“At some point, I think it will rear its ugly head…I think Aaron (Rodgers) will finish somewhere else. That’s my gut.” – Brett Favre on the impact of the Packers drafting Jordan Love
“It’s not his job to mentor Jordan Love…It’s not the head guy’s job to mentor the next guy. That guy is ultimately there to take your spot.” – Favre on the Rodgers-Love relationship
“Jerry never made it to us in any of our mock drafts, it was a surprise to us.” – Denver GM John Elway on Broncos selecting WR Jerry Jeudy in first round
“It is going to modernize college sports…It is going to be impossible for this not to leak into the recruiting environment even though that is one of the stated things.” – Pete Thamel on the NCAA approving changes to allow student-athletes to profit from their likeness
STAMFORD, Conn. – April 29, 2020 – Mike Tirico hosted today’s episode of Lunch Talk Live on NBCSN and was joined remotely by:
- Auburn football coach Gus Malzahn
- NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick
- NASCAR on NBC’s Rutledge Wood
- Two-time Olympic gold medalist alpine skier Ted Ligety
- NBC Sports/GOLF Channel reporter & host Steve Sands
- Yahoo! Sports reporter Pete Thamel
The Rich Eisen Show followed Lunch Talk Live on NBCSN, as host Rich Eisen was joined by:
- Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre
- Denver Broncos President of Football Operations & general manager John Elway
Following are highlights from The Rich Eisen Show on NBCSN:
Brett Favre on the Packers drafting QB Jordan Love 26th overall: “I was very surprised. I really thought they would go in the direction of an offensive weapon. They were several plays from being in the Super Bowl…Nothing against Jordan Love…But you trade up to get more of a project. He’s a little bit unproven -- lot of upside, no doubt about it -- but he can’t help you get to the Super Bowl immediately.”
Favre: “They don’t draft any weapons, not just in the first round, but any weapons that can help immediately. That just sends a disrespect message -- what I would think -- to Aaron Rodgers. He has every right to be disappointed, if he is.”
Favre on speaking with Rodgers following the draft: “He was surprised they went in that direction…It’s not his job to mentor Jordan Love…It’s not the head guy’s job to mentor the next guy. That guy is ultimately there to take your spot.”
Favre on Rodgers’ impact on the Packers: “If he plays like we expect him to play, they have a shot. With or without a first-round wide receiver. He’s that good. So, I would do everything I could do to not burn that bridge and I don’t think that (the Green Bay front office) did that because they burned a bridge that’s going to be hard to overcome. At some point, I think it will rear its ugly head...and the daggers will be out…I think Aaron will finish somewhere else. That’s my gut.”
John Elway on the NFL Draft: “I think we got a lot done…Draft day was good, my kids were here and they got to see how everything works and were intrigued by that…Everybody was cautious the first couple of days because they didn’t want to make a mistake.”
Elway on drafting WR Jerry Jeudy 15th overall: “Jerry never made it to us in any of our mock drafts, it was a surprise to us…Fortunately, he fell into our laps and we were thrilled about that.”
Elway on drafting WR K.J. Hamler: “He was our target in the second round. We loved his explosiveness, the speed and the way he plays.”
Elway on drafting wide receivers with the team’s first two drafts picks: “We wanted to get more explosive on the offensive side…We made a commitment to get better on offense, put more points on the board. We made it a point that we needed to get speed and depth at wide receiver.”
Elway on Broncos QB Drew Lock: “He has the mental capacity to not only handle the offense but handle all the other things that goes along with the pressure of being the quarterback of the team…The conversations I have with him are big-picture. Not necessarily each specific play, but the idea of how to play the game and everything that goes along with the position.”
Following are highlights from Lunch Talk Live on NBCSN:
Gus Malzahn on the NCAA approving changes to allow student-athletes to profit from their likeness: “We have known about this for a while, we knew it was coming down. We will just have to get used to it once everything kicks in.”
Malzahn on managing players who may earn more money than their teammates and maintaining team culture: “There will be a learning curve just like anything else. I would assume we are probably going to have to maybe hire a new staff person to help monitor that.”
Malzahn on the Carolina Panthers selecting former Auburn DT Derrick Brown: “You are talking about a guy that could have been a first-rounder last year. (He) chose to come back and get his degree and finish with his teammates…They are just getting a wonderful person that is going to be a great positive influence in that locker room.”
Malzahn on current Patriots and former Auburn quarterback Jarrett Stidham “When he got drafted by the Patriots, I just felt it was a super fit for him. The system, the stability and everything that goes with that…He has the ability to play his best games in the biggest games.”
Malzahn on former Auburn QB Cam Newton being a free agent: “Cam is very hungry. I have seen that look before -- he has got something to prove, he is determined. Whoever gets him better buckle up because it is going to be a lot of fun.”
Pete Thamel on the NCAA approving changes to allow student-athletes to profit from their likeness: “It is going to modernize college sports. It is great for college athletics…It is going to be impossible for this not to leak into the recruiting environment even though that is one of the stated things.”
Thamel on the NCAA asking the federal government for assistance: “There are still giant questions, including the ask to Congress. That is a big deal, especially right now during a pandemic.”
Thamel on if the college football season will be played as scheduled: “There is zero chance that is going to happen at all 130 FBS schools…I don’t think it is a question of if it is delayed. I think it what type of delay and what that looks like.”
Thamel on the NBA G League offering high school recruits contracts: “It is not going to doom college basketball, but it is just another reason to not watch college basketball.”
Kevin Harvick on preparing to return to racing: “To keep yourself in shape is probably my number one priority right now…and then trying to do things that are normal.”
Harvick on NASCAR’s planned return and remaining safe: “Our biggest goal is to keep ourselves isolated and basically go from the motorhome to the car and keep everyone as safe as possible with less people in the garage.”
Harvick on iRacing: “It has added a great bond between myself and my son. It introduced me to a whole new network of people.”
Kevin Harvick on preparing to return to racing: “To keep yourself in shape is probably my number one priority right now…and then trying to do things that are normal.”
Rutledge Wood on the possibility of NASCAR returning on May 17 at Darlington: “To know we would have racing for that many days in a row is a really cool thing.”
Wood on the race teams being ready to return: “Everybody that I have talked to is eager, they are ready to get back to it…It is about trying to do these things the right way and safely.”
Wood on the Kentucky Derby: “To see what that energy is like and to feel when those incredible athletes are on those insanely strong horses as they are coming down to the finish, and you see 180,000 people on their feet, all cheering for this one thing, this one moment in time that is celebrated. It is an unbelievable moment.”
Wood on the Kentucky Derby: “It is not just a race. To the people in Kentucky, the Kentucky Derby, it is a way life.”
Steve Sands on restarting the PGA Tour: “Everybody around the tour is really excited…There are so many logistics that go into putting on a PGA Tour event. I think everybody involved from top to bottom wants to make sure that safety is the number one issue.”
Sands on the condensed major schedule: “What a couple of guys have told me is if you get hot, you might not be able to run the table and win all four perhaps, but you could win two or three of the four because they are so close together.”
Ted Ligety on Goggles for Docs: “So far I think there has been 35,000-plus goggles sent in…It’s a really unique way for the ski community and snow sports community to give back and help in this pandemic.”
Ligety on entering the 2022 Beijing Olympics: “Now I am looking to do two final years and finish it off at the Olympics right now. That is the goal right now and just doing Giant Slalom.”
–NBC SPORTS–