Welcome Back to the Tradition's Finest Podcast!!
Episode 54 - "The Brian Urlacher Episode" includes a discussion of the following sports-related topics and media storylines:
- NBA: Celtics C Al Horford announces via social media that he has officially retired after playing in the NBA for 17 years - the guy gets to "go out on top of the world," what a legend. . .
- NFL: Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show Performer has been announced and it's . . . tweet us @TraditionFinest - what group or solo artist would you like to see play the Halftime show? (Try not to lol too hard at the difference between JD & Spencer's responses. . .)
- Miami-Dade PD versus Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill - What are your thoughts on how the Miami-Dade PD handled this situation? How do you feel about the PD's response following the incident?
- NFL Regular Season Week 1 Recap & Analysis -
* Thursday Night Football: QB Patrick Mahomes & the Kansas City Chiefs hold off the Baltimore Ravens with a final score of 27-20; What is going on with Ravens TE Mark Andrews? & Who expected backup TE Isaiah Likely to "ball out" like he did? do you predict that both teams will advance to the NFL playoffs? Which of the two team(s) will have a better overall record at the end of the regular season? Thoughts on Ravens RB Derrick Henry's performance (first NFL game not with the Titans organization)?
* Friday Night Game: The Philadelphia Eagles defeat the Green Bay Packers 34-29 after Eagles RB Saquon Barkley scores 3 TD's in team debut - it's incredible what this guy is capable of when he has an O-line blocking for him; however, cheeseheads got incredibly quiet at the sight of Packers QB Jordan Love injured on the field - fortunately, the injury is "minor" and not season-ending - but he's definitely going to miss a few games, how many is the question. Shoutout Packers WR Jayden Reed who played very well (4 receptions for 138 yds, 1 TD). How far can the Packers go without starting QB Jordan Love?
* Sunday games - How did Bears Rookie QB Caleb Williams perform in his career debut versus the Titans? He actually became the first #1 overall Rookie QB to. . .[tune in to find out]; The New Orleans Saints QB Derek Carr might have way too much confidence following his Week 1 "Stat Show" in a blowout win over the Carolina Panthers 47-10 - on the flip side of the coin, serious inquiry: What type of vibe does second-year Panthers QB Bryce Young's demeanor give off to you? Does he still love the game?; The Dallas Cowboys won a football game in early September. . . end of story [we're joking. . . ok, no we're not!. . ] versus the Cleveland Browns 33-17 - Dallas did play very well, while Browns QB DeShaun Watson is very consistent at being inconsistent. . . have the sexual misconduct allegations negatively impacted both the trajectory and overall talent of Watson?; The Detroit Lions ruined Rams QB Matthew Stafford's highly-anticipated return to the city he built [& burnt to the ground] - the Lions' WR Jameson "Jamo" Williams had five receptions for 121 yards & a TD in a big OT win for Lions 26-20. . .
* Monday Night Football: Breaking News: NY Jets' QB Aaron Rodgers played more than four snaps in this game w/o an injury. . .unfortunately, the San Francisco 49er's spoil Rodgers return after the Niners defeated the Jets 32-19. . . [tune in for a deep dive into the Niner's backup RB Jordan Mason's comments during the post-game press conference] Let's have a open discussion regarding the [lack of an] Ethics code for bookies & the Niner's part in this vicious cycle of breaking sports bettor's hearts & pockets. . .
- Cleveland Browns QB DeShaun Watson has been named in yet ANOTHER lawsuit alleging sexual misconduct. . .like my Daddy always used to say "if it walks like a duck, if it talks like a duck, then it's a f***ing duck!"
- NCAA: Former Michigan off-field analyst & alleged "sign stealer" Connor Stallions' life story should be adapted into a Lifetime biopic. . . recently accepted a role "volunteering" as the DC for Mumford High School in Detroit, MI. . . between Week 1's blowout loss & Week 2, the team's HC suffers a mild stroke, and NOBODY else is available to serve as acting Head Coach. . . Connor Stallions. . . leads his team into battle in Week 2. . . and. . . gets blown out 60-0. Be honest, do you think this guy is still stealing signs?
- University of Auburn QB Payton Thorne revealed on Tuesday that fans are requesting money from him via Venmo to cover their losses betting on him - a) not throw 3 interceptions versus a very bad "Cal Golden Bears" team & b) to lead Auburn to a victory in Week 2 of the CFB season. . . Thorne posted a screenshot where a fan requested upwards of $100k. . . hope he's cashing in on those NIL brand deals. . .
- NCAA CFB Week 2 Review & Breakdown: QB Kyle McCord is pretty good at the game of football. . . led the Syracuse Orange to an upset of the No. 23-ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 31-28. . . McCord went 32-for-46 for 381 yds & 4 TD's - Syracuse HC is extremely thankful to Ryan Day & the Ohio State Buckeyes for allowing him to walk. . . Buckeyes HC Ryan Day comments on Kyle McCord's performances this season so far. . .[tune in to find out]
- The No. 3-ranked Texas Longhorns upended & dominated in every facet of the game versus the No. 10-ranked & reigning CFB National Champs Michigan Wolverines; the Longhorns win 31-12 in Ann Arbor at the "Big House". . . thoughts on current NFL & former Longhorns WR Xavier Worthy & RB Bijan Robinson's tweets following the game? Also, a large group of former Ohio State players embraced the opportunity via Twitter/X to roast the Wolverines. . . sad day for the Michigan Blue!
- The No.16-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys survived a nail-biter at home versus the Arkansas Razorbacks in double OT 39-31. . . both Kickers missed "chip-shot" FG's in the first OT period leading to the 2nd OT. . . Arkansas HC Sam Pittman's seat getting hotter by the minute?
- UPSET of the Week: No. 5-ranked Notre Dame was upset by NIU at home - just a week removed from the defensive brawl W versus Texas A&M - 16 to 14 after NIU blocks a ND 62-yard FG attempt in the final second of the game. . . Respect to the Irish HC: "the Irish lost [this game] because they believe the hype!". . . former Alabama HC Nick Saban had a name for this "hype," any takers? [Hint: it rhymes with "fat gois'in". . . don't worry about it]
- Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty continues to show that he is a Heisman front-runner. . .very solid day rushing the ball in Week 2 versus the No. 7-ranked Oregon Ducks. . . but the Broncos fell short 37 to 34 [and unfortunately, history did not repeat itself in this game. . . there were no punches thrown. . .] Where, oh where, is the Oregon offensive "firepower" with a loaded roster?
- The No. 4-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide outlasted USF at home in a literal "dog fight" - this, during the week of the on-the-field ceremony in the honor of renaming the field: "Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium," - thoughts?. . . 'Bama pulled away late in the 4th quarter to win the game 42 to 16; Can we discuss the number of penalties in this game? [where is the discipline? where is the heart? where are these Referee's from. . . cause they were f***ing awful!?] Tide offensive lineman #75 Wilkin Formby called for a total of four "holding" penalties. . . huge shift when Elijah Pritchett was inserted into the offense; Discussion/Debate of the Week: Was the Tide's Justin Jefferson "targeting" penalty warranted? Was it actually targeting? Regardless, there was a lesson to be learned from this game. . . [tune in to find out!]
- Duke's Mayo Classic Game of the Week: The No. 14-ranked Tennessee Volunteers opened up a can of whip-ass on the No. 24-ranked NC State Wolfpack, won game 51 to 10; the Volunteers QB Nico lamaleava combined for a total of 276 yards & 3 TD's. . . UT looks like a "legit" playoff contender. . .
- The Iowa State Cyclones stunned the No. 21-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes on the final play of the game to pull off the upset 20 to 19; this is just the Cyclone's third victory over the Hawkeyes in the last 11 games!]
- Illinois pulls off the upset over No. 19-ranked Kansas Jayhawks after they rallied in the 4th quarter to win the game 23-17. . . the Fighting Illini are 2-0 to start the regular season. . . & QB Luke Altmeyer is definitely on the short list of very talented yet 'under-the-radar' QB's. . .
- The University of Auburn loses to the Cal Golden Bears after the Tiger's QB Payton Thorne throws 3 INT's. . . tough times in Toomer's corner. . .
- The No. 25-ranked Clemson Tigers bounced back impressively in a Week 2 showcase versus the "upset kings" themselves, Appalachian State - Clemson scores 35 points in the first quarter & QB Cade Klubnik plays an "A+" game (99.6 overall QBR rating) to lead the Tigers to a 66 to 20 blowout W; Klubnik went 24-for-26 for 378 yards & 5 TD's. . . need to continue to see this version of Klubnik week to week. . .
- "The University of Nebraska is back!" [stated by Cornhusker alum & Barstool Sports affiliate Will Compton] after the Cornhuskers dominated the Colorado Buffaloes 28-10; QB Dylan Raiola continues to shine [playing football & imitating Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes] & the Cornhuskers party in the locker room while blasting the Buffaloes [and Deion Sander's son] QB Shedeur Sander's rap song. . .
- NCAA CFB Week 3 Preview & Game Predictions: JD & Spencer preview & give you their game predictions for the following games: [Do Not Attempt to Venmo us after you lose a parlay based off our predictions. . . NOT happening, bud!]
Alabama (-16) @ Wisconsin
Arizona @ Kansas State (-7)
LSU(-7) @ South Carolina
Oregon (-14) vs. Oregon State
Notre Dame (-10) @ Purdue
Georgia (-24) @ Kentucky
Tulane @ Oklahoma (-14)
Texas A&M (-4) @ Florida
[Send Us Your Game Picks to Traditions.Finest@gmail.com!]
Thanks for Listening, guys!!
