Straight Fire with Jason McIntyre

Latest Episodes:

Blame Kyrie for the Nets' Demise, the Lakers Look Lost & a Flurry of NBA Trades Feb 09, 2022

Show notes

On today's episode, Jason gets the party started by telling us that the biggest reason why the Brooklyn Nets seem to be in such a funk this season is because Kyrie Irving is not vaccinated. Kyrie being a part-time player has directly led to the team losing a handful of home games while the team has been dealing with injuries (Kevin Durant, Joe Harris, etc), and more importantly, it's played a large role in James Harden's overall unhappiness in Brooklyn. If Kyrie is vaccinated and available to play, do the Nets lose 9 straight games? Of course not. If Kyrie is vaccinated and available to play, does Harden feel the physical and mental stress of carrying the team on his back while KD is out? Highly doubt it. Any way you slice it, this is on Kyrie. Later, Jason shares a quick note on the trade between the Sacramento Kings and the Indiana Pacers that saw Domantas Sabonis and Tyrese Haliburton trade teams. This one was a clear win for the Pacers. One of the day's big losers, however, were the Los Angeles Lakers. Not only did LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the guys get blown out by the Milwaukee Bucks on national television, but the schedule is only going to get tougher the next few weeks. It's probably time to concede that the Lakers aren't going to win the championship this season. On that note, can you imagine how pissed the NBA would be if neither the Lakers nor the Nets got out of the first round of the playoffs? Yikes! Finally, Jason closes the show with a quick thought on Bradley Beal's future with the Washington Wizards. If Beal really cares about winning, he should try to force a trade to the Lakers in the offseason. Seriously.

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Kyler Murray is Standing Up for Kliff Kingsbury + MMQB Senior NFL reporter Albert Breer Feb 08, 2022

Show notes

On today's episode, Jason kicks things off with a deep dive into Kyler Murray's peculiar decision to scrub the Arizona Cardinals entirely from his social media pages. Kyler and head coach Kliff Kingsbury share an agent, and our fearless leader suggests that the Cardinals quarterback is actually standing up for his coach since Kingsbury has been taking arrows ever since he got the gig. What's more, Kyler is up for a contract extension this offseason so it's entirely possible that his social media activity is serving as a negotiation tactic as well. Later, MMQB Senior NFL reporter Albert Breer swings by to discuss why Lovie Smith getting hired as the next head coach of the Houston Texans feels it could end the same way the David Culley Era ended a few weeks ago, how big of a role Josh McCown could have on the Texans coaching staff moving forward, which quarterback could ultimately end up replacing Tom Brady as the starter in Tampa Bay, what could have led Kyler to scrub the Cardinals from his social media pages, what he learned about the upcoming crop of NFL Draft-eligible quarterbacks last week at the Senior Bowl, whether or not we should expect Russell Wilson will still be a member of the Seattle Seahawks when the 2022 regular season kicks off, Jimmy Garoppolo's next landing spot, and much more!

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The Offensive Minded NFL, KD Still Loves Drama & Why Westbrook Could be Out of the NBA Altogether Feb 07, 2022

Show notes

On today’s episode, Jason breaks down all the latest happenings around the NFL coaching carousel. With San Francisco 49ers whiz kid Mike McDaniel getting the head job with the Miami Dolphins, it’s become even more apparent that it pays to be offensive minded in today’s NFL. The majority of the head coaching hires the past few years have skewed towards the offense. In fact, three of the four head coaches from championship weekend (Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVay and Zac Taylor) all came from the same coaching tree. If you want to get a head coaching job in the NFL, you better ask for a transfer to the offensive side of the ball as soon as possible. Later, Jason shares a quick note on the latest Twitter drama surrounding Kevin Durant. For whatever reason, KD is back sparring with anyone who has a negative thing to say about him in the media and on the internet. One day Durant will learn that it rarely pays to feed the trolls... today just wasn't that day. Finally, our fearless leader closes the show with a few thoughts on Russell Westbrook's benching in the Los Angeles Lakers' win over the New York Knicks. Westbrook has been an abject failure in LA so far, and unless he fundamentally changes the way he approaches the game of basketball, he could be out of the League entirely in two years. If Russ doesn't get with the times, his NBA career will come to a crashing halt the same way Allen Iverson's did back in the day.

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Legendary sportscaster Bob Costas on Sports Gambling, the Olympics, Barry Bonds & more! Feb 04, 2022

Show notes

On today's episode, legendary sportscaster Bob Costas joins the show for an extended conversation with our fearless leader Jason McIntyre. During the interview, Costas discusses how sports gambling helped shape his upbringing as a youth, how he’s able to enjoy a fruitful life outside the world of sports, the ins and outs of the Olympic site selection process, the IOC’s controversial decision to hold the Winter games in Beijing, the biggest difference between Michael Jordan and LeBron James, how the NBA’s plan to put more games on cable television may have backfired in the grand scheme of things, whether or not Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens deserved to be voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, baseball’s complicated history with steroids and PEDs, and much more!

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Sean McVay's Fruitful Coaching Tree, How Minority Coaches Can Flip the Script & the Latest on Ben Simmons Feb 03, 2022

Show notes

On today's episode, Jason brings you a deep dive into the NFL head coaching hires as of late. On Wednesday night, it was reported that the Minnesota Vikings would be hiring Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O'Connell - not University of Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh. O'Connell becomes the latest member of the Sean McVay coaching tree to get a gig. McVay is arguably the best coach in the League - and his tree has been very fruitful thus far - so it's no surprise that O'Connell got plucked so quickly. The one thing that people seem to have a problem with, however, is that O'Connell is a young, white male. With the Brian Flores racial discrimination lawsuit front and center, folks were miffed that another vacancy was filled without a minority candidate really being considered. Jason argues one of the biggest reasons why minorities keep getting passed over is that most of the best Black candidates work on the defensive side of the ball; Quarterback is the most important position in sports so it's no surprise that decision makers are looking for offensive-minded coaches to lead their team. Finally, Jason closes the show with a deep dive into the Ben Simmons Saga in Philadelphia. The situation between Simmons and the Sixers is still rocky as hell, but Philadelphia seems content to let it drag on. This is a mistake. The Philadelphia 76ers just can't afford to let another prime Joel Embiid season go to waste while they play a game of chicken.

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Brian Flores' Bone to Pick with the NFL + Boston Sports Journal founder Greg A. Bedard Feb 02, 2022

Show notes

On today's episode, Jason kicks things off with a few thoughts on Brian Flores' decision to file a racial discrimination lawsuit against the NFL. It's become abundantly clear by now that the NFL never fulfilled its promise to promote more minority hires, so Flores' lawsuit isn't all that shocking. Perhaps the only surprise to come out of this whole ordeal is how Bill Belichick and John Elway became mixed up in all this. Later, Boston Sports Journal founder Greg A. Bedard swings by to share his thoughts on Flores' lawsuit, why he thinks Flores may end up becoming the Colin Kaepernick of NFL coaches, what kind of punishment we can expect the League to hand down on Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, why Josh McDaniels decided to leave the New England Patriots and become the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, why he believes Tom Brady still holds a grudge against the Patriots organization, and much more!

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Tough to Follow Tom Brady, Making Sense of the McDaniels Hire & the Truth About OBJ Feb 01, 2022

Show notes

On today’s episode, Jason kicks things off with a quick note on the latest surrounding Tom Brady’s impending retirement from the NFL. Brady is doing everything he can to make us think that he hasn’t made up his mind yet, but if you’re a Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan, you need to start preparing yourself for lie after Tom. And let’s be honest, it’s going to be tough to find another quarterback willing to fill that void. Later, diehard Las Vegas Raiders fan Producer Rob G swings by to tell us why he’s not a fan of the team’s decision to hire Josh McDaniels as the next head coach. Not only has the Bill Belichick coaching tree produced a lot of bad apples over the years, but McDaniels’ history of cheating is a black eye that cannot be ignored. Finally, Jason closes the show with a quick defense of Odell Beckham Jr now that members of the Cleveland media have decided they’d like to ruin his happy ending with the Los Angeles Rams. So what if things didn't work between OBJ and the Browns? That's no reason to actively root against him heading into the Super Bowl.

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The Matthew Stafford Gamble Paid Off, Joe Burrow Does it Again & Tom Brady is in Retirement Limbo Jan 31, 2022

Show notes

On today's episode, Jason brings you wall-to-wall analysis of what was a wild Championship Sunday in the NFL. Our fearless leader was in attendance for the Los Angeles Rams comeback victory over the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game, and his overriding opinion on the whole thing is basically: This is why they got Matthew Stafford. Stafford made several key throws in the second half to Cooper Kupp and Odell Beckham Jr to complete the comeback and the Rams to the Super Bowl. On the flip side, Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan had yet another late-game meltdown in a big playoff game. Fun fact - Shanahan has now coached the team that's been on the losing end of the largest comeback in Super Bowl history (Atlanta Falcons), the largest 4th quarter comeback in Super Bowl history (2020 Niners) and now the largest 4th quarter comeback in NFC Championship history (2022 Niners). This one is going to be tough to swallow for Bay Area fans for years to come. Later, Producer Rob G joins in on the fun to discuss the Cincinnati Bengals' thrilling upset victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. While it's hard to crush Patrick Mahomes for his ugly second half given how impressive he was in the first, it's really easy to praise Joe Burrow for what he did leading Cincy the win. The victory even prompted Rob G to declare Burrow the greatest #1 NFL Draft pick since Peyton Manning - a list that includes Stafford, Andrew Luck, Cam Newton and Eli Manning. Does he have a point? Finally, the guys close the show with a few quick thoughts on Tom Brady's reported 'retirement' snafu that shook up the sports world on Saturday. Look, until Brady actually says it himself that he's retiring, there's just not much we can say about it.

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NFL Coaching Carousel Keeps Turning & NFL Championship Weekend Picks Jan 28, 2022

Show notes

On today's episode, Jason kicks things off with a deep dive into the NFL head coaching hires that were made on Thursday: Green Bay Packers Nathaniel Hackett to the Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus to the Chicago Bears. It seems like the Hackett hire was made in an effort to help recruit Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams to Denver so it’s hard to fully judge that one right now. The Bears getting Ebeflus, however, is something totally different. On its face, it doesn’t appear like a homerun hire. Later, Jason and Producer Rob G make their official NFL Championship Weekend picks against the spread. Can Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals offense keep up with Patrick Mahomes and the high-flying Kansas City Chiefs? Will Steve Spagnuolo be able to go against his basic instincts and not blitz? Will Jimmy Garoppolo and the San Francisco 49ers really beat Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams for a third time this season? Is Kyle Shanahan really in the head of Sean McVay? The guys have it all covered!

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Jimmy G's Joe Montana Moment + NFL analyst and podcast host Solomon Wilcots Jan 27, 2022

Show notes

On today's episode, Jason gets the show started with a deep dive into Jimmy Garoppolo's future with the San Francisco 49ers. For most of the season, our fearless leader has maintained that the Niners should keep Jimmy G as their starter for the 2022 season – especially if he ends up getting San Francisco back to the Super Bowl for the second time in three years. But after speaking with a plugged-in source, it appears as though the Niners have already made their decision to move on to Trey Lance in 2022. The current San Francisco quarterback situation is eerily similar to what they dealt with 25 years ago when they chose to make the transition from Joe Montana to Steve Young. Like Jimmy G, Montana was the face of the franchise with a history of winning (albeit at a much higher clip than Garoppolo), but the team still felt compelled to move on. The transition to Young paid off with a Super Bowl victory a few years later – maybe the same thing will happen with Lance. Later, former Cincinnati Bengals star, NFL analyst and podcast host Solomon Wilcots swings by to discuss the meteoric rise of Joe Burrow, why he believes Burrow is cut from the same cloth as guys like Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers, the Bengals' decision to draft Ja'Marr Chase over a top offensive lineman, what Cincinnati can take from their victory in Week 17 over the Kansas City Chiefs and apply to the upcoming AFC Championship Game, Zac Taylor's evolution as a coach, the changing of the guard in the NFL at the quarterback position, and much more!

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