Aaron Rodgers Given A Bad Rap? (Hour 2)

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So get comfortable in your shoes. Get to know the wool runners, pipers, and loungers at Allbirds.com. That's A-L-L-B-I-R-D-S.com. Auburn and Iowa is underway early on. 15-26 to go. Auburn is up 8-6. Oral Roberts plays Duke coming up 10 minutes from now. Max Asmus and Oral Roberts makes their return to the NCAA tournament. Remember them when they were a 15 seed and they started their run where they did defeat Ohio State.

They'll be going up against Duke and Duke is now, even as a 5 seed, a very trendy pick to win the NCAA tournament. You've got Colgate and Texas later. Boise State, Northwestern. Northern Kentucky, Houston.

Louisiana, Tennessee. Penn State, Texas A&M. UNC Asheville going up against UCLA. And we've had two major, major, major upsets today. Princeton, as a 15 seed, defeats number 2 Arizona 59 to 55.

And Furman, as a 13 seed, did take down Virginia who's a 4, 68 to 67. And I just want to play you this call. This is the turnover. Then it was passed to JP Pajeos who drills a 3 to give Furman that 1 point lead and ended up being the final score, 68 to 67. Let's listen up. This is John Sadak on Westwood 1. Now joining us on the hotline from the Furman men's basketball team.

They're advancing to the second round of the NCAA tournament as the SoCon Player of the Year. And that, of course, is Jalen Slauson who's kind enough to join us right now. Jalen, first off, congratulations. Just what a job by you and your team today. Thank you.

Thanks for having me. When you hear that call and you lived it, you see the big shot by JP after what was a crazy turnover that you guys forced and then you see their last second shot. How did you just process it when the final buzzer did go off? You guys realized you won just walking off the court. Man, you know, us of all teams, we know that you have to play through the buzzer. Last year, I don't know how many people were following us last year, but we had a chance to go to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1980.

And a guy threw up a 35-footer on two people and cashed it down two. So, you know, we had that, you know, taken from us last year. We felt like we were right there.

And then saw a little bit of deja vu when that ball went in the air and, you know, just to see that rim out and then hear the final buzzer and look up and see where our opponent is. And then I couldn't be more proud of this team. And, you know, our coaches coached a heck of a game today.

Really proud of them. You know, this is a lot of their first NCAA tournaments. You know, Coach Ritchie is one of the best coaches in the country. And then for this to be his first NCAA tournament game, the way he coached, the composure he had was big time. And then, you know, obviously J.P. Pegues hadn't shot it well all game, but, you know, he's a big time player and he's a freaking winner. So, you know, for him to take that shot and to bang it, especially with Mike out.

Mike's our go-to guy late. But for him to take that shot and for him to bang it, couldn't be more proud of him. And, you know, he's deserving. He's worked his tail off since he was a freshman.

But the way he's led lately and the way he's played, he's so deserving of that. As you just laid it out, the heartbreak of last year, a year later, to not only be in the NCAA tournament and overcome that, but now on Saturday being in the second round of the NCAA tournament, does this even feel real right now? Not really, man. You know, I understand it's got to feel real at some point because we've got more games to play. We're not done yet. You know, we didn't come here to win one game. We came here to make a series run and we know we're capable of doing that.

And, you know, credit to Virginia. They're a great team. You know, Coach Bennett's a very well-established coach, but we think we can play with anybody in the country and, you know, especially when we have the right spirit and joy about us. And today, you know, I hope we showed everybody that this team just doesn't quit and we're not going to quit. Jalen Slauson here with us at the Furman Men's Basketball team with the great upset today in the NCAA tournament against Virginia.

They win 68-67. I love the confidence that this team has. And we've seen confidence in a group like Oral Roberts two years ago, St. Peter's last year. Where does the confidence of this group come from?

You know, confidence comes from preparation and work. And, you know, we like to say that the games run well before it's played in our preparation. And, you know, we know a lot of times out, especially in situations like this, you know, we might not be the biggest team on the court. We might not be the most athletic team on the court, but we pride ourselves in being the smartest team on the court and we pride ourselves in being the most connected team on the court. And, you know, when you have, when you have, you know, a group of brothers like this, you know, we're not just teammates, we're really brothers. And when you believe in one another and love one another the way we do, you know, it makes it really hard to get down on one another.

And when you have, when you constantly have somebody uplifting you, then, you know, obviously it makes you feel good about yourself. And, you know, we're going to continue to do that. And that it's just the culture of the program. It really goes to speak to the culture of the program and the culture that, you know, Coach Ritchie's established here. And that's probably a big reason why you wanted to come back. You already had four years under your belt.

I know it's the nature of the sport right now to have a lot of change and jump around from school to school. But why did you want to come back for your fifth year? For those exact reasons, I just said, you know, the culture here, the love here that, you know, Furman has for me, the love that I have for Furman. You know, last year, obviously, as we said earlier, it didn't end the way we wanted it to. And, you know, my best friend, my best friend, Mike Boswell, decided, you know, we sat down together and it didn't take us long at all to decide we were coming back. And, you know, we said, we said this is what we were going to do and here we are living it out. But, you know, it was never about the money or, you know, and I had a lot of opportunities or anything like that. It was about Furman and it was about the people that are here. What was the scene like, Jalen Slauson, from the Furman basketball team in the locker room, when you guys who are so close, like you're saying, were able to come together knowing you guys won and had this great win up against Virginia?

Take me inside your locker room after the game. It was just a celebration. You know, there are times like that when guys could be like, why not me? Why didn't I get to take that shot? Why didn't he throw me the ball? You know, it's the nature of college basketball today and it's the nature of our generation, unfortunately.

You know, everybody is looking for more for themselves. But, you know, it was just such a freaking, it was such a big celebration. And, you know, everybody's, everybody's, our love is so genuine. And we just wanted to be able to see Mike, myself, we just wanted to be able to put the jersey on one more time. And, you know, we went in there and we celebrated and, you know, we were dumping water on each other and carrying on, but we celebrate everyone like that. You know, winning is hard, especially at this point in time. So I could just take you in the locker room, just imagine a big family reunion, having seen each other in a while.

That's awesome. You know Mike, as you said, better than almost anybody. Unfortunately, he fouled out today. You guys wanted to get him into the second round of the NCAA tournament. And that's going to happen up against San Diego State. What do you think Mike is going to show everyone in maybe like a bounce back spot in the second round? I'm more than confident that Mike is going to show everybody why he's one of the best scorers in the country. You know, Mike is an elite playmaker, you know, big guard, really strong, really confident. And I have no doubt that Mike is going to play his tail off on Saturday. You know, we're going to pour into him. Not that he needs it, but we're going to pour into him and reassure him.

You know, I know he'll play well and he'll be ready on Saturday. I saw the video of you that's been viral now afterwards talking about Kihei Clark who just threw the ball up there. And you couldn't believe it. Just kind of take us through just how you processed that one.

Because I had the same reaction you did. I couldn't believe that you guys got the basketball and then found the way to hit the shot. Yeah, well, you know, Kihei, one of the best scorers in the country. You know, he's been a starting point guard on a national championship team. You know, really unfortunate that his college career had to end like that.

If I could go back, I'd probably make sure that was said in a situation that doesn't, you know, where there's no cameras on me. Just because, you know, I would hate for him to have to see that. You know, I remember how it was last year after the shot. You know, we had to see it everywhere.

But, yeah, man, just raw emotion, you know, it goes back to like I said, you know, he's so stout and, you know, steady. We definitely didn't expect him to turn it over. But, you know, unfortunately for us, unfortunately for them, he did. And, you know, like I said, we had our five man in the middle of the ball and he found a shooter, a big time shooter, big time player, stepped up and made a big time shot. That's a really classy and great answer from Jalen Slauson. Before we let you run, you were the conference's player of the year. You've been there for five years like we were talking about. You have grown each and every year at Furman.

What made everything come together for you this year to have your best year at the program? I don't, you know, off season work definitely helped. I've improved my game. But, you know, I think honestly I'm playing with so many weapons out there.

It makes it hard for anybody to guard any of us one on one. You know, Mike was just as deserving for the player of the year award as I was. And as soon as I got it, I shot him a text. And obviously he was happy for me. But, you know, if I could choose, I would have chosen co-player of the year for Mike and myself.

Unfortunately, I don't get to choose. And Coach Ritchie couldn't vote that. But, yeah, I would say that's what it is. You know, our team as a whole has gotten better, everybody. You know, Marcus Foster being huge shots today. Garrett Heems' ability to stretch the floor, give Mike and I space as drivers. You know, the guys we bring off the bench, Ben Van der Waal, you know, he can really shoot it. So, you know, the team as a whole, the team as a whole just getting better has allowed me to play in more space. And, you know, those guys definitely helped my assist number.

It definitely helps your assist numbers to throw to elite shooters when they're wide open. One more and then we'll let you run, Jalen Slausten. Really appreciate you doing this. I know how crazy this time of the year is, how chaotic it will be.

And it will all look like a blur. And hopefully it keeps on continuing for you guys. But when you get a moment tonight and you're in your bed and you're looking up at the ceiling, what do you think you're going to be thinking about tonight right before you put that head on the pillow and go to sleep? By then hopefully I'll be thinking about what I can do Saturday to make sure we're playing again next week. That's awesome.

That's pretty much it. You know, we'll relish in this for a couple more hours. We're about to go eat a big time dinner. But, you know, after that we'll probably meet in here and start talking about San Diego State a little bit and get rolling.

Well, eat well, enjoy it. Well, a heck of a story today and good luck coming up whatever time you guys will be playing on Saturday up against San Diego State. Really appreciate you jumping on board with us. Appreciate it, boss.

Thanks so much. There's Jalen Slausten joining us from the Furman men's basketball team. A 13 seed, taken down number four, Virginia. And just to give you a little up to date on the entire landscape in the sport today, you do have two games going on right now. Auburn is up 14 to 12 against Iowa.

That is 944 to go in the first half. Remember, that game is in Birmingham, so a little bit of a home court advantage there for Auburn. Oral Roberts and Duke has just tipped off.

They are scoreless the first minute and a half into the game. Still to come, 10 minutes from now, you have Colgate and Texas. 20 minutes from now, Boise State Northwestern. Later on this evening at 9 20 p.m. Eastern, 6 20 p.m. Pacific, you have Houston going up against Northern Kentucky. You have Tennessee going up against Louisiana. Right when we get off the air, Penn State, Texas A&M.

You have UNC Asheville, UCLA. And then earlier today, you did have Alabama with a lopsided victory, even though Brandon Miller did not score, dealing with a groin injury. 96 to 75, Kansas. They get a 96 to 68 victory over Howard. Princeton, stunning, stunning, stunning, great upset. They win 59 to 55 over number two, Arizona. Furman, as you just heard the great story of that Furman program, they beat Virginia 68 to 67.

Jalen Slauson led the way with 19 points and 10 rebounds. You have San Diego State beating Charleston 63 to 57, which that definitely was a fun game between those two teams. Missouri, they beat Utah State 76 to 65. Maryland just survives against West Virginia.

Everyone there between Willard and Huggy Bear, 67 to 65. And Arkansas, that is a final. They take down Illinois 73 to 63. So we'll keep you up to date on all the NCAA tournament. We are going to be joined by Julian Reese later on in the show from the Maryland basketball team. He was a force to be reckoned with today. 17 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 blocks in year number two for Maryland.

And the first year with Kevin Willard at that program coming over from Seton Hall. But we got to talk a little football next. And we'll do so with the big Aaron Rodgers, Jets, Packers insider. That's the way that I'm going to refer to him now. And longtime respected media member, Intray Wingo, who will join us next. You're listening to the Zach Gelb Show.

All right, let's go out to the guest line right now. We saw this guy at the Super Bowl at the Great Dickin' Jaws party. And right now I think he is maybe the most popular NFL voice there is.

Because he had all the information. If you just would have listened and trusted Tre Wingo on this entire Aaron Rodgers situation. And Tre joins us right now. Tre, appreciate the time. How are you? Good, man. Always good to talk to you, Zach. How are you?

Well, I'm doing fantastic. So you had this entire story. So now we'll ask you when it will be official. How long do you think it's going to take for the Jets and the Packers to figure this out now? Officially hearing it from Rodgers that he intends to play for the Jets this year. Yeah, everybody's saying well the Packers can drag this out as long as they want and all this kind of stuff.

And the question is why? Why would they want to do that? They've been ready to move on from Aaron for about a year.

Maybe even a little more. And yeah, they have leverage and all that kind of stuff. And the Jets have basically gone what I like to call open kimono in these negotiations. Which is here's everything. So it's in the best interest of both the Packers and the Jets just to get this deal done.

And I think it's a lot closer than people think it is. Because he's ready to go. They're ready for him to go. And the Jets obviously could not be more thirsty to have him. Do you think it will be an outright one for Rodgers with no conditions? Or how do you think the compensation will actually look like when it's agreed upon? I would be surprised if it was a one or more than a one.

But look, there are smarter people that may even know the answer to that question. So the bottom line is the Jets have to have this. The genie can't go back in the bottle now. It's all in. Aaron wants to play there.

You've said you'll do anything you take to get him. I don't know what, but I think it's going to be faster than you think. And the reason why I say that is the same sources that were telling me what was going to happen were saying they were hearing Rodgers was going to be in New York by next week. So it's in everybody's interest to move on as quickly as possible. By the way, the Packers, I've heard people say the Packers can drag this thing out until September if they wanted to. Well, that does them no good. They need draft picks. They want to get draft picks for this to help Jordan Love and the rest of the team. So it doesn't behoove the Packers in any way, shape, or form to drag this past the draft. Or much longer because then other things might be happening where other teams might be picking up more draft picks. So it makes more sense for the Packers as much as the Jets to get this done quicker rather than longer. And if the Packers are really going to go nowhere in these negotiations and just want to wait and wait and wait. If I was Rodgers' Trey Wingo, whenever the all-season program begins, I would just show up and then that becomes a really awkward situation and a big distraction. Right.

Exactly. So you can make the argument the Packers have all the leverage. But that leverage comes with a cost.

And what does that cost? The cost would be not getting picks that you can use in this year's draft to try and make your team better in what is going to be a very competitive, I believe, NFC North now with the way this thing is shaping out. And then how much of a distraction, how much do you want to have other players answer the question about Aaron Rodgers every day? How often do you want that to happen once we get into minicamps and all this kind of stuff? So yeah, if you're the Packers, you can drag this out as long as you want.

But I don't see how that helps you in the long run. Just listening to Rodgers on McAfee yesterday, Trey Wingo, it sounded like on both sides the communication on this has been really bad. If they would have communicated better, do you think there would have ever been an end goal, if you want to say, of Rodgers actually returning to Green Bay this year?

No, I don't think so for two reasons. One, it goes way beyond communication recently. All this really started in January of 2018. And that's when the Packers, named Brian Gutenkust as their new general manager, Aaron Rodgers wanted another person to get that job. And then they fired the quarterback coach that Aaron had a lot of success with. So all of this stuff, and people think it started with Jordan Love, the drafting of Jordan Love, and that certainly did not help.

Let's be 100 percent clear. But there was simmering bad blood feud issues between the Packers and Aaron Rodgers dating back to the end of the 2017 season, where in 2018 they took a general manager that he was hoping another guy would get, and then they fired his quarterback coach. They had a really good relationship, and they didn't give him a reason why they fired the quarterback coach.

And I think that was really the precursor for this. And then he goes out and does what he does, and you take Jordan Love in the first round. You move up to take Jordan Love. Not only do they stay in their position, you move up to take Jordan Love. And I talked to Andrew Brandt about this a long time ago. He was a former Packers vice president, and signed a contract that got Aaron Rodgers there.

This thing has been simmering for a long, long time. And the plan always was to move on to Jordan Love in 2023, because let's be honest, this is year four for Jordan Love as a first-round draft pick. He played one start and sporadically. You need to find out what he is. You need to find out whether or not he's your guy. Are you going to pick up the fifth-year option arm? Are you going to do these things with him?

The only way you can find that is by playing him and dedicating all your resources to him in 2023. Trey Wingo here with us. Without knowing how the rest of the offseason will play on out with other trades and free agency and the draft, what are your expectations for the Jets and the Packers now, assuming this does get done with Rodgers winding up with the Jets and then Jordan Love starting week one for the Packers? Alright, let's start with the Jets, right? And I feel like now everyone's talking about the AFC East the way they talked about the AFC West a year ago.

It's going to be an incredible division. Russell Wilson to Denver. Devante Adams to Chandler Jones to the Raiders. Khalil Mack to the Chargers.

Oh, what's going to happen? Well, who had the best quarterback? And that would be Patrick Mahomes.

Swept the division, second Super Bowl, second MVP. The Chiefs, excuse me, the Dolphins have made great moves getting Jaylen Ramsey in. If two is healthy, they're going to be great. Obviously, the Jets with Aaron Rodgers will be vastly improved, although that offensive line is still a problem for the Jets, right? I think they're going to need three or maybe four new starters from last season on that offensive line. That's problematic if you're bringing in a new quarterback. And then the Patriots just signed Judas Misshuister.

We hear they might be in on Mike Kisecki. And then, of course, there's Buffalo. Buffalo, to me, is still the team to beat in the AFC East because even with Aaron Rodgers there, I believe they have the best quarterback in the division, and that's Josh Allen. When you look at some of the other quarterback moves this offseason, Trae Wingo, Jimmy G winding up with the Raiders, and then Derek Carr winding up with the Saints, is there optimism for the Raiders heading into this year and for the Saints? It's like kind of, all right, you expect them probably to win that division, but nothing really more than that. Well, let's start with the Raiders, right? So you lose Derek Carr, you trade Darren Waller, and you bring in Jimmy Garoppolo. I'm going to say at best that's a push at the quarterback position. I mean, at best.

At best it's a push. Now, there is some familiarity, obviously, between Josh McDaniels and Jimmy G from that time into it. There's no question about that.

But you just gave away one of your best weapons. And Jimmy G won a lot of games in San Francisco where he had George Kittle at a tight end in a smothering, suffocating defense. Well, I don't think the words smothering and suffocating and defense have been used to describe the Raiders since the 70s, okay? Since Derek Carr was drafted in 2014, the Raiders over that time frame are statistically 31st, 32nd, or 30th in almost every important defensive category. Like, you can get rid of Derek Carr, but Derek Carr wasn't your problem, man.

Your problem was your defense. And is Josh Jacobs coming back? Like, he had a record-setting season. What's the deal with him? He declined to pick up his fifth-year option. Remember, they played him in the Hall of Fame game last year. That's how far down the depth charts he had fallen and he produced an unbelievable season.

Are you going to bring him back? What's going on there? I don't see the Raiders better. I think you can make a logical case.

They're actually worse with what's happened this offseason. And then for the Saints, is it just simply that they'll win the division and nothing more than that? You know, that's a great question.

Let me ask you this. Assume Aaron Rodgers goes to the Jets, and I believe this will happen. Can you name me the top three quarterbacks in the NFC?

It's a great question. Jalen Hurts is definitely number one to me. And then after that... Kirk Cousins?

That's where I was going to go. I was going to say Kirk Cousins, and then it's probably Dak. Like, when we're talking about the top five quarterbacks in the NFC, Trey, you could make a case for Geno Smith and Jared Goff as well.

Yeah, it's remarkable. I don't think I've ever seen a greater disparity in the two conferences in terms of the top-tier quarterbacks in the AFC and the top quarterbacks in the NFC. I mean, the AFC has this in a landslide. And I'll say this about Jalen. Like, he's going to have...

There are changes now, all right? Miles Sanders is gone. His offensive coordinator is gone. Jalen played really well all season long. But there are going to be changes that they're going to have to deal with, and so will L.B.

He's going to have to adjust to that. Jalen, by far, is number one. This is why I think a Derek Carr-led Saints team has a chance. Not only did they get Derek Carr, they got Jamal Williams, who was a touchdown machine last year for the Detroit Lions. They pick up Colin Saunders, who had, by the way, had the only sack in Super Bowl 57.

Colin Saunders had the only sack in Super Bowl 57. And they have a good defense already. Michael Thomas is coming back on a one-year deal. I think the Saints are clearly right now the team to beat in the NFC South, and the rest of the NFC is like, who knows? Last thing I'll ask you, Trey, is Lamar Jackson on the Ravens week one? I don't know, man.

This is such a mess. And the curious thing I would ask is, why were the Ravens front office so confident what the market would be for Lamar Jackson? I find that very interesting, right? No one likes to toss around the C-word, collusion, but it was March 29, 2022, a year ago almost, when the contract for Deshaun Watson fell in everybody's lap from the Cleveland Browns. The first person to speak publicly about how bad that contract was was Ravens owner Steve Vachotti. And I just find it very interesting that a player in his prime at the age of 26, not 36, he's 26, a former NFL MVP who's taken teams to Super Bowls multiple times in one playoff game. You're telling me there's no market for that guy? I find that very interesting.

Just for you personally, what was this last week like? Because your information was right, you were confident it was right, but then when it doesn't happen or you don't hear anything from Rodgers right away, you know how social media ends up going down. Look, I'm sort of in a way where I don't really care.

I mean, say whatever you want. I mean, I knew the information was solid. It's the same sources that told me that if Randall Cobb doesn't sign in 2021, he's not going back there. I mean, it was the same person that told me all the other stuff that happened around the 2021 draft, the same people, rather. So I knew the information was good.

It was just a matter of letting it play out. Well, Trey, we always appreciate the time. Thanks so much for doing this. You got it, Zach. Anytime, buddy. Always good to talk to you.

Good to talk to you as well. There he is, Trey Wingo joining us on the Zach Gelb show. So there you have it. The man that is most plugged into, I don't even know who the source is, whether it's coming from the Packers or it's coming from Rodgers at his camp or maybe someone else, who knows in this regards, he thinks this deal will get done rather quickly. It's not going to drag out and he does not think it will end up being a first round pick. This is the Zach Gelb show on CBS Sports Radio.

Zach Gelb show, CBS Sports Radio. Tremendous first half for Auburn. And that is a game that is in Birmingham. So if Auburn is able to hold on in the second half, then they will be playing in the second round probably. Got to say that now with all these upsets against Houston we'll see what's going to happen with Marcus Sasser, who of course is dealing with an injury going back to their last game in the American Athletic Conference championship game. So we'll see if he will play tonight. And we will also see how healthy he will be moving forward the rest of the NCAA tournament as Houston prior to that Sasser injury was a very popular pick and still is a popular pick to get to Houston and be there for the Final Four and maybe cut down the nets and win it all.

So it's always the matchups hickey that always do stand out to me. And the break, like for example, Oral Roberts a week ago I think would have been a popular pick to maybe go back to the Sweet 16 where they were a few years ago with Max Asmus and just that tremendous victory that all started off with their W up against Ohio State. And I was something like, look at Oral Roberts. Wow, they're better than the team where they were two years ago when you look at all the numbers and you look at all the metrics. But then you go up against Duke team that is as hot as hot could be winning the ACC. And yeah, there's some concern. Okay, John Shire first year as a head coach in the NCAA tournament.

How is he going to handle that? And there's now five minutes to go in the first half and Duke is up 32 to 15 up against Oral Roberts. So they're just taking it right now through the first 15 minutes of basketball to Oral Roberts. That game not over yet. You still have another half and five minutes to play.

Not looking so good so far for Oral Roberts and you just wonder if Oral Roberts got a different draw. Then maybe they'd be winning this game right now. So those are like two matchups and that doesn't have to do with geographic location.

It's just in terms of the opponent, which is important. But then when you see a team like Auburn and they have a great player right and a great family lineage with Murray and Iowa could obviously come back. It's only 31 to 26 at halftime. But if Auburn does win this game, you're in Birmingham and then that round number two game most likely going to be up against Houston. Unless Northern Kentucky just shocks the world tonight like UMBC did years ago.

But you know what? At this rate, I can't put it past anybody because I know it's a 16 seed. But the 15 seeds back to back to back years, they've won in this NCAA tournament. Oral Roberts like we said three years ago. Then last year you had St. Peter's taking down Kentucky. And then today, if you haven't been paying attention, you haven't been watching Princeton. The Princeton Tigers of the Ivy League defeat number two Arizona.

So the matchups in terms of location and then who your opponent are are just so massive in the NCAA tournament. So we're not going to get a hot take gale moment here and predict Northern Kentucky to knock off number one Houston? I do like their coach.

He joined us last week. Okay. But tough to say that Kelvin Sampson and company with the squad that they have. Also, even though I am cheering, the only time I'll ever be cheering for your alma mater tonight in Penn State, you do look at Kelvin Sampson.

I am true to my roots of a Temple Owl. So they're in the American Athletic Conference and I think it's better for the conference even though Houston is leaving if you do have a Houston success story. But you still got to take advantage of the money right now, baby.

That's what you got to do. They're leaving. May as well give us a present right before you leave. And is it in next year? Are they in the Big 12?

How much are you going to even enjoy it? Give us a parting gift. You know, I guess if they win the national title, it would count and would be the first non-Big Six Power Conference to win a national title since UNLV in 1990. So hang the banner, AAC.

Hang the banner. There you go. A team in your conference won a national title that was not in the Power Six. Oh, Power Six.

Okay. They were in the Big East. UNLV 1990.

Louisville won it. That one-year Temple was like back in the Big East for basketball. UConn is one of the few times in the Big East.

No, no, no. They weren't in the Big East. They were in the Big East for football. I think it was Louisville when they were... Was Louisville in the AAC? I forget what it was.

I just remember along those lines anyway, but not that important at the end of the day. Well, you could hang a banner for Temple and maybe hang a banner. For what? Part of a conference that won a national title. That would be... Look, you get on me. That would be cult-esque right there.

If you go to Temple next year, banner at the rafters. I'm not pathetic like you. A part of a conference that won the national championship last year.

Well, I'm not pathetic like you, so I wouldn't do that. Here you are rooting for Houston to help out Temple in the AAC. I was just being a nice guy. Oh, maybe it was... No, wasn't it UConn in 2014? When they were in the... I'm pretty sure UConn, with Kevin Ollie, they were in the American.

Were they? I think so. At least what I have read, a non-Power 6 school is now one since 1990 in UNLV.

Let's see. Maybe I'm wrong on that. UConn, I believe, was in the Big East.

I could be wrong, but... For some reason... Were they in the AAC? I was at the... Yeah. UConn was in the American Athletic Basketball Conference. In 2014? Yeah. In the year they cut down the Nets in 2014, 2015 basketball. Now, did that get taken away?

It was Kevin Ollie was the coach. Yes. Yeah. Maybe that's what... I read it today. Yeah. It's been a thing like... It was in legitimate...

I think it was the athletic I was reading. It's like Houston is trying to make history. That would make sense as one of those stupid technicalities by the NCAA. Just like they did with Louisville and Rick Pitino. Did not count.

That's a dumbest part. We all watched it happen, but take the banner down. Erase it from the record books. I have a lot of gripes with the NCAA. Cool. Could do a whole week of shows on that. Yeah.

That would be the gift that keeps on giving. But with that being said, I hate when they vacate national championships. They try to tell you it doesn't happen. Now, I am reading an article right here via USA Today that the games that they vacated have no effect on UConn's 2014 national championship team. So maybe you're just reading some fake news articles lately there, Hanky. That's what I think you're reading.

Because this article... Maybe that's why I thought... You know what? Maybe I was reading stuff that was pumping up Arizona. And maybe that's... You know, again, so it's not my fault that I picked Arizona. They lost in the first round as my national champ.

It's Arizona's fault and the publications I'm reading. Okay. 855-212-4CBS. Let's go to Lee in Cincinnati next up on the Zach Gelb show. Lee, what say you? Hey, Zach. Thanks for taking my call. I got a problem, man. I need your help. Okay, because I've always thought that I was a good judge of character.

Okay. I always thought that Aaron Rodgers was a double-grandizing, narcissistic tool. Until this interview that I heard with him, with Pat McAfee, it seemed like a genuine guy. And he talked genuinely about Packers and how much he loved the Packers and the way the Packers may have done him wrong, not that he was a victim, but how the Packers may have done him wrong.

And then Jennings backed him up and said, now, was I wrong about Aaron Rodgers? Is he a good guy? Have I always been wrong about him all these years or what?

Well, even though I called him a drama whore yesterday, it doesn't mean that he's a bad guy. But I just will say this, a lot of times with athletes, when athletes, we view them as arrogant in the sports world, we then say they're a bad guy, but that doesn't mean they're a bad guy. If you separate Aaron Rodgers, the football player, and then just Aaron Rodgers, the person, he is definitely different.

There's no doubt about that. But the issue here at hand, and this is where I just have conflicting emotions about it, Lee. The issue that a lot of these Packers players are talking about are guys that get released or they say goodbye to a year or two before you really start to see them fall off. And sometimes it's better to get rid of a player a year or two earlier rather than a year or two later. But I don't expect any of these players, just because Packers players before go, yeah, we weren't treated at the end, yeah, because you're getting told you're not good enough or we don't want you in the organization. The only thing that I think the Packers could have done better, and it's a big thing, is just communicate better. But it's not like Aaron Rodgers' communication about this entire situation was ever pristine.

I keep on using this analogy, Lee. This was a married couple that have been together for 20 years, pretty much. And they had this great life, but they realized the spark wasn't there. They realized it wasn't working anymore.

And no matter what therapy they went to, no matter how they tried to tell you it was working, they knew it wasn't working, but just neither side wanted to say it to the other side. Well, let me ask you this, though. You know, you're absolutely correct about that. But Aaron Rodgers even said, you know, had the Packers come up and said, look, you know, we appreciate everything you've done, we love you, you know, you've been one of the best that we've ever had in this organization, just feel like we need to go in a different direction. He said you have been fine with that. Sure.

Okay. Do you really think he would have been okay with that, though? No, because down deep, he's still not over, even though, and thanks to the phone call, Lee, even though he appears to like Jordan Love and he thinks Jordan Love is going to be a good player in this league, he's still annoyed at the organization. And he didn't fully get past that anointment from the organization for them just even drafting Jordan Love. So I can't really, in this whole situation on both sides, I can't crush the Packers anymore for what they did. And I can't crush Rodgers for the way that he reacted to it, because in the moment it was stupid to draft Jordan Love. But now three years later, Rodgers gave it his best back-to-back MVP seasons, couldn't get the job done in the postseason, and they didn't win another Super Bowl. So now since you made the move on Jordan Love and you just missed the playoffs, if you're the Packers, you got to ask yourself, do you think Rodgers could win another championship in the next two years? And my answer is an emphatic no with Green Bay.

So in that case, like what are you supposed to do? Like if they could win a championship this year, and that was realistic in Green Bay, they'd be stupid to go to Jordan Love. But they can't win a championship right now. It doesn't mean Brian Gudekunz is a jerk or Rodgers is a jerk. When these things end, it usually ends in a good way. And most of the times in sports, when you have people that are highly invested in both sides and highly emotional on both sides, it never usually ends in a good way. It's just the nature of the sport. But I do think sometimes, not all the times, but sometimes it changes. Rodgers does look very good when he goes on McAfee. He does. I don't think yesterday he looked great. But I do think there's a lot of times where he comes off as like a regular human being, even though we know he's the farthest thing from that.