A.J. Brown & Jalen Hurts STILL beefing?

Ah yes, welcome to Thirsty Thursday here on Shine Time. I'm pouring atom bombs from behind the bar. A.J. Brown still beefing with Jalen Hurts. Is C.J. Stroud the most under pressure quarterback this season? We go to the dive bar to call out teams and players hitting the wrong direction. And I give you my New York minutes on Aaron Glenn, Abdul Carter, and Steve Cohen. Shine Time, from my own bar, starts now. How did you leave things with him? Philly, man. Y'all are tough, man. Man, it's love. Listen, listen. Honestly, guys, none of that stuff even matters. I think you all should want to report something positive. You know asking the question is going to turn negative. So let's not get into that. Let's keep everything positive. It's love my way. And just move forward. That's all. How was it like being back on the track? I think it was a great day out here. I mean, I know he's going out there and competing. Got a lot of love for him. I always have. It seems like it was competitive practice. Ah, yes. You heard A.J. Brown there from the Eagles-Patriots joint practice yesterday saying he has not spoken with Jalen Hurts since the trade to the New England Patriots. And Hurts, as you heard, kept it very brief when talking about A.J. Brown. Then today, just after 12.30 Eastern time, video emerges of the two hugging it out. Look at this. A little jog. Middle of the field. A little tap. A little hug. Bob! Hello! Listen, I had to laugh when I saw this. Because first of all, let's give credit where credit is due. I think A.J. Brown handled yesterday's press conference beautifully. Perfectly. He said everything with a smile. He said everything that was honest. They hadn't talked since the trade. And clearly, while the Eagles were ridiculously successful, while A.J. Brown was sensational in Philadelphia, Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown did not have a great relationship. Which is why Howie Roseman, who's the best of the best as a general manager in the National Football League, had to unequivocally make this trade. And I think, and everyone in Philly knows this, A.J. Brown is going to go dominate with the New England Patriots. One of the reasons why is because he's going to have an upgrade in quarterback going from Jalen Hurts to Drake May. Simple as that. But these guys don't have to be the best of friends. Let's be crystal clear. And clearly, it was important enough for A.J. Brown to kind of flip the script today. Find Jalen Hurts. Have the optics. So shows like ours, run that video. Run up. Jalen Hurts. Here's a hug. Here's a hello. Hey, we said hi to each other. You know, they're, I mean, look at this. This is as wonderfully, and I mean this as a compliment, staged as stage can be. A.J. Brown was like, you know what? I'm done answering questions. And he said everything appropriately and everything with a smile yesterday and everything honestly. Which is all we in the media and fans ask for. Be honest and truthful talking to the press. Here's the thing when you look at Brown in Philadelphia. He was fantastic. It was a sensational deal. 2023, shock and awe. Day of the NFL draft. And bam, they make a trade, right? And it was four years of greatness and genius. And A.J. Brown in three of those four years was first or second team all pro. Two of those four years, he had the top two single seasons in terms of receiving yards in the long storied history of the Philadelphia Eagles. He won a Super Bowl. He lived up to his end of the bargain. He was a sensational Philadelphia Eagle. And then he had about enough of Jalen Hurts. And you can figure out the reasons why. We could talk about Hurts being stubborn. We could talk about Hurts not throwing over the middle. We could talk about Hurts not getting the ball to A.J. Brown. We could talk about after the Super Bowl, the offensive coordinator situation. There's a lot of different things and reasons that we can get into on what happened. But it happened. So now it's time to move on. So A.J. Brown is gone. And Jalen Hurts is working again with a new offensive coordinator. Makai Lemon, who I love that draft pick. He's missed the vast majority of training camp with a hamstring injury before he returned today. Am I concerned about the Philadelphia Eagles passing attack? Yes. Yes, I am. I am very concerned. And understand, I honestly think that the Philadelphia Eagles, when you look at this depth chart, this is just, it's not good at the wide receiver position. I kind of want to go pound for pound here, right? Number one, I think Devontae Smith is unbelievable. Seriously. I'm not throwing that word around. I think Devontae Smith drafted him in fantasy football. I think in reality, he's so tough, so clutch. You know, he's been as advertised since Howie Roseman brilliantly plucked him out of Alabama. He is phenomenal. Winner. He's everything you want. Speedy. Won a championship. Greats when it matters the most. Phenomenal hands. I think he's going to have Devontae Smith a monster season. I love Makai Lemon. Obviously, for a rookie, you never want training camp curbed with an injury in the beginning. But let's also simultaneously not overreact here. I mean, Lemon getting on the field is huge. We still have time for Makai Lemon to be ready for week number one and to make an immediate impact hitting home runs, taking the top off the opposing defense for the Philadelphia Eagles. I thought the Brown signing was good. Wick signing was good. But these guys are just that. They're solid pieces. As a third receiver, a fourth receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles. The issues, it's going to be Jalen Hurts, who did not have a great season last year. And his completion percentage was for him in the toilet. And it's going to be another year, another play caller. And this team has not been the same since Kellen Moore took that coaching job, head coaching job with the New Orleans Saints, after Moore was the awesome architect of the team that won the Super Bowl. So you look at it from the standpoint of Jalen Hurts and a new offensive coordinator. Listen, Sean Mannion comes in. Sean Mannion's never called plays before. And also, you had experienced offensive coordinators who interviewed for this job, like a Michael McDaniel, like a Brian Dayball. And they ran away. Because I feel like, and, you know, we've read the Jeremy Fowler ESPN report and talked about it on Shine Time, interviewed Jeremy Fowler about it. You know, clearly, there's a lot of blame on Hurts, who can be stubborn, won't throw over the middles, not great against, you know, certain defenses, and didn't get A.J. Brown the ball. So now you have a stubborn quarterback with a first-time play caller, and that's usually not a recipe for success here for an offense. Now, Jalen Hurts, let's be honest and let's be clear, is a big-time winner. Jalen Hurts has won a Super Bowl. He almost won a second Super Bowl. And frankly, I'd make the case that he was as good as Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl that they lost. I think the world of Jalen Hurts on what he did from the beginning of his career, dealing with Carson Wentz, then becoming a great player, winning a championship, and delivering for Philadelphia. But last year was a mess. It was a complete mess. And let's also be clear about this. The straw that stirred the drink the year they won the championship was Saquon Barkley. And that's not throwing shade at Jalen Hurts. That's being honest. Also, the offensive line, while it's going to be healthy this year, and that's, you know, everyone's healthy now. They weren't healthy last year. Their incredible offensive line coach, Jeff Stoutland, is no longer there. That's kind of a big deal. Obviously, Goddard at the tight end position can play, but I just don't view this offense in the same way from when they won a championship. And we can go through those reasons why, right? I think it's important here. No Kellen Moore. Another play caller. Another inexperienced play caller. And I think in a lot of ways, especially because Howie Roseman, and I love A.J. Brown, did the right thing. Had to move on from Brown, and that put someone like Jalen Hurts in the crosshairs for this season, which is a ridiculously unfair statement considering he's won a championship and he went to another Super Bowl. But I don't look at Jalen Hurts as elite. We did our shy nine top nine quarterbacks for 2026. Jalen Hurts was not in my top nine. He wasn't in my top 10. He wasn't in my top 12. I look at the division. Dak Prescott is better. Jaden Daniels is better. Like if we're, again, picking quarterbacks for this season. So I always know when it comes to the Philadelphia Eagles, you have to give them respect and credit, and I think Barkley will bounce back, and I think the Eagles will make the playoffs this year. I think the Eagles offense will be good, but not great. So I am fascinated to see what transpires for this upcoming season, because simultaneously, it will bring it full circle and tie it all together. I expect A.J. Brown to have a monster season. I think A.J. Brown is going to absolutely dominate. He's got an upgrading quarterback, played for Mike Vrabel in Tennessee. They're back together. I wouldn't be surprised if A.J. Brown had 100 catches, 1,500 receiving yards, 15 touchdowns. That kind of impactful season. And I think there are going to be a lot of eyes and a lot of daggers on Jalen Hurts when you look at his ineffective play last year, and how I think that he's going to be a little bit stuck in the middle on a quarterback power ranking for this season. Eagles are not the only offense I'm worried about. C.J. Stroud was so bad last time that we saw him, he had to cut his hair off because he didn't want anyone to recognize him. At least that's how I'm telling the story. Let me remind you what C.J. Stroud did in the divisional round against the New England Patriots. And I would make this case. This was the single worst performance by a quarterback in playoff history. C.J. Stroud was dreadful. The rating is 28. He threw four interceptions. If the Houston Texans would have punted on third down or taken a knee and just let their defense do their thing, they would have absolutely won the game against New England and beat Denver the next week and had a chance to go to the Super Bowl. And because of their defense, beat the Seattle Seahawks in the championship. So I think that when you look at C.J. Stroud, who is in year four, who was phenomenal as a rookie, solid but not spectacular year two, good but not great year three, dreadful last year in the playoffs. It's interesting when you start talking about expectations, because I think at this stage it's impossible to believe that C.J. Stroud is going to be great. Can he be good? Absolutely. Do I think that he has the ability to improve his completion percentage in his decision making? Texans improved their offensive line, three new players, three new starters on their offensive line. David Montgomery comes in at running back. Good news is it's a vast improvement. Bad news, it's still David Montgomery. There's a reason why he was kicked out of Chicago and kicked out of Detroit. He's solid. He's not spectacular. I do think he's an upgrade. I think Montgomery and Woody Marks as a combo. I think that's pretty good. Now, is it good enough to ease the pressure and the heat on C.J. Stroud? We're going to find out. Nico Collins, to me, is a monster key to this team, because I think that Nico Collins is sensational. Like a top five, top six wide receiver in the National Football League. I think if he played for a different team, if he played for the Cowboys as opposed to the Texans, we wouldn't have to sell that for you. You saw the impact when someone like Collins wasn't there, including that playoff game that I aforementioned, Dudd and DeBacco, when he wasn't out there, wasn't healthy against the New England Patriots. Obviously, that impacted everything. Now, Jaden Higgins, and this is rough stuff here. He is done for the season, torn ACL. That's problematic here for the Houston Texans. And he was going into his second season. He had a really strong rookie season. By all accounts, was having a terrific, terrific camp. So now you're going to have Hutchinson and Tank Dell as, you know, receiver two and three behind Nico Collins. Love Tank Dell. He hasn't played in a couple years. He's a monster injury question and risk. I don't think there's any doubt about that. Now, I do love the tight end position. I think Nick Kelly, their plate crawler is really good. But it is impossible to sit here and say, I love C.J. Stroud. And the issue is, right, because it says expectations for Stroud and the Texans. The upside for the Houston Texans is to go to the Super Bowl. I think the Houston Texans have a phenomenal head coach in D'Amico Ryans. I think that the Houston Texans defense is special, superb, the best in the game. They can beat you on every single level. I think D'Amico gets his team ready to play. I think D'Amico is unbelievable. I think he's brilliant in game. I love everything about D'Amico Ryans. I think he is a pro's pro. I think he's phenomenal in terms of preparation, dedication, X's and O's. I think he's one of the truly best coaches in the league. He finally got it right with the offensive coordinator. Love Nick Kelly. And I think that he will maximize whatever he can in terms of unearthing the best from C.J. Stroud. Remember this about Nick Kelly. He was with the Rams. He was with the Patriots. He's been part of some great coaching staffs with Belichick, with Sean McVay. He is very much well respected in league circles. So I look at the Texans and I think this is a team that on defense absolutely can go to the Super Bowl and win it. If C.J. Stroud plays like he did as a rookie, then the Texans can absolutely go out and find a way to win a championship and deliver the Lombardi Trophy to the great fans in Houston. So Texans are going to be on TV tonight on ESPN. They've got a preseason game going up against the Raiders. It is not crazy to sit there and watch the Texans and think, OK, we can fall in love with them as a team that can make a legitimate run in January en route to the Los Angeles Super Bowl in February. But this offense better function. I just my fear is they are not going to be able to become great. Good is their max. And that might not be great enough to ultimately win a championship for the Houston Texans. So we have concerns and questions about the offense. No such concerns about their dominant defense. So with that in mind, let me shine a light on my top five defenses for 2026 in the NFL this season. Number five, the Dallas Cowboys. Remember, this is a ranking for 2026. 2025 is in the past. OK, so I don't want to hear about Matt Eberflus and the defense and Micah Parsons and anything else. This is about a full season for Quinn Williams. This is about Caleb Downs, who's going to be the defensive rookie of the year. This is about bringing in Von Miller. This is about drafting Lawrence. This is about taking a different step forward in year number two out of Boston College. I am obsessed with the Dallas Cowboys and their defense. I love Christian Parker as our new defensive coordinator. I think the Dallas Cowboys are going to be amazing this year. And their defense is fifth best in the NFL. Number four, we are going with the Seattle Seahawks. And I know a Seahawks fan might think, well, that's kind of disrespectful here. Listen, Seattle is amazing. They're great on every level. Our guy Witherspoon just got paid. Highest paid corner in NFL history. Worth every single penny. What a gem from John Schneider when he drafted him high in the draft a few years ago. He paid him. Defensive line is loaded. They did have a couple of defections this offseason. But Mike McDonald is unbelievable. He's a defensive mastermind. They're number four on my list. Number three, the LA Rams. I think the Rams defense is going to be brilliant. They traded for Myles Garrett. They traded for Trent McDuffie. First of all, Garrett is the best defensive player in the sports. He won the defensive player of the year. Anyone who didn't vote him for number one overall for defensive player of the year would have their head examined. He's a sack artist. We had Les Snead on Shine Time talking about how he's going to be a great starting pitcher and a closer in terms of gets to the quarterback early. Rams going to lead with their offense. Then he can ultimately just put it away with the way he pins his hair back and gets to the quarterback. By the way, Myles Garrett never did that in Cleveland because they were always trailing. So I am a big fan and a big believer in Garrett plus McDuffie. See a problem, fix a problem. They brought in three new starters in the defensive backfield. I think that the young cats up front are amazing. Chris Shule is fantastic. Rams are going to have a sensational defense this year. Number two on my list. The Denver Broncos. Broncos defense brilliantly coached under Vance Joseph. This defense is loaded. Absolutely love Pat Sertan. Love Nick Benito. Zach Allen should change his name to Sack Allen the way he gets to the quarterback. They are so great on every single level. Broncos defense is phenomenal. The way they pin their hair back. It's just incredible. Denver number two defense for this season and number one on my list. This is why the Texans are going to be in the conversation for the Super Bowl. The Houston Texans. Will Anderson sensational. Daniel Hunter sensational. I think the world is stingingly at the cornerback position. I love that Clowney is back in the fold. They're ridiculously amazingly coached. The Houston Texans have the best defense in the National Football League this year. Couple of teams. I know some fan bases are not going to be happy. That were next on the list. The Philadelphia Eagles under Fangio. They have a lot of talent. They are loaded. I very much consider the Jacksonville Jaguars. I really think that they are very underrated on defense. And don't sleep on Brian Flores and the Minnesota Vikings and their defense for this season. Coming up. We are going to the dive bar. Who in the world of sports is taking a dive this week? What teams and players are heading in the wrong direction? I'm putting folks in the NBA, the WNBA, and Major League Baseball on notice. Max. Ah yes. Thirsty Thursday. That's a real picture by the way. Great takes. Cold drinks. Zero filter. We've been pouring drinks all day here in the Shine Time studios. You can see Uncle Chinchy sitting in the executive producer chair in the control room for us. Let's have a few cocktails. Welcome to the dive bar where I call out anyone and anything around sports that appears to be taking the dive. Heading in the wrong direction. In need of a turnaround. Let's start in the NBA. We have a trade in the NBA. And honestly, what the hell's going on here? When you look at this trade, it's... Here's what you need to know. Let me sum this thing up for you. The fact of the matter is Peyton Watson is going from the Denver Nuggets to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Denver Nuggets are trading Watson for draft picks. 2031. Is Jokic out scouting international players for, you know, six years down the road? What a joke. What an absolute joke. Now, a couple of things, right? And Struce, Max Struce is going to go to the Clippers and, you know, there's some other words on the screen there. This is for the Denver Nuggets. Just a joke. Absolutely absurd. If you're a Nuggets fan or if you're someone like me who loves Nikola Jokic's game, considers him an all-timer, wants Jokic to win a championship again in the worst possible way, what the hell are the Denver Nuggets doing? I don't want to hear about second apron. I don't want to hear about third aprons. I don't want to hear about first round picks in 2031. You have the gift of Nikola Jokic. He is as unstoppable a player. And when he won a championship a few years ago, shame on me and a lot of people. I thought that would be one of many. But the Nuggets apparently don't give a damn. You look at bad general manager moves, bad general managers. We can look at the prior regime. You take a look at coaching issues. You take a look at roster configuration. And where were the Nuggets on Jalen Brown? We talked about this on Shine Time. That was the team. I mean, this is just a waste. It's a sin. You have someone like Jokic. Or you could even talk about when Giannis Antetokounmpo won in Milwaukee. These guys are rare, right? And when you have an opportunity to win multiple championships, you got to do it. Won't ever happen, of course, with Giannis winning a second one in Milwaukee. He's now in Miami. How the hell, if you're Denver, do you do this? You get rid of a signature player. This team is not on the same level. Not even close. And it's sad. When you look at Oklahoma City and San Antonio, now you have to start thinking about fighting off everyone else as well. Peyton Watson's a really good player. Just going to haphazardly give him up for picks in 2031. I mean, Watson, look at that three-point percentage. I mean, this cat can play. Great two-way player. Terrific in terms of all-around player. He crashes the boards. He's a winning ball player. High basketball IQ. What the hell are the Nuggets doing? Now, on the flip side, I like this deal a lot when you look at it from a Cleveland standpoint. I think that when you look at Cleveland, this is a really smart move. This is a major upgrade. They had to do some different things because I know at the end of the day that when you look at it, you know, Kenny Atkinson seemed to think that they won the Knicks series on analytics. I mean, remember that nonsense and garbage? Look, I think the Cavs should be ahead of Boston. I think the Cavs, you know, should be the team that has the third or fourth best odds. You know, we'll see what happens with Toronto and Kauai when it's all said and done. The problem is you can't sit there and bang the drum because they still have James Harden. I mean, the fact that, you know, our friend Sham Sharadi broke the story earlier today. Either given James Harden, who is 98 years old and a losing ball player and terrible in the playoffs, the fact of the matter is they're giving James Harden a three-year contract for $97 million. Why? Go ask every single team he's been on from the Houston Rockets to the Brooklyn Nets to the 76ers to the LA Clippers what James Harden does when it matters the most. I like the deal. I like the Watson deal when you look at it for Cleveland, but why would you bring back James Harden? And what the hell are the Nuggets doing? That is unbelievable. Let's go to the WNBA, which has had a roller coaster of a season on and off the court. USA Today published a wide-ranging interview with Sophie Cunningham on Wednesday. She pulled no punches when it came to the commissioner of the WNBA, the overmatched Kathy Engelbert. And this quote is everything. You do have to have a person in power who is bold, who is confident, who wants the best for the players and not maybe for themselves all the time. So I do feel like, as a whole, that that could be a position that may be open at the end of the year. But that's not my call. That's up to Adam Silver at the end of the day. So Sophie Cunningham, who has an opinion on everything, which I love, she basically says Kathy needs to go. And Sophie Cunningham is 100% correct. And we've talked about this. And there's so much noise and garbage and nonsense around the WNBA. And the shame of it is, if you watch the WNBA, the product is unbelievable. The teams are great. The players are great. But they just can't get out of their own way. Everything Kathy Engelbert does is wrong, from blowing off the great Dan Patrick when there was an interview that was scheduled, which was a complete and utter mess. And she's listening to PR flackies. She has no relationship with any player who matters. Asia Wilson has no relationship with Kathy Engelbert. I mean, that's unacceptable. Asia Wilson is the face of the WNBA, the best player in the WNBA. Everything that's going on with Kaitlyn Clark and killing the Golden Goose. And we had that unbelievable interview with Nancy Lieberman here on Shine Time. And the fact that Kathy can't get everyone on the same page in terms of the garbage and nonsense with Kaitlyn Clark, it's absurd. And you have teams and networks that don't even promote when Kaitlyn Clark and the Fever are playing. And they have other players on the marquee. You always and only promote Kaitlyn Clark because she's phenomenal. And everyone wants to see her kill the Golden Goose. The NBA didn't do that with Magic Johnson and Larry Bird and Michael Jordan. What the hell is going on here? Kathy needs to go. The league has PR gaffe after just all sorts of political nightmares. It's as bad as it gets. The WNBA should be growing and building, not having all this crap constantly. We've said it time after time after time. Kathy Engelbert has no idea what she's doing. And here's the thing, right? So many times commissioners, their sole job, they're in place to protect the sport, protect the owners. I'm sure the owners can't stand her. Who likes Kathy Engelbert? She hurts the product. You need to find someone who understands everything. Buzz, marketing, the players, the schedule, what sells, what works. And for the women who are involved in the WNBA, just to be on center stage and let their talent and greatness carry the day. Because there's so much noise and nonsense, and this all falls on Kathy Engelbert. I honestly think she is as tone deaf and as atrocious a commissioner as we have ever seen in any sport that has ever mattered. Seriously, she needs to go. The WNBA, the fans, the players, the coaches, they deserve so much more than having Kathy Engelbert, who is just a waste of space and detrimental to the cause as the commissioner of the WNBA. Last call to the dive bar is for Paul Stevens. What's the mental challenge then to sort of kind of grind through this? And have you tweaked anything in terms of your process to try to help figure things out? No, I haven't really changed anything. Just got to keep going. You know, remember what's real and what's not real. What's real then? Objective numbers, watching the game, execution, all that stuff. Not anything from the outside. I mean, this is just sad. Paul Stevens is sad. And I love Paul Stevens. I love the Pirates before the season started. And you know, I was wrong on that. But I'll tell you the one thing that was just unimaginable was Skeen struggling as much as he has. I mean, when you look at his stats, we're talking about an ERA pushing four. He's coming off of consecutive starts with fewer than 85 pitches. And it's clear he's not 100%. Yes, yesterday afternoon against Detroit, the miles per hour on the fastball was higher than it's been in a minute. But it just sucks. And here's the problem, right? I just I don't have faith in the Pirates doing the right thing. You know, they still sell out when he pitches and people pay attention. But I just I don't know why he's even on the mound at this stage. You know, I think that there are a lot of smart people who do think this is more mechanical and as a result, maybe mental than it is physical. I'm kind of hoping that's the case, right? Because that's correctable. But something's off with Paul Skeens, obviously, and clearly. So I just hope the Pittsburgh Pirates do the right thing and shut him down. I thought this was going to be another Cy Young season. I thought this would be a playoff season for the Pirates. It's over. The organization stinks. And Paul Skeens, I just want him to get back to being Paul Skeens. Coming up next, Pete Alonso is in a foul mood. Plus, New York Minutes. Aaron Glenn opens up about his biggest regrets from disastrous year one with the Jets. Abdul Carter is betting on himself. Steve Cohen betting on David Stearns. And did you see that creepy raccoon at Citi Field last night? Time continues. Obviously, it sucks for us. Sucks. Yeah, sucks. But it is what it is. And the umpire made the call on the field. And the review room stood with that call. And that's what we have to live with and move on. And we have to, as a team and individually, bear down and respond to adversity. Welcome back to my bar. And Orioles fans were drinking heavily after they got robbed last night. So Pete Alonso said some really important words right there without raising his voice. I will raise my voice for Pete Alonso. And understand, I am a diehard Yankees fan. The Yankees absolutely were lucky. The fact that the umpires and replay command center completely clueless. Major League Baseball has a huge problem on its hands. First of all, it's a 3-3 game. It's the seventh inning. Pete Alonso hits a ball that was an absolute fair ball. A prodigious blast. For what would have been, should have been, the second home run that the former Mets slugger hits in this baseball game. It's against the Yankees. The Orioles started the series, started the week, half game up as a playoff team. They lost the first two games. They are currently not a playoff team. If they win last night, and again, they would take the lead. They still have to play a couple more innings. That would help Baltimore in terms of making the playoffs in a year that's been a disaster. With a traded Rushman obviously. They had to sell. Get some prospects. This is supposed to be a signature moment for my guy Pete Alonso hitting two home runs as a former Met against the Yankees to get the Orioles off the schnide. And he did it. And this is one of those, I'm watching the game as a Yankee fan saying, damn it, Pete Alonso just hit a home run. They call it foul. Well, obviously that's a bad call. They're going to look at it on replay and then say it's a home run. And they say the call in the field stands. Listen, this is Jeffrey Mayer territory. And obviously the Mayer moment with Tarasko and Jeter. Bigger deal in the 96 postseason. But in terms of getting it absolutely wrong, this is the theater of the absurd. This is a Major League Baseball problem. And listen, replay, if it fails, it means you're just not doing your job. And I thought the Orioles when they talked postgame had a great take where you should have certainly a tracker on balls. Worst case scenario, foul pulls like pylon cam. In the NFL, you should be able to take a look at it there. There's also this. It was obvious. It wasn't even up for debate. I don't even know how many misses on the field, let alone in replay center. And if a replay can't get that right, what are we even doing here? Look, the ABS has worked better in Major League Baseball than I ever thought that it would. Right? It's been terrific. It's been tremendous. It's been timely. They get it right. There's an art to it. Do you challenge? Are you out of challenges? Who challenges? It's been terrific. Absolutely terrific. This was awful. I'm going to take it a step further. If the Baltimore Orioles, okay, miss the playoffs by a game, we're going to be talking about this. I'll take you another step further, right? If I'm a Red Sox fan watching. Again, one in 162. If the Yankees are ultimately a better seed than Boston, based upon this game and one game, that would piss me off as well. That can't happen. That is too big a spot. Too big a moment. Garrett Cole goes to the mound tonight. The Orioles could get swept away. Again, thrilled as a Yankee fan. Yankees got lucky. And by the way, and I love Pete Alonzo and the men should have kept him. You know, I have no idea what the hell David Stearns and Steve Cohen were thinking about Alonzo having that moment. A two homer game as a former Met against the Yankees. Having that ripped away from him. It's just wrong. Absolutely wrong. Time now for our New York Minute's Thirsty Thursday edition. My guy Aaron Glenn. Talk to my guy Jonathan Jones in a great conversation at the Athletic. Going over his regrets. Year one in New York. First time head coach. And first up in terms of regrets. How he handled the media. And I thought last year Aaron Glenn was atrocious. Talking to the great Brian Costello and all the great men and women who cover the Jets. And here's what Aaron Glenn had to say. Talking to our friend Jonathan Jones. Absolutely. Another mistake. Because I came in. I was already pissed at something else. Had nothing to do with the media. Then I started to think, man, take it out on these guys and gals. For what? They had nothing to do with anything. That was a mistake. Listen, that's terrible. And last year that was just absolutely atrocious when you take a look at everything that happened with the way Glenn treated the press. He basically tried to be Bill Parcells without the resume. And I get it. You know, Parcells was Aaron Glenn's guy. But Bill Parcells could do that in a different era, by the way. And he had a resume to back it up. Aaron Glenn, first-time head coach. You got to win something before you act like a horse's ass. And even if you win, I would say smile. Be nice. Be respectful. Don't be a jackass and a jerk with the media, which is not Aaron Glenn. He's a great guy. He's a great dude. Be yourself. And he's been at press conferences so much better this year talking to the press. And last year it was awful, right, when you start, you know, remember that press conference with, you know, Justin Fields. He's ripping reporters. You know, how could you suggest that I'm going to bench my quarterback? And then, bam, he benches him. So it made a bad situation even worse. Aaron Glenn was contentious. He was disrespectful. He was, frankly, doping. Like nothing he said made sense in any way, shape, or form. He also regrets building a staff that underwent a significant overhaul in year number one. And the money quote he gave to our friend Jonathan Jones, I kicked myself in the ass for that. The old ass kick. And it's even worse when you have a self-ass kick. So that's kind of problematic here when you look at it from that perspective. And obviously you have to get rid of Steve Wilkes. And Glenn's now going to run the defense. And he should because he made his bones in the NFL as a terrific defensive coordinator. And that's why, one of the reasons why he got the job in the first place. You know, had to get rid of the offensive staff. Here's Frank Reich. I mean, the whole thing was just absolutely atrocious. So I think also, and it kind of combines all of it, in-game management was terrible last year. And remember the Denver game? I mean, just gave up at the end of the first half. I mean, remember the fact that Aaron Glenn hand-picked Justin Fields to be his quarterback? And that was a disaster by any accounts. Justin Fields was as atrocious a quarterback as anyone in the NFL. And I will say, I always tell you what I'm right. I always tell you what I'm wrong. I appreciated why Aaron Glenn picked Justin Fields. Because when Aaron Glenn was the Lions defensive coordinator, he would go up against Justin Fields twice a year in Chicago and thought he was difficult to defend. So I understood it. But he was wrong there. And you know, I could get a take wrong. Aaron Glenn got everything wrong. So go through it from last year, right? He was terrible in-game. Awful in terms of what to call timeouts. Awful in terms of getting his team ready to play. Awful in terms of challenges. Terrible with the press. Terrible the defense. And Aaron Glenn was a phenomenal DB and a corner for the Jets and other teams throughout his great career. He's a great defensive line. Jets didn't have an interception last year. Every time I saw that stat, I thought it was a mistake. I mean, zero interceptions. You just by accident get an interception. Just one, if not many. I don't even understand it. I'd like to think Aaron Glenn can improve. I think Aaron Glenn is super smart and super buttoned up. And I think Aaron Glenn, and I love that he sat down with my great friend Jonathan Jones to have this conversation. I think Aaron Glenn can get better. Here's the other thing when it comes to the Jets and Aaron Glenn If Glenn doesn't get better, he's gone. And he told Jonathan Jones he could have been one and done. He had that buyout that might have prevented that. I can appreciate the Jets having continuity and stability for another year. I think Darren Muge has proven he's an excellent general manager. Knows what he's doing. A lot of great players on offense. Seriously, scope positions. Brees Hall, Garrett Wilson. The tight end position. The depth now when you take a look at the receiver position. Sadiq, the tight end. Cooper, at wide receiver. They drafted those guys. The line is really good. Brought in leaders on defense like Demario Davis. Love Geno Smith. Love Klubnik. It makes sense. They had a great offseason. If the Jets, and I do think they can start three and two. I think they're going to win week one in Tennessee. I think they're going to shock the world and beat the Green Bay Packers week number two at home. And I think they can beat the Cleveland Browns in week number five. If the Jets don't get it done or if Aaron Glenn proves he again is a complete buffoon in every way, they'll just get rid of him. It's as simple as that. And they'll have a new head coach who will probably be on the offensive side of the ball and bring in a new quarterback who's probably playing in college this upcoming season. The Jets will be set up to be an attractive job for the next head coach. Which I've never said that once about the head coach of the New York Jets. That it's an attractive situation. So I think, and self-awareness is the most important thing here. The fact that Glenn recognizes all of the failures in that wide-ranging interview with our guy Jonathan Jones, that to me is noteworthy. Now he's got to do something about it. Because football is a results-oriented business. So I'd love the hire when the Jets made it. He was atrocious in every possible way last year. And if it doesn't work, we'll just fire him. There won't be another interview next year with Jonathan Jones if this is a failure from Eric Glenn. Giant second-year man Abdul Carter also spoke with The Athletic about his expectations for himself. Revisiting the infamous request for Lawrence Taylor's number 56. I want to be the greatest of all time. There's a reason I asked number 56 when I did. I want to show my teammates and show the city why I asked for that number. So a couple of things. Number one. The worst trend right now in all of sports is any player asking for a retired number. It's retired. It's off-limits. There's a reason it was retired. It was retired for that player and that player's family and for that player's teammates and for the fans who appreciated that player who had the number retired. And in this case, it's Lawrence freaking Taylor. You can't ask for that number. So that's number one. Number two, I love the attitude. I love this. I love the moxie. And I expect Abdul Carter to have a terrific season. This is why he was drafted. The Giants defense should be excellent. He should be part of this. And this should be part of the deal here when you take a look at the Giants and coach Harbaugh for this upcoming season. They have a lot of terrific players. Terrific young players. Guys who can get to the quarterback. The pass rush should be great. I love the attitude from Carter. By the way, show up on time. Don't be late. Don't take to social media. Start ripping teammates. Don't do any of that stuff. I think Abdul Carter is going to take a monster step forward. I think he's going to have an excellent season. I think that his attitude is awesome. He better back it up. Preparation. Meeting room. Practice field. Act like a pro. Show responsibility. Then kick ass and take names coming up on game day. From the gridiron to the diamond. Mets owner Steve Keller met with the media yesterday. And he's got the same question he's been getting for months. Are you sticking with David Stearns? I'm committed to David. I've said that before. And we're going to move forward. And I thought we had a great trade deadline. And you know, listen, David is smart. He knows what he's doing. He's very adaptable. He learns from mistakes. And that's what I want in a leader. So I don't agree with Steve Cohen when he says David Stearns is smart. I think what he's done over the last couple years has been the antithesis of smart. It's been foolish. It's been ignorance. He's been arrogant. He's treated Mets fans like fools. And they are not. They're a brilliant, passionate fan base. Here's one thing I'm going to give Steve Cohen credit for. And I don't agree with him retaining David Stearns. He has not wavered or waffled on Stearns. And I do think that's important here when it comes to organizational structure, getting the next manager, free agents signing with the Mets, and continuity in terms of a plan. Now, I think they have the wrong guy running baseball in David Stearns. We've talked about that. But I think Cohen is right that if he fires Stearns, it's an upheaval that, you know, you have to start everything all over again tenfold. So I appreciate him doubling, tripling down and saying that Stearns is his guy because I know that it's true. You know that it's true. The word choice, I think, is a little cartoonish and buffoonish on Steve Cohen's part. Obviously, the Mets have not even come close to living up to expectations under Steve Cohen's eyes. So it's clearly a monster disappointment for Mets fans. We take a look at what has transpired. But I do think there are benefits here to the immediate future with the Mets. Stearns did have a strong trade deadline. Let's be fair about that. Mets have played better baseball. It is a pivotal offseason. The goal next year is not to break it down and build it back up. Tier three of the Juan Soto contract. The goal is to make a push in the playoffs. If you don't, it's going to be a complete and utter failure. Mets have to go back to the drawing board on so many different things. They need four new starters. They need more pop in the batting order. They need a first baseman. They let Alonzo go. You know the deal. When they need new relief pitchers, we can go on and on and on. But I do give Steve Cohen credit for this in terms of Stearns. He's letting everyone know Stearns is his guy. I don't agree with it. But I give him credit for making sure that that message is out in the court of public opinion. Cohen's thoughts were not going to be the biggest headline from Citi Field yesterday. And we know it wasn't the team on the field. Did you see this raccoon clawing for peanut scraps? Holy hell. Yeah. Oh, he's back. Oh my god. What? And you thought the Mets play on the field was the grossest thing you're going to see at Citi Field all year. What the hell was that? A creepy raccoon trying to eat peanuts and peanut shells? What was he singing? Take me out to the ballgame. Give me some peanuts and cracker jacks too. I mean, clean it up. I don't even see raccoons in Citi Field. Bad enough you're going to watch the Mets play. Can we see that one more time? A raccoon emerging from Citi Field concrete to eat peanuts. That's the show. If you miss any portion of the show, just do what I do. Rewatch the show over and over and over again. Subscribe to our new YouTube page at Shine Time. See you tomorrow on Shine Time.