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God bless football, Billy Gill.

God bless football, Mikey, eh?

God bless football.

Fuentes.

God bless football, Steve.

Hey, we got it right? How about that? Yes. Finally, Adam Schefter going to join us on this episode of God bless football. Looking forward to that. I want to talk Knicks with him. I do. I'll talk some football with Adam Schefter, but I'd like to talk about the New York Knicks. He is a big fan of the Knicks. And so I have some questions for our friend Adam Schefter. What's going on, Billy?

I'm just here, man. I think I'm like everybody else in America. I'm just patiently awaiting the schedule release.

You know, I was so disappointed because I was expecting the schedule to come out this week, and I think most people were. It did not come out this week. And I believe we'll talk to Adam Schefter about it. I believe it's coming out mid week, next week.

I don't understand how the NFL, who has like, everything is like this big ceremony. Everything is a big moment. Everything's a big thing. Everything's like a made for tv product. How there's just all this mystery around when the NFL schedule is going to come out. I really don't understand how they either don't know or they just want to surprise everyone with surprise. Here's the schedule today because, like, you had teams, I think, even up to this week, sending emails to, like, season ticket holders saying like, hey, Thursday's the day. And then the league came out like, no, it's not. Yeah, it's next week. Not happening this week.

Uh huh. Well, they could do that. It's the NFL.

Why?

I don't understand why the way they handle everything else. Why do they do this with the schedule?

I don't know. And if next week they tell us the following week, we'll be okay with it, because why the NFL?

Well, I mean, yeah, what are you going to do?

Nothing.

Yeah, right.

Just wait.

That's all. And that's all I'm doing. I'm just sitting here waiting.

It's not so much the schedule, Mikey. It's playing, you know, it's going through said schedule and doing win loss, win loss, win loss, win loss. That is my favorite, favorite sports radio practice of all time, you know?

Well, here's the thing. It's also like a slow drip with the schedule, right? Cause you already know the teams and you know which are the home games and the road games.

I know the jets are playing already. Yes.

But now, right. We can do wins and losses when we get the actual schedule, and we can do it in order.

Yes.

Because before you look at it and you're like, hmm. The jets are traveling to, I don't know, wherever the jets are traveling up to Buffalo. Is it a home game? Is it a road game? Is it in December?

Right.

Is it in October? When this game changes everything, it.

Well, does change everything. Playing buffalo in September as opposed to December is a big, big difference. You're right. Yes.

The other thing that they try and do is they try and go, oh, well, here are the primetime games. Like, we're not gonna watch them anyway. Like, it doesn't matter which games you put on. Like, we're not gonna watch them anyway.

Yeah, yeah.

You know, there's, like, could be a red zone game, but maybe it's the only game that has my attention on a Thursday night or Monday night.

Sure.

And then, you know, what games to avoid Thursday. Why would you watch that?

I don't avoid any games.

Jaguars, colts on a Thursday. Might go to dinner that night.

That's what. Gambling still goes on.

It still goes on, but it's background noise on Thursday.

Well, you know, we have the Friday morning. God bless football. We gotta keep an eye on those Thursdays, you know what I mean?

You do? Yeah. I love a good Thursday game, even a bad Thursday game.

I was about to say there's not a lot of good Thursday games.

Yeah, but I love Thursday games. I mean, I would take games every day of the week if they could figure it out.

Well, we have. We have a number of Friday games this year, right? We have that opening week, Friday game. We're going to have the Black Friday game again, I'm assuming.

Yeah, Tuesday game.

We had Tuesday games during.

We do.

Don't we have a Tuesday game this year?

I'm saying a regular Tuesday game. That's all I'm saying.

That's the calendar.

Yeah.

If there's Christmas is on a Tuesday, we have a Tuesday game, right?

Yeah. We.

We should know this. We shouldn't be asking.

Yo, yo, what do you like better?

A good Thursday night?

What do you mean?

Are you on the phone? What's happening?

He said, stew. I said, yo. Response. Billy's right. It was a totally weird response on tv and radio. I'm sorry.

Breaking news, I guess. It's not breaking news to anyone that's looked at a calendar. Christmas day is a Wednesday this year.

Really? What?

There'll be games on Christmas.

What do you.

There are games on Christmas.

Oh, boy.

You take Thursday and Friday off. That's for sure. Is it?

Well, I mean, I would think. And I don't know. Cause the schedule hasn't come out yet. Right. I would think what you would have to do for the teams playing on Christmas Day is they'd have to play. They'd either have to have a by the week before or they would have.

Too late in the season.

They'd have to have a Saturday game. Then on the 21st, I think they're.

Gonna try and get Thursday.

Okay, so Thursday, Wednesday, that's better.

Yeah, maybe Saturday. I'm trying to do Saturday.

I'm trying to do win loss with the jets right now. Because as Billy pointed out, we know the teams they're playing. We just don't know where they're playing them. The jets are owing three.

You can't say they're owing three. You don't know the schedule.

Well, I have the bill. I think the first three games are the bills, Broncos and Texans. I just don't know where. Okay. Why do you think it's just the first three games I see, mikey, if you.

If you are the jets fan, a Jets fan, which the two of you are, right? And I know this is like a strange question to ask, but I feel like there's some merit behind it and I feel like it'll make sense. Right?

Yeah.

You want to start on the road. Right? Like you want Aaron Rodgers to not have his first game be at MetLife again. Like you want to get a game in where you're not playing on this killer turf, where you don't know if he's going to survive the stage stadium the first game.

Hmm. Who am I playing, though?

Well, you said you know, which you don't.

Well, I don't know. I'm just, I'm guessing. But who am I playing? Like, if you're telling me I'm going to, I don't want to play Miami in week one, that you're saying. It's a nice field. It's a good grass field. It's very hot down here. I just, I don't want the Dolphins week one.

Okay, defense.

A good team.

Let's say it's the Cardinals.

I take the Cardinals at Arizona, week one. That'd be nice. Here.

Here are your away opponents this season. If you're the jets, the bills, the Dolphins, the Patriots, the Steelers, the Jaguars, the Titans, Vikings, 49 ers, Cardinals. Of those, you don't want to play the 49 ers. Week one. Who is it that you don't want.

You don't want to play the 49 ers. Week one.

You don't want to play anybody who's any.

Give me, give me the Steelers week one. That's what I want.

Really?

What the Steelers, before Russell Wilson looks Steelers can even like begin to think about being good again.

Wow. Because I have, it's not cold. I think this. The Steelers are a sneaky good team.

Yeah, they always are.

In fact, I'm not giving, but they.

Always come on late.

Right.

That's why I want them. That's why I want the week one.

I'm not giving one away here, but I have my top five teams in the NFL worth taking a flyer on to win the Super bowl.

Well, the Steelers are one of them.

Well, maybe they are, maybe they aren't.

The Steelers in it, but they want.

You to play this game. We'll see. But they are. Could be. Oi. It's a good pick.

It's a good pick.

No, it's not. They're not going to win the Super bowl.

They always find a way to, like, come the playoffs, finish.

They always find a way to finish nine and eight and then they're in.

The playoffs and then anything could happen.

They have a chance, but it doesn't happen.

You just got to get there, Billy. The big ones. You want my top five teams right now? Let's do it.

I mean, we could drag it out. I'm sure the audience is going to be sitting with baited breath the same way I am for the schedule release, but let's not keep them teased too long, all right?

I love a good flyer. That's all I'm saying. Billy. Yes. I'm trying to help the audience here. These are five teams flying under the radar that I think right now it's worth taking a flyer on them to win the Super bowl.

How much would you put down? Like if you were in a draftking state, how much would you put down on these teams winning the Super bowl?

On the. Well, I got to check the odds, but on team number one, so I. 54321.

Yeah. No, wait, hold on. Don't go by team number. Have you ever done the top five?

Why?

Are you going to start with team number one?

No, I'm just saying on the team that I most think is worth taking a flyer on and I'd put more money on them than the fifth.

Tell us that. Team last.

I know.

What do you call a flyer? How do you define a flyer?

That's what I'm saying. That's what I'm wondering.

Yeah.

I define a flyer as teams that most people think aren't going to win the Super bowl, saying they're worth a little flyer. That's all.

Let's do this.

5100, 200, whatever, you know, whatever you feel like betting on it.

I have draftkings, Super Bowl 2025, futures up right now.

Okay.

So do your top five and then I will give you the odds and you can say what you put on them.

Okay. So these are the top five teams in may that are worth putting a flyer on to win the Super bowl.

Very exciting. You're at the first time we've ever done this.

Yeah.

Pre schedule release.

Now you guys think that I brought this up because someone mentioned the Steelers and we'll find out. Yeah. Number five. The Steelers.

Would have been a heady move by you to knock them out.

It's a good pick. It's a good pick. I coach, they have a quarterback. If that quarterback's not good, they have another quarterback. I mean, I think this is a good team, good defense.

The Steelers are plus 5000 right now.

That's worth a flyer right there, which is what if you bet $100 on the Steelers and they win the Super bowl, you're winning $5,000.

So you'd put 100 on the Steelers?

I'm going to right after this.

I might be honest. I might do it.

Yeah, I do it.

You might do it. Right. All right. You ready for number four?

Should we do this with all of his teams?

All of us?

I can't.

My. Yeah, let's do it.

My wife would kill me.

What do you mean she'd kill you? Put $25 on it.

Put 50 on it, would you?

2500?

Yeah, but that's with this one team. If we're doing with the five teams and I go home and I'm like, yes. You guys talked me into putting $5,000 on five random teams to win the Super Bowl.

$500. Let's do $50 per team, $250 each. See what happens in Steelers, Steelers.

Well, let's see what the other teams are. Cause I also, we're then also, I.

Love being in the Draftkings state.

It's your, it's your, like, our fate is in your hands. So I need to see what these teams are first.

I will put the bets in for all of us. How about that?

But that's what you said about who was it when we had Gordy and all of them on where.

I did thousand dollars each. Yeah.

And Carl was like, I don't know about that. And you're like, I got you guys. And then, and then we were all like sitting back because, and who was it? Like, everybody was like, oh, I got a $1,000. Then we were all sitting back. Yeah. Share Bear was like, I'm going to put in the bet. And then when it didn't happen, I think all of us on Saturday, Carl included, were nervously like, so did we.

Do that or did we know the bed hit. The bed hit. K funk wanted to go the other way.

Yes.

But we were still all wondering, I think it was pregame. We're like, we in on this? Are we not in on this?

I want money.

No one put in any money anyway.

We've gotten, I bet my own money.

We've gotten derailed.

Number four was relying on share Bear when you had your mind or any.

Well, you also said that you were covering us, so you put in this bet.

I got you guys. I'm gonna put $200 Fuentes, 50 for you, Mikey. A 50 for you, Billy, 50 for me and 50 from for you and 50 for myself. Okay. $200 on each of these. So if the Steelers win, we win ten grand. Got it. Okay. Okay. 2500 apiece. Okay. Good luck collecting that money.

Exactly right.

Number four, the phone call I'm gonna get. Wow. You'll tell me what the Falcons are, Billy.

They got 2200 plus 2200.

So $100 on the Falcons will win us. 2200, 200, $4400. All right, the Falcons are number four, number three, the New York football giants.

Why that seems like a donating money.

So I will tell you this. They got neighbors in the draft. They have a decent defense. They got some weapons here for Daniel Jones. And people forget just two years ago that team was one of the final eight teams left in the NFL. They made it to the second round of the playoffs, the NFC. I'm just saying, Billy, it's not insane. It's not a great division. The Eagles are coming down. They were up, they were soaring. And now they're on the way down.

The way down, on the way down. And the Giants on the way up.

And the Giants are on the way up. And the Cowboys are a complete mess. I'm taking the giants. What are the odds?

Plus 10,000.

Okay, so, so $200 is going to win us $20,000.

$200 is going to cost you dollar 200.

Yeah, yeah, exactly. Oh, man, I'm gonna lose eight. I'm gonna lose $1,000. Yeah, for no reason.

Well, there's a way to save this. Go on.

What's only have upside, man?

What's number two?

Number two, the Chicago Bears. If Caleb, that team has a chance to win a super. If he's good, all the pieces are there. He has to be good. What are the odds there, bill?

Plus 3000.

All right, so $6,000. If we win that one, what did?

A bigger payoff there.

So did I. I was thinking there was a bigger payoff there. Yeah.

I don't think I find one bigger than the Giants. Giants are awful.

Really? There are bigger.

Let me take deeper, but I think.

They'Re going to be on his list.

There's. Yeah. No, he's not going to take any of these people.

Well, number one.

Yeah.

Mikey a, you're going to hate me for saying this.

Oh, boy.

This is the New York jets. If he's healthy, man. Team is loaded. He's so mad at me. So mad at me.

Can't them winning just be enough for you? Like you have to go ahead and put money on it, too. Can't them winning just be it?

Yeah.

Jets are plus 2000.

Wow.

Yeah.

Not even worth it.

Much of a flyer if you're, if.

You'Re putting $200 on all of these. Yeah, I would hedge and I would put 200 on, like, the 49 ers or the Chiefs. Because you're taking this way.

That's not a flyer, though.

It is, though, because you're putting. No. Well, it's really insurance. Right. Because you're putting 200 on the 49 ers who are plus 600.

I'm not taking the 49 ers. The 49 ers are never winning a Super Bowl. I don't care. As long as Kyle Shanahan's the coach. They're not. I'm sorry.

Clip that.

Adam Schefter, next. Billy Gill will join us here in a few minutes. He is picking up the kids, I believe, from school yet again. I feel like Billy is always big time Billy. I feel like he's always in a carpal line picking up kids from school, don't you? Yeah.

There was actually a car accident in my carpool line this morning and it was the talk of everything.

All the kids were hanging out.

Just watch it. Yeah, because, you know, people are idiots.

Little fender bender. I mean, fender bender.

Nothing serious.

Right. But. Well, you can't have something serious in a carpool line. It's impossible. Well, you can in a school.

Be surprised.

I take that back. Be surprised. Adam Schefter is going to. Adam Schepter going to join us here in just a few minutes. Again. Billy will join us at some point in this episode. But Shefter is a massive Knicks fan, massive New York Knicks fan. And so I want to get his thoughts on what's going on with the Knicks, and we'll also talk some football as well. But, mikey, I have a question for you, okay? Because there is a big difference between sitting courtside at Madison Square Garden for a playoff game and sitting anywhere else. Meaning if you're in the third row, you're not that big of a celebrity. If you're in the first row, oh, my God, you're the biggest of celebrities. And so I ask you this. If Adam Schefter wanted to sit courtside at a Knicks playoff game, do you think he could get it done? What do you think?

I think you can get it done in the first two rounds. I think Adam Schefter can sit courtside first two rounds of the playoff games at Madison Square Garden. After the second round, I think he's. I think he's in the nosebleeds with you. And by nosebleeds, I mean four or five roads up, right?

I set the nosebleeds. Last year, I went to a playoff game against the Heat with my wife. I was sitting in the 14th row. I beheaded. I felt so far away from the action. You were. You were. I want to say it was insulted, but I wasn't at the Mecca. Sheft are going to call it here in a couple of minutes. So you think Sheffer. This is funny, Mike. So you think. First round, good. Second round, good. But once we get to the Celtics of the NBA Finals, there's not a shot that chapter is getting a court side. See to the Knicks, huh?

No, I think. No, he'd have to. He'd have to call in a favor. He's got to go with, like, some NFL player who's retired that he knows.

In order to get there. I don't think so.

I don't think he can get there.

Yeah. I think he could pull it off of the conference finals. I think he could pull it off for the NBA Finals. And he's with us right now. Who's driving you around right now, Sheff, there? What is happening?

I have an ESPN podcast up front that I'm on my way to right now.

Really?

Yeah. 03:00 so here we go. So, I'm on the way into the city right now, and. And, uh, this is the time you asked for. And here we go.

You seem thrilled about it, by the way. I mean, you.

When you text me, I always respond yes. So that. There. There it is. Right?

No, no, no. This. I know you were looking forward to the up front is what I'm talking about.

You know what? I thought we were going to be doing the NFL schedule today, so I was all ready to do that in my mind, right? And so that they asked me to come to this, and I'm honored that somebody asked. So good.

I haven't seen the jet schedule. We'll get to the schedule in a second. But I already have them at owen three. Me and Billy, actually, or me and Mike Ryan. Me. Me and Mike Ryan. Adam had to do an upfront for our podcast for our radio show once. Have you done these before, these up fronts?

I've done a couple of upfronts. I've not been invited to one in a long time, which I guess speaks to my relevance and importance within the company. So that's why the fact that I am invited to the podcast one stu gotz is. You invite me, you include. Yeah, I'm honored to be there. My pleasure.

They're going to try you out on the stage. You might see doctor Phil because he's there doing his upfront as well. We saw doctor Phil. We were there. Took a who's who, a podcaster.

Well, I have no idea what this will be like. I think Green is going to be there. I think Brian Wintours is going to be there. Hoping I get some kind of pose, you know, like fingers up or some, you know, look, like I told you so, like I told you, you know, this was going to happen. Maybe he knows. He knows what this is going to be about today far more than I do.

Right? Okay, good. I'm glad you're prepared, just like I was. Or was it Mikey A and I were discussing right before you came on. You're a big Knicks fan. You love the Knicks. I know you love what's going on right now at Madison Square Garden. I think that you could get a court side seat to a nick playoff game, regardless of the round. So if they're in the NBA Finals, I think if Sheffer wants to sit courtside, he sits courtside. Mikey is saying they would hook you up courtside for the first round, second round, and cut you off at the eastern Conference finals.

So, Adam Scheffer, let me say this for the record, okay? I would love to go to a Knicks game, right? I have not gone to a Knicks game in a little while. Nobody's invited me to a playoff game. So they could sit me wherever they want to sit me. I don't care. I'd be happy to go all right.

Do you want me to make a call? Can I use your name? Make a call, use your name and get me and you court side. How about that?

Done.

I can.

If you want to go and you want to say, I want to go and I want to bring me as your guest, you can do that. Like, I, I'm not putting in the request, but if you want to say that you want to go, you want to go and you're a question the tickets, and you're going to bring me as your guest, right? Yes, you can say that. Like, okay, but it's, I'm not asking for anything, right? Like, but I am happy to come along and ride to your coattails, if that's what it is. Yeah.

Okay. But the methodology is here. I am asking for something. I'm asking to borrow your name. So I need to say I am calling on behalf of Adam Schefter.

No, no, no, you're not. No, you're calling on behalf of you? Yes, I would be interested in going with you if you get two tickets. Okay, I'm not requesting that. And you're not calling on behalf, you're called on behalf of yourself.

Okay, well, no, I'm gonna have Kazaria call and he's gonna call on behalf of all of us. Okay. He's gonna say, I'm bringing chef there and staggered.

Hold on. Now. That would be for me. You and Hank go together?

Yeah. Oh, and Hank would love that. Yeah. And Hank loves you. Right. It's on the problem.

Well, well, then, if you want to call back with me, for me and Hank, that's fine.

Mikey a. No, this is what's going to happen. I'm going to, I'm going to try to put this together, and what's going to happen, it's going to be Hank in his area and Adam Schefter's court side.

See, here's the problem. You guys got me doing calculus here. I'm trying to think about where the knicks would sit you, based on Adam Schefter's sort of personality, your personality, and Hank Azaria's personality, I'm like, they probably want to put Stu gods up in the, probably in the twenties. Adam Schefter and Hank, they're like, they're courtside guys. Do we split the difference and throw you in, like, row five, six?

I'll take it. Speaker one.

Well, you know, again, I've never been invited. I wonder, like, I look at these people, I'm like, how do they get these? Do the Knicks invite to them. Do they invite themselves? How does this work? I don't know. I don't. I don't know how it. How it happens, but I'm happy. I'm happy. Listen, if you could get us invited up, if you can get us invited, that would be awesome.

I'm working on.

I got a big. I got a big call coming in right now. Oh, boy. Okay, just put it.

Just go ahead. Put us. Put us on hold and take the call. But mute them. Mute them, please, so we don't hear any. See if we can read his lips.

I just saw covering his lips. He's covering just jets and mahomes.

Ask him if that's the deal. I am totally. I've already texted Hank Azaria. I'll tell you that right now. I said, me and Schefter want to sit courtside with you in a nick game. Can you get it done? I will tell you what Hank says, hopefully by the time this episode ends. Schefter, what is he saying there? What's going on with Tua, huh?

Three first rounders.

I love this. Oh, my God. You know, shefter once missed a big story, mikey, because he was taking basketball calls with me in Levitard.

You got me. I'm sorry about that. There's certainly. This is the pro. Yeah. This is my life.

It is your life. This is the life you have chosen, my friend.

Yeah. Well, now, you know, my wife feels.

Yeah, I know. I can't even imagine.

I know this is important. I gotta take this call. On it. Hold on. So what have we established so far? We've established that I'm gonna be interrupted. And that. And that me, you, and Hank want to go to a nick game together.

Right?

Like, that's what we established. Okay.

Yes. And you missed out. I have sent the text to Hank azaria. Hopefully, I will have an answer by the end of this interview or this episode. So I'll keep you posted on it. Yep. So the jets got mahomes there on that call. What happened?

Yeah, they just trained Patrick roms. Unbelievable. Aaron Rodgers, five future ones. And. And. And olaf ashanto.

I mean, chiefs would win now. The chiefs would win. The Super Bowls would be knocked out in the first week. I know. Anyway, Adam, so how excited? Like, I don't want to get, like, carried away because I'm a big Nick Knicks fan as well. I have been a Knicks fan since I was a little boy, as. As you have. I don't want to get too caught up in the moment to prisoner of the moment, but today I told Levitard my top five Knicks of all time. Isaiah Hortense is number two and Jalen Brunson is number one.

I mean, half of that hardens times two.

At Josh Harder's third. Yes.

All time.

Yes. Willis Reed has been bumped out of my top five.

You know, it was funny. Yesterday I texted my father, Bob Ryan tweeted that he was at the game. What was it, 57 years ago? 54 years ago, where Willis Reed walked out? My father was at that game. And my father has told me throughout his entire adult life that it was in a life filled with sports thrills. That was the single greatest sports moment of his career. He was at that game where Willis Reed lived out to the court. And 1970. So that was 54 years ago. So he would have been in his early to mid twenties at that point in time. So can you imagine being a nick fan early to mid twenties? Like, that's the best time to be a sports fan, probably when you feel strongest and most passionate about it. And he talks about that to this day. And then, you know, we didn't have that version last night with Jalen Brunson, but it was obviously when he went out of the game and he didn't come back. I said to myself, there's a problem, like, this is not good. And then, of course, OG goes down and they're already missing Mitchell Robinson and they're missing Bogdanovich, and they've got a lot of injuries right now.

This is going to be tough to get through all these injuries right now.

Stu guts, they'll get through the Pacers, I think, but tough to get through the Celtics. I'm with you, right?

I'm not going to.

You have doubt in this round, actually, because of all the injuries. That's what it seems like.

It's not that. No, no, it's not that. It's doubt. This team is so gritty. They find a way, and I believe. I believe they'll find a way, but they got to win two more games against a team that when. When they're just hobbled right now. So that's going to be easy. That's all. I think they. I think they can do it. I think. I expect that they'll do it, but this is going to be a battle. I'm just telling. This is not going to be easy at all. Like, they're going to go to Indiana if they find a way to win one of these games. I'd be. I'd be pretty pleased with that.

Same here. Are you a ranger fan? As well.

You know, I just. I grew up a huge hockey fan. I just. I don't have the time to pay attention to everything that I want to pay attention to in life. Like, I am consumed with my golf pool. Like, me and my buddies are in a golf pool where we pick one golfer each week. You can't use them again, you know? So, like, right now, I get the Wells Fargo on. I'm trying to track my golfer this week, and right so far, he's letting me down. So far, I'm very disappointed in the group selection. Not my pick, for the record. I wanted somebody else, and I got outvoted. And my, and I. And I'm not happy with the group right now. That's all I'm going to say right now. Very angry.

Very angry. Who's the guy?

Well, the group, I got outvoted. Well, they chose Max Homer. So right now, he's plus two. Plus two. And I need. I need a personal plea for Max Homer to rally here, to get it together here and perform at the Wells Fargo the way he's performed at the Wells Fargo in previous years. If he could do that, I would personally greatly appreciate that. I would consider naming my next child after Max Holmes if I ever had another child.

Really? But you're not so.

Well, as I'm saying, I would consider it, yes.

It's an empty product.

I don't know that's physical. I don't know if that's physically possible.

The Adam Scheffner podcast, he is at the up fronts right now about the Pitches podcast. It was a great episode this past week. All the episodes are great. But you had de facto Patriots GM Elliot Wolf on this week, and he had a great story that he shared with you about the packers.

Wasn't that.

Can you share that with Mikey, please? Wild. Yes.

I never heard it before. Right. But basically, Elliot Wolfe, his father was Ron Wolf, the former legendary packers general manager. And Elliott used to be in the packers war room. And back in 96, the packers sent their personnel director, John Dorsey, great personnel director, out to Miami to meet with Ray Lewis the week before the draft. Time them again. Have a great meeting. They came back and like, we got to take this guy. And so again, it was a situation where they loved Ray Lewis. They were going to take Ray Lewis at number 27. They had Ray Lewis on the phone letting him know they were turning in the card. Ray Lewis was going to be a Green Bay packer. Now, this is a team that had Brett Favre, that had Reggie White. You imagine Reggie White and Ray Lewis playing together on the same defense. No, they had, they had the card drawn up and ready to turn in. And as they were on the phone with Ray Lewis, the Baltimore Ravens selected him at 26, one slot before the Green Bay packers.

Wow.

And football history was changed from that.

Point on, no question. Wow. What a great story. Do you have any other story? Like you said, that's the first time you've heard anything like that. There are no other stories you've heard, like preferably from the jets of the Dolphins, if you have one, where they were about to take a hall of famer and someone swooped in and took them right before.

Well, you know, the New Orleans Saints would take Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs traded up right in front of them. I mean, that's right. And they got him. You know, that was the guy that the Saints had identified and wanted to take. And the chiefs trade up nobody. That was like an ambush. Like nobody saw the chiefs. Nobody was talking about the chiefs trading up. That, that was not something that had been discussed before. And all of a sudden, here come the Kansas City chiefs trading up to that spot. And, you know, that was, that was pretty impressive that they got that done and we're able to get Patrick Mahomes before the saints ever could.

So I know you got to run here. Just two quick questions. I'll get you out of here. Okay. Tom Brick, Tom Brady roast. What were your thoughts?

Some incredible comedy writers. Like, if anyone had an actual original joke for themselves, I want to know.

Right.

Because, you know, with all the respect, that's just not, I mean, I'm sure some of those guys are entertaining, funny guys, and it's fun when you know the guys who guys and making fun of them in the locker room, that kind of thing. But that humor was so crass and so sophisticated that I wonder how many comedy writers they had working on that and for how long. Because like I said, that there's no way that came from the guys themselves. No way. I don't know that.

I agree. Bledsoe told me in Lebiton earlier this week that his wife wrote the jokes for him.

Well, there you go. Like, I, you know, by the way, I know Randy Moss and Randy's a very funny guy. That didn't sound like Randy.

He ain't that funny.

He's funny and he's great. I love Randy. Yes, but that was some clever humor that I rarely have heard him kind of refer to in the past.

Yeah. Were you surprised Brady opened himself up to that? Like, I was I sat there the whole time, a jaw wide open going, Tom, what are you doing? It's crazy.

You know, I wonder why he did that. Like, my first question is. My first question is, in all honesty, like, did Netflix. Netflix play him? Pay him a gargantuan sum of money for one night? Like, did they just say, hey, we're going to make this worth your while? Because Netflix can do anything at one these days. Like, it's a big spender. So I'd wonder what Tom agreed or what Tom got paid that night. And I would bet it would be heftier than people would think. That's my guess.

No question. Would you want to, by the way? Yeah.

Well, for the right money, yeah, yeah. Price. My price happens to be a lot lower than Tom Brady, so, hell, a lot cheaper than they got Tom Brady.

All right, we'll get back. You would not. So, yes, for the right amount of money, I would also want to be roasted. What happened with the schedule? I thought we were getting them today. You're at the up front. We wanted to break down schedules today with you. What happened?

The league was not ready for whatever reason. And I'm disappointed because, you know, I don't know. Listen, I had a commitment. Next Wednesday night, Alex Smith was doing something. I promised to make an appearance for Alex Smith in New York City. And. And he actually called right before you. And I'm like, alex, you know, I said to him when we. He called me about two months ago, he's like, are you free Wednesday night, May 15? I am, unless the NFL releases its schedule. I just want to give you that warning in advance. Like, I don't know when the league is going to do it. And sure enough, that is the night. And I had to apologize. I felt bad, you know, that I told him I would do it, but I did tell him two months ago. But again, that's the jewish guilt in me. There's two guts, right? Like, you tell somebody you're going to do something, and you always want to be there for somebody as nice and thoughtful and as great a guy as Alex Smith is, you want to do that, and I can't do it. Then I told him I got to be in Bristol that day.

What's the first thing Adam Schefter looks for when he's. When the schedule comes out?

I don't really have anything that I looked at anymore. You know, it used to be when I was back in Denver covering the broncos for 16 years. I always wanted to know who they opened with. I always wanted to know when my bye week would be. The same thing that really, all these teams, look, they always want to know when's they're by, are they playing any night games? Are they working Thanksgiving, Christmas? See, like, I just accept the fact that I'm working Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Eve. Like, any holiday is going to be marred. That's my life. Any time I'm out to north, my life, you're going to get one of those calls that we got earlier in this conversation. Like, that's just, that's the job. That's the way it is. Like anything could happen at any moment. And so I don't really look at anything. I used to, I used to look at the Monday night schedule and where we're going, but I don't even know that I'm going with them anymore, so it doesn't really matter. So to me, I guess I'm curious. The primetime games, week one. Okay, chiefs versus who, that Thursday night, who's the Monday night opener?

Who's Sunday night? That's what I want to see right then and there. But I don't really have any strong thing that I'm looking for in particular.

To put a positive spin on it. You're, you're breaking Alex Smith's heart. Okay? That's one thing. You're not breaking your wife's heart.

Okay, not breaking his heart. But, but again, I'm not coming through for him after I told him I would. But I did lay it out exactly as, as, as it could happen, and that's what's happened here.

All right, good luck with the up front. Have fun. Say hi to doctor Phil for me and we'll talk to you.

Is doctor Phil going to be like, I have no idea who's going to be here.

So I'm just, I'm just telling you, when I went to do it for ESPN with Mike Ryan, doctor Phil was standing right next to us. That's. He was up after us.

You know, the only other time I did that I was ever invited to do an upfront free ESPN, it was Joel Embiid was there, Venus Williams was there. Jesus. Trying to think who else was there. They always have, like, people just show up, right?

So.

Yeah, but I have no idea what this is like. This is the ESPN podcast division run by good karma, which is a great company out of Milwaukee. They're great. Craig Karma's in. Huge fan. Right? So this is Craig's baby. And what's Craig doing with this? I have no idea. But Craig called. And again, just like Alex Smith called. I said to Craig, I'm like, oh, here's the deal, actually, to tie it all together. I'm like, craig, he's like, it's May 9. I'm like, great, I'll do it if there's no schedule that day. I told Alex Smith Wednesday, may, I'll do it if there's no. So here I am with the podcast up front, but I'm not going to be able to make it to Alex's deal. So that's Alex through the short straw. Fred, Carmen is the one that basically I get to see today.

I love that all your plans over the next two weeks are a coin toss. It's. It's great. I love it.

What kind of life is that? We're in mid May, and I'm waiting to see what I can do based on when the NFL schedule is going to be released. That's my life. By the way, if, if you had come through with the nick tickets by the end of this call, I would have said to you, it's all the. It's all contingent on the NFL schedules. Do that. If the schedule is coming up that I in the next play, we can't go.

All right. Don't make me go with Rossini. Do not do that. Okay. I mean, Hank Azaria has responded. He said, schefter, really? I said, yes. He said, I'm working on it. I said, wow, that's very cool. He said, can I bump you out and put Rossini in?

That's what he said. He wants to ring Diana, too.

Yes. Yeah. Yeah.

How about the four of us, then? That's fine. I'm going to Diana. Like, we go the four of us?

I think Hank was thinking the three of us, but we'll see.

Whatever works. Whatever works. I'm down for.

All right, man. Good luck with the, with the up front. We appreciate it. Let's go. Nick's. It's an exciting time. And keep us posted when the schedule gets released, you shoot me a quick text. Okay. If you don't mind.

The schedule is going to be released Wednesday, May 15. Wednesday, May 15.

Okay.

And if the end of the Knicks come through, you let me know.

I will let you know. You will be the first person to know. I promise you.

Fun. That would be fun, right? That would be fun.

Chef. There. I'm going to get this done for you worse one way or the other. I am.

Wait, when is the next home game?

The net? Well, they have two in, in Indiana over the weekend. I think the next home game that would be game five. If the series makes it back to the Mecca, I think it would be Tuesday. That would be the next game. Next Tuesday, you're free.

Hold on.

Let me.

Hold on. Let me just check this out right now.

Hold on.

I just want to see this. Right you are. So Tuesday. Tuesday the 14th.

I believe that's correct. I'm checking right now.

That would work.

Oh, you're free. You're available.

I am free Tuesday the fourth, are you. Shorts, too. Yeah. So it goes Friday, Sunday, Tuesday. Yeah, I think so. Yeah. Right?

Yes. Yes. So I'm going to get it done one way, the other. Okay. It's either gonna be Hank Azaria, it's gonna be some other celebrity I know, or I'm just gonna charge up the levitate card. Okay.

Well, that the best solution of all. That solution of all, you know?

Yes. You'll be easiest. Yes, I will. All right. Good luck today. Have fun. We appreciate the time, man.

Thank you, guys. Take care. Go, Max homo.

It's greatest. He is the best.

I like him.

Who?

Adam Shefter.

Oh, yeah, he's great. Who weren't there.

Still like him.

He was there in spirit.

Yeah, exactly right.

You knew we had Adam Schefter on while you weren't there.

Yeah, but.

Okay. You did.

I had an apparent teacher conference. What am I supposed to do?

I know I said before Schefter came on, I feel like your entire life is spent in a carpool line.

I got more information because I was told that Mikey was in a car accident or was, like, stuck in a carpool lane where there was a car accident, which seems impossible.

Well, he said it was a bad accident, and I said, how bad of an accident could it be? All the. None of them are moving, and they're all in line.

You'd be surprised. People are trying to get around. And then somebody wanted to get out. Bang.

And it was a bad one.

Yeah, it was bad.

The thing is, I'm not at the age.

Are the kids okay?

Yeah, good question.

Everybody's okay.

More car damage. More car damage.

Okay.

I'm. I'm okay. I'm not at the age that I can just, like, say, get out of the car. Go where you're going. I have to park and get down. So I have parking wars that I deal with.

Right.

I have to figure it out. And then the school where my daughter goes to, there's also, like, a high school that's right around the corner. So, like, the high school kids are going, and they're taking up all the spots that should not be reserved for them. It's a whole. I know, it's a whole thing, right? I play the walking game. The walking game. Now I park really far and I just walk instead of getting into the easier. Well, because the thing is.

Steps in. Yeah.

The thing is also, is that I'm also, like, always, I have timed out exactly how much time to get there before the bell. Like, get her into the classroom, put down all her things and beat the bell. Right? Now, if I start getting into the parking wars, which I used to all the time, it gets dicey. Yeah, gets dicey. We're running across the street through traffic every time a garbage. Guys tell me this as parents here, were your kids fascinated with garbage trucks? Because like, my daughter, and like all of her classmates, love garbage trucks. I don't understand what it is. I think the garbage truck goes and picks up the garbage at the school every time they're outside. So, like, they see it, they get all excited. I think the garbage man's nice and he like, honks the horn for them. Love garbage trucks. But God help me if there's a garbage truck when I'm trying to get her into that school, because we will stop and scream. Garbage truck. Wave at the garbage every 5ft. It's crazy. It's like we're on a tight scale schedule and I didn't factor in garbage day and saying hello to the garbage truck.

Right.

I'm hoping the guy turns a corner so we don't see the garbage truck anymore so we can keep sprinting in. It's a whole thing.

What's the worst vehicle to get stuck behind? Is it a garbage truck or bus?

I'm not even stuck behind the garbage truck. I'm playing the walking game where I'm walking and my daughter keeps saying, hi.

Hi, garbage truck.

Waving at the garbage truck. We gotta keep moving.

Yes. Anyways, keep it moving.

Garbage truck or what?

Or school bus.

I think delivery trucks are worse because, like, the garbage truck and the school bus, you know, like the school bus opens up the little stop sign and you see it's blinking, but, you know, like, okay, this will end soon, right?

Yeah.

Garbage truck, you know, well, sometimes that.

Stop sign, it could take 15 minutes. I'm not.

He's right.

Yeah. Rarely. Sometimes it does, though.

The thing about the garbage truck is it's only two days a week.

Well, the other thing is, it's a very big truck. I can get through, like a delivery truck. I could kind of weave around and figure it out. I can't really do that with a garbage, garbage truck, though.

You can like, you know, the garbage truck is, is if it's in a residential area, stopping, they're going to do a little claw toss the garbage can into the back.

Right?

Then they're going to go and they're going to stop. So you can, like time, you can get around. Deliveries for me are the worst because I simply don't know if there's someone in that car where they are. Are they going to start moving again? I can't see around them. Not a fan. I love.

They're going to get out.

Exactly right. I love delivery. Thank you for your service. Delivery drivers. I just want to get out.

And garbage truck drivers, thank you for all of them.

Yes. No, I was nice to them, though. Thank you for your service. All of you. All of you are doing essential work that this country could not function on without. You guys are integral to the fabric of society. I'm just going to say that on the front end.

All right.

But also get out of the street.

I know we have a game to play. Top three things that would not want to be stuck behind a garbage truck, a school bus, and the jets offensive line.

Hmm.

Anyway, Adam Schefter. Yeah, chef t. So I found myself two things. I never texted Hank is area, of course, just like, you know, it was a bit. But I will reach out to Hank, his area.

That's a shame because Adam Schefter seemed really excited.

He sent me a text since just so you know. And so now I have to text tankers area and we'll get to Billy's game. The second thing is, it made me incredibly sad that Adam Schefter's entire life is being held up by the NFL schedule release. He can't commit to anything.

He kept saying, like, what kind of life is this? Like, it's the one you chose that.

Paid you a lot of money, correct? Yes. So anyway, Bill, you have a game for us? A new game? Yeah.

Well, it's the return of an old friend called off the gridiron. No, off the gridiron.

Okay.

Off the grid iron.

Yeah. Wrong place for the pause. Off the grid iron.

Iron. Yeah. Okay. Yeah.

We did this once before, remember? Second time.

Yes.

Hit the fancy music. It's in my head. All right, so here's the first one.

Okay.

For off the grid iron.

Okay.

Sunday. Yes was the Tom Brady roast in La. A number of former Patriots and celebrities roasted Tom Brady. Amongst them were Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft, who Kevin Hart got on stage together to take a shot. All's well that ends well. Or so we thought. Robert Kraft and Bill Belichick were good. Earlier this week, Drew Bledsoe joined Julian Edelman on his podcast, games with names, and they revealed that pre show things were icy between the two of them backstage. And that, quote, the tension in the room could cut effing glass. Stu.

I'm surprised for a number of reasons. Forgot how to play the game. I'm sorry. I'm surprised for a number of reasons. Number one, Jeffrey Ross said he had no idea Robert Kraft was coming to that thing. When he started lobbing jokes at Robert Kraft, Brady got up. He told them, don't do that again.

Yeah.

Yep. Sorry for the curse.

Are you?

Well, not now. I'm starting to think if he was backstage beforehand and there was tension that could cut glass. How did Jeffrey Ross not know that Robert Kraft was in the house?

Yeah, but also, it's a roast.

That's all I got for you. Okay, Mikey.

I'm not surprised. I'm not surprised, but I think the shot might have helped it afterwards.

That's.

Before that seemed awkward.

Well, it was.

It was so awkward.

Well, Kevin Hart, much like yourself, Billy likes to make things awkward about that, you know? Do you?

All right. On Thursday, power couple Justin and Haley Bieber announced they are expecting their first child together. Sources close to the family says Haley is six months pregnant.

Stu, congratulations.

All right.

Yeah.

The Beavers.

Biebers. Couple of Biebers. Got it up.

That's right.

Yeah.

And finally, because we're running out of time, Mazel E. News is reporting Shania Twain looks unrecognizable in her pink hair.

Stu, I would always recognize Shania twin. Who is that?

That's Shania Twain.

Yeah. No, it's impossible. That is not Shania Twain. It's not. You're telling me that is it? Put the picture back up. That is not Shania Twain. It's impossible. There's no way.

You know, Billy.

Billy showed me this picture before the show. He made it seem like it's her. But now, knowing Billy, it might not be.

No, it's on her instagram. And I gotta tell you, that hair don't impress with me much.

What do you. If it's on her instagram, it doesn't mean it's true. Wow. I don't even. I. That's a song.

Damn.

That's her. That's one of her songs.

But it's not Shania twain.

She looks like a tick tock person with that hair like that, huh? How old is Shania right now?

27, 28. How old is she?

Young. 28. Feels.

You've been around forever.

Yeah. Well, top five twins.

He's 58.

You can't. Well, that's it. That's where the game ends. It's Shania. I took it. I took it quick. We'll wrap it up next.

And we're back.

We are.

Yeah. I'm gonna be honest with you guys and with the audience. I rushed through off the gridiron. I was feeling the pressure. I had another one there, right? And it was. It was, you know, it wasn't supposed to go straight into Bieber and twain. We had the Belichick one, that I had another football one. And then we were gonna do Bieber, and then we're gonna do Shania twain. Right. Football.

Football. Sure.

Pop culture. Pop culture. What am I supposed got? Yeah.

Well, we have a couple of minutes left. If you want to get the. The one that you didn't get it in.

Bonus. Off the grid.

Yeah, that would be great. Yes.

Off the grid.

Let me start the music in my head.

That's way off the grid.

All right, we're good. Ready?

Yeah.

For more off the grid iron bonus edition. Ready, Stu got in an appearance on the next round podcast. Podcast. Lions rookie and friend of the show tarrion Arnold said Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce told him a coin flip between himself and Brock Bowers, that it was a coin flip between the two of them at number 13. Quote, they called me after the draft. They were like, we actually had a coin toss between you and Brock Bowers. It landed on him. Raiders assistant GM champ Kelly was asked about Arnold's comments on Wednesday and he said, quote, I can't confirm that at all. Thursday, Raiders GM Tom Telesco, maybe enemy of the show for the way he treated Austin Eckler, joined NFL total access and told them, quote, typically, I use a magic eight ball and not a coin. Huh, stu?

I'm calling B's on all of it. They had no. Billy, I'm telling you, when the draft started, they did not think Bowers would fall to them. Bowers fell to them. I'm sure they probably told Terry and Arnold, there's a good chance we're going to take you. So what did they do? They blamed the coin. They didn't blame themselves. They didn't blame Bowers falling in the draft, by the way. What a ridiculous thing to say to anybody. This is how we decide who we're drafting. It's stupid, it's dumb, but there's no way that happened. Bowers was there. They didn't realize he was going to be there. When he was there, they took the better player, period. End of discussion. Yeah.

Stupid to. Oh, you know, your whole life came down to a coin flip in a back room somewhere at a hotel.

I was going to ask you.

I think you'd be fired, to be honest.

You said end of discussion. So I feel like the discussion is over.

Yeah. It's a terrible thing to say when we have a little.

We had like 30 seconds left, but.

Now we're just headed into the weekend and the discussion's over. I mean, I guess you guys could think about it if you want. Maybe we could pick it up.

Don't discuss it.

There's no need. I'm just telling.

No more discussion. You can think internally.

Yeah.

Don't say anything to your friends.

Right.

Don't say anything to your family.

Yep.

If Antonio Pierce calls, you don't take the call.

Exactly.

Discussion over.

Correct. Do you think the jets would have had better success flipping a coin for their draft picks than the way they've been doing it?

Think about it.

I can't discuss it.