Skip Is Finally Free to Unleash, NFL Preview, Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese | The Skip Bayless Show

Intro I say what I see and now I will do that completely on steroids here we go this is the skip Baya Skip Is Finally Free to Unleash show and this is a Monumental day for me a Cowboys just won the Super Bowl kind of day for me now I'll get to my Cowboys prediction in just a moment along with my Eagles prediction and my Aaron Rogers prediction and my Caleb Williams prediction and my Super Bowl prediction and I'll very quickly get to several of your probing piercing questions even a couple of your rip skip questions bring them on and I will end Today's Show with one non NFL topic because I can't quit watching and talking about Caitlyn Clark forgive me and I got a scalding hot question about Caitlyn versus Angel ree but first up I welcome you to my kickoff special the NFL season is about to start along with my new life I have never been more excited for a football season and a new beginning I have waited a long time for this moment I am finally free free to unleash in ways I never have free to give you every bit of me without boundaries handcuffs or fear of suspension I recently left FS1 an exit I'd been planning for several months because I wanted to do this I wanted to be my own boss to bet on myself to break free from the TV networks I've worked for for 35 years for 35 years I've been told don't don't don't careful careful careful I've tiptoed sidestep pull punches protected our quote unquote network broadcast Partners the leagues whose games my employers televised now no more night before memos saying no no no no more bosses with huge igos and hidden agendas no more games that have to be played Behind Closed Network doors now I'm free to be 1,000% me I've often seen things before others do and said things others won't but there were always camouflaged limitations and restrictions no more quick example had I still been working at FS1 I would have been told no way can I discuss on air this Tom Brady controversy in this case I happen to be on Fox's side Brady's obviously trying to Bigfoot the network into letting him have his ownership cake and eat it too Brady is trying to get approved to buy 10% of the Lost Vegas Raiders but if he does the restrictions the leagues will put on him as a broadcaster will make it very difficult for him to to do his Analyst job for Fox that's paying him $375 million to do let the ownership go for now Tom commit to a network that has committed so much money to you quit trying to bully Fox before you've even called your first game as I've said many times on FS1 Brady is the runaway goat clutchest player ever far more valuable than belich ever was but on Brady's Netflix roast he became the smiling assassin he set up and he bullied poor bellich with a scathing rebuke that ended the night I say what I see and now I will do that completely on steroids if Brady goes playing vanilla as an analyst a Shucks G whiz if Brady refuses to criticize a quarterback who obviously deserves it I will say he's turning into the Daniel Jones of commentators now I can be your conscience without my conscience eating at me now I'm free to write the books I've always wanted to write including one about the wild ride I just had through 20 years of doing daily National TV shows now I'm free to shop a controversial screenplay I've written that a network employer would not love trust me now I'm free to develop all sorts of other digital shows you will hear about in the very near future I had memorable runs at ESPN and at Fox but now I have a great new team around me and am I ever about to unleash on this show on X on threads on Instagram on YouTube in videos I will post regularly on all platforms buckle up here we go I begin by unleashing on my Dallas Cowboys let's start with a question from C from Concord Massachusetts how many times are you Cowboys going to fall in and out of love with your Cowboys this year 17 times Callen it's funny you use number 17 which happens to be the number of my new very weirdly and sadly favorite Dallas Cowboy Callen do you remember my final reaction to what happened last year to my Dallas Cowboys in their home playoff game do you remember me throwing every last piece of my cowboy Garb my hats my jerseys into my trash can wh was I ever hot when that game ended I didn't miss a single throw and that's a pretty small trash can I was throwing into all those hats all those jerseys stayed in my trash can and out they went from my house my Cowboys were down 27 to nothing before halftime of a home playoff game as the two seed versus the seven seed that was just so very wrong now here's the painful irony I hold in my hat if you can see this the one new piece of cowboy Garb Skip's New Cowboys Hat that I have I I just just ordered it just received I like like this ad actually a lot maybe it'll bring me a little bit of luck this year who knows but the painful irony is I only wanted one New Jersey this year I didn't pull any strings I try to keep an arms length from the Dallas Cowboys I prob probably could have gotten a free Jersey but I ordered it off nfl.com like everybody else would guess what I was apprised of the Brandon Aubrey Jersey I wanted was sold out I have to wait for my brand in Aubry Jersey which i' planned to wear for this show today to welcome in a new Cowboy A New Cowboys Season season and yet think of the painful irony it has come to this for me my new favorite cowboy is a kicker I hate kickers and I hate kicking I don't hate kickers just don't trust them because they go south in a split second and you can't get them back I hate kicking it's such a silly gimmick that has way too much impact on the scoreboard of NFL games and it has come to this I tried and failed to buy a Brandon Aubrey Jersey a number 17 so Callen you're right I've had 17c thoughts about making this prediction but I slept on it and I'm sticking with it the Dallas Cowboys I picked just one year ago to get to the Super Bowl are about to go eight and nine and miss the playoffs Miss the entire freaking playoffs yep I'm talking about the same team the same Dallas Cowboys that I saw that two ESPN analyst picked to win this year's Super Bowl the same team that I saw two USA Today National experts picked to at least get to this year's NFC Championship game for the first time in almost 30 years the same team whose quarterback in two Madden simulations was projected to be this year's MVP of the NFL that same team I'm saying eight and nine miss the playoffs you know why because the same team I have lived and died with since I was 10 years old is being ridiculously overrated isn't it always that way with the Dallas Cowboys overrated by lovers and haters always too feared too overrated too overhyped meanwhile the team I've hated since I was five years old is being dangerously underrated I'm talking about those stinking Philadelphia Eagles the Eagles obviously won free agency I think they won the draft while my Cowboys spent the least money of any team in all of free agency I despise my Cowboy draft the day or two after I'm starting to warm up to it it's starting to grow on me just a little bit I'll get to that in a moment but have we all forgotten how Cherry Jones was all in on fixing what what I believe was the single worst home playoff loss in NFL history the single most humiliating most embarrassing under the circumstances playoff loss at home for any team in NFL history was what happened to my Cowboys I dare you to tell me I'm wrong about that find me a worse one than that we were down 48-6 early in the fourth quarter at home against the youngest team in the playoffs did Allin Jerry fire as coach no I'm still stuck with Mike mcandre as I call Mike McCarthy did Jerry dramatically upgrade this roster no we lost far more than we added and that includes now last year's Revelation Don plan injured gone really look if my team had lost let's say at San Francisco in the NFC Championship Game on a walk-off field goal I'd be fine let's run it back let's stand pad let's see what we got but we got a little worse while the Philadelphia freaking Eagles got way way way better and I remind you they came off a Super Bowl last year and started 10 and one I've said this before and I'm going to say it again I think it's time for Jerry to step aside in favor of his kamla his son Steph Jones It's Time Jerry you know it and I Know It Jerry you've given me only one baller and I did handsprings the night that seedi lamb from the school that I grew up loving and rooting for the University of Oklahoma fell all the way down into your lap Jerry I got one baller c d lamb and finally took forever finally you got him signed as inevitably you would you should have done it way sooner and of course CD lamb missed all of training camp and now he won't be quite ready for game one which just happens to be at Cleveland against the best best defense in the National Football League miles Garrett's defense the reigning defensive player of the year would you believe that five of our first seven games are against playoff teams from last year that scares me would you believe that Micah Parsons is now being touted once again here we go again as this year's Defensive Player of the Year I've heard it for two straight years this will be the third Micah Defensive Player of the Year stop it miles Garrett is in another League from Micah Parsons you want to talk about overhyped and overrated Michael always gets off to a fast start and then he Fades and Fades and Fades into Oblivion down the stretch against Green Bay Home playoff game Micah Parsons that everybody's picking to be this year's Defensive Player of the Year had his worst combined stats of his entire Cowboy career overrated okay so I'll be that bad guy from the movie Taken good luck Liam niss is not going to save this year's Dallas Cowboys do you remember what Ci's mom posted after that playoff nightmare Dak isn't it he's not it I've been saying this tell me I'm wrong I don't care that he was second last you're an MVP and I don't know how he was because do you remember Dak at Arizona do you remember him in that 42 to10 thing at San Francisco on a Sunday night do you remember him at Buffalo do you remember him in the first half against Green Bay in the home playoff loss do you remember Dak Prescott in his last three playoff losses he has been a nightmare and a nightmare and another nightmare this is America's team these are the Dallas Cowboys of Don Meredith Roger stabach Troy Aman come on Jerry truly Jerry's only done one good thing and it's what he hasn't done at least he didn't give Dak some big five-year extension for the most quarterback money in the history of pro football in fact got so bad in the off season I started to think hm is it possible that sneaky old Jerry is sabotaging Dak this year I mean come on we brought back Ezekiel Elliott at age 29 on his last legs which look like often no legs in New England last year he's our Bellow he's our plow horse running back really wait we're going to start two rookies in the offensive line to protect Dak Prescott I saw flashes from Tyler gon I watched him a lot at Oklahoma but in the preseason I saw some flashes he's going to be very good in time Connor BB I always liked to make Kansas State I saw some flashes in the preseason he's going to be pretty good in time but two rookies starting your opener against that defense up in Cleveland seriously look I I like Jake Ferguson but he's not Dallas Gard I kind of like my defense it'll be pretty good but it will not be able to stop the run and that defense is going to carry this team to the Super Bowl are you kidding me stop it I like my kick returner I like kavante Turpin he can be explosive he can be electric finally Callen I love my Kicker it has come to this for my Dallas count boys I love my Kicker I want my 17 jersey please nfl.com please make another one and send it to me ASAP now on to the Eagles the biggest reason the Eagles lost six of their last seven games was that the quarterback was feuding with his best receiver AJ Brown and the quarterback was clashing with his coach Nick serani simple as that and I am told both have been Will Jalen Hurts Be MVP? fixed which leads me to my next question this is from Jacob Marshall will Jaylen Herz be MVP Jacob I'm going to give that a big yees I believe that Kell Moore once a cowboy once the cowboy coordinator will change jayen hertz's life he really didn't have aord coordinator last year he's got one now he's got saquin at his fingertips he's got Jan doson as his third receiver Jaylen Herz will be protected by the best offensive line in the land in all the NFL and the defense will have its Fire relit by Vic fangio who's long Been a Cowboy killer and he's got Bryce Huff he eventually will have Devon white I love Devon White he'll definitely have CJ Gardner Johnson everywhere CJ Gardner Johnson goes winning follows and he's back in Philadelphia and all the eagles did was draft the two best corners in the draft both of them and they will contribute at corner and sometimes at safety in nickel packages good luck I got the Eagles going 15- two and running away with the NFC East running away with the NFC Is Brock Purdy Elite? East next question this is from Tristan Evans why does everyone act like Brock pery is an elite I bet you would rather have him than Dak Tristan you are so right I definitely would take Brock perie over Dak Prescott in a heartbeat and your team definitely will win the NFC West next question Does Skip Want Jordan Love as Cowboys QB? this is from Chris damro how bad do you wish Jordan love was the quarterback of the Cowboys Chris I'm starting to call him Michael Jordan love that's how good he was over the last eight games that's how good he was against my Cowboys heck that's how good he was at San Francisco in the playoff loss I got the Packers winning that division holding off the Lions and the Bears to win the north next question this is from Jim barbuto what does your gut tell you Baker Mayfield's 2024 Outlook about 2024 Baker Mayfield Jim my gut tells me Baker will make less than half the money that Kurt Cousins will and he will be twice as valuable as Kurt Cousins will be in Atlanta I love what Baker did down the stretch last year I love his leadership I love his Charisma I love his key play play making I know that Todd B's defense lost some key pieces but it did not lose Todd BS I got the Bucks winning the south over the Falcons again NFC Wildcards now NFC wild cards I got the Rams and by the way Blake Corum will have at least the rookie impact that puka had last year for the Rams other wild cards I got the Lions and I got the Chicago Bears I got a trifecta of North playoff teams Caleb Williams has it his it Factor manifested itself when he was blessed to sort of fall up into the best team any number one overall pick has ever fallen into or up into Caleb Williams will Capal eyes on the talent around him he is the realest of deals he is a gifted playmaker never afraid of the biggest moments for the best defenses now on to the AFC on to the next question this is Samir who Why Do You Hate Mahomes? asks why do you hate momes are you scared of the potential he has to pass Brady I've never seen any valid point to why you'd take other quarterbacks like burrow over momes okay Samir you asked for it you got it let's quickly look at Mahomes Super Bowl performances shall we in his first Super Bowl I remind you Kansas City down 20-1 late third quarter Patrick Mahomes threw a horrible interception still down 20-1 early fourth quarter Patrick Mahomes threw an even worse interception down 20 to 10 facing third and 15 Patrick Mahomes basically closed his eyes and heaved up a punt in to the flat toward Tyreek a punt that hung in the air so long that Tyreek basically had to reverse field come back wave his arm and fair catch it a punt against a defense that my man Richard Sherman said was a totally blown coverage by his at that time 49ers was Patrick Mahomes ever lucky his opponent in the fourth quarter was Jimmy garoo who completely unra unraveled in the fourth quarter it got ugly for the 49er offense or Mahomes never would have survived that Super Bowl then in The Brady Super Bowl Patrick and Company lost 31 to9 think about this no touchdowns two interceptions qbr scale of 0 to 100 of only 42 by Patrick Mahomes losing to Tom Brady third Super Bowl Jaylen Herz gave Kansas City a second quarter touchdown and then Kansas City's cadarius Tony gave Patrick Mahomes a 65 yard punt return in the middle of the fourth quarter that set them up at the 5 yd line Patrick Mahomes in that third Super Bowl through for a grand total of 182 yards against a defense that on Christmas eve even my guy Dak had torched for 387 182 to 387 for Super Bowl the last one last year's okay Patrick out a qbr of 76 in that game not bad but I remind you Joe burrow during the season played the best quarterback game any quarterback played the whole season with a qbr of 90 as he picked that same San Francisco defense to pieces at San Francisco and Samir you're telling me I have no valid point seriously but I will give you this Kansas City will win the West fairly easily now on to the AFC North I say Lamar's team this year will be better than Joe Burrow's team so I'm going Ravens just because they added that big stud at running back Derek Henry who lives in Dallas Texas wanted to play for the Dallas Cowboys but they apparently had no interest in Derk Henry who will change this year's life for the Baltimore Ravens Ravens win the North in the South hard to pick against CJ's Texans but the Colts will make them sweat now another question this is from Aaron Rodgers Chris biano thoughts on Aaron Rogers still being an quote unquote Elite quarterback also tell us something you like about well I'll tell you this I do love the flare with which Aaron Rogers wrist flicks fancy passes I will give you that but Chris I got Josh Allen having a better season than Aaron Rodgers Aaron Rogers team is much better than Buffalo's but Buffalo will have the better quarterback and by far the better Coach I got the bills winning the East over 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers who no longer will have the stomach for the punishment that you just have to take at quarterback Aaron roders has the most pressure on him of any player in the league by far the most Aaron at 41 in New York he and his coach will crumble under said pressure AFC wild cards I got the Bengal I got the Browns I got a shot in the dark speaking of dark horses I got the LA Chargers making the playoffs I believe in Jim Harbaugh and what he'll do for Justin Herbert I don't love the Chargers on paper I just love Jim Harbaugh and the talent of Justin Herbert untapped until now back to the NFC this time Michael Jordan love upsets the ners at San Francisco in the divisional round so I got Packers at Eagles in the NFC Championship Game and Jaylen Herz regular season MVP returns to the Super Bowl in the AFC Championship Games & SB Predictions Joe burrow again beats momes in his house in a divisional playoff game Sorry Samir sorry swifties no historic three repeat for the Chiefs so I got bingles at Ravens in the AFC Championship game and Lamar writes last year's wrong I still haven't gotten over it Lamar Jackson finally plays in a Super Bowl as I predicted he would last year I'm going same song second verse and this time I will be right because AR will finally be very right but you have no idea how painful this is for me to admit live publicly I've got the no good low down stinking Philadelphia Eagles beating Baltimore in the Super Bowl 30-28 that hurts as in j Jen Herz as in Super Bowl MVP this season will belong to jayen Herz you heard it here first I hate the Eagles uniforms they make me nauseous to look at them I hate the Eagles fans always have but I admit I'm Green With Envy the Eagles are just that good Howie Roseman executive of the the year is just that much better than Jerry Jones my owner and operator now I tack on one PS you probably know I do believe in jinxes so maybe maybe deep down way to the bottom of my psyche just maybe I'm trying to jinx the Eagles the way I always Jinx my Cowboys but I don't think so not this time time I can't tell you how much I hope I'm wrong about this prediction I will be rooting like mad for my Dallas Cowboys but this year the Eagles are just too stinking good now we change gears another question this one from Britney lroy I mentioned it Caitlin Clark & Angel Reese earlier Britney says saying Angel ree is better than Caitlyn Clark is saying Rodman was better than Michael Jordan or Ben Wallace was better than Kobe or even Andre Drummond was better than LeBron and I shouldn't have to point out that angel Reese is actually a poor Defender Britney I give it up to you this is a very smart and very gutsy opinion but please let's not put Andre Drummond and Rodman's or Ben Wallace's Stratosphere no please not that and just for the record Caitlyn isn't much of a Defender either though she can and she will steal the basketball she's 15th in the WNBA and Steels pretty good but I will admit it Britney for the first half maybe even 23ds of the year I had Angel over Caitlyn for WNBA rookie of the year because of Angel's extraordinary double double streak and because of Angel's Rod manque rebounding never seen anything quite like it she has run away with the WNBA rebounding lead crushed the field in rebounding meanwhile Caitlyn two-thirds of the way through the year it was clear she was on an all-time record turnover Pace the likes of which I have never witnessed it's almost like she was trying to turn the basketball over and for two-thirds of the Year Caitlyn's three-point shooting ranked near the bottom of the league in percentage AG yet you're right the truth is Angel's a poor shooter of the basketball I I don't know any other way to say it she's just a poor shooter she's now 38% from the floor not from three she's two of 12 from three that's 177% I'm talking about 38% on common shots from the field 38% that ranks 50 first of 56 qualified players and just for the record Angel's team has now fallen to 11 and 22 so she isn't having nearly nearly the impact that Caitlyn is having on her team Caitlyn Clark is running away with the WNBA assist lead she's 25 better than anybody else in the League it's pretty extraordinary for a rookie Caitlyn Clark in a shock to me has proven already to be a once a generation passer I did not see that coming at Iowa I thought scoring yes she's the all-time greatest score in the history of college basketball men's are women's but passing like this I'm talking about gifted LeBron es bounce passing I'm talking about gifted LeBron esque two-handed full court touchdown pass kind of passing the likes of which I don't see in the WNBA she's having impact on her team that nobody else in the league is having on her team this is a team that went 13 and 27 last year and suddenly the Indiana Fever are the hottest team by far in the league in the league I've got the fever I can't help it I can't stop watching I can't stop talking about the impact Caitlyn Clark is having on game after game after game she takes over she maestros she controls game after game after game with her passing in her carefully chosen spots to score I still get frustrated because she won't shoot enough in fourth quarters because she defers to her vets she's got horrendous pressure on her not to be a diva not to to look like she's trying to be something more than she should be as a rookie I I appreciate that but Caitlyn you're really not a rookie anymore just shoot it in the fourth quarter you're that good you've proven to be that great her three-point shooting has heated up and nobody in the league can flick logo 3es as effortlessly as Caitlyn can I'm sorry it's gotten to the point where rookie of the year is over two three weeks ago all of a sudden Caitlyn Clark is starting to push Asia Wilson for MVP of this league and I am not exagger excuse me exaggerating she is starting to push Asia as the best player in the league because I don't see anybody control a game the way Caitlyn can so Britney there is much truth in your very fiery words and I do appreciate them finally this is from Brent de archangelo who Would Skip Do Anything Differently If He Restarted His Career? asks if you could restart your career would you do anything differently appreciate that question Brent the answer is not one single thing if you look hard at my career every big decision I made every fork in the road I came to I always chose the more difficult and dangerous fork and it always worked out when I was a rising star writer at the Los Angeles Times I took the job at the Dallas Morning News at8 age 26 to be their lead columnist and go up against day after day the Dallas and the Texas legend that was Blacky shared and so many people told me don't take this job you will fail miserably Blackie will run you out of town when I took the job on a failing show in 2004 called cold pizza everybody told me don't it might not last three more months it's such a bad show it's got no hope no chance 2016 when I left Stephen A and ESPN everybody told me don't do this FS1 die a quick death it's not for long don't do it you got no shot so here I sit and now I cannot tell you how excited I am to take on this new challenge here I go I'll see you next week