Transcript of Hour 2: 99 Nuggets?!?!?!?! (feat. Stan Van Gundy)

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This is the Dan Levatore Show with the Stugats podcast.

We welcome in the one and only Stan VanGundi. He's doing analysis for Amazon now. Amazon Prime Video. Stan, welcome to the show. Let me start right there, actually. What's been the experience like working at Amazon? Because I wonder, for someone who's doing the game broadcast, is it pretty much the same no matter what network you work at?

Well, yeah, the broadcast itself is the same. I'm working with Some people that I've worked with before, Iron Eagle, I worked with at TNT, so I'm used to working with him. We've got directors, producers, camermen that I have worked for. But I really have enjoyed Amazon, the entire team. I think they're very committed to making this the best project possible, both in the studio and on game broadcast. Obviously, they're a tech company, and they want to integrate more and more of that as time goes on. I think it's going to be fantastic. I think it's like anything. I mean, you've worked in the NBA also, and now doing what you're doing, when you work with people who are committed to putting out a good product, it's tremendously motivating. And that's what I've experienced at the NBA on Prime so far.

Stan, I work with people right now who are committed to torturing Chris Cody. He had a challenge today, a punishment he had to do, where he had to eat 99 nuggets in the span of the show today. We have about less than 40 minutes to go in the show. He's at 66. Do you have any words of wisdom that you can share with him?

I'm struggling, Stan.

I don't think you're struggling. I think you've got this with no problem whatsoever. Yeah. If I need you for that. I think that this was a gimme. I would have been betting on you all the way.

Would you go sauce or no sauce on the nugget?

No sauce.

Really?

Yeah, you just don't need the extra calories. I mean, you're looking for every bit of space you can get.

Chris, how do you feel?

I'm feeling like...

Coach said he believes in you.

I feel like I did though. 66, pick up sticks. We're done here.

Can we get you to at least get to 70? Like 70. 70 is right. 4 more nuggets, man.

Chris, you can get to 100.

Come on, man. Stan, wow. I appreciate the support.

Way to coach him up.

I like it. Seventy is a good- All right, I'll try for you.

Coach, good to see you. Hope you're well. What's your read on this entire Ja Moran situation? How do you see this thing playing out?

I have no idea. We've seen this so many times in so many sports, right? I mean, you get a star player who's clearly not happy about where he is. The thing that I think, Mike, more than anything is it's just really a shame because this guy was one of the true stars, still is playing in the league. But he was a guy that everybody was excited about. And over the last three years, it's just, I don't know. I mean, it's been one problem after another. And I think it's a shame. This guy was one of the bright, shining young stars of the NBA, and now it's just become a sideshow.

Hey, Coach, how much responsibility, if any, does Tomas Isalo have during this situation? What is he supposed to do right now? He's been the coach for eight games. Clearly, he's changing or wants to change the way the team plays, and his star player is making a mess of the situation.

What's he supposed to do?

Well, look, I have no idea what happened going into this. What you read says that last year, Tomas Ishalo was brought in to, while Taylor Jenkins was still there to change the offense, and John Moran didn't like the change of that offense. Now, how much they talked to him, explained what they were doing, I have no idea. But you're always going to have conflicts. I mean, that's just the way it is. You're going to have conflicts, and how you handle them is in large part going to determine the success of what goes on. I don't care where you are. There's nothing that is smooth and easy. I mean, you look at the Golden State Warriors, the dynasty of this era in the NBA, and there's great cohesion between Steve Kerr and, say, Draymon Green. But there have been a lot of bumps along the way. It's always going to be there. That's just the nature of highly successful people with big egos. And I don't say that as a negative. I don't look at big egos as a negative. But you have highly successful people with big egos who think they know best working together.

There's going to be conflict, and you've got to learn to to get through that conflict. So hopefully, Memphis will be able to figure that out. Hopefully, Ja Moran and Tomás Ishalo will get on the same page, but it's just not easy.

Coach, one of the things that seems like the new wave around the league is these decentralized offenses that deemphasize pick and rolls and ISOs and try to get more motion going. Miami is having great success with it, but also you look at the Knicks, you look at Chicago, Memphis, to some extent, they're all experimenting in this space. Why do you think traditionally we haven't had a lot of those types of offenses in the NBA?

Well, look, I think what's happened more than anything is the pace of the game has picked up so much that the coaches are teaching more concepts, principles offensively than running set plays and things like that. And so I think that's been the biggest thing. Now, everybody, when they need a bucket, is still going to their stuff, their people, and trying to have more control over who's going to have the ball in their hands. But in general, we're just letting guys play. I think that the positive of that is that more people are involved offensively, which I think players enjoy. I think the downside of it is if you're a team that doesn't have a great depth of quality players, you can get yourself into trouble. You probably want to be back more where you're keeping the ball in the hands of the guys who can make plays. And so I think some of these teams trying to play that style with rosters who aren't good across the board end up looking worse than maybe they should.

Stan, even though it's just seven games, what the Heat are doing right now, the scoring, how fast they're playing, it's a style of play we're not used to seeing them play here. Like I said, it's only seven games, but have we seen enough to think that this is sustainable and they're going to be able to have success like this?

Yeah, I think so. Now, it on how you're going to define success. This is still not a championship level roster. I think what it is, is like it is every year, in my opinion, with Eric Spolstra, is He's always going to find a way to maximize the talent he has on hand. And we've seen teams across his head coaching career play very, very different styles based on who he has had. And he's done it again. This is not a guy whose teams look the same year after year after year. He looks at his roster, he tries to figure out how to maximize it, and they have really tried to up-tempo this thing this year. And it's going to be really interesting to watch. I think it's sustainable because especially at the offensive end, what they've done so far has been done without arguably their best offensive player in Tyler Hero. So I think when he comes back, it certainly makes it more sustainable. And I just love watching. Look, I'm biased because I worked with Eric for a long time, but I I think even unbiased people, more neutral people, would tend to agree. I think it's always interesting watching Eric's teams in the way that he finds a way to maximize that talent.

Is anyone off to a slow start that you're especially surprised to see?

Well, I mean, there's always early in the year. Look, I think neither New York or Cleveland are off to great starts. Orlando, I thought was a team really on the rise, and I I still do. I mean, we're just early, but they took another loss last night, and they're at three and five. In the East, I think those teams. Minnesota in the West has not been off to a good start. Now, Anthony Edwards is hurt. I guess those would probably be the biggest surprises to me, but I wouldn't say... Nothing that happens in the first eight games of the year is a surprise. Amin has been around it. I would be interested in his input on it. I got asked the other night on our broadcast by Iron Eagle, how far into a season before you think you have a pretty good handle on who teams are, and I think 20 games. I think you've got to be a quarter of the way into the year. And even then, that's only if your team has been reasonably healthy before you know what you have. So eight games into the year, I don't think a lot is is really shocking.

We'll just have to see how things play out.

Absolutely, Coach. I always like to remind people, eight games into the year, this is like a game and a half into the NFL season. So if you were at halftime of game two of the NFL season, Oh, everything's awful. Everyone will call you overreacting there. It's the same thing for us at this point. 20 games is the same thing I've always gone with as far as feeling like you got to feel for a team.

Yeah, I totally agree. Really, it takes time. And to be honest, I I think it takes coaches that long to really know what they have. We were just talking about Eric Spolstra. Eric Spolstra, he's going to go into the season with this plan and style of play, as all these coaches are. But there's always going to be tinkering. Now, he's not going to go back to walking the ball up the floor. That I would bet on. But there's always tinkering because you, as a coach, need time to figure out who your team is. Oklahoma City probably does not, and they know who they are. But a lot of these teams, you need time to figure out if what your plan was, if what you thought you had will actually materialize on the court. So we will see these teams change as the season develops. And I always think that's one of the most interesting things to watch, at least from a coaching standpoint for me, is the adjustments guys make as time goes on.

Coach, the Sixers are in a weird place because they have two windows that are open, right?

They've got the young core that looks really good, but they also have PG and Joel Embiid, who doesn't look really good. Where do you see the Sixers this year?

That's a great question. We just had their game last Friday, and I think it's really interesting, especially in the PG part of it. Joel Embiid, you're going to just keep hoping his health comes around and that he can be a huge part of what you do. But the problem with with the Paul George situation is number one, I don't know where Paul is as a player at this point. As you get older, and especially when you're coming out a lot of the injuries, I don't know where he ranks as a player. What we do know is whatever minutes Paul George gets are going to take minutes from some of those really good young players, because let's remember, they've still got Jared McCain, too. So you've We've got Maxi, Edgecombe, Jared McCain, Kelly Ubrey is playing the best basketball of his career. I mean, where are the minutes for all of these guys? And does Paul George get in 30, 32 minutes a night? Help you or hurt you in both the short term and the long term, those will be decisions that Darryl Mori and nick Ners are going to have to figure out as time goes on.

Do you move on from a guy like Paul George, see what you can get for him, or do you think you've got a team that can contend in the East? I said going into the year, Philly was the biggest wild card in the NBA. A lottery team from last year, but with the talent they have. And Edgecom early on has been even better than I expected. I mean, this team could be as good as any team in the East. I mean, if you just match up their roster right down the line, why would they not be able to compete with Cleveland and New York that people expect to be at the top? Now, the probability is they don't stay healthy. I mean, let's face it, that's just been the history of these guys. But if they are, they're as good as anyone in the East.

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Punctuate this segment with what is your strike three call?

Strike one would be, strike. Then you stand up and you give a good point to the right. Stugatz. That's same for strike two. But strike three, you get down low. You got your hands behind the catcher. The right arm goes up into the air. And then you finish it with the punch. The right arm flings way up into the air.

I wish I could see that. It's terrible. The audio is great. This is the Dan Levatard show with the Stugats.

Coach, offensive rebounding is on the rise all across the league, and it's led by none other than the Houston Rockets who've been playing this massive lineup with Thompson at the point and Durant and Shungun, and a two big lineup with Shungun and Adams, although they started Josh O'Koggi the other night. How How sustainable do you think that is? Just playing big and just beating people up on the glass.

Yeah, look, I mean, first of all, they got a lot more go-to offense with Durant. And so I don't have any doubt that it's sustainable. Now, do I think they're going to rebound 40 % of their misses the entire year like they're doing now? That might not be sustainable, but they're going to be right at the top of that. I think the thing that I question whether it's sustainable is whether they can have the most efficient offense in the league, which they have right now, playing essentially without a point guard. Look, I've been really impressed with the Min Thompson and what he's done. But over the course of the year, are they going to be able to sustain that level of efficiency? I think people are going to pressure them more and more. Turnovers have already been a problem. That could continue to be one. And defensively, quite honestly, they're just not as good. Eme O'Doka is doing a great job. They're playing a lot more zone even than they did last year. He did go away from the two big lineup as a starting lineup. He didn't like it the first couple of games.

He put Steven Adams back on the bench, but he plays a lot of time with Shin Gun with Adams and even Shin Gun with Clint Capella. I'm really looking forward to seeing them in person. We have their game Friday night in San Antonio, which I think is a real interesting game, San Antonio being one of the early season surprises. I think Houston's a team. Look, we can talk about all the contenders in the West, and this is at least at the start of the year has been what I've expected. There's a lot of really good teams in the West. It's going to be It's a huge battle, and there's no one right now who's shown me that they're ready to challenge Oklahoma City.

Stan, how ridiculous is Wembenyama?

Wow. I mean, we've never seen anyone like Victor Wembenyama First of all, there's just not very many people at his size that have ever played. I mean, in a league full of big people for a long time, there's very few people at his size. And then when you add in the skill, it's incredible. And I like a couple of things on what they've done with him. I think Mitch Johnson has done a very, very good job And I think Wim Benyam has made some good adjustments. He's taken far fewer threes, fewer than half as many threes as he took last year. And look, he's not a bad three-point shooter. And so you certainly want that element in his game. But I just know if you're coaching against him, every time the 7'5 guy plays at 24 feet, 25 feet from the basket, I'm happy, because when he's around the rim at either end of the floor, there's nothing you can do with him, and he's around the rim a lot more. And what Mitch Johnson has done is when they get to their half-court offense, and they're one of the slowest-paced teams in the league, is they're playing him at the elbow a lot, which It means he can get to the rim easily in one dribble, but he's not starting behind the line.

Most of the teams now, you see those centers starting out high behind the three-point line. He does some of that. But in large part in their half-court offense, he's down at the elbow. So he's not in the position starting out initially to just catch and shoot the three. He's thinking, Attack the rim. That has really helped him. And that's just the offensive end of the Defensively, he's dominant. In a strange way, though, their defense is going to have to get better. I think they lean on him a little too much. I'm not talking about the coaching staff. I'm talking about the players. They lean on him a little too much, and I don't think they take enough responsibility individually on the perimeter guard in the ball because they just count on him to clean everything up. I think they're going to have to get better in that area.

Did Would you like how the Suns tried to approach it? I think they had a guy at the nail at all times, and then as soon as the help would come from the post feed, the guy at the nail would rotate over and then the guy on the weak side, and they just kept going in a circle. It seemed to really stymie Wembenyama a little bit in terms of just not knowing where the help was coming from.

Yeah, a little bit. I thought actually that it was a great defensive strategy by Phoenix because you have to center your strategy on Wembeya drama. I think two things, though. I think number one, with all the rotating Phoenix was going to do, I'm not sure there's that many teams right now that will play as hard consistently as Phoenix does. Jordan Ots done a great job instilling that. They've only won three games, but look, that team plays exceptionally hard. I But I think a lot of teams, if you have the same strategy with not that level of intensity and effort, you're not going to get the job done. Your rotations are going to be too late. And then the second thing is, I thought Wimbunyama made really good decisions. I don't think he forced the issue. I thought he found the right people. Let's remember right now, San Antonio is really banged up. They're out a lot of people. They lost Dylan Harper in that game for a while. They haven't They haven't had Fox. They haven't had Sohan. They haven't had Kelly O'Linnick. They're down a lot of people, and they didn't shoot the ball well that game.

I actually thought they handled it pretty well, but you got to make shots. But that's exactly how I would approach San Antonio. You got to try to take Wimbunyama out and make some of those other people beat you. It was a great job by the sons.

Quick update for everybody. Chris has disappeared. He's been gone for a while.

He's had 69 nuggets. He needs one more to pass our sniff test.

But I've been watching the cameras on the monitors, and they show us all the different shots of the office, and I haven't seen him anywhere. Does anybody know where Chris Cody is? Is he alive?

We all know where he is. I don't know which bathroom he's in, but he's in one of them.

Zagaki. Stan nailed it. I just got an update in the shit chat.

You got that shit chat?

That shit chat. Just for a guest pass. I got a little tired of the shit chat, but I got added in today to see what this did to our boy. He's presently hovering over the porcelain God. Yeah, you don't want that sniff test.

I was going to say, I would think that would have been a pretty easy one to predict.

But do we feel that the evacuation now opens the door back up for the '99?

To the '99? Well, great question. That's Stan. That's the ruling on the field, right?

Absolutely. It's created space. That's what you need. You need space. And he's created the He's creating the space as we speak. Look, this may have been planned by Chris. He's a smart guy. This might have been all part of the strategy right here to fill up, get 69 of them down. All right? I don't have any more space. I got to create space. And then we're on to the next 30.

Stan, we know you love baseball.

Did you enjoy that World Series?

Not just the World Series, the entire baseball playoffs. I can't remember a better year in my entire life. I mean, incredible extra-inning games. The Dodgers brought back starting pitching. Who knew? Who knew that starters could go more than four innings in a postseason game? And we just had great baseball all along the way. I mean, the drama of the baseball playoffs was beyond anything I had ever seen. I'm sorry it's over. It's one of you didn't want to end. And what a fitting way to end it. Game seven, 11 innings. Miguel Rojas, of all people, sending the thing to extra innings. I mean, it was just unbelievable. I loved every minute of it, and I hated any time I couldn't see one of the games on TV. He's back.

Oh, there he is. He's stumbling in now. Chris, how did it go?

A little thumbs up. Thumbs up from Chris. He looks sweaty, but he looks relieved. There's a pep in his step, dare I say. Chris, we're... Oh, look at it. Chris, we were talking about this. Now that you've created some cap space...

How did you know?

Stan assumed. Stan called it, actually. Then Mike confirmed.

All over it. Via the chat. But as you know, this is a game of real estate acquisition. Yeah.

You got some cap space now, so you're going to go from some whales? Can we get to 99?

I feel a lot better about this last one than I did five minutes ago.

We got to get to 99.

I think we're out.

I think you're lying.

I think people thought I was stopping.

There's a 30 count of grilled nuggets out there. I can get you. Yeah, the grilled one.

You have the grilled ones. Hey, you know what, Tony? Go get the grilled nuggets.

Chris, it's just not happy.

Come on, man.

No, Chris, listen.

What, Stan?

I'm with you, Chris. I'm with you taste-wise. The grilled ones don't match up, but space-wise and your ability to eat a lot of them, I think grilled is the way to go now.

Thanks, Stan.

That's coaching, man.

You just got coached up by one of the best.

I need your support.

And I have it.

Stan, Springer was safe at the plate, wasn't he?

No. That was what a great... No, I think they had him. And listen, as we know from all these replays, you need conclusive evidence.

And they had it.

And the call in the field, I don't think they did. Thank you.

I don't think they had it. Thank you, Stan. Conclusive evidence. Thank you.

No, he's saying, I don't think they had conclusive evidence to overturn it. What we're saying is they'd be closer to having conclusive evidence to confirm it than any evidence that would tell you it wasn't the right call.

You guys don't understand three dimensions. That's all.

No, well, I'm with you. I thought he was out. A lot of people thought he was safe, and I get that. Whatever call was made on the field was going to stand. There was no way they were going to have enough conclusive evidence to overturn whichever way the call was made. What was amazing on that play to me was I thought Rojas was going to fall down. And to get up and make that play after hitting the home run. It's one of the things about baseball to me that makes it such a great game to watch in dramatic moments is because you have a line. Like, literally, everybody's part of it. Everybody plays. It's not like basketball where I can go stand a guy in each corner and Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, whoever make all the actual play. Days. Base, I don't care. You're the biggest star in the game. You're Shoheya Ohtani. You hit once out of every nine times. You don't have any control over where the other team hits the ball. Anybody could have to make a play. And so you get more probably unexpected, unlikely heroes than you do in any other game.

Coach, you sound more excited to talk about baseball than even basketball. And I'm wondering now with the new world of baseball, where so much of everything is dictated by the front office and numbers, you have the leadership skills. Do you think you could be an MLB manager? And should we be trying to find you a spot in the big league? You know what?

I would absolutely love that, but no, I don't know enough at all. I'm a fan, period.

How about single A? I thought we could get.

Texas lead.

When my friend Freddy Gonzales got the Marlins job years ago, I angled hard to be the bullpen coach. He said, But you don't know anything about pitching. And I said, No, but I can answer the phone. I can ask the guy if he's ready. And he says as he is. And I even offered to make the dinner reservations at night. But inexplicably, Freddie decided to go with someone who actually knew baseball and knew pitching. I didn't understand it, but that was, I thought, my best shot at breaking into the Major League.

I just love the idea of Stan answering the call. You ready? Yeah, he could go. In a baseball uniform.

Stan, I I know you've imagined what your pitching change would be like when you walk out. Are you tapping the right wrist? Are you just holding up the right arm? What would be your pitching change?

You know what? I hadn't thought of that, but that's a good question.

I think I'm a wrist tapper. I'm tapping the wrist.

I think the wrist tap is more dramatic.

Sometimes they try to be cute with it and just throw up the right-hand. Just throw up the right-hand. No, I'm tapping that wrist.

Yeah, I think you're right on that. I hadn't thought about it, but I'd go with you on that one.

There's also the finger point. There's also just the simple two fingers out. So you don't need the wrist tap You don't need the, Hey, I'm throwing. You just need the, Hey.

Well, especially if you've only got one guy warming up.

Because you know who's coming in.

Exactly. Now, Stan, if you were the bullpen coach and there's a fight, when the bench is clear, the bullpen, the relief pitchers, they all run from the outfield.

Would you run with them?

I don't run. I might walk with them. I don't run. But I love what John Smultz said on the broadcast. He said it was one of the most senseless things in the sport when the bull It's my favorite. They'd come in.

I love it.

I just take a couple- By the time they get there, it's over.

You take a couple steps out of the bullpen. Just let them know that they have your support. Just a couple steps out of the bullpen.

Come on. Have we ever I've never seen, I'm sure we have at some point, but I've never seen a guy from the bullpen come in and actually get in the middle of a fight and do anything. I mean, they all come running in because it's one of those old-time, unwritten baseball rules that, Hey, if there's something, everybody's got to come in. But in this day and age, nothing happens, and those guys just end up getting a little running in. I need your support.

You get a little Jeff Teague action. I'm running out there, but I don't really want to be there.

Oh, hey, we see that in the NBA all the time. I always say there's the guys who they wait to do all their talking until their teammates are in the middle of holding them back. Then they're brave as heck. But they're always walking backwards while they're talking. They're always walking backwards. There's a few guys, I will say, like the Morris brothers. Those guys are taking a step forward. I had Marcus for a while. Marcus wanted it. You want to go? Let's go. There were guys... Quentin Richardson was never really looking to start anything, but he was not a guy backing up either. Keith Askins, never a guy backing up. If you want to go, I'm more than willing to go. But there aren't many of those guys. Most of them want to talk tough, and they don't want any part of it, nor should they, to be honest. It's just not worth it for what it costs your team. So I'm not being negative about it. I'm just saying there's a lot of posturing with guys who really don't have any intention of fighting.

Here we go, Stan. Number 70.

Down the hatch.

Chris Coat. You got it.

You got it easy, Chris.

I hated about 80% of this. First 20%, we were cooking. Hated the last-80%? No. The last 2 hours I've hated. The first hour, the first 24, when I popped them like 20. 36 minutes. I ate them like Skittles in the first hour.

Well, here's the thing. We got to go. You guys got to run a poll. You got to get the over-under on after this experience, when Chris will eat nuggets again in his life, how long will it take before he can have another nugget? What's the over and your other?

I actually use that as making me... It made me feel better because last night, my wife and my mom were texting me and telling me, Hey, no, this is not safe. I don't want you doing this. I said, I actually think in the next year, this will be one of my lowest overall nugget years because I'm just not going to eat them again for two years. Whereas if I would have done eight per week, let's do that math.

A low cumulative score. Yeah, low aggregate nugget year.

Exactly.

Here we go. Number 70.

Number 70 down the hatch. See it.

Yeah, there it is, ladies and gentlemen. Good for you. That's a C, ladies and gentlemen. That is a C student. You got to do it.

Good for you. Happy to have a C.

The widow maker would be proud.

Walking out of that report card held high.

Stan, thanks so much for joining us. Thank you, Stan.

We appreciate it. Absolutely, guys. Always great to talk to you.

Love you, Stan.

Okay. Bye, guys.

You didn't get one back. Sucks when that happens.

Love you. Okay.

Zaz has been doing that with people in the office, too.

What do you mean? People say they love you, and you're not saying, I love you back.

You say, All right.

Yeah, all right.

You think you're a player? I mean, you think you're the guy to just hand out I love you? Is that candy? Is there anyone in this office you love?

My love is no joke.

Thanks for answering the question.

The question is-I think I did answer the question.

What about Dan? Dan Lebetard. For five minutes, I was watching everyone just like, Nope, not letting you in, not letting you in. So when I got up there, I had to say something, and I said it. Cheaters never prosper. Stugatz. My buddy was saying, not today. Yeah, but you're trying. Not today. I think that was what he was adding. Yeah, that would have been so much better. I'm telling you, the response I got from this guy, what I said was amazing. He got him. Cheaters never prosper. This guy yelled as angry as he could, I ain't cheating.

This is the Dan Levatard show with the Stugatz.

Let's go to the useless sound montage every week. Bunch of crap comes out of the speakers. Let's go.

There, that's my guy right there.

That's the National Football League, man. You get one shot about every seven days. That's a funny league.

You don't apologize for winning in this league.

It's too hard week in and week out, especially on the road.

They had a great plan and they have great players, and they made a lot of place today. This isn't a game where we're discouraged. Got to find a way to move the chains on third down and maintain possessions, and we got to find a way to get off the grass.

It was part of the keys to victory of the day.

It was attitude, it was aggression and violence at the end of it.

We did everything we needed to do to lose that game. He called his number.

We still in it.

We still in it.

We still got a lot of games to go. I like the way the guys absorbed it, smiled in the face of it, and prepared and waiting for the next opportunity.

Adboub blew a ham string out.

We'll put a positive spin on that. How's that for you, Gary? Don't ask me about the field goal operation.

The bottom line is you have to cross or tease and dot your eyes in the National Football League, or or you get made pay. We've had great moments.

We've had bad moments.

Everybody's been trying to get us to lose confidence in him.

I know that for sure. We have never lost confidence in him.

Just comes down to the fundamentals and basics of football. When you don't play well in all three phases, that falls on the head coach. That's me.

Whenever I'm clapping, that means I want the ball.

I think it was obvious in the first half that our team could play.

Here's what I know is he threw some touch downs. He didn't throw any interceptions. He was throwing up all night. He functioned so well, and he anticipated. He operated quickly. You stand there, you preach it, you talk it, and it freaking happens to us, and you get hit square in the face.

It's a fine line between drinking wine and squashing grapes in this business.

End of the half, we take a nap. I think really the last two weeks has been a good example of a lot of our practice, preparation, practice, performance, equal in game reality.

Million dollar question there.

I got to clean some stuff up.

We're off a little bit here on this play.

We're off a little bit there on that play.

A good enjoyment for the appropriate urgency in that balance of enjoying it. Unbelievable finish, and it took all three phases.

Isaac Silmalo has got a pack.

With the Ravens fans, it maybe got a little muffled. I like the fact that we're getting better. If you are winning football but not scoring points and turning it over and Eventually, it's hard to just beat teams for four quarters.

This guy got on a moving train, man, and played a lot of defense for us today. Pretty heartfelt conversation in there after the game. After that conversation, I feel like guys are going to go They're going to do what they need to do. But when we come back on Monday, we're ready to work. French toast, please. Every time he talks, that's all I hear. Shout out to Tomlin. That's a great one. There's a fine line between drinking wine and squashing grapes. It's true. That's a bar.

In this league, there's a fine difference between that.

He's been around for a long time. We haven't heard that cliché yet. That's a new one. Can teach an old dog new tricks.

New material, man.

I'm really hopeful we get to hear that the next seven weeks.

He just keeps bringing up.

That's how he rolls.

Sometimes you get these old clichés, and everyone thinks, Oh, I know what that means. Then you hear someone talk and you realize, I don't think they know what this means.

You mean the gray line earlier that Chris Coty espoused?

I was talking about a gray area and a blurred line, and I said a gray line. 20 milligrams. You knew what I meant.

Yes, P-E-D is over here. You're proud of yourself?

I feel like I got a good show today.

Tucker Kraft mentioned it in the weekend observations the other day. It came out. He tore his ACL. He's out for the year. Acl, it's a bummer. It's not the end of the world.

It's a bummer because I like watching him play. I have a good replacement for him.

Not the end of the world meaning he's not going to die.

Yeah, and he'll play again.

I'm okay. I'm a little sad I don't get to watch him.

Is that somebody you would say prayers up to?

For an injury, yeah.

For the recovery.

Yeah. If I have the option to give prayers up or not, I'll say prayers up.

Here's something that you wouldn't probably say about Tucker Kraft from his teammate.

Just one of our captains or even just your worst enemy. I don't wish that on any man.

Tucker is in a better place.

But again, you just got to...

Next question, please.

He had nothing at the end.

Do you think he realized what he'd done? And that's why he said, Next question. Can we leave open to interpretation the fact that maybe he was told Tucker died? Sure. Juju, can you put it on the poll, please? Can you say someone's in a better place if they haven't actually died?

What would Is it the place that you would say, Yeah, he's in a better place? Malibu.

Billy. I actually heard from him recently, so I know he's not.

Is he in a better place? I don't know.

Do you think anyone's ever died?

And then when someone was talking about it, he said he's in a much worse place? Yes.

Yeah. Yesterday. Were you not watching some of the takes flying yesterday on social media, given the former vice president?

What did I say?

That's my gimmick. Prayers up.

Heaven gained an angel.

That's the opposite. That's the opposite of that.

Hell gained a demon? Is that for doing a complete opposite? He was a believer.

He said he's in What do you think he thought that meant?

That's mentally- Maybe he was in football cliché mode, and he didn't have the right cliché for when someone just tore an ACL.

He's got to mean that he was really upset, and now he's doing better.

He's in a better place to be. That has to be. Fattel was like, next question.

The tell actually is when he's about to say what he's about to say, which is a better place, he licks his lips, but it's very dry.

It's like a dry thing. He's like, I got nothing here. Where am I going to go?

He got caught in the air.

If we were playing, you'll hear it. Yeah, do that again, and then just imagine someone going, How's Dan afterwards?

He's in a better place. California. Oh, my gosh. What a show he's had.

Speaking of California, Tony, who's your favorite OC? Yo, you know about the show The O. C? I love that show. Good show. Adam Brody.

Fantom Planet. Great. You know who's the drummer in that band?

Is that the OC?

Jason Schwartzman.

Really? That's it. California, Here We Come. That's the OC.

Yeah, Fantom Planet.

We came right back where we started from.

You know about Misha Barton? That's a pretty good limited fake.

Misha Barton. Oh, yeah. Yeah, I was a big fan. Except for when she puked under the table in the Sixth Sense. That scared me.

Oh, that's right.

It scared me.

You know, I knew it, but the Sixth Sense, 10 minutes into the movie, I was like, Bruce Willis is dead. I don't believe it.

I know you only-Spoiler alert. I know you only watch poorly rated movies, but you see the Kim Kardashian, Ryan Murphy show as a zero on run.

I saw it get terrible.

She's a lawyer? I might be in.

She's like the head of the firm.

Oh, no.

That's right. Glenn Close is supporting Kim Kardashian.

God damn it, man. File. That's horse. Chris, how do you feel?

Like shit.

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