Bare Knuckle Sports Talk 1_31_26

0:00Are you ready to know what you don't know about sports? Well then, you are in the right place. This is the Bear Knuckle Sports Talk Show, bringing you all fact, no fiction and a little bit of prediction. And now, here's your host, Aaron Samuel, keeping it raw and real. Welcome to Bear Knuckle Sports on your host, Aaron Samuel. All right, let's get right down to business today. I'm throwing the flag. We're going to kick this show off with a flag being thrown immediately. And what's going on here, you might ask? Well, I'm throwing the penalty flag. And yeah, I'm aiming it squarely at the NFL Hall of Fame Committee. Come on. This is a personal foul, H-O-F. This is outrageous. An outrageous omission. Let's just get this straight right off the hop here.

1:03Six Super Bowls as a head coach, two more as a coordinator. That's eight Super Bowls, eight Super Bowls, two decades of greatness, of absolute dominance. Change how defense is played. Change defense. Think, let that sink in for just one second, because that's what Bill Belichuk did. He changed the thinking of how you play defense in the NFL. He changed how rosters are being built. That this guy was the best of the best. He's gone and changed the perception of key things in the NFL in the whole sport around the whole league. And that's not enough. That's not enough to become a first ballot Hall of Famer. This is the equivalent of saying, well, you know what? We're going to make Wayne Gretzky or Scotty Bowman sit out a year because they were just two damn good. So they're going to suffer the consequences. That's what this is like.

2:03Buy gate, we don't care about spy gate, deflate gate, we give me a break here. Come on. This guy is a legend, an absolute legend. Isn't that what it's about getting the best of the best in the whole of fame? Nah. Well, you're not good enough. We're not going to let you in on the first, first vote because we're not happy with something you may have done many, many years ago that was looked into and punished by the NFL already. Come on. I do not care. Hell, even Patrick Mahomes is confused by it. JJ Watt, a three time defensive player of the year, cannot understand it. Tom Brady, this is the dude that went and built the franchise of the Patriots. And made them into the juggernaut they were making a mistake. I get it. Tom Brady, the best, the goat, all that. Can the not can the same not be said about Bella Chuck as a head coach without Bella Chuck?

3:06Does the dynasty get off the ground and go as far as it does? I'm not so certain. Saying he is not a first ballot. If he's not a first ballot, then there's nobody in nobody, nobody that is a first ballot. And that's exactly what Brady said. Like, how is this guy not a first ballot? Come on. And you've even got LeBron James about this. He doesn't even play for Paul. He plays another sport, but when LeBron James is going off about it, you know the calls just brutal. Absolutely brutal. This isn't about accountability. This isn't about standards, plain and simple. I'll tell you what this is. This is about ego, make no mistake. It's about ego and politics and the voters trying to feel important. The guys on the Hall of Fame committee saying, look at us. We're pretty important, you know. You might not get in if we don't like you. Get over it already. So yeah, penalty flag throwing for delay of greatness on sportsmen like conduct.

4:08Replay confirms call stands as embarrassing because that's what this is. It is an embarrassment to the NFL in regards to Bill Bella check not getting in on the first ballot. It's an absolute embarrassment. I don't know how else you put it. What more can a person do to get in as a first ballot Hall of Famer than what he did? I just, it makes no sense to me. And I don't care about deflate Gator Spy Gator, whatever you want to call it. The man is absolutely brilliant. His record speaks for himself. There's no way around this. This is mud and mud pie on the face of the Hall of Fame committee. That's what this is. The NFL Hall of Fame committee looking like what they're doing. And in turn, it makes the NFL look bad. There's no other way around it. No other way. That's it. Hall of Fame committee getting the flag right up in the air. And how about a shout out to Sam Darnold?

5:09We'll go to the other end of the spectrum. I'm a little bit heated. I'm a little bit heated. I don't like the fact that Bella checked in getting in on the first ballot. It makes no sense. But we're going to go to a shout out. And this one's going out to Sam Darnold. Shout out time. Yes, it is. Sam Darnold put respect on that name. All season it was yeah, but yeah, but the system, you know, that's why he's doing what he's doing. Yeah, but look at Seattle's defense, you know, they're supporting him. That's why he's doing what he's doing. Yeah, but wait till the big moments. Well, you know what? Guess what? That big moment it showed up and so did Sam Darnold. 346 yards, three TDs. He barely practiced all week because he was dealing with a nagging injury. And what happens? NFC's championship on the line. And even even though, you know, he's playing against the Rams. And the Rams are punching and they're hitting hard.

6:11What does he do? Every time he gets punched his sea hawks, he counters and he punches back. Coach Mike McDonald said it best. He shut up a lot of people and he did. He did it loud. Shut up. Look at my game. Look what I'm doing. He might not be the most flashy. It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter because he did it by being calm, composed and relentless. That's exactly what Sam Darnold did. This guy comes from, you know, cast off to bridge guy to now franchise guy. That's what he is. He is taking it from, you know, first round flop, third overall. Ah, no one wants Sam Darnold. He can't get it done to cast off. Look what he did last year in Minnesota. They're like, no, we're going with the new guy. We've got the young kid. We're going to throw him to the side. He comes into Seattle and he's turned himself into a franchise guy. That's what he did. He delivered. What he's delivered in this postseason is absolutely crazy.

7:14You think about his QBR 78.1, he's got a pass rating of 122.4, third best ever entering the Super Bowl. It's not by fluke. I don't think this is a fluke. It is the growth of Sam Darnold that we've seen involved over the last few years. The confidence that's radiating off him, he's finally got a dressing room that's working with him. There's something that's going on here. It is the moment. It is the right moment for Sam Darnold. So yeah, a big shout out to Sam Darnold for proving sometimes even the experts they can't get it right. And it seems like a lot of experts around the NFL got this one wrong, big shout out to Sam Darnold, who is going through the Super Bowl, going through the Super Bowl before some of the other quarterbacks in his draft class, namely Alan. I would think that we would have thought Alan would have been there before Sam Darnold and he's got a real good shot of winning the Super Bowl.

8:15That is absolutely insane. We're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back with more. You're listening to Baronucle Sports on the Brushwood Media Network. This is a St. Jude moment. Ashton was a high level athlete and in an instant, your world flips and your healthy five-year-old competitive cheerleader has a brain tumor. And the physician was like, your best option is St. Jude. Receiving treatment that was life saving for our child and knowing that that treatment would be of no cost to us was a huge weight lifted. Learn more at St. Jude.org Welcome back to Baronucle Sports on your host, Aaron Samuel. So the Super Bowl is nearing. All right, we know the date. We know who's in the game. We know where it's being played. I don't need to give anyone a prediction today. I just want to take a look at these two teams and see how they match up. Why Seattle should win? Why New England can absolutely steal it? And why both teams might be able to lose.

9:17Let's take a look. You know, just how these two rosters match up positionally, position for position and see what we see. You may agree. You may not. You may be calling me out on this one. But I'm going to start with some roster depth here. And I believe roster depth wins championships. There's no doubt about it. When you're deep, it makes a huge difference. And when I look at these two teams and how they match up at it, depth throughout the whole team. Simply put, I think Seattle has more game time dudes. That's what they got. More guys that can step up and get it done in the moment. Don't get me wrong. New England has some dudes of their own that are pretty darn good. But overall, if I'm looking at the depth of these two teams, I'm giving the check mark on the box. This one is going to Seattle. They just are a deeper team, I feel, than the New England Patriots. So they're going to win that one. And why? Because they got the advantage, I believe, at running back, wide receiver, all fence

10:20of line, the linebacker, the corners and the safety and special teams. That's a lot of edge for the Seattle. In my opinion, they own New England in all those aspects of the game. I really do. At running back, you take a look at the running back position, which will be absolutely critical coming up in the Super Bowl, because of time and possession. The defense is keeping them out there, late in the game getting them tired. And that's where Kenneth Walker, the third, comes in. I think he is the most explosive, complete back going into this Super Bowl against New England. It's his spot to be the best out of these two teams. And I just don't see New England having any backs that are real difference makers. They haven't had them, not in January, not in January, at least. Who in the backfield, Kenneth Walker? This guy's been a difference maker. He's looked pretty darn good. And when you look at New England, and really, who's the biggest threat as a runner on that

11:21team? It's Drake May at the quarterback position. When he's your biggest running the ball, if your quarterback is your biggest threat, I believe you got a bit of a problem on your hand. A bit of a problem when you're relying on your quarterback to carry the team and be the best running back, or the best runner, maybe not running back, but his legs being the best on the team. And that's where we are. And that's why I got to give it to Seattle with Kenneth Walker. He is the best back in this game. I think he's the most explosive back. And I think he has the best chance of putting up some numbers and really tilting the game in the Super Bowl. So I'm giving that edge. That goes out to Seattle. They get my running back edge, which I already told you they got my running back edge. I told you where I thought they had the advantages. Side receiver, Jackson Smith, Nick Jigbaugh is the best right now, right now. He is one of the best. He led the NFL in receiving yards this year.

12:22You can match him up to any receiver in the league. I don't care who it is. And he's right there running with him neck and neck. And there's some pretty good receivers around the league. This guy's the first team all pro. He wins against zone inside outside. It just doesn't matter. He's driving defensive coordinators nuts because they have to scheme their whole game plan around this guy. And you know what? No matter what plan they come up with, they've yet been able to stop him. They can't solve him. He is the best in this game. Hands down. And that tips the wide receiver position right there to Seattle's favor. I mean, Diggs is a pretty good receiver. He might not be the same guy he was a few years ago, but he's still pretty good. But you know what? Team against Diggs, you can eliminate him from the game plan. We've seen it done. Teams have been able to do that. You're not doing that Jackson. It ain't happening. There's no way. These two are not on the same level. When you've got one of the best in the game, guess what?

13:24It is tipping in your favor. And that's what's gone on. It is tipped in the favor of Seattle. So Seattle already owns the running back position. Now I'm giving him the wide receiver position as well. You might not agree with me. It is how I see it. If you don't agree with me, let me know about it. Let me know where I went wrong. Let me know why I'm wrong. I'm open to debate. The old line, the old line, Charles Cross as you're turning, stabilized the left side. Zabel, he's been improved and looked a lot better. And quite honestly, Darnell has a cleaner pocket to throw the ball than May does. The old line on Seattle has been consistently better. Take May, take these numbers, for instance, and Drake May had a great year. But we're talking about just this year in the playoffs. Drake May already five sacks in every playoff game. Five sacks in every playoff game is a bit of a problem. That just means that you are having complete, complete protection breakdowns.

14:27Some of them are on him. I get it. That happens. Some of them are going to be on him. It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. It tells me that their old line is not doing enough when your quarterback is getting sacked at least five times a game where Seattle's old line has been trending in the right direction. I don't think you can say the same about New England. I think they've been trending in the opposite direction. That's not good news if you're a Patriots fan. That old line has to be able to protect Drake May, giving you my breakdown, my scenario. This one. The old line. It's got to go to Seattle. I can't say that the two are on the same level, which brings us to the D line. The D line. I laugh because this is probably the biggest gap in this whole match up the Patriots, the Seahawks. That front generates pressure without blitzing. It stops the run at an elite level and I'm talking about the Seahawks here.

15:29They bring pressure at a different level that D line. They plug every hole. They beat up on running backs, rotate in and out with their roster. They have guys so they can rest players and they don't miss a beat. The level of compete does not drop off. It makes no difference. There's no change in their game. That's how good Seattle's D line is. It's absolutely crazy. New England's front line. They're pretty solid. They're not bad. They can disrupt but not on the same level as the Seahawks. There is a huge gap when you're talking the D line of Seattle and New England. Seattle can collapse pockets with just four guys. Their front four are collapsing pockets and they're not even blitzing. Not even blitzing. It's insane. They're not even bringing an extra guy. What's that mean? That means you're covering everyone else with your linebackers, safeties. I just think the front four of the Seahawks are on a completely different level.

16:29There is no doubt about it in my mind. A huge gap. We're going to take a quick break and we'll be right back with more. We'll continue breaking down, position by position. The upcoming Super Bowl between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks. But the ball on the end is coming to do not disturb with the driving and when you're going from point A to B. I need you to stay safe please so always see me so that you're all on the end. That means that you're not disturbed and drive and when you're going from point A to B. I need you to stay safe please so always remember this beat. Don't drive distracted. A message brought to you by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Project Yellow Light and the Ad Council. Welcome back to Baron up with sports on your host there in Sanla. Backing down the Super Bowl, how I see it, it might be right, it might be wrong. That's for you to let me know. But I'm breaking it down as I see it, position by position, who's got the edge, why they've got the edge and why it might tilt the field in their favor.

17:33And getting to where I left off, we're going to now jump in to the linebacker position. Ernest Jones and Drake Thomas of the Seahawks both elite. These guys are elite and they're elite in coverage. They are physical downhill runners, that's what these guys are. They can stop the run and they're going to come at you, blow you up, get in there and add pressure on a pass rush if you like. They have the ability to erase tight ends and running backs out of the field which is huge which is huge. When they can cover them and stop them in space, that is just that luxury that not a lot of teams have at the Seahawks they have it. They're backers. They're reliable, but are they on the same level? I just don't think so. Not saying they're not good. I'm looking at them and how they match up against the Seahawks and the Seahawks backers are just in a better place. And the same goes with the cornerback position. Again, I just think Seattle with the consistency and depth at the position, the way they can

18:37roll guys in and out, they've allowed fewer TDs in coverage than New England has. Is that not the marker of your cornerbacks when they can stop that TD, when they can stop that down threat? Yeah, I get it. People are going to say, hey, New England at their corner, they've got the star power. I get it all. They've surrendered more big plays than Seattle's corners. They've given up more of the deep ball, more consistently than Seattle's. There's been more touchdowns put into the corners than against Seattle's and therefore I'm giving Seattle both the linebacker and the cornerback. You're probably listening to me going, ah, this guy's a Seahawks fan. I'm actually not. I'm actually not. I think they're a heck of a team, but I'm not a big Seahawks fan and never have been, which is kind of funny because in my household where I grew up, the Seahawks were on TV all the time and I somehow became a Cowboys fan. So no, I'm not a Seahawks fan. I'm just giving it to you as I see it.

19:41That's it. And, and safeties, how about the safeties? Kobe Bryant? Ball Hawk? Yeah. This guy's a bit about a ball hawk who can flip the field in just one play. You've got Julian Love as well who can play deep in the box and slot and wherever you need him. There's no weakness with these guys, no weakness with Seattle's Seahawks. Special teams, the special teams of the Seahawks. They went out and they got Rashid, well, that might have been just an amazing, amazing acquisition that helps them win this Super Bowl because we're talking about edge and field position and the special teams with Rashid, it's elite every time he's back there and a ball comes to him. There is a threat that he might break that and go all the way and we've seen him do it multiple times already and it matters a lot. People might not realize just how important special teams are, but it's huge. If you've got your offense out on the field playing with a, a shorter field than your

20:42opposition, that means you have to make less plays. It's huge. I know there's the defensive side of special teams too, but that's a toss up to me. It's a 50-50. So the edge, I'm giving that to Seattle Rashid. What a great acquisition this was. It really was. And if Seattle wins the Super Bowl, I think he'll be a big part of it. I think he will be one of the guys you're talking about that he's going to have that moment in the Super Bowl. We'll see what happened. Now we come to probably the most, not probably, the most important position in football. And that is your QB. And earlier on the show, I gave a huge and why the heck not? It was deserved, right? It was deserved. There was a huge shout out to Sam Darnold, the quarterback of the Seahawks. What I'm going to say right now, the best quarterback in this game, until proven otherwise, is Drake May. Drake May is the best quarterback. Sam Darnold, having a great year, you shouldn't doubt him anymore.

21:45He should have made you a believer. But if I have to look at these two quarterbacks, I'm going to Drake May from what I have seen of his blueprint this year. He is the best quarterback and that's the plain truth. As good as Darnold's being, May has had a better season. He has a higher upside and he is the better quarterback. That's not the knock, Darnold. It's just telling the truth. You look at Drake May in the season he had. It's crazy. His pass or rating, his QBR, his completion percentage. He is an MVP finalist. This guy is a dynamic runner, I already said. He's got the best legs on the Patriots team. He's a dynamic who breaks down defenses. What he does, he breaks them down. So the advantage at the most important position, it has to go to New England. And is that advantage equivalent to taking away a couple of the check marks went out and gave Seattle?

22:45You better believe it. You better believe it because that's how important the position is. May gives you answers. When the game gets crazy and chaotic and you're looking for answers, look at Drake May. He goes out there, he thrives against elite defenses. Just look at the playoff and the path of the defenses that he's had to go up against. And you know what he's done? He's gone out there, figured him out and done enough to win every time. He still produces. It doesn't matter who the defense is. He protects the ball. He gets it done. So Drake May has to be the guy in this game. He is the X factor in this game. Make no mistake. Seattle's defense is loaded, but May proven time and time again. This is what this guy does that he can solve a complex defense. It doesn't matter. He extends the late plays with his legs and he'll punish you. Man coverage. You're going to man coverage. Guess what? That's when he rolls out of the pocket and makes something happen.

23:47Next thing you know, he's scabbard for another 15 20 yards. I can't say enough about what this kid has done in his second year. His first full year as a quarterback in the league. I cannot say enough. Drake May is a beast. He might not win MVP this year. It might go to Stafford, but this kid is going to win some MVP's. He's that good. He's that good. And if he doesn't win, and he's going to be second on the ballot, I can tell you that. So I'm giving almost a double check mark at the quarterback position. People are going to say, hey, well, you're disrespecting Donald. You're going to do with that. I'm going off of the sample size that I watched this season in the NFL. And when it matters, Drake May comes to play. People are going to say, well, he didn't put up very good numbers in Denver. It doesn't matter. Denver was in the humbly and he won the game. And it was pretty crappy conditions. So again, quarterback position goes to New England, which brings me to the tight ends Hunter Henry Austin Cooper versus Seattle's inconsistent tight end.

24:48And the way Seattle uses their tight ends, that's a real edge for the paints. As far as I can tell, they've got the edge. They can attack seams. And when they get into the red zone, what do they do? Because they use their tight ends, Seattle barely even uses their tight ends. So when they get to the red zone, they've got multiple options and tight ends red zone. Listen, it gives your quarterback options when he's under pressure. That's why you see so many of these guys flip it off to their tight end. They get the touchdown in the end zone. There's definitely an edge here to New England, the paths they've got the edge. There's no doubt about it. And Super Bulls are often decided within the 20 yard line. I think we can all agree with that. And if I look at that situation, that's where your tight end becomes in New England. They're built for that tight space. They're built for that red zone. They get in the red zone. They're going to make you pay. Patriots win, ugly man. They win, ugly. I'm telling you, they have their ways. That ends definitely going to the Patriots. I was just saying that the Patriots win ugly and maybe that comes off a little bit, a little

25:52bit wrong when you look at this team. But what I meant by that is it doesn't matter what style of game is being played. It doesn't matter. They're comfortable. When the game gets dirty and mucky and you're, you're, you're thugging along through like a foot of mud, so to speak and everything's holding you back. They know how to pull out a win in that situation. They grind it out, short throws, let me be the most dangerous player, right? And that's what they do. And that's how they'll win. That's how they'll win. If New England is going to win this game, Drake may, let's, let's be honest here. He has to be the most dangerous player in the game, not only with his arm, but with his legs. When you're looking at this Patriots team, if this game gets tight, late in a game, that's where the Patriots get comfortable. They're okay. Try to keep this one close if they want a chance to win. Keep it close, late in the game. Look at me to be your, your guy. If may avoid negative, negative yardage play, stay out of the, keep the flags away from

26:52being thrown. You know, if, if they're blitzing and he picks it up and is converting third downs and scrambling out, reading the play, I don't care how many check marks I gave. The Patriots still have a good chance of winning this game. They have their own weapons or own tools and you can be sure that they're going to have the game plan and Seattle on the other hand, they can go out when this game quite handedly. If they control the trenches, number one thing for the Seahawks in this game is the trenches, the pocket, giving the protection, the blocking for Kenneth Walker, for Sam Darnold. So he's not rushed and panicked. That Darnold play his game and not play hero. I'm just relaxing there because the old line is going to protect them and the D line is going to disrupt me. That's the number one thing in my eyes on how Seattle wins this. If they win the trenches, Seattle wins this game. I really believe that Seattle loses if Darnold is forced to play hero and gets into some

27:53shootout. I don't think that's the path that the Seahawks want to go down. If they're getting to the red zone and they can't punch it in and they have to settle for field goals. That's how Seattle loses. And if they allow Drake May to turn broken plays into back breaking plays and by that I mean, crambling out when you have them, it's third down and long, third and whatever. And it's a play that should be dead and you let Drake May just do some spectacular Drake May sort of stuff. That is it. If they let that happen, they're going to be in the trouble. And if they can stop it, they will win this game. And on New England side, hey, New England's old line. If they can't handle Seattle's pressure, if they are under, if Drake May is under constant pressure, look out, they have to be able to protect Drake May. He can't be laying on his back five times a game. And against the Seattle defense, that number could rise. So the old line has to, has to find a way to be better to give Drake May some time.

28:57That is absolutely key to the Patriots. They fall behind early and find themselves chasing the game. I don't know how that turns out. That's not a recipe for success. Seattle has the better roster while New England has the better QB. That is the bottom line. I think you look at this roster and you have to go up and down. And for the most part, the better team when you look at him. But in the most important position, I am giving that edge to New England, Drake May, something sometimes that quarterback is just enough to let you win the game. The rest of your team can be average and if your quarterback can take it to another level, you win the game. And we have seen Drake May do that this year. And we also seen Sam Donald elevate his game. It's going to be a hack of a game. I really think this one's going to be a lot closer. I don't want to lay down a prediction yet. I think you can all see where I'm leaning towards. I'm not going to give you a score. Maybe we'll save that for next week, right before the game.

30:00This Super Bowl is about who can force who to play the other team's game. Take them out of their comfort zone. Make them play the wrong game. And if they team that does that, whatever team that may be, they will have success. The Super Bowl. We're going to take another quick break. We'll be right back with more. You're listening to Baronucle Sports on the Brushwood Media Net. I got involved in officiating volleyball eight years after I played Division I in college. And I wanted to do more than just be a spectator. I wanted to get involved and give back to the sport that I've loved for so long. I'm a speaker, a builder, a coach, a coach, a auditor, a firefighter, and I'm a volleyball official. A officiating volleyball was something that helped me to reconnect to my roots. Volleyball, officiating will bring positive influences into your life, along with lifelong friends. I said yes to becoming a volleyball official so that I could get back to the game. Saying yes to volleyball officiating will give you the privilege to be a part

31:01of one of the most exciting sports around. Challenge yourself as a referee to always be the best you can be. For anyone contemplating becoming a volleyball official, just go for it. Take the plunge, open the door, stay in the port. Just say yes. Say yes to officiating. Learn more about how to get involved at say yes to officiating.com. Welcome back to Baronuckle Sports, I'm Aaron Samuel, your host. We just kind of went through some Super Bowl action here. And I want to stick with the NFL team because there's something that helps that caught my intention this week, all this, you know, Bill Belichack. We got the Super Bowl coming up. But what about Shoulder Sanders? How about Shoulder Sanders? So congratulations, Shoulder, on going to the Pro Bowl. Yes, that's right, you heard me right. What is going on when Shoulder Sanders? That's right, these did the Sanders, that's the one I'm talking about. You got it, the guy with 1,400 yards passing in a 56% completion rate.

32:06And numbers that look less like an all-star resume. And more like some sort of typo that happened up there. I mean, this is a shocker to me, right? Shoulder Sanders, he's going through the Pro Bowl. But hey, this is the 2026 Pro Bowl where letting the bar excellence, it's available, availability might not have been there. So let's set up a senior and figure out how to show her Sanders makes the Pro Bowl. Because hey, trying to figure this one out, I'm just not sure. I'm not sure, so I've got my own scenario here. You've got injuries, maybe some players piling up. Other players, they're declining. They're like, no, don't want to do the Pro Bowl. Not interested, it's a long season. I've got to make some pains. Whatever their reasoning might be, they're not going to the Pro Bowl either. They're like, no, I'm good. I am completely fine. I'm going to pass it over. And then there's that guy Drake May, you know him, right?

33:08We were just talking about Drake May. Well, he's got other plans. He's playing in the Super Bowl, right? So there's no way Drake May who he's filling in for can be there. So he's like, okay, they look around the room and who are we taking? Anyone, anyone, anyone out there got someone that we can throw in there? And A, by the way, is he marketable? This man finishes 40th or worse in pretty much every meeting full category at the QB position. Like, that is crazy to me, but don't worry. He beat out, you know, the most important metric that they were looking for. Apparently, and that's he didn't say no, he said he'd go. I think that was a pretty important one, because I'm not sure how else he got there. And he said, hey, I'm good. I'm healthy. I'm ready to go. Let's do this. Meanwhile, you got other quarterbacks sitting at home and I, they must be wondered seriously. Like, what the heck is going on? And I'm not behind the scenes.

34:09I don't know, but you got guy like Joe Burles, Aaron Rodgers, DJ Stroud, Trevor Lawrence, tour, Gino Flackle, like, where do you want me to go here? I can keep going and going and going and going and going. And these guys all out perform him and they're staying home. I'm a little confused. I do not have the list of who declined. So maybe they all declined and said none of them were interested, but I believe that at least one of those guys, if not a couple of them would have been available, couldn't win. I don't know. Maybe I'm completely wrong with that. I don't know. Apparently they are less useful to the pro bowl than a recognizable last name. Maybe that's what it is. And I'm not taking any shots here at Sanders. Don't get me wrong. He was working. You started half the season, less than half the season. I get it. Rookie's struggle. This guy still might turn out to be a really good quarterback. Rookie's have their issues. They struggle. There's problems. I get all that. I know it's going to sound like I'm beating up on Sanders.

35:10I just find the whole situation pretty much laughable. That's where I am with this. It feels like someone went and handed out a participation ribbon. You know, that person that gets that ribbon just because they were there, well, that's what this kind of feels like to me because it definitely doesn't feel like a pro bowl selection. That is not what this is. I don't know. So I'm just confused how they came to this decision that this was their guy. And maybe there's more that I just don't know. I just know that I had a good laugh when I saw it. I wish Sanders all the best. I hope he has a great career. He's got time to turn this thing around. It was a rookie year that was clouded by so much chaos starting right at the draft. And I'm not saying this guy doesn't have the raw talent to one day turn into a really good starter. I'm just saying that that year wasn't this year. It did not happen this year. Just put on that Jersey Sanders flash your smile at the camera and wave high to dad because

36:15you know what? You didn't earn this and I know you know you didn't earn it. But you survived the RSVP process and apparently that's enough when it comes to the pro bowl selection. Have some fun with it. You may never see one again. You may see a bunch is just a funny situation to me. Am I the only one out there that is laughing at this just trying to figure it out going? How can this even remotely possibly be going on? I don't know. Maybe I am. Maybe I am. I don't know. We're going to take another quick break and we'll be right back with more. You're listening to Baronucle Sports on the Breachwood Media Network. Time out. Oh, right. Remember, we're a team that placed it together. Listen, the winning will take care of itself. We just have to get everyone involved. In inner scholastic sports, we celebrate what makes every one of us unique and in the pursuit of a common goal. Everyone in the huddle and the bleachers and in the community comes together.

37:19This message presented by the STHSA and the South Dakota Inner Scholastic Athletic Administrators Association. Welcome back to Baronucle Sports. I'm your host, Aaron Samuel. We've been talking football NFL, Super Bowl, Pro Bowl, all that good stuff, but I want to turn your attention to the NHL for a moment. And I want to talk specifically about the Toronto Maple Leafs who now find themselves 10 points out of a playoff spot with approximately 30 games to go. The only team that they're sitting in front of is the New York Rangers. It wasn't that long ago. They were in the doghouse and then it looked like they seemed to figure it out. And now they've gone and lost another six in a row and it does not look good. I read the other days someplace that they have something like 4.3 or 4.4% chance of making the playoffs this year with where they are. The teams they got to leapfrog a lot of stuff has to happen. It hasn't been this dark in Toronto since before they drafted Austin Matthews, which brings

38:23me to the question, what the heck is going on in Toronto? How big do you blow up this team? Because making a mistake, if they're going to miss the playoffs, they're going to sell off some guys. I'm talking about their core guys. I don't want to talk about their fringe players, some really good players that they have is where I want to go. And in particular, I'm talking about Neilander and Matthews. Would it be unreasonable to suspect that they might rifle off one of these guys? And I know there's been some conversations out there where people are talking and you hear Neilander's name come up more often than Matthews. I want to take a look at this one. I think if you're going to blow this thing up and it might be time to blow this thing up, it really might be like no one had this team looking the way they're looking. They're structured wrong. There's something going on here. Is Barubi the coach that they need? They brought him in because he was going to teach his team how to play defense. That was the reasoning there.

39:25Well, they're not very good at playing defense. They're not very good at scoring defending against goals. They're goal-tending to spend mediocre. Their special teams has been brutal. There's not a metric this season where you can look at and go, oh, that's the problem right there. So why Toronto is struggling? It is compounded problem. They haven't been very good top to bottom. So is this the time when you get to the trade deadline? If you're Toronto and you go, we're going to restructure this team. We're going to do things differently. We're going to try to do it fast. The best way to do that is to take an Austin Matthews or William Neilander and trade one of them or maybe possibly even both of them. I can't see them doing that. That would be just out of control. But I don't think it's so far fetched. One of them goes and I don't think it's so far fetched. Everyone talks about Neilander that that guy is Matthews. Matthews would bring you a bigger haul than Neilander. Make no mistake. And if it is time for Toronto to retool, figure this thing out.

40:28The fastest way to do it might be a ship Matthews out of town. There would be teams lined up straight across the board everywhere trying to get their hands on this guy. I'm not saying that that wouldn't happen with Neilander. But I think Matthews, I think we can all agree. He has a higher value around the league than Neilander. Although Neilander is tied up with that big contract and Matthews is on an expiring deal. So I think there would have to be some sort of guarantee or I guess there's no guarantee at this point. But some sort of belief that you would be able to sign this guy to a long term extension because you're going to give up the farm to get him. I think it's time for the Toronto Maple Leafs to really consider this situation. Not Neilander, but Matthews. It might be time for Leafs nation, for ownership to say this team is structurally built wrong. It has been for a long time but we had the offensive guns that didn't make it look so bad even though we continued to lose in the first round.

41:29And now is the time to fix it. And how do we fix it? We're going to move out a guy like Austin Matthews who's going to bring us back another big name, bring up draft picks, prospects. I think you could do it really fast. And then maybe you go out and you offer sheet Robertson from Dallas because by all reports he's not going to be in Dallas or maybe there's a trade to be had there. I don't think the trade to be had is Austin Matthews with Dallas. Otherwise they just keep Robertson because the money doesn't fit. But I think it's time they go in a different direction. And Ruby. Does he get fired at the end of this year? Is he done? It makes me wonder. Toronto ownership must be looking at this going where did we go wrong? There's been some mis-evaluation here. Mitch Marner. Why did we let this guy to where he got got to and exit town the way it happened because before when Marner was there he was obviously a big cog in this team.

42:33Not the whipping boy the Toronto media made him out to be. I think Marner leaving is as much on the Toronto media and fans as it is on the organization. At some point in time you just go, I got to get out of this situation. It's not good for me, not good for my family, not good for anyone involved. And with that being said, we can just see how important Mitch Marner was. This team is not the same and has not been since the start of the year with home Marner. Absolutely not. I guess this guy, immensely, immensely. I think it's time Toronto has a good look at this. They do the right thing. They move some of these guys out, get younger, get some replacements, get some draft picks which they don't have much of. The coverage are pretty much empty because they've been one of the top teams and they've been trying to get over the hump for a long time. Earn back some of that commodity, those draft picks, up and coming prospects, ready to throw into your lineup really good NHL player or two right now. And how do they do that?

43:34Austin Matthews is your answer. If they want to turn things around, Austin Matthews has to go, Nielander, yes. He is valuable commodity on the NHL market but he's not going to bring you what Austin Matthew will. So at this time, I say you have to get rid of Austin Matthews. If you're not making the playoffs, I know it's a shocker. It would shock people. Maybe it's a move that happens in the off season. I'm not saying this is a move that happened, has to happen at the trade deadline, although they will become big sellers at the trade deadline. But before the start of next season, you have to have a different roster. You cannot march back into next season, sporting the same team that you had this year and expect it to be different. Look at what Boston did. Last year, Boston recognized things weren't going their way and they moved off a lot of their core players. Brad and Carlos, Brad Martian, they moved off these guys and look where they are today. They did it on the fly. They had to move off of some of their, what they had structured and what they had in place

44:35just wasn't working anymore. This is where I feel the Toronto Maple Leafs are today. So they've got some tough decisions in front of them, none tougher than Austin Matthews. If I'm management, I am seriously looking at ownership and going, hey, this is my plan. This is my blueprint. Because ownership has to be asking them, how are we fixing this? This is how we're going to do it. A bundle back for this guy, we're going to move off them and we'll see where we go. We can turn this thing, break the ship real fast and become, again, one of the top teams in the NHL. Tough times they had for the Toronto Maple Leafs. I don't know where you go, Leafs Nation. I don't know where you go from here. I can understand your pain as this team should be a lot better than they are and one suspected they would be. But the makeup of this team is flawed. It has been for a long time and now it's glaring you right in your face. It is time to make a change. It's almost laughable that it wasn't that long ago that the media and Leafs Nation used

45:35to love to compare Austin Matthews though to Connor McDavid. I'm so glad we don't have to have that discussion anymore. Maybe it was just trolling who knows, but they seem to believe it for a while. I really think they thought that he was more valuable than Connor McDavid and he was not. That conversation is now over and we wait and see where Toronto goes. I'm interested. I will be watching what Toronto does. I'm not going to lie, trade deadline, offseason, the remake of this team because they have to remake it. I can't be the only one out there that knows this. They know it. You've got smart guys running this team. Someone's got to make the call. They're not going to be happy. They're not going to make the playoffs. I don't see them making the playoffs this year. Too many teams in Leapfrog and they're too far behind, not saying it's impossible, but not likely. And what about the Edmonton Oilers? They finally became the, got their three game winning streak. They were sitting there just them in St. Louis. The only teams that hadn't won three in a row this year and what do they do?

46:39They go out and they do it in dramatic fashion. If anyone watched this game, you thought it was over in the first period. Before the drop of the pocket felt like it was two nothing for San Jose and Salamone and the boys and they looked really good. And to the first, it was three nothing. You had a dysfunctional Edmonton Oilers team on the ice. There's like, oh, here we go again. They're not going to make three wins in a row. And I think it was important that they got that. But San Jose looked two periods, just about two full periods. You can almost see the push was coming with a couple minutes left to play in the second. But the Oilers go into the third. They're still trailing by three a game that they've really been outplayed dominated by this young San Jose team who looked really good for most for two periods. They've got something special going on in San Jose. That team's going to get a lot better. And then the veterans and the stars and the Oilers woke up in the third all started off with dry saddle, a boost bomb.

47:40The dry saddle cleaned up and put in the net, got them on the board. And then with the goalie pulled with like three minutes of goal corner, McDavid snipes one. And then with the goalie pulled again with 51 seconds to go, the boost bomb again. He scores. And again, they go to overtime and Blue Shard doesn't Zach Hyman. Of course, the goal, I get it, but Blue Shard has a big part of that breaking it out to McDavid. But David over to Hyman and Hyman chords one from outside the paint, which is a rarity. And they come all the way back with three goals in the third and one and overtime to win that game. And I want to throw out there to all the Bush. This guy's looked a lot better like he does every playoff season. He seems to find his game in the playoffs. When it matters the most, he plays good defense in the playoffs. He also goes out there and just puts up ridiculous numbers in the playoffs. Well, guess who is now leading the NHL in points for defenseman?

48:43Blue Shard. He is the number one. He's ahead of all our favorites, Zach Ransky, no problem, Calma Carr, no problem, Quinn, no problem. He's got two points right now on them all. And the way he's playing that gap might widen. And the way he's playing defense, he right now, he's defending as well as he's playing offense. He's looking like the guy we've seen the last two seasons in the Stanley Cup playoffs. And if he can keep that going for another 30 games that are left in the season, he might just hold on and lead all defenseman and scoring at which point in time. He has to come into the Norris conversation as best defenseman. And we're almost out of time here. So I'm going to leave it there. But think about that for a second. Blue Shard leading all defenseman, Norris Trophy. It's not as far fetched as you might think, especially if he can keep it going the way he has been. I know everyone wants to give it to Makar and Ransky right now.

49:43Blue Shard is making a case the way he's been playing. He has been playing better than any defenseman in the league at this moment. That's about all the time we have for today. Thanks for listening to Baronucle Sports on the Brushwood Media Network. You got any questions? Hit me up. Baronucle Sports Talk 99 at gmail.com. It's been fun. Like always. I love hearing from you all. Can't wait till next week. We've got a Super Bowl right around the corner. Enjoy. Stay safe. You've been listening to the Baronucle Sports Talk Show. If you enjoyed the show, be sure to tune in next week on the Brushwood Media Network for more Baronucle Sports with Aaron Samuel. Go! Go! Go! Go!