0:07

The Season with Peter Scheger is a production

0:09

of the NFL in partnership with iHeartRadio.

0:23

What's Up, Everybody, Welcome to the Season with Peter

0:25

Schreger. If you're listening, you might see in your feed

0:28

that we have another podcast for

0:31

the Super Bowl. It's with Dan Soder, who's

0:33

a die hard forty nine Ers fan. He's a stand

0:35

up comedian. He's one of the most successful stand up

0:37

comedians in the game right now.

0:40

We had an amazing hour long talk

0:43

heading into the Super Bowl and his

0:45

experience being in Niners fan going into

0:47

it. But I wanted to give a bonus odd for those

0:49

who might be traveling on Friday

0:52

night, might be traveling on Saturday, might

0:54

be at the gym getting ready for the Super Bowl.

0:56

This is a two part of here. The first part is going to

0:58

be an interview with a hero of mine and a guy that I

1:00

think is quite arguably the most influential

1:02

person for me doing what I do

1:05

every day on a microphone, and that's Chris

1:07

mad Dog Russo. If you want the backstory,

1:09

long before he was on ESPN tearning it up

1:11

on first take, Chris mad Dog Russo

1:14

was the voice of my childhood on sports.

1:16

He and Mike Francessa had the

1:18

Mic and the Mad Dog Show on WFAN,

1:20

and they didn't just hit local sports, they would hit

1:22

everything. They would hit you know, Sopranos

1:25

episodes, they would hit what's going on

1:27

in politics, they would talk about movies,

1:29

they would talk about everything. And it was two

1:31

guys who weren't necessarily best friends,

1:33

but they came from different

1:36

paths and they made great, great art together.

1:38

I've always wanted to interview

1:42

mad Dog. Now I've been on Francissa's

1:45

show a bunch, I've been on frances'spot,

1:47

I never had a chance to really, you

1:49

know, meet mad Dog. And with

1:52

Super Bowl being in Las Vegas and knowing what a

1:54

hit he's been with some of his takes over the last few

1:56

months, I really went out there

1:58

and I tried to be aggressive

2:00

in landing mad Dog for our super Bowl

2:03

episode. Well, he agreed to do the podcast,

2:05

and we're going to do is. I'm going to toss to the interview, which

2:08

I think is great, and then I'm gonna give you my official

2:10

super Bowl prediction, and then we're gonna call

2:12

it a day and call it a weekend, and we're gonna go enjoy

2:14

some wings and some chips and go watch some football. So

2:16

no further ado, Christopher mad Dog

2:18

Russo, with

2:25

no further ado. I've said it time and time again.

2:27

He's my favorite person in sports media. I grew up watching

2:29

Mick and the Mad Dog, and I have just sow in awe

2:31

of what he's done since then. I love the

2:33

second chapter, third chapter, and now we're in this chapter

2:35

where a whole new audience is learning

2:38

about him from first take, and he's incredible

2:40

and his Wednesday ran say some of the best

2:42

things on television or radio right now,

2:45

No further ado, Christopher mad Dog Russo.

2:47

Welcome, Peter.

2:48

Nice to have you with us.

2:49

I was not realize you were such a huge fan, so

2:51

right out of the gate, I get a nice little bonus on

2:53

a Thursday afternoon.

2:54

Go ahead, dude, I remember you sending Mark

2:56

Melus's to a bar in Jersey while he was.

2:58

Oh my god, do you remember that. Oh

3:00

you are a big crick You do understand.

3:02

This is my entire childhood. From one

3:04

o'clock to six o'clock. I would listen to you guys religiously.

3:07

I've been on friends. Oh you were wrapped

3:09

up and talk Iron Eagle as your producer.

3:11

I remember listening then, I mean, this is this is

3:13

how far I go back with you guys. So

3:16

so you're talking ninety the ninety four

3:18

stretches like you know this legendary you

3:20

guys going back from Vancouver to Houston, sitting

3:22

in the airport and the whole thing.

3:24

Oh my god, you are. Jeez,

3:26

you're a groupeable.

3:28

It's so funny. You referenced in your recent

3:31

rant about.

3:32

I got mad.

3:33

I got mad at Mike and that chippy because you wouldn't go

3:35

to Vancouver, so the station made him go out there for Game

3:37

six when the Rangers had a chance to win

3:39

the cup. Mike wouldn't want to go. It was a Saturday

3:41

night, but they made him go.

3:42

That was funny. So what was it?

3:44

Game six was in at the shootout game and

3:46

there was a Game six.

3:47

They got killed. They lost three or four nothing, okay,

3:49

because.

3:50

They lost Game one at home yesterday

3:52

day in overtime. Hits the goal and

3:54

then a couple.

3:55

Then then they went three row

3:57

and then we come.

3:58

Back to game seven, and of course

4:01

you guys were in the saddle, but I don't remember

4:03

Game six.

4:04

Yeah, Game six was a Saturday night. I'm gonna

4:06

I think the score was three nothing. Remember

4:08

they had a k They were three to one, and

4:11

they lost Game five at the Garden eight

4:13

to five or something like that. Everybody thought they were

4:15

going to win the game and celebrate their cup. How

4:18

to go back to Vancouver. That's the one

4:20

that Mike didn't want to go to. This is a Saturday night

4:22

show. But we flew to Vancouver.

4:24

Did this show flew back to New

4:27

York? I remember Game seven was

4:29

two days later. They had the extra day

4:31

for Game seven. That was a Tuesday

4:33

night.

4:34

Game six was.

4:35

In Vancouver on a Saturday night,

4:37

and Game seven of Knicks Rockets. I want

4:39

to say it was on a weekend. I remember watching John Starks on a.

4:41

Weekend game snow Game seven,

4:44

Game six, Yeah it was on a Sunday, Yes,

4:46

right, yes it was on a Sunday.

4:48

No, dude, And then check that game.

4:52

Let's see the Knicks went back to Houston up

4:54

three to two.

4:56

Yes, they lost two games.

4:57

Game seven.

4:59

Game six was a Sunday night

5:02

after the US Open golf, and Game

5:04

seven was on Wednesday.

5:06

Got it in Houston?

5:07

Good job, Well you're sharp.

5:09

These These were the years and then obviously

5:12

during the San Francisco Giants runs

5:14

and you know, coming up short and Barry Bond's

5:16

killing you and swing the bat, Barry. I mean, I'm telling

5:18

you, your stuff is legendary, my

5:21

friend. We got my whole crew, we all worship

5:23

you, and it's just so cool to have you here to

5:25

start it. During the Dan Campbell rint you had

5:28

which went viral and was amazing, you

5:30

referenced the the you know, the sports

5:32

geeks whatever, they wouldn't know Lombardi

5:35

from Paul Brown. And that's what

5:37

I take away from this because I do the Good Morning Football

5:39

Today, I did a six minute segment

5:41

on Derek Thomas and how number

5:43

fifty eight super Bow fifty eight. He died twenty

5:46

four years ago today, Oh didn't how It's

5:48

yeah, it's crazy that Derek

5:50

Thomas isn't alive to see this, because

5:52

when I think about the chiefs of that era, there was Marty

5:55

Schottenheimer and Derek Thomas and Neil Smith and

5:57

Deron Cherry and Albert Lewis, and they would come

5:59

up short. And I go to this because is

6:01

there a place for the sports historian and

6:03

the guys like you and me who like you referenced

6:06

reference to Otto Graham a couple months ago, and people like made

6:08

fun of you online. I'm like, are you serious?

6:10

Like, of course, outo Graham, that's it. But I

6:12

find myself speaking into a wind tunnel sometimes

6:15

when I'm referencing Sonny Jurgensen.

6:17

One hundred percent, right, Peter. I think that's been

6:19

a lost start.

6:20

I think it'll remember it's also thirty forty

6:22

years ago. Whether they were talking,

6:25

you know, nineteen seventy sports talk where

6:27

they're talking about Garrick and DiMaggio,

6:29

who knows, But it is a low

6:31

start. The historical knowledge

6:34

of the young podcaster, sports

6:36

talk show host media personality

6:39

is a disaster.

6:41

I don't know how you're going to solve that.

6:43

You know when and I love Olasky,

6:46

but Dan o'loski, who I love, good

6:48

guy despite me. I comment this week when

6:50

he didn't put Joe Montana his top five

6:53

of all time quarterbacks, I mean, come on, I mean

6:55

he's five and four and owen super Bowls, three

6:57

MVPs, eleven touchdowns and no interceptions.

7:00

And even that's not that long ago. It's

7:02

in the early eighties. So if you if

7:04

that is too long for the

7:06

young guys, and how the hell is I know Graham going to

7:08

be in there, who was in ten straight championship

7:11

games between nineteen forty five and nineteen

7:13

fifty five, So it's a lost start.

7:16

I don't care if they, I don't care what the young fan

7:18

thinks. I'm going to bring that up constantly.

7:21

When somebody dies. They always call me that

7:23

I do great with dead guys, with old

7:25

guys who dropped dead, because I always put Ernie your

7:27

corsion or somebody like that.

7:29

I always do that. I do it for all

7:32

the sports.

7:33

I specifically do it for football with Ernie,

7:35

but I do with baseball too, and

7:37

I you know, it's my childhood. And since

7:40

my childhood in sports is significant,

7:43

you know when I was eleven your age,

7:45

when you were listening to Mike and myself. If

7:47

it means something to me, I'm going to do it. And that's why

7:49

there is to it. And since I'm sixty three going

7:51

on sixty four years of age,

7:54

you know, and still doing this. If

7:56

somebody died who I fifty

7:58

years ago loved and now he's dead,

8:00

I'm going to talk about it. And if you don't like it,

8:02

all right, I'll live with it. But the key to

8:05

it is, if you're a talk show host, sell

8:07

it. If it means something

8:09

to you as a fan and

8:11

you're emotional about it and I'm

8:14

passionate about it, you can

8:16

convince the audience that it

8:18

means something to them.

8:19

So that's that's my approach.

8:21

So if it means something that Christopher Russo when

8:24

you know Jim Brown dies, well then

8:26

you know, God done it. If it means something to me, I'm

8:28

going to tell you about it, and my enthusiasm

8:30

will hopefully convince you that should be mentioned

8:33

and it will mean something to you.

8:34

That's the first. That's great. There's a great

8:37

author, Michael McCambridge, who I'm sure you love him.

8:39

He's incredible out of Saint Louis. He

8:41

just wrote a book called The Big Time and it's

8:44

all about seventies sports

8:46

and it goes through free agency in

8:48

the NFL, and it goes through you know,

8:51

everything from doctor j having to have to

8:53

be sold off, from the from the New York Nets when

8:55

they become the New Jersey, all this stuff, and it's

8:57

so interesting and I want to share it with people,

8:59

and it's like, I don't know if there's an audience anymore if anyone

9:01

gives it about what the

9:03

world tennis ascaw good point.

9:05

I did McCambridge twice in

9:07

the last six months. I did not read

9:09

the original book that he did, The

9:11

League, which came out and oh two,

9:14

which is like a tremendous book, and

9:16

I got a hold of that and for some

9:18

reason I didn't read it at the time.

9:20

So I put him on last summer for an

9:22

hour.

9:23

And then this book came out in October,

9:25

the seventies book, and I put him on

9:27

again for an hour. So in the last six

9:29

months I've had him on for an hour apiece. That's

9:32

another thing, Peter that people find

9:34

with me. I will always do book

9:36

authors, and when I put a book,

9:39

I'll put.

9:39

Him on for sixty minutes.

9:41

I think you had said this anachro

9:43

biographer early this early this week, which

9:45

I love. We're in Vegas. I would love to hear it.

9:47

Yeah, I did thirty minutes on that. Now.

9:48

That one was a little shorter because I'm at Vegas,

9:51

I was Super Bowl. I only did that one for

9:53

thirty minutes. But most authors

9:55

of books, I will do an hour.

9:58

Because the guy sold this book, he wrote

10:00

a book I enjoyed it, and I

10:02

want to make sure he sells as many copies as he

10:04

possibly can.

10:05

I'll tell you one.

10:06

A few years ago, I ran into

10:08

a Shid Luckman

10:10

book on the Bears.

10:11

Would love to read that.

10:12

I don't know where I found it. I got it, and somebody

10:15

I found it read it. I loved the

10:17

book. I put The Guy on the Air. Book

10:19

came out about ten years ago. I put The Guy

10:21

on the air on a Friday for an hour. He

10:24

the you do on Amazon that hour,

10:26

the book like jumped three thousand spots,

10:29

and he emailed Eddie Erkson, our producer,

10:31

to say, Holy thank he Chris,

10:34

thank you for all many books I've sold

10:36

in the last hour. I don't care. My job

10:38

is to sell the guy Is book. If I

10:40

like the book. If I like the book, you should like the

10:42

book too. And so I like to give the author

10:45

an hour. If it's a book I enjoy,

10:47

I.

10:47

Take pride in it. I've got enough clout on our

10:49

morning show Going Morning Football where I can say, hey, I want to do a segment

10:52

on this, and they'll just be like, all right, the Guy of the way. Now what I have

10:54

which is incredible and it's underutilized at the NFL

10:56

Network and NFL Media, I have access to

10:58

the entire NFL Film's vault, so

11:01

I could call for I want to see an air Coriel

11:03

piece that Steve Sable did in seventy six,

11:05

can we find some thing? Or I want to do a piece, you

11:08

know, so everyone knows who Bert Bell was,

11:10

like, can we find that? And it's again,

11:12

there's a niche audience that loves

11:14

it and appreciates it. I feel like you and I are kindred spirits.

11:16

And then I don't know if you have this. I

11:19

have the photographic memory where if you mentioned a Kent

11:21

Graham Giants game from ninety eight, I could tell you exactly

11:24

what happened.

11:25

Absolutely and good one.

11:26

And it's special to me to do that. And

11:28

then this week, going through all these Niners

11:30

Super Bowls, I could talk about all these Niners

11:32

teams because I grew up with it. And you notice

11:35

that it might not be the vocal majority online,

11:37

but the real fans absolutely

11:40

love it and appreciate it.

11:41

I did the same thing in the last three weeks.

11:43

I watched the two championship games

11:45

on the NFL Films,

11:48

the seventy nine Er Dallas game seventeen

11:50

ten Keys are last last game.

11:52

Ever played nineteen fifty seven, right.

11:55

Well that's seventy okay, so that was the Niner

11:57

game. Yep.

11:58

I watched the fifty seven game too, and

12:01

then I watched the seventy one

12:03

Niner Dallas championship game in Dallas

12:06

when Dallas.

12:07

Beat him fourteen to three.

12:08

Okay, I thought you were talking Lions Lions

12:10

nine ers fifty seven because I went back and I watched that

12:13

one from fifty seven, and then seventy

12:15

one I watched because it was the last time Baltimore

12:17

hosted an AFC championship game. I was Oakland,

12:20

Baltimore, Oakland, which there's like twenty

12:22

ho I put twenty put in the game.

12:24

Yeah, you know what I put on two weeks going to bottomore

12:26

Oakland game Norman Budash.

12:30

Five o'clock for a half hour a lot.

12:32

So I will do that as it was

12:34

the last AFL championship game. As you

12:36

said before the game here against Kansas

12:38

City for the Ravens, I did the same thing.

12:41

So you and I are kindred spirits as far as the history

12:43

is concerned.

12:44

You also mentioned on a an either

12:46

podcast or someone I was listening to an interview. Maybe it

12:48

was with Kevin Clark, who I like and I think he's really good

12:50

at what he does. He were saying, you don't do

12:53

the whole watch the pregame shows. Well, I'm

12:55

on the Fox pregame show where we did eleven

12:57

straight hours. Yes, I'm on the NFL network one

12:59

this year, which are doing ten straight hours.

13:02

You don't watch those? What is your up?

13:04

Your thought is just I do this for a living. I'm good.

13:06

Let's just get to kick off.

13:07

Well, first off, I've also been here for a week,

13:10

so I mean I might watch the

13:12

Sunday game with the CBS.

13:15

They're going to do a history of the citok I

13:18

watched.

13:18

That was about one o'clock.

13:22

I got.

13:23

Mcmanuson today. I'll get some details

13:26

on that.

13:27

I don't watch the pregame at all. I

13:30

don't want to go to any party. My

13:32

kid called me today from Wisconsin and

13:34

he said that podcast got some juice

13:37

with me, saying, I want to watch the game by myself

13:39

with no interruption. I want

13:41

to sit in my freaking little room with the

13:44

door shut, with the game

13:46

on around six o'clock and

13:48

it's the last football game you're going to watch until September

13:51

and it's the last time.

13:52

You really a guy like me, you have

13:54

to do it more than I would. With the draft.

13:56

And the free agency in the schedule,

13:58

I don't do as much of it as you would do. But

14:01

once that game is over on Friday

14:03

Sunday night, you don't got a lot to work with with the NFL

14:05

and we need so I'll be quiet.

14:08

As far as the sports talk is concerned. It gets

14:10

to be a little bit of a low. But

14:12

I will watch the games by myself, watch

14:14

the game by myself, nothing

14:16

fancy, and I won't sit

14:19

there and watch three hours of the pregame. I'll

14:21

probably put it on around five five point fifteen

14:23

and have it on, not watch it, but

14:25

have it on at least.

14:27

It's funny because I sat down with Mahomes

14:29

for the NFL Network one. It's a big that's a good

14:31

one. Good for you get it's great. I've known

14:33

him since he was in college Kingsbury.

14:35

That's a great job on your part. Thank good job, and he's.

14:37

Great in it. But to tell you

14:39

know, twelve hours of pregame, yeah,

14:42

I want to. I want that to be here, to that to be seen. But

14:44

like how many times can we talk about the X factor

14:46

in the game.

14:47

One hundred percent?

14:48

But having mahomes that's a great that's a great

14:50

coup for you.

14:52

Uh yeah, I mean I listen.

14:54

I think getting to Sunday.

14:55

At six thirty is very difficult

14:58

because you know, there's not a lot on early in the

15:00

day. There'll be some NBA or college basketball,

15:02

but getting this Sunday at six thirty is

15:05

a very difficult proper position. It's a

15:07

long day in the East before you get

15:09

to the game, so that's a problem.

15:11

You gotta kill the day per se.

15:13

But I know on Monday

15:16

will be easy, Tuesday will be easy,

15:18

and then it will be a little slow. From a sports

15:21

talk standpoint.

15:21

You have to live with it.

15:23

We'll do it.

15:23

We want that I do.

15:25

And we do a little parade talk Wednesday.

15:27

Who's gonna be funny on the parade? And

15:29

we do a little and it's like, let's get to the end of the week.

15:32

For me. You know, I'm on these studio shows.

15:35

What's your studio show?

15:37

Like if you were building it?

15:38

I do with this.

15:38

I do Bill Simmons' podcast every Friday,

15:40

and his thing is there's just too many,

15:44

like we don't need there's six

15:46

guys on there, so give me your dream, make

15:50

your dream studio.

15:50

Have to people who the people and

15:53

two people.

15:54

You don't need six seven guys, I

15:56

mean, my god, is so much. I mean, look

15:58

at CBS. They got SIMS, and

16:00

I have Burlson, and I have James Brown,

16:03

they have Coward they're gonna put obviously.

16:07

JJ Watt Boomer.

16:08

I mean he got six guys. Oh my

16:11

god, I don't need six guys talk to me about

16:13

this game. Couple of guys

16:15

enough, Oh Drives, You're crazy. And

16:17

that's one of the reasons why I tune out. I

16:20

can't deal with six guys talking

16:22

about the same game for four and a half five

16:24

hours.

16:24

It's way, way, way too much.

16:26

And I'd say it pet peeve of mine and

16:28

I do it all the time with the postgame, and

16:31

it's the network NFI network, and it's

16:34

also ESPN, and ESPN

16:36

did this after the Lions

16:38

game. They went to Campbell and

16:41

they cut out before Campbell

16:43

talked about the missfield. Why do you go for the

16:45

field goals?

16:47

Now?

16:47

Hold on, hold on, hold on, that's

16:50

what America wants to know right now. Why

16:52

did he opt not to kick

16:54

two field goals in the second half on fourth

16:56

down, and they did not go to the

16:58

SoundBite of him answering that question and

17:01

when they losing coach, especially

17:04

when he gets to that microphone after

17:06

the game Sunday.

17:07

I want to hear the press conference. Okay,

17:09

I don't.

17:09

Need to see Steve Young or anybody else

17:12

babbling about it.

17:13

Booger. I love the guys.

17:15

I want to see the freaking press conference

17:17

that goes for you too. About network,

17:19

I get it, Show me the people on the press

17:21

conference, the losing coach.

17:23

I want to hear the questions.

17:24

I want to hear ten straight minutes of it, and

17:26

they refuse to give it to you, and it drives me

17:29

absolutely. That's not having

17:31

a feel of the American football

17:33

fan in that scenario. Losing

17:36

coach off every big

17:38

event as a fan is

17:40

essential, and too many producers

17:42

don't understand that, and they cut out of

17:44

it before you get.

17:45

The gist of what the losing coach has to say.

17:48

I think one of the coolest things of the

17:50

NFC AFC Championship games and the

17:52

Super Bowl is that a lot of times on

17:55

camera and sometimes I remember it was Aaron Andrews

17:57

A couple times and it was Chris

18:00

Meyers one time that I gotta think Wolfson

18:02

does the winner, and then Evan Washburn

18:04

I guess on Steia. I like when they interview the

18:07

losing coach in the locker room right after

18:09

the game, and you've got the that's a good, that's good,

18:11

but again not as promoted

18:13

as often as Hey, after this, we're gonna

18:15

get back to the guys in the studio. They're gonna break down the

18:17

game.

18:19

And there's too many examples where

18:21

the questions in that spot

18:23

they're generic.

18:25

If somebody blows the game, I got

18:27

to hear it. Get specific.

18:28

They're afraid of getting them aggravated and everything

18:30

else. Get specific. And I know it's a

18:33

difficult job. You got somebody in your

18:35

headset job and you're crazy, but you

18:37

know, for instance, when

18:39

Mahomes beat the Bills,

18:42

yep okay had

18:44

him on the field.

18:46

The first thing they asked, well, how about Baltimore?

18:49

Even the second game.

18:51

I don't want to hear about the ravens now I

18:53

know, Sibby, I'm not interested

18:56

talk about the first pass in the third quarter

18:58

when Scottling made a big catch on the right sideline.

19:01

First time in the season. He had two catches

19:03

for more than thirty yards and heldus Scanley, who

19:05

mahomes his public supported throughout

19:07

Like that's a cool story.

19:08

It's a good one, you know, talk about the idea

19:10

you want a road game in Buffalo, the fact that you heard

19:12

that you couldn't win, and there's not enough

19:15

of that going on, and it drives me absolutely

19:18

crazy.

19:18

And boy, what a bet I had.

19:20

I had scolding on the over of sixteen

19:22

and a half yards against the Ravens.

19:24

Last played a game again.

19:28

Till the game that's a great one. Uh,

19:31

you know it's the sideliner for all that stuff? Is

19:33

it the game of itself? Now? I

19:35

love Monday

19:37

mornings during the football season because

19:39

I know that at seven am Eastern there

19:41

there might not be the same amount people watching want

19:45

to give content what I have to say, and

19:48

people want to hear what I when

19:51

you when you have to write that monologue

19:54

Monday after Super Bowl,

19:56

super Bowl Sunday or not right, but do that at

19:58

one o'clock or whenever the radio show starts.

20:01

And I go back to when you guys used to recap sopranos

20:03

back at Mike and the Mad Dog. Is

20:06

that your favorite moment that you when you first

20:08

given the.

20:09

Monologue after

20:11

a big game. There's

20:13

nothing better. Now listen,

20:16

A.

20:16

Mannequin could have done it. But

20:19

Campbell is a perfect example. They

20:21

played the game Sunday night. It's

20:24

it's over ten thirty,

20:26

and I'm on the next day at three. I don't

20:28

listen to any other shows. I

20:31

want to make sure I'm not swayed, so

20:33

when I go in here, you'll block it all out. I

20:36

don't follow. I mean, I watched the postgame the night

20:38

before, but the morning off, I don't watch

20:40

much. But one Sunday at three Monday

20:43

at three o'clock rolls around days a

20:45

perfect example. I'm gonna go twenty

20:48

minutes and I'm going to kill in

20:50

this case Campbell, which is to me an absolute

20:52

lamp. And I don't rehearse

20:55

it. I have it in my head what I'm gonna say,

20:57

but I don't rehearse it. I just let

20:59

it flow. And that is the

21:01

perfect storm of a

21:03

big game, controversy,

21:07

terrible loss, and a night

21:09

game the night before.

21:10

You're on.

21:10

Now, if that game Saturday, you can't do as

21:12

much on it because you've got a day in between.

21:15

So you need this Sunday.

21:16

But That is an absolute perfect

21:19

storm for a talk show host like me. It's

21:21

simple, and I'm good at the rants. I

21:24

can talk forever. I don't have to rely on a

21:26

lot of calls early now. For instance,

21:28

on Monday, if I have a Shanahan screw

21:30

up, or if I have a terrible conclusion

21:32

of the game, that's an easy layup

21:35

to.

21:35

Get to the show.

21:36

I'll do it at three, I'll do it again at

21:38

five. I'd probably have something to work

21:40

with on Tuesday. So I'll

21:42

have this game. If it's

21:45

got a good conclusion with some drama,

21:47

it will get two or three days out of it. And that's

21:49

what I need for next week.

21:51

On the show.

21:52

We'll wrap with this. You and I

21:54

might be the biggest tennis fans

21:56

in mainstream media as far as just openly

21:58

say how much we love the racket sports. I don't

22:01

do pick a ball. I don't know if you do. But I've recently becovered

22:03

I've discovered adell. Have

22:06

you heard of now?

22:08

It's unbelievable.

22:10

Where I live, where I

22:12

play my tennis in Fairfield County,

22:14

Connecticut, we just put a

22:16

padel court in.

22:19

There's only two in Connecticut.

22:20

There's one in Norwalk and one in New Canaan, and

22:22

we put a padel court in. Now I don't play

22:25

it, but all my buddies this

22:27

last pass to the summer loved

22:30

it and played it.

22:31

I tried it. I still love the

22:34

tennis more.

22:35

But all my buddies in September did

22:37

not want to play tennis doubles. They

22:39

wanted to play padel So I'm very familiar

22:42

with it, much more than picketball they

22:44

wanted to play.

22:45

Now.

22:45

They play the paddle. They play

22:47

a lot of that in the winter, but they love the padell.

22:49

We only have the one court and getting a court

22:51

reserving it was very difficult.

22:54

Did I ever convince you to come out with me

22:56

and my buddies here I'm in Brooklyn, New York.

22:58

Yes, to play tennis in the city, absolutely

23:01

absolutely.

23:03

I have not played a lot in the winter yet.

23:06

I play a lot. Once April comes, I'll play

23:08

four tames a week.

23:09

I'll play a lot of tennis. Uh, yes,

23:12

absolutely, I can definitely do that. I'll

23:14

come down and you know, maybe on a first take

23:16

day come over.

23:17

And yeah, great, I'm

23:20

not gonna waste any more of your time. I could literally do this for

23:22

three hours and uh if then

23:24

when you want to give me a show on.

23:25

You you got him a great job. You do a wonderful

23:27

job.

23:28

I go to Connecticut Muffin and U

23:30

Canaan every day and they

23:32

have the NFL network on there every day, and

23:34

I'm in there at about six seven o'clock.

23:36

I watch you all the time.

23:38

Love this. I so appreciate

23:40

you. Thanks for all you doing. Don't let jj Redick

23:44

was a freaking They're gonna make Medeck. I think they

23:46

make Weddeck the replacing doc. Look

23:49

for that. I think he's good on

23:51

the games. He's very good on the games, very

23:53

serious in the studio, and you and him are a good

23:55

counterbalance to each other.

23:56

We have fun with them. We have fun. Good job,

23:59

Pete, you got the man.

24:00

Thank you, Chris, You're the best.

24:26

Mad Dog Russo Aaron

24:28

wan Kaufman my producer here on here. You could tell

24:30

I was fanboying man out. I think I pitched myself for

24:32

a show on his network six different times.

24:35

Yeah.

24:37

I don't know if I've ever heard you say kindred

24:39

spirits, and I don't think i've ever heard you say

24:41

it three times four times? You

24:43

but you you like clearly I

24:46

mean, I have always known that you love

24:48

the history of the game, and you have this

24:50

recollection of stats and previous games,

24:54

and that was like watching.

24:57

I mean that, I mean, I don't know.

24:59

That was like some young quarterback

25:01

getting to work out with my homes and being like, wait,

25:03

yeah.

25:04

Dude, he's referencing y He's

25:07

referencing Keysar Stadium, and I'm trying to one up

25:09

him. But I'm like, he's like, I's talk about fifty seven fifty

25:11

seven keys Our stadium. That's That's what I'm talking

25:13

about.

25:14

Now.

25:14

He's great, and I love how he just he's got he's

25:17

got. He's got that. I don't give a leap

25:19

where he's like the

25:22

CBS pregame show, you know, it doesn't do it for

25:24

me, and he just like goes off and You're like, I would never

25:26

do that because those are like, you know, who

25:28

knows I might be working with those guys, right.

25:30

He doesn't care. He's like, I'm mad dog, I'm in my sixties.

25:32

I'm gonna say what I say. Uh gosh.

25:34

She was great and I so appreciate

25:37

his place in the sports media landscape.

25:40

That said, it is time to

25:43

unveil my official Super Bowl prediction.

25:46

If you listen to this podcast

25:48

or you watch me on TV, you know I've had a bit of good

25:51

fortune with these picks over the years. We went

25:53

back in the tapes, it's not five years straight that that was

25:55

a that was an outright mistake. Truth

25:58

is, I've either picked the right Super Bowl

26:00

matchup or

26:03

the winner in the last four Super Bowls.

26:05

And in this years instance, I

26:07

actually before the season picked

26:10

the Chiefs and the forty nine Ers to square

26:12

off. And I'll tell you I

26:14

had the Rams winning the Super Bowl. I had the

26:16

Rams being the Chiefs. The Rams actually beat the Bengals.

26:19

I had the Chiefs winning last year,

26:21

and I said very specifically that Nick Bolton

26:24

was going to have the game winning touchdown

26:26

or the game winning play, which he did, and

26:29

I said they were going to beat the Packers. Packers didn't even

26:31

make the playoffs last year. They actually

26:33

ended up beating the Eagles, so I didn't even have going

26:35

to the tournament before the season

26:38

started. But this year I've been spot on, and

26:40

this year I have a flawless

26:42

record with every single playoff game

26:44

except one. I

26:47

had the Cowboys beating the Packers in

26:49

the wild or in the Divisional round. That is

26:51

the only was that Wildcar

26:53

round or division that was the Wildcar round? Right? It was Wildcar

26:56

Round. That's the only game I've gotten wrong, I think as

26:58

far as the playoffs, and no, I might have had another one. Oh

27:00

I had the Browns. I had the Browns

27:02

beating the Texans them. So I'm sitting

27:04

pretty I wawless

27:06

divisional round picks, wawless Championship

27:09

round picks. And before the season.

27:12

Let's go to what we did on the podcast. Let me

27:14

toss to the clip. Here's what we said on September

27:16

seventh, before kickoff on

27:18

how I thought this season Super Bowl matchup

27:21

would go. My winners from the

27:23

NFC, the

27:25

San Francisco forty nine ers. I

27:27

think they play a punishing brand of football that

27:29

is with Nick Bosa or without. I

27:32

think their defense always sets the standard. And

27:34

as much as I love Demko Ryans, I don't think they

27:36

missed that much of a beat without

27:39

him. They keep ongoing. They've got young talent

27:41

at every position there and then on offense, Kyle Shanahan

27:43

is a mad genius. I think he finally has a quarterback

27:46

that can operate his offense that he

27:48

believes he could put in trust and really

27:50

get them over the hump. He's a former mister

27:52

Irrelevant and that is okay. I've

27:54

got McCaffrey as my MVP. I think Deebo

27:57

has a big year. I think Ayuk is a big year.

27:59

I think Trent Williams might going out on

28:01

a swan song here in his last couple of seasons,

28:03

but I think he's still the best tackle in the league.

28:06

I'm going with the San Francisco forty nine

28:08

ers as my team out of the NFC.

28:12

As for the AFC, really

28:15

really struggled with this. Yeah,

28:17

I can't pick against the Chiefs. I

28:20

don't care if Chris Jones is there. I don't

28:22

care if Tyreek Hill's not there. I

28:24

don't care if any of those guys aren't there. I can't

28:26

pick against the Chiefs. The Chiefs have been

28:29

the standard and last year was a great

28:31

lesson. I stuck with them. I picked

28:33

them the wins Super Bowl despite losing Tyreek Hill. I think I might

28:35

have been in an island on that, and that sounds wild considering how

28:37

much success they have. I will

28:39

not pick against Patrick Mahomes and Travis

28:41

Kelcey until I am forced to and

28:43

I am not forced to pick against them. They are still

28:46

at the peak of their game. I had a chance to spend

28:48

time with them this offseason at that big

28:50

Slick Charity Classic, and I was hanging

28:52

with them, and I swear to god, I left that thing being like, those

28:54

guys are great. And then I talked to us some people

28:56

around the league and I'm like, I don't know. They seem like we haveing a

28:58

little towo good of a time this offseason with the golf

29:01

and this, and there are concerts and it's like Mahomes

29:03

and Kelsey are everywhere in the podcast and

29:06

start turning away and then you're like, holy crap, they're

29:08

just so good. I am going with the Chiefs.

29:11

I don't know how they get there. I don't know if it's through a one

29:13

seed and they host all these games at Arrowhead.

29:15

I don't know if they've got to go on the road. But like

29:18

I said, it's

29:20

one of those deals, my eyes will not deceive me. And

29:22

if there's a fourth quarter and Patrick Mahomes needs

29:24

to get it done in a big spot, he has gotten it done every single

29:26

time. I'm going with Kansas City. Now, this

29:29

was a super Bowl, A few years back in Miami. We

29:31

go from one party city to the next. We go to Vegas.

29:34

Forty nine Ers versus Chiefs,

29:37

the Super Bowl Champions for

29:39

the Super Bowl in Las Vegas on CBS.

29:42

Drum roll please, Aaron. The

29:47

Kansas City Chiefs will be your first back to

29:49

back Super Bowl champion winners since the New England

29:51

Patriots did it in two thousand and three and two thousand

29:54

and four. I am going with the Chiefs.

29:57

I love what they are all about. I

29:59

love that people are doubting them, and I love

30:01

the fact that Mahomes and Kelsey

30:04

are ready to go. Back on September

30:07

seventh, here we are as we head towards

30:09

the Super Bowl, less than forty eight hours away,

30:11

and here's how I see it going down. I do still

30:14

think it's going to be a shootout.

30:16

I know that sounds crazy. Spags's defense has

30:18

been so dialed in, but you give Kyle Shanahan

30:20

two weeks to prepare, you better

30:23

believe you're getting the best at Christian McCaffrey,

30:25

Deebo, Samuel George Kittle, Kyle

30:27

Yuschek, and then the sunsung hero of this team,

30:29

Brandon Ayuk, who has become an incredible wide

30:31

receiver. I think you will see

30:33

a couple plays to a guy they called third and Juwan.

30:36

That's Juwan Johnson. I think he make a couple

30:38

of big plays. I also think that offensive

30:40

line is healthy. I think Trent Williams

30:42

has been outstanding these playoffs.

30:45

This team is going to move the ball on

30:47

spags and that's something that the

30:50

Baltimore Ravens could not do. It is something

30:52

that the Miami Dolphins absolutely could not do.

30:54

But I have full confidence that Kyle Shanahan

30:56

will dial it up in a million ways, and between

30:59

he and Clint Kubiak and Brian Greci

31:01

and the rest of those offensive coaches, they will put

31:03

up points. I don't know

31:06

if we see Cadarius

31:08

Tony. I think he had one of the greatest

31:11

out of nowhere performances in the Super Bowl last

31:13

year with the big punt return and the touchdown. But

31:15

I don't know if he plays in this one, as he has been not

31:18

on the field throughout the playoffs. But if he's out

31:20

there, I'd watch for him to have a couple of cool gadget

31:23

plays. Truth of the matter is, Chaeco

31:25

has been as good a running back in the NFL as

31:28

anyone not named mccaff free

31:30

in the last sex six weeks of the season. He

31:32

is reliable. He killed

31:35

the Ravens and he killed the

31:37

Dolphins a couple weeks earlier. I think Pachaco eats.

31:40

I think this game goes back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.

31:42

Now, the tragedy of it all is that you know who

31:44

I'm picking. I'm picking the Kansas City Chiefs. The

31:46

tragedy is this let

31:49

to be one of the great great Super Bowls. I really do

31:51

think so shootout the whole deal. I

31:53

think it's gonna be like twenty one

31:56

to twenty one or twenty four

31:58

to twenty one heading into the fourth quarter, and

32:01

I think that the Niners are going to have a lead. The

32:04

Niners are going to have a lead at say twenty

32:06

eight to twenty seven, and it's going

32:08

to be one of these deals where they're up, they're holding

32:11

on. And I do think

32:14

that it is going to be a Trent McDuffie,

32:17

he's six in the fourth

32:19

quarter at will ins the game of

32:22

the Kansas City Chiefs, and I do think

32:24

that the Kansa City Chiefs defense slams the door one

32:26

more time so I've got to go in this way,

32:29

thirty four to twenty

32:32

eight. Thirty four to

32:34

twenty eight. Now, I got that figure

32:37

out how how that scoring works, because

32:39

if they're down a point, they wouldn't kick an extra point,

32:41

they would go for two. Whatever it is, I'm

32:43

going with thirty four to twenty eight, and

32:46

I cannot say it enough. Trent McDuffie.

32:48

Trent McDuffie, Trent McDuffie. Now, Aaron,

32:50

here's the issue. Trent McDuffie has

32:52

never had an interception in the NFL, never, and

32:55

yet I think in the Super Bowl he saves

32:57

the best for the last. He's one of the most physical corners

32:59

in the league. He and Steed have been great all season.

33:02

I see an interception, Bang,

33:04

bang, Niner Gang. I love it. The

33:06

Niners have done this season. I picked them to win the NFC.

33:09

They have done that. It's an amazing story.

33:11

And yet at the end of the day, I think it's Kelsey,

33:13

I think it's Mahomes, I think it's Reed, I think

33:15

it's Spagnolo, I think it's stone cold Chris

33:18

Jones. And I think it's those guys winning

33:20

another Super Bowl, the first back to back

33:22

Super Bowl winners since

33:24

two thousand and four, when the Patriots

33:27

won back to back Super Bowls, beating

33:29

the Carolina Panthers and the Philadelphia Eagles

33:32

in consecutive years. Mahomes

33:34

majestic again. He will be your MVP,

33:36

but Trent McDuffie will make the

33:39

play. On that note,

33:41

I signed off. I will see you guys next

33:43

week. Will recap the Super Bowl. This

33:46

is Peter Schreger. This is the Season with Peter Schreger.

33:48

This is the Trent McDuffie pick six that

33:50

we will be talking about for the rest of time. Enjoy

33:53

your super Bowl weekend, ever, everybody, thank

33:56

you for Elisabeth. The

34:16

Season with Peter Schrager is a production

34:18

of the NFL in partnership with iHeartRadio.

34:21

For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio

34:24

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34:26

you get your podcasts.