Bryce Young Officially QB1 For Panthers (Hour 2)

Alright, as we continue, this is Zach Gelb's show Coast to Coast on CBS Sports Radio. Alan Shipnuck will join us in hour 20 from now.

We'll also be joined by Ben Lieber in the final hour of our radio program. We're going to chat a little New England Patriots here, also some Carolina Panthers as well. Let's start with the Patriots story first. This is Patriots owner Robert Kraft saying he is optimistic about the Pats this upcoming season. I liked our draft this year and I hope that translates on the field.

I know the guys are working very hard. I think we have the most difficult division in the NFL. The best balance of teams from all the other three teams are good. So we'll have our challenges, but I'm really hopeful about this team.

So two things off of this. Hickey, going into this year, who would you say has the best division in football? Because I only think it's really between three divisions and they're all in the AFC when you look at the AFC East, the AFC North, and then the AFC West. To me, those are the three best divisions in football.

How would you rank them one, two, three? And if you want to throw someone else in there, if there's a division that you think I'm missing, if you like the NFC East more, maybe then I do, go ahead and feel free. Yeah, I probably agree with Robert that the AFC East is the best just because if you look at the Patriots as the fourth team, they are a lot better than the Raiders, for example, being the fourth team projected in the AFC West and I would say better than the Steelers if you want to project them to be right now, the fourth team in the AFC North. So I'll go to the AFC East in terms of having three legitimate playoff viable teams, I'd say without a doubt.

They're probably one. I would go tough. I am high in the Broncos. I'll go northwest two.

Wow. Slightly two and then north three, but all very close. Okay, AFC West to me is easily three. We all know Kansas City is great. The Chargers could be great. Las Vegas Raiders, it's tough for me to feel any amount of confidence in them. I think Denver will be better, but I'm not ready to put Denver in the postseason. To me, this is between the AFC East and the AFC North and I would actually disagree with you when you say heading into this season, the Patriots, you view them better as the Steelers and this is coming from a Patriot fan. I like the Steelers better than the Patriots heading into this season and you look at the defensive side of the ball, both have really good defenses, but offensively that's the difference for me. I have more confidence in this Steelers offense.

I like Najee Harris a lot. You look at the wide receivers, Pickens, I'm a fan of. I look at this Steelers offense.

I don't like Mac Canada. I would rather have O'Brien over Canada in operating the offense side of the ball, but I think the offense for the Steelers is the difference here and I don't know if Kenny Pickett is better than Mac Jones, but I was impressed with Kenny Pickett at the end of the season, so if the Patriots go get DeAndre Hopkins, that may change that, but I give the slight leg up to the Pittsburgh Steelers over the Patriots entering this season. I would say probably the AFC East has more boom potential in terms of the Bills, the Dolphins and the Jets, but I look at that AFC North, Cincinnati is a Super Bowl contender. Cincinnati outside of Kansas City is the best team in the AFC. You look at the other two teams there, or we already talked about Pittsburgh, Baltimore and the Browns. Baltimore, even when Lamar gets hurt, they're a playoff team and then you do have the Browns in there at 7 and 10 and the Browns have a loaded roster.

That's tough. It's tough to figure out who's a better division. Is it the AFC East or the AFC North? I think you're splitting hair hairs, but I give the slight advantage to the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC North, making that's why I give it the slight advantage that the North is better than the AFC East. I think it's very close, but just going back to what you were saying about the Patriots being better than the Steelers, why do you think that? Because I think that's ironic that you're actually saying the Patriots are better than the Steelers and I'm sitting here telling you the Steelers are better than the Patriots and you hate the Patriots guts and I'm the Patriot fan on this show. I think they're basically the same.

I think around 8-9, maybe a great season 9-8. I don't really see either in terms of being a true contender. I'll trust Bill Belichick more right now and I still have questions about the offensive line in Pittsburgh.

I'm still not sold on Kenny Pickett where at least I am higher on right now Bill O'Brien coming in and at least making that offense competent and they were a playoff team two years ago with a somewhat competent offense compared to last year, so I'll give the nod to the Patriots there, but again Steelers, Patriots, to me it's a wide gap whatsoever and I don't think either a playoff team. Okay, I was just wondering because you said they were better. Did you like Kenny Pickett coming out of college? You didn't. Why was that?

Were you a small hands guy? No one year production out of five years in college. That to me is concerning. For a majority of your career, if you are a bad college quarterback and the one year was solid, to me that's a problem. For a majority of quarterbacks, it's such a difficult one because how many guys barely play and they end up going so early and then you have other guys that play that could play for a while and then don't really pan out to be anything, so it kind of goes both ways. I was just impressed in a situation that was not ideal last year that Kenny Pickett really showed me a lot down the stretch and that was a team that was left dead in the water and they almost made a run to the postseason and they finished up nine and eight and the end of the season, I think it was like a four-game win streak, so I was impressed with Pittsburgh at the end of the season. I think it's close, but if you want to tell the AFC East the best division in football, I'm not really going to argue it. I would just slightly lean the north over the east, but getting back to Robert Kraft's point, he's optimistic about the Patriots.

Let's make that now into a little bit of a broader topic here. Not your locks, like if you tell me you're optimistic about the Bengals, no crap. If you tell me you're optimistic about the Kansas City Chiefs, no crap heading into the season, let's go, let's do three teams each year, Hecky, and let's not repeat the teams here, which could get a little bit difficult.

I'll let you go first. Who's a team that maybe isn't getting tagged great that you're a little bit more optimistic on than most? The Cleveland Browns. Deshaun Watson is a really, really, really good quarterback when he's not doing bad stuff off the field than when he's actually playing. Now, obviously the five games he played in last year were brutal, but now you have a full off season to get back and work in sync with your receivers. There's so much talent on this Browns team.

I do think he will get back to really 20, 20 form. And I think we will see this Brown to make the playoffs. You know what's concerning to me about the Browns?

It's the relationship. And this is why I'm not going to make them a playoff team. It's the relationship between Stefanski and Deshaun Watson. I think Kevin Stefanski knows that they don't perform well this year.

He's going to be the scapegoat. You're clearly not getting there to Deshaun Watson when you gave him that crazy contract and you traded up all the draft capital to do so. But you talked about the end of the season. There's one thing to knock off some rust, but they went away, I thought, too much from Nick Chubb to my liking at the end of that season. And it was almost as if they were putting the ball into Deshaun Watson's hands so much to try to get him back and show that he's the man and all that. I just wonder what the relationship is going to be between Kevin Stefanski and Deshaun Watson. And if they don't make the playoffs, and I don't expect them to make the playoffs this year, and I hear what you're saying about the talent. They have a very talented and a loaded roster. But if they don't make the playoffs this year, they're going to have a new coach in Cleveland. And Stefanski is going to be on the outside a year from now. I'm just curious, my hesitation with the Browns is that relationship and where it's going to be between Stefanski and Deshaun Watson. Because down the stretch, it just looked really sloppy in those final four or five games of the season.

Well, you said trying to get him back. I mean, the guy has played five games in two years. I think part of it was using those five games and the Browns were kind of out of the playoff race anyway to try to expedite his kind of knocking the rust off by having him throw probably more than they would like to, more than they should. So I think that this we'll see now an actual competent offense and more of a balanced game plan, then, hey, kind of throw it away anyway. Let's just see what Deshaun Watson can do early on.

All right. The first team I would go with, and I'm not usually very high on this team, and I don't like their head coach. Their coach is a good coach, but his personality just kind of creeps me out.

It's the Miami Dolphins. Everyone's saying two is not going to get through a season healthy because of all the concussions that I get, how serious and scary of a situation it was a year ago. But you look at this roster, even though Ramsey looked like last year, he lost the step. They got Jalen Ramsey on the offense. You have just a bunch of other pieces of the offensive side of the ball that I think could be good for them this upcoming year. And you look on the offensive side of the ball, you're loaded and you may get Dalvin Cook. Now you have Tyreke Hill. You have Jalen Waddle.

That's just a team that just has a bevy of names on both sides of the ball. Defensively, Christian Wilkins is very good. I think Jalen Phillips is going to be an absolute stud this upcoming year.

We'll see what Bradley Chubb does. You have J.V. and Howard. You have Jalen Ramsey, Javon Holland as well. That's just a team that I look at, Hickey, and the Dolphins that everyone's talking about the Jets. It would not surprise me whatsoever if Tua could stay healthy that you see the Miami Dolphins not only being the second best team in this division, but giving the Bills a real run for the money for the number one spot in the AFC East. And remember, with Skylar Thompson last year in the wildcard round, that was the Miami Dolphins team that almost went into Buffalo and beat them. So I'm optimistic on the Dolphins this year. Oh, I mean, there's no doubt the talent, especially on offense.

They are loaded. Again, the biggest question is quarterback, can they stay healthy? And it's really hard to win games with their backup and or third string guy. Now you bring Mike White in, which is an upgrade backup wise. But again, if two is not healthy, that's still going to struggle. But if he if he does, if he defies the odds and plays 15 games, even this team is going to be right up there without a doubt. I'm going to make a prediction this year to a tongue of my love. It doesn't miss a game because of injury this year.

That's what I'm going to say right now. He will not miss a game because of injury. If they go into last week, the season, the game means nothing. They just like to bench him.

That's a different story. But everyone's saying, and I get it with with head injuries and how serious it is. And you probably shouldn't believe that he's going to make it through an entire season healthy, but it just always feels like whenever everybody says one thing, the opposite does happen. And that's what I'll end up going with, with to a tongue of my loa and the Miami Dolphins. Who's your next team?

Go with the Denver Broncos again. Sean Payton is there. That is the coach that Russell Wilson needs. He was given the keys to the car last year to drive by himself.

Clearly showed you can't have a driver's license. Doesn't really know how to work the gas and the brake. It was a with obviously a disaster in Denver, but they got the right guy in there. Sean Payton, I think is going to get the most out of Russell Wilson for sure.

Bring him the structure, the structure that he needs. There's still a lot of talent on this Denver team. I like where they're going. Broncos playoff team. You think the Broncos and the Browns are both going to make the playoffs? Yes. I believe in both bounce backs, bounce back years for each quarterback.

So timeout just real quickly. AFCs, who are you picking to win that division? Buffalo still? I will go with Buffalo.

Yes, sir. So you're going Buffalo. The North, you're taking the Bengals, I'm assuming. The South, you're taking Jacksonville. And then in the West, you're going Kansas City. Kansas City.

Okay. And then your two wildcard teams out of the three right now, you're going with the Cleveland Browns. And then also the Denver Broncos, as you just said. So who's your, who's your other wildcard team?

I'm going to the Jets. So you have no Miami in the post season. You have no Baltimore in the post season. No, no Pittsburgh in the post season. All right. Interesting. I don't think if you want to tell me one of Cleveland or Denver makes the post season.

Okay. Both of those are just two teams that I want to end up trusting. And you look at their roster. You love that roster. I like their defense. Offensively, I think Jerry Judy's overrated. Let's see if Cortland Sutton and Tim Patrick red light stay healthy. That offensive line. I know they had a McGlinchey and Bowles is coming back from injury, but I don't love that offensive line. They did sign Frank Clark today.

So I'll give them credit to that. They did bolster an already really talented defense in that division and how tough that division is, you know, from time to time and how much like last year we expected. Oh, maybe four teams get into the playoffs and only ended up two. It's really tough for three teams to make the playoffs from, from one division. It's not impossible, but with how loaded the AFC is and they play one another, they're going to beat up on one another. I think it's going to be tough to get three teams in from a division, but okay.

Fascinating. My next team, I'm going Seattle. I think some people believe that Geno Smith's going to regress. I think Geno Smith's going to be really good this year.

Again, I think he'll be fine. You just look at that offensive side of the ball that they have. When you look at guys like DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett and Jackson Smith and Jigba and you have Kenneth Walker, who I think is going to be a stud and Zach Charbonnet as well in a weak NFC that, that to me right now could be the third best team in the NFC. You can make the argument for Minnesota. You can make the argument for Detroit. You can make the argument for Dallas. I know Dallas went back to back years with 12 games. I like Seattle and I love what Pete Carroll showed last year. Who's your third and final team here that you're optimistic on?

This is the one I'm least optimistic on, but I still am expecting a bounce back year. Is this the Dark Horse team? To make the playoffs, yeah. Oh, you want to make the playoffs?

Okay. Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I am back on the Baker Mayfield train. I like the wide receiver combo of Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. I like this defense.

I don't like this division whatsoever. I don't think New Orleans is going to stay healthy enough for the Derek Carr addition to work out. Bryce Young, although I'm very high on Bryce Young in year number one, I'm not picking the Panthers to make the playoffs and I'm not sold on Desmond Ritter whatsoever, even though they have a nice offensive core down there in Atlanta. I think Baker Mayfield will kind of pick up where he left off in that very short stint with the Rams.

And I do think that we'll see the Buccaneers back in the playoffs, host another home playoff game. You're trusting Todd Bowles as a head coach? I'm more trusting Baker Mayfield. More believing, optimistic on Baker Mayfield than I am Todd Bowles because I do not think Todd Bowles is a very good head coach. If it was me, I would have fired him after last year.

But unfortunately, I don't own the team or run the GM duties. I also think it's funny that two of your biggest takes from last year, you had Denver winning the Super Bowl and then you also had the Carolina Panthers making the playoffs and you believe that Baker Mayfield was a top five quarterback and going to be a top five quarterback in the NFC. I find it funny that a year later, like if you want to tell me Denver that you're believing in Sean Payton and you think they're gonna have a turnaround, even though I don't think it's gonna be that big of a turnaround. Okay, fine. Russ looks like he dropped some weight. That was talked about today. Russ is looking good.

Okay, that's fine. But to go back to the Baker Mayfield. Well, I know sometimes you get stubborn, but I'm a little bit surprised that you're now doubling down on Baker Mayfield.

Well, it's a little bit of I still like the wide receiver combo, and I think that will help him out where he's never had a lot of receivers to throw to for the most part. And I don't like this division. If he's in any of the division, if the Buccaneers are anywhere else, I'm not picking them. I'm not picking them to a good playoffs. I'm only picking them to win the division because I don't trust anyone else. So yes, we're going down the Baker well.

But it's also in large part because of the circumstances surrounding him. Okay, that division stinks. You only have to win eight games now. They only won eight games last year and they lost Tom Brady. So I would think that they're gonna lose a lot more games this year than they did last year.

But who knows? I was thinking of maybe going to Atlanta. But as you as you laid it out perfectly, Desmond Ritter just gives you some skepticism. I'm gonna go with the Washington commanders. I have no clue what to expect out of Sam Howell. You're in a nasty division as it is where that's no longer the NFC least. But I look at that roster. I like the roster of the Washington commanders where let's see if they're guys defensive, they can stay healthy, big year contractually for Chase Young. You have Daron Payne, who just got the big extension as well. I like what they have in their front seven. But then on the offensive side of the ball, I love Terry McLaurin. I love your guy from Penn State, Jahan Dotson.

I think he got some weapons there. Brian Robinson Jr. now for a full season. I like Antonio Gibson, I think more than the commanders actually like Antonio Gibson and Logan Thomas. I think could be a solid tight end, you know, and give you a decent production from that position.

You know, do enough. So I'm looking at the commanders as maybe a team. I'm not telling you to make the playoffs necessarily, but I think that's a team that when you look at the NFC being very open, where Philadelphia make the playoffs, you assume Dallas should make the playoffs. You know, maybe both, but one of Minnesota and Detroit definitely gonna make the playoffs.

Someone has to win the south. I like the Niners and the Seahawks. If you're looking for a seventh team, a third wildcard spot, wouldn't surprise me if the commanders end up taking the place of what the Giants did kind of a year ago, where maybe they go nine and seven and I think the Giants went nine, seven and one, but you get the point. Maybe the commanders get to nine wins instead of it being the Giants this upcoming year.

What are your thoughts of the commanders? Not high on them. Don't trust Sam Howell. Don't trust Ron Rivera either.

I think he's kind of run his course a little bit as a head coach there. And that's a tough division. Like you said, that's the Giants. I think the Eagles and the Cowboys all better than Washington.

Not high. I'm fascinated by the Giants this year because I don't like their roster whatsoever. Daniel Jones is fine.

You know, did a nice job last year. Saquon playing for a contract, probably realized he's not going to get it. You don't really have much the wide receiving position. I like Darren Waller a lot. You got two bookends on the offensive side of the line. Defensively, I love Dexter Lawrence and they got that deal taken care of.

You know, Thibodeau's good. Bobby O'Karaoke's solid, but I take a look at the Giants. I wonder if people catch up to what Dayball did a year ago and that roster could only take them so far. That's why I could maybe see the commanders usurping the Giants this upcoming season. We'll have to wait and see. All right, Zach Guilbe show CBS Sports Radio. When we come on back, Bryce Young elevated to QB one. We'll discuss that.

You're listening to the Zach Guilbe show. I really do like the Carolina Panthers uniforms, but even though they're cool looking uniforms and I love Brian Burns as a player, him wearing that number zero. Yes, the uniform still looks cool and the uniform doesn't make the number look that bad, but seeing a defensive end where the number zero hickey, that just doesn't rock and roll and resonate with me. I don't get a defensive end who's a stud like Brian Burns changing that number up to number zero.

His 53, that was a good number four. The look of a number zero, even in a cool uniform, I don't get that one. Now I know that you're more serious about this stuff than I am. You're, you're nuts when it comes to the uniforms and the numbers.

And I see you tweeting about that stuff all the time. I'm like, who actually cares? But I just saw that the other day that they announced that he's wearing the number zero. When he was in college, he wore 99 good number, obviously 53 good number, but the number zero, that's, I feel like you gotta be a smaller guy to be wearing the number zero. Big guys can't be wearing the number zero. No, I love the number zero. I think he's poised for a big year. I'm a firm believer. You can't play good if you can't look good.

If you have no swag, you're a scrub. And I think Brian burns going to zero. He's long, he's lean.

It is again, if I, I might put honestly some, some money down for him. MVP. Well you know, he just didn't go through surgery. You know that, right?

That's okay. The zero will heal it. I'm being dead serious. Defensive player of the year. His odds should definitely increase because he wore or is going to wear and now she's wearing zero.

It's a great look and you're not going to stink. We're in a number like that. You can't. Okay. Puts extra pressure on him.

Yeah. Cause there's not a good, that's not a swag number. A lot of numbers that a lot of teams that you root for have good uniforms and a lot of teams that you root for your team stink. But just because they have good uniforms, all of a sudden you think, well, Brian burns gonna have a great year anyway, if he's healthy because the guy's a great football player and he's been a great football player for a while in this league. But defensive player of the year, cause he's wearing the number zero.

That is the definition of a, of a hickey take. Just remember in January when he has a career year, look back on this day, June 8th, 2023. You heard it here first. You'll know why that career year is happening this year specifically. Number change. If he was 53, probably had the similar year to last year, but now zero, that's like a guaranteed two and a half, three sec increase right off the bat. How long were you playing that talk out there for?

Came to just came to me. It goes back to years of cared about how people look, the uniforms, the numbers. Zero's a big deal now, now that it's in the NFL. Can anyone wear zero? Yeah.

Anyone? Offensive lineman can. Well, yes.

Yeah. So you're telling me if Anthony Richardson, where's the number zero? You, you're happy with your quarterback wearing number zero. It puts a lot of pressure. You better perform.

I think there's more, I'm not kidding. There's more pressure on my feet where zero compared to wearing the number five that currently wears. I look at the number zero that if you're wearing the number zero, it's like, Oh, you're a zero as well.

Oh no, I think it's, it's one of those where you don't play well. You stand out so much that it does, I guess sure has the low hanging fruit of jokes if you stink, but it puts like just undue pressure on you to where even the number one does not have nearly anywhere near the same pressure as zero because it does stand out. Let me ask this question to a fashion icon in Marco Belletti. As I stroll in with my Vincent LaGuardia Gambini t-shirt on for my cousin Vinny. And the same Yankee hat that you probably had for about 15 years. How long have you had that Yankee hat for? About two. It's only two?

Yeah, I need another one though. Man, that thing is really going through the ringer. Well, you know, when you wear it every day, you know, I see a lot and the hat is with me.

So the hat goes through the ringer as well. Do you like a defensive player? Like Brian Burns is a stud in the NFL. He changes Jersey number to zero.

I'm not a big fan of that. Hickey thinks that that's a swaggy number and that's why he's going to have a great year this year and be a defensive player of the year candidate. No, that's just asinine. The number that you have on your back has nothing to do with what you're doing on the field.

Do I care what numbers they were? Not really. I'll be fair. I didn't like when the NFL opened it up to you can wear whatever number you want. Like it's college. I liked it when you kind of knew where the roster was and, you know, a play over the middle and it's just quick and it's bang bang.

I know who everybody is. I did like that feeling. However, if the player wants to wear number zero or number 11 and he wants to play whatever, fine, go ahead. It's not like a hold. But do you think it looks good? The number zero? I think the number zero is like a bad looking number.

Yeah. Look, again, I'm not really the fashion guy. I don't really care for it on a football player.

I think it looks a little goofy, but you do you. That's basically what it comes down to. You want to wear zero as long as you play and you play? Well, I don't think anybody on the team is going to care when you suck. Then we're going to pull it everything. And a part of that is going to be the number you got on your back. So be it tough.

You open the shelf up to it and talk about the Panthers. By the way, Bryce Young has been elevated to QB one already on that roster. Surprise, surprise. We all know David Tepper is not going to let that season start as long as Bryce Young is healthy without him being on the football field as that should be. I don't need to see Andy Dandy Dalton at this stage of his career. I just wonder and something I really liked about Bryce Young last year, which I thought was even more impressive than he won the Heisman Trophy, was that Alabama was not a normal Alabama team a year ago. And they weren't loaded with offensive players like we're accustomed to where each and every year it seems as if three or four Alabama wide receivers get drafted and there's big expectations out of that receiving room and that positional group.

Outside of Jamir Gibbs is a running back that went 12th overall to the Detroit Lions after transferred over from Georgia Tech to Alabama. That Alabama team on the offensive side of the ball didn't have much for Bryce Young. And Bryce Young, I know he lost two games last year, but none of them were his fault.

And they were by the slimmest of margins and he played well in both those games. So a big reason why I know Hickey liked Bryce Young and I liked Bryce Young as well is he did more with less a year ago and prevented that ship from sinking. And you go into now the NFL and sure, he's a smaller quarterback, but we've seen smaller quarterbacks have success in the last few years. And you know, yeah, from a GUR standpoint, you like to see Matt on a few more pounds, but you look at that roster on the offensive side of the ball. You have a good offensive line in Carolina. You have Miles Sanders, who's a solid running back, had his best year of his career last year. I don't think he is as great as the way that he played last year.

I thought that was more of the system in Philadelphia. Frank Reich, sure, he knows what he's doing, but Hickey, those wide receivers in Carolina. And I know that you've been a big guy of you build the roster first, then you go get the franchise quarterback. And I said, you take your franchise quarterback whenever you could get him.

And it does change the equation when you have the number one overall pick. But just in terms of preference, Adam Thielen used to be a really good wide receiver. He's not a number one wide receiver anymore. DJ Chark, I liked what he did in Jacksonville. He's not a number one wide receiver.

I don't know. He's probably closer to a three than he is a two. We'll see what Terrace Marshall Jr. could end up doing. They got a lot of names at wide receiver that are an enormous question mark that make you just say it's going to be tough to evaluate Bryce Young because I bet you there's a lot of times you make some good throws and then these wide receivers just aren't good enough, whether they don't create the separation or they're just going to drop the football. If I'm kind of Carolina with having a good offensive line and you just signed Miles Sanders to a pretty lucrative deal, I'm kind of setting Bryce Young up this year where early on it's run a lot and then you limit his opportunities. And I know the beginning of their schedule isn't the toughest thing in the world. You get Atlanta, you get New Orleans, they know the divisional games, but neither of those teams are all that great. New Orleans right now, the favorite to win that division. And then it does pick up an intensity when you get Seattle, Minnesota, Detroit, and Miami.

Early on, you hope that Frank Reich, and you know Hickey Frank Reich better than most, you hope they put him in a position to succeed. And I know we're such a past happy league, but with a good offensive line and a solid running back of Miles Sanders and a very questionable wide receiving room, I'm running the ball a lot for Bryce Young, especially early on in the season in Carolina. So I think last year, and you bringing up last year, I think is the perfect example of why I don't think you have to kind of put the kid gloves on him or kind of worry about it just because he's played with bad talent. It's like he was Tua, where you look at Tua's time in Alabama and at one point he played with four first round picks or CJ Stroud playing with equal amount of talent at Ohio State. Now all of a sudden, CJ Stroud going to Houston, where he's not even really like a number three wide receiver on that team with how bad they are at the wide receiver position. He's used to playing with lesser talent, Adam feeling yes, he's no longer a dominant number one, but he's still, you know, productive, professional wide receiver that's going to get him through without a doubt. And so there's still talent there where it's like he's throwing to nobodies and guys off the practice squad. Dylan's your best wide receiver? Yeah, and he's a good veteran presence. I think it's going to help Bryce Young along, but I don't think you have to dumb down the playbook in a sense that we're just going to run the ball 50 times and throw it 15 times.

Like I think you can let them cut loose. I think last year was a good way for Bryce Young to kind of learn of how to do more with less. I mean, you don't have two first round wide receivers on your roster.

You could still find ways to win what you did last year. That's really a putrid wide receiving room. That's a bad wide receiving room.

I mean, it's not great, but I think there's way you could do way worse. Dylan has lost a step. Dylan's still a good wide receiver. Dylan's your best wide receiver. And remember last year, there was so much attention on Justin Jefferson. I think I had 716 receiving yards in Adam Thielen.

I know there's not a Justin Jefferson on the roster, so therefore his targets are going to go up, but how much of that production was just linked to really the attention being put in other places with Justin Jefferson? He still had 70 catches last year for 716 yards. He's still a good player, but I look at that wide receiving room and Thielen is what now 32 turns 33 coming up in August. I'm surprised Carolina, knowing that they were going to have a number one overall pick and knowing they're going to have a quarterback, didn't do more this off season to improve that wide receiving room.

And it was like Thielen and DJ Chark that they ended up getting. What about Hopkins? Do you think Hopkins would consider them? No. I know, you know, that area means a lot to him, but you don't think he would be a number one wide receiver there?

Wait, what? I just don't think he would spend the rookie wide receiver. Quarterback, you mean?

Yeah, sorry, rookie quarterback. I don't think he would do it. I don't know what DeAndre Hopkins wants. I really don't. He just said he wants the ability at the quarterback position in a front office and a coach that knows what he's doing. Now you could question all those things when it comes to Carolina and along those lines. But I just said that and then just go and chase the money now too.

So I have no idea. Well, that's the other thing too. When your first visit is Tennessee, it's all right. If you're considering Tennessee, would you consider Carolina? And I would imagine it's either going to be Cleveland or New England and he ends up going to, but we thought this is going to be a robust market for DeAndre Hopkins.

Sort of looked like it isn't. They could use them in Carolina. You're probably right that he wouldn't go there, but you incentivize him with the cash. He sweetened the, uh, the pot there at the end of the rainbow, maybe ends up doing so. Do you hear that? That is the sound of BMW performance without a single piston or cylinder, a generation of all electric vehicles designed and built like no other. The BMW IX, I seven and I four revolutionize every drive into a thrilling opportunity to feel the pure rush of BMW 100% electric. But isn't that what you'd expect from the ultimate electric driving machine.

Take advantage of exceptional lease and finance offers today. You're listening to the Zach Gelb show. It is Zach Gelb show on CBS sports radio. So Ellie Dela Cruz has taken over major league baseball right now in three games. Uh, his first career game, he was able to hit a double his second career game last night, did hit a home run today. He did get a hit, but also did strike out three times. So three games, he does have six strikeouts, but so far he's also been able to put up, uh, four hits as well. One being a home run. And, uh, that was last night.

So let's hear how that sounded. This is courtesy of Bali sports, Ohio tennis match golf tournament, silence, anticipation to see what his first home run that wasn't just a home run. That ball almost exited the ballpark. So that's John Sadaq on a Bali sports, Ohio. Is that his normal home run call? I know that ball was tattooed, so maybe that was just in the moment. And if so, that's a great job by John. But is that something that John usually says, do you have any idea there? Hickey?

I'm not too familiar with his work, but I think that was a special. That ball is out of here. No doubt. Let's kind of give it a little extra flair. So a kid caught the ball and I always find this to be funny. When someone gives the baseball back and you get things for a return, you always have these idiots on social media. You didn't get it off.

We really have so many pigs in our society. Like, I don't know what you could have got financially for that baseball, but he ended up getting a lot. He got to meet Ali Dela Cruz after the game. He got signed baseballs for him and his friends that he was with. And it was like seven or eight friends. I think he got a signed picture for him and his friends, a signed bat, a signed hat. And people are saying, did you get enough?

What else do you really want there? Hickey? If I caught a baseball, I've caught a baseball before at a game, but it wasn't of anything of historical value. It was a foul ball.

But if I caught a baseball at a game, now it's different, right? If it's like a 700th home run or 600 home run or record breaking home run, some of that, but a first home run ball, whoever this kid is, whatever he got back and he's a Reds fan, has the red polo on, that's more than enough. You don't have a problem with the return that the kid got, right? Not at all.

This is an unpopular opinion, but I, I stand by this. I don't think it's a fan's right to keep a ball of that magnitude. I think if the player wants it back, yes, you can barter. And again, I think autographs and what, what the fan received yesterday, if you autographs, you baseballs picture, awesome. But it's like, if the player really wants it back, I don't think you should be allowed or really should hold out for basically and hold it ransom. I don't think it's your right to do that personally.

Oh, you can't police that in any way. If you go to a game, you buy a ticket, if you catch a baseball, if you want to be a jerk and say, I want a hundred thousand dollars to the baseball, it's the player has a decision to make, or maybe the team swoops in and says, okay, here's a hundred K or whatever. Give us the baseball back. But it was one of those, you know, again, if you were a player hitting your first time running, you want the ball. I think you are, you deserve the ball like that. That's my thing.

Again, figure out your system and you hold it for ransom. I think you're a jerk, a jerk, very lightly and very jackass, plenty of words. We can go down the list.

Plenty of worst words to use that I think would be fitting for someone like that. Now, if it's a historical baseball, let's say you're in the crowd, right? The judge race last year, you catch the record breaking Aaron judge ball and you could get really good money for that. Is that different to you?

If anything, it's the other way. Like Aaron judge is 62nd home run, 63rd home run. I think he deserves it again. You want to borrow it out, but I think if you were going to keep it and sell it again, you can't say you're not allowed to do that. Do you have the ball? So I'm not saying it's illegal, but it's like, I would, if I was president, I'll say this. If I was ever president of the United States one day, I would make that illegal. You cannot sell that ball.

That would be your first thing in office. Yes. Giving fans bad behavior.

Okay. You absolutely cannot sell that baseball on eBay. Barry bonds his historic home runs.

Like we're talking significant historic homers. If Barry wants that ball, if Aaron wants the ball, no. Now if they don't want it, fine. Then it goes to eBay and you make a fortune. Now I will say it is scummy behavior when you get piggish with it. But if that baseball has significant value, like I don't know what the value is of this guy's first career home run.

I know he's a top prospect and all that stuff, but right now I can't imagine that the value is that much. It's more sentimental for Elie de la Cruz. But if you want it to be a pig there, you're allowed to do it. I just think you're being a pig. What the kid got in return was more than enough. But if we're talking about something of historical value, I still don't think that you should be a pig, but if you go get like 50,000 something dollars for a baseball and the player just doesn't want to give it to you and someone else is going to give it to you, at that point, that could be a salary for some people.

We're talking about salaries now. What do you think about it? Aaron Judge hits home runs 62 in Texas last year, right? Historic home run. If I'm Aaron Judge, I just, I, me, made history. Yes, you were there in the right spot at the right time to catch the ball, but it's my historical moment. I want the ball. To pay $50,000 to me is like, or whatever number you want to charge to me is ridiculous.

It's just flat out absurd. So I just looked this up. How much do you think the Aaron Judge American League record-breaking 62nd home run ball sold for?

This is an article from December 18th, 2022. $10 million. Oh, come on. It's a baseball. You see some of the historical art of baseball history.

Baseball is the one sport with history that still matters. It's a ridiculous number, but $10 million. Like, come on. Lower, not even close. $3 million. Lower. $1 million.

Million and a half. Now let me say this. You're telling me, Hickey. You catch that baseball.

There's a difference in being the moral good guy. You know, it's, you know, you should give it back to the player. You caught that baseball. What are you holding out for in that case? Okay.

It sells for $1.5 million. You know that. Assuming out, let's assume, assume I'm a Yankee fan because I think that makes it a little easier. I want a meeting with Aaron Judge.

Definitely. I would ask for the bat. If he doesn't want the bat, then hit the ball, the ball. I would take the bat. Picture with Aaron Judge. The bat.

Maybe. He's not giving you the bat. If he wants the ball.

I'm asking if he wants the ball. Some players prioritize more things than others. Like if it was me, I would prioritize the ball more than the bat. I would prioritize.

First off, I do kind of agree with your point that you don't want to be a scuzzy person here, but we're talking $1.5 million is life changing money. I get it. I just, in my conscious, I could not feel good about selling that ball that I did nothing to earn outside of being in the right spot at the right time.

And fighting off the mob of people that were trying to kill you basically. Yeah. Because they know how valuable that ball is. Meet and greet. Autograph. You know, I would ask for the season tickets.

If it's a historic moment like that, I would probably go either maybe sign Jersey or season tickets for next year or something like that. Not $1.5 million. I would not ask for money. No, not even $20,000.

No, not ask. That's like, look, I don't have a lot of money, so I can't say like, oh, that's nothing. It's a lot of money that I don't have. But I think the experience is something I would not be able to buy it of meeting Aaron Judge, maybe getting instead of bat, a Jersey, something like that.

I would, to me, I would value that over just lump, a lump sum of cash. Who's your girlfriend's like favorite person, celebrity wise? Just wondering. She loves John Mayer. Okay. Do me a favor tonight.

I'm just fascinated by this answer. Ask your girlfriend if she had something of value from John Mayer that could sell for $1.5 million. She had a concert. I don't know.

Throws him a pick or something and it's like a famous pick or pick or something. Would you rather get the $1.5 million or get a meet and greet with John Mayer? I'll tell you right now. She's saying she would take the million dollars. I'm not, I'm not. At least there's someone saying that relationship passing up $1.5 million. I'm a good guy. Good guys still exist. I was almost with you, Hickey, and then you lost me there on the money.