It's the Mike Francesa podcast on the Bett Rivers Network. Hello again, everybody, and welcome to the Mike Francesa podcast, part of the Bett Rivers Network. And we'll do some emails for you today on what is a little warmer day than we've had. We might actually get above the freezing mark for the first time in about three weeks. So that'd be nice. Maybe some of the snow will melt. It's been a, obviously a long winter in the Northeast and anywhere where it's cold. So spring will be a welcome sight once it gets here, but it doesn't usually get here until about May 1st. Now, remember, sign up for the Mike Francesa newsletter for your chance to enter the February newsletter contest. Win a personalized message from me or a prize pack. If you haven't signed up for the newsletter, go to MikeFrancessaPodcast.com and do so. And remember, it's absolutely free. As we make that transition, you know, the NFL shuts down now to March. I mean, it doesn't take a lot of time. It basically is in the news all year because there's even going to be speculation in the next couple of weeks. It's already February the 10th. The season opens in a month with free agency. And, you know, free agency is fast and furious in the NFL. So we're a month away from that. Now, Paul starts us off. Given that the Giants' road opponents combined for a daunting record, it is clear that a last-place finish doesn't guarantee an easy pass. Should the NFL revise that? No, listen. There's going to be a couple of games that favor your record. Whether your record's good, you get X, your record's bad, you get Y. But for the most part, you're talking about, with a couple of exceptions, you're talking about the same record for the division teams, which is the same schedule for the division teams, which is what you're looking for. The idea in the NFL is to win your division. That's the goal. That's the key to the promised land. Win your division. Every year, any coach worth anything is motivated by what he has to do to improve his squad against the three teams in his division. That is it. You've already heard Harbaugh say that every move we make is to beat the Eagles. They're the team to beat in our division. Everything we do is to improve and to beat the Eagles. That's how he is doing this. It's about your division. You're not thinking about Super Bowls. You're not thinking about playoff possibilities and home field. Hey, if you're a team that went, you know, had 13 wins this year, you're thinking, I want to get home field and get to number one seed. That's different. You are on a certain level. But with that exception, the idea is to play and compete inside that four-team league. That's it. And most things there are equal, so that's the way it is. It should be done. That's the way it is done. So I have no problem with the schedule, you know, and hey, the schedule last year for the Giants was brutal. I told you. It also matters when the games line up, how the games line up. Do you get a respite? Do you get off to an early start? I am a big believer in early starts. I believe that 0 and 3 starts kill teams. I believe that 3 and 0 starts lift teams. So I think how you get out of the gate is imperative. And how your schedule shapes up. and listen schedule is an enormous factor when your team's reeling and you got an easy game it makes all the difference in the world it really does john do you feel comfortable that uh naggy and roman can develop jackson dart well we don't know the quarterback coach yet so we're waiting for him but um naggy's the offensive coordinator and roman is the running game coach and kind of a old hand looking over everything on the offense. But remember this, he is a terrific run game manager. His teams are highly productive in the run game year after year after year. Now, I believe that, let me put it this way. I have no concern for the Giants quarterback room. I think it's a comfortable room for Dart. I think it's a good learning room for Dart. concerned with the development of DART or the game planning. I'm not worried about practice schedules. I'm not worried about game development. I'm not worried about game planning. I am concerned with this group of people and the play calling. I will have a very keen eye to the play calling. I think the play calling is going to be very telling and I'm not overly comfortable with the play calling or what the play calling will produce. I have no other problems with the offense as far as the quarterback goes. Now, big key, what are they going to get out of the offensive line? What are they going to get out of the offensive line, coach? That offensive line has to continue its development. That is the key. That is the key. What do you think the Patriots are going to work on? They're going to work on their offense. They're going to tell everybody how May was hurt and everything, but the bottom line is they're going to work on their offensive line. It fell apart in the playoffs. It got destroyed in the playoffs. And when you go into these big games and one team has a huge edge and pass rush over the other team and the other team can't protect its quarterback, game's over. Mike, do you think the Jets' hiring of Frank Reich as offensive coordinator was a good move? Yes. Now, the Jets' ability to operate right now, what kind of staff this is going to be, what the dynamics and the chemistry of that staff is going to be. How Aaron's going to run this staff? Is Frank going to be given completely away with the offense? Are there going to be other hands in the offense? We don't know who the quarterback is. We don't have any idea about that yet. Glenn's going to be highly, highly locked up with the defense because he's got to call plays this year. They're a mess, let's be honest. But I do think Reich is a professional. I think he's a step in the right direction. I do not believe, like a lot of people, that he's going to wind up being the coach. He might be the interim coach if Glenn leaves. Something gets crazy and Glenn walks out in a huff or they fire him in the midseason, which never works anyway. But I don't think Reich's going to be the head coach. Do I think he's a good coordinator? I do. I think he's a good offensive mind. James, with a potential lockout next year, could this be Judge's last year of his prime this year? Well, it'll be 34 in April. I'd say he's got three years left at the top. I don't think, even if you're forecasting Armageddon, I don't think you're talking about three years. This year, obviously, is a prime year. And then I think he's got two left. Could he lose one? He could sacrifice it, and it'll be very bitter for him if he does. Especially if he hasn't won a championship yet. And taking that year, you know, taking a 45-50 home run year out of the middle of his career could cost him 500 home runs. could cost him 600 home runs. Could cost him some statistics. Now he's going to the Hall of Fame on roller skates. We know that. But the point is he's got a 294 hit a lifetime. In this day and age, he's very good. He's got a 400 on base percentage. He's just broken 1.0 with the career OPS, which is You know, that's legendary. He got 870 runs scored He got 830 RBIs He got 368 homers I know this because I was looking the other day to see what his numbers were going to be Somebody had asked me what his numbers were going to be for his career. And I said I thought he would hit 500 home runs. But I didn't think he'd ever get near 600 home runs. He's had a storied career, but he hasn't won. and that's partially on him but not obviously all on him by any stretch Brian how does Sam Donald winning a Super Bowl in Seattle impact Russell Wilson's legacy I don't think it affects it at all Russell Wilson had his career in Seattle he did what he did now Wilson hurt his career with his play the last couple of years. If he had retired three years ago, he had a much tidier and a much better looking career than he has now. But he's accomplished what he's accomplished. And whatever he did means nothing now to Sam. Sam now has his ring. It reminds me of when the Giants won in Pasadena. You've probably seen the video many times of Farsell saying to the team, guys, I think I said fellas, no one can ever say that you didn't do it. They can never basically take this away from you. And it's true. you know players are motivated by two things in the nfl in in all sports they want two things they want a championship ring to wear and when they get the money they want the ring when they get the ring they want the money they want the life-changing career money i'm talking about the guys who are good really good players uh they want the life-changing career money and they want the ring. And the later they get in their career, the more they're motivated by which one they don't have. If they have the money, they want the ring. If they have the ring, they want the money. Players obviously will work towards multiple Super Bowls, given what happens in a given season. But once they can walk around with that ring on for the rest of their life at every NFL event, nobody can ever take it away and and listen i know sam who had a brilliant championship sunday against the rams and if he doesn't have a great game against the rams they lose he won that game he was a bystander in this game he was along for the ride so what there were superbowls where brady was along for the ride There were Super Bowls where Bradshaw was along for the ride. Roethlisberger was along for the ride. I can give you more and more and more. It means nothing. It means absolutely nothing. He's got his ring, and he'll go for more. But be careful, Seattle. Seattle's got a lot of money issues this year, a lot. And after you win it, tough to keep everybody happy and everything together. Very, very tough. Everybody wants to get paid. Jason are you excited at all about the World Baseball Classic this year it's a set up question you know there's no way if you know anything about me you know there's no chance that I have any interest in that and you know that I have stated on numerous occasions I would forbid forbid players who I thought had any risk of injury. If I have a young player, he wants to go play in it, and he's been asked because he's talented, go play. If you're an older player and you've had injuries, you're not playing. The bottom line is, it's not happening. I really don't want my players participating, and I'd be very, very much against them for participating. and I have no interest in it at all. I don't care about this stuff. This stuff is done to market the sport internationally and to somehow bring some interest to the sport from a television standpoint in a time period. Remember, this time of the year, there is not a lot on. So until you get to the playoffs with hockey, you've got three weeks of the NCAA tournament. and then you have the masters but you have once you get to april and you get the hockey every night you get the basketball every night that takes care it takes you into june but early in the spring there's nothing on so they need tv and they want to draw attention you know for the most part spring training everyone glorifies it and if you're here in the winter and you've been in this slush and frozen tundra for a couple of months. The fact that you're sitting at a ball game in Fort St. Lucie or Tampa watching your team and basking on a 75 degree day in the sunshine, you know what? That feels nice. Any day in Florida feels nice when it's 75 degrees. Okay. Even Florida was hit hard because I was there when it was, it never approached 70 for you know 10 days and actually after i left it was down in the 30s um but the best weather of the year in florida in my estimation always is between the 15th of february and april 1st it's the best weather now it's windy but florida is always windy um in this time of year but it's great weather day in day out 80 degrees sunshine little breeze sometimes a lot of breeze uh but it's really good weather but so spring training is dynamic for that but for the most part spring training is tedious you go to a game there's two players in the game all right you want to see a young guy fine you're gonna be a lot of people you don't even know who they are um you're gonna have two regulars or three regulars in the lineup and they're gone after the fifth inning i I mean, so, I mean, the games are okay. You want to go down and watch the drills? Go ahead. Well, you're going to watch drills for one day, then you're going to be bored. I mean, let's be honest. That's all there is to it. I mean, how many times can you watch a guy hit the ball in the cage or, you know, have a drill on the infield? I mean, you know, okay, you can watch it for an hour or two, but you're not going to watch it for, you know, every day. So spring training is overrated from that standpoint, But when you add the weather and you get out of the colds, it's got a little romance to it. Dylan, what chances do you give the Knicks of actually winning a championship this season? I give them a 30% chance to get to the finals. I give them a maybe I'll go 40 I won't go 50 but I'll go 40 maybe to get to the finals I give them 5% chance of winning it you never know sometimes a series tighten up look at last year teams can get injured always an issue especially in this day and age in the NFL. I think from that standpoint, you know, you want to go to the finals just to be there. But also, you never know you have a punch's chance that things can break right. And the Knicks are a little unique in that regard in that they're a little different. They can have games where they can be hard to stop. um the last question asked me which team i would put as a favorite for next year championships in the NFL who would I make the Super Bowl winner next year or the favorite to be the Super Bowl winner next year most places will install the defending champion unless they have you know guys retiring prominent guys retiring coaches retiring you know something like that without that so Seattle is the favorite and that's not unusual I would make the Rams the favorite with Stafford of course back he's already stated that um they wouldn't be the favorite otherwise Also, they know what the issue was. They have to, without question, completely revitalize and turn over and change their special teams. Their special teams was a big part of four different losses, including the championship game. they were completely plagued by every malady you could have in special teams he fired a special teams coach he changed this kicker the bottom line was special teams haunted them all year and i guarantee you in this offseason all he's going to have on his mind is putting together the best special teams that he possibly can he's going to be working on it in camp he's going to They'll be putting it in the – there'll be extra sessions. There'll be extra parts of the practice schedule where they do that. And remember, training camp is a joke now. If I were an NFL head coach, I'd say, you know what, leave me alone. I'll make my own rules because it's a joke. It really is. They don't let these guys put these guys on the field for any length of time. And they need it. to be honest with you. But I would make the Rams the favorite. I would make Seattle the second favorite. I would make Buffalo the third favorite. The big issue is how far the Eagles fall with all their issues. And the bigger issue is where do you put Kansas City? I think they put them down around 18-1. I'd put them at like 30-1. I don't think they'll come back next year. I don't think they'll make the playoffs next year. I think that's too much to ask. And like I said, how they approach this next chapter, especially this year. see I already think I've heard that they're going to bring back some guys for one more go I don't think those guys have enough left would I bring Kelsey back I would not I would not I know they're bringing him back at a reduced dollar talking about 8 million dollars I wouldn't bring him back I'd go get a tight end listen they've had some great players who have produced multiple championships for them and obviously led by a great and all-time quarterback and an all-time head coach but they need to turn the page and if they try to do this I made a big statement about this during the season at one point they try to do this with a band-aid they will never get there again if they would take their medicine which would mean gutting the team in some spots and rebuilding it from the ground up which will probably cost them next year where they'd probably go seven and nine and that's if Mahomes healthy go seven and nine but it would set the foundation for them where they could within two years be back to being a team that has playmakers and youth and blocks that they can use as a foundation instead of trying to piecemeal it and put Band-Aids on it. It will not work. They're too old for that. See, when you have the kind of success that they had, nine straight division title wins every year in the AFC title game, five times in the Super Bowl. The bottom line is, you get old at a lot of spots. you're drafting low every year players want to get paid you feel every injury you feel every suspension you feel everything because you don't have that depth it is being deteriorated by the fact of what you have to pay players and by holding on the players too long everybody does it chuck noel i remember he made the statement Tom Landry made the same statement I stayed too long with the players that I won with Chuck Zoll said if I could do it again I would not be sentimental trouble getting rid of the players who won four titles for him in six years it's hard to get rid of those guys and a handful of them I think seven or eight were Hall of Famers they had great players and you can hold them too long it's hard to say goodbye to those faces. But if you aren't cold and calculating and if you don't lack sentimentality, you will not get back to the promised land. It takes all that to win. Without any question, it takes all that to win. A couple thoughts about college basketball. Number one, St. John's won last night. You knew two things. Number one, whether he doesn't put the penalty to the medal against his son or his son really... His son does have unique offensive players who cause St. John's trouble. Xavier should have beaten St. John's at least once and could have beaten him twice. They lost both games. Last night, obviously, on the foul line. You knew St. John's was going to be down after the Friday night game. The Friday night game was... It was an emotional, intense game for the regular season I'd seen in a long time. Plus, it was a huge St. John's crowd in the Garden. I was there. Jack and I went. And it was a great night at the Garden, no question. But you knew they would be down. And I thought the line last night was absurd. 16 and a half points. You knew they'd have trouble winning that game. I was fascinated by the Kansas game. I thought Kansas, which never loses and had never lost for Bill Self on Big Monday. And that's the hardest building to play in. Not anywhere in the ACC, not Cameron. The hardest place to play in America in college basketball is in Allen Fieldhouse at Kansas. Always has been and always will be. Now, Arizona goes in undefeated. I thought Arizona would lose last night. And then I sit down to watch the game. and I hadn't paid attention before. There wasn't a lot on before that. I was watching the same job. They never mentioned it. Now they're big studs not playing. Now we know he sat out a million games this year. And what he pulled last night, Peterson, and Peterson, if you listen to NBA scouts, are telling you that this guy is about as defined a package as we have had come out of the draft in the last 10 or 15 years. but he never plays. And then last night, he's got flu-like symptoms. They are home against an undefeated Arizona team on national television. And he warms up and he's not going to play. And there was a rumor, now Kansas denied this because it doesn make them look good that Self told him somebody said they overheard this Now again whether it happened or not I don care It should have been the message that Self said to his star listen, if you're going to give me 50% effort, sit out. And he said, I'm out. And that team went out and beat them. And Kansas went out and beat them without them, which was a huge win for Kansas, a huge win for their head coach, and a real shot in the face at their star. There's nobody in the world who is going to doubt the talent this player has. But you have the first pick. Aren't you scared to death to draft him? He never plays. the rumors are a coach told me the agents, the problem. Now why the agent wants to sit him out of all these games when he plays, he's tremendous. When, you know, he beat Texas tech with two threes, he outplayed the BYU phenom badly. And then sat out the second half. He's got 18 points in the first half against BYU. We outplayed the kid by a mile and then sat out the second half. in the NCAA tournament. I don't know if this guy's going to play one game, play the next game, play a half, play a minute. I have no idea. I don't think they do either. It's become a real pain in the neck, but they overcame it last night and maybe sent the big star a message. We haven't had a situation like this in a long time. I mean, somebody said, and they're right, he's brought load management to college. I mean, he really has. He never plays. but it was a great win. Now the only undefeated team is Miami of Ohio. Now here's an interesting thing. That league doesn't produce at-large teams. It's a one-and-done league. They're undefeated. No team has ever gotten an at-large bid when it did not play a quad one game. They don't have any of those on their schedule, which means if they don't win their tournament and they just have one loss, let's say they run the table and they lose in their conference tournament, does Miami of Ohio make the tournament with one loss? They're ranked right now. They're undefeated, which is impressive no matter who you play. I don't keep playing tiddlywinks. The bottom line is you're undefeated, you're undefeated. But they haven't played anybody. They have no quality wins. They didn't play any quality teams. I mean, not to knock the talent in their league, but I mean, they haven't played any, even in non-league, they didn't play any big games. Most teams play a few for the money and for the ability to just climb up socially and, you know, on the ladder to try and get it into the tournament if you can, you know, win those games. They haven't played any. and they are undefeated. But do they have to go undefeated to win? Do they have to go undefeated and win the conference championship to get into the NCAA tournament? Fascinating. That'll be a storyline if they ever lose in the conference tournament. Now, if they've lost more than one, then they're not getting in out of that league. That's all there is to it. But they have not lost at all. And now Arizona, which had gone 23 games without a loss, has lost. And Arizona's really good. I mean, they're really good. They got size, a lot of size. And talent on the outside. Really good freshman players. I mean, so they're a talented team. I'll tell you, this year, if you're someone who likes the tournament, and I understand that regular season in college baseball has no value. I agree with that. You know, unless you're a fanatic and love the sport, because... You know, everybody who's any good is going to make the NCAA tournament. I mean, UConn, St. John's, Villanova, they're all going to the NCAA tournament. We know that now. We can name pretty much all the teams that are going to the NCAA tournament than one or two right now. But this year, it is loaded. There are more teams this year that I think could win a championship than I've seen in a long, long time. Arizona's been good. Michigan's been ultra impressive, especially when their point guard has his head-ons right. Illinois, very impressive. Houston, again, very impressive. Should have been a champion last year. Florida coming on. Duke, really good. Lost to Carolina tonight, but hey, loaded with Boozer, okay? some great freshman players. Really good teams. Very talented. Iowa State's got a great team. UConn and St. John's out of the... And St. John's is getting better and better. You know, I have to admit that now, as we get later into the season, I did not see Darling taking a commanding role, but he did such a good job in the UConn game forcing the the Merriandah mistakes and gutting, you know, he's such a gutty player, even though he's not a great player by any stretch, but he's a gutty player. He's become a big factor now. So you pretty much have, as Jackson becomes less of a factor, he's always in the doghouse. He might have a good game here and there, but he's always in the doghouse. It's the three forwards. And... Sellers and now Darling as the main core play around that and it's they could have a bad night we know that but this team they could be a handful I'll tell you something if you don't have now they're going to have to watch how the game's called in the NCAA tournament because Big East teams sometimes can struggle with that. But you get a very tight whistle. But if you can't handle their pressure, you're in big trouble. They'll wear you down with it. If you can't handle their size, three big guys attacking, play after play after play, banging the rim, playing defense, banging the boards, scoring inside, taking it to the basket, that's a lot for a lot of teams and as danny said the other night after the game those guys are men all three of them and they are and mitchell boy if he could shoot you know i understand that's why players aren't all americans because they have deficiencies and he can't shoot a lick and some games he can't finish like i think last night he was like two for 13. But the rest of his game is so good. His rebounding, his defense, his ability to guard multiple positions, his open floor passing. I mean, all exquisite. His ability to go to the hole, although he doesn't finish well. And he doesn't make free throws. But he has energized that team in a very big way. And Doobie, hey, does his job. we're very interested in the rematch to see if they can hold their own in that game against UConn or is UConn going to give them the back of their hand they'll be fascinated by that, that's the 25th up in Connecticut the 25th of February we'll see you later thanks for listening to the Mike Francesa podcast on the Bent Rivers Network
