Straight Fire with Jason McIntyre

Latest Episodes:

AD's Ankle Injury is the Nail in the Lakers' Coffin + FOX Sports NBA analyst Ric Bucher Feb 17, 2022

Show notes

On today's episode, Jason kicks things off with a few words on Anthony Davis' nasty ankle injury which is likely to sideline him for several weeks – at least. If AD has to miss an extended period of time, the Lakers season is toast; They would be hard-pressed just to make the playoffs. With that in mind, would it be all that surprising if LeBron James decides to shut it down himself so as not to add more miles to his body during a lost season? This is bad news for the Lakers, and it’s bad news for the NBA as a whole. Later, FOX Sports NBA analyst Ric Bucher swings by for a lengthy conversation (which was recorded prior to the AD ankle injury). During the interview, Bucher discusses why he's predicting a Milwaukee Bucks vs. Phoenix Suns rematch in the NBA Finals, why the Suns don't seem to have the national profile that they deserve, Ja Morant's star power and potential to become one of the faces of the League, the Atlanta Hawks' perceived chemistry issues, why it's laughable to say that the Lakers can make a deep playoff run in the Western Conference, why he doesn't think the addition of James Harden instantly makes the Brooklyn Nets the team to beat in the Eastern Conference, why he has Giannis Antetokounmpo as the best player in the NBA, and much more!

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War of Words with Richard Sherman, a Wild NFL Quarterback Trade Proposal & Why the Nets and Lakers' Big Threes Didn't Work Feb 16, 2022

Show notes

On today's episode, Jason continues his war of words with former All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman over Matthew Stafford's Hall of Fame candidacy. If you just look at the raw numbers Stafford is already on a Hall of Fame trajectory, and we can assume he'll continue to have even more postseason success moving forward now he's with the Los Angeles Rams. What's more, based on Sherman's very specific HOF requirements (All-Pros, Pro Bowls, etc.), guys like Russell Wilson, Eli Manning and Ben Roethlisberger shouldn't be in HOF contention either. And let's be honest, if you don't think any of those 3 guys are deserving of Hall of Fame consideration you're probably just being a hater. Later, Jason floats out a very interesting trade idea involving disgruntled Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray. What if - and hear me out here - the Houston Texans send Deshaun Watson to Arizona for Murray? Kyler would be back in his home state of Texas while the Cardinals would be able to reunite Watson and DeAndre Hopkins. Just some food for thought. Finally, Jason closes the show with a deep dive into the final days of the Brooklyn Nets Big Three of Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving and the ongoing soap opera that exists between the Los Angeles Lakers Big Three of LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook.

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Matthew Stafford is a Hall of Famer, Kyler Murray Fires Back & the Truth About the Tampa Bay Bucs Feb 15, 2022

Show notes

On today's episode, Jason kicks things off by breaking down exactly why Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford should be viewed as a Hall of Fame-level quarterback. Stafford had all-world statistics long before he earned his Super Bowl ring. Moreover, it’s not just that he won the Super Bowl, it’s how he won. It was a fourth quarter comeback in which Stafford threw the game-winning touchdown pass. In fact, Stafford led game-winning drives in his last three playoff games of the season. So when a guy like Richard Sherman comes out and says that Stafford shouldn’t be viewed as a Hall of Famer because he’s never been an All-Pro or an MVP, it should be taken with a grain of salt. Not only did Stafford play in what was arguably the Golden Age of Quarterbacks, but he also played for a terrible Detroit Lions franchise for most of his career. Later, Jason shares his thoughts on Kyler Murray's decision to clap back at anonymous sources claiming that Murray was self-centered. All signs point to the Arizona Cardinals' owner being the one who went to the press, and you have to wonder if these kind of comments will not only hurt his relationship with his franchise quarterback but also prevent them from landing top talent in free agency. Finally, our fearless leader closes the show on the report that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have zeroed in either Russell Wilson or Deshaun Watson as their next quarterback following the retirement of Tom Brady. If I'm Wilson or Watson, I'd explore other options away from Tampa. The Bucs are losing a ton of talent on both sides of the ball.

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Super Bowl 56: Stafford-to-Kupp Saves McVay, the New Championship Blueprint & a Good (Not Great) Halftime Show Feb 14, 2022

Show notes

On today's episode, Jason and Producer Rob G bring you wall-to-wall reaction to the Los Angeles Rams' thrilling victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl 56. Matthew Stafford was fantastic early, brutal in the middle and clutch late in the Rams' win. With Odell Beckham Jr out for most of the game with a knee injury, Cooper Kupp stepped up big down the stretch and walked away with the Super Bowl MVP. Stafford-to-Kupp has been arguably the most lethal combination all season long so it's really no surprise that they connected for the game-winning touchdown in the final minutes. The Rams needed their two stars to shine too given that head coach Sean McVay was mostly bad yet again in a Super Bowl. Were it not for Stafford and Kupp's late-game heroics, we'd probably be talking about how McVay has been brutally out-coached in two straight Rams Super Bowls. If we take a step back and look at the big picture, it's clear that the Rams followed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' blueprint for winning a Super Bowl: Get a veteran quarterback to lead an already star-studded roster and let him work his magic. Tom Brady did it in 2020, Stafford did it 2021... could Aaron Rodgers do it 2022? The Denver Broncos have arguably the most talented roster in the NFL (outside of the quarterback position), and if they can swing a deal to bring Rodgers to the Mile High City, perhaps they could be the next team to follow the new Super Bowl Blueprint. Finally, the guys close the show by explaining how the Halftime Show featuring Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, 50 Cent, Kendrick Lamar and Mary J Blige is being wildly overrated by fans on social media. Dre and Co. put on a fantastic performance, but it was nowhere close to the greatest halftime show in Super Bowl history.

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James Harden is the Biggest Loser + Super Bowl Prop Bets Feb 11, 2022

Show notes

On today's episode, Jason gets the party started with a deep dive into all the big deals that went down at the NBA Trade Deadline, and none were bigger than the one that saw the Brooklyn Nets send James Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers for Ben Simmons. Simmons and Sixers general manager Daryl Morey are clearly the big winners of the day; Simmons was able to get traded of a toxic situation and on to a team with Kevin Durant, and Morey was able to flip a disgruntled star (who hand't played all season) for a perennial All-NBA player to pair with Joel Embiid. Harden, on the other hand, quit on his second team in as many seasons. Harden has burned bridges with Hall of Fame teammates throughout his NBA career (Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, Kyrie Irving and Durant), and at some point he's going to have to admit that maybe he's the problem; It seems that no matter what he does he'll never be happy. Finally, Jason closes the show with a bang as he gives you fifteen fantastic minutes on all of his favorite Super Bowl prop bets. If you've been listening to the pod at all the last two weeks you know our fearless leader is heavily invested in the Los Angeles Rams beating the Cincinatti Bengals, but wait until you hear about his lucrative player props!

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A New Low for LeBron and the Lakers + Former NFL defensive back Marcus Cromartie Feb 10, 2022

Show notes

On today's episode, Jason kicks things off with a brief thought on the Los Angeles Lakers following their ugly loss to the depleted Portland Trail Blazers. Just when we thought things couldn't get any worse for LeBron James and Anthony Davis, they keep finding new and exciting ways to let their fan base down. If they don't make a major shake-up and Thursday's trade deadline, the Lakers could miss the playoffs altogether. Later, former NFL defensive back and NFL analyst Marcus Cromartie swings by to discuss how he's been recruiting his former college teammate Russell Wilson to join the New Orleans Saints, why he picked Joe Burrow and the Cincinatti Bengals to make the Super Bowl even before the regular season ended, Matthew Stafford's impressive play throughout the postseason thus far, the pros and cons of having Jalen Ramsey shadow Ja'Marr Chase throughout the Super Bowl, which Super Bowl bets and prop bets he likes the most heading into the big game, and much more!

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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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