Albi, Alby not only was out there. being classy last night, not so much today. But feeling it right now.
Holy crap. Lasers, man. Again, I don't want to hear that. I don't want to hear that he didn't push it downfield when, in fact, the guy was moving them up and down the field. And when the Creep did try to push downfield earlier this preseason, we saw exactly what happened.
Alvy was smart. Decisive Quick, got it out quickly. And look really sharp.
So, did that change anything at all? No offense, Albie. No, it didn't, apparently. They're still going with the creep. Yeah, and Shidora is still right there, but you know what?
Y'all have kind of worn me down. You've all kind of put me in a position where now I found a tinfoil hat. And not only do I know where it is, I actually like to rock it. Why did Shador not play? Because they didn't want to get him hurt.
You can't tell me it's not because he couldn't use some work. We could all use some work, especially all of them, except for you, Alba. You're perfect. I just got a feeling. My thing is, before they start the year and knowing that.
The creep already got the entire fan base to turn against him. With that, just moronic presser. The last thing they wanted was for Shador to go out there and tear it up and have the fans hate Deshaun even more.
So they're just going to go out there and play Alvi because Alvi won't look good. Oh. Alby looks like freaking Otto Graham. Don't have to worry about Green. What's he gonna do?
Oh. look really electric. Have fun, Deshaun. Have fun against Jacksonville. Man, the Browns.
There's something else.
Something else. It could have been avoided.
Well, it could have been avoided if you didn't do it in the first place, but you could have cut your losses short by cutting this guy, but no. No, you didn't. All right, so Cleveland. LB's for you. If you want to react to it, go ahead.
In addition to that, I've got thoughts on the Niners. No, it is not yet another Jed pork update. I mean, it could be. It should be. Believe me, I could talk about that guy until the end of time.
But no, that's not what that is. But another really bizarre, weird thing happened with that franchise. The hell happened to the 49ers. You know, one of the once great franchises in the NFL, it's almost like the leaks should shut them down for a minute because something weird happens every single day.
So, I've got thoughts on that. Also, a blast from the past. I came across this, and it was a social media post from earlier in the week. I think it's the best social media post of the week from a jungle legend from back in the day. I'm just going to tease it like that.
And I've got half fam. Full fam in the front row. Alex Hattie. Did you see Jason Tatum? On that tour?
In Shanghai from the free throw line, go 0 for 10. Yeah, yeah, I know, I know. Those tours mean nothing. But I haven't seen anything that bad since remember China Clay ten years ago when he went for that three sixty jam and it went horribly. This was that bad.
Now Clay bounced back quickly. I don't know that. This guy bounces back from this. Potato man. This was bad.
All right, I've got all of that and a whole lot more on this Friday. 1-800-636-8686. Josh Heipel coming up in 20 minutes. Joshua Perry in hour number two. Are you ready to level up your skills and stand out in today's evolving workforce at University of Maryland Global Campus?
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Learn more at umgc.edu. Umgc. Edu. You're listening to the Jim Rome Show.
So funny. I normally I won't get into things like the weather because who cares? But It's like 200 degrees here in SoCal right now. Like we're all living on the surface of the Sun. But even stranger here in the building, it's muggy as hell.
That's normally an issue. Even Lauren walked in the studio. He's like wiping off the cameras. And like I can't see through the glass. It's fogging up.
It's really weird what's going on. And Lauren said, yeah, what is this? This is why I left Houston. I didn't know it got so humid in Southern California. I'm like, normally it doesn't, Lauren.
Normally it doesn't feel like Jacksonville or Age Town. But it does now. All right, your reaction coming up momentarily.
Some of you are really off base. And I need to need to set you straight and I will. Quick reminder, I've got a special alert. To all Americans who own a vehicle with less than 200,000 miles with an auto warranty about to expire or with no warranty coverage at all due to a decline in the economy. CarShield is announcing a low-cost month-to-month vehicle protection plan that is now available to the public to save any driver out-of-pocket expenses on future auto repairs.
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So call right now for a free quick quote. Eight hundred, six, seven, five, seventy seven, sixteen, eight hundred, six, seven, five, seventy seven, sixteen. I mean, what do you have to lose? Eight hundred, six, seven, five, seventy seven, sixteen, eight hundred, six, seven, five, seventy seven, sixteen. All right, some reaction.
This is not off chat. This is off email. Wrong. I have listened to the show. For 22 years now, I have never heard Alvie talk so damn much.
Is he still getting some from Midge? Is he trying for kid number 16? Is it just a Friday for him? Damn, my boy was on one today. Mat in Poland Springs.
Hey Alvie, are you still getting some from Midge? Um Midge. You mean mill? Midge. I went to their wedding.
Midge was not in attendance. Midge. Come on, Matt. Do you, Dylan Doloro, take Midge? To be your Matt, 22 years?
And you're midging her? Mill Not Midge. It's Ryan, not Ryan. It's mill that mid Get it right. You're wrong.
What is all of this Alvie leaving talk? My man can run the board and the Jim Rome show and be QB1. Prime played two sports. Bo played two sports. Alvie can do it.
Alvin deserves some praise, even Steve Nash said it.
Well, Alvin's incredible. He deserves an incredible amount of praise. Steve Nash did say that. War Alvin running the board, playing QB1, and coaching up Giannis.
Now we can do it all. Don't believe me? Ask Midge. Hey Vance Mac. I love this.
I love when the, because we spend so much time talking about the platforms, I love when the Rome TV channel gets the love that it deserves. Hey Vance Mac. I'll be in the chat. As long as I'm not getting too many food orders at work, but I I wanted to show off. Jim Rome.
Roku channel. On the T V at work, no sound, but any other clones visiting Portland, Maine can recognize a fellow clone by seeing this on the T V Zack in the 207. Two hams, twenty dollars. Let's see.
Alright, dude. All right. He's got us up on his screen. Appreciate you. Appreciate that, brother.
Nice job. Wait, that was yesterday. Whatever. He's got it up.
So, really quickly, Lauren, if you don't mind, XCR. Roku is one of the monsters we have, one of the monster platforms, but we have eight platforms on the Rome TV channel.
So if you're not watching on the internet, but you wanna watch on one of the platforms, you can hit any of the following. Amazon Prime. Roku, TCL, DirecTV, Plex, Samsung TV Plus, Vizio and LG. All of those platforms carry this show live every Monday through Friday in its entirety. Appreciate you putting that up in the establishment, dude.
V and the fee is in. Brown's talk? Ah, I see what you're doing, Jim. Right. It's not hard to see what I'm doing.
I'm talking about Alvy, the Browns, and the Creep. What do you mean you see what I'm doing? Everybody sees what I'm doing. I'm talking about the Browns hammering the Patriots last night and the fact that it was no coincidence because the creep did not play, but Alby did. And Alvie was sharp as hell.
Stucknut. No, you did not. Quote. It's ironic did V in the fee finished number two in the smack-off last year. Hey, nut.
I will never ever ever disparage you. I will never ever. Say anything negative about you, my guy. But not. I mean you are actually A member of the fam.
You actually are XR4TI. You're the best employee I've ever had. because you do more work than most of the employees I've ever had and never ask for anything.
So I'm going to allow that. But it was really lame. But I will allow that because of who you are. Let's see here, Bo and the LBC. I'll be skipping over you.
Scott DJ, I trust him. He's got more drive and gumption in his big toe than that creep has in his entire body. Alvie. as we know, played more college football than essentially anybody. Alvi, as we know.
won a state championship in high school and basketball. Alvi is a quick, quick Twitch type. But you know what? He's got a processor, man. He processes things so much faster.
Then the creep. And why is that? The Creep in the NFL for quite some time. The Creep is a three-time Pro Bowler. Why is that dude having so much trouble getting the ball out?
Being decisive Processing what he sees, I don't get that. I don't get anything about the guy, but I really don't get all of that. This gets on to what I was talking about. The MP Charles 25, quote, why would anyone Wanna pick with Deshaun Watson, especially after that S show presser. Exactly.
Never mind that he's a creep. Never mind that he allegedly committed some really abhorrent acts. towards women Well actually don't never mind that all of that But the guy held a presser where he effectively said bleep you to the entire fan base. And the team names him the starter the next day and people still want his picture. Seatown.
What are we doing? All right, when we come back, Josh Hypel joins us. Tennessee head football coach Joshua Perry.
Next hour, I got a lot more to get to. And yes. I have seen the second half of these. A I slop. I've seen it.
That's why you haven't seen it. Am I making myself clear about that? Stay tuned. You're listening to the Jim Rome Show.
Welcome back. Quick reminder: it is time to ask the pros. We are clones get to ask me a question, and it is sponsored by O'Reilly Auto Parts. Post your question at Jim Rome. Use the hashtag ask the pros on X.
Listen later on, and either I or somebody on the crew might answer one of your questions. Think O'Reilly Auto Parts for all of your car care needs. Get the parts and service you need fast from the professional parts people at O'Reilly Auto Parts. All right, we were efforting Josh Heipel. I'm going to have that momentarily.
In the meantime, Hey, get up in here, engage any way you want. which is code for get on the damn phones. Get on the damn phones. 1-800-636-8686-WEEK 0. NFL right around the corner.
Finally some ball. Finally, some ball.
So that is awesome news. And I've got plenty more to get to. In the meantime, we are going to talk some SEC football. Head coach of Tennessee, Josh Huipel, is going to join me momentarily. And by momentarily, I mean right now, we are joined by the head football coach of Tennessee.
He is entering his sixth season there. The Vols went eight and five last year. They played the Music City Bowl. He has guided the Vols to five-story postseason appearances and to the college football playoff in 2024. He was the 2022 SEC Coach of the Year.
The Vols open up their year at home against Furman on September 5th. We are joined right now by Josh Huipel. Josh, great to have you back on. Always appreciate the time. How are you doing?
And how are you feeling a week out from your opener? Excited. Teams had a great training camp. You know, it's time to go play somebody else in a different color. And excited to see our fans as we get ready to go play on Saturday.
I like that.
So let's talk about some of the guys you have right now. As a former quarterback who helped Oklahoma win the natty in 2000, you've always gotten the most out of all the guys you've coached under center. You've got a true freshman in Fazone Brandon who's going to be your week one starter. Ultimately, what did you see in him that enabled him to separate himself from the competition and earn that starting gig? Yeah, there's a lot that goes into playing quarterback at a high level.
And as a young guy, his work habits since he got here in January have been phenomenal. One of the first guys into the building, you know, is here late into the evening. And it just continued to get better every opportunity that he got. You know, from spring ball to training camp, continued to grow. And during the course of training camp, he did a great job controlling, commanding what we're doing offensively, understanding the run game, making checks.
The RPO game has continued to grow. Ability just to distribute the ball at a really high level. He's taken really good care of the football.
So really excited about what we've seen from that room during the course of training camp and certainly phase on as well. And excited to get to game day and let that guy go paint the picture here and continue our journey as a football team this year. I'll tell you what, that's pretty comprehensive right there. Nothing for me to follow up on except to ask: how do you go about preparing a true freshman? For the speed and the violence of SEC football, is there anything you can really do other than throw him out there and get those live reps?
Well, I think the speed, the athleticism, the complexity of what you're seeing defensively from week to week, we get an opportunity to compete against that every single day in practice. And he certainly has continued to grow with every opportunity that he's gotten. It will be different on game day, certainly. You know, you're going to be live, but his decision making has been really sound. We continue to work, stress the fundamentals of taking care of the football inside of the pocket as you're moving inside and outside of the pocket.
But, you know, we've started young freshman quarterbacks before in our history as a staff together. Those guys have played really good football. But with every rep on game day, Faison is going to continue to get better. And, you know, the challenge to our football team, our guys on offense, the 10 other guys playing at a high level, doing their job to not put him in harm's way will be critical. Here early in the year, and you got to tie defensive and special teams football together.
Tennessee head football coach Josh Heipel joining us. Speaking of the other guys on offense, let me ask you about one of the other 10. You've got Deshaun Bishop, and always good to have a guy like that, right? You got a veteran guy in the backfield. He's a hammer.
He's coming off a thousand-yard rushing season, 16 TDs. How much does the senior set the tone for the entire offense with that physical running style and then the yards after contact? Yeah, you know, a lot of people get caught up in some of the numbers that we've put up in the past game, but the identity for us offensively has always been the run game. Return four out of the five offensive starters on the offensive line, experience that tight end coming back. And then you talked about Deshaun, but the stable of running backs that we have right now, I couldn't be more proud of a position group here of how they've played during the course of training camp.
We've had great competition. They challenge each other in the right way, but they support each other as well. Deshaun, obviously, second team all conference a year ago, over a thousand yards rushing, is set up and poised and worked in a way to expect to have a great year. And, you know, three other guys inside of that room that we all feel great about playing on game day. And that's with the ball in their hand and playing without the ball in their hand as well.
Josh, hi, Paul joining us. Josh mentioned the other two units. Let me ask you about the defense. Jim Knowles is your new D coordinator. Joins the program after stints at Penn State and Ohio State.
How have your guys taken to him and his scheme as you try to counter some of the SEC's high-powered offenses? Yeah, you know, made a change. We couldn't have been more excited going through the process of landing Jim Knowles. His experience, his ability to build elite defenses everywhere that he's been. He's done it at different stops and been able to fit defensively what he does to the personnel that he has.
And his flexibility, creativity was a big reason why it was important for us to have him here for us to kick this thing off the right way. We were able to hire somebody at every level of the defense, whether that's a primary coach or a support coach.
So in that defensive staff room, they were all speaking the same language extremely quickly, got the information to our players in a clear, concise way. Our guys have worked extremely hard at mastering those things, but they've played really good football here through the course of training camp. And ultimately, we want to go see it on the field on game day, but really excited about what we've done on the Defense side of the ball. Getting close to game day, Josh Hypel joining us. Josh, I thought that Rams head coach Sean McVay had a great line when asked about players leaving the NFL to go back to college.
Quote, I can't even comprehend this stuff. I feel like I took a freaking gummy. End a quote, do you think players who have left for the NFL, Josh, should be allowed to return to college? Yeah, it's a completely different landscape in everything that's going on on the personnel side of it inside of college football, you know, from what it was, you know, even five years ago, you know, from NIL to transfer portal to the current landscape of, you know, are NFL guys going to be allowed to come back or not. You know, ultimately, I'm not in charge of those things.
It's a unique set of circumstances that has led us to even having this conversation here a week before, you know, the regular season kicks off. Yeah, by the way, never a good time, but how about right before the week or the week before the season kicks off? Listen, I hear the way you answered that question. I'm going to take one more shot at this and ask you, do you think the conferences will have the final say or are the courts going to win out? Yeah, I have no idea.
History would tell you here recently that courts have kind of dictated what's going on. I can't tell you where that thing's going to land today, though. Me neither. I feel like I got to go to law school to do this job right now. Josh Hypel joining us.
Hey, Josh, let me ask you something. You've posted a pair of double-digit win seasons over the past four years, which is double that total that Tennessee had from 2005 to 2021. Do you feel like you've got the Valls in position to consistently compete for championships year in and year out now? Is it where you want to be? Yes, you want to do better and get better, but do you feel like you're trending where you want to be?
Yeah, I don't think you ever are exactly where you want to be as a coach. You're always pushing forward and want more. I am really proud about what we've done over the last five years, longest or most wins in a five-year stretch since the 90s. We've had some great moments. We've had some tough days too.
But as a program, coaches, players, even our fan base, we've jumped forward in a big-time way. If you go back to when we took over here under a really set of hard circumstances, we've pushed forward in a really quickly and positive way. A year ago, I had a chance to be in every one of those games. In this league, you're going to play a majority of your games are one-possession games, which means it's one play. We got to be on the right side of that, but certainly expect inside of this building to be competing for championships every single year.
It says right there on the lower third, TV. Term 45 and 20 overall at Tennessee. Josh Hyplet's strong. Hey, Josh, one last thought. When we talk about it, it comes down to like a single possession in that conference.
How about the SEC shifting to a nine-game conference schedule? Do you think that can negatively impact how many SEC teams make it to the playoffs this year, knowing what a gauntlet it is within the conference? Yeah, I certainly think it can if the selection committee, playoff committee, doesn't recognize the strength of the teams that you're playing in and reverts back to old days where you just look at the last number in the loss column when you look at records. There's a lot of factors at play. I think you got to look at the totality of the season inside of this league, what it means to go on the road week in and week out.
It doesn't matter where you're playing, the adversity and the toughness of those road games.
So it absolutely can, but I also believe in the strength of this league from top to bottom. Hey, Josh, no need for me to date either one of us, but I just want to acknowledge you have been coming on this show for. Should I say decades? I mean, as a player or to a coach, I want you to know I appreciate the relationship very, very much, and I appreciate the access.
So, thank you for that. Appreciate the friendship. Absolutely. I always love being on. Much respect for you and the job that you do.
And looking forward to a great season here on Rocky Top. Go get it. Go get it, Josh. Appreciate you. Thanks for saying that.
And the respect is great, great, greatly mutual, I should say. Josh Heipel joining us, and he's a great, great player and a great coach, and has always done the program, always made himself available, always made himself accessible. And I appreciate that.
Now more than ever, there are lots of different places for people to go to get their message out there. And he always makes time for us. Josh Heipel, Tennessee head coach, 45 and 20 since getting to the balls. And as he points out, What he inherited. It was not really so good.
Not so easy. And he got that thing turned around and they're competitive. They're a force. And I think the best is in front of them.
Alright, when we come back, hour number two, in that second hour. Joshua Perry joins us. That's coming up at 120. Hey, if you're in the chat, man, stop doing what you're doing. I mean, I can't stop you from doing what you're doing, but stop doing what you're doing.
Now, better yet, stop thinking that if you keep hammering away about the second half of that AI slop. I'm going to play it. You're not wearing me down with that. All right, I've got so much that I want to cover today. And that's not part of it.
Also, still ahead, the Niners. The hell is going on with the Niners? Another day, another completely whack story. That's coming up too. Stay tuned.
Mm-hmm.
