WG. -- -- there's a group completely -- Jon and pleaded to get back guys with Mike she'll -- it -- -- more Robert Kennedy short. And the bulldogs. Football football. Let's talk with John Clayton grandmaster. JC. ESPN's John Clayton here on WG BE RR -- I I loved the look would be -- persons and of itself. -- -- -- Yeah that's the president of the organization. Amid strong. Yeah yeah. It's free right. Could just. But why in the eighties and it it's. A pretty good spot here you made earlier at a hockey reporter there and you ask us hockey from time to time but that the sailors. He had -- where we're right now at a stage in Seattle has you know my right to go to penguin games -- to go to the old Pittsburgh forward to games back when they're DHL. And the order of one of the things that it was sad about moving from Pittsburgh the Seattle was that there was no hockey and this is right when the penguins are getting good and so I didn't. -- hockey coverage through my days. I'm hoping now that in Seattle that they're talking about maybe putting a new arena right south of where they have. The baseball and basketball baseball football stadium if that's the case they're gonna get hockey first and then maybe NBA's second about a lot. The sabres are an interesting team for reporter because even with changes in ownership they just don't greatly to that much. So -- -- -- other other teams are changing coaches all the time our guys and fifteen years. And it looks like. Maybe it's about up Wilson -- year. Well John any thing from rob load today I haven't been following football. No idea apparently. He's not I know and Indianapolis. He's probably going to be there. To be with -- that the retirement. Dinner over saint elmo's fire or saint -- restaurant one of the -- Yeah I eight. That does not think for him today that press conference that he was alluding to apparently did not happen the announcement that he said. Did not happen but Rob Lowe was able to get publicity. Nationwide on Twitter for at least always -- acting endeavors. -- that that happened he does have. -- he's friends with Jim -- lower than any -- mad -- how would you describe the relief. Are there they are friends in fact does so much so that went. Jim -- opened up his Twitter account the first person he followed with Rob Lowe and rob Lowe's first person people what was Jim -- so. They are they are Twitter buddies and you know -- they have some places out in LA that he goes out to and so. He knows drop from out there are so there is -- relationship that they haven't. I would have no doubt that they would have conversations but. To be into the mind of Peyton Manning at this stage I don't know if Jim -- Rob Lowe or anybody can get in the -- Jim -- -- of Peyton Manning to get a definitive answer. If you -- it is your mind changed at all -- what's your what's your courage. McCain yeah that's that's a starting to get the negative lives you know what I what I see something like rob -- Clearly and evenly try to back it up today saying I'm telling I got a good sources so -- he must be listening to Jim -- but he's interpreting something. That you would start to get the feeling that there's a negative vibe right now about Peyton coming back this year and being able to play. Just from the standpoint that. And we still not at this stage yet where that neck as we generated enough nerve and there. To be able to do it is still fusion surgeries so there's a lot of uncertainty from patent standpoint. Even go back about a couple weeks ago when Archie Manning was talking and Archie seemed to have the least. A question mark about it nobody knows about Peyton Manning right now Rob -- or anybody but I started to get the negative -- that he very well may not be able to play again. -- and and you know what the changes the organization is undergoing of course you know a few weeks ago with -- -- leaving now the coach leaving. And hiring a young GM I mean it just it that the writing might be on the wall bullet hit reset -- big time way. No question and that you're going to be Peyton Manning and you are able to play. You now know that by mark seventy by the got to prove it to them or not. Where you move onto another payment in all of a sudden you go into the building you don't recognize anybody Jim -- You know he's not gonna be in the building every day you may be a problem or he may be you know out. But any kind of singer or something like that so you don't know where he's going to be particular theories say while nobody in the coaches I don't know -- like the operative code to -- higher. You know that he I mean he's a safety that the it was -- before you came into the lake. You put all that together I mean he made out like itself. I think right now you don't worry about where Payton is gonna play on another team euphoria -- gonna -- period of upstart the wonder about it. John played with a us a feel that I probably should say what this Rob -- businesses about because not everybody would know yesterday problems and on Twitter that his information was the Peyton Manning is retiring. Maybe it was pretty easy to figure that out by now. About not not every big retirement story in sports. You know ends up. Being broken by the likes of John Clayton I'm thinking of when Michael Jordan retired the first time. And sitting on the newsdesk in the Paper in Rochester in -- the beginning of it was like some college radio station or something it was just I don't remember exactly but. It wasn't from a big hitter and that you know -- -- laughed it off because of who was reporting it and then suddenly it was right. So that can happen. For you you can never tell because. You know people -- gonna retire on their own terms and make the announcement on their own terms I still remember one time in Pittsburgh. That this is about three years before Terry Bradshaw retired he gave a retirement story to a guy that and it can have the North Carolina. And so what Terry finally came back from mini camp we ask of -- of what was at all about -- his -- -- the guy got in the can have been. That there had been a good story I didn't look at story. And that was his first of many retirements they never did that I've ever the one time. Everybody is doing those movies. Some of those with Merle Haggard and all that stuff that he was gonna go under singing in undated Brickell is just an absolute -- to be able to cover because. In the off season -- never knew what was gonna happen. A job before we get into the games coming up this weekend and anything that hang around -- -- from last weekend's divisional round. -- while we're just gonna bounce around illegal bit. How toxic is the -- situation. Extremely very very toxic. And the -- you can minimize LaDainian Tomlinson comments of Wednesday night you can minimize Derrick Mason's saying it's the most dysfunctional locker room. That they've ever been around. But think that you could see vote in the way that they played the way that they finished the season and now what's coming out after the season it's just horrible and I don't know how Rex is gonna be able to put together I mean Rex is out at the supreme challenge of this coaching career. And theaters here for in trying to fix the locker room that is dysfunctional. Italy when you have all these emotional type guys and leaders who are really leaders and Santonio Holmes -- of questions about the quarterback. You've got to have everybody come on the same page now we lost two top coaches Brian Schottenheimer and bill Callahan -- the traffic police brought out try to take over offense. And called the plays I don't know how he's gonna do that and he's basically an opposite wind coached. So -- neat he's got a big problem and a big crisis and he's got to find a way to solve it. It sounds now -- less like it was just sour grapes at the end of a disappointing season in more like it was the problem this year that it was a reason that they were better just chemistry. What they I go to but the fact of the talent and he really when you look at it the right side of the offensive line particularly at right tackle couldn't block. Plaxico -- should of never under any circumstance these uses a number two receiver. -- he -- he did a remarkable job as the number three guy just being a guy that can go in and make catches. In the red zone but they try to use him from forty to forty and he just wasn't they're coming two years out of jail. That was a mistake. -- they made a mistake -- Jericho Cotchery -- -- out every young squad got the first tried Derrick Mason that didn't work out. They tried Jeremy Kersey I don't know how good he's going to be. You know Dustin Keller didn't have a and so if you look at all that together it's actually gonna pull the offense back I think -- with the talent. But now I think that that the volatility. Just not winning has really crept in that locker it is going to be hard to -- Okay the playoffs. The biggest story maybe is what is going on in Baltimore. Aside from a couple of quarterbacks. Skipping out of practice. With Ed -- commenting about Joseph Flacco no saying that he was just meaning to motivate Flacco. Which I attended doubt. What's what's important from. What's important is that I'm sure that team's standpoint you can put it behind and I'm sure they have. You know John Harbaugh was aggressive body called it read into that office stopped at camp. Makes Ed -- -- Joseph Flacco Joseph Flacco dismisses that. And so. And Ray Lewis is addressed without talking to the team and target of the individuals so from the team's standpoint. I think it's not that big of a deal now from the individual standpoint they'll I think is a very big deal. And right say the individual standpoint you've got that marks a you've got the quarterback right -- Joseph Flacco that indeed it -- the bad start it. Is gonna lose the confidence of his teammates connect could carry over the next year. The other thing is you've got Cam Cameron the -- coordinator whose contract up if they lose this game and might not be renewed so you put those two things together. And it's a big deal for the individual from the team standpoint though I think you'd get it six. How old are much of a chance you give them on Sunday in New England -- I get the chance and that's I had to make a pick I would -- the patriots but. It just like in the case of the giants going into Green Bay you know they've tasted victory in Foxboro they won the last playoff game they played errant 2009. They know how to at least try to cover the wide receivers in man coverage. They know how to run the football. They also go against a defense to get up 411 yards a game so from that standpoint they do have a chance. -- you don't know is it Tom Brady's going to be able to get the big play at the end of the game two when it but. No I think that they do have a chance to win it but I would make a pick I would say it's going to be the patriots. I like about the ravens how good they are at safety and experienced and they also have Bernard Pollard who. You know. Took Brady out once this is sort of a you know on a sidebar replace the chief -- the -- -- -- Brady Brady was out for the season I don't mean that -- -- point the point is Ed -- And Ray Lewis the ravens have beaten the patriots. Beat them in the playoffs. How much does that matter in this game with -- You know not unusual this early New England is by -- with the tight ends down the field I liked I liked the idea of Baltimore giving them a good game. Yeah I do -- because again they've just like in the case of the giants they've tasted victory their but it's Bernard Pollard who won the scares me because that went through the stats. And by and you know his coverage skills just aren't very good and they gave up 55 completed 177 balls thrown at him. And so -- at a match open man that man's going to win whether it's gronkowski or Aaron Hernandez. My read on it would be that what they'll probably do is put should be met the 62 quarterbacks. On either Hernandez and gronkowski and so manned coverage as he had it read over the top covering in double covering fraud count -- Hernandez the other one does not covered. I think that may be one way to do it. But the one thing I don't think you want to do is have Bernard Pollard in man to man situations because you're gonna lose that battle a mean for its safety coverage. You know he's not the worst they wanted to work. How about the NFC game John the giants go to San Francisco Giants were some people's she upset pick last week on the -- bowl. Do you like them going on the road again. -- they dedicated the win I would I would lean toward going to hold it just seems that home teams and -- such a big advantage. Because while you take the argument that the New York Giants are peaking at the right time and there's no question they aren't getting their running game back. Michael -- is really playing great at the linebacker position they've got all three pass rushers all geared up and you add to the fact that they're getting a little bit better in the secondary. -- is good defense getting better. You can make that case but also you can make the case. That the 49ers at -- -- at the right on the nobody's recognizing you know how good that defense bent but also to have they're getting some better play on offense. And clearly. This quarterback Alex that does better at home that he does on the road. That at least on 36 point -- put up against New Orleans. -- be a big factor I think what it comes down to is how the giants' offensive line can hold up against the 49ers defense of -- Just since there has been on block double. And you know that that giant wind is still a little bit shaky if they have the good game on the opposite wind I think the giants can win. But I don't I would give the edge right now those efforts as Coca that the that the line is really good. Did you hear what Vice President Biden said John know what. He was in the Bay Area. You know to have a fund raising event. And he spoke of the giants on the way to the Super Bowl. Thinking it was going to of course like it's politician. Tarek a Rouse the crowd this started booing. And then he apologized realizing it's that forty niners got -- got mixed up because the giants play incident to scored based. That's why it's so hard for politicians to know sports. I think they all had -- that tell them the things that they need to know before they go up there and speak. Apparently I think we need an age shift as far as what's going on with Joseph Biden. I think when you -- shift to they have. Hard time following sports keep on Tuesday they're too busy keeping us -- he's -- -- race points no doubt about it. And it Obama's point basketball right now as we -- that's the job is just that -- yet know the names of the team's cities urine. Okay John any questions for us -- stated that it turned it around. Now. Well some day -- all right -- not federal but tonight you mean like tonight will be as bad as last. Minute here. Right well we'll take the next hour -- happened to millions there's the normal human while the president but it's. The only did OK thank you John thank you John quickly and Thursdays at five.
