Same QBs, New Places (Hour 2)

Alrighty, hour number two of our radio program.

That's right, it is the Zach Gelb show on CBS Sports Radio. Heat play-by-play man Eric Reid is going to join us, coming up 20 minutes from now. But first, let's get to some new quarterbacks in the NFL, or guys that have been around before but now are on new teams, and just let's go through their expectations for this upcoming year. Before we get back into the big stories of the day, Miami Heat losing last night, Boston is now down 3-2 in this series. Big Game 6 coming up tomorrow evening.

We thought this series was basically over with when Miami did take a 3-0 lead and now it's like, hold on, wait a second, we may have the series on our hands. And also the biggest story of the day, DeAndre Hopkins getting released and now we're going to wait in great anticipation to see what team he's going to be on for this upcoming season, who's going to go get de-hopped and probably a very cheap deal for the 2023 season. But Hickey, with OTAs opening up around the league, let's start off with the biggest name on the move at the quarterback position this past offseason, and that's Aaron Rodgers going to the Jets. Now I'm trying to think about expectations for the Jets this year. If you're a Jets fan, you should think Super Bowl. If you are Robert Salah, and he even said it the other day, yeah he thinks they're one of the handful or two teams that could go out there and go win a Super Bowl in this league.

I don't look at the Jets as a team that's going to win the Super Bowl this year. I think just their own division, Buffalo is better, maybe Buffalo goes out there and gets DeAndre Hopkins. Heck, this could honestly be Hickey and AFC East bidding for DeAndre Hopkins because the Jets have nothing to lose at this point. And I know you have Garrett Wilson, I know you brought in Allen Lazard, but you could still use a guy like DeAndre Hopkins. The Patriots would love to go get him, and they have interest before in DeAndre Hopkins. The question just becomes does de-hop want to go there because the Patriots aren't this desirable destination, but with that being said, it's more so can he get along with Bill O'Brien because there was a lot of ugliness and a lot of things that did go down at the end of DeAndre Hopkins' tenure which all appeared to be at the fault of Bill O'Brien. And we know how much the Bills are going to be active or you think will be active in going and get DeAndre Hopkins. He's not going to Miami because you have Tyreek Hill, you have Jalen Waddle as well, and I'm just curious, what is DeAndre Hopkins' value? You could say maybe he goes to the team with the most amount of money because it's going to be a one-year deal anyway.

I don't know what the money's going to look like. Does he want to go to a place where he has the best chance to win? There's one thing for him to say it, but how many times... For example, like Kaleis Campbell, he's talking up the Atlanta Falcons this year. Guys sometimes make moves or they talk themselves into that being a winning situation where it's not, or does he want to go somewhere where he's definitely going to be the number one wide receiver? And there's like few places where he's going to go where he's not going to be the number one wide receiver, but you go to a place like Buffalo, Stefan Diggs, Gabe Davis, you got a lot of weapons that are there.

If you're trying to set yourself up for one last big contract, that may not be the most beneficial for DeAndre Hopkins to go to Buffalo, even though I think Buffalo is going to do everything they can to go get him to Orchard Park. So I'm curious, Hickey, you look at a guy like DeAndre Hopkins before we get back to these quarterbacks, and I just wonder what he's going to look for because you never know with wide receivers, you never know with athletes what they view as number one in terms of importance. You would think the way he's talked the last week or so about the quarterbacks he wants to play with and naming five quarterbacks that are all top of the league and also on winning teams.

Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Justin Herbert, those are the five. So those are all quarterbacks that are on teams that are trying to win Super Bowls right now. So you think he prioritized winning, he talked about what he looks for in a team, good organization, trying to win, quarterbacks that care. Everything he is saying, everything he's saying would lead you to believe he's going to go to the team, not that gives him the most money, but puts him in the best position to win a ring. You would think so, because that's what he's saying.

But there's one thing to say it, and then there's another thing to do it. And let me just throw this out there, and this is not just because this is the team that I root for, but if you go to New England, you're absolutely the number one weapon there. But I'm not looking at the Patriots that have a chance to really win anything significant. I don't think the Patriots are making the playoffs right now with the way the roster is constructed.

I think they'll be in the mix, but I don't think they're going to be one of the seven teams in. If they go get DeAndre Hopkins, I start to feel a lot more confident about them making the playoffs. But for DeAndre Hopkins, he's made the playoffs before. He made the playoffs a few times with the Texans.

He was in that playoff game two years ago when it was the Cardinals and the Rams. And it's like, do you really want to go win? And when I mean win, win a Super Bowl? Or is it, oh, just get back into a playoff environment? And if the Patriots come calling, and let's say the Bills, let's say those are the only two teams that come calling, and we know there's going to be more. Do you go to Buffalo, and Buffalo has a much better chance of winning a Super Bowl than the Patriots, so it's not even close. Or do you go to New England because you could talk yourself into them being a winning team with Belichick being there and all the dominance Belichick has had in this league. And you also kind of get the best of both worlds where you're without a doubt the unquestioned number one wide receiver, and you know your stats should be really prodigious numbers to set you up for that next big payday.

That to me is the big question that we're going to learn. How serious is DeAndre Hopkins about winning? Because winning could be used as a very loose word where you even look out, not to relate this to the Giannisani to the Kumpo thing, but where how he talked about failure and how he says, oh, no one fails.

And when you're a professional athlete, and just because they didn't win the championship this year. So I just wonder how he defines winning. Because I think there's a difference in saying I want to win. And to what degree do you want to win like just get back to the playoffs like no crap everyone wants to win a Super Bowl. But how serious are you about winning with your selection because let's be real, if he's super duper serious about winning a Super Bowl.

I think there's only really two choices. It's Kansas City, or the Philadelphia Eagles, like if you're going to tell me that there's five quarterbacks that you're interested in playing for and two that you mentioned is Patrick Mahomes. And then the other is Jalen Hurts. Well, you go to Kansas City, without a doubt, you're the number one wide receiver. Now you may not be the number one throwing option because they'd still have Travis Kelce there but you're the number one wide receiver. And you have a team that every year it seems like they're in the AFC title game, bare minimum. And then if you go to Philadelphia, sure, you're not going to get the most targets because they have AJ Brown and Devante Smith but the Eagles right now, I think in many people's eyes, have a very good chance of getting back to the Super Bowl. You go add DeAndre Hopkins, it's like whoo, that thing's really going to take off even more than what it just did a year ago when they got to the Super Bowl. And at one point, had a big lead up against the Kansas City Chiefs.

So if he's serious about winning a Super Bowl, I kind of look at it as two options. Now, I guess you could throw Buffalo in there as well because it would probably alter a lot of people's view about the Buffalo Bills. I think everyone believes the Bills are a really, really, really good team right now but I think there is some hesitation on the Buffalo Bills just because a lot of people were believing in them last year and they came up not only short but significantly short. Well, I'd have to say if you want to win a Super Bowl, I would definitely put the Bills in that conversation of we're in the pool, I guess, of teams you're considering along with the Chiefs, along with the Eagles. But the teams that we think that should be at least interested on the service of teams we just mentioned, now we'll kind of see what Hopkins' true motivations are and also what he determines, like you said, to be actually winning.

He said the right things, now it's time to put your money where your mouth is. If DeAndre Hopkins goes to the Bills, do you think the Bills are a lock to get to the Super Bowl? No. If DeAndre Hopkins goes to the Kansas City Chiefs, do you think they're a lock to get to the Super Bowl?

I would still probably say no. Okay, that's where we differ because they just won a Super Bowl without Tyreek Hill. If you had DeAndre Hopkins and I had to give you a prediction tomorrow as to who would get to the Super Bowl and win the Super Bowl, it would be the Kansas City Chiefs.

It really would be. And I know you still have Cincinnati, and Cincinnati has played Kansas City really well. They had a three-game win streak up against them before. Who was it?

Mike Hilton who started to run his mouth and talk about it being Burrowhead and Arrowhead and all that stupidity. And they have a dominant team when you look at Burrow and you look at Jamar Chase and T. Higgins and Tyler Boyd. But it would be very tough for me to not pick Kansas City to get and win the Super Bowl. You can make that case right now, clearly. But if they get DeAndre Hopkins, I think it takes it to a whole different level.

I really do believe that. That would kind of feel like when the Patriots got Randy Moss. It's not something they had to do, but when it does happen, it takes an already great team and then puts them at just like a ridiculous level. Now, I'm not predicting that means, oh, undefeated Kansas City Chiefs, here they come. I'm not going to do that because their schedule is tough, but if they go get DeAndre Hopkins like, geez Louise, good luck to the rest of the NFL.

That would be the definition of the richest getting richer, Hickey. I mean, a great addition for Patrick Holmes, again, is just, I just, you know, it's tough AFC. I don't think, to me, he's not someone that puts any team over the top at this point. Really? Yeah.

Why is that? Because he had a really, for a guy that missed six games this year and had a quarterback that was underachieving and then a quarterback that, that same quarterback that got hurt. To put up 717 yards on 64 catches while missing the first six games of the season, those are still some pretty damn elite numbers if you ask me. At this point, I still think he's a game breaker.

Really? Yeah. Like Travis Kelsey to me is still the more, like he's on the Chiefs. That's still the guy I'm way more worried about than Hopkins. He's still the number one target in Kansas City.

Yeah. You're not wrong on that, but because that's just because he's a dominant tight end. It's like, you know, if you put DeAndre Hopkins on the Patriots when Gronk was still there, sure. Gronk is still the number one receiver, but he averaged nearly 11 yards, a little over 11 yards per catch last year. Those are just crazy numbers for DeAndre Hopkins when you look at it.

So I still think he's an elite wide receiver. And you look at the last two years, yeah, suspension in the year before that injury, like you wonder is the body starting to break down a little bit. But you look at what he did his last year in Houston, which was 2019, he put up 1165 yards. And then in 2020, put up first year in Arizona, 1407 yards. And 2021, there were some injuries. 2022, he missed the first six games and he went to 11.2 yards per catch.

That's still pretty elite to me, if you ask me. All right, getting back to the quarterbacks. Rogers, Jets, their expectations this year in our opinion, not where the team thinks they're at. I kind of think if I was a Jets fan, I would walk into this season saying, you got to be a playoff team and then you got to go win a playoff game or two. I would kind of think if you're being a realistic Jets fan, your goal would be to get to the AFC title game this year yourself. I was going to say get to the wildcard game. Just the wildcard, just the playoffs? Yes.

Don't you think they're going on the road in weddings? Yes, realistic expectations. I see the Jets making the playoffs, going on the road and losing in wildcard weekend. That'd be disappointing. That'd be disappointing.

I mean, I get it. It's Super Bowl expectations. I'm not saying that Jets fans should be happy making the playoffs. I'm agreeing with you. That would be disappointing. But you're asking how do I see this team?

Is that how I see it? Derek Carr. I know he says he feels rejuvenated. I saw Jon Gruden was actually helping out the Saints and OTAs. And Dennis Allen, the whole Raider connection thing there as well. Derek Carr, I think the expectation is to win the division, right?

That's how you would kind of view it? That division stinks. If they don't win the division, that's a disaster this year for Derek Carr.

How about the Colts this year? I heard something very interesting yesterday from Eric Eger. I was listening to his podcast. He talked about Shane Steichen. And you know, Steichen was with Herbert and then Steichen was with Hertz. And they kind of view Anthony Richardson as like a mixture of both the size of a Herbert and then the athleticism of a Hertz. I thought that comparison was interesting in why they selected Richardson. You kind of get a mix of both those guys. Then he has to put it together. We haven't seen him put it together. And it's all doing this based off potential.

But in year one, what are you kind of looking for with now it feeling likely that Anthony Richardson is actually going to start potentially week one for that football team? He's already splitting reps with Garda Minshew. Like he should be able to beat out Garda Minshew, I would think. I would hope. I would agree with that.

Just saying progress. I'm not even putting a win total on it. If he looks better in week 18 than he does in week one, they could be 0-17. That, to me, is a win. 0-17.

That's not a win. You got to go win a few games. Well, if you're 0-17, that could mean Caleb Williams. Oh, stop with this Caleb Williams nonsense. Your team just drafted a quarterback with a fourth overall pick. I know you're going to tell me, oh, Josh Rosen, Cardinals, blah, blah, blah. That's not happening. But that is realistically what I'm expecting. Be better in week 18 than you are in week one.

Wings are irrelevant. C.J. Strad with the Texans.

I feel like it's the start of a new era. I'm not expecting the Texans to be all that good. But you start to finally think about the Texans, that they're finally actually moving on since trading Deshaun Watson. I'll tell you these two quarterbacks. Jimmy G. with the Raiders and Sam Howell with the Commanders.

I know Sam Howell was on the Commanders last year, but he wasn't the starting quarterback. I kind of think both those teams have to go make the playoffs this year for this to be a success. Now, I'm not telling you I expect that to happen with the Raiders. Commanders, that's fair. But for Jimmy G., you're on a three-year contract.

You got talent around you. The offense side, well, I know your defense stinks. But those two teams I got to look at, if I was a fan about those teams, I got to go make the playoffs this year or else we got to have some serious changes at the coaching position.

Raiders, I would agree. Commanders, I can't. Why?

Because, Sam, you have no idea what Sam Howell is. If you feel good about, at the end of the year, Sam Howell and his progress and your team is 8-9, I would say, okay, fine, that's a win. But that's why I said, that's why I would think about a coaching change if they don't make the playoffs because you keep on making bad decisions at the quarterback position and you have a roster that's good. You have Jahant Dotson. You got Terry McLaurin as an absolute stud.

Brian Robinson, I think, is going to be a good running back in this league. You got a good defense. You got pieces there. And I know we talk to Ron Rivera each and every year at the Super Bowl. We love Ron Rivera, but their mismanagement of this quarterback position.

How many more cracks are you going to get at this before someone starts to point the finger at him and says he's got to go? Well, that I agree with. I think it's two separate conversations, to be honest, like in terms of being okay with Sam Howell and also being okay with firing Ron Rivera.

But that's what I said. I said, if they don't make the playoffs, then I got to start thinking about a coaching change. Packers with love, you just got to walk away at the end of the year thinking that you have your future. Bucks with Baker, I don't think that's going to work at all. Can you tell me to go compete for a division?

I guess, but I don't think that's going to happen. Panthers with Young. Here's what I'll say about Bryce Young.

Impress with less. That's what I would say with Bryce Young. He impressed with less around him at Alabama last year.

Just do that again in year one because you don't have a ton around you on the offense side of the ball that really does make you say that they're going to be good. Just give me a few tangible moments this year where you're like, okay, that's the number one pick and that's the guy moving forward into the future. We'll take a break here on the Zach Gelb Show on CBS Sports Radio. When we come on back, the play-by-play man for the Miami Heat, Eric Reed joins us next. Eric Reed, the TV play-by-play man for the Miami Heat joins us right now on the Zach Gelb Show. Eric, appreciate the time. How are you?

I'm doing well, Zach. It's always great when your team is in a Final Four, if you understand my drift there. Yes, so this is a very interesting series because it looked like Miami was surprisingly going to quickly dispose of the Boston Celtics when they were up 3-0, then they lose that Game 4 last night. They just didn't show up. Everyone talks about momentum is shifting now to Boston.

Are you ready to go there? Because I still feel like, I feel good about Miami winning this Game 6 coming up tomorrow night. Well, each game is its own separate entity, Zach, and really doesn't have anything to do with the game that passed. Other than, you know, in every playoff series, I think there's one general rule. Can the team that won the previous game match the energy and urgency of the team that's coming off a loss? So, listen, give Boston credit. The last two games they have played like they are capable of. And to be honest with you, like we expected they would through the whole series. Give Miami credit for containing them over the first three games. Contain their three-point shooting. Control their own turnovers.

And played the game on their terms over the last two games. You know, I look at it, the Celtics over 50% from the field in both. 18 threes in one.

16 in the game last night. Four 16 turnovers in both of their wins. And when you're getting 27 points a game off turnovers and averaging 17 threes a game, that's going to be tough to beat. And plus, the way their backcourt played last night, Zach, listen, if Derek White and Marcus Smart can do that again, then yes, the Celtics have momentum.

You know, that's what made them, you know, really powerful last night. You know you're going to get it from Tatum and Brown. But White and Smart outscored Struce and Lowry, I think it was 47 to 8. And that just can't happen again if the Heat are going to win another game in this series. That's the key to the series and that's the key to Boston. If they get to 40% or more from three, they're basically unbeatable. How does Miami go back to making them struggle from three where they were earlier in this series? You know, as crazy as it sounds, Zach, I really think it starts on the offensive end for Miami. I think that's where the Heat lost the last two games and that's how the Celtics are getting their offense going. They're turning Miami over, they're speeding up the tempo of the game. Many of their threes are coming in transition. They're getting a lot of wide open looks and shots are dropping for them now. So the Heat got to control their turnovers and really run the offense through Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. They're Miami's best two players and they've got to play like that in the game tomorrow night. You know, Bam has had three tough games in a row offensively. The Celtics, you know, after a really strong start to the series, the Celtics are sending two and sometimes three defenders at him to try to clog the middle. They're doing the same with Butler.

Listen, Joe Missoula got a lot of criticism early. He's made a couple of shrewd moves as this series has progressed. Why Grant Williams wasn't in the rotation at the beginning, that's a question for him to answer. But he's been a factor since being put back in. And making the change after starting Robert Williams, the first two games at center alongside Horford, taking him out, putting Derek White in has made them a little smaller, but a lot quicker. I think better defensively, believe it or not, and much better offensively.

Eric Reed here with us, the TV play-by-play man for the Miami Heat. Do you expect Gabe Vincent to give it a go tomorrow night? I hope so. Listen, I don't know the severity of his injury, so I'm just guessing. Based on who he is, how mentally and emotionally strong he is, how much he will want to play, I think he will.

Sometimes when guys play with injuries, it's not whether they'll play or not, it's how well can they play with those injuries. Listen, Gabe's been a huge part of it. It's not that he's the quote-unquote point guard.

He's not the quarterback of the offense. That's Jimmy Butler. But Gabe gives you 94 feet of defense, potentially a strong three-point shooter, and a guy that has fared well against Jalen Brown in this series. The Heat clearly missed him. Although I did think Haywood Highsmith earned another look. He was really good for Miami. And as a guy that can defend Tatum or Brown, he played 33 minutes in the last game for Miami after playing seven scoreless minutes in the series prior to last night. Did you have a problem at all with the Heat's effort last night, Eric Reid?

Yes, I think we all did. It was too passive. Only 10 free throw attempts. Again, only 78 field goal attempts. The 16 turnovers hurt them. The offensive rebounds, when it ended up, it was only 12-10 Boston. But when the Celtics offensive boarded last night, it was debilitating because they shot pretty well over 50%. They were 40% from three. And too many guys were on target for Miami to deal with. And listen, last two games, the Heat, 96 and 97 points. This is a team that was averaging 120 in the series prior to the last two, average 124 in the first round series against the Bucks. The Knicks series was different, much lower scoring.

But listen, this is really not a surprise. A shock would have been a sweep. Boston's too good for that. This is really the kind of series we anticipated. It would be the gut-twisting turns of a typical playoff series. Listen, the Heat are going to get their third chance tomorrow night. And it's probably, let's be real, it's not their last chance, but it's their best chance to win this series in front of their home crowd. I know anything can happen in a Game 7, but it feels like this series gets decided tomorrow night. Clearly, if the Heat win, they're off to the NBA Finals. But if this goes back to Boston, with Boston, and I know they have not been great at home, but they have a Game 7 in that building, it's going to be tough to pick against the Celtics in a Game 7. Listen, obviously, but who's picking the Heat? They've been an underdog in pretty much every playoff game they've had.

There may be one or two that they've been favorite. Nobody expected the Heat to still be here, and nobody down here is thinking about Game 7. In the playoffs, it's all about staying in that present moment and not make it too big.

For sure, it's not going to be too small. Everybody knows what both teams are playing for. It's an ultimate matchup. It really is.

Think about it. The Heat is a win away from going to the Finals for the seventh time in franchise history, and the Celtics know there's no margin for error. Their season ends with a loss.

You can't ask for a better stage or a better competition. We're all looking forward to what we think is going to be a great and memorable Game 6. Listen, it took the Heat 6 to beat the Knicks, so to think he was going to get rid of the Celtics sooner than that was probably foolish. We'll see if the Heat can do what they've done. They have not trailed in a playoff series yet this year. Tomorrow, again, a great chance to do it, and I think it's going to take a great effort from their best player, Jimmy Butler.

He's the leader. He's got the swagger and the confidence and the talent and the skill and the will to back it up. I think he's got to have a super aggressive game. He took 10 shots last night.

To me, I hope he's over 20 shots and over 30 points. I think that would enhance Miami's chances, obviously, of winning that game tomorrow. And I've got to believe that Jimmy's going to have a monster game tonight.

Let's just call it what it was. It was a bad Game 5. Being in that home building, I know they had a chance earlier to close him out at home, but feeling all the pressure. I kind of expect Butler to show up big tomorrow night and win this series, Eric.

I know he's going to try his hardest. We call him playoff Jimmy for a reason. He plays at an extraordinary level in the postseason. Nobody more than Jimmy remembers how painful it was to lose in Game 7 at home to these Celtics in last year's conference finals. Remember that he lost three games at home in that series to Boston.

They got a chance to atone for that. This whole season is about getting back to this moment. No matter how it goes for Jimmy, the intent, the purpose, the mission, he knows what it's all about and what is expected of him. Listen, he's usually great at figuring out what his team needs for him to win that game that they're in.

Tomorrow night, that is plenty. A lot will be asked of and expected of Jimmy Butler. He's Miami's best player. I sometimes think the guaranteeing of a game gets a little blown out of proportion because what do you expect a player to say? Oh, we're going to go out there and lose a playoff game?

You would never hear that from someone. What did you make about Jimmy's comments after the game last night? Typical of Jimmy. We did an interview with him that sort of got retweeted.

It resurfaced this week. It was middle of the season, or around the All-Star break, I would say. The Heat were starting to turn it around. We did a post-game interview with him after a Heat win. I said, what are you expecting out of the second half?

He just deadbanned a championship. That's a little bit about how the Heat are wired and built and what they're playing for each year. They're a win away from getting to compete for a championship against a great Denver team. But listen, Boston had the second best record in the league. They went to the finals a year ago.

It is a tough, proud, talented group. If the Heat get it done, it's a stunning, major accomplishment. You know, Miami's trying to make that kind of history. It's not about being the first eight seed since 99 to make the finals. They're trying to win this game tomorrow and then go out and try to win themselves an NBA championship.

One last thing on a side note with Miami. If they go to the NBA Finals, what's the status of Tyler Herro looking like? Don't know. Don't know.

The cast is off. Obviously, everybody saw him shooting around before the last game. Who knows? I think the original timetable was sort of figured in, well, if the Heat were ever to make the finals. Remember, he got hurt in the very first playoff game, that game one win at Milwaukee. Broke his severe broken hand.

I don't know if it's realistic or not, but we'll just have to wait and see. He's not playing tomorrow. That much we know. Eric Green, we appreciate it. Enjoy the rest of the series. Thanks so much. Hope to.

Thank you. There you go, Eric Green joining us, the TV play-by-play man for the Miami Heat. We will take a break. When we come on back, a new report about LeBron James and his future. We'll get to all that on the other side. It is Zach Gelb's show on CBS Sports Radio.

You can think of Riley 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. Hickey, I'm going to ask you to do something for the rest of the show. I need a little like pick me up kind of music. We may have to go to EDM. We may need to go to some loud music and high energy music. And I don't usually lack high energy. That's one thing I could say about my radio career. You know, each and every day you may not agree with what I'm going to have to say, but you're going to have definitely passionate radio and you're going to have high energy as well.

That's something I never lack. But today, and I'm going to bitch here for a second and I'll get the tweets right away. Blah, blah, blah. I am exhausted. I have never been this exhausted doing a radio show than back when I used to do the weekend overnight. So I would get like no sleep and you'd be up at like 4 a.m. Eastern time.

And you've been in this spot, right? Not to throw you under the bus here, Hickey, but you know how to relate to this when you do the weekend overnights. And I had to do Friday into Saturday, Saturday into Sunday. You just do a Friday into Saturday. But I'll give you credit where you're doing a full days of work.

And again, we're not digging ditches. I understand that. But then you have to stick around here because you're not going to go back to your apartment. You stick around there right after our show ends at 10 p.m. Eastern and then you go on at 2 a.m. Eastern.

You don't get out of here until 6 a.m. Eastern. There are moments, you will agree with me, where like it's like 4, 4.25 a.m. Eastern time, where you're talking into the microphone and not that you're dozing off, but there's times where you go, I am so tired. I don't even know what the heck I'm saying at times, right? Oh, yeah, you lose your mind. Forget the train of thought, even midway through a sentence. Sometimes when you're dead tired, your brain goes to just shuts off when you don't want it to.

I don't have a ton of gray hair, but the gray hair that I have, I think started when I would do those weekend overnight shifts, because that's just my theory on it. But right now, I've been up since 4.25 a.m. Mountain Time, because I had to get up this morning at 4.25, 4.30 and I had to go to the airport. And I don't know why, Hickey, I'm usually pretty good with being able to doze off on a plane, but I could not sleep at all today when I was on the plane and I landed, got in the Uber, went right to my apartment, packed the bag because I'm going to Long Island this weekend for Memorial Day weekend. And I'm actually going to my parents' house tonight, right after the show. So I have to take an hour train to get out to Long Island and my parents just moved into a new house. So, you know, the moment I walk in, my mother's going to want to show me like all the rooms in the house. She's going to want to give me the big grand tour and I'm just going to want to walk in and go right to bed.

But I know that's not going to happen. So like if I had to set the over under tonight, like let's say I get back to Long Island at like 1130, let's say tonight, get out of here at 10 o'clock, go hit the first train, get home at 1130, you know, at my folks' place. I'll probably not go in bed till one in the morning. That's close to being up for almost 24 straight hours. And right now, what I probably should have done, looking back at this hickey, since I was supposed to go to the Nuggets game, that's why I was out in Colorado and that didn't happen. So I took back my off day and I worked on Wednesday and I worked on Thursday. I probably should have taken today off. You know, traveling back, early morning flight, then boom.

Just take off and go into a long weekend, get the holiday weekend started early, a little bit early. Looking back. Yeah. You know, you're not wrong about especially what are you going to do? You don't know the game's canceled until.

Yeah. Well, you know, my problem is Monday. My problem is I have such bad luck with the airlines that any time I don't take the first flight out. Like in the morning, it always gets delayed down. So I do this thing where I take the first flight out and you have to wake up to go make like a six thirty flight. You have to get up so early as it is just to get to the airport in time. And I even have TSA pre-check. So you get to the line pretty quickly and through security pretty quickly. So TSA pre-check saves you time. But when you're trying to hit that six thirty a.m., seven o'clock a.m. flight, you just setting yourself up for that to be a complete day where you're just just drained. But if you don't get that early flight and let's say you settle for like the 11 a.m. flight, I feel like that flight always gets delayed. The airlines are really a mess right now. They're an absolute mess. I've had the I got stuck in Kansas City for an extra day.

Don't get me wrong. I love Kansas City. It was awesome.

And the barbecue was great. But after what, three, four days in Kansas City, I was ready to go home. Even when I went to Milwaukee a year ago, I got delayed like six, seven hours and I had to land in Detroit and then go from Detroit to Milwaukee. When I started going to Florida, I remember my flight just got completely canceled.

It was a beautiful day outside. So I get so paranoid and I get so worried because of the fact that I've been screwed so many times by these airlines, that now I feel as if I have to take that first flight, because at least I know the plane is going to be there, because it's usually there from from the you know, gets in the night before. And I take off in the morning and I usually don't get delayed like today. But then the rest of your day is just absolutely shot. And that's what we're experiencing today. So there you go.

It's a rough way of living. You got you know, you call me the hex with picking games. I guess you're the hex in terms of traveling on the airlines.

Now, that just woke me up because now you're calling me a hex. Shame on you. Shame on you.

I don't want I don't want to jinx it. I don't travel a ton. I've had pretty good luck so far. Where do you travel to? I said I don't travel a ton. Yeah, we've traveled to Kansas. We've gone to Phoenix. I went to L.A. for the Rose Bowl.

I'm going to Phoenix back and going to Scottsdale in August for a bachelor party. Really? You talk about frying in the sun.

Everyone's running out of there. Wait, in August? August, yep.

120 degrees? Oh, yeah. Bring some gold bond, my friend. Oh, a lot of things dealing with that heat.

So, yeah. So I've had knock on wood and there's some wood over here. I have a little superstitious. I've been having good luck on the airlines.

Wow. Bad luck picking games. You've had good luck picking games. Bad luck on the airlines. Which ones would you rather have?

I know which one I'll take. Yeah, I'd rather the bad luck on the airlines. Not bad luck on the games. I don't know.

I'm talking a lot more and embedded some money, so I'd rather have the better luck on the games. That's just me. But that's a little misleading what you just said. You've missed the flight. You've missed the flight recently. Forgetting because I was sick.

You've got food poisoning. On your death bed. There was I'm not going to try to be dramatic. Your death.

But when I had a stomach bug, there was one point at 3 a.m. I really thought this might be it. Oh, this is how I'm going to go out. There was I was a little dizzy. Oh, my God. I'm not. Yeah, I'll be honest with the audience. I thought for a second my time was up. What are you now?

The the Kardashians of CBS Sports Radio with all this drama. When you're the stomach bug, man, and it it it doesn't know your death bed, though. It does a number. That's that's I thought I was going to die. That's the weakest thing you've ever said on this show.

I know your death bed. I could barely stand up. Oh, sorry. This is a little food poisoning. We've all been there. Done that.

It's OK. Don't get me wrong. And I had no one looking after me. I'm in this city alone at 3 a.m. She was away for work. Did you call her? No, I didn't call her.

What is she going to do? I'm puking my guts out. Please come help me.

Please. I was very nervous of this. It's over. It's over.

This is it for me. But thankfully, I tough it out. Wait, now, hold on. You can't say you're almost on your death bed and then you get toughed it out. Did you almost think about going to the hospital?

No, I mean, I was. Come on, you're on your death bed. If you think you're on your death bed, you're going to the hospital.

I was prepared to just die right there in the bathroom of my apartment. You know what? It's probably where that's going to happen if we're being fair. You keep on doing these shower no cap videos that you throw out there. Oh, well, what do you mean?

Well, what's wrong with them? I'm not going to die doing a video. I don't know. Those takes.

I don't think we're gonna be that good if I'm being fair with you. Wow. I don't know. I'm standing in. Well, do you take cold showers? No, no, no. Maybe you should start hot showers. Maybe you should start. Those hot takes got to be cooled off just a little bit.

Maybe I'll help you out. Penn State winning tomorrow, by the way, in lacrosse. Who are they playing? Duke, right? They are playing number one seeded Duke.

They win it tomorrow. He's going to the game. He's he's going to see his lacrosse team. His school playing the Final Four.

He could name the whole roster, I'm sure. You think your team's winning tomorrow? I will say yes.

Of course. I'll see you on Monday. Championship Monday. But this is going to be a tough game.

I think two things about this. Number one, what happens if your big time rival, your big enemy of yours, Coach K is at the game supporting his Dukies? You saying like you get seated right next to Coach K. You saying hello? If I'm sitting next to Coach K, am I going to say hello? Introduce yourself. Hey, I'm Ryan Hickey from CBS Sports Radio.

Coach, big fan. No, I'm not. Even though I trashed you for a whole year when you were just trying to retire nicely? I would not introduce myself. Not because I'm afraid.

Oh, please. But because that's what he would want me to do. He is someone who wants everyone to know he is there. You think Coach K gives a rat's ass about you?

Yes. Oh, you're you're he wants everyone to be a fool. Oh, my.

And like fainting at the knees. There goes Coach K. And again, the cold shoulder where my Penn State shirt. I'm sure he'll be in some Duke blue shirt. He's the enemy. And I'm not I'm going to pretend he's not even there. I'm going to pretend the seat next to me is empty. Give a cold shoulder. And you know what?

I bet you he's going to be upset about that. Folks, I created a monster here. I think it's not a me thing.

This is a no, no, no, no, no, no. This is everyone fawning over. I've created to be the center of attention. I've created an egomaniac in hot. Take Kiki, where he's really starting to feel himself that you just said on a national radio show, a legendary coach, one of the greatest coaches of all time that you hot.

Take Kiki, Ryan Hickey wouldn't say hello if you were seated right next to him. It's not a me ego. Yes, it is.

Yes, it is. Coach K knowing how to push people's buttons sort of thing. Oh, please. And really give them what they're now looking for. Like Coach K would probably want me to trash talk him just because he would get the joy of just like, oh, he knows who I am sort of thing.

And he knows how important I am. Well, now since you're doing the shower, no cap videos that you keep on putting out there, I mean, get the shower yourself and beer walking out of the stadium of Penn State wins. And you give us one of those crazy drunk recaps.

Maybe give us maybe I'll here's a hot take for you. I will not be as tuned up as it was at the Rose Bowl. I don't think that's that's hard to top. Number one, you have like 20 beers at the Rose Bowl.

We had a day. So I think you need to just go crazy pouring beer on your head, walking out of the stadium. And you just do a highly entertaining video where it's shower, no cap, walking out of Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. Just beer getting thrown on your face.

No big deal, no big deal, no big deal. Penn State going to the natty. They can't get to the football national championship. So here they are in the lacrosse national championship.

Kick rocks, pound sand. Coach K, that's what I would do if I'm you. Maybe we'll get Coach K in the video. First guest ever. I thought you were going to talk to him.

Hey, Coach, take your shirt off. By the way, from David Benjamin, beyond James's retirement decision, which could be a non-issue with the source close to James telling ESPN on Thursday that he believes the Lakers star will indeed be back for season number 21 to fulfill his contract. So that's what sources close to LeBron tell Dave McMenamin. Surprise, surprise. Talking about drama. LeBron's not actually serious about retirement.

He will absolutely be back with the Los Angeles Lakers next year. We'll take a time out onside offside next five questions, five answers back in five surgeons keep our hearts beating. They do the amazing help save lives.

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