Predicting the Biggest NFL Offseason Moves (Hour 2)

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2024 Santa Fe, available early 2024. And away we go, hour number two of our radio program. That's right, it is the Zach Gelb show coast to coast on CBS Sports Radio. The All-Star Weekend and the NBA is over with. People are irate. I'm not one of them.

I don't know what the heck you actually expected. And that's why I didn't watch the All-Star Game last night. However, I was very into the Saturday evening events and I loved Steph up against Sabrina. And I think they should continue that and just add Kaitlyn Clark and Damian Lillard to the mix next year. And that would be a four, a grouping of four people to put on out there and have them do a three-point contest with men and women.

I thought that was awesome. The slam dunk contest, it stinks when you have Jaylen Brown who's supposed to be right, the big star. And I wouldn't even say he's a big star. Don't get me wrong, Jaylen Brown's a really good player. But in terms of star power, they're bigger stars than Jaylen Brown. And when he's the biggest star in the dunk contest and he was underwhelming and I didn't even think he should have been in the finals.

I thought it should have been Jacob Toppin. Now everyone today is trying to come up with their big ideas how they're going to fix the slam dunk contest and they're going to fix All-Star Weekend. You can't fix it. Because when LeBron doesn't want to participate in the slam dunk contest, that ruins a lot of these bigger stars or these future stars, I should say, from wanting to do the dunk contest as well. And not only that, in terms of the actual game on Sunday, well, the players don't give a rat's ass about the regular season. So why do you think they're going to get up for an exhibition game? There's nothing you can do to fix it since they gave us one positive thing from All-Star Weekend.

That was Sabrina Ionescu and Steph Curry. I think that should be enough. I'm fine with that. I am past the point of screaming about things that I just don't really care about.

So I'm not going to do it today. And that should be the new featured event of NBA All-Star Weekend. They continue to grow that and they should continue to grow that throughout the years. Anyway, we are in a big period now of the NFL off-season calendar. It's coming up soon. You have the franchise tag window that opens. And that concludes in early March. So at least know some of the guys that are going to be made franchise tag candidates. Other guys that will just go to NFL Free Agency. The combine's right around the corner. And then before you know it, we'll have NFL Free Agency. And then shortly after that, in late April, we will have the NFL Draft, which is in Detroit. So Samter has compiled a list of guys that could be franchise tag or will be free agents. And I will give you my official predictions on those guys right now. So Stu, cue me a little NFL music.

And Samter, take us away. Alright, so the first one is maybe the most important player on my defending two-time champion chiefs, outside of Patrick Mahomes of course, Mr. Chris Jones. What about Taylor Swift's boyfriend? Listen, if I was ranking the most important people, it's Mahomes 1, Chris Jones 2, Kelsey 3. Now if you asked Swifties that, they would say it's Travis Kelsey 1, Travis Kelsey 2, Travis Kelsey 3, Brittany Mahomes 4, Patrick Mahomes 5, the guy that eats cheeseburgers that coaches the team, 6.

And that's probably it. Jason Kelsey 7, Kylie Kelsey 8. Oh, and then Travis Kelsey 9. Yeah, if you want. Yeah, you can throw him again. Yeah, yeah. And then Travis.

Yeah, sandwich it, sandwich it. So Chris Jones, I think after the parade, it's clear he wants to stay in Kansas City. But just because he says he's going to be back in Kansas City doesn't mean that's going to be the case.

You had a contract situation last year, they temporarily resolved it, they were able to put a bandaid on it, now you gotta open up that bandaid and there's still a wound, and the only way you heal it is with a long-term deal. I think Chris Jones is more likely to be playing elsewhere next year than making a return to Kansas City. Like, they should get this deal done, he's a top 3 player in terms of importance, like you're saying, for the Chiefs dynasty, and for this to continue. And I would say your order is right, it's Mahomes 1, Jones is 2, and then Travis Kelsey is 3. But I have a feeling that Jones is going to go secure the bag, as they would say this offseason.

He already has the rings, so you could go to a place that maybe still gives you a chance to win, and then gets you paid. And I'm going to say that Chris Jones, and this would be very ironic, because the contract stuff all started the opening game of the season, when he was in the luxury box, in our head, and the Chiefs were going up against the Lions, and the Lions won the game. I think Jones flips from the AFC to the NFC, you know the Lions are going to be aggressive this offseason because they have a window, and the Lions had a very impressive season even though it had a bad ending.

Them being the NFC championship game is more than what anyone could have imagined before the season started. I think they try to go get a championship player this offseason. I'm going to predict Chris Jones winds up in that Detroit culture of biting off your kneecaps, playing for Dan Campbell, and Brad Holmes will be aggressive, and he'll secure Chris Jones this offseason. Alright, let's go with the, probably the most interesting running back on the market.

There's two big names, three pretty big names, but the one that really I think could be the biggest game changer at this point in his career, based on his age, is Saquon Barkley. I don't think Saquon is worth the money, because the health of Saquon is always called into question. We know he's an incredibly talented player, but if you sign him to a three or four year deal, the structure better be heavily in your favor, and it's going to be all what the guaranteed money is. Like, if you give him a four year deal, and 26 million is guaranteed, alright, whatever number you want to say, like let's say 15 million a year, like even if you want to do that, so 15 times four is 60.

And then if you want to guarantee like 28, 28 and a half, I'm okay giving him a four year contract that is 28 and a half million guaranteed, because then really it's a two year deal for almost 30 million dollars, practically, when you look at that guaranteed money. I'm going to say Saquon is on the move. I don't think the Giants ink him to a long term extension. I would have said a year ago, Buffalo, but with the emergence of James Cook, Buffalo doesn't need him.

So I'm between two teams right now. One would be staying inside the NFC East with the Dallas Cowboys, but that's not where I'm going to predict him. I'm going to predict Saquon Barkley winds up with the Baltimore Ravens, and you line up in the same backfield with Lamar Jackson, Saquon Barkley, and then your receivers, number one would be Zay Flowers.

I think that's a lot of speed. That's a lot of fun on that offense with Mark Andrews hopefully being healthy at tight end. I'm going to say that the Ravens after the whole JK Dobbins injuries and multiple injuries, they go make a move and they go get a running back this offseason and they team up the elite speed of Saquon with the elite speed of Lamar Jackson. All right, how about one of the more unsung past rushers in the NFL, not the Bills quarterback Josh Allen, but the Jags defensive defensive player Josh Allen.

I'm going to say they franchise tag him. I think Josh Allen is back with Jacksonville. They need him back. He had a few games this year.

We had three sacks in a game. He is enormous to their success, and I know the Jaguars did take a step back last year. I've been a big fan of Josh Allen ever since his days at Kentucky.

Tremendous story. I think he gets franchise tagged. Maybe they get a long-term deal done, but he'll be back with the Jags bare minimum for next season.

Maybe Brian Burns. What's the future look like for Brian Burns in Carolina? So a few years ago, Carolina was offered two first-round picks by the Rams, and they didn't do it because they thought he was a franchise player for them. Now, he is a franchise player for them, but this direction, this organization right now doesn't have a direction. So I think now it behooves them to franchise tag Brian Burns and have one of these deals where it's a player who gets franchise tag, but now you finally pull the trigger, and then you trade them, and you don't ink them to a long-term extension.

The Carolina Panthers are years and years away from winning. They messed up a few years ago by not taking the two first-round picks when the Rams were like, F those picks and just trade them off to the Rams. Now I think they trade them. Maybe you get back one first-round pick, which I think you could get, and we've seen a team like this do this before. When you go back to the DeForest Buckner trade, I forget the details of that deal, but I could see the Colts franchise tagging or trading for the franchise tag player in Brian Burns and then eventually getting a long-term deal done and parting ways with the number one pick in the process. And also remember, Indianapolis did better than what people thought this year, so their first-round pick isn't as bad or as good, maybe you would say, as what people thought it was going to be. So I will say Brian Burns gets tagged originally by the Panthers, but then the Panthers trade him to the AFC. They trade him to the AFC South, and he'll be a member of the Indianapolis Colts. Another star running back, Derrick Henry. It looks like his time in Tennessee is over.

Yeah, that's definitely done. He said goodbye to all the fans after the game. He's not going to be coming back after their final game of the season. This could be a move for the Ravens to make, but since I already put Saquon in Baltimore, I think the Cowboys this offseason, they go star hunting, and I think they land another running back. I'm going to say Derrick Henry, a little bit past his prime but still a very successful player and a player that still needs to be feared in this league. He joins up with the Dallas Cowboys this offseason.

Give me Derrick Henry as the newest member of the drama Dallas Choking Cowboys. How about Stu's Raiders, Josh Jacobs? Last year I would not have predicted him to be back, but now with who the coach is in Antonio Pierce, and how much he has talked about Josh Jacobs in a positive way, and that's who needs to be the identity for this team on the offensive side of the ball.

Remember when it was that Jet Raider Monday night game, he was like Roberts Belain needs to be the identity on defense, which was a little weird because we all thought it should have been Max Crosby, and then he did say that on offense it needs to be Josh Jacobs. I think Josh Jacobs wants to stay with the Raiders. Josh Jacobs also wants to get paid. Thomas Telesco does give out big contracts. I'm going to say Josh Jacobs and the Raiders, they get a deal done where it's similar to Saquon.

Whatever the total number is, doesn't really matter. It's what the guaranteed money is. I'm going to say Josh Jacobs staying with the Raiders. Now the Bengals have a lot of issues coming up with their wide receivers. Taj Boyd, obviously Jamar Chase, and this man T. Higgins.

What happened to T. Higgins? I think they continue this marriage for one more year. As long as Joe Burrow is healthy, the Bengals are a bona fide Super Bowl contender. So you punt the salary decision down the road.

You already took care of Burrow, you'll probably take care of Chase. T. Higgins is eventually going to be the odd man out, but I think you franchise tag him. He'll be back in Cincinnati next year on the franchise tag, even if that creates some complications in T. Higgins not being very happy with the tag. Baker Mayfield, is he staying with the Bucs or going elsewhere? Yes, I think Baker Mayfield stays with the Bucs, but I think he's not going to have someone else on his team which is going to make Tampa Bay take a step back.

We'll get to that in just a bit, but Baker back with the Bucs. Now Kirk Cousins staying in Minnesota, maybe going back home to Washington, or do you have another team in mind? There is no I'm coming home moment for Kirk Cousins walking back in to the newly run Washington commanders who weren't even the commanders when he was playing with them.

But now they have Josh Harrison, they don't have that pig Daniel Snyder. There's no you like that, you like that moment of coming home for one Kirk Cousins. I think he's done in Minnesota, and I believe Arthur Blank who told us at the Super Bowl, he believes they're a quarterback away. I think the Falcons heavily pursue Kirk Cousins, and you have Kirk Cousins with Bijan Robinson, Tyler Algier, Kyle Pitts, and Drake London with Raheem Morris and Zach Robinson doing the coaching. Give me Kirk Cousins to the Dirty Birds, he's going to be joining the Falcons.

An interesting one is Calvin Ridley, free agent with Jacksonville. If you remember when they made the trade with the Falcons, it was a conditional trade. If they don't re-sign him, the third round pick goes to Atlanta. If they do re-sign him, Atlanta gets a second round pick. So the Jaguars actually have an incentive not to re-sign Calvin Ridley.

And actually I saw this as, there's a technicality here, I saw this online. If they re-sign him before free agency begins, that's how the pick of the second round pick goes their way. But if it happens after free agency opens, then it doesn't. So that tells me the Jaguars, even if they do bring him back, they're not going to do so until officially free agency opens. So you want my prediction here?

Yeah, what do you think? And I actually thought Ridley had an extra year on his deal, but he doesn't as Santa just said he's going to be a free agent. This has all the making in the world of the Kansas City Chiefs who have money to spend and didn't even play their best brands of football this past year.

And it was still good enough to beat every other team in the NFL to win a championship. I'm going to say that the Chiefs go get a guy this year that they didn't have last year and that's someone that was a 1,000-yard receiver. Kansas City lands Calvin Ridley on a two-year deal with a bunch of guaranteed money. And next year you have Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce getting a friend to the program and Calvin Ridley in Kansas City as they fully go for the three-peat. Those are my Chiefs, baby.

Yeah, give me Calvin Ridley. All right, last one. Samter being a Chiefs fan is now becoming very insufferable. And I think you are annoying, Stu, too.

You know what? You picked on me. You picked on me. You picked on me all year long. You doubted my team. Every single Take 5 Wednesday, you had the Chiefs lower and lower and lower.

And what did I tell you all year long? Don't doubt my Chiefs. And what'd you do? Doubted my Chiefs.

And what'd they do? Back to back, baby. Stu, can I make an early request for my 30th birthday that's coming up in August? What do you got? Just for a gift. Can you get me a fly swatter?

I may just swat Samter away a little bit. Swatting me away isn't going to take away two championships from my boys. Last one. This guy has 10. He wasn't even a fan when they won two out of those three championships.

I don't even know who they are. The Kansas City what? This guy has 10 consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. No other active player has more than six. He is Mike Evans of the potentially Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Is he staying in Tampa or is he gone? Mike Evans and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers should get a deal done.

He should play for one team and one team only. But I don't trust the Buccaneers to give Mike Evans a long-term deal. He is like Mr. Buccaneer. He has won a Super Bowl with this team. As Samter said, every year in the league, he's had a 1,000-yard season. He will be a Pro Football Hall of Famer and he'll be remembered as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer.

But I think this comes to a close. I do not think Mike Evans is back with the Bucs next year. And I do believe he's going to be teaming up with CJ Stroud. And the Texans are going to get CJ Stroud a number one wide receiver. And you will have Mike Evans going to Houston this upcoming offseason. So how about that for some wide receiver predictions? Calvin Ridley going to the Chiefs. And then Mike Evans going to the Texans. The AFC just continues to get stronger. We'll preview the baseball season next.

Former Yankees and a member of the Cincinnati Reds, Paul O'Neill will join us in 5 minutes. Shopify helps you sell everywhere. From their all-in-one e-commerce platform to their in-person POS system. Wherever and whatever you're selling, Shopify has got you covered. Shopify helps you turn browsers into buyers with the Internet's best converting checkout.

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That's Stamps.com code program. Alrighty, this is Zach Gelb's show on CBS Sports Radio. And right now we're going to talk a little golf.

We're also going to talk a little baseball. The second annual Invited Celebrity Classic is a nationally televised PGA Tour Champions competition that features 78 PGA Tour Champions and 40 sports and entertainment stars. It's from April 19th to the 21st. Tickets are free. Fans just need to register at www.invitedcelebrityclassic.com.

You can also watch it live on the Golf Channel for all three days of competition. And now joining us on behalf of this is Paul O'Neill, the former big leaguer who played with the Reds and also the New York Yankees, a five-time All-Star, also a five-time World Series champion. Paul, always appreciate the time.

Thanks so much for joining us and how are you? We're doing right. I mean, it's just time. I mean, Super Bowl is over now. It's time to start talking baseball. So I appreciate it.

And, you know, it's always a good time of year, brings back a lot of memories when, like I said, once that last play at the Super Bowl, you realize that the next season that's going to start is baseball. How's your golf game, by the way, these days with this tournament coming up? That's kind of a bad sort of subject.

I just lost in the club championship this weekend. But you know what? It is what it is. It's a weird game. Some days that ball will go in the hole.

Some days it won't. But it's kind of the natural progression for any athlete. Once you get out of the game, you can still compete in golf. Did you at least have a good showing and then you just lost it at the end?

Or was this bad from the start in the champions? That putter of mine just did not work. I won three matches to get to the finals, which I was really happy about. And then I wilted, I guess. My putter wouldn't hit it straight. Yeah, well, you won enough championships when you were a player.

I think there's a lot of people with a small violin probably right now here. And the golf game hasn't been that great. Paul O'Neill is with us. So when we get to your Yankees, you have Aaron Judge and Juan Soto in the same lineup. Just how about your excitement to see those two guys day in and day out, hopefully, playing the same lineup for the Yankees? Well, I mean, that was a big signing.

Obviously, you had Otani and then you had Soto. And the Yankees were fortunate enough to get one of them. And he's going to add so much to this team. He's a left-handed hitter. His on-base percentage has always been great.

He said all the right things today in his press conference. And I think Aaron Judge is going to probably hit behind him, where he's going to have tons of protection. And obviously, if he's on base a lot, it's going to give Aaron Judge a lot of opportunities.

So two of the premier hitters in the game in the same lineup, that's always exciting. And if the Yankees are still the Yankees, I know that there is a year left on the Juan Soto deal. They'll find a way to ink him to a long-term extension and find a way to get that done. Where's your confidence that that will ultimately happen and Soto will be here for the long term? Well, I think a lot depends, obviously, on the type of year he has, how comfortable he is.

I mean, if you've played in other cities and then you're playing with the Yankees, you do notice that the Yankees, it's a different animal. And I think that he's going to like that. And obviously, if he wins and is well received by the fan base here, then I can't see him wanting to go anywhere else. And it doesn't sound like, you know, Brian Cashman and Al Steinbrenner, Randy Levine, it doesn't sound like they're concerned about a one-and-done for Soto. So, you know, you look at what he can do this year for this team offensively, and, you know, championship is on their mind.

There's no doubt about it. Do you think the Yankees need to add Blake Snell? I know that they've been linked to him and that could be a potential destination. You know, it's kind of surprising that, you know, he hasn't signed. And, you know, anybody that could get him, obviously, we'd want him.

You know, you're just looking at a few guys. I mean, you brought Stroman in and you know what you're getting there. I mean, you're going to get a lot of innings.

The guy that keeps the ball in the ballpark for the most part, and he's a veteran pitcher, so, you know, that's going to help. And I think that Rodon, obviously, is going to have a bounce-back year. It was kind of a wasted year last year with injuries.

And, you know, Garrett Cole, obviously, is the rock. And Nestor has an opportunity to come back. And Schmidt, you know, showed signs of being really good last year. So, you know, if healthy, and that's always the big if on any team, their rotation is pretty strong. But, you know, if you can add Blake Snell, you know, it's only going to get better. And I'll tell you this, too, as Paul O'Neill is with us right now, I think most people are most excited to see what happens with the Dodgers this year. I can't wait to see how much better the Orioles can be with what they did last year, and then also the big move a few weeks ago to go get Corbin Burns. Yeah, I mean, they didn't do a lot, and then they added a quality pitcher. But, you know, they're a youthful team, and so they're going to get better.

But, you know, they're not going to sneak up on anybody this year because of what they did last year. So, you know, the American League East should be very strong again this year. You know, Toronto, you always wait for that breakout year because of their offense. And, you know, there's so many surprises throughout the year, but a lot has to do with the health of these teams and if you can keep your star players out on the field every day.

You've been on quite a few championship or bust teams. We know the Dodgers this year, anything short of winning the championship would be a failure. You add Otani, you add Yamamoto, for the Dodgers, is it the mental grind of this, which is the most curious part when you look at them this year, knowing that regardless of what they do in the regular season, people are not going to give them any credit until they find the way to hoist another commissioner's trophy? Yeah, I mean, when you add names like that, obviously you're expected to do great things. But, you know, I've seen a lot of teams that just load up on talent, and, you know, it's kind of a misfit here.

It just doesn't gel right. I'm not saying that the Dodgers did that, but, you know, Otani is one of those players that you just don't see. You know, they've got Lukey Betts and they've added another great pitcher. So, you know, they're expecting U-Pipe, pencil and men to make the playoffs. But, you know, the short series and just getting to that point can be a grind because you basically know from opening day that, you know, you're going to be there. And it's almost a waiting game to see if you can finish that deal. And, you know, there'll be obstacles.

I mean, not too many teams go through a year without anything going wrong. The other thing I'll be curious, and maybe you give us the hitter's perspective of this, when you haven't seen someone in the United States in Major League Baseball, which everyone's now going to see Yamamoto, and you hear so much about him, how do you kind of prepare for when you go up against him with the very limited book about him? Well, I mean, the best Gano report is always in your mind. You know, how a guy has pitched you, what his stuff does. I mean, they have so many, you know, vehicles to help hitters now, a batting machine to throw from the same arm angle, same pitches at certain pitches.

You've got video to watch. But, again, if you have not faced a guy before, I always think that the pitcher kind of has the advantage. And, you know, we're looking for a series down the road where the Yankees actually visit L.A. this year. But, you know what, if you had to write it in right now that the Yankees and the Dodgers are in the World Series, I think it'll be a special year.

Talking to Paul O'Neill, wrapping up with the five-time World Series champ. You look at Atlanta, right? They've won their World Series the last two years. It hasn't gone their way, though, in the postseason. When you've had, like, failures like that when you don't get the job done, how tough is it to bounce back the following season? Well, it almost, and I also said a lot of times in 1997, after we won in 96, that was probably the worst loss that I remember. In 97, we got beat by the Indians. But, I think, I don't know that those next three years happen unless you have that because you kind of get this fear of losing again.

And you don't want it to happen again because you know the way it feels. So, you know, they, again, a youthful team that is going to get better and better. And, you know, they just seem to do everything right in that organization.

Right now, they've got some superstars. Mike Trout is under contract through 2030. I know he left the door open about his future. Isn't it best for all parties here, Paul, if he just requests a trade and they start to move on from Mike Trout?

Well, I think, you know, losing Otani, obviously, was kind of a hint to him that they weren't going to throw all the chips in to try to win now. But, you know, Mike Trout is one of those guys that's, you know, a future Hall of Famer. Do you want to see him in the playoffs with some team? Absolutely, because he's, you know, one of the faces of MLB.

So, I always enjoy watching him. He's a great fit anywhere because, athletically, he does a ton of things on the field that a lot of players can't do. I know that we've been talking a lot about the Yankees with you.

Let me get one question in about the Reds, where you started your career. How about your early impressions on the excitement and the entertainment that Elie De La Cruz has brought to Major League Baseball? Well, I mean, he hit the ground running. I mean, he took off and that team took off. I mean, they were going nowhere when they brought him up, and all of a sudden, you know, two weeks later, they were in a playoff hunt.

So, talent-wise, obviously, he has a ton of talent. He's going to make adjustments. Pitchers are going to make adjustments.

But he has a ton of tools to work with. The Reds, you know, and David Bell, you know, they really turned their year around last year. They've added some pitching.

So, you know, good things could happen. It's a tough ballpark to pitch in. It's kind of a home run paradise.

But, you know, they're in a division where they can definitely compete. So, we know you're going to be putting in the putting reps. You're going to be trying to improve that facet of your golf game from now until April 19th, right around the corner. Today is February 19th. So, we've got two months until this tournament gets underway in Texas. Tell us a little bit more about the Invited Celebrity Classic. Well, anytime you can get together with guys and, you know, play with guys that really know how to play the game and the ex-pros, they're fun events. But until you show up and you get a little nervous on that first tee, you just think it's all fun. But, you know, most people, once they get on the course or anything, whether it's golf, pickleball, tennis, basketball, anything.

Once you get going, you know, you get competitive and you want to win. So, last thing I'll ask you, we're a national show, obviously, being here on CBS Sports Radio. Paul O'Neill is with us.

Down the hall is WFAN, the legendary local New York radio station and their afternoon show of Tiki Barber, Evan Roberts and Sean Marash. Last week, they had an A-Rod day and they want A-Rod's number retired by the Yankees. Would you like to see number 13 retired by the Yankees and have a plaque for him in Monument Park? Well, you know, Alex Rodriguez is obviously one of the better players that played in his generation. So, you know, whether because he wasn't a Yankee his whole career or whether that comes into factor, I don't know. I mean, I have all the respect in the world for the talent he had and the numbers he put up and, you know, the way he plays baseball. But, you know, as far as anything like that, I mean, the Yankees usually do everything right and I have all the respect for that organization, too.

So, what does that have to wait and see? Yeah, separating the Monument Park, just getting into the Hall of Fame stuff. Yeah, I think it's a problem and I know it's up to the writers that Major League Baseball has right now because they're kind of trying to tell us that like some guys they deserve to get in that were accused of using steroids, but other guys aren't. I just think it's a mess when it comes to the Hall of Fame. And I think if you have the numbers, whether it was clean or not, you deserve to be in the Hall of Fame. How about your thoughts on that? Yeah, I mean, it's a cloudy, you know, kind of situation because of what happened during that era. I have a ton of respect for the guys that are in the Hall of Fame that were never, you know, associated with any of that. And, you know, growing up a baseball fan, when I look at, you know, some of my heroes, Willie Mays and Hank Aaron, Roberto Clemente, I mean, those guys just played baseball and nothing else was ever brought to attention that they did anything wrong.

So, I still look at, you know, the great players are great players and it's just the way it is. For more information, invitedcelebrityclassic.com. Check out the tournament that airs on the Golf Channel from April 19th to the 21st. He's Paul O'Neill. Paul, good luck. Hopefully you hit some big putts coming up in April. You guys have a good day.

Thanks so much. There he is. Paul O'Neill joining us on the Zach Gelb show on CBS Sports Radio. You know, I said this right when the Hall of Fame announcement came out this year and I'll say it again. This just shows you the problem with the Hall of Fame is that you had a guy like Mike Piazza who voters wanted to wait and wait and wait based on speculation. But then, Pudge Rodriguez gets in his first year of eligibility and John Heyman didn't vote for Piazza, but voted for Pudge. And Pudge has been on the record when he was asked, did you ever do steroids?

He says, only God knows the answer to that one. It's just such a hypocritical game on guys, did you like them or did you not? And that's the guys that end up getting the Hall of Fame. Like Big Poppy.

I love Big Poppy. He should absolutely be a Hall of Famer. He easily gets in, but Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens can't.

So it's all just hypocritical BS. I think if you have the numbers, regardless if you put a syringe in your body or not, and you put steroids in your body or not, I'm not saying I don't care. But I think we need to accept what Major League Baseball allowed back then.

And quite frankly, if you have the numbers, in my opinion, you should be a Hall of Famer. All right, we'll take a break, we'll come on back, we'll update you on some of the biggest stories in the world of sports. With some audio, we call this segment The News Brief. But first up, with the latest CBS Sports Radio update, here he is, the act man, Rich Ackerman. Listen to and follow Superfly on the Odyssey app, or wherever you get your podcast. Ooh, should we start this show?

Yeah, I'm down. Just buying a car on Carvana first. Ooh, for real? Yeah, it's super convenient. I already got pre-qualified in two minutes.

All I had to do was answer a few questions. Ooh, that's helpful. And now just customizing my down and monthly payments. Ooh, that's a very fair deal. Yep, boom, just bought a car, and you get to take me to the Carvana vending machine in a couple days to pick it up. Ooh, I'm kinda busy. Visit Carvana.com to finance your next car.

Financing subject to credit approval. All right, he's at Gelb's show, CBS Sports Radio. We'll get to the News Brief in just a second, but I just want to do one quick touch on the stadium series from over the weekend. And the only reason I'm going to bring this up, well, my Rangers put six past Sorokin yesterday, and they had that epic comeback, which was awesome, at MetLife Stadium between the Islanders and the Rangers. But the night before, you had Devils and Flyers, and a lot of people asked me, are you going to go to the game?

And I said no, because you have like a 75, 80,000 seat stadium, and I didn't think the vantage point was going to be great if you were in the crowd. Now, Stu wasn't at the Rangers-Islanders game, because Stu is a big-time Devils fan. But Stu, how was the Devils-Fliers game being in person at an 80,000 seat stadium of MetLife Stadium on a Saturday evening? It was really cool. It was also really cold. In terms of the sight lines, so we had pretty decent seats, like in terms of being close to the rink. It was definitely very different.

Big money, Stu, that's what I just learned. It was definitely very different. Like, you're just not as on top of it, so being kind of like level with the ice, you kind of lose the puck at times. But it was a good experience and I enjoyed it, but it was very different than a normal hockey game. The way that it was described to me, it almost felt as if you were at a college football game.

Now, the person that said that was at the Rangers-Islanders game. So you've been to college football games before, Stu, and that's just a certain type of environment. Like even the national championship, sometimes the big events like national championship games or Super Bowls, the environment isn't great. I will say, the national championship game this past year for Michigan and Washington was basically a Michigan home game. The atmosphere was awesome. It was a party. And at the Super Bowl this year, I thought the Chiefs and 49ers fans, and there's more 49ers fans than Chiefs fans at the Super Bowl, but I thought the atmosphere was great at the Super Bowl. But that's what I heard from someone that I knew that went, a buddy of mine that grew up that is an Islanders fan. He said, it felt like I was at a college football game. Did you at all sense that on Saturday night between the Devils and the Flyers?

Definitely. It was very, fans were very into it. It was the Devils home game. They did all the Devils home game things they do with the songs and all that.

So that was kind of cool, but it definitely felt, yeah, I would say like a college football game is a good comparison for it. Now, we trust your music senses on this show. You are the big time Swiftie on the Zach Gelb show on CBS Sports Radio. Stuart Kovacs, when you think of Taylor Swift, I think of Travis Kelsey, I think of Donna Kelsey, I think of Jason Kelsey, I think of Kylie Kelsey.

And then I also now think of Stuart Kovacs as well. You are the expert on this show with all things Taylor Swift. I actually think you're a bigger Taylor Swift fan than your actual girlfriend is.

But I don't need you to respond to that because that's going to cause a lot of problems in the Kovacs home. Now, with all that being said, there was a musical act on Saturday night, correct Amundo? There was, yes. Jonas Brothers? Yes. Thumbs up or thumbs down?

Thumbs trending up, yeah. I wouldn't pay to see the Jonas Brothers, but the fact that they were there and it was like a free way to see the Jonas Brothers, fine. How long did they play for? Before the game, they played for maybe like 50 minutes. Oh, wow.

And they played between the, they played in the second intermission as well. Oh, that's a good amount of Jonas Brothers. Yeah. That was the least convincing, though, ever endorsement I've heard from anybody. They were decent. Your voice kind of cracked and you were like, maybe I just have to say they're good, but you don't have to.

It seemed like it was an acquired taste where at first you probably didn't like them. Then as it did go on throughout the day, you were like, OK, this takes my mind off being freezing cold. So I could just watch something else. And it was the Jonas Brothers.

Which I definitely needed because it was pretty cold. OK. Anyway, let's update some of the biggest stories of the world of sports with some audio. Let's get to a news. So my buddy Channing Crowder, along with Ryan Clark and Fred Taylor on their great pivot podcast, they had Antonio Pierce on. And Antonio Pierce talked about how it appeared that Cliff Kingsbury was going to be his O.C.

And then he ended up bolting for the Washington commanders. Here's Antonio Pierce. National Football League. NFL. Not for long. So you're right.

I thought we had a guy, but not for long. Hold on. So you put pen to paper, man. That's the one thing I learned. That's no different than that's in free agency. Right. Teams are recruiting you. Things are going on.

Listen, Matt Johnson, pretty good. I guess you can still dish it out a little bit. If I'm losing the magic, I'm OK with that. And at the end of the day, listen, man, if it's not meant to be, it's not meant to be.

That's fine. So I guess that is Antonio Pierce's way of saying that we thought we had a deal done, but nothing was inked. And then Magic Johnson just gave Cliff Kingsbury a lot more cash than what the Raiders were offering or were willing to offer. That's how I kind of gather it, because if he was ready to go to the Raiders and that seemed like a done deal, then somebody else popped up.

And I have to think that's from a money perspective. Now, do the commanders believe since Cliff Kingsbury was at USC that they're going to be able to trade up in the draft and get Caleb Williams to work with Cliff Kingsbury? Like I see, I think that's a far-fetched idea because I do believe Williams is going to be the number one overall pick and he's going to be going to the Chicago Bears. But the part that I just wonder is why was Cliff Kingsbury a hot commodity? Like he's a good offense of mine, but in the NFL his teams were good in the first half of the season, disastrous in the second half of the season.

So I'm not saying I'm surprised that there was a market for Cliff Kingsbury, but the way that this looked like it did go down where he was going to be with the Raiders and then boom, Magic threw him a bag of cash and he said, no, that's just the weird part that you needed to throw him a big bag of cash in order to get the services of one Cliff Kingsbury. Here is Micah Parsons on the Stephen A. Smith show on what the Cowboys' defensive needs are this offseason. Look at every team that kind of was in that Final Four, who did they have? Who did Baltimore have? A great linebacker core, right?

Who did San Fran have? Great linebacker core. K.C., I said, we need to get another bigger linebacker who's going to come down and I said we need to get a super big old 330, can't move. Because I saw the way Chris Jones affected that super boy and I was like, my God, like, he's a big boy. And not even just Chris Jones, Mike Pinnell. But we need to get one of them big old, nasty, pass rushing, get going. So I'm not saying he's wrong, it's just amazing how much the Cowboys talked this offseason and we benefited from it. Micah Parsons came on this show at the Super Bowl.

We did basically five million views when he was trashing T.J. Watt, even though everything he said I thought was completely wrong. But the Cowboys make themselves so available in the offseason. I would change the approach, but that's not going to change because Jerry Jones values the headlines and the noise more than actually winning football games.

But even if you got a big guy up front, yes, it improves your team. It's not the reason why you got embarrassed on both sides of the ball up against the Green Bay Packers. The Cowboys have the talent to win, but I don't think they have the mental toughness to win. And now we've seen multiple times in the postseason where Dallas was just not ready for the big game.

And they inexcusably didn't show up a few years ago against the Niners and then this past year up against Green Bay. Here's Cam Newton on Brock Purdy and the game manager comments. And did he think he was a game manager in the Super Bowl?

This courtesy of the Fourth and One podcast. Brock Purdy did not have a bad game. To that point, field goal versus touchdown, that's not Brock Purdy. Why the f*** did they receive the ball first? Well, you know what you have to get, you know, you have to get a touchdown, you know, you have to get a field goal.

And if you're ever in a position to have to go for it, you can go for it. The 49ers, they were just trying to get points and that is not Brock Purdy's fault. That's bad coaching. Yeah, when I think Cam's right, when I look back at the Super Bowl and I was okay with Shanahan taking the ball first, but the team not being prepared for overtime, that's a different story. I look back at coaching and the star players on the Niners offense, Deebo and Kittle, and even to some extent, Ayuk, not having big days. I don't think that was a problem of Brock Purdy.

I don't. I thought Brock Purdy played a fine Super Bowl. I thought he was good. He wasn't great. He wasn't horrible. He was solid.

He was good. I can't look back at that Super Bowl and say he's the reason why they lost. McCaffrey put the ball on the turf. Shanahan didn't have his team ready to go for overtime. Kittle did nothing. Deebo did nothing.

And Ayuk didn't get targeted enough. It's coaching. It's coaching and the offense let them down in a big spot. And usually when the offense lets you down in a big spot, that can be directly correlated to the quarterback. This is one of the instances where it's not. Here is Jalen Brown on the dunk contest.

I thought he was extremely disappointed. It takes some energy to go out there and do tricks and perform. And then on any given night, you still got to go and provide for your team. But I think ultimately, just this media era, I think some players are afraid to make it into a meme or anything like that. I wanted to come out and have fun with it.

And that's what I did. So I respect Jalen Brown for at least participating in the dunk contest because the fact that he was the biggest star in the dunk contest is a joke. Like Jalen Brown's a really good player.

But you could get bigger stars than Jalen Brown, but he's not wrong. And it just shows how soft the NBA has really become. And LeBron, he's a big reason for it. They're afraid now, players, to participate in the dunk contest because someone's going to troll them on social media if it doesn't go their way. Well, how about Steph Curry? He did the three-point contest with Sabrina Ionescu. Imagine if he would have lost, he would have got trolled.

But he didn't care. So how about we just get tougher players? Steph's a tough player. I give Steph a lot of credit. But the fact that players are afraid to become a meme on social media if they fail in the dunk contest, it's a joke. Like Jalen Brown, he failed in the dunk contest. Is he getting dragged? No. It's ridiculous. Here is Jason Tatum with a shocking omission before the All-Star Game. Russell Westbrook is the only player in history to win back-to-back All-Star MVPs. Can we see it tonight?

What you thinking? We can't because I ain't going to lie. I met Larry Bird tonight for the first time. I've never met Larry Bird in my life.

So I got to meet him and that just gave me, like, I was anxious. So I got some juices flowing for the game right now. That's NBA on TNT. I know that Larry Bird isn't the warmest individual on the planet. But how is he, with the Celtics connection, how has Jason Tatum never met Larry Bird? When we all know Jason Tatum's a great player. That's wild.

Finally, here's Rick Pitino. He rips apart his St. John's team. We are so non-athletic that we can't guard anybody without fouling. And really it's not about losing. Because even in winning, when we watch the film, I see unathletic plays. I see people that don't handle the ball.

That's just interested in taking quick shots. So it's been a disappointing year. I don't think we were going to win the first year anyway. Not a whole lot we can do. But this has been the most unenjoyable experience I've had since I've been coaching. Well, he assembled this team. There is a transfer portal.

There is NIL. I think that's a bad look for Rick Pitino. And he's an older coach. And I don't know if that coaching style works anymore in the transfer portal and NIL era anymore.

I get it. It's the my way or the highway type of approach. We've seen a lot of coaches retire from basketball because they've not been able to adapt to what college basketball is now. And it seems like Pitino has already regretted taking this job. And if I'm paying Pitino, I'm not happy with him after that response. And I guess now the best we could ever hope for is St. John's. Maybe just one of these years to make the NCAA tournament under Pitino before he calls it quits. But man, that seems like a guy who wants to quit right now with how upset he is and the way that he explained that after the game and another St. John's collapse and loss.

A peanut butter M&M's production. In a world where Super Bowl winners get the world's admiration and a fancy ring, but the runners up get nothing. One retired cop returns. That's one retired quarterback. Read the script.

Oh, sorry. One retired quarterback returns to claim what's his. That's claim a ring with diamonds made from M&M's peanut butter. But you're on a roll.

The Ring of Comfort coming soon to a Super Bowl new you. I'm Tony and this is the Tony Kornheiser show. Well, that makes it sound a bit more serious than it really is. So what exactly is the show about? Been almost 30 years and I still don't know. Right now, we have some of the best voices in football come on to explain to us what we need to know in the college and pro world.

And we get weekly picks from a monkey. Do you really need more than that? I might just tell you about my bunker game and the latest failed entry in my quest to find the best coffee ice cream. No schmutz, please. Listen on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts.