In the season three premiere of Tough Calls, NCAA Champion, former Duke Blue Devil Co-Captain, and overall Duke Legend Nolan Smith reminisces on his basketball journey with Symone and Dylan. He talks about how he got started in the game of basketball, how playing basketball with other PG County legends improved his game, the reason he chose Duke, how far he intends to take coaching and more!
Longtime Atlanta Falcons' wide receiver and ten year NFL Veteran Harry Douglas reminisced with Symone and Dylan on his collegiate and professional career. Harry also talked about what it was like playing with NFL legends and HOFers such as Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, Roddy White, and Tony Gonzalez. Next, Douglas touched on his new endeavors he's diving into today. Harry also discussed what direction the Atlanta Falcons should go in for this years NFL Draft. Finally, Harry gave his famous film breakdowns on NFL draft prospects such as Zach Wilson, Ja'Marr Chase, Devonta Smith, and Jaylen Waddle.
The Art Institute of California alum and former producer for Turner Sports walked us through his journey to becoming the face of the Hawks Talon Gaming Club. Little did we know he actually a draft prospect before becoming head coach and GM. Also, Coach Acuff talked about what he's looking for in the upcoming draft, the biggest misconceptions when it comes to Esports, and what the Talon Takeover streams have done for the culture and the city of Atlanta. - Connect with Us! IG: _dylanmathews Twitter: @_dylanmathews Email: dylanmathews2468@gmail.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCri42f6-qIPH-AAYFzql1EQ Follow Symone! IG: SymoneWithTheSports Twitter: Symone_Stanley Email: symonedeonne@gmail.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTzb8RWOYTUsZG98auHHAQg
Jay Harris is a Old Dominion University Alum, Robert L. Vann Award winner, and 2-time Emmy award winner. Harris joined Tough Calls to share his journey to becoming one of the most recognizable faces on ESPN. He also gave advice and tips on what it not only takes to become a successful journalist and anchor, but on how to keep sustained success in the industry as well. Lastly, Jay shared his take on what the future holds for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Randy McMichael is a former Georgia Bulldog, eleven year NFL veteran, and now co-host of The Midday Show with Andy and Randy on sports radio 92.9 The Game. McMichael joins Tough Calls to discuss his transition from athlete to a "radio guy", what the Miami Dolphins should do with the number three overall pick, the “Dawgs”, and more!
After a NFL season full of drama, long time Philadelphia Eagles insider Dave Spadaro joins Tough Calls to discuss the birds season. Did the Eagles do the league a disservice by tanking on national tv? Jalen Hurts or Carson Wentz? Zach Ertz leaving Philly? Who could the Eagles draft with the 6th overall pick in the 2021 draft? We ask him some Tough Calls.
The versatile Adam Lefkoe who is the Host of the Lefkoe Show, Underrated, and NBA on TNT Tuesdays takes you through his journey to the top, and then gives his takes on all things NFL and NBA.
In the season two premiere of Tough Calls, former player and now head coach of the North Carolina Central University Basketball team Levelle Moton opens up about his accomplished coaching legacy, the difficulty of recruiting at an HBCU, his expereince with police brutality, and why he started the Velle Cares Foundation.
Former Morehouse athlete and now quarterback skills trainer Quincy Avery has worked with some of the best signal callers in the NFL and on the college level. Quincy has worked with guys like Cam Newton, Jalen Hurts, Justin Fields, Joshua Dobbs, Jamie Newman, DWayne Haskins and more! On this episode of Tough Calls Quincy discusses his process of not only training these top flight quarterbacks, but giving them off the field knowledge and building a relationship with them that's deeper than football. He also gives some insight into the skillsets of some of our favorite QBS that he has trained and how his goal of changing the dynamic of the black quarterback.
Senior NFL Reporter for Yahoo Sports, Pro Football Hall of Fame voter, and Howard Alum, Terez Paylor joins Tough Calls to talk about his journey to one of the top sports media outlets. Also, Terez shares with us some of the craziest NFL stories that he had to break in his career. Finally, Terez gives us some hot NFL takes.
Brandon Parker is a proud North Carolina A&T standout who is now playing in the NFL for the Las Vegas Raiders. He joins Tough Calls to talk about his Aggies leaving the MEAC for the Big South. He dives into the nuances of what that means for not only the Aggies future, but also for the Mid-Eastern Athletic conference so many HBCU's are leaving behind. Brandon also discusses the importance of Deion Sanders becoming the head coach at Jackson State and what that move means for HBCU football programs everywhere. Finally, Brandon tells us how he feels the NFL has dealt with the COVID-19 outbreaks and what it's like to play in the Raiders fancy new stadium!
AEBL founder and CEO Jahi Rawlings joined Tough Calls to talk about the challenges and rewards that come with building a business a summer basketball league. With NBA stars like Lou Will and Jaylen Brown always taking the court, Jah must be doing something right. He explains how his career started in the music industry and brought him to where his is today in sports.
JR Jackson made a name for himself on YouTube covering everything from sports to pop culture and entertainment. He climbed up the ranks in television and radio, making stops at WFAN Sports Radio, V-103, Atlanta Sports Radio 92.9 The Game before landing on the national stage at CBS Sports Radio. In this episode of Tough Calls, JR gives Symone and Dylan some insight on how he built his successful broadcasting career the unconventional way. He gives plenty sports takes as well. Jackson explains whether or not Atlanta Falcons head coach should be fired, whether the Eagles should've picked Nick Foles over Carson Wentz, and more!
Jimmy Smith, a Jackson State Alum, 2-Time Super Champion, member of the Pride of the Jaguars (Jacksonville Jaguars ring of honor), and pro football hall of fame nominee joined Tough Calls to talk about Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders becoming the head football coach of the Jackson State Tigers. Jimmy also discusses the state of the Jacksonville Jaguars, and if Gardner Minshew is the franchise QB or not. Finally, Jimmy talks about why he wants to coach at his alma mater with Deion, and why he would be a great fit.
Cleveland Browns' linebacker Montrel Meander talks about his journey through Grambling State University and how they gave him a second chance to prepare for the NFL. Also, Meander speaks on the hidden talent that are in the HBCU pipelines that have the potential to succeed in the NFL but never got the correct exposure.
Ian Hartitz, host of the Pro Football Focus Fantasy Podcast, joined Tough Calls to give his takes on the upcoming season and also drops some key tips on how to draft a winning NFL fantasy team.
Darius Butler is a nine year NFL veteran with the New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, and Carolina Panthers and media personality (Co-host of the Man to Man Podcast and the Everything DB Show). He joins Tough Calls to discuss his experience on kneeling with Colin Kaepernick and others in 2016-2017 before the protest was accepted and also gives his opinion on the effectiveness of the latest social justice efforts by professional leagues and athletes. Lastly, the UConn alumna gives his hot takes on the upcoming NFL season, including his belief that Dak Prescott is a better QB than Carson Wentz.
Former NFL defensive back and UGA return specialist Brandon Boykin joins Symone and Dylan to discuss how the University of Georgia will be affected by their SEC only schedule, and how he expects the SEC as a whole to have two teams in this year's College Football Playoff. Boykin also gives several hot takes on the upcoming NFL season.
Super Bowl Champion, pro-bowler, NFL veteran, founder of DB Precision and now ESPN NFL analyst Ryan Clark joined Tough Calls to discuss the state of college football and the NFL's social justice efforts.
2x Super Bowl Champion, 7-Year NFL veteran, and now CBS Sports football analyst Bryant McFadden joined Symone and I to talk about the state of college football and the NFL.