From the Bleachers

QBs were a big part of the first round in the NFL Draft and both AJ and Ajay's teams made selections, one of them isn't happy. Which teams did well and which teams were disappointing? As the NBA season winds down, who is the MVP? More importantly, how in the hell do you define the Most Valuable Player? Salt City Hoops Dan Clayton breaks down even more how shafted Utah Jazz players are getting in the major awards. What would the Jazz's ideal path to the Finals look like and who are the real championship contenders? The sports leagues are watered down so AJ & Ajay start jettisoning the worst teams in baseball, football and basketball. AJ & Ajay go to the NFL Draft for their Hall of Shame. 

In a loaded QB draft class it is crucial for the teams to build around them quickly because cheap quarterbacks are what normally beat Tom Brady. Former Utah State receiver DJ Nelson takes AJ and Ajay through the draft process, breaks down the top quarterbacks, ranks his top prospects and explains what made Jordan Love special and a 1st round pick. AJ's brother evaluates the impact a loaded draft will have on fantasy football, teams being chicken and there's some trash talk. Two of the more interesting teams is the draft are the Texans and Broncos. Kyle King tries to sift through the tire fire of Houston and evaluates the hires that were made. DJ Eckman evaluates John Elways and sets the price to trade up for the QB he wants. AJ and Ajay draft fictional football teams while a video game and all-time team are put in the Hall of Shame.

Apologies Brady haters but Ajay loves him some Tom Brady and he gets to gloat. With seven Super Bowls now, where does Brady's legacy rank among the greatest? Are the Bucs the favorites already for next season? AJ's family has a sports saying 'Appreciate greatness.' Sports fans may have watched the entire careers of two of the greatest to ever do it, Brady and LeBron, but who will be the greatest of the two? Speaking of the greats, the NBA Hall of Fame class is LOADED and will be a hard ceremony to watch. AJ & Ajay's surprise debate, the best and worst of the retro NBA jerseys. AJ & Ajay finally have a fan back, and he's an expert, as former Jazz digital leader Matt Sanchez weighs in on the Jazz's hot start. 'Take Note' because Utah is really good, but are they more of a threat than the Stockton and Malone teams? Where will Gobert and Mitchell finish in the ranking of the Jazz greats? AJ & Ajay tackle the NBA All-Star game, getting rid of bad events, improving others and having a few surprise ones they'd like to see. A Super Bowl participant and an NFL front office make the Hall of Shame.

The big NBA news was James 'Olive Garden' Harden going from Houston to Brooklyn. Were the Rockets even the winners in the trade? Will it work for the Nets? Is this a repeat of the last massive trade Brooklyn made? Ajay has a family story involving Harden that no one could have guessed. Does the NBA need to change their COVID protocols? If Steph Curry can't get the Warriors in to the playoffs does it tarnish his legacy? Eli Boettger from HeatCheckCBB.com answers the question; can anyone beat Baylor or Gonzaga? Will mid-majors suffer from the lack of non-conference games? What about the one time transfer rule? Are the Utah State Aggies a March Madness team? AJ & Ajay's NFL picks weren't great so how about a do-over for the Divisional Round? After a disappointing Wild Card game Ajay makes the case for the Steelers job. The Houston Texans have had an awful offseason and now every part of the organization is in the Hall of Shame.

It's the first 'Cody Bowl' this week as the Lions take on the Packers, but who is he cheering for? Jordan Love already matched the 4th quarter comebacks that Aaron Rodgers had. Bad news for AJ's Bears. Who had the worst weekend in football? The Broncos? Cowboys? Colorado Buffaloes? Ajay has a surprise consideration. Who is ACTUALLY worse at their job than Zach Wilson? How is it the New York Jets found a quarterback that ISN'T better than Wilson? When will it finally be 'Dame Time' in the NBA? Portland continues to hold up the NBA as speculation runs amok Lillard eventually going where he wants, Miami. Why aren't the Jazz trying to bring Dame back to Utah? A dirty NFL player, coaches against seniors and a coach who put a target on his back with a record awful performance all make the Hall of Shame.

Maybe it's every year but there seem to be more injuries to top players this year. For running backs it is actually injury to the insult of not being paid. Ajay, Cody and AJ save themselves time by burying some NFL teams now that are done, including two of their fandoms. Cody and Ajay are in Mountain West territory so what do they make of the epic Colorado versus Colorado State game? And why do fans have to be such idiots? Can you change fan loyalties? How do you end up being a fan and what is 'fandom legitimacy?' Fans and two coaches in the NFC North make it into the Hall of Shame.

Cody Nostradamus takes his victory lap after predicting the Packers versus Bears game months in advance. Much to AJ's dismay, the Packers may not be going anywhere with Jordan Love leading the charge. Four snaps is all Aaron Rodgers got before his season came to an end because of his achilles. It's sad for the NFL and Ajay asks if Rodgers will even be back from this injury. MetLife stadium wasn't all that kind to the home teams as the New York Giants got embarrassed the night before. How does the 'not pay running backs but pay quarterbacks' look after the embarrassment that was that offense led by Daniel Jones. Will there be a contract course correction? Who were the winners and losers of the NFL in week 1? And why is Mike Tirico so mad? In fact, football announcers aren't holding anything back for the start of the 2023 season. American sports are having a hard year; from baseball to woman's soccer and now basketball. Why don't Americans care about international competition? How would the best of the United States fair against the best of the world? The Sacramento Kings cut a great Utah State player, the Minnesota Vikings forgot they had Justin Jefferson in the second half and the Giants are an encapsulation of the NFL's current embarrassment in the Hall of the Shame. Also, too much Zach Wilson for our Utah State fans.

Ajay, Cody and Ajay are back like Shane Falco bursting out of the tunnel at halftime. Expansion has dominated college football and our Mountain West expert, Ajay, weighs in on the future of Oregon State and Washington State. Who's to fault for the evaporation of the PAC12? What does the future of expansion look like? It's the week of the NFL start and Ajay, Cody and AJ pick every division, the conference championships and the Super Bowl. Who are the surprise teams that'll make some noise this year in the NFL? It's been over a year of bad decisions but an entire team, a player and an entire organization make the Hall of Shame.

It's hard to agree with Kyrie Irving, but did he start a fair conversation about fans in the NBA? Could we be heading towards a second 'Malice in the Palace?' Is there any modern star that feeds off the hate? Now into the second round of NBA playoffs, what legacies were increased are tarnished after round one? Is Kevin Durant an icon of the NBA? Stop me if you've heard this before, Joel Embiid is hurt in the playoffs again. Ajay and Cody tell AJ if it's time to tear down the Jazz. Are the Grizzlies too immature to get to the Western Conference Finals? Does anyone really buy that Aaron Rodgers didn't know about Davante Adams? Was it a mistake for the Packers not to take a receiver in round one? Could we see a changing of the WR market in the NFL? Can we be done with the NFL Draft as a show? Did the MLB slam dunk on the NFL when it comes to domestic violence? I think we know the NIL was going to get rough but this is absurd. The Jazz, Brooklyn Nets, Ben Simons, the New England Patriots and Mark Emmert all make the Hall of Shame.

With the Lakers' exit interviews, how terribly managed is one of the NBA's top franchises? Who would you rather play with, LeBron James or Aaron Rodgers? Clayton Kershaw was pulled out after seven innings of perfect ball, was it the right call? How special are perfect games? AJ, Ajay and Cody go through the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL and list their top problems. Is it possible baseball and hockey suffer from being not COMPLETELY American sports? The NBA Playoffs are getting started so who are the pics? Will Luka come back? Are the Warriors trending up or down? Do Jazz fans have any confidence? How will James Harden and Joel Embiid do in the playoffs? How good will the Brooklyn and Boston series be? The Eastern conference second round will be LOADED! Are we heading towards a Finals rematch? Ajay starts with Joe Maddon, then the Angels and finally puts everyone in the organization into the Hall of Shame. Will this be the final nail in Dan Snyder's coffin? Call it a sequel but Westbrook earns another Hall of Shame nomination.

WAs anyone heartbroken about Coach K not getting his fairytale ending? How long will Kansas get to keep the banner up? AJ and Cody didn't do well in the bracket challenge and Ajay earns an honorary terrible spot. AJ and Ajay got in a disagreement about coaches response to rumored job openings and Cody is the tiebreaker. Coach Holloway from Saint Peter's was subject to rumors, is it different. Ajay takes us behind the scenes when Craig Smith left Utah State and what that was like as a member of the media. Can we stop making excuses for the Lakers? Is there anything to the narrative about Ja Morant not mattering in Memphis winning? Are the Jazz fans hopeful? Ahead of the playoffs the NBA Finals picks are made. It's opening day for MLB and their changes continue to not make sense. The head of the NCAA, almost everyone in the Lakers and the transfer portal make the Hall of Shame.

The whole world is discussing Will Smith's slap of Chris Rock, was he justified? Who in the sports world would you want to slap in the face? AJ and Cody have dealt with some fan heartbreak, but is it time to become a fan free agent. Cody makes a surprising switch while Ajay is on the verge as well. The reffing has been terrible in the March tournament, but is it by design? One of the great signs of hope for fans is "What if...?" but what is the greatest one? What's one that you hold onto for your fandom? Has the NBA influenced this NFL off season? Are stars traded good for the league? Or is it Tom Brady and/or the LA Rams fault? The cause of Ajay's verge of jumping into fan free agency makes the Hall of Shame along with three programs, including the reason AJ wants to go into fan free agency.

With Tom Brady's unretirement is he the most dramatic quarterback in the NFL? Ajay is super upset about it and Cody doesn't get it because of the reality he has lived through with Green Bay Packer QBs. AJ thinks it was a mistake for Green Bay not to trade Aaron Rodgers. He lied again to the press, but the press is totally his enemy. We've seen QBs on the move so where will Deshaun Watson and Jimmy G end up? The March tournament is here so who are AJ, Ajay and Cody predicting for upsets? Bad news for the Mountain West, our experts don't think they'll do well. We also make our Final 4 picks. An MLB organization, an NFL organization and a baseball star make the Hall of Shame. What are the power rankings for the AFC will all the QBs moving there. 

Being a sports fan means suffering through pain. Is it worse to have a team with expectations fail, or the underdog not be able to close out an upset? Cody is back which means AJ and Ajay can ask their Aaron Rodgers questions as Cody (he'll say no) held back tears. Quarterbacks are in at the center of a lot of NFL drama right now. Cody is against NBA eulogies, BUT there are definitely some to be handed out. Of course the apathetic Ajay says the Utah Jazz are at the top of his list. The MLB Hall of Fame, Aaron Rodgers, the NFL, it's a long list of Hall of Shame nominees. One good question, who's your QB Mount Rushmore?

He will always be Producer Cody and AJ needs to know how he washed the guilt off after downloading BYU TV because AJ feels gross for applauding a Dallas Cowboy. Micah Parsons should be the NFL MVP for how he has transformed his team. Ajay won't stand for Tom Brady not winning the award. Alabama's Bryce Young dominated the Heisman race but said he was always overlooked, despite being a 5* recruit, number one QB and backing up a record setting quarterback last year. What the heck is he talking about?! It's the bowl game special as the guys pick their favorites and make every bowl game pick. If it's a 6-6 versus 6-6 game you can bet Ajay will be locked in on it. COVID, Chase Claypool and Purdue Basketball end up as the official Hall of Shame picks.

The College Football Playoff Committee can't figure out expansion so AJ, Ajay and Cody are going to solve it. All three agree the number should be 12, but how do you pick the 12 participants? Should there be automatic entrance for conference champions? Do any Group of 5 teams get auto bids? The four teams have been set for the College Football Playoffs, but it was set up for the committee not to screw it up. AJ makes the case that Georgia shouldn't be in. AJ is riding high because Purdue Basketball is #1 for the first time ever, but being a Boilermaker fan means bad luck is always lurking around the corner. He asks Cody and Ajay about their fandom heartbreaks, hoping the shared bad mojo will protect his team. Ajay takes us behind the scenes of the Mountain West Championship, their bowl and recruiting while also talking about his ring he's going to get. If you're in the Dr. Pepper Scholarship toss, do you do the chest pass? Ajay will take the loss, but absolutely will thrill the crowd. Ajay had a real problem finding his Hall of Shame, while Cody and AJ couldn't wait. Not to mention Kirk Herbstreit doubled down, making AJ's nominee even more right.

Cody gets to judge who made the biggest bugaboo between AJ and Ajay. The coaching carousel is the biggest stories in college football. Will Lincoln Riley or Brian Kelly find success? Who takes the Oklahoma job? In the NFL it's a tale of two different conferences; the AFC is allergic to the one seed and EVERYONE is in the hunt in the NFC? Is this Russell Wilson's last season in Seattle? Who is the best team in college basketball? Who are the title contenders? Baseball continues to hurt itself as they head to a lockout. Does Cody love this? Jeff Goodman and the Mountain West get shared Hall of Shame votes from Cody and Ajay. AJ puts LeBron in the Hall of Shame because he has locked himself to a sinking ship. Finally, all three pick the conference championship games.

Aaron Rodgers returns after another PR disaster he found himself in. Cody, the Packers fan, answers whose drama was worse to deal with, Rodgers or Brett Favre? Ajay and Cody had a bet with the loser having to say nothing but nice things for the winner and it gets kind of cringe. As we get ready for the third College Football Playoffs and AJ is moving off the Cincinnati bandwagon, though does it really matter? The committees rankings continue to be a joke, look no further than Michigan and Michigan State's rankings. Gonzaga got a monster non-conference win against Texas to really kick off college basketball, but do we buy them and Mark Few finally breaking through? Are one-and-dones or the experienced team the key to winning the March tournament? AJ needs help from Ajay and Cody on how to deal with a team looking solid after repeatedly breaking your heart. Apparently that was just the start Ajay needed to bag on the Jazz. Texas football, NFL officiating and NFL officiating all get hammered in the Hall of Shame.

Ajay's Braves won the World Series so is he done being a jinx? Can Cody explain what the heck is happening with Aaron Rodgers? Speaking of head scratchers, Ben Simmons continues his shenanigans that seem to make it look like he's lying. Who are the NBA's best surprises thus far? Oh boy do the Boston Celtics look like they're in trouble. AJ thinks it's time for a Kansas City Chiefs eulogy. Who is the best team in the AFC? The first College Football Playoff rankings are out and Ajay and Cody sound off. Can we get a consistent ranking process? Ajay doesn't believe in ghosts, no matter what AJ says, but little does he know that Cody has quite the paranormal experience. A broadcaster, an NFL franchise and an entire college football program make the Hall of Shame. 

Did the fan get enough for Tom Brady's 600th TD ball? Would any of AJ, Ajay or Cody hold on to history to negotiate a higher price? COVID isn't going away in sports and now a coach has been fired and a hockey player has been caught with a fake vaccine card, what the heck do you do about it? The coaching carousel was interesting and then Penn State was terrible against Illinois, AND THEN James Franklin had quite the weird conversation. We are all Cincinnati Bearcat fans. Which NBA teams do we cheer against, and is it time for a Lakers eulogy? Ajay's Braves made the World Series, can they be jinxed? Is Ben Simmons making an excuse with mental health? It's very rare an opposing team gets in the Hall of Shame for helping the other win, but at that happened while two people personally hurt Cody and AJ for their nominees.