REShow: JJ Watt - Hour 1 (2-6-2023)

This is the Rich Eisen Show. I'm so happy! Live from the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles. Before I let you go here Chris, what's your first blush thought on this matchup?

I think if you were the Eagles, you'd probably rather have played with the Eagles. Really? The Rich Eisen Show. Today's guests. Three time NFL defensive player of the year, J.J. Watt. CBS Sports Broadcaster, Ian Eagle. Lions Quarterback, Jared Goff.

Two time Super Bowl winning head coach, Tom Coughlin. And now, it's Rich Eisen! Yes!

Yes! We have made it! It's Super Bowl week right here on the Rich Eisen Show. We're live in Los Angeles, California. Today and tomorrow we're here in LA, home of last year's Super Bowl. But on Wednesday, this show will emanate from the Arizona Super Bowl at the Super Bowl Experience in the Convention Center in downtown Phoenix. We've got great guests lined up for those three shows. But we start today with a great guest list, including a two time Super Bowl champ, a Super Bowl quarterback from his days as a Los Angeles Rams quarterback. We also have the man, Ian Eagle, who is calling the Super Bowl on the international feed. He called the AFC Championship game for Westwood 1. He's gonna also call the next Brooklyn net game that doesn't have Kyrie Irving in it because he is the voice of the Nets and Irving is now Dallas Maverick.

We'll discuss that on this show today. Our first guest joining us in about 18 minutes time is a guy who's gonna welcome us to the Super Bowl city in Phoenix slash Scottsdale slash Glendale. It's called the Arizona Super Bowl, is the way they really want it called. J.J. Watt, the retiree of the moment, and he played against both the Eagles and the Chiefs. And this just in, they're playing in the Super Bowl this week in Arizona.

So, we've got a lot to talk about today. 844-204-rich number to dial here on the Roku channel. Free on all Roku devices. Free on select Samsung smart TVs. Free on Amazon Fire TV.

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We say hello to you and we say hello to you. Chris Brockman, how are you, sir? Rich, fired up, man. All five months, long season, went fast, here we are. Jason Feller is sitting in the chair today because Mike Del Tufo is where? He's making his way to Phoenix right now, correct?

Yeah, he said what, 91 in 15? Alright, so he just left. He left about an hour and change ago? Hell yeah.

Alright. On the road. He's going there to set up shop for us. Couldn't wait, he couldn't leave four hours later.

Fantastic, and the man who woke up today perhaps to the news that Stephen Jones of his beloved Dallas Cowboys said, Dak Prescott will be the quarterback there for the next 10 years. Oh, let's go. TJ Jefferson, good to see you, light that candle, sir. Candle, sir, if you see DJ Mikey D on the road, give him one of these and let him know that you're listening. Now, are you bringing the candle to Phoenix? No, definitely, I might, once we touch ground, I might hit a Walmart or somewhere, find the candle. A Sean Mart, that's what it's called.

It's called a Sean Mart because he officially was named Denver Broncos coach over the weekend. Find the candle and maybe Beck will hook us up with a lighter or two. Very good, there you go, very good. Alright, very good, good to see everybody here.

Good to be here. Look, I know this is, I usually shouldn't start my take off this way, the take off the top, but I know this is going to piss off Philadelphia Eagles fans. Uh oh.

You don't mind that though, right? I'm here for it. Okay, New York fans, I'm from New York City, I don't know if you saw during the Knicks victory over the Philadelphia 76ers yesterday, Tyrese Maxey at the line shooting two and the chant Eagles suck comes down from the Raptors in MSG. That's one thing we can't agree on.

Okay, that happened yesterday. So look, I know this is going to piss off Philadelphia Eagles fans, but you know this already anyway. This week is Patrick Mahomes week at the Super Bowl, Super Bowl 57. Jalen Hurts is spectacular. This team is spectacular. This team has stars all over the map. Offense, defense, their special teams is terrific. Their coach should have been a finalist for coach of the year. I'm saying all this because I understand you would get pissed to say, hey, we've made the Super Bowl with a different coach quarterback combination than the last time we made the Super Bowl.

And the last time we made the Super Bowl, we won it, and that's in the last six years of football. We deserve to have this be our week too, and it is your week, it is. But Patrick Mahomes is playing in this game. And I know so many folks out there think we in the national media, the NFL media gush too much about him. But this is his week in so many different ways, shapes and forms. And to me, the reason why it is his week for sure is that if Tom Brady is retired for good. Then his numbers, his all time great numbers, his GOAT numerals are now fixed figures.

They're fixed. It's over. He's not going to be able to add any more to it because he is retired for good. Thus, Patrick Mahomes now has a target. And of all the quarterbacks in the NFL, he's the one remaining that has the best shot to hit these targets. With all due respect to Joe Burrow, who was young and made it last year and made two straight AFC championship games. But he has zero Super Bowls. Mahomes has won.

We had this discussion when the Bucks played the Chiefs a couple years ago in the Super Bowl, the last time Kansas City made the Super Bowl. We had this conversation that Brady was not only trying to set a new standard for himself at his age and being with a new team and being back in the game with a new team after being with the Patriots for so long and in that game as a Patriot for so long. We were talking about it that, hey, Brady wins here. He sets another standard for his age and a new team and a new spot. But he also keeps Mahomes at bay and separates the two of them even further, because if there's anybody you could go get Tom or come within hailing distance of Tom, it's this kid.

And he's still a kid, which is why we're talking about him. Three or more Super Bowls starts within a four year span before turning 30. Only five quarterbacks have ever done it.

Mahomes is one of them. Tom Brady, Troy Aikman, John Elway, Bob Greasy are the only other four in the history of this big game. Brady and Aikman went 3-0 in those starts. Elway didn't win a single one of them. And Bob Greasy went 2-1. Mahomes can join Brady, Aikman, and Greasy being above 500 or he can join Elway being below 500 with this game.

And most importantly, if he wins it, he has two before turning 28, which he does in September. And this is the stuff you need to do if you want to catch Brady. And if you're sitting here thinking no one's ever going to catch him, this is what Mahomes' career is going to be about for the rest of his time. And any kid that comes out of college and does what we've seen from Mahomes, this is going to be their conversation about them too.

Period. In the same way that we were talking about Brady in 2004 on NFL Network after he went back to back, by the way in his third career Super Bowl start, like Mahomes, against the Eagles, same opponent in their third career Super Bowl starts. We were talking about that about Brady. It's like, oh my God, he's got three already. He's going to catch Montana. He's definitely going to catch Montana and Bradshaw.

He's going to catch him. Ten more years it took until he finally matched them and then got three more. It's so stupid when you talk about it. It's stupid.

Seven is stupid. But that's what I'm saying is when Brady did it back in the day, NFL Network just two years old, that's all we talked about is that Bradshaw and Montana were going to get got. And the only question is, is how much further will Brady go? It took a decade for them to for him to finally hit that fourth Super Bowl and match them. So what I'm saying is this is a new conversation we're having now that Brady's retired for good and his numbers are fixed.

Who can catch him? It's Mahomes. Currently Mahomes in the AFC Championship game, as we all know, through for three hundred twenty six yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions in terms of all time playoff games with that stat line. There's only four guys who have done it four times like Mahomes now. Rogers, Peyton Manning and there's Brady at seven. Again, these are all numbers that Brady has now fixed.

That's it. And Mahomes has four. Now, Brady, forty eight career playoff games, only seven such games like this. Manning, twenty seven, he had five such games. Rogers has his four such three hundred passing yards and no touchdown playoff stat lines.

He did it in twenty one games. Mahomes has got four in thirteen games. These are numbers that he's going to every single stat that I have in my packet from the NFL Network about this Super Bowl, 60 pages long, any stat about Mahomes and what he can do in terms of matching this number or continuing on in that number or surpassing that number. About the Super Bowl has the name Tom Brady either at the top or number two.

I'm telling you, most career wins in a playoff career prior to the twenty eighth birthday all time. Roethlisberger has eight. Brady has nine. Mahomes in making this Super Bowl just broke the record.

Ten. Brady and Roethlisberger prior to turning twenty eight, though, won the Super Bowl twice. Mahomes has to win it this time to match those guys.

He can do it. He's doing things that we hadn't seen in rare cases. And again, that we didn't see prior to Brady and have only seen in rare instances since Brady. And Mahomes is one of them.

That's why this week is about him. The Eagles, you are great. The Eagles, you could very well win this game easily. Right. You said Madden did a simulation. Yeah, the Madden people did a sim and the Eagles won.

Totally possible. And then if this conversation makes you irate and your eagle green blood is boiling over it. Great.

By the end of the week. We'll be spending the entire offseason talk about your franchise's greatness and deservedly so. And how great Hertz is at a young age and how he could potentially run down Brady at some point. Absolutely.

No question about it. But as of now, the one guy. Who can catch Brady in so many different ways or. Get in his orbit is Patrick Mahomes.

And here's the thing. He's got to win this week. He's got to win this week. If he gets two, he's now separated.

But if he if he loses and hurts, get it. Now Mahomes has one and Hertz has one. And now Burrow, Herbert, Stafford staff. All these other guys, though, are the younger one behind. Right.

That's it. We can really create a distance. And then the conversation about is Brady ever going to get gone? He's not the seven. I mean, Tom Brady's an anomaly, right? So you I feel like it's unfair to anyone to have the number seven as that is the guess what? Or four and four should still be because getting seven is so outrageous. It is so unbelievable. There is no chance it's ever going to be outrageous. Right. I feel it was at least like you can look at four and go, that's do seven.

I know that there's no way, unfortunately. Which house am I going to live up to as unfortunately for every quarterback currently in the league and every quarterback currently in college. For any kid currently sitting in the cradle somewhere, for any kid who is a twinkle in their mother's eye right now. Who wants to play quarterback in the NFL? This is the new number. We're not used to it yet. We're just not.

You're never going to be used to it. We're not. But every Super Bowl week, this is the conversation that's going to be had when there's a generationally brilliant player this age and this accomplished by this age with an opportunity to win a multiple Super Bowl. And guess what? If Mahomes makes it again next year, you can go for three.

What's the conversation going to be this even louder? Yeah. Well, whatever he gets this, he's almost halfway home. And the last one to win back-to-back Super Bowl since Brady.

Every quarterback accomplishment and every accomplished quarterback, this is the number. Unfair. Absolutely. Totally.

But that's it. We're off and running on Super Bowl week, everybody. Let's take a break. J.J. Joining us next, he's going to be welcoming us to Arizona.

Like at the airport? Is he going to be with us? We have to meet him, unfortunately, at the summit of Camelback Mountain. Oh yeah, I saw that. Good Lord. Way to flex.

And he had a waving backpack? My gosh. OK. OK, brother, we get it. He's next right here on this edition of the Rich Eisen Show. It's Super Bowl week, people.

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Call click Grainger dot com or just stop by. We're going to Phoenix. We're going to Scottsdale. We're going to Glendale. They would like to have this called the Arizona Super Bowl.

I got that email this week. Please call the Arizona Super Bowl. Not Phoenix. I mean, because there's people in Glendale. Well, the game is in Glendale.

Look, it's their Super Bowl. So we're going. And I said, let me get an all time great who lives there to call into the show to get us started. And doing that right now is future Hall of Famer, recent retiree and one of our favorites, JJ Watt, kind enough to be the first guest of Super Bowl 57 week right here on the Rich Eisen Show. Is that your is that your kid right there, JJ?

Yeah, Rich, I got to give you a little caveat right out of the gate. Just finished feeding my son. OK, so if you hear any burping or crying, there's a 50 50 shot on if it's near him.

OK, very good. Can we guess when we hear it? Can we guess we're here? And if it's you or it's.

Yeah, KJ Watt. Correct. Definitely the burp will be you might not guess it. The crying.

You'll certainly know it's me. Fantastic. I love it.

KJ Watt. Right. Is that your what's.

Yeah, little co-chair, little co-chair, co-chair James Watt. How's that going, man? You must love this, right?

It's all good. Oh, it's the best, man. I love it. It is. I mean, you know it and any parent knows it and you try and explain it to somebody. People used to try and explain it to me and you just don't really get it until it happens to you. And it's the greatest thing in the world.

And I love it, too. And by the way, I saw your tweets. I don't know if I was what I was more impressed by the fact that you went and summited Camelback with a weighted backpack.

Or the fact that you took a few hours out of your day. You found that window that you could. I would love to do.

I'd love to have a few hours. I can't even play golf, let alone, you know, weight backpack and go climb a mountain, man. I don't know how I can. Good for you. Congrats. Yeah, I don't know if I'll be doing it again, but really enjoyed it. First time.

Fantastic. First time. Last time. First time.

Forty six minutes for real. Well, I think that's my problem. So, like, I'm kidding. I do think I'll do it again. Okay. But I'm a very prideful man and I'm a very big competitor. So we started it with me and my buddy from back home, Doug.

And we started and I'm not going to be a punk. So people, you know, pass that group. And then there's another group like 100 feet ahead of my eye.

Let's pass them. So it just turned into this competition. And I like forgot I'm two hundred and eighty five pounds. And I also did not realize how far one point five miles directly up the mountain. And it's humbling. It's very humbling, Richard. Oh, man. Incredible. Well, J.J., watch your eyes.

You'll like this. Yeah, I got I get we're like five minutes from the top and in the whole way you're like it's right there. I'm getting so close.

You're never close. And then and I'm dying. I'm like, I'd say I said, Doug, Doug, Doug, Doug, stop. I need a break.

I'd take a break. Hands on knees and come in the other way. Down from the top is this wife and husband.

And they have like a six year old and an eight year old girl like their daughters with them on their way down from the top. And that was the moment where I just said, right. You are a real man. This is embarrassing. Well, you know what, J.J., this is where you just got to dig deep. You just got to suck it up and you just got to try again. You know, I mean, like if you don't mind me saying just got to try again.

No, I will. When you get down here and we'll do it one morning. I know we'll do the show from the top summit. That would be great. Fantastic. J.J. Watt here on the Rich Eisen Show Super Bowl week. All right.

Let's jump into it. If you don't mind, you played against both of these teams. Were they the two best, you know, that you you faced this year?

Do you think, J.J.? I mean, they're very, very, very, very, very good teams and they're they're extremely complete. I mean, obviously you have Mahomes and Kelsey and everything that that offense brings. But you also got Chris Jones, Frank Clark, those guys on the defense. And then you've got the Eagles who, in my opinion, have built one of the best defensive line rooms I've ever seen. I mean, you've got guys like Robert Quinn, you know, hundreds of guys coming off the bench. You've gotten Domicom to, you know, spelling guys like it's I've never seen a room with so many great alignment in it. And then you've got an offense that can do so many different things with an old line.

That's very, very, very good. And the most dominant quarterback sneak game I've ever seen. They quarterback sneak better than anybody that's ever done it.

So it's going to be a hell of a game. What's it like chasing down Mahomes and Hertz or being part of a defense that has to account for that part of their game? It's not that fun.

It's not that fun. So there are different there are different players, obviously. You know, the one thing I've always said about Pat and chasing him around is that it really does take all four guys. And even then, it's tough because you can't he's got such incredible arm strength that he can just keep backing up and keep backing up and then still make a 30 yard throw down the field.

So even if you win your password clean, he can get away and scramble around and then chuck it wherever he wants to. And he knows Kelp, he's going to get open. And then with Hertz, he's obviously an incredible passer, but he's an incredible runner in his own right. So if you give him any lane whatsoever, he's gone. He's going to make you pay, you know, for 20, 30 yards.

So they're tough to track down. It takes everything. And I mean, the Eagles obviously have an incredible defensive line that's going to have all those guys aimed right at Mahomes, but it's going to be fascinating to watch. What makes Lane Johnson so good?

What do you got for me there? I mean, the guy's so athletic. He's incredibly athletic for his size and the movements he can make and the strength that he has with it. And I mean, I know I've seen a lot of talk about it on the Internet lately, but he does get off that ball very quickly. Very, very quickly. So he gets to his position faster than anybody in the league gets to their position.

Now I'm detecting just a sense that, was it like a hair early? Like, is that what we would call it? The guy's an unbelievable player. He is truly one of the best I've played against. And that's a fact.

And I have so much respect for him. And I am a big believer in if it's not called, that means that it's all right to do. Now, when I play against them, am I talking to the refs every single play, every single yes?

Has it worked? Not once. So hey, if it's not being called, why wouldn't you do it?

We are not trying, exactly. And so also let's talk about the Kelseys real quick, because you just mentioned Travis before. But Jason, I am sure your level of respect for him is through the roof. You clearly know what it takes to do what you do in the trenches at such a high level for such a long time. He's incredible, man. And I'm wondering what you think of when you compete against him and watch him. J.J. Watt, what do you think about him? He's a football player's football player, man.

He is that old school, tape on his knuckles, grinded out, but also very, very athletic. He can be a pulling center. He can come around the edge. He can make blocks 10 yards down the field. He's going to play hurt. He's going to do a grimy. He's going to lead that offensive line.

He's going to give jail and everything he needs. As a player, you have a lot of respect for a guy like that doing it for so long, and that's such a high level. And then, again, I know Travis, you said Mahomes knows he's always going to get open. And I know your job is essentially to make sure Mahomes isn't upright to get it to Kelsey.

But can you answer the question so many fans have? Why is he open all the damn time? Clearly, you're circling him.

You know what I mean? Clearly, you're circling him in meetings. Clearly, you know, like the Jaguars knew that he's going to catch it, and he catches it 14 times.

You know, so what do you got for me there, JJ? So, I mean, the last couple weeks, obviously, I'm watching these games like a fan, just like everybody else. And you're watching the games, and I mean, I'm a player. I've literally game planned against them.

We've had double teams called against them, and you have everything lined up. And you watch these games, and Mahomes is scrambling around, running around, and he chucks it. And all of a sudden, the camera cuts to Kelsey, who with nobody within 10 yards of him. And me, having been in those meetings, I'm still baffled.

Like, where is everyone? It's the connection that he has with Mahomes to know exactly how Mahomes is thinking and where he's going to scramble to and what he's looking for. But then it's also just this incredible, innate feel for the game. And he can have his head on a swivel at all times and know where the open space is, know what Mahomes' capabilities are, and just get in that spot.

But I mean, I'm not the only one. It feels like he is in a space 30 yards wide every time. It's every time, I know.

And that's why I'm wondering how this happens all the time. And then I guess, you know, before we move on off the game for a second, Hassan Rettich has become such a game wrecker in Philadelphia. If I'm not mistaken, you overlapped with him in Arizona, correct, J.J.? No.

You never did. He was out right before I got here, but he has been absolutely killing it. So what do you think of him and Chris Jones and the pass rushers in this game and how they can affect the results, J.J.? I think there's a ton of great pass rushers in this game, and I think for me as a defensive lineman, obviously it's going to be a blast to watch because I love watching those guys go to work. And I think that the more dominant forces you have around you, obviously the better your pass rush situation is going to be because the offense has to account for everybody. So I mean, Hassan is an unbelievable pass rusher in his own right, and then you add the pieces around him that he's got, you know, the Brandon Grahams and all these – Jervon Hargrave and these great pass rushers all around him. Now you've got to tell the offense, right, where are you going to slide your center?

Where are you going to step your back up into the hole? You know, are you going to keep a tight end or are you going to get them out? And the more one-on-ones that you create, just look at last game. The San Francisco 49ers didn't go into that game thinking, all right, we're going to leave this back up tight end one-on-one with Hassan. But once you get out there and you start seeing all these guys and you have to make those mic points and you have to make those calls, you all of a sudden are like, well, I mean, technically the rules in this play say to leave back up tight end one-on-one with Hassan, so we do. And then he goes out there and he wrecks the game the way that he does. It's a blast to watch. It's awesome.

And then Chris Jones and those guys on the other side, Frank Clark has obviously been doing great as well in the playoffs for them. So I enjoy watching it and I'm looking forward to seeing how difficult they might make these quarterbacks live. JJ Watt here on the Rich Eisen Show taking a couple minutes out of daddy daycare or walking the tightrope calling into the show while actually providing such care right here on the Rich Eisen Show. So we haven't spoken yet since you've decided to retire. Can you just give me the main overarching reason why you decided to say this is enough, JJ? Yeah, I mean, I think for me it was much more the mental stress than it was even the physical stress. And that's to say from an offseason standpoint, you know, when a season ends, I'm maybe a week off and then back in the training because as you get older you have to put even more time into your training and taking care of your body because it's just natural that it breaks down at a higher rate. So every single day is a mental grind in trying to make sure that you're the most prepared, trying to make sure that your recovery is the best.

And even in January, February, you're already stressing about making sure you're prepared for the next season. And those are the types of stresses and mental gymnastics that I was ready to be done with. I wanted to enjoy time with my son and my wife.

I wanted to go through life and know what it feels like to just kind of relax a little bit. And if I miss a workout to play golf, then I miss a workout to play golf. And I don't have to worry, did I do the right thing today or did I hurt my chances of having a good season? So it just blows my mind that Brady did it till 45 when you're describing. I mean, I've heard what you've said before from other guys, but you know, not first ballot Hall of Famers as much as what you just said, right? Insane that he did it till 45, correct? J.J.? That's why anybody who's ever played the game and all of us who know what it takes and know the grind and know the preparation and everything that he's had to do and the success he's had, we have nothing but the utmost respect for him and we have no problem whatsoever giving him his props as the GOAT because it is truly incredible what he's done, for how long he's done it and how special it is. And not only to do it for that long, but to be the literal best at it and win more Super Bowls than any organization in history is incredible. Have you thought at any moment, you had a quiet moment, you know, feeding your son or, you know, summiting Camelback or just behind the wheel of a car that it looks like you're going in the Hall of Fame with Tom Brady?

J.J.? I have allowed myself when he retired, you know, to just at least think about the possibility of it for a moment and it would be obviously extremely cool, I mean, I consider him the greatest of all time, I consider him a friend and I'm fortunate enough for that and I'll be the first one to give him every ounce of respect and praise that he deserves if we are lucky enough to go in together. And again, I know when I say this sort of stuff to people of your caliber, not just a player, but human, you know, you don't want to sit here and go, damn right I'm a Hall of Famer. You are and you're a first ballot one, but the Watts and the Bradys hanging out in Ohio for a weekend, I mean, that's it, man.

I appreciate it, man. Seriously, that would be amazing. I consider myself a part of one of the greatest draft classes of all time. I think our draft class was incredible and there's so many great players that I'm honored to be a part of such a great class and it would be pretty cool to have that opportunity to also maybe go into the Hall with the best of all time.

Amen. I remember that draft class because, you know, as we wrap up this conversation here, JJ, you know, there was that Super Bowl in Indianapolis, it was Brady versus the Giants for a second time. You know, you and Cam Newton were signing autographs for Marriott. I was there too and you were just fresh off your first year after dominating there for the Texans and I just feel like if I had walked up to you and said your career was going to be this and it's the one that we just talked about, what would you have said that day to me, man? You know, it's kind of funny you say that because I'm down here in Arizona right now and I trained down here for the Combine 12 years ago and my wife is actually training today at the gym that I trained at for the Combine. So I drove up there last week to check it out with her and when I was training for the Combine, my parents and I, we went and looked at houses just for fun because we were like, let's see what a million dollar house in Arizona looks like, how cool that would be. And now here I sit 12 years later, my wife is a professional athlete, I have our son on my lap and I am in Arizona in an incredible house that I'm very thankful for and it's a very surreal feeling and just like everybody says, it feels like it went by in a blink of an eye, man.

It was such a quick 12 years but I'm so thankful for it, I'm so proud of it and I've met so many incredible people and had so many experiences that I never in my life thought I would get to have. So I have nothing but gratitude and love. And a healthy 33 year old too, I mean you could do this for a living, the conversing about football. Do you want to do this? Do you want to be in the paparazzi? Like what are you going to do? What are you thinking?

I don't know man, I don't know. I definitely want to stay around the game in some capacity. Not as a coach because the hours are crazy. I do think that there is a possibility of some sort of broadcasting or something if the opportunity is right. But the beauty of every situation is if something isn't right or I don't feel like it's the right situation for me, then I just don't do it, go to the golf course and have some drinks and hang out with my family, you know. So it's a great place for me to be and I'm very lucky to be in this place at the age of 33. Hey man, it goes without saying if you have any two cents you want about broadcasting, you got my number. And this is not the last time we'll talk but please, you know that. I'd love to see you be successful, whatever you want.

You'd be great at this, there's no question about it. So I'll give you as a parting shot, one last shot at it. Do you want to give me a prediction for Super Bowl 57, J.J. Wong?

Man, man that's tough. I've never really done predictions in the past because I'm interested man. I think, this is a tough game. I'm a D-line guy so I'm going to go with the D-line.

I started this conversation talking about the D-line and I think that the Eagles D-line is one of the most impressive I've seen compiled in one ring together. So I'll ride with the Eagles in this one and see if they can pull it out. But dude, you know how hard it is to go against Mahomes and help me and those guys. I know.

It's so damn hard. This is what's so dumb. This is one of the things about commentary and analysts. I'm going to go on TV at some point and have to make a prediction like this and I put the little graphic at the bottom where you pick your win. And then on Monday, every single fan comes back, wow look at you idiot, look at this moron, he had no idea. No duh, I had no idea. If I had an idea, guess what I would be?

The win in Las Vegas, putting every dollar I had on. I got no clue just like you guys. Welcome to that world. And by the way, like I said, what you just did right there, if you don't mind me just giving a snap analysis. What you did just there is you said, I'm a D-line guy, I believe the defensive line of the Eagles is better, I'm going there.

So if the Chiefs win and they come up to you and say, what gives, you're like, hey, I was just a D-line guy. You know, that's it. You're able to fall back on that. Well done. You're good. Thank you. I appreciate it. And you did that snap judgment right off the bat. You didn't know I was going to ask you that and you're holding a small baby in your hand.

You can do this. Trust me. I'm giving, Ko is the MVP of this interview. He has been quiet for this long after feeding. I am thoroughly impressed and thankful.

Like every Watt, he's coachable. Well done. Thank you. Thanks for the call, brother. Really appreciate it, man. Thank you, Rich. I appreciate it. Hope you guys have a wonderful day.

And if you need anything in AZ, let me know. It's a beautiful place. We'll do it. I'll see you out there. Thank you, J.J. Watt. You be well.

All right. See you guys. That's J.J. Watt. He's now going to try and summit Camelback holding his child. Right here on the Rich Austin show.

Beast mode. We got time to play golf with J.J.? It sounds like a good hang.

Clearly. It sounds like a good hang. I don't know if we want a piece of that. Sounds like a good hang.

Drinks, some gambling. Let me just say this. If he was at the Pro Bowl games this weekend, I don't think what Jordan Poirier would be winning the long drive.

320. It feels like J.J. could go any further. I think.

Absolutely. For the first time ever, stream the Super Bowl for free. Super Bowl 57 on Westwood One is Sunday, February 12th. Catch all the action on the Odyssey app on westwoodonesports.com via Westwood One station streams or by asking Alexa to open Westwood One Sports.

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AutoZone. Great first chat of our Super Bowl week, if I may say so myself. Let's take a break and come back and talk about Kyrie Irving. Why don't we?

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That's netsuite.com slash rich radio, netsuite.com slash rich radio. Look, I am of a certain age where I have stopped caring so much about people that have negative energy and a negative influence in my life. I just can't have it anymore.

Susie and I are kind of lockstep on that. If you've got a negative energy, if you have something that rubs people the wrong way, doesn't matter how great you are at what you do, I have time for you. Don't care.

I had no idea Larry King was thinking the same thing, but he was way older than me right now. From the grave? Please. Good Lord. I don't know Kyrie Irving personally. I don't know him personally. I only know of him through his basketball play, which is brilliant.

Brilliant. First Ballot Hall of Fame, generationally brilliant, brilliant. I only know him based on what he says into a microphone. I do not know him behind the scenes. I do not know him personally. So clearly all of what I'm about to say is based on how he handles his business, what he says when he's in front of a camera, and how he has left places in his business world.

And he had a great thing going in Cleveland. Something happened where he's like, I got to strike out on my own. I understand that. I get it. He goes to Boston. He tells Boston, I love you.

I feel your love. I don't want to go anywhere. Couple years later, he's gone. Everyone can't wait to get rid of him. He returns to Boston and he smudges. OK, like he doesn't turn the page where I'm in a better spot in life. I'm going to show everybody there that you still stink. So I'm going to I'm going to try and get the negative energies of this place out by smudging the arena before going there, making a show of it as if he had nothing to do with the reason why there was bad energy at all.

OK. Certainly since he's in a spot in Brooklyn playing for a Nets team that he proclaims in a video, announces his arrival, that he loved him all the way back when he was a kid. Oh, because he's from Brooklyn, right?

No, no, no. He's from New Jersey where the Nets used to play. And I got to tell you, I grew up in that area. I didn't know many Nets fans at all.

Certainly not like I can't wait to play for the Nets when I grow up. OK, got it. We believe you. You're there.

And not only are you there, but they are building the world around you. They're going to go get you. Kevin Durant.

We're going to put the two of you together in New York, and you're going to be the ones that everyone wants to go see, and the Knicks are going to be second class citizens in their own town. Twice he disappears, once because he didn't want to get vaccinated at a time where that was the rules of the city. And another time we don't know what the hell happened.

And then this year. We all know he was suspended because of what he put on his Twitter feed. The most viciously anti-Semitic trope filled. Piece of.

Content that I still don't know if Amazon, you still have it up. What's your problem? And he comes back and he's brilliant again. He wants a new contract. Apparently the Nets put stipulations on it for his money. He didn't like it. He announces I want to trade as his team is without Durant fourth in the conference because he's been so brilliant.

He wants out. And I don't blame the Nets one bit for saying get out of here. This is now I mean, you talk to a Cavs fan.

They're not terribly happy that he left. But the vitriol is not anything close to the way Celtics fans feel about him and the way Nets fans now feel about him. And there are more Nets fans than ever before because of his brilliant play and Durant and so many others that are interested in this franchise.

But I say to the Nets, good for you. Get out of here. Do not care how good you are. And he is great.

He's been balling. Great. Great.

Don't care. Give me a bag of balls back. And instead you get Dinwiddie. You get it. You get a nice haul. You got Dinwiddie back. You could make the case the Nets should never have gone away from what they were building to switch it all up and try and go big.

You know, getting Phinney Smith two, getting a one and two to multiple twos that apparently trying to package in time for Thursday to have Durant when he comes back healthy with Simmons and the rest of the team. Go for it. Jacques Vorn. They got the right coach to it seems like.

Go for it. I don't care any more how good he is. That's now three spots that he left. And it's not his fault. It's not. It's never.

It's never. His fault. The Nets found out what the Celtics found out what the Cavs found out and what you have to sit here and think. I mean, what is Jason Kidd raise his hand until Cuban?

I got this point. You're all time. All time. Great point guard. All time. Great point guard. I got this.

And Cubans like, I got it. Go. Go for it. I don't know. I guess if somebody had walked into the shark tank with this resume, he probably would be out. He'd be out. You'd think so. Damon, you take it.

Right. You know, he'd be out. He'd be out.

If anybody walked in with this resume selling their business saying, I want a piece of your money. He'd say, I'm out. Just like the Nets just did. Just like the Celtics did. And just like what I think the Cavs are thankful he did to them. And again, I just reiterate, I don't know him personally, but I am so.

In my personal life, anybody with a bad energy and he might have great energy around certain other people, too, he might turn on the charm around other people. But take your Flat Earth, Twitter, tweeting and all that stuff. Get out. Go to Dallas. Sell it there. And I will be watching him and Luca to see how it all plays out in a way that I'm rubbernecking.

When you're slowing down on the side of the road to see something, what's going on there that everybody's looking at? I'm interested in that. But good for the Nets. I think they will be better off without it. And hopefully Kyrie doesn't turn the Mavs situation into the same situation that happened in Brooklyn and Boston.

But track record says otherwise. Our number two, Iron Eagle, voice of the Nets coming up with Jared Goff as well. Also just saying from a basketball standpoint, how's it going to work? Because Luca is so ball dominant in their offense of 20, 22 seconds of dribble, dribble, dribble, drive and shoot. Or dribble, dribble, dribble, find a guy in the corner. Is Kyrie going to play the shooting guard out of this, TJ?

I don't know. You took the words out of my mouth with the ball dominant thing. It's going to be interesting to see.

Let's try to put a positive on it because it's easy to look negative. You've got two guys who at the end of the game, you can look to to take game winning shots, right? You can depend upon when the game's tight.

A lot of teams don't have that at all. A lot of teams have guys who are well under the pressure of having to take that last shot. So, you know, now you've got two guys who you can count on to both, you know, attack the rim to run an offense through. Who is the guy, though, that gets the ball? It'll be Luca. And then if Luca gets doubled, you got Kyrie.

I mean, like, you know, all you know is in this day and age, it does make sense. You got to, if you have one brilliant player, get a second because that's what, you know, you've seen Batman and Robins or Batman and Batmans win this league quite a bit. But at some point, though, you just got to read the room as to what every room has been like that this guy left. Can you count on him? I don't know. But Jason Kidd must have said, I've got him. And Cuban must be like, let's get him. Let's see how it plays out. Hour two coming up.