In this Dan Le Batard Show episode, Ernie Johnson talks about his decision to step away from Inside the NBA after 37 seasons, describing the reaction from colleagues and what it felt like to end a long run with Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaq. He discusses his preparation habits, the emotional moment when Barkley cried on air, and changes at Turner and its new ownership, which he says are business decisions he accepts while feeling sad about friends who may lose their jobs.
The second hour turns to lighter sports talk, including a predecessor question, a sharp exchange between Dan Le Batard and Ernie, and a debate over a rookie running back and onside kick rules.
In this episode Dan Le Batard, Ernie Johnson
The transcript of Ernie Johnson's Inside the NBA farewell was made with HappyScribe's transcription service, the technology behind its automated transcripts.
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For more than three decades now, he's one of the most beloved, respected, and recognizable voices in sports broadcasting. He's the host of the best sports show that there's ever been on television, Inside the NBA, with Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Shaq. He recently announced that this will be his final season hosting Inside the NBA after 37 seasons. He's not retiring from television; he's still going to do the tournament for CBS and Turner. But this is what Mike Breen had to say to open the 76ers-Pacers ESPN broadcast about Ernie Johnson.
He said, quote, "You hear words like 'goat' or 'icon' or 'legend' and they're thrown around way too easily these days, but Ernie is all three and more. I'm 65 years old and I still look up to Ernie Johnson as a broadcaster and a man." End quote. Ernie, the last few days had to have been strange and surreal for you. Nice to see you. Thank you for making the time for us. What would you say have been the best parts of the last few days for you?
Well, the outpouring's been pretty... it's just been unbelievable. I can't keep up with it. I've stopped trying to keep up with it, and I'm still barreling through this mountain of text messages because I want to get back to everybody who reached out. And so, no, it's been crazy, but it's also been really freeing, man. It's been like... my wife and I have talked about this for a long time, and it was like, okay, let's go ahead.
And so. To have made the statement and to know that, you know, people don't need to ask me anymore, and people don't need to wonder. And not that they should spend any more brain cells than they have thinking about that, but look, it's 37 years, a long time, and nobody has to play by the same rules in terms of, well, this is how long you should work and this is how you should feel when you reach... you know, I'm ready.
Who are the people that have moved you over the last few days?
Oh, my goodness. Well, Mike Breen, when he began the broadcast that way. But so many friends and old, you know, Doug Collins from back in the day at Turner. I can't... I don't want to single folks out because of, hey, I thought I said something pretty nice. It's been... I can't even keep up with it. And it's been... it's all love and it's all appreciated.
But yeah, there have been a lot of folks who've reached out, and they deserve more than an emoji that I received their message.
That's one of your things, though. You do send the thumbs-up emoji a lot. I think you can be forgiven for, you know, sorting through some of them and send... well, those people will know where they stand in your life if they only get the thumbs-up emoji now.
Man, you know who I use the thumbs-up emoji for?
No.
Look in the mirror. That's you. That's... no. And then you... and then all you do on your text is say, "Pacers," to me.
Yeah.
So.
That's right. That's right. I've been doing it for years. You say you've been talking about.
No, but I also give you this one too. I give you this emoji too. I give you like four of those.
Yes, you do. Yes, you do. You give me four fingers. Four different fingers I get. Can you tell me when you've talked with your wife about this for how long, you say?
Ooh, I mean, it's been a few years.
Why?
Because it got to, you know, we were approaching the end of the contract for the NBA on TNT at one point, and it was like, hey, what are we going to do when this runs out? What if they don't renew? What if we lose it? You know, it's like... so we talked about it at that point and even batted around, hey, you know what? We could just call it a day then. But then when TNT and ESPN were able to reach this agreement to keep the show alive, I felt an obligation to continue it last year.
And then I looked at it and I said, you know what? One more year of this. Because, look, finals were a blast. It was great being able to be a part of that. And I said, I could do another year of this, but then that's it.
Ernie, how did you tell Charles and Kenny and Shaq? Did you tell them all three together?
No, they were separate. And, you know, Chuck and I were talking about it last year during the finals, and we were like, how long are we going to do this? You know, and Tim Kiley, the producer's in there too. You know, and so, yeah, I just called him. I called him the day before and said, hey, this is what's going to happen tomorrow. And they were great. You know, it was, hey, congratulations. Hey, I'm glad that you can do it on your terms. And that was... look, those guys don't need to...
we all kind of know. It's like the worst kept secret, I think. I think people had an idea simply because Charles came out over the summer. It was like, well, it's the last year for me and Ernie. But I'm not going to make an announcement like that until all the people who need to be told are told at the NBA and at ESPN and at TNT. And now all that that was done. Again, it's a very freeing feeling.
Ernie, if I had to choose an athlete or a former athlete who I would be surprised to see cry, Charles Barkley would be very close to the top of that list, yet he got very emotional on television last week in reacting to your announcement. Were you surprised at the emotion that he showed?
Yeah. Because I was concerned at first because the camera was on him and he wasn't saying anything, and he had kind of this... like he was struggling, and I was like, what's going on here? And, no, that was... the moments don't get much better than that for me when I think about the last few days. Because, look, we... and I've said it before and you guys have heard it, we love each other. We've been together for so long.
We would do anything for one another. And even though you have an idea that something is coming, I guess, you know, when we put it into terms of, hey, we won't be doing that, the four of us won't be doing that show anymore, then, you know, it can be... it was emotional for me. I mean, I've been holding it... I was holding it together all day long, and it was like, oh, man, I'm watching Chuck struggle with this. But that just speaks to the relationship we all have.
I don't think I've seen Charles cry on television before. Have you? Has he done it before?
I... you know, what I saw... I've seen him get misty on the air before. I can't recall exactly why, what the reason was, but yeah, I've seen him have to fight it back a little bit. But it's, you know, it's rare. He's, you know, a lot of stuff just rolls off Chuck, you know? And even times when you think, you know what? I'm going to bring something up here that I think will really hit Chuck hard, and then he just throws it back in my face, like, what are you talking about?
But that day, yeah, that night was different.
You've mentioned freeing a couple of times. What does that feel like? And are you surprised that that's the feeling that comes with this? Like, why is that happening? You have some relief about getting up every day or knowing that there is an ending to your responsibility here?
Well, I think it's freeing because it just allowed... because I've turned a page, because there's a new chapter out there that's really a blank canvas right now, and I can't wait to see what happens. You know, there are things I've said I always want to do when this time comes, and, you know, it's a chance to write more, a chance to go talk to Jay School students at Grady at the University of Georgia, it's a chance to do this production company we started, 32 Bowties. By the way.
Ooh, he's undressing there. I thought he was going to show some nipple there.
So... and then I buttoned it right back up before that happened. And so, no, we're excited about telling stories, telling feel-good stories, seeing where that takes us. And, yeah, and really just as I referenced when I made the statements, just from the preparation standpoint, which, you know, Dan, you know me, and you know.
You're the only one on that show who prepares.
No, everybody prepares in their own way. But there have been nights where I've like, man, I don't know if I feel like doing all that work again today. I mean, you would have to see the stuff I do to really get a handle on what I'm talking about there. But, you know, I've kept a daily log of every basketball game in the NBA played for the last 25 years. It's what I do every year.
I go through box scores every day and every morning and every night, and it's like, then I break it down into this and this and this and this. And there have been a few... there have just been a few more nights where it's like, man, do I really need to focus on whether the Clippers are 27th or 26th in points off turnover?
When did that start, Ernie? When did that feeling... because that's the feeling that lets you know it's time to get out. When did that start where you're like, hmm, don't really want to do this? I'm over-prepared and don't want to be.
Maybe a little bit last year, which kind of told me, you know, I've still got enough in the tank and I still have the desire. And believe me, I'm right up to speed. I was working until late last night on the four games that were played in the NBA last night. And I still love that part. I love it, but I've just seen where it's just more of a challenge than it ever was.
What are the things you will miss the most and what are the things you'll miss the least?
The same thing. Kenny, Shaq, and Chuck.
It's a good answer, but it's a cop-out. It's a cop-out answer, but an excellent and a clever answer, because you are going to miss them. You've told us before, they're the brothers that you have not actually had. You've told us that you love them, and they are. I'm sure they can be frustrating because you're doing some things that nobody sees. We've been talking for weeks around here about nobody anywhere in entertainment is making it look easy because it is easy. There's a lot of work that goes into making it look that easy.
So give me the percentage of things that you prepare that you don't use. Give me, from one to a hundred, what are the percentage of things that never get used by you?
On any given night? 96, 97. You know, it really is. But you know what feels great? Is when something that you've gone a little extra to uncover and look at and say, oh, wow, that's interesting. And it works its way into that without you forcing it. That's been the way I always felt, you know, whatever sport I'm doing, whenever you do that extra work and you have a little nugget that you really hope you can get in, and then it just works out that way that you can.
But what will I miss the most? Obviously, the guys. What will I miss the least? See you, Sherilyn. Love you. Have a great day. That's my wife. 44 years' worth, man.
Not me, she says. What did she say? What did she say back there?
Oh, she just said, love you. Love you too. Goodbye. It's been real. See you. So the things I'll miss the least? I mean, I think that it gets toward the prep and that kind of thing, but I'm still going to be working, man. That's the thing. It's not like I'm stopping this and I'm going to say, oh, and what am I going to do now? So there are things to do. And what else I'll miss most is being a Turner guy.
You know, I'll still be... and I miss that already because things have changed a lot over the last few years. Because Turner Broadcasting had an Ernie Johnson associated with it since 1972. My dad forever and me. And so it's been kind of, you know, it's been tough to watch that happen. We're all excited about what happens next. You know, what are you going to do when there are sales and when there are takeovers and that kind of thing?
You can't control that. It's just like, hey, now, let's adapt to this. And the folks at Skydance and David Berson's, they don't get any nicer than David Berson, who's the head of that sports division. And so we'll see how it plays out, and I'll still do March Madness this year and next year, and then we'll talk and say, hey, what kind of roles do you have for me? And we'll see how that plays out.
You are a fundamentally decent person. You're almost always positive. Can you articulate for us what's happened to you in terms of the coldness of how Turner has changed as something that's been in your family for 50 years that makes you say, yeah, Turner as I know it is no longer the same thing that it was, and it's not me, it's Turner. It's not that you've aged out, it's that there have been corporate changes there that make things less warm.
Well, I mean, it's just... that's the nature of the beast. I mean, it's business. And I accept that. I've been around it long enough. But I, you know, I think back to those early days at Turner, and it was, you know, we were in the one building where Ted used to be with the, you know, the mansion, you know, and back in the days when Ted used to... they used to shoot wrestling in the building, you know, and Ted would be walking around in his bathroom, you know? So it was a different, a totally different beast. And we were, you know what we were?
We were the guy trying to prove ourselves. And it was, you know, because back then it was, okay, ABC, CBS, NBC for major sports, ESPN comes along, okay, those are the guys you got to be with if you want to do big league sports. And we were the little brother who had to prove that we could do it. And I remember we were doing the Pan Am games in Cuba, working with ABC back in like 1990, '91. And I remember, and they were great to work with, but they would say, hey, what, you know, anything going on?
You know, and we're feeling like, do these guys even think we belong here working alongside them? And I said, you know what TNT stands for? Thanks, nothing today. And that's the attitude we had. We're going to prove ourselves and we're going to... and then as time went on, Dan, we did. We became a major player. And now, sure, I mean, it's tough to watch. I'm not bitter. I'm sad because a lot of good friends are cut loose, and we've seen it, you know, a few times here in the 2000s.
And so that's always the most difficult part. But I'll tell you what, if they do, or if they are part of this takeover, this, you know, this merger, and there's not a spot for them, they'll all land on their feet because our people are that good.
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A season of chasing, one Sunday to become a champion. This Sunday, the NASCAR Cup Series Championship returns to homestead Miami Speedway, where Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, and their fellow contenders look to finish the season on top. The pressure, the rivalries, the trophy they all want. It all comes down to South Florida for a finale you won't want to miss. After a season of battles, the sport's best have one final chance to leave their mark. Who will rise to the moment and who will leave Miami with a trophy?
Want to add to the action? Check out DraftKings for race winner bets, head-to-head matchups, and more. Get your crew together and settle in for the season finale. Watch the NASCAR Cup Series Championship at homestead Miami this Sunday at 3:00 p.m. Eastern on NBC. One race to go, everything to race for.
Dan Le Batard.
The Packers winner, the Bears lose.
Jonathan Sassolo.
Shit, do you want to know what were the kids doing?
This is the Dan Le Batard Show.
Ernie, do you think you will be asked your opinion on a predecessor? Do you want to be asked?
A successor.
Successor, like I said? Who comes before you?
Oof. Yeah, I don't know. You know, why should I have any... I don't need to have a say in that. I know there were some... Look, I'm not the only one who can do this job, okay? And a lot of folks would love to be sitting next to those three. So whoever it is, the show will be in great hands. Obviously, I got a couple of people in mind, but I'm not going to... I don't really feel like I need to share that.
I'm sorry that I embarrassed myself.
And I don't know that I'll be...
I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I embarrassed myself, Ernie, and I apologize. I apologize for wasting your time there.
No, I thought it was a great... I thought it was a very good question, even the way it was originally phrased. But I knew what you were... I know what you meant.
Thank you.
I have.
Is that?
That is Christopher Cody laughing earlier in the show about all the quarterbacks who are available to Miami Dolphins in the draft.
I bet Ernie's got a good creepy laugh. Come on, let me hear it.
Let's see if he does.
A haunting laugh?
Let's see if he can do a... let's see.
Right on the spot?
Yeah, now we're in it. I knew it. It is good. You were right. Yes, there's nothing he doesn't do well. The number of things that I still want to ask you, Ernie.
Is that as you want to be his predecessor?
I know that you are humble, but I'm forcing you into the world's strangest game show where you're the only contestant.
You always do this. Dan, stop, man.
And I'm asking you, what is the second greatest sports show of all time? And your answer is what to the second greatest sports show of all time?
Well, I don't know if it's second. It may be first. Game day, college game day.
You do know whether it's second or first. What do you mean you don't know whether it's second or first? One of those has Charles Barkle and one of them doesn't.
I know, but you know I don't want to... Well, I think we've had a great run. I think we're right up there with them.
So what is your answer to the question? Because no one here believed Charles is going to ask.
I said college game day.
Yes, you did. Yes. No, no, I'm saying, what is your answer to this question? You answered that one. Yes. What is your answer to this question?
More than one question?
Yes, I've got a bunch of questions. People have to be asking you because Charles has said he goes when you go. And no one here believes that he's going to actually leave. You have inside information. You're not going to share it, are you?
No.
Yeah, I didn't think so. Is there anything that you're...
I've learned, Dan, I've learned, and you know Charles well enough too. You ever try to predict what he's going to do?
He did it to you, though. He did it to you. He announced that you were retiring before you were ready. Did he get a phone call from you, Charles? Come on now. What are you doing? You got to shut up there.
I don't need to do that. I don't need to do that. And so I wasn't bothered there. In fact, I looked at my wife and said, hey, I guess we don't need to stress about making this announcement at some point because Chuck already did it. But we'll see. I have no idea what's going to go on with the conversations with Chuck, with the new Skydance folks. But, you know, I'm still going to do March Madness with him and Kenny, you know? But it's just a much condensed, you know, month of my life rather than an entire NBA season.
Next question.
If you had to win a contest by saying who is the most famous person who has reached out to you over the last few days that you've been flattered because a person of such substance has reached out, what would the name look like?
See, you've already asked that question, Dan.
No, I asked who moved you. I didn't ask you about just simple fame, superficiality.
I already told you that I don't want to rank anything because then somebody will say, oh, good, I guess I just don't measure up in Ernie's book.
I don't like your attitude, Ernie. I keep saying how decent you are. You're snippy, you're arrogant, you're coming after me because you're filled with the ego of what's been the last few days and you're clearly not yourself.
No, I'm very much myself. But again, what I'm very uncomfortable with is saying, oh, this meant more to me than this, or this guy's bigger than this. No, they've all been great. So I'm just dodging that bad boy.
You're a waffler. You're a fence-sitter. I keep asking you questions you don't answer because you're a waffler and a fence-sitter.
It's election day tomorrow. I'm being my best politician. I'm just trying to dodge everything.
It's lovely to see you.
Who is that you're playing back?
That's Roy getting too aggressive with the keys there. That is not Chris laughing. That's you, Roy. I can see what you're doing. I see you hitting the button and then laughing at yourself, laughing at your own jokes. Ernie, it is great to see you and I was really happy for you. And I continue to be happy that you're getting all of the kind words that you deserve now so that you can fully feel how people feel about you because you're really uncommon in an industry that has a lot of vanity, a lot of ego in that you share the platform and your humility is something that is legitimately moving.
So you've never let it go to your head. You've always carried yourself with an uncommon grace. You haven't had a bad public moment that I have seen and you have represented you, your family, and Turner in the most impeccable of terms throughout the entirety of almost four decades. So congratulations and it really is an honor to even have you around here as it has been for four decades now.
Dan, you know, it's always a pleasure talking to you. I'm so glad you asked me to be on. And look, it's been a great run and I've been really lucky, really blessed. I never thought I'd be sitting in that chair for 37 years when it started way back in '89, '90, back then. So very lucky to do this and looking forward to what's next.
You got a better story than Ted Turner walking around in a bathrobe about what the early days looked like, like just how much of an underdog you were at the beginning of this?
No, I just think we kind of, I think we all kind of drew inspiration from that because we saw where this company had come from and it was nothing. Came from a billboard company by this guy who had these wild ideas. And so I think we all kind of got a hold of that feeling and said, yeah, I don't care if people say we can't do it, we're going to do it. And so I think it was just, there's not a real one moment that stands out that says, oh yeah, Ted in the bathrobe.
No, it's just we were a family. And for all the time I've been there, I've tried to keep that part of it alive. And you're fighting the system.
Nice to see you, Ernie. Congratulations.
Thank you very much, Dan. Hey, and the whole crew, thank you very much.
Thank you, Ernie. We do appreciate it.
Sorry about Zaz. I blew it. I blew it, Dan. You don't get all the many chances to talk to someone as great as Ernie Johnson. I blew it.
You've had a few of these. You've had a few of these.
He does it constantly, Dan.
Well, but you've embarrassed yourself with Laura Rutledge. How many people with.
Roy.
No, but how many people have you now embarrassed yourself with where you're talking to them and you.
Diana.
You leave an impression. And it's usually upon first meeting, right? Like it's like you're meeting someone for the first time. You clearly respect and admire all the things Ernie is. And then what you leave in your wake is just some form of shame. It's not a small embarrassment.
And now he's going to remember, oh, there's that guy who thinks.
Predecessor?
Yeah, thinks that that means successor. Yeah.
He's been doing it so long that I don't know who his predecessor was. Like I don't know that there are many people.
Vince Chilloni.
Was it? That's a good guess. It's a good guess. It's Fred Hickman. Who are the Nick Charles? Like who are the people who would have been the broadcasters who would have been before Ernie Johnson 37 years ago?
Gordon Solley.
There has to be something and someone pretty important to stop our football meanderings on a Monday. But that guy has earned everything he's getting over the last few days. Because I'm going to say it again, this business is filled with a great deal of vanity and insecurity. And that guy is beloved by everyone. No one will have a bad word to say about that guy.
The way that we talk about players getting statues nowadays, especially the NBA, it's so over the top. Ernie Johnson, they're going to build a statue of him outside that studio in Atlanta. They're going to. And it'll be deserved. What's it going to look like? Like what motion will he be doing?
Bow tie.
A love hand probably. Yeah, the love hand. That's actually good. To answer your question, the first season, he was named host the second season. The first season, there was rotating hosts with Craig Seger, Hannah Sorm, Vince Selene, Tim Brando, and Fred Hickman.
Wow, we got two of the five. So Ernie Johnson, I am actually old enough to remember at the advent of cable television, the superstation, his dad doing those Braves games on, you know, those terrible Gary Matthews Braves teams that were always in fourth place. They were never any good. That's where some of, like South Florida didn't have baseball on television, so the Atlanta Braves were the television we were getting locally when cable blew up.
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Dan Le Batard. You're going to go to Buffalo with Bernie Parmalee, Mike Ryan and the Jigs. This is the Dan Le Batard Show.
Getting back to the football stories of the day, one of them that got buried, Ashton Genty appears to be a bust. Like I thought he got hurt and that was the reason that he was no longer getting carried for the Raiders yesterday. But that's not what happened, where he was just and has been bad running the football. He's okay as a receiver, but he's not good enough as a first-round pick. And he and Rex Ryan are going back and forth. You know what? It is not common for someone to say things on ESPN like Rex Ryan did about Ashton Genty.
Do we have the Rex Ryan audio? Because I was taken aback at how personal it sounded.
Well, we have to. Let's start with what Genty said first. If you didn't watch the game yesterday, the Raiders beat the Jets. It was a strange game for the Raiders to win. This is how common now the 50-yard field goal is. Think about what I'm about to say here. The Raiders late in that game are up two. If they miss the field goal, they're giving the Jets the ball with the ability to win the game with a field goal. And they go out there and kick a 53-yard field goal because everyone's now so good at the 50-yard field goals that it's just sort of a layup. And so this was before the game Genty was saying something about how poor the Jets were at tackling and didn't want to tackle.
Is that what the context is for the Genty sound, Chris?
This was midweek and this is him talking about the Jets defense. He doesn't name any names here, but what Rex Ryan is getting defensive of, he's talking about Demario Davis, the linebacker for the Jets. He was drafted, or no, the linebacker, he was drafted by the Jets with Rex Ryan. So that's the basis of this. So here's what Genty said midweek.
Yeah, I think we can definitely get the run game going, you know, get back on track. A couple guys out there that don't really want to tackle, but I'm not going to say names.
So he's not going to say names. Some guys on that team don't want to tackle. This made Rex Ryan about as angry as I've heard him talking about a player.
Is this kid a joke or what? Does he not look at the tape? How about Mr. Tiptoe through the tulips, avoiding contact? This guy's soft as charm and brew. Look at him. I'm going to talk to this kid before the game.
You're going right up to Jets.
I'm going right up to him. You know me. I tell the truth. I'm going right up to him and I say, listen, young man, I heard what you said. And I want you to know something. We are not going to try to take him out of the game. Why? Because you are horrible. You're about the worst draft pick in the last 20 years, I think, as a running back. You stink. You're averaging 3.1 yards a carry. And guess what? Today you get your ass kicked. And you know who else does? Your teammates. It's on you, my friend.
You're going right up to him and say.
Right up to his ass.
Let's go, coach. He's not doing any of that. He's not. He's doing it on television and he's not going on the field and saying to Ashton Genty, you're terrible. Like that's not what he's doing. He's not going, you're Mr. Tiptoe through the tulips.
And he's like, you're soft as charm and. I thought he was going somewhere else with that.
Man, those teeth were whistling.
You can hear the whistling with those teeth. It's brutal.
Charm and. Please, Roy, keep playing the fake chuckle fest laughter that is a staple of Sunday morning television.
Greeny at the end.
Hey, let's not make fun of that though. We want more of that. That was great. That was great. And message received. Kubiak in the game. He only got two rushes Genty did. And he was in there for some pass situations. But it's a real conversation that Genty, who a lot of people thought was can't miss, is missing.
He's been incredibly inefficient as a runner. Mike Washington seems to have more juice. I know that he had the ankle injury to go into the season, but Mike Washington has just been the better back. Ashton Genty, they spent a super high pick on him. He just hasn't panned out as a runner. Their offensive line wasn't great last year. This year seems to be better, but Washington seems to have the juice.
If you want to watch Ashton Genty tiptoe through the tulips in person, why don't you get your friends together and get your tickets and tell them it's game time. Download the game time map, create an account, and use code Dan for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Again, create an account and use code DAN for $20 off.
Can you have that type of criticism of the defense and then you only get two carries? That's a tough look.
And your coaches are dragging you off the field and not giving you those carries. Because I legitimately wondered yesterday, because I was toggling between the games, I wondered whether Jacoby Brissett and Ashton Genty had gotten hurt. I assumed that they had gotten hurt. I didn't assume that their roles diminished over the course of the year.
So weird considering Washington got 25 carries and he only had 83 yards. Like he averaged three yards a carry there and Genty hasn't gotten that many carries in a single game all year. It was 23 to start and then dwindled every single game from there.
It's hard to understand how the Jets lost that game if you were watching it because the Raiders were down and then all of a sudden they thundered back. They got a kickoff return. It's the first time that that's happened in the sport this year. You guys had no reaction to a couple of the stats I gave you earlier in the show. None of you seem to be surprised at all that Bill Belichick, who's been a head coach since 1991, has never before scored 35 points in a game and lost until this particular weekend.
And you guys also had no reaction to in college, 18% of the onside kicks get recovered. That's one in five get recovered. And in the pros, not a single one has been recovered this entire year.
They're also aided by the fact that they don't have to declare before the onside kick. We're in the NFL. There's a surprise factor that has to account for some of that percentage. Do you know what percent means?
18% is pretty high. It was higher than I would have thought on onside kicks. I wouldn't have guessed that one in five college football onside kicks are recovered.
It's also college football, right? We look at things that happen there. Are the building blocks to get into the NFL where you streamline everything? It's like you got a hand seam, they don't drop the ball. In college, a lot of weird things happen.
The thing that was funny is that the end of that North Carolina-Miami game, as Bill Belichick and North Carolina are recovering two onside kicks and then not getting them because they're overturned on penalty. Mario Cristobal then deciding Malachi Tony is going to be in the middle of your hands team.
Malachi.
And then Belichick deciding, no, I'm scared of that. Never mind. Even though I've had two successful ones that have been called back by penalty, I'm going to kick it somewhere else. I don't believe I can make Malachi Tony fumble.
He got too cute, Belichick. Way too cute. He stopped doing what clearly worked.
But of all the things that we learned in those onside kicks, because many people were learning for the first time that offsides on an onside kick is just like a neutral zone. You can't have any part of your body over it. And a lot of people were learning for the first time that you can't just truck people before they've had a chance to.
That wouldn't make sense.
Recover the ball. But of the things that you learned about the onside kick there, I did not know that Malachi Tony would have to borrow someone else's oversized uniform in order to be allowed on the field.
They got three minutes for.
Where'd they even get that? Did they just pull that? They had no name on the back. Where did they get number 41 from?
That's been a fixture at Miami. The punt returner that has to wear a different number. Restrepo would do it all the time. Yeah, we had a tearaway.
But you can't be on the field on special teams even recovering something as the hands team with your receiver number? I didn't know that before that.
That's right. It's actually a big deal. In that controversial Virginia Tech game against Miami where it was a Hail Mary in the end and did he come down inbounds or not, there was actually a kick that Virginia Tech had two guys with the same number. And everyone's like, oh, you can't do that.
Yeah, that's absurd enough by itself. What I'm telling you is what they should have done is just let Malachi Tony go out there in a sports jacket. It's as ridiculous. Just let him go out in a sports coat. The fake chuckle fest laughter, like this is a staple.
It's like a laugh off. No, I'm going to laugh harder.
Of Sunday morning television. And it's just because Rex Ryan is being colorful with Mr. Tiptoe through the tulips. Tulips. How fake is that laugh?
Greeny takes the cake there. He's like, I will not stop. I will be the last one laughing here.
The Raiders are not for real.
One of my observations, time for Mendoza?
Go ahead and get in position here to do your Tony's top five. And in the interim, I want to make fun of the number of kickers who kicked a kicked the ball and hit an upright this weekend. That sound, it's not nails on a chalkboard, but the sound reverberates so much that it bothers me. It stays with me. We had some really loud echoing doinks this weekend that I don't know if a kicker is going to feel a lot worse yesterday than Chad Ryland felt at the end of Arizona-Dallas where all you got to do is kick the extra point with four seconds left and you just choke.
That's a simple choke. Rarely in sports is it that obvious that someone is choking, but he didn't even hit the upright. What sounds do you have from the weekend of people hitting the uprights?
Gonzalez.
Massive doink in Miami. And it.
That was insane.
That was offensive.
Was that real?
It feels like an electrocution.
It's like a building collapse.
It feels very unpleasant.
What is that?
It feels like electricity is involved. It sounds like electricity is falling and a chandelier is falling from the sky.
If you hear that sound and someone says, did someone die or not die? You say someone died. I like it. I like that every doink is a new mystery.
How does it.
And it sounds different everywhere.
Sound like a chain link fence.
Predecessor. There's always one game on the schedule that makes you start doing dangerous math. How long is a flight? Can I get back before work? Is this a terrible financial decision or a memory I'll have forever? Week nine gives us plenty of temptation. Bengals-Falcons from Madrid, Giants-Eagles, Raiders-49ers, Packers-Patriots, Buccaneers-Bears on Sunday night and Bills-Vikings on Monday night. That's a good one. When I start talking myself into a trip, I check game time. It's easy to find tickets and the panoramic sea views let me see exactly what I'm buying.
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"Predecessor?"
As Ernie Johnson shares some of the most heartfelt stories from his legendary career, Zaslow completely blows his chance to impress Ernie, and Dan goes from calling Ernie a 'fundamentally decent man' to calling him 'snippy and arrogant.'
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