Ross Tucker, Westwood One Sports

Monday on Radio Rose Super Bowl 57 we get closer and closer to kickoff between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles.

It is the Zach Gelb show coast to coast on CBS Sports Radio. Now joining us on behalf of DraftKings and also my front page story is the former NFL offensive lineman from the Pride of Princeton and of course does a great job on Westwood One calling games in season and that is Ross Tucker. Ross, always great to see you. How are you?

Zach, fantastic. Always good to see you in person and it's weird. It's kind of like you're one of the few people that I've seen you work your way up through the business and so there's no way to say this without sounding I don't know. I'm just like proud of you.

Thank you. You know I appreciate that. I mean I know what you did. I mean you were doing Princeton Radio.

Yeah that is true. Was anybody listening to that? Somebody was. You got this job. We made a few national headlines so I guess someone listened. We had to send out a lot of our stuff and I'm also in the history of radio I think the only Jewish program director of a Christian radio station as well because that was the other part of that job that no one ever remembers.

They just remember the Fox Sports 920 the jersey part. I though think that you should throw me some extra coin and you should hire me to go on the road with you and be your bodyguard because a few weeks ago you had a little trouble getting in the building. I had to come save the day for you in Lincoln Financial. That was awesome.

That was awesome. Not that I had trouble getting in. You were just late. Yeah. Well everybody like they didn't open until four hours before.

Yeah. Long line to my pregame show started at three and there was a long line. I was like and you're and that's what's cool about someone like you but also someone like in the business like you get it. Yeah I mean like I had to be on the air. I would have done the same. You left me in a tough spot.

Yes I appreciate that. Once you left everyone was like oh this Ross Tucker guy. Big ego just blowing off the entire line now. Because you know what's funny.

I would care a little bit but not that much. Someone looked at me they said oh Zach I guess you just succeeded. You know you've never cured yourself a spot on Ross's podcast.

That's what they said. When you look at this game let's start off from the Eagles perspective because I know you host Wednesdays on WIP in Philly. The Jalen hurts story to me is one of the best stories I've ever seen just from him getting benched at Alabama and then everything obviously that has happened since then. Yeah it's almost like we don't talk about it enough. But if you really wrote it all out I'm not sure it would be that believable. It's a fairy tale story of a kid that walked on. But it's just this series of events that he went through. You don't often overcome that to be where he is now. Right. You go to Alabama.

You get benched. By the way I was on sideline for West one in the SEC Championship game when they beat Georgia. And that was a really I think defining moment for him. He stuck it out that year. Yeah. Yeah. And two got hurt and he came in and won that game for them.

Pretty incredible. Then he goes to Oklahoma. And what's interesting to me about that is like hadn't they had back to back them won overall picks. Yeah. And yet he has trophies. Yeah. So he doesn't go till mid second round. So it tells you that people still didn't really like him that much. Right. Like like if the two quarterbacks before you are both Heisman number one overall and you don't go to wherever you went. That's telling. And then you know what else. He got drafted the Kobe draft.

You know that's right. I was doing the show in my basement. That was like the first event that happened after Kobe. And I was doing the draft for the Eagles from home and they literally were allowed to go live on the air right after the selections made. I'm sitting there in my detached garage.

In central Pennsylvania. And all of a sudden I hear them say we took Jalen hurts quarterback Oklahoma. I hear seven six five four three two one.

And then the host says Ross you just heard it. Eagles took Jalen hurts with second round pick. What are your thoughts. Zach let me just tell you I had a lot of thoughts bro. I had a lot of thoughts but I'm also working for the Eagles something to be careful.

I'm thinking well. The Eagles have a commitment to making sure that they are never short at the quarterback position and that's true. Well it was it was insurance for for once. Like when they made that pick.

Here was my thought. They drafted insurance for once because once got her three years. But I thought it was too early because it was the second round.

And here's probably the worst take of them all. There were some other quarterbacks that people were saying maybe like Jake from or Jacob Eason that were going to be better. Then Jalen hurts. It surprised a lot of people but I really think what makes her just so different and he's improved every single year.

Yeah. Every you watch him he gets better and better. But how many guys two three years into the league go into the locker room and they're the leader. I know it makes it easier when you're the quarterback but he's the heartbeat of that team and they follow the lead of Jalen hurts.

Yeah they love him. And it's interesting. Two other thoughts on that.

One is I thought maybe. And I thought maybe it was a financial thing where it was like let's get a high end backup quarterback on the cheap for four years behind went. How we call to the QB factor. Right. Right.

So I thought maybe that was some of the logic behind it. And then the thing about hurts is you know I do the Eagles preseason games on TV. So I'm in production meetings with him last few years. Awesome looking flip flop something. I'll be like dude those are awesome.

What are they. And he'll answer it like so seriously like like even you just smiled here while we're talking here. I can't get the guy to smile no matter how hard I'm pretty good at that. Last again I got the first question often when they're going to the NFC title game he's in the press conference. I go when you hear Jalen hurts in the Philadelphia Eagles are going to the Super Bowl.

How do you process it. He just goes that we're going to the Super Bowl. And I go come on.

You're about to go to the Super Bowl. You got to give a little bit more than that. But it he's even said it.

The job's not done yet. And he there's some guys that say that and you go whatever you're just saying that say that if Belichick and Saban were able to have a kid together hurts is the offer. That's that's the best way that I could describe. Well he very very much is. You can tell he's the son of a coach. Yeah and has that mindset and it's really really impressive and it's the reason why he's played so well although I will also say I don't think he has played that well the last few weeks has a need to.

Right. So the question is will he need to on Sunday. And if he does need to on Sunday will he step up to the challenge. And I can't wait to see this Eagles defense that continues to get disrespected that they don't get viewed as as this great defense.

I look at them. They have some so much talent at defensive line. The secondary is really good. I can't wait to see Hassan Riddick just up against my homes because I know my home's one ankle see what the impact of the game is but the athleticism of Riddick and then how homes can extend the play.

I think that could be an awesome matchup. Totally agree. So the way I look at it is I think if you're the Chiefs you probably want to get the ball out of my home's hands pretty quickly because you know about this Eagles pass rush. Well if you're the Eagles you probably want homes have to hold on the ball which usually you don't want. But I think you want to hold on the ball because the longer he holds on the ball the better chance there is it has to move because the move that's not good for the ankle and also long rest on the ball the better chance there is that somebody is able to actually come in and get a sack on him get hits on him. So I think the Eagles will or at least should if they're asking me we'll try to take away the first pass from home try to take away the underneath stuff to a guy like Travis Kelsey.

But it's easier said than done. You know I can't think of another guy Zach and maybe you can who every week you're playing the Chiefs by far your number one guy is Kelsey and he's still seemingly always catching catches like double digit balls. You know a bad game for Kelsey feels like it's like eight catches for 70.

Yeah it's easy. You're exactly right. And I wonder and we've been asking this all throughout the year and I never felt this way at all in the regular season. But in the Super Bowl and in the postseason I've just been wondering if this is going to be the time they missed Tyreek. But last week or two weeks ago they didn't miss Tyreek.

It's amazing how there has not been a time this year where I've really looked at the Chiefs and go they're missing Tyreek. Even though as an exceptional player and this year in particular the last couple of games I believe has been gigantic for Patrick Mahomes legacy and obviously the Super Bowl will be the biggest part of that. But there is a big difference between three Super Bowls in four years versus 0 and 4 against Joe Burrow in the Bengals. Think about what people are saying about Mahomes and the Bengals. I mean I'm sorry Mahomes and the Chiefs and Andy Reid for that matter if they were 0 and 4 against Burrow.

Joe Burrow the best you'd be in the NFL. That would have been the Bengals own the AFC. The Bengals the AFC is the Bengals territory. If the Chiefs lose this weekend what do you think the conversation then becomes a Kansas City because if they don't win this week and then after the Super Bowl they would have got to a Super Bowl loss loss in the title game and then lost in the Super Bowl again. What do you think the narrative will be if they if they lose to the Eagles coming up on Sunday. It'll be can they can they win it again. Can they get back and actually win it again.

What are they missing. Kind of like what some people are saying about the bills right now where it feels like they're going the wrong way but that's not the case with the Chiefs because they got back to the conference. I think for the Chiefs they're at the point where it's it is Super Bowl or bust but but that's been that way for the last three years. But with Buffalo this was the first legit year I thought it was Super Bowl or bust for the bills going into the season. Yeah it's a bad it's a bad step back I thought for the bills this year really bad. And you look at Buffalo.

They got to get better in the trenches and they got to make Josh Allen. I saw Brandon being said Josh takes too many hits. Well stop running as much as you do.

You don't need to run in that much of the room. He also he also is more reckless than he should be. He's the best player by a decent amount.

I really do. I mean he's that good. Burrow was right on his heels. He was right on his heels where we all know my homes is a better overall football player. He's the best quarterback in the league.

But you're right. If Burrow would have defeated him last weekend it would have been four straight and it would have kind of felt a little bit like the early part of maybe Manning and Brady where Manning stats are ridiculous. But Brady was Brady was winning right.

It's totally different now where we're Brady stats started to be just that's a good point absurd. Yeah because for Burrow when I look at him like my homes you talk about the athletic athleticism the arm move that could extend plays with his legs. Burrow I just say he just has it. And that's really all I could say about Burrow because when you watch me just finds a way to win Burrow is the closest thing we have to like a Brady Manning type where it really does feel like he beat you with his brain and his poise. More so than anything physical though he's got a good arm and he actually moves around better than those two guys do.

Brady Manning. So before we let you run Ross Tucker tell me everything you got draft kings and my front page story. Go ahead.

Well listen Draft Kings is awesome. They're the reason why I'm here. Love talking with you about them. And you know I feel about my front page story dot com. I mean Valentine's Day just about here. It is by far the best Valentine's Day gift. We're killing it by the way people say that they hear about it from the Zach Gelb show which I love.

It's just awesome. You guys have no idea what to get their wives for Valentine's Day. Trust me. Go to my front page story dot com. Your wife when she reads the quotes from you and maybe the kids she will cry happy tears.

You will win my front page story dot com. Last thing I'll ask you because we had John I think two weeks ago and this is before the Brady retirement. Yeah. So we were both in agreement Brady was going to the Raiders. We thought the Packers were going to have Rogers back. I don't think Rogers coming back.

Do you change that stance at all. I think Rogers kind of wants to come back. I think the Packers want to move on. I think the Packers are actively working to try to trade him. They don't want to pay him 60 million dollars and they want to move on to Jordan love. I think Rogers will probably be OK with it because the Packers won't acquiesce to his other demands.

That's one of the things he would like to see them do. Gotcha. Ross Tucker always good to see you. Thank you. Absolutely. Good to see you in person Zach. This is awesome.