Mike McCarthy not getting hired I Overreaction/Proper Reaction I Wyndham Clark, PGA Tour Golfer

Live from the play show, you're not overly ostentatious, studios of the Infinity Sports Network here in beautiful New York City, sitting on top of the 10th floor, 345 Hudson Street. Welcome on in to what is already a Wednesday edition of the Zach Gelb show across all the great local Infinity Sports Network affiliates, Sirius XM, Channel 375, the free Odyssey app, and of course, as always, streaming on YouTube. 855-212-4227 is the number to jump on in.

855-212-4227, you could always get at me on Instagram, where I'm straight flexing, or via the good old cesspool of Twitter, at Zach Gelb, that is Z-A-C-H-G-E-L-B. Alrighty, we got a monster show for you today, a lot of guests stopping by. Wyndham Clark, PGA Tour golfer, he's going to join us 40 minutes from now. Evan Washburn, who's on the sidelines for the AFC Championship game last weekend for CBS, will stop by at 4 p.m. Eastern. Brian Hot Take Kiki will join us in studio at 4.40 p.m. Eastern time, and you know what? I just realized this, that could be maybe the greatest segment and the greatest hour of hair in the history of our network. Evan Washburn may be the only person in the media world that has better hair than Hot Take Kiki. You know, I would think three people are elite when it comes to hair in the sports radio, sports media industry. The first three people I think of, Evan Washburn, Ryan Hot Take Kiki, and then also Adam Shine.

Adam Shine has some good hair as well, so if you love hair, which I know our YouTube chat does, Evan Washburn at 4, Ryan Hot Take Kiki at 4.40 p.m. today on the show, and then Sean Merriman's going to stop by to kick off the final hour at 5 p.m. Eastern, 2 p.m. Pacific time. But let's start off with the big news from last night, and that is the way that it was reported, which I think is really misleading, that Mike McCarthy has taken his name out of the running for the New Orleans Saints job. Now, here's my question. Was he ever really in it? We kept on hearing about how they were going to talk and how they were going to do an interview, and according to Nick Underhill, who covers the New Orleans Saints, he said, can confirm Mike McCarthy removed himself from the search. Saints never scheduled anything with him. The two sides have planned to talk this week, and it never happened. So, like, when Joe Brady takes himself out of the running for the Saints job, I believe it, because I do think Joe Brady can become an attractive name on the market, because whether you like hiring this way or not, he fits the mold and the trend of two guys that were hired this year in Ben Johnson and then Liam Cohen.

Right? Ben Johnson was the name, and then Liam Cohen for Innovative Offensive Minds was the next name, and then Joe Brady was third. So, if Joe Brady was third, wouldn't you want to reset the market next year, and maybe you could be one, or even if you're not one, you probably could jump up to two, and let's be real, Joe Brady, you never know how many chances you're going to get to be an NFL head coach. I get it's one of 32 jobs with the New Orleans Saints, and you know that area very well, clearly, that organization very well, but are you dying to go work for the New Orleans Saints when they don't really have much to sell you on? I thought that was a savvy move by Joe Brady to take himself out, but when you look at the other names for the Saints job, like Mike Kafka, I think is a backup name. Mike Kafka should not be an NFL head coach starting in 2025.

He shouldn't be. I ultimately believe it's going to be Kellen Moore, but what I really think did happen here is for whatever it was, and I think it's more so the Saints didn't really want him, and McCarthy was interested in the job, because remember, immediately when McCarthy and the Cowboys did break up, the first two names and the first two teams that emerge were the Bears and also the Saints, and I don't think that was, oh, the Bears are going to leak out his name or the Saints are going to leak out his name. I think that was the McCarthy camp taking a look at what was available, and clearly they wanted the Bears job, and then they would also be interested in the Saints job, but as this process did go on, I tend to believe that the Saints really weren't that interested in Mike McCarthy, and McCarthy said to himself, you know what? I'm a little bit of a sympathetic figure right now.

The Cowboys, they keep on putting their foot in their own mouth. Let me save face here instead of taking the interview where maybe I'm not their preferred choice and I'm not their number one candidate. Well, no one who they hire now is their number one candidate, but you get the point, and instead of getting rejected, I'll say, you know what? I'm breaking up with you.

You're not breaking up with me. That's how this kind of came off yesterday when you found out that Mike McCarthy is taking himself out of the running for the Saints job. I don't think the Saints were hiring him.

I don't. And he got wind of that. He understood that was going to be the case with all the other six jobs filling up and the Saints only were on the market. It seemed as if going into the weekend, this was going to be Kellen Moore's job to lose, and I don't think Kellen Moore is in a position like Joe Brady is to turn down the Saints job.

And here's why. I don't believe Kellen Moore is as attractive of a name on the NFL market as Joe Brady would be. Because a week and a half ago, we all thought Kellen Moore was going to be the puppet that Jerry Jones would control. And instead, Jerry Jones elected to downgrade and go to a lesser puppet in Brian Schottenheimer. So for Kellen Moore, a few years ago, he was a name that was a hot name. And since then, I think people have said, oh, we're going to pump the brakes on Kellen Moore because he's jumped around as an offensive coordinator from place to place to place.

So I do think Kellen Moore will be the next head coach of the Saints. McCarthy, who is not a dummy, realized that and said, I'm going to take myself out of the running for the Saints job before it comes out that they're passing up on me. Because then there's a lot of embarrassment by Mike McCarthy, because remember this did go down. This is truly how I believe this thing did go down. McCarthy was fed up with the Joneses, Stephen and probably more so Jerry.

And he thought to himself, I've done a good enough job here, right? Four years there, three years of 12 win seasons. I know I've only won one playoff game.

This year, the carpet got pulled out from underneath me with all the injuries. But also, let's be real, even though Jerry Jones won't admit it, Jerry Jones did not do a good job and he wasn't all in in finding a way to construct a winner in the year of 2024 in the NFL. So I think that Mike McCarthy said to himself, I'm only going to go back to Dallas if it's on my terms, because the juice really isn't worth the squeeze anymore to deal with Jerry Jones. And whether they talk contract or not, it was probably communicated that they weren't going to give him a three, four, five year extension. And in all likelihood, I would imagine, and I said this from the jump, that the Cowboys would probably offer him a two year extension, which means okay, that buys you one year. And then you're back into all there's only a year left on the contract. So either you go into that year as a lame duck coach, or they just get rid of you after next season.

So that's the way that I think this thing did go down. And Mike McCarthy said, you know what? I'm Mike McCarthy. I'm a Super Bowl winning head coach. I did a good enough job here in my next chapter after leaving Green Bay and landing with the Dallas Cowboys. You know, there's six, seven jobs that are going to be on the market. I could probably get four or five of them.

Bare minimum, I'll get one of them and I'll go leave and go somewhere else where I'm more wanted and appreciated. And also when you become a new hire, bare minimum, you're getting four years in the NFL, unless if you're like old man Pete Carroll, that didn't come off the right way. But you get the point what I'm saying where they're only going to get Pete Carroll a three year contract because he's what 73 and about to turn 74 before he coaches a game with the silver and black this year. So McCarthy gambled and I'm not going to say it didn't pay off because who knows if he resurfaces next year. Now I'm going to guess that if McCarthy and he's a good relationship guy in the NFL, I will say that. But I'm going to guess that if McCarthy misses out on this cycle, I'm not going to say and now at the same to the village of out there, I'm not going to say he's never going to be a coach again. But I do think a year from now it could be a miscalculation because I don't think the stock of Mike McCarthy is really going to improve significantly.

Like the last time this happened. Right. He restored his image after the split with Aaron Rodgers. He pretended to embrace analytics. We know that he really did it. He was even open lying to Jerry Jones. And he said this in his press conference that he went back and watched every play of the Cowboys season. And he said, oh, that was just the way that I got the job. You know, that's what I said to get the job.

But I think since you already went through it one time and you already got that second chance, it's rare that you get a third chance, even when it's fair or not. People don't look at Mike McCarthy like he's a great coach. If you look at the resumes of Mike Tomlin, John Harbaugh, Sean Payton, and then also Mike McCarthy, they're all pretty similar.

Right. Tomlin won Super Bowl win. McCarthy won Super Bowl win. Sean Payton won Super Bowl win. John Harbaugh.

Right. With the Super Bowl. So you look at it and you look at those guys and it seems as if in terms of the national respect, like people genuflect to Tomlin, people genuflect to Sean Payton. You know, people genuflect to those other names that we mentioned. When it comes to McCarthy, it's almost like, yeah, he's a good coach. But since he was with Aaron Rodgers, I think a lot more people credit Aaron Rodgers that Mike McCarthy where we revere. And hey, Mike Tomlin had Big Ben. Sean Payton had Drew Brees and John Harbaugh.

I won a Super Bowl with Joe Flacco. Those names don't belong with the other two that I just mentioned. But it's almost as if those guys are held in a higher standing, not almost.

They are held in a higher standing. And McCarthy doesn't get that public praise nationally as the other three coaches get. So since he doesn't have that cache of the other three coaches, I don't believe he's going to be a hot commodity this time next year. And it goes back to the initial thing and the initial decision by McCarthy to leave. I put this more on the Jones family.

I do. But you look back at where both these two people are right now. Let's say Jerry Jones and Mike McCarthy did either get what they wanted this offseason. Say what you want that Jerry Jones.

And I say it all the time. He's all about drama and power, right? That's what Jerry Jones does. Look at his hiring history really outside of Parcells.

He and I would say Wade Phillips, too. In the last 20 something years, 25 years, he hires coaches that he could control. He hires coaches that probably most teams would not end up hiring.

And Jerry Jones. So sure, you got a guy you control, but you can't tell me you could be thrilled with Brian Schottenheimer. And you know how, you know, he knows it isn't the right hire. It's because he's going out of his way to try to tell everyone it's a great move. You know, he's trying to to over justify it way too much. And it's almost a thing where it just you're basically trying to tell everyone I know it's wrong.

Right. Everyone's saying this is a wrong hire. And he's trying to say, no, I'm going to tell you why it's right.

But when he gives the explanation, I don't even think he believes that it's right. So look at that way where Jerry Jones winds up with Brian Schottenheimer and Mike McCarthy. You wind up without a job where if you're being transparent with yourself, you pulled out of the job because you knew you weren't getting the job. And you your ego thought you would at least get a job at a new four or five year contract somewhere else.

And you got shut out of this cycle. So really, when I take a look at this, I would. I would. If I was the Jones family, if they could go back, I would have just given McCarthy a three year extension. And I think Mike would have taken it. It wasn't a four or five year deal, which you probably wanted an extension for the Jones family.

You didn't got to break the bank. And it basically bought you two more years of Mike McCarthy, because I'd rather have two more years of Mike McCarthy. Then whatever this Brian Schottenheimer deal is, four or five years. I would have just continued with Mike McCarthy. That's what I would have done.

And you know what? McCarthy, he won't say it, but it has to be some remorse as well, because he wants to coach. But let's go to Adam Schefter.

This just shows you how Jerry knows it wasn't the right hire. This is Adam Schefter on The Pat McAfee Show. Schefter recalls just over the weekend, Jerry Jones calling him to give him the story.

Listen up. This is Adam Schefter. I'm home and my phone rings and it was Jerry Jones. And he goes on and on about how Brian Schottenheimer is nothing more than an assistant coach. He's always been an assistant coach. This is what he's done.

These are his qualifications. How could people even be talking about him as a head coach? He's an assistant coach. And then he stopped on a dime and he goes, but you know what, Adam? He's Brian, the assistant.

No more. He's now the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. It was so funny the way that he said it all up, led to it, and then, bam, delivered the punch line of Brian Schottenheimer being head coach. If I was Jerry Jones and you're calling a reporter to give him the story, wouldn't you just say, hey, we're hiring Brian Schottenheimer as the next coach?

Instead, he felt as if he had to justify it before with the tongue in cheek way. You know, like, you know what it'd be like, Stu? Stu, it'd be like if I was giving you the Stuart Kovacs show, right? If I was the program director and I was like, Stu was a producer. Stu has always been a producer.

You know, hey, Andrew Marchand, there's this guy, Stuart Kovacs. He's been a producer. He's always been a producer. He is a great producer, but producer no more. You would think I'm firing you.

And then he's now the host of the show, the Stuart Kovacs show on the Infinity Sports Network. Like, you know that it was the wrong move. No offense, Stu. Jerry Jones knew it was the wrong move and he set it up. Yeah, no one else would have really hired this guy to make him the head coach, but we're going to do so. So that's like, Jerry just can't get out of his own way. The Dallas, you know, I know I call him the drama Dallas Choking Cowboys, but it's just Jerry Jones. But the Dallas Cowboys just can't get out of his own way. That just, the Cowboys cannot get out of their own way with this guy running the team.

And that's the bottom line. And McCarthy messed up. Jerry Jones messed up.

And what a bleep show it is. And like, this is the worst hire. I don't even know who the Saints are going to hire. I think it's going to be Kellen Moore, but it's not official yet. I will rank the Kellen Moore hire before I would rank, you know, greater before I'd rank Brian Schottenheimer. Brian Schottenheimer and Jerry Jones. It's seven out of seven.

That's what it is. It's the worst hire of this hiring cycle. All right, Zach Gelb here with you on the Infinity Sports Network, 855-212-4227.

We'll do a little overreaction, proper reaction on a Wednesday when we come on back. I'll tell you, the perception and the view that the YouTube chat has of Stu is hilarious to me. So we were talking about the Stuart Kovacs show, how we would want that to become a thing. And Ben Dozo says in the YouTube chat, Stu Pak bakes and takes. That would be kind of the theme of the Stuart Kovacs show. Also, hot takes with a mellow buzz. The Stuart Kovacs show via our pal Billy Wolfe. Anyway, Stu, I know that you'll be able to fire up this segment.

Let's get to it. We go to a little overreaction, proper reaction. Another NFL week is complete, which means it's another week to freak out about your favorite team. Which takes are truly crazy. But sometimes a game can be so bad, it's almost good. You know what I'm saying?

And which are so crazy, they might be right. He's 6'5", he's 245 pounds. He's probably a Popeye's biscuit away from being a tight end. Zach lets you know in this week's edition of overreaction or proper reaction.

Alrighty, Stuart, we got cooking. Alright, so as we discussed a lot on yesterday's show, Liam Cohen's first week with the Jags has been a bit of a circus culminating in Monday's Odd Press Conference. One thing that we learned is that owner Shad Khan admitted that the team is in no rush to hire a GM. Can you give us a quick update on the timeline for the GM search? Is there an end-all date because you want to prepare for the NFL draft or be prepared? I think that date is February 28th.

I believe that's the NFL mandated. I think our priority is obviously to get Liam settled in and have him build his staff. And then start the search. But we're hoping to be done by that date.

So overreaction or proper reaction, it's a huge mistake to wait until the end of February to hire a new GM. I'll answer your question in just a second. Did you hear what Mad Dog Russo called Shad Khan? I sure did. He goes, you know, let me tell you about this, Shaka Khan.

Shaka Khan. But to answer your question, would it be a huge mistake by Shad or Shaka Khan to wait until the end of February to hire a new GM? Um, so I don't think they actually will.

To be clear, like I heard the whole press conference, I know we just played the audio back for you. He basically just said, we'll hire it by when we have to hire, which would be the end of February. I don't think that should take that long. If you can't figure this out until like after the Super Bowl, that's a problem.

But yeah, I guess I'd go more proper reaction than overreaction. Because if you literally wait until the last day of February, you're only giving yourself March and April, two months. And legitimately two months, only two months to get ready for the NFL draft.

You get two months and then some if you do so earlier. So I don't think that should be a decision that takes that long. But also remember, they weren't planning on firing Trent Bulky until a week ago. And that's why Liam Cullen's out there, even though no one will admit that.

But anyway, next question. So the Ravens offense led the NFL averaging over 420 yards per game and scored the third most points in the league. Now Baltimore is rewarding their offensive coordinator Todd Muntkin with a new contract extension. Though the team once again fell short in the playoffs. Overreaction or proper reaction, the Ravens need to change their offensive philosophy after yet another postseason failure. I think this was talked about last year.

I don't think outside of me, really anyone else said it. I think their offensive philosophy the last two years in the AFC Championship Game in the divisional round is arrogant and stupid. That's what I think it was. Last year they were trying to prove that they could win through the air and they took Lamar's legs away. And they didn't run the ball enough and they lost the game to the Chiefs. And then this past year, you have Derrick frickin' Henry and Lamar Jackson. 22 total carries for those guys.

Only 22 for two of the toughest players to stop in the NFL. It's almost as if the Ravens are channeling their inner Ohio State, except it's the reverse way. Where Ohio State it was, oh we gotta run the ball, we gotta run the ball, we gotta run the ball, we gotta be tough. That's how we're gonna, we need to win games because that's how Michigan did. And I know eventually Ohio State won the championship, but that's why they lost to Michigan this year because they thought they had to play a certain way. And for the Ravens, there's so much conversation that they run the ball too much that people are now saying, oh, they gotta go out there and they gotta throw the ball more.

And it's gotten into their heads. Like, look at Jalen Hurts, I know he played well in the NFC Championship Game. But people that were bitching a few weeks ago, oh Jalen Hurts, they don't throw the ball enough with him. Is anyone complaining now that you're in the Super Bowl? If you win, do you think anyone, regardless how you win, do you think anyone's gonna call out how you won?

No. Just as long as you do win, that's what all people care about. So yeah, the Ravens need to change their offensive philosophy after yet another postseason failure.

Very simple. Run the damn ball in the playoffs. So proper reaction. The Lions lost both their defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn and offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to head coaching jobs. Now the NFC's number one seed has found their replacement for Ben Johnson in Broncos past game coordinator John Morton, who has been an NFL and college assistant for nearly 30 years. So overreaction or proper reaction, you expect the Lions offense to take a step back in 2025. Um, it could be a little bit, but I think the Lions as a team, I think it's gonna be tough to take more of a step back than what they did this year.

I get it, the regular season success was awesome, but we judge it by how far you go in the postseason. If you tell me right now that the Lions only make the divisional round next year, I'd be a little bit surprised. And also, if you're telling me, oh we're all down in the Lions because they lost the defensive coordinator and the offensive coordinator, then you don't really believe in Dan Campbell, but then also, who else do you believe in in the NFC? Like the Eagles are gonna be good for a while, the Cowboys stink, the commanders, let's see if they can continue what they just did. Uh, the NFC North, I don't think Green Bay or Minnesota is ready to take that next step. Now if Green Bay gets the number one wide receiver, it could be a different story. The NFC South doesn't have a championship team, and the NFC West, we don't even know if Stafford's gonna be back. So like, the Niners should bounce back next year. So you expect the Lions offense to take a step back in 2025, it's not gonna be as crisp because they don't have Ben Johnson, but I think they'll still be really damn good, and I think that that team will probably go further next year because they underachieved in the postseason this year. So I'll go proper reaction there.

I mean, I'll go overreaction there. So the Eagles are in the Super Bowl for the second time in three years, and owner Jeffrey Lurie is feeling himself, according to Bill Simmons. Now Ben Simmons, he wouldn't show up. Definitely not Ben Simmons. Lurie is a finalist to purchase the... Ben Simmons would be like, this is too many words to type.

I need some load management. I hit writer's block after typing the first sentence. According to Bill Simmons, Lurie is a finalist to purchase the Boston Celtics, despite Boston and Philly being pretty bitter sports rivals. The move would be reminiscent of Sixers owner Josh Harris buying the commanders, leading some Philly fans to be conflicted about the owner during the NFC title game. So overreaction or proper reaction, owners shouldn't own teams in rival cities.

This shows my growth as a human being. Ten years ago, I would have sounded off on this. If you have the money and it's a different sport, right, you could own whatever teams you want. So, yes, it is bizarre when you have Josh Harris who owns the Sixers and he could walk into Philadelphia with the commanders and beat the Eagles, but it's not the same sport. And if you have the money, you should be able to do what you want with it. So owners shouldn't own teams in rival cities. Ten years ago, I would have said 100 percent a proper reaction.

Now it'll go overreaction. Senior bowl practices began this week with the game kicking off on Saturday, though new rules allow juniors to play in the game as well. Among those is former Bama quarterback Jalen Milro, who discussed his goal for the week. All I want to do is put the best foot forward, you know, not be one dimensional at all when it comes to my playing style, lead properly. I was able to be a two time captain. So I know that I will never get complacent. Just knowing that, you know, who I am today is going to be different than I was a year from now as I continue to go on this process. So as cliche as it is, it's all about going one and 0. It's all about getting one percent better.

And if you do that, you're going to silence all that they said. All right. So Mel Kiper currently has Milro as his fourth best quarterback behind Cam Ward, Chador Sanders and Jackson Dart, while CBS lists Milro as their number three quarterback. So overreaction or proper action. Jalen Milro can be a legit starting quarterback in the NFL. I think he's a second round draft pick. I would not use the first round pick on him. Do I think he could be a legit starting quarterback in the NFL? So you're saying basically like top 10.

That to me is a great overreaction. And I don't know if there was a player in college football that personally I was more disappointed in this year than Jalen Milro, because there would be like a game like Georgia where he was on and he was awesome and that's everything that you saw. But then there's Tennessee, there's Oklahoma, there's Vanderbilt, like games where he just looked absolutely lost.

That's the problem with Jalen Milro. You see the ceiling a little bit and you're like, wow, that's awesome. But the floor is a far, far, far, far fall. And not only does he just hit the floor, he hits the floor really damn hard. Like he kind of reminds me of like Anthony Richardson.

We're in small doses. You see what he could be, but it doesn't happen enough consistently. And am I going to sit here and say that I would want Anthony Richardson as my starting quarterback?

No. When Hickey was all excited to draft about Anthony Richardson, I told him it was a mistake then. So Jalen Milro can be a legit starting quarterback in the NFL.

I have not seen enough consistency from him to warrant me to say that's a proper reaction, so I'm going overreaction. All right, last one here. One of the most debated questions of our lifetime is who was most responsible for the Patriots' success. And that, of course, is between Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. Players win championships. It's all about the players. All about the players.

Well, this week on the Let's Go podcast with Jim Gray, Belichick appeared to answer who he thinks is more important to the Patriots' run. Players win games. You can't win games without good players. I don't care who the coach is.

It's impossible. You can't win without good players. You know, I found out when I had Taylor, Banks, Harry Carson, Pepper Johnson, all those guys are the Giants.

And same thing, you know, when we got good at Cleveland and then at New England. I mean, it's Brady, it's McGinnis, it's Brable. Those are the guys that won the games. Man, I didn't make any tackles. I didn't make any kicks. That was Vinatieri that made that kick in four inches of snow.

You've got to have good players. They don't name it the Star Trophy. It's named the Lombardi Trophy. Maybe they should name it the Brady Trophy. He won seven of them.

So, overreaction, a proper reaction. They should rename the trophy after Tom Brady. I know many of you think and will claim I am a Tom Brady hunk, which I will not deny. I do not think they should change the Lombardi Trophy to the Brady Trophy. If you want to give the Super Bowl MVP, which is named after Pete Rozelle, then I would say, yeah. If you want to call that the Tom Brady Super Bowl MVP or something like that, that's fine with me. But I would not rename the Lombardi Trophy after Tom Brady. So, they should rename the trophy after Tom Brady.

I'm actually going overreaction. I just see that, Stu, you have a new defensive coordinator. I just saw that. Notre Dame is set to hire Rutgers, former Rutgers head coach Chris Ash as its next defensive coordinator. I know Chris Ash very well.

When I used to work at that 9.20 a.m. in New Jersey, he would used to always come on with us to chat a little Rutgers football. So, congratulations to Chris Ash. We'll take a break, though. We'll come on back. We'll do a little golf with Wyndham Clark, who's going to join us live on the show. We'll talk TGL, talk about the Ryder Cup coming up in 2025, and so much more.

Update time first. Here's Zach. All right, we continue. This is Zach Gelb's show right here on the Infinity Sports Network. Let's go out to the guest line right now.

Welcome into 2023, U.S. Open champion. He's here today on behalf of Blade and Bow, Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey. That is Wyndham Clark with us on the Zach Gelb show. Wyndham, appreciate the time. Thanks so much for doing this. And how you been? I've been good. Thanks for having me on.

I appreciate you coming on. Now, this sponsorship is right up my alley, and I know you got some pretty cool sweepstakes going on shortly. Tell me a little bit about the fine work that you're doing with the folks from Blade and Bow, Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey. Well, we're excited to announce that we're going to have a sweepstakes for one lucky guest, that they get to play a round of golf with me, bring some of their friends, and then enjoy some post-round celebrations at the 19th hole and have some good Blade and Bow. So we're pretty excited about this.

It's going to launch next week on Monday, and people can look on social media to get more information on it. And so, yeah, we're really excited to launch this, and I'm looking forward to playing with some lucky people. Yeah, nothing like a good round of golf and then also some good drinks afterwards and a little bit of a party.

I know you were saying people could bring some friends along with them. I know when you were growing up, you went to high school with Christian McCaffrey. I know you played before with him in the Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

I know you are the reigning champion as we get to see who wins it all, if you could defend that crown this year. But what was that relationship like in high school with Christian? So, you know, to be honest, Christian, we only went two years together.

He's a little younger than me. I was really close with his brother, Max, who's now coaching the NFL. But, yeah, Christian and I had a pretty good relationship. And the fun thing is we've kept it going throughout the years. And now we have such mutual respect for each other.

You know, obviously, he's one of the best running backs. And then, you know, my endeavors in golf and he's gotten into golf. And so he's always asking me questions and some tips. But, yeah, we've had a great relationship.

You know, he was so talented, not only in football, but in other sports. And we had some good banter back and forth when we played some basketball. We were both on the same team. So, you know, yeah, it's a great relationship. I love the McCaffrey family and over to their house many times. So, yeah, it's really fun to see two kids from Colorado, which usually doesn't produce, you know, I'd say the best athletes in the sports that we're playing, you know, produces great athletes in other sports.

But, you know, football and golf, there's not too many of them. And so it's fun that both of us went to the same school and we're both competing at the highest level. Yeah, it's really awesome to see what both of you guys have accomplished.

By the way, I checked out the last few weeks, TGL presented by SoFi. I know you're a part of that, obviously. What has that experience been for in kind of this new era, new wave of golf? Yeah, you know, honestly, it's really fun to be part of.

You know, I will say I've said this to many people. It's some of the most fun I've ever had playing golf. You can even really call it golf. I mean, it's a fun game.

It's indoor. It's golf, but it's not golf. And so, you know, I love it. I think it's a blast for us to play. And I think, you know, I think thus far people are receiving it really well.

And I think as we continue to play and get more comfortable out there, the more banter that there is. I mean, we started something completely new. Right. And so there's no history.

There's no formula of how to do it. And so as we get better at it, I think people are going to continue to love it. So I think it's great for golf. And, you know, the big thing is I think it brings more eyes to the game of golf, which also helps the PGA Tour. It helps TGL.

It helps all of our brands. It's a really great, great thing. And I'm looking for the next time I get to tee it up. I think it showcases your guys' personality a little bit more than a typical PGA kind of tournament. You know, we've seen a little bit with full swing, too, which you're well versed in. And then in this, it's a little bit more relaxed environment than your prototypical weekend.

Yeah, I totally agree with you. You know, people always see us on TV. And, you know, part of trying to be one of the best golfers in the world is, you know, you have to really keep your emotions at bay when you're playing. And so they only see us inside the ropes when it's really intense and they don't really get to see the lightheartedness that all of us really have. And our, you know, the fun, you know, the camaraderie that we have amongst players, you get to see our personalities. And I just think it's great because people always look at us like we're robots and think that we don't have anything. But then you get us in a fun social setting.

You're like, oh, wow, you're actually a really fun guy or you're funnier than I thought or whatever it ends up being. And so I think that's great for us and the fans that they get to see us in that light. Talking to Wyndham Clark on behalf of Blade and Bow, Kentucky's straight bourbon whiskey. What I'm most excited for this year in the golf world is obviously the Ryder Cup. I'm a Long Island kid.

My sister was actually married at Bethpage Black. So that's going to be neat and it's going to be such a fun kind of weekend. You know, I'm assuming, you know, obviously you want to qualify. We're all hoping that you're going to be a part of it, but that's got to be circled on your calendar, right?

Oh, for sure. I mean, I've gotten two good tastes of team golf, Team USA, actually three now. The Olympics, Ryder Cup and the President's Cup. And I love it.

I'm addicted to it. I want to make the team every single year. And this one in particular, I've only played away games. I've never had a home game. And so, you know, to play in the U.S. is going to be amazing.

And then now you put it in New York with an amazing sports town, really tough fans, but great fans. I just think it's going to be an amazing atmosphere. So I'm really hoping of all the teams that I make this one because I think it's going to be great. And I'm really excited for Keegan as our captain. I think he's going to be one of our best captains yet. And so hopefully I play some great golf and I either make the team on my own own play or at least I get picked.

You know, it's got to have probably so many pinch me moments already. I'll only be in 31, whether it's representing your country, you know, winning the U.S. Open back in 2023. I'm assuming the U.S. Open was the top one for you, even though how cool of an honor it is to represent your country.

Yeah. You know, I think any major is typically number one. You know, even my first win was up there as well.

Just kind of break through. But yeah, you get to these team events, you know, make my first Ryder Cup was amazing. Obviously, making the Olympics the biggest sporting event in the world and representing the USA was for that was amazing. Getting my first win as a team for the President's Cup was unreal. So I've definitely checked off some boxes that, you know, as a little kid, I hope I could do these someday. And so now, you know, I hope I just keep going on a list and, you know, rocking up the accomplishments is pretty cool. You know, it's cool to find out about people when they were younger. Now, looking back, you know, how accomplished you are, Wyndham Clark, in the golf world. I know your dad was a big influence in sports and getting you to play golf. Just how do you kind of reflect on relationship when you were a youngster, when you look back at what dad did for you, like all these years later?

You know, it's it's amazing, especially as you get older. It's amazing to look at the sacrifices that your parents made for you. And, you know, my dad played professional tennis, didn't quite, you know, he made it, but didn't quite fully make it in his career. And, you know, I think, you know, obviously he took that hard. He wanted to make it. And so then as I progressed in sports, he definitely saw that there was potential and things that he learned that he should have done and he instilled in me. And so it's, you know, it's amazing to look back at young Wyndham, you know, in the early, early days, hoping this would happen.

And now we fast forward and it really is happening and it's fun to share it with my dad, with my family. And so I'm just very thankful that my dad sacrificed so much, not only financially, but his own time. A lot of blood, sweat and tears as well. You know, I was traveling the country playing not only just golf, but basketball and other sports. And so he he really paid a lot of that. I really gave a lot of his time for me. And so I'm so thankful for it. And we're similar in age.

You know, I'm 30. So growing up golf, it was synonymous with one person and that was Tiger Woods. I'm just wondering, what was it like your first interaction meeting Tiger? The honest truth, the first time I met him, we were in the bathroom at the players. And I was I was at the urinal and sure enough, Tiger Woods comes right next to me and I go, oh, my gosh.

And he goes, hey, man, how you doing? And then he asked what time we were playing. I was so nervous. And so that was the first time I ever got to really meet Tiger. But then I got to play with a couple of times. And the great thing about meeting your heroes and the guys you looked up to is especially when is when they exceed your expectations. And, you know, meeting Tiger was awesome. But then fast forward the next time I saw him, he remember my name, said, hey, great playing today. Had a good round that day or something. And, you know, that little things like that really make you feel awesome that you're not just someone that you ran into. And so that was really cool.

Yeah. You know, I'll tell you, the bathroom encounters are the most awkward. I met Dan Patrick when I was in high school and it's like, I'm not going to go shake your hand.

I know you don't want to talk to me because you're doing your business. That's got to be the most awkward thing, right? Oh, 100 percent. I mean, it was definitely not how you dreamt of meeting your one year idol. But hey, you know, it's it's a funny story.

And he probably don't even remember it, but I do. And so, yeah. Last thing I'll ask you once again, Wyndham Clark here with us.

Blade and Bow, Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey. Just the state of golf right now. I know it's so contentious a few years ago with live golf and the PGA Tour.

I know we don't really have any final answer on that, but how do you kind of just describe the current state? Because as a viewer, you know, I just want to see the same golfers under one umbrella going up against one another. Yeah, honestly.

I actually think it's in a great place. I think, yes, I would love to see all the best players playing against each other. But if you look at it, we now have so many cool things in golf. I mean, golf is growing as a sport. We have this new league in TGL, we have a new league in in the live golf tour. And then you have the original PGA Tour. And if we can kind of bring it all together, I mean, I just think golf is is going like this.

And so I agree with you. I don't know what's going to happen. But the one thing I do like is people are talking about golf and, you know, maybe five, six, seven years ago wasn't as much chatter. And so it's pretty you know, if you try to turn it into a positive thing, there's a lot of a lot of chatter around golf, which is which is always good. Well, he's Wyndham Clark. Good luck coming up the rest of the week at the Pebble Beach Pro. And once again, Wyndham Clark here with us on behalf of Blade and Bow, Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey. Wyndham, thanks for doing this. Appreciate it. Yeah. Thanks, guys.

Have a good one. There we go. Wyndham Clark joining us on the show. And I was not expecting that. You know, like the first time you met Tiger. Oh, I ran into him in a bathroom. That's a true story for me when I met Dan Patrick, when I was aspiring broadcaster in high school. I was at a Super Bowl at the J.W.

Marriott in Indianapolis. And I was going to the bathroom and I turned around and Dan Patrick was there. And it's not one of those moments you're like, hi, nice to meet you. And you start talking to someone.

It's like, oh, dad, you know, you just say something and then you just leave. And the first day I worked at a Fox affiliate in Jersey. We had Dan Patrick on as a guest. And I said, Dan, I appreciate you being I think he was it was John Starks. Then we had Dan Patrick on.

He's the second guest that we had. And I told him that story. And he goes, yeah, I would have talked to you if you would have just wash your hands. Because that's one of those things. You're in the bathroom. No one wants to get talked to the bathroom. So if you've had any bizarre celebrity encounters, feel free to chime in at Zach Gelb on Twitter.

Eight five five two one two forty two twenty seven. It's time to ask the pros. Were you the listener gets asked us a question brought to you by rally auto parts. Simply tweet your question at INF Sports Net or at Zach Gelb using the hashtag. Ask the pros be listening later in the program and we might answer your question.

Think of rally auto parts while your car care needs get guaranteed low prices and excellent customer service from the professional parts people at O'Reilly Auto Parts. We will take a break when we come on back. Evan Washburn was on the sidelines for the AFC Championship game. Also did the exclusive interview with Sean McDermott after the game. We'll get his thoughts as we put a bow on conference championship weekend and start to advance to the Super Bowl, which is two Sundays from now with Evan Washburn does a great job at CBS Sports. And I hope he's not wearing a hat today because we really hyped up his hair.

Right. We hyped up his hair for Evan Washburn with also hot take Hickey as well. Joining us in the 4 p.m. Eastern Time Hour. So we have Evan Washburn with elite hair at 4 p.m. Eastern Time and then Hickey at 440 p.m. Eastern Time where Santa's claiming that Hickey has the highest hair in radio. I don't know that actually may be Evan Washburn to be the judge. We come on back with Evan Washburn. This is Zach Galp's show.