02-07-25 After Hours with Amy Lawrence PODCAST Hour 3
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- College holds a mythic place in American culture. On the new Campus Files podcast, we uncover the scandals you won't hear on the campus tours. Find Campus Files on the free Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. - That goes back to year one.

our Dallas affiliate asked me to be part of a series of features they were putting together called Yo Roger Raps and you hear his voice there, obviously more distinct than mine, but they allowed me to pick the rap and that was one that I listened to when I was in college. It was

It was the one that we loved at the clubs. I know. I know that sounds funny. But it's old school and it's terrific. And here's my true story about recording that. So if you guys remember Isaac, who was with us going back to... Actually, I guess it was 15 then. Hmm. Let me think. It might have been 15 because...

Isaac was working with me then and Isaac and I didn't start working together full time until 15. So it was either 14 or 15. He was doing some part-time work then, but he was the only other person in the studio with me. And he would, Ryan, don't laugh. He would play a couple lines and,

And then he would turn his back and he would look the other way. So I didn't have him staring at me when I was trying to do my own version of the rap. But here is what I will tell you God's honest truth. No music. I did it dry because there was no way I was going to be able to sync up with the music. And so I would listen to a few lines and I would spit them out. And I would listen to a few lines and I would spit them out. And he would record and there was no music while I was doing my version of the, I hesitate to call it rap version.

I'm using my air quotations, but it was a big hit in Dallas, which is the whole point.

plenty of people, which is also the point. And I have zero problem making a total fool of myself, which is yet another point. I can laugh at myself, self-deprecating in a different way, but I do not have any type of a rap career. Also, some of you are finding me now on social and saying, if you continue in radio, I will keep listening. There's no if. You've

You guys, I'm not retiring. I'm not dying. This is not some clandestine way to tell you that I'm about to fade into the background. Radio is my first love. I've wanted to do radio since I was 16 years old. I have a lot of radio left. Please, please understand. I just need a new challenge. And it's not just about getting married either. My husband has said to me multiple times, whatever you want to do, we will make it work.

But I've spent the last 25 years, every single decision I've made has put career first because I could. And I don't want to do that anymore. I waited a long time. I prayed for decades to meet the love of my life and have a husband and a family of my own. And now that God has answered that prayer, I need to make different decisions to honor that and also to put my priorities in a different order because

I love radio. This is my calling. It's what I was born to do. In fact, I love radio more than I love sports. So it's not beyond the realm of possibility. I could end up doing radio. That's not in sports. However, that's not likely to be the case. I've already got different offers from people who want me to jump in part time. Some of, I don't want to say anything on the air yet. I'm not ready to announce that, but I'm not leaving radio. I'm not leaving.

I'm just leaving this show. Maybe it's the end of after hours, depending upon my, my hours moving forward, but it's not the end of me as a radio host, which is why I did not want to announce it before now, because I believe this would be the reaction. Many people assuming that I'm walking away and I'm done.

no. You guys should know me better than that after all this time. I have worked my arse off to get to this point. I didn't come all this way just to say sayonara. My husband does not want me around if I'm not also doing what I love. It won't take very long before I'll be itchy. Well,

We were on our honeymoon. We were gone for two weeks. And at the end of that, I started to get itchy where I missed the radio. No, it's a part of me. It's part of who I am. It's not just what I do. And I poured heart, soul, blood, sweat, and tears into it. And it will always be my first love. Again, going back to 16 years old, I started telling people what I was going to do for the rest of my life. So this is not the end. It's not the R word. It's not...

Me riding off into the sunset. It's just a change. I need a new professional challenge as well. I'd like to do a different kind of a radio show. And I told the company this, but the company had other ideas. So I'm happy. I'm ready for something new. I'll tell you the truth. When I made the decision and turned down the contract officially, this massive weight slipped right off my shoulders.

I'd been carrying it around for a year and a half wanting to make sure that I picked the right time and made the right choice. And...

No doubt that I have because of the peace I've felt since then. And again, I'll let you know as soon as I know what it is that I'll be doing moving forward. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence. Thank you for all of your kind words. I sincerely hope, just as those of you who, there are some of you who followed me from my previous network here, found me again and were really thrilled about it. I hope that you'll do the same for me.

When I moved to the next spot and honestly, 12 years on one show in one time slot for one network is nearly unheard of in our business. So I'm proud of what we've done here, but also humbled by your support and your encouragement.

Feel like it's an easy pivot to, hey, athletes, pour heart, soul, blood, sweat, and tears into what they do. And how can we not be happy? Even if you're surprised, how can you not be happy for one Josh Allen who accepted his first NFL MVP award on Thursday night? A lot of people to thank. I know I'm going to forget a few, so I apologize in advance. I'd like to thank God, first and foremost, for allowing me to be here today.

I'd like to acknowledge the other nominees, Jared, Joe, Saquon, Lamar, all had great seasons and all could be standing here today and you guys would be deserving of it. So you guys are true stewards of the game. I look up to you guys. I admire you guys. I just look forward to sharing the gridiron in the future with you guys too. I'd like to thank the Bills organization, Terry and Kim Pagula, Brandon Bean, Sean McDermott. Thank you guys for drafting me seven and a half years ago.

Feels just like yesterday. It really does. And I know this is an individual award, and it says most valuable player on it, but I think it's derived from team success, and I love my team. D-Doc, thank you for presenting. I really appreciate it. We've got such a great locker room in Buffalo, and it takes everybody from the equipment staff to the training room to the strength staff to Slick Rick in the mail room to the cafeteria upstairs. It truly takes everybody to...

Half team success, and I'm so fortunate to be a part of a great organization. I'd like to thank Joel and LaVon, my parents, who...

In my 20-plus years of playing football, going down to Pop Warner, I bet you they've missed maybe 15 games in their entire life. They are so dedicated to supporting me and my favorite teammates who are my sister, my brother, and my little sister, Nicola, Jason, and McKenna. Thank you guys for all the support, all the time, money, energy wasted growing up from going from meat to game to practice every day. I love you guys. I know you...

Take a lot of pride in this as well. And last but not least, my fiance, Haley, who you've been my rock. You are my best friend. I would not be standing on this stage if it weren't for you. So with that being said, be good, do good. God bless and go Bills. Now, I did not see them. I suppose there's a chance that

No, there's no chance. I don't think he knew ahead of time. They kept everything under wraps. So I don't think Josh knew ahead of time that he was the MVP. So there's no way it would have been on the prompter. And there were enough of the, we'll call them talking ticks or language ticks. So the ums or the uhs that it was clearly not scripted, but I was really impressed over the course of a couple of minutes. How long was that? Two minutes. Exactly. Wow. Two minutes. Exactly. Really impressed that he managed to include everyone and how gracious.

as he was in mentioning the other candidates. I did not see Lamar. He hugged Jared Goff as he stood up. I saw a couple of the other candidates there as well. Joe Burrow was obviously there. So he, Saquon accepted offensive player of the year over a video. So he wasn't in the building, but he's there in New Orleans and,

I thought he was very humble and gracious. His parents were close to weeping. They were so thrilled. His fiance was also crying. And I love how he built his way up and he thanked not just the owners of the Bills, but his teammates, his coaches, Rick, Slick Rick, the mailroom guy. And if you haven't seen the video that the Bills posted after he won the MVP, please go check it out. It is amazing.

It's moving. It's special. It's beautiful. And it is clear that Josh Allen has developed a relationship with the kids at a local children's hospital there in Buffalo area. They love him and they wrote heartfelt notes. They shared messages with him. We're talking about kiddos of all ages who have battled various diseases and illnesses. And Josh has shined light and light.

love into their lives and has meant so much to them and their families. They drew pictures for him. They were wearing special t-shirts and jerseys. It's, it was really neat. It's very moving. So Josh has touched a lot of lives. You may or may not agree that he is this year's MVP.

Our friend Mike Sandoe, who joined us from New Orleans, also a Hall of Fame selector, so he joined us to be able to tell us about the new Hall of Fame selection process. He voted for Lamar, and he said he was surprised, actually, because Josh Allen was not first-team All-Pro, and it very rarely happens that the first-team All-Pro is not also the MVP. But you're splitting hairs. I mean, the two of them had exceptional seasons previously.

If you missed it, Mike explains why he voted for Lamar. But congratulations to Josh. It's an honor that he has earned and he's poured everything he's had into it. And I love that he's got the great balance with his family and now his fiance as well. It's after hours with Amy Lawrence, the Walter Payton Man of the Year. That's Eric Armstead of the San Francisco 49ers.

Wait, San Francisco 49ers. He used to be with the San Francisco 49ers. He's with the Jags now. Right, with the Jacksonville Jaguars. As soon as I said that, I was like, wait a minute. That's not right. But really neat to hear from him after receiving what is probably the second most prestigious award that the NFL hands out. I don't feel that tonight is about me or our organization. Tonight is about all of you in this room right here.

and everyone watching at home. We live in a world that constantly tries to divide us, whether that's politically, economically, racially, sexual orientation. We're constantly being divided. But I believe in humanity. I believe that we are all more alike than we are different. Yes. And I believe that all of us have the power to be the change

that we want to see in our society. And no act is too big and no act is too small, but I just encourage you to try to be a blessing in someone else's life and see how that changes your life. Let's define success by a new metric, not by the things that we acquire, but by how many people we positively impact. And this is a night that I'll never forget. And I thank you and I appreciate you and have a good night.

So congratulations to him. It's a coveted award because it's really stiff competition. There's one player nominated from each team, and to be the last man standing is a big deal. This recognizes excellence both on and off the field, so you have to have both components. And he's had a significant positive impact on his community, which I think is really cool to be –

voted as the Walter Payton Man of the Year is one. I think that players, it's not just quarterbacks, right? It's not just the best player on the team. It's one that recognizes what you're doing with the rest of your life, too. And, of course, Walter Payton is revered in football circles, and to have his name on the award is also really special. Did you see that Roger Goodell was in the middle of the NFL honors? He was...

He was hanging out, maxing, relaxing with Snoop Dogg. Trying to lay low. Yeah. Yell at NFLPA. So it's kind of fun to see them, what's turned into a really neat, entertaining show.

they put it right before the Super Bowl because it kind of breaks up the week a little bit. I haven't had the chance to see all of it, so I am looking forward to watching more of it. But some funny moments to be sure and a lot of VIPs and presenters from inside and outside football. It's after hours. Gosh, I've already forgotten the name of the show here on the Infinity Sports Network. We'll hear from the Hall of Famers coming up because that's really cool too. But offensive

Offensive and defensive players of the year. May not be MVP, but these come with a whole lot of clout as well. It goes back to Barkley. Barkley breaks the tackle. He's at the 40. He's at the 30. He is at the 25.

line he is down at the 25 yard line let's see what he has right now as he goes to the 25 yard line he has just broken the 2,000 yard rushing mark Saquon Barkley goes into NFL history gain of eight first down to goal Raiders at the Denver 5 Minshew under center

Dave Logan on Broncos radio. This was

bit of a surprise too. I think the fact that Pat Sertan was the defensive player of the year, Miles Garrett, a distant third is nothing to do with the fact that he requested a trade out of Cleveland. But yeah, I think a lot of people, the reaction on social anyway, was one that I think caught people off guard a little bit, but what a cool moment for the Broncos. And remember they are back in the playoffs or were back in the playoffs for the first time since they won Superbowl 50. First and foremost, I want to give all the praise to

to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I mean, without him, I wouldn't be in this position, first off. Secondly, I'd like to thank my family, mom, pops, you know, for setting the blueprint, turning a young man to a grown man. I want to thank y'all. I'd also like to thank the Broncos organization for believing in me, for trusting in me, for allowing me to grow and being the player that I am today.

And lastly, I'd like to thank my teammates for helping me reach my full potential and being the best person I could be, man. So thank y'all. Have a blessed one. Really neat. Really cool. We heard from Saquon Barkley earlier. He obviously wasn't there because they've got a curfew and he's got to be.

with his team to get ready for the upcoming Super Bowl. But I just love his story. What a dream season for Saquon and now has a chance to play in a Super Bowl for the first time. If you didn't hear, he's now engaged. He actually said he was more nervous proposing to his longtime girlfriend,

than he was or that he is when he steps up to play in a big game. So man, what a year for him is amazing. Congratulations to all of the winners. Jared Verse, I think the only one we haven't heard from, the defensive rookie of the year to go along with Jaden Daniels. So we'll make sure we get to that. And the Hall of Famers, only four of them.

That's it. The process has changed. It's much more selective and exclusive, and that's what the Hall wanted, but only four. I wonder if that's what the Hall wanted. You'll hear from them coming up. 855-212-4227-8.

surprise conversation with two-time World Series champion Johnny Damon at the top of the hour and then we'll do a little bit on the Super Bowl fine coming up before the end of the show as well. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence. You are listening to the After Hours podcast. Second and goal now. Rivers in the shotgun. Empty set. Gates inside on the right. Again looking for Gates. Going to the end zone. Touchdown Chargers!

Antonio Gates. That ball to Canton. And grab Antonio's gold jacket while you're there. His 112th touchdown reception, the most ever by a tight end in NFL history. Size and spank is a good one. His pass is not picked up. Allen still spinning, still finding room. And Allen comes out of the back yard still on his feet. Eric Allen at the 40. Allen is going to go all the way.

This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. Wow, that's cool. An older highlight there for Eric Allen on TV. We're not even sure which one, so forgive us. It's either Fox or CBS. And before that, we're going to talk about the

But for that Antonio Gates, man, he was the best for a long time. Formidable at the tight end position on the Chargers radio network. It's after hours with Amy Lawrence. Only four that are part of this 2025 Hall of Fame class. That does not include Adam Vinatieri, which blows me away. I thought he was a sure thing if there ever was one for the Hall of Fame, even though he is a kicker. I also thought that

We would see Luke Keekly get in on the first ballot. Eli Manning, I wasn't sure, would be a first ballot guy. I thought probably not, though these guys all have other opportunities still to come. So a brand new selection process. If you are wondering why, how, what's changed, well, it's supposed to be more exclusive now. Thanks, Deion Sanders.

I talk about all of that with Mike Sandoe, who's a Hall of Fame selector. We had him on the show from New Orleans, like immediately on the heels of the announcements. That was in our first hour. So if you missed it, it's part of our podcast. But

But it is designed to be more exclusive now. This is the fewest number that could ever get in on any given year. Only four. But he told me he was surprised that we only ended up with four. And there are a lot of things that are kept secret, even from the selectors. For instance, they don't know how much of a percentage of the vote was given to each of the winners. They say it has to be 80%.

It doesn't actually have to be. Isn't that crazy? I'm telling you, you need to get the conversation with Mike from the podcast because it explains a lot. So smallest class in 20 years, going back to 2005 when it was Dan Marino, Steve Young, Benny Friedman, and Fritz Pollard. So now it's a different group. Jared Allen, he actually says that

Hall of Fame was never the goal. And maybe that's true, but man, once you're in, you join an elite company. The gold jacket is such a tremendous honor. It really is, right? The process can be frustrating. But I didn't play the game for the gold jacket. So my goals were never to be in the Hall of Fame. You know, I figured if I played the game, you know, because I played for the respect of my peers and the respect of those who played before me.

Yeah, so good stuff. Do I need to credit? Where did that come from? NFL Network? Vikings Entertainment Network. Oh, Vikings Entertainment Network. Very cool. So yes, kind of running through these randomly, but he played a dozen years with the Vikings and with the Chiefs.

And his number of career sacks, 136, is still 12th all time. Now, it just goes back to the early 80s when stats were official for sacks. But he also has an NFL record. This is kind of random. Four safeties. I like that. So 10 of the 11 guys on the sack list are in front of him. I'm sorry. 10 of the 11 guys in front of him on the sack list are in the Hall of Fame is what I meant to say. I was reading something else while I was talking.

Terrell Suggs, he was a finalist. He did not get in this year, but he's also on the list ahead of Jared. Okay, so then Eric Allen, his reaction to finding out. Yeah! What's up, man? How you doing, man? I'm great, man. How you doing? This is awesome, man. This is excellent. What a moment, man. What a moment. Well, again, let me be the first to welcome you to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, class of 2025. Oh!

I love those, even though you can't see it. Now, I would encourage you to go and look at the videos. They're on the Football Hall of Fame Twix account. Let's see if I can find it. Well, we'll find it. But, Ryan, maybe you can share it from our show account, just because they're so emotional and they're so cool. But just hearing his reaction is awesome. 55

four career interceptions, 21st all-time, and most of the people who are ahead of him on the list are already in the Hall of Fame. We know he played for the Eagles, the Saints, the Raiders. He had multiple pick sixes, returned for touchdowns. He was a six-time Pro Bowler, and the idea that you have to wait, I think, always appeals to me more when it comes to Hall of Famers.

Not that it doesn't mean the same. In fact, I believe many cases, if you're a first ballot Hall of Famer, you're automatically assumed to be even better than the others who were in the hall. And maybe there's some validity to that. But I think there's also something special about waiting and wondering, being disappointed, but continuing to hope. That story also appeals to me as well.

19 years he's been eligible. 19 years. Think about waiting for some type of honor like this, but 19 years of annual disappointment, not getting in. And finally having that knock on your door. That's all the emotion. It's the release and it's the relief. I am so happy for him.

He said, rarely does life play out like you want it to. There is always some curves and bends, but time always reveals the truth. How about that? The truth eventually comes out.

The reaction itself speaks volumes. Now, Sterling Sharp is another guy that had to wait. And remember, his brother is in the Hall of Fame, and so there was always a connection there and his brother campaigning for him. I didn't know how to feel. It's not like Christmas. You know, Christmas, you have an expectation of, I'm going to get a bike or I'm going to get a skateboard or I'm going to get something. There was no expectation, so the feeling that I got

I really can't explain because I never thought I'd be here. I never wanted to be here. I just wanted to play, man. I just love playing football. Sterling Sharp, congratulations. His brother Shannon, of course, a Hall of Famer, and I've seen some of the clips that were thrown up on social going back to Shannon's induction in which his brother was there. He thanked his brother. He said...

How many other Hall of Famers can say definitively, I'm not even the best player in my own family? And so he always looked up to his brother and has campaigned for him to get in. And here was the challenging thing about Sterling. He only played seven years because he had a severe neck injury that cut his career short. And he spent his entire time with the Green Bay Packers. And while he was there, led the league in receptions three times.

Also led the NFL in receiving yards once and touchdowns twice. So he was a prolific receiver. I loved watching him play. That was kind of when I was just getting into the NFL. And I think it's so cool that the family stories

of them in from one family and likely to have a couple of Watts in as well. It may not be a first, but it always appeals to me as someone who loves my brothers and would care far more about my siblings having success than me personally. All right, one more. Antonio Gates. He wants the Chargers fans to feel the love.

You know what's really cool about Antonio? Some people forget he was an undrafted rookie in 2003 with the San Diego Chargers. He was not drafted from under...

Drafted to Hall of Fame. That's also a unique path. Great basketball player in his time. He was a star at Kent State. Made it to an Elite Eight.

but better known for his football. It's incredible. Finished his career with 955 catches, fourth in league history for a tight end, and the most receiving touchdowns for a tight end. Of course, Travis Kelsey assaulting the record books now, but congratulations to Antonio Gates. He was a load. As a Broncos fan growing back to age 13, he was a load.

Yeah, Gates did a lot of damage in that AFC West or in that rivalry. So congratulations to all of them. But again, if you haven't heard about the new specifics of the process, it's a little convoluted. The Hall wants it to be more exclusive. Yes, Deion Sanders might have played a role in that, but did they expect only four guys would get in? Could they potentially change it again? We'll find out. But Mike Sando kind of takes us behind the curtain to understand that

both the positives and the negatives of this new process. At ALawRadio is where you can find me online, also on our Facebook page. Top of the hour? Oh, yeah, Johnny Damon. Uh-huh, weird for Super Bowl week, but you're not going to want to miss this conversation. He's so candid. He's open. He's frank. He's funny as well. Naked pull-ups might have come up. I did not bring it up. That was Johnny Damon. So funny.

A two-time World Series winner. I guess he's not worried about what anybody thinks. And he never was. Here's our latest sports update. You are listening to the After Hours Podcast. Hurts, under center on first down. He pitches it out to Barkley. Takes off to the outside. He's at the 50. He's at the 40. He's at the 30. He's going to go. Safe.

60 yards on his opening cut. First down play. Mahomes keeps it on an RPO at the 5. Gets a lead block. He goes into the end zone near side. Touchdown, Kansas City. Patrick Mahomes, a 16-yard run. His second rushing touchdown of the game. The Chiefs and Eagles, and we have you covered on After Hours with Amy Lawrence.

season for one more weekend. Uber Eats has the best deals on game day food no matter what you're craving. Uber Eats official on demand delivery partner of the NFL order now.

We're not on the road this week. Decided not to go to New Orleans. However, we've had a great variety when it comes to our guest list. From Ron Rivera to Vernon Davis, the Super Bowl champion tight end going back now nine years ago with the Denver Broncos. It's been really cool to talk to

members of the media, but also former players and coaches and Adrian Smith, who has won multiple titles with the Boston Renegades and was in New Orleans last

as part of her new business venture, Blitz Champs, a card game for kids to teach them football. And still to come, one more. I didn't expect this, but he was offered to us because he has a new passion now. Johnny Damon, who actually made his Major League Baseball debut 30 years ago in 1995. Wow.

Wow. It's crazy, but it's awesome. And he started his career in Kansas City. So I know our New England and New York audience will enjoy that conversation just after the top of the hour. You can find me online at ALawRadio, also on our Facebook page, After Hours with Amy Lawrence. I feel like at this point, I could probably tell you what the Eagles and the Chiefs coaches and quarterbacks are saying today.

But there are some fun elements that I'm excited to watch play out on the field come Sunday. Like, for instance, we keep hearing about Steve Spagnuolo and these blitzes. He's the mad scientist of the blitzes. So, on that offense,

offensive line in the trenches for the Eagles, it becomes paramount that they can recognize them. They can communicate and obviously can block for their quarterback and their running back Lane Johnson weighing in on this big challenge. There are some tell signs, but I feel like they do a good job of really disguising it. Um,

Yeah, I mean, they do everything. They make it look vanilla. They make it all look the same. But for us, if there's any change in alignments or anything, that can help. Remember that very last blitz that the Chiefs

orchestrated and executed against Josh Allen, now your NFL MVP, at the end of the AFC Championship. And to recognize, to see that the Bills had no idea what was coming. The disguise. So I say recognize, which is kind of funny. They didn't know what was coming. Spagnuolo has become a master at that. And what we heard from Chiefs insider Matt Derrick, and this goes back years,

to, hmm, was it Tuesday? No, Wednesday. Wednesday night from New Orleans. The same way that Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid are willing to try anything in practice is what Spagnola does with his defense. They'll go out there and they'll try anything when they have the opportunity to practice. It's one reason why

Now, it's a culmination of a season, of course, and Reed and Mahomes and Kelsey and some of the O-linemen, they've been together for a while. But one of the reasons why people will point to Andy Reed and his record when he has either a bye or two weeks to prepare because they will dial down

they'll dial up some stuff they haven't used all year. They'll dig down deep in that playbook. And what we heard from Matt is that Steve Spagnuolo and his defense, because of the veterans he has, they'll do some of the same stuff, right? They'll dig down deep and pull out some wrinkles or some elements that people haven't seen before. So from Andy Reed,

I guess they're getting close to being ready for Sunday. We're just going back through and trying to polish things up here this week. Still working hard, but we're going to polish things up from last week. And it's a normal, it'll be a normal week.

late season Thursday today. Yeah, I think guys are ready to go. I mean, obviously, it's a lot of buildup until the Super Bowl, and a lot of guys have done it before, but you continue to detail the details. You continue to work hard, and all this buildup, it makes you ready to go on Super Bowl Sunday. You continue to detail the details? Now, see, if I said that, it would sound completely lame, but when he says it, of course, it sounds totally perfectly normal. Yeah.

Detail the details. Do you think he meant that? I think he did. It's like detailing your car. You detail it, but you're detailing the details. You're polishing up on the details. I think his brain is just fried from this week. It better not be. He's still got a game to play in. Well, a game that's separate. He goes into game mode, but talking to the media, he can work around any question at this point. It's the same thing. It might be on cruise control. Yes. 100%. You've got sound bites you spit out. Yep. I think the goal is to not make headlines.

Yeah, because the more headlines and the more distractions you bring. This is what we've heard, what I've heard from people for years who've navigated Radio Row, who've been there before, is that

the number of obligations, the number of media requests. Now, you can try to limit those, but there are some that the NFL mandates that you have to be part of. And so I can imagine at this point he's exhausted at having to sit there in front of a microphone again, but it's a privilege, right? So what does Boomer Esiason tell us all the time? Well, he tells me all the time, but it's one of his lines that he used to use on radio and TV as well. Pressure is a privilege.

So the fact that he's in the middle of the fray and he's one of only two quarterbacks who anyone wants to hear from right now. Well, maybe not anyone, but only two left standing. Well, that's a privilege. And so I suppose anytime you're annoyed at having to answer questions, you think, well, it could be worse. I could be on the golf course because that's where one reporter caught up with Aaron Rodgers a couple of days ago.

No one really cares what Aaron Rodgers is doing right now. See, see what I'm saying? A lot of quarterbacks would change places with Mahomes. It's after hours with Amy Lawrence. I don't know why Alex Smith came up, but I like that someone asked Pat about Alex because remember, he was the chief starting quarterback. Not only was he a number one overall pick going back years ago, right? So he was chosen by San Francisco. That was the same draft draft.

That Aaron Rodgers dropped all the way to, was it 25? Don't quote me on that. Somewhere between 23 and 25, 24, somewhere in there. Anyway, Alex Smith was the number one overall pick. He ended up in Kansas City after San Francisco.

And he played. He was the starter for the first year that Mahomes was on the roster. So when Mahomes was a rookie, he didn't start until the very last game of the regular season. And at that point, you may remember, I remember this vividly, Minneapolis Super Bowl. I'm taking a nap. It's the first night of us being there on Radio Row, which is at the Mall of America.

I'm at my Airbnb. I've done my interviews. I'm going to grab a couple hours of a nap. I'm going to wake up. I'm going to head to the radio station and do the show downtown. I wake up. My phone is blown up because Alex Smith got traded to Washington. And so it happened. They didn't even...

during Super Bowl week, even before we got to free agency, anything like that, because once they had handed the reins to Mahomes, they knew they could let Alex Smith go somewhere else. Anyway, Mahomes did play with Alex and was in that quarterback room with him for a year. More than anything, it's just...

He taught me so much about being a pro, and I know that sounds so simple, but whenever you're coming out of college and you're still 21 years old and you've been going to college classes to be all football all the time and it's a profession, not a hobby, not something you do for fun, you have to learn. I think that as much as he's a superstar and he transcends his sport and people flock to see him play, we've heard from people he's also very down-to-earth.

He's a son. He's a dad. He's a husband. He has a steakhouse with Travis Kelsey. He's personable. He's affable. He's funny. Just really down to earth is what people say about him. And I love that he also respects not just the game, Andy Reid, and others who've gone before him too. People kid me sometimes because I rave about Mahomes sometimes.

I'm not sure you could have a better ambassador of the NFL. I mean, seriously, give me one. In the wake of the void left by all of these other quarterbacks retiring and leaving the game, think about the number of Hall of Famers that we've seen walk away in the last 10 years. Peyton Manning was nine years ago after Super Bowl 50, followed by, and not in any particular order, Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, Phillip Rivers,

Who else am I missing? Drew Brees. Drew Brees. Thank you. Oh my gosh. Drew Brees. We're talking about a class of quarterbacks, Eli Manning, that's also likely to get into the Hall of Fame. Set the tone for the NFL for so many years.

almost my entire career. And I was covering those guys. Well, Mahomes made it an easy transition to the next group of QBs. And it's pretty crazy. I'm going to look up his birthday because I don't know exactly when his birthday is, but to be able to transition to the next big superstar, you want to talk about golden for the NFL to not have this big void. He's not even 30 years old yet.

As long as he stays healthy, we're going to have him around like Josh Outland, like Lamar Jackson, now Jaden Daniels and Bo Nix. And the average age of the starting quarterback in the NFL continues to dip. It's now below 27, if you can believe it.

By the way, he's not currently a starting quarterback in the NFL, but Jameis Winston might be one of the biggest stars, creating the most buzz on Radio Row. We'll see if we can bring back some of his stuff. He was riding around New Orleans on a bike, driving people around New Orleans, singing to them as he went because, yeah, he's a unique dude. Johnny Damon on the show next. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence.