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Strayer University is certified to operate in Virginia by Chev and has many campuses, including at 2121 15th Street North in Arlington, Virginia. I'm living my best life. Yeah, yeah. This is the Rich Eisen Show. Here's the other surprising part.
With guest host, Brian Weber. Yeah, big shoes to fill. Eisen's a legend. Live from the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles. The Rich Eisen Show.
Do you know who I am? I'm a guy on television. I have my own show. And now. Sitting in for Rich, here's Brian Weber.
Welcome to the program. Always a blast to keep the chair warm for Rich and the guys enjoying a much-deserved vacation. And we are fired up and feeling good to kick off what. For many of you, it is the continuation of the long holiday weekend. Hope you had a great 4th of July.
LeBron James spent Independence Day on social media. We've got the details. I watched NBA Summer League, so you didn't have to. And yes, the latest sad reminder: I have no life. I'm Brian Weber, InforRich.
I give out the phone number for a reason. We take phone calls on this program. In fact, we demonstrated it. On Friday, in a stunning development, a phone call on a holiday, 844-204-7424 is the phone number. But to be fully transparent, the best way to have a conversation with me is on social media.
Hit me up on the X platform, BW Weber, Weber with two B's. I mentioned the NBA for a reason, and I'm not going to belabor the point because coming up in 20 minutes, we're going to talk NFL. And if you are Jonesing. for football. If you are going through withdrawals, and I understand it, we're all addicted to the pigskin, I have excellent news for you.
Are you aware? That technically NFL training camps open on Saturday. Yes, there's a T in there. Five days from now, and maybe it's because I come to you from our Regal studios in Southern California, or I'm actually doing my job, not mailing it in, coming off a long holiday weekend. I was curious because the date floats every year.
It's always mid-July. But thanks to the miracle of the interwebs, I confirmed with the Chargers taking on the Lions this month. July 31st is the Hall of Fame game. The rookies for the Bolts show up on Saturday. That means we've almost made it, and I'm going to continue to get you fully lined up for the return of the National Football League coming up in 20 minutes.
The latest on Travis Kelsey. He's been talking about the significant trade-offs that he has had to make for canoodling with arguably the most famous woman on the planet. More to the point because this is a sports show, although I have more latitude on a big word Monday because nobody handles the intersection of sports and entertainment better than Rich. We'll focus on the Chiefs on the field. Was it a one-off?
Was it an aberration? Was it an anomaly that they got annihilated by the Eagles in the Super Bowl? Or did it point out that the team that's had a dynastic run? Has some major issues they need to address. We'll get there coming up.
But the reason I mentioned the NBA to start the program was for this purpose. A lot of you, because I read the feedback on social media. We're underwhelmed by the developments of MBA Free Agency. I understand. And I don't want to kill the audience two minutes in, but this was all by design.
And talking about the minutiae of the collective bargaining agreement is deadly audio.
However, if you've been paying attention, this was all years in the making.
So, the days of the free agent frenzy are long gone. And if you think nothing happened, you're just being lazy or you're not listening to the right host.
So, if you were not with me on Friday, I would not be that much of an egomaniac, although I have too much self-esteem for no reason. Mostly because I get to say my name a lot. I'm Brian Weber, Infor Rich. Hop aboard at 844-204-7424. No guests in the first hour.
If you've endured my gimmick, or let's flip it, let's go positive because that works well in Sports Talk Radio. If you appreciate my approach, whoever I'm lucky enough to fill in for, I never overwhelm you with guests.
So we're going to follow what I believe to be a winning blueprint. Our first guest won't join us until the next hour of the program. I still talk a little bit of baseball because I'm old and I follow the news cycle. We're not getting into all-star snubs. It's not 1998, but we will hit on the salient topics like what is going on with the Yankees.
I posed that question on Friday. Since then, they dropped another series, Subway series, in fact, to the Mets, although they salvaged some dignity with the win yesterday. Take you around the bigs with Andy McCullough of the Athletic Final Hour. In addition to the NBA, I'm about to address. We will say hello to Jonathan Von Tobel, NBA analyst for Veeson.
The MBA is not done. with moves so if you're of the opinion This has been boring. This has not been scintillating. Could I sell you on a three team deal that has occurred, at least it became semi official within the last few hours? And I'll get to the mega seven team trade that was finalized yesterday.
And I sold that like a carnival barker on Friday.
Now it is historic, it is unprecedented, it just was not the names we thought. could have been attached to it, but that was me running wild with the trade machine. The latest move in the NBA, three team deal involving the Clippers, the Heat. Hey, Miami finally did something. Pat Riley is not fully retired.
And the Jazz. And it's interesting based on the reaction on social media from one of the principals as to how this played out. Norman Powell, again, this is not earth-shattering. We did not play the breaking news sounder. Norman Powell, a good role player, goes from the Clippers to the heat.
John Collins goes to LA. Remember, the Clippers already signed Brooke Lopez to bolster things in the paint. I realize he's 117 years old, but he's tall. Kevin Love, Kyle Anderson, and a 2027 second-round pick of LA winds up in Utah. And I will turn it over to the thoughtful Kevin Love for instant analysis.
He just posted this on the X platform: quote, Never thought I'd be a math problem. Welcome to the NBA. And he's pointing out he was thrown in just to make everything work in terms of salary slotting. And that's really how these trades are motivated. But I just wanted to keep you constantly updated because by now it's clear I really love NBA machinations.
And the big words are running wild. I must have got a lot of sleep.
Well, I tried to. In the midst of the pyrotechnics. Quick aside, I have established that. I'm not young as much as I try to hang on to that same enthusiastic delivery that got me ahead starting the business. I'm 55.
My life is over. I remember what it was like to roll in from the club, especially when July 4th is on a Friday. You go wild. Who the heck is lighting fireworks at 3:30 in the morning? Give it a rest!
My God, I went to bed at 8 o'clock on Friday.
Now, you don't care about my filming schedule, but I was trying to beat the pyrotechnics. I got a solid 45 minutes of sleep. And then the rest of the night was Beirut circa 1982.
So now that I'm fully rested, we're going full throttle on the NBA before we make the move to the NFL coming up now in 15 minutes because I've been filibustering. These moves are not that consequential. I will give you that concession.
However, when you take a step back, and there are other transactions that could still be on the horizon, namely, And this will contradict my point that there are substantial things happening. Bradley Beale, remember him? Remember when the Suns were going to be the next super team? If you follow me on the X platform, if you don't, what's the problem? I'll follow you, B.W.
Weber, Weberwood2Bs, the phone number 844-204-7424. I'm Brian Weber and for Rich. We're live on this Monday edition of the program.
Well, that Sun Super team. will be remembered by historians as the best team that never was. And Bradley Beale, to me, has to be on your short list of the most overrated players in NBA history, not based on his bank account, but what has this guy actually ever done? And when is he healthy? I'll throw it out there rhetorically before I answer the question.
Where do you think Bradley Beale, who reportedly is about to be Damian Lillard, if you will, by the Suns? They're going to use the exact same mechanism that got Dame kicked to the curb last week so Milwaukee could make the big swing to pick up Miles Turner in the effort to appease Giannis. Although I don't think it's going to matter at all in terms of what happens on the court, Milwaukee to me is still a play-in team because you got to answer this question: who is their point guard? But with Beale set to become available via the buyout that will be roughly $100 million, like Dame, Lillard, just over that, stretched over five years for cap purposes. If Beal can be signed by anybody.
your ultimate free agent mercenary, where would he make the most sense? And I'm just saying this from a slightly cynical point of view. The answer, of course, is the Clippers. Because he's a younger James Harden. and Harden a much better player.
And I'm just taking a shot at James because he's a stack compiler and he has never showed up in a game seven, as we saw most recently when the Clippers took the Nuggets to the limit and then got absolutely blown out in Game 7. But to me, Beal going to the Clips is the ultimate Clipper move because they collect resumes like the Cowboys do. They look for bright, shiny names. And in this instance, Steve Bommer wouldn't have to throw a ton of money at him because Beal is already getting the massive payday and the buyout from Phoenix. That's the one thing that would be lacking because Bomber then always overpays these guys because he's the richest man in the NBA.
I'm Brian Weber. I don't have that kind of net worth, but I am happy not only to punch the time clock, but to take you around the NBA, filling in for rich, and coming up in just over 10 minutes, we'll spotlight. The team that I fully believed, and the game was virtually a pick'em. If you cared about my prediction, I was leaning towards the Eagles, but it felt like Kansas City. Had cheated death so many times last year in the season of Living Dangerously.
The fact that they even got back to the Super Bowl and had the opportunity to produce the first repeat as the Super Bowl champs in league history. I think it impacted my analysis. I went with my heart instead of my head, and I thought, well, Mahomes has made it this far. He's going to win again, right? Another reason why you should not listen to any of my gambling predictions.
Be sure to download the podcast in the sports book with BWEB, wherever you get your podcast. Right now is a good time because I know a lot of you actually enjoyed most of the week off, and maybe you're still on holiday, as we say when I'm with my British friends walking around in a speedo, in a Bifa. Maybe you have not thought about what these moves mean. And I mentioned in passing. And I don't want to admit defeat, but if you enjoyed the program on Friday, and maybe I was riding high as we all enjoyed the greatness of Joey Chestnut together, I gave you, and we also had validation from guests.
This was not blind speculation, I told you it was coming. That the original deal between the Suns and the Rockets sending Kevin Durant to Houston would be expanded. And I like mindless rumor and innuendo. I'm not a conspiracy theory guy, but I like running through scenarios because it's fun. After all, why do we love sports?
For a variety of reasons, for most of us it's vicarious. We were either drummed out of competitive sports. For me, it was eighth grade or cut whenever you got to high school or got hurt.
So we all had it end earlier than we hoped to, in terms of our aspirations. But for my purposes, what I love about sports is it's the template for any other conversation you want to have. You want to get into economics? You can. How much money do we talk about?
I'm not going there, but if you want to go political, You have many avenues, and I enjoy going round and round with the what-if scenario.
So the seven-team deal, in fact, became finalized yesterday with the start of the new league year. Prior to yesterday, everything was just speculation. But when we got to the end of this math equation, As I quote Kevin Love, Rockets, Suns, Hawks, Nets, T-Wolves, Warriors, Lakers, all involved. I threw out the thermonuclear because we did have reports via the Ath Autic that Golden States and the Lakers were part of this mega deal.
Well, LeBron via his agent in that statement that was released after LeBron opted in. And I'll talk about the king being busy on social media on July 4th coming up.
Well, LeBron's aspirations, if you believe that statement, were We're to compete for another championship.
Well, how about LeBron and Steph? Like the Olympic team in Paris. There were rumblings, and I know this is after the fact Monday morning quarterbacking on a Monday morning here in Southern California. But I wanted to believe there might have been some substance. LeBron could have been packaged, going to San Francisco to run with Steph.
Jimmy Butler winds up in Phoenix. None of that happens.
So the overview hasn't changed. The headline is: Durant to Houston. We knew that Clint Capella was going there as of a few days ago. That might seem like a, huh?
So what, fill in guy? Why you mention that?
Well, it gives Houston even more depth because to me, what the Rockets have done and I'll talk about the Suns takeaways momentarily, the Rockets are following the OKC playbook. And remember, everything changed for the Thunder. When they pulled off, From their vantage point, and I'll go negative on the Clippers. I don't know why I'm battling the world's richest man and Steve Bommer, but I'm just trying to be objective and say what I mean and mean what I say. This is clearly the worst trade in NBA history.
I could argue now it's the worst trade in sports history, although you got to get into the creepy element of Deshaun Watson and the fact that money's fully guaranteed. But the SGA trade, which you'll recall was the Paul George trade, five number ones. Two pick swaps. Danilo Galinari could play a little bit. And now, the new face of the league in SGA, whether you like it or not, he takes a lot of criticism for being the free throw merchant.
Well, That changed everything, not only because SGA evolved into the reigning MVP, all of the draft capital. To get Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren and have the deepest team in the NBA. Houston following that model directly because they parlayed James Harden going to Brooklyn to a boatload of picks, and now they have incredible depth and they're young. The one thing they needed was a reliable scorer, especially from the perimeter. I realize Durant has not been the same since his Achilles injury, but he is still somebody who's going to get you 25 on a nightly basis.
So put it all together. And especially when you consider that the Rockets didn't give up their core young players like Thompson and Shengun and were able to unload the big contract of Jalen Green. I think Houston did very well, and I have them slotted just ahead of Denver. And I liked the moves they made on the margins behind OKC. If we're looking at the top of the Western Conference, going to take a long time to find Phoenix if we're going through the hierarchy, but.
That's by design. Because I mentioned In passing, that's all it deserved. The air quote super team that was assembled in the Valley of the Sun. How'd that work out? And you still have Devin Booker, so you have somebody who can be your go-to scorer, but.
We've seen it repeatedly in this league. If you are not ascending, if you're stuck maybe towards the middle. You have no shot. And that's why there's value. and blowing things up.
And that's what the Suns have done because they realized it wasn't working. They have an aggressive owner, Matt Ishpia, who thinks he knows basketball. Remember, he was a walk-on for Tom Izzo at Michigan State. That's a dangerous combination. A guy with deep pockets who thinks he really knows the game.
So the Suns are going to continue to be aggressive. The moves may not work out, but at least they're not stuck in neutral.
So when you put it all together, As we will not talk about Phoenix again for a few years as they try to rebuild, Janlin Greene, I mentioned. Nothing wrong with him. Another guy who's going to get you 25 a night. Didlen Brooks, your three and D wild card, because he runs hot with all of his intensity. And a bunch of second-round picks.
That was my issue with the deal last week because second-round picks mean virtually nothing in this league. Jalen Brunson is the exception that proves the rule. You can argue the second round of the draft shouldn't exist. And I could certainly make that argument based on the television product, just unwatchable.
Well, I think I'll give the sons credit. They turned that draft capital into a bunch of players you never heard of. But you got to have depth in this league.
So the seven-team deal happened, and I had a degree of validation, although. I might have to burn the podcast 'cause I was really getting wrapped up in the All right, LeBron's going to the Warriors and then Chris Paul is going to play one more year and even I got worn out. Feels like LeBron needs to take a vacation from social media. And I can't blame you if you weren't tracking what's going on on July 4th, but this is my profession, and I take it seriously. I hope I don't take myself too seriously, as the self-deprecation should be coming through your speakers.
LeBron worked out with the Cavaliers, and the internet freaked out on Friday.
Now, some people just have no memory. Or they want to talk things into existence. As LeBron pointed out, he does this every year. It is not. A Stunning development for NBA players to work out at the facilities of other teams.
Reciprocity happens, and he's LeBron James.
So. I did find it interesting he felt the need to go on the X platform. And point out, and I'll read some of the quote because he used some language we can't use here on the Rich Isand Show. Every summer since it was built, He's talking about the Cavalier facility. I live here still.
I train here every Sunday. Summer. Damn y'all bored, man. Get a plate of food somewhere. Enjoy the 4th of July.
Now, He's not wrong. It's factual. Why did he feel the need on July 4th to thumb that out? I think the response is a choice because LeBron is an attention merchant. He just wants.
Fellows like me, and more importantly, the guys with their name on the marquee, Rich Isen, to talk about them. Mission accomplished. And coming up as we talk more NBA later in the program, I'm going to. Dig deeper into the why, because the why is really the key question here. Why did LeBron opt in for the first time ever?
I think the answer's right in front of us. Lakers didn't offer him a one-plus one, a two-year contract. Lakers are moving on, and most importantly, and I'll steal from the best basketball journalist going, Brian Windhorse. And forget about the fact that he covered LeBron in high school.
Okay, I know that was his entree. He has built on that. With, I think, the most reliable sources, and if Windor says it, it's true. He's not just throwing stuff against the wall. He said, and this is, I think, the perfect summation: for the first time, LeBron James is being perceived as an expiring contract.
And what does that mean?
Well If The contract is played out. The Lakers just get it off the books, which is a massive win for salary cap reasons, or, as Kevin Love just found out. An expiring contract is very attractive. from a standpoint of trades. And we'll get there later in the show as I try to validate my wild 17 trade not happening.
I'm Brian Weber, in for rich. Phone calls a possibility at 844-20474. I will check the X machine coming up. That is B.W. Weber.
Weber with two B's in 20 minutes. A little WNBA. I was hoping to see Caitlin Clark. She missed her fifth straight game because of the groin injury, but I'll point out her absence demonstrates her value even further. Up next, we never get too far away from the NFL.
This is the NFL show of record. We will focus on the AFC West with Chargers rookies reporting on Saturday. What sacrifices is Travis Kelsey making for his high-profile romance? How motivated is he by his mediocre Super Bowl performance? And will the Chiefs take a step back this season?
I'm Brian Weber, in for rich. This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. fiscally responsible, financial geniuses, monetary magicians. These are things people say about drivers who switch their car insurance to progressive and save hundreds. because Progressive offers discounts for paying in full.
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Getting the zone, AutoZone. Welcome to AutoZone. What are you working on today? Hey, that's the spirit. Right now, we're celebrating free with a free STP oil filter when you buy five quarts of oil and free Duralast brake pads when you buy two rotors.
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Why, whoever you are, do you give out the number and then throw in that caveat, that disclaimer? Because I understand how it works. I am a veteran guest host. Fact, I was just on ProFootballTalk.com. I'll read you a headline connected to the Chiefs momentarily, reminding me of the days when I would fill in for Mike Florio.
I fill in elsewhere if you care about my schedule, because I know that's really of paramount interest. BW Weber, Weber with 2P.
So I'm not on the radio as much as I used to be. There's a reason why every version of the Brian Weber show has been canceled.
So I take these opportunities very seriously. I push four hours of content into a three-hour bag because I talk so quickly. And I want Rich to be pleased because Rich is the boss.
So when I say phone calls taken selectively, it's because unless you have something compelling to say and you got to get past my man Art Martinez, who was very tough, very demanding. I'm going to continue with my approach, but I do read all the feedback on social media, and I appreciate the positive, the negative. As CoSell said, love me, hate me, just know who I am. ProFootballTalk.com, Mike Florio, great friend of the program. Headline, Patrick Mahomes.
I've talked to Tom Brady a good amount this offseason. How do Raider fans feel about that? I'm staring at one right now. He gives me a thumbs down.
Now, folks, when I got in the broadcasting, and it used to be overwhelming, millions are hanging on to my every word. The observation was: mentally have the image, you're talking to one person.
Now, in this sense, I'm looking right at him and he's wearing a Raider hat.
Now, I should not do the show that my technical producer wants because I'd be breaking down the punting situation in Las Vegas. I do find this interesting. I'm going to tread lightly here. Because Rich has more relationships than anybody in sports and entertainment. And I am aware because I'm obsessed where people went to college.
who is a bigger Michigan man than mister Eisen? Maybe Tom Brady.
So I'm not going to take a gratuitous shot at Tom. I just will point out, he does have. An ownership position with the Raiders. We've been hearing he's much more hands-on. He's also the lead analyst on Fox.
When you have all these roles, there's going to be an overlap.
Now, I understand conflict of interest does not exist anymore in any aspect of our life without getting political. There are no rules. But if you're a Raider fan, doesn't that feel just a little bit off-putting?
Now, I also understand there are friendships and relationships, but if you're Tom, maybe you go, hey, Tom. Don't mention my name because you realize that Mahomes, when he has a five-touchdown performance, post-game is going to say, Well, I was talking to Tom Brady in the offseason.
Now, I think the first thing, and I'm not body-shaming anybody, I didn't click on the story, I will. Tom might want to talk to Patrick about nutrition. If you're just looking at the photos out there, there's a reason my head shot. The current one is from 2002 when I was an NFL silent reporter for Fox. I am vain.
In fact, my last headshot from NFL Network 12 years ago, when I got to meet Rich for the first time, someone said it looked like Nathan Lane. All right, I was a little bit more corpulent then, but clearly, Mahomes. Is just a genetic freak. He is somebody who does not need to spend the time in the weight room because he's got the most gifted arm talent we've seen in decades. Which gets us to my Chiefs' conversation.
I'm Brian Weber, InfoRich, 844-204-7424. More NBA coming up. In hour number two, we're going to kick things off because I love college football as much as I love professional football, although that passion is. is diminished Based on the state of the sport.
However, with Big Twelve Media Days starting tomorrow, Which is insane, but that conference has an inferiority complex, and they should. They feel like they need to be front and center, which is a good marketing approach always. But once we get to media days, that gives me permission to jump on football hard on campus. Coming up in less than 30 minutes as we start the second hour of the program, I'm going to get into a historic revenue sharing contract that reports leaked the particulars about over the weekend. The money is staggering, and then we will spin it forward.
Have all these changes across college football primarily, but all of college sports, but I understand for most of you, if I say college sports, it's football and men's basketball to a degree we know the rise of women's basketball. Oh, I'm talking Caitlin Clark coming up in just over 10 minutes, but I'm also the guy who's the former voice of the San Jose Lasers of the American Basketball League in 1996, which was the predecessor to the WNBA.
So I've been lucky to appreciate and call women's basketball for decades. It's a terrific sport. We'll talk about the ramifications of all these big changes in college coming up. If we think about where the The chiefs are If I throw out the Chiefs for casuals out there, you want a Taylor Swift update. I do not have anything related to T-Sizzle.
I'm sure she had a big holiday weekend. Travis Kelsey's been talking not only on his ginormous podcast with his brother, he went on busting with the boys, which is always a good listen, and talked about two things. Personal motivation. and I give Travis credit for being honest and not trying to Blow past what was an abysmal performance in the Super Bowl.
Now, in fairness, nothing worked for the Chiefs. And their primary challenge was a sieve-like offensive line.
Now, let's flip it. Philly's got to get a lot of props. For getting to Mahomes a half dozen times. Remember, all those sacks came without a single blitz, which tells you Vic Fangio is a defensive mastermind, how powerful Philly's front seven was, although they've lost some key folks and losing sweat to Arizona, I think will have a negative impact on Philadelphia moving forward.
However, if you think about that game from the KC perspective, in addition to the offensive line getting pummeled, where was Kelsey? Just a no-show. Only had four catches.
So he's saying all the right things about being motivated to ball out this year to prove that that was a one-off. And he's done the work required to get his body right to get back to the high standards he has. Secondly, I found this interesting. With Rich about to show the world how dynamic he is on the links. I'm going to promote this every single day this week.
Rich Eisen is. is going to play. In the American Century Golf Championship, beautiful South Lake Tahoe, Nevada. I had the great opportunity to cover that event twice on a now-defunct national network because the Brian Weber show was on it on the black wide of audio. You put me in your rotation, the whole thing goes down.
Rich is going to play with the biggest names in sports and entertainment, and I'm really looking forward to getting you fully lined up for that. It starts on Friday, but if you follow that event in the past, Steph Curry's terrific. John Smoltz treats it like it's the World Series. And then you have Ray Romano, Larry the Cable guy, Charles Barkley. There's a huge disparity between the top and bottom of the leaderboard.
And I'm really happy for Rich. He's going to experience it and want to find out the state of his game. Kelsey, on this podcast, I alluded to. Talked about the sacrifices he's been making for canodling with the most famous woman in the world, and I don't think that's a stretch right now. You would think he would talk about.
Not being able to go to the grocery store. And being pursued down the streets by the paparazzi wherever he goes. He had a much more specific dilemma. Public urination. Travis says he can no longer relieve himself on the golf course because the Cameras are surrounding him at all times.
Quote: I'm playing golf, and in the trees, there's a guy with a camera. Oh, bleep, I gotta go to the restroom now. I can't just go over here and take a pee. This feels like us weekly. Celebrities are just like me and you.
And I will dip into the tabloid world. I was going to do it today, but we had the NBA News to start the program with. At the grocery store on Friday, I glance over, and yes, those magazines are still a thing. Print lives. Aaron Rodgers staring me back in the face.
with and I had the discipline not to buy the magazine, plus I'm cheap, with the blaring headline, The Most Mysterious Man in Sports. We'll give you the details coming up tomorrow. As for the Chiefs outlook, I don't think it's a massive mystery. I mention, if you were paying, any attention last year. How many one score games were they in?
The answer is a bunch of them. And I talked about the offensive line issue.
Well, I realize they've thrown a bunch of new guys up front to protect Mahomes. And I understand talking about the offensive line is Deadly. Radio? There's a reason why you fantasy nerds don't draft offensive lines because nobody wants to think about it.
However, I assume a degree of sophistication if you're listening to this program, especially with a fillet hack like yours, truly. I think we all know. that offensive lines matter. More to the point. When you have, let's be kind with Patrick because I body's shamed in passing, an immobile quarterback.
Or, let's be blunt, a statue back there. The guy can't move. He's going to need even more protection, balanced by his quick release. But his offensive line matters more than anybody, I would think, especially in the modern NFL when so many quarterbacks can get it done with their legs. And trading Joe Tooney to Chicago because they didn't want to pay him is not a positive development.
So as I track Kansas City, that's my key question. Then you have the wear and tear of all of these deep playoff runs that accumulates. And then finally, and probably of most significance, I think the AFC West is going to be the toughest division in all of football. And I'm not going to go team by team now, but usually the quick analysis is, okay, we know the playoff contenders. Remember, that division had three teams go the postseason last year because Harbaugh wins wherever he goes.
The Chargers are ahead of schedule. I'm not as high on Bo Nicks as other people are, but we know that Sean Payton. Is a quarterback whisperer, and the Raiders have to be better. I realize that just sounds like I'm mailing it in with thoughts. I'm not going to go through the whole roster, but put it this way: however, you view Geno Smith, there's a relationship with Pete Carroll.
It'll be better than the train wreck the Silver and Blacks were out there under center last year.
So that's the other challenge for Kansas City. Vastly improved. Division in terms of you just can't have a gimme win. And I know the Raiders match up well with Kansas City. I remember when they beat them on Christmas Day at Arrowhead Stadium.
I'm talking about the body of work, a comprehensive approach in the division. I'm Brian Weber and for Rich, 844-204-7424. 20 minutes now away from hour number two with more NBA thoughts. We'll talk baseball with Andy McCullough of the Athletic, and we'll kick it off with a perspective on college football. As mentioned, I am an enormous supporter of women's basketball.
It wasn't just a paycheck. I went to a school where our women's program was much better than the men's team and was very lucky to have Tara Vanderveer explain a lot of basketball to me at a young age. Caitlin Clark missed her fifth consecutive game over the weekend due to injury, but does her absence prove her remarkable value to the WNBA even more? That's coming up. This episode is brought to you by Navy Federal Credit Union.
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So you know we love talking movies around here. You know we love talking comedy around here. We also love talking about classics around here.
So, you know what I'm all about. That said, All of that said. You know how I must have felt when I was sitting in the movie theater like I was the other day watching the previews, and up came a preview. for the naked gun. with Liam Neeson as Frank Greben, junior.
That Preview had me at hello. I loved police squad back in the day. I loved the naked gun back in the day. And here comes the naked gun once again with yes, Liam Neeson as Frank Drebbin Jr. Come on now, son of the celebrated police squad, Lieutenant Frank Drebbin from the original movie, Paul Walter Hauser's in this movie, also Pamela Anderson.
Guess who also makes an appearance? WWE superstar. Cody Rhodes, and the producer of the movie is Seth McFarlane, the creator of The Family Guy. Come on now. This is going to be so much fun.
I'm excited to see The Naked Gun in theaters on August 1st.
So. What do you do on August 1st? Of course, you're going to a theater near you and you're seeing the naked gun. I might even be there. I'm Brian Weber, always having a good time whenever I have the great chance to keep the chair warm for Rich and the guys, 844-204-7424 or slide over to the X platform.
That is B.W. Weber. Weber with two B's, getting closer to the second hour of the program. We're going to jump right in. Talking college football.
College football.
So do my worst, Keith Jackson. Although most of you don't know when you think about the dulcet tones of the man who represented college football, he went to college at Washington State.
Now you know the rest of the story. I'm using tomorrow's development of Big twelve me D Day is getting underway. To get me fully motivated to talk about what happens on campus on Saturdays. And there was a monumental revenue-sharing contract that was leaked by the agent of the player, presumably. We have conflicting reports about the number.
That's not important. The significance is we have entered a new era. of revenue sharing direct payment From the university to the player, in addition to NIO money. I'll talk about the consequences coming up. If we think about.
seismic changes and Monumental impact. Who has had a more profound impact on her sport? Professionally than Caitlin Clark.
So, as mentioned, I don't have to belabor my resume. I've enjoyed calling women's basketball dating back to the early 90s, terrific sport. It doesn't have to be the same as the men's game. That's not the point. It's appreciated for what it is and the skill level.
And I admire excellence. And Caitlin Clark, when she's healthy, is a tremendous watch.
So I was disappointed as someone looking for something to do on Saturday, pretty slow sports weekend. And I'll just be up front with you. I'm not watching much regular season baseball because I've watched 15,000 baseball games in my life. Although it's a much better experience because of the pitch clock, call me for the all-star game, call me for October, and I'll be ramped up. Although I'm not going to ignore baseball fans because coming up in the next hour of the program, we're talking about.
The fallout from the all-star rosters being released. What was wrong with the Dodgers over the weekend? Not a good development against Houston. And more to the point, why have the Yankees imploded? We'll cover it all with Andy McCullough of the Athletic.
To me, The absence of Caitlin Clark, and she continues to be slowed by a groin injury, points out her value even more because the moment I saw that she was a scratch, I didn't watch the game.
Now, that's not fair to the players. That's not fair to the league, but life's not fair. I'll give you an example of life's not fair. Caitlin Clark. Is making $78,000 on her rookie salary.
Now, we understand she makes a lot more than that with endorsements, but. The reality is this league has been stuck. In the Lower echelons of our general sports appreciation for a long time. The best thing that Caitlin has done has been to captivate the attention and eventually the growth opportunity of young fans. Because if you get hooked to sports at a young age, most of us stay for the rest of our lives.
And it's great to see young girls and young boys show up early to watch her and shoot around. It's the Steph Curry phenomenon. But when she doesn't play, To me, and again, this is just my own perspective, I'm not watching much WNBA.
So, in many ways, her absence only points out her value even more. And if we're talking value, it's not a coincidence. The league just announced another round of expansion. Year one in San Francisco, the Valkyries with that wacky name, but everything's got to be different now, are selling out because Northern California loves basketball on all levels. WNBA coming to Philadelphia, Detroit, and Cleveland.
Why? Because of the Caitlin Clark phenomenon. The only thing comparable to me in terms of captivating the attention of casual fans was the impact the Tiger Woods had on golf. Because even if he didn't care about the sport or never watched it, when he was at the height of his powers, it became Appointment viewing. And coming up, as I'm very excited for Rich, I think I'm more excited for him as a viewer than he is as a player potentially.
Rich is going to that celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, coming up with the first round on Friday. I'm going to use that as a catalyst to talk golf briefly an hour from now. What happened to that Live PGA Tor merger? Because, as somebody who consumes a lot of sports media, if I turn on golf on a Sunday, I just want to know. who three of the players are.
And I realized it wasn't an elevated event. It was a John Deere classic. But. I don't know who any of these dudes are because other than Scotty Scheffler and Rory, when he's not being surly, all the big names are still making huge money from the Saudis. I'm Brian Weber talking college football to start hour number two of the show.
We appreciate the company on this Monday as we continue on the Rich Eisen Show. Jim Rome takes on sports. Why? Because you're not playing me. With rapid fire takes.
And a lot to get to, and I'm not sure you're gonna like all of it. Honestly, I don't even care if you like all of it or not. I have a job to do. Scorching debates. On any given week, you have lots to beef about.
Take advantage of it. Get up in here. He's the Spitfire of Sports Smack. Which is not my fault. We'll get to all of that.
The Jim Rome Show podcast. Get up in here, and we'll beef later on. What's your beef? Follow and listen on your favorite platform. You've been warned.
Yeah.
