Almost Isn't Enough: Packers Need to Win NFC North

It's time for the best 60 minutes of your life.

This is The Homer Hour,

broadcasting live from the Gruber Law Offices won't call that's all studio

with the avenue in downtown Milwaukee alongside former Packer Brian Pelaga.

Here's Emmy Award winner, Homer.

The best 60 minutes of your day, the Brian Bulaga Homer Hour.

I don't know if it'll be, well it has to be today with Brian Bulaga giving us his

NCAA predictions, it seems like you or a family member were pretty good last year.

I wish I kept track of this because I'm always looking for the historically best predictor

of.

And again, just for those of you that compete in various brackets, you start with one question.

The most important question and that is, can you pick the winner?

You pick the winner.

Somebody can look up the percentage chance of winning whatever pool you're in.

Probably then it's final four.

Do you have a winner for us in this year's tournament or do you just always take Iowa?

By the way, good evening.

Good evening.

No, I don't always take Iowa there.

They're in the ninth seed this year.

They've got a tough, they've got a tough little schedule ahead of them.

I mean, Clemson and then obviously the most likely a showdown with Florida, the one

seed.

So they've got a tough road ahead.

But winner this year, I feel good and again, this is me not knowing a bunch about what's

going on in Calves basketball.

I've seen a little bit here and there.

But I like Arizona this year.

I like Arizona just based on what I've seen on TV, what I've seen on ESPN, what people

are talking about.

And I've watched a little bit of their tournament games just a few days ago, whatever it was.

And I like them.

So I'm going to go with Arizona.

And you're picking Arizona because you've seen them and they impressed you.

I really was expecting you would pick Arizona for another reason.

What would that be?

Well, I was a famous athlete at the University of Arizona early in my life, you're a famous

athlete.

Well, yeah.

Well, now I have, now I have that even back my confidence.

Well, I have that to go even more so with my pet.

I believe that I am the only person to transfer.

I transferred, I played at Wisconsin, then I left school for a year, and then I went

to Arizona for a semester.

And basic problem was I wasn't good enough to play there.

It was close.

But so I called my coach at Wisconsin and said, all right, I'll come back, but I want

a scholarship.

And then he said, okay, you've done well enough.

We'll give you a scholarship.

But I have to get in touch with the Arizona coach and as permission to get in touch

with you.

So he sent a letter to which the coach at Arizona said, I didn't really know he's on

the team.

Okay.

He's not on scholarship, so you don't, he don't, you don't have to talk to me.

Oh my gosh.

So I think that, I think that's his stork, though you think?

Yes.

Thinking you're on the team when you're not really on the team or if you are on the team,

he doesn't really care that you're on the team because you're not going to play on

the team.

I didn't.

Yeah.

I think I'd rather be in the camp that you were in than actually being on the team and

on scholarship and going, he's not going to play like he's never, he's never played.

Right.

So don't worry about it.

I had to, I had to, there were a couple players that that wouldn't practice with me.

So I said, look, it will play.

This is back in the 70s.

So this is fine.

You'll play for $5 a match, then you can make some money.

Yeah.

That didn't work.

You know why?

Because I beat him.

And then he didn't want to play me, not for the $5, but because the coach might realize

that I is a non scholarship player was better, but, um, so you, so you, so you were running

a side hustle.

I don't only want only one, he was a bad side hustle.

The only side hustle I actually did do was, uh, play ping pong and got into the, uh,

the university, uh, semi finals and spent a significant time going to the dog track in

no gallows.

There we go.

And witness one of the greatest gray hounds in the history of gray hounds, Joni.

You can look up, Joni.

She's in the Hall of Fame.

I just happened to be there.

I didn't actually know there was a no gallows text.

I'm going to, uh, no gallows, Mexico, uh, which I guess there is.

And the reasonably famous, but because I never made it past the dog track, uh, why would

you, why would you want to go past that?

That's more than people care about me.

I just, I just, uh, it very seldom do I do get a chance to mention my historic, uh,

man, it's pretty good.

That's good knowledge.

That's good knowledge at Arizona, um, when you're, you don't know this, but when you're

not good enough, it really limits things, uh, uh, but anyway, all right, let's get to

your Arizona.

So yes, uh, no team from the West Coast has won the NCAA tournament since, but it had

been UCLA, whatever, like no big 10 team has won since the year 2000.

That was Michigan state.

And no West Coast team is one, which is odd because Gonzaga has been so good, but they haven't

been able to win it.

Uh, was it, I'll have to let UCLA in 97, 98 something like that.

All right.

Uh, but I mean, I don't know the, uh, the overall favor, like who's the overall favor?

The overall favorite would probably be Duke and Arizona.

The issue there is that Duke has some injuries to deal with.

Okay.

Duke, Florida, Arizona, Michigan.

I was state Houston, uh, I'm going out on the trunk to say it'll be one of those six

schools.

Okay.

Personally, uh, like Houston, uh, I'm a fan of, uh, uh, Kelvin Samson, um, and they've

been close, but have never really won the title.

I was state as a local kid.

I think that he's done very well.

He's a worker, a worker or whatever's, yeah, Samson is the one that came out and said

it.

They don't have enough money.

Correct.

That's what he said.

So yeah, I'd like to see them do good.

Uh, yeah.

I like doing you kind of given some thought.

I don't think they're good enough, uh, maybe Illinois, but Michigan has been impressive.

Um, but I think I'll have to go back and look, uh, Alex Stroke is filling in for Pebble

who this week, he just follows Kyle's basketball.

Was it?

Was it 97 UCLA?

There has been no G seven Arizona errors.

Oh, yeah, with Lou Dolson.

You got it.

Yes.

Uh, should have known that, uh, Stroke, who's your pick?

One question.

Oh, I'm all over the place still.

It's only been 24 hours.

I was state, I think, with, with, with, with TJ Ozzelberger, who you're referring to.

Yes.

And, uh, Milan Mom Chillovich from Pewalkie High School is the best player.

Every good team has an itch.

Just so you need to look at who's your itch these days.

Yeah.

Does Wisconsin have an itch?

No, but they brought the other, they have the foreign guy.

He's not an itch though.

Who's the foreign guy?

Oh, Billy, Billy, Billy, Billy, Billy, Billy, Billy, Billy, Billy, Billy, Billy,

Billy, Billy, Billy, Billy, Billy, Billy, Billy, Billy, Billy, Billy, Billy, Billy,

Videocall, Michael, Michael, baby is a great choice.

Nicely done.

Had, had I been doing play by play for Wisconsin?

That's exactly what it would have been, a B.

Um, yeah.

So he's, uh, he's a pseudo itch.

Not an itch, but the same, pretty much the same thing as an itch.

I mean, my, my cad had their itch, but it was been gold.

He wasn't an itch, but he was a gold.

But like an itch.

Yeah.

You got to have a, I mean, we should look and see how many of the teams have foreign

players. I've, I'm not, go ahead. So you're telling Marquette they need to go dip into

the itch market. I don't, they don't really listen to me as you might have, I mean, because

I know Kirk Farrins, Kirk Farrins, no, no, they should not. Kirk Farrins listens to the

radio play by play guy. I'm sure I forgot his name because he's been. Yes. Oh, yeah.

Well, when he's wondering about, he gives old Gary at the call. We'll check with Gary

Dolphin and find out his brother works, uh, did work for a long time in Milwaukee. He, he

seems like a great guy. Oh, he's fantastic. Um, fantastic. Um, so yeah, assuming that Kirk, if

you can confirm to me that Kirk Farrins goes to, to Gary Dolphin whenever things aren't, he needs

answers to the team. I will then, but I will, this is what I've said I would do. I would go all

foreign. I'm going to Australia, New Zealand, uh, Italy, Spain, all these kind of professional

leagues where, you know, that's, I can grab players from there. They're older, uh, more mature,

probably, and give my chances. A couple of itches and a couple of whatever and, uh, that's

what I've gotten. I don't know how comfortable teams would be with having all foreign.

No, you want to have some local and, but I think in the end, uh, fans want one thing and one

thing only, winning. I don't think they have gone in my direction. I think the team that's closest

to that, that has gone that way is Illinois. I think they've added some, some are, uh, I think

actually native itches. One's the son of a former very good NBA player. I don't know the part

before the itch. We got itch one. We got itch two. Is that, um, by the way offensive? I don't want to

have to apologize to people from other countries. Am I not showing respect? It's, it's just like,

if you like on Polish, if you said we need a couple of skis, yeah, we need, we need skis.

Well, I mean, it's just if you're Polish, you know, I mean, it's, it's, it's, it is what it is.

Illinois is five inches on the roster. Yeah. And I'm many of them are new. I think maybe three or four

or new. Um, so, um, and again, this goes back to my tennis background because, uh, college tennis

has gone foreign for many, many, many years. All the top players are foreign. Now, is that more expensive?

Is that more expensive? Um, no, they, in tennis, no, in basketball. No, no, I don't think I don't,

that I don't know because they keep quiet. I've been, I've, I've been looking to you to give me

this information on how much schools are paying. They're still keeping it quiet basketball.

There was some story about Indiana spending $10 million more than other schools and not making

the tournament, but I don't, they, they've been able to, uh, to keep it quiet. And every now and

then the, the, some of the numbers in football, but, um, I don't, I mean, I, right now, I would

guess that the top football team is spending between 30 and 40 million a season.

Texas tech. That Texas tech. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, the, the great story to me and all of this was

Texas tech is the one that paid a million dollars for a softball pitcher on, uh, women's softball.

And it, and it was worth it. She got them to the final four and, uh, I mean, I don't, I don't

know that it's worth it financially, but in terms of, um, recognition, recognition. Um,

though it's, I, at some point, it seems to me, you're going to have to, it's going to have to

get out for the public. It has to at some point, but they've been able to prevent it. Um, to

this point, how I don't know. Um, but enough. You're, you're taking, uh, Arizona, do you have any

other insight like my other team that I like is Utah State. I just haven't watched them early in

the year. Uh, and they just seem like they were pretty good. I was looking at the bracket and

obviously I, you know, uh, I've watched this, I've watched Arkansas a couple of times.

Mm hmm. And, and, and again, I don't watch a bunch of basketball, but I've watched them a

couple of times. Why I don't know. It just was on. And, and I liked them too. And you look at

kind of the way they're set up. They're in a decent, you know, they're a, a, a good,

won Wisconsin play them in their second. And that's just, that's in the second round. Because I

like, uh, I like Wisconsin, but Arkansas, I don't know, I, who I saw them play. Maybe it was Oklahoma

and they, uh, who their, uh, Ben Bruss was talking about the kid who's like one of the top players

in the country. And I would agree having watched that. But, uh, I, I feel bad Oklahoma, Oklahoma

would destroy, destroy Miami of Ohio. I'm the only one to honest enough to say they have no

business being in the tournament. I followed the tournament. And, uh, when you don't,

be the, the rules for smaller conferences and granted, the Mac used to be pretty good. Did

you ever play football against the Mac? They, they had some good football teams. Yeah, well,

when, when N I U was good, we played in a soldier field. Right. Now, like Miami of Ohio is pretty

ball state. It was pretty, I mean, they were now, apparently the conference is horrible. Because

Miami of Ohio didn't lose a game. And they still had just horrible, uh, in terms of the, the,

the competition. And they lost their first conference tournament game to the eight seed. Okay.

Everybody knows in the smaller conferences, you have to win the postseason conference tournament.

Or you're not getting in. They, they, it will, willing to put them in at 30, no, as, uh, they,

they can come up with some, they've, they've, they're smart enough. Now they have enough statistical

things. They can find one that supports their opinion. Used to be Ken Palm. No, now we don't

have, Ken, come, we have Tam law for whatever. I don't, I can move it. So then they got that, this,

we got four of those now. Just give me one that says that, uh, uh, oh, uh, Miami of Ohio

should be in, and it, and the big picture really doesn't matter that much, whoever it is,

Miami of Ohio or whoever they play, who do they open against, uh, up against, um, uh, where, uh,

I should know this. Anyway, it'll, it'll come up in them. But, but anyway, the, the standard for

them is just so that you don't get in. They don't have to apologize to anybody because you, you,

even with that season, you'd probably have to lose in the conference championship game. Then

you lost one game and they'd lost to the eight. Well, well, well, they got to do the play in game

against SMU. That's correct. Yes. Yeah. I got to do the play in game. And I would pick SMU for sure,

but I think they've got somebody hurt and, um, but anyway, I don't know that anybody actually cares

unless they're, it's fair to say they're betting on the game. That would be my guess. SMU in,

in Miami, Ohio, we're going to lose any sleep regardless of who wins that game. No, our big issue,

we're going to break to get to it is not only the Packers, but naming rights. Yeah. Yeah.

This has been a topic as well. And I'm not sure to be fair with that policy. I'm not sure he really

said they were going to. I went a little stronger with it, filling in this morning. I mean,

he's certainly opening up the possibility that it could happen. Um, I decided I want to find a

billionaire who will agree to come up with the money so they don't have to change it. And I said,

see, if you're offended by this, we'll get your answer on the way back. The circle of honor where

they have the names, if this person donates a billion or whatever it is so that it stays at Lambo

Field, nothing else. I want their name and the circle of honor in letters bigger than any player

who's up there, Bart star. You pick your favorite Packer. The letters will be larger for the person who

donates the money that means you'd never have to add anything to Lambo Field. What Brian Bullaga

thinks of that next more of the Homer hour coming up next on ESPN Wisconsin and the ESPN Wisconsin.

The Brian Bullaga Homer hour

and policy has basically said we need more money. The discussion or possibility of the naming of

Lambo Field. I don't know where it's on the list, but he didn't necessarily rule it out.

I want to go to some billionaire and say, but I think what a billion dollars be enough and you'll

become, we will put you on the ring of honor in letters larger than the great Packer players.

Brian Bullaga, do you have a problem with that? I don't because there's nothing bigger than

the stadium itself than my opinion. Lambo Field is a shrine. It's literally one of the only

cathedrals left of sports stadiums in general. I feel like in you think about this. I mean,

you just don't think in the NFL or in baseball or best in the world, right? Think about original

stadiums around the entire world or that soccer or... Yeah, Wrigley Field, Fenway Park.

Fenway, baseball ones. I don't think they've been named yet.

Nope. You just think about that and to name Lambo Field something different

for whatever you would say. It's, you know, I don't know. Whatever people are saying,

culverts feel that or culverts stadium. It's adding anything to Lambo Field. You,

and I'm not surprised, you want Lambo Field, nothing else. Nothing else. Nothing else. Not in

any way. That Brian Bullaga locker room at Lambo Field. No, there's just Lambo Field.

That's it. That's it. And that would, I mean, so if there's somebody with with the bank

role that wants to go, you know what? I love the Green Bay Packers. I would, that would crush me

if that ever happened. I'll pay for the stadium rights every year or I'll pay for the naming

rights of whatever it may be. So it never changes. And yeah, you put my name up in the hall of

think because I technically, I saved or the ring of honor because I saved Lambo Field from ever

changing. Yeah. Or for the next 30 years or whatever. Whatever it may be. Do you have enough money

by the way that you could be that person? No, no, not a chance. I don't know what these stadiums are,

I don't know what these owners are getting out of name at AT&T stadium. I would, I just, I'd say

you'd need a billion. No, maybe it's not that much, but whatever, but there are people that actually

have a billion to give. They have that much extra money. There's plenty is, is, uh, is musk

a football fan or someone like, I mean, is someone, you know, but he would probably want to call it

SpaceX exploration at Lambo Field or something like that. Oh, you'd need someone who's just like you

that would like to preserve it. Yeah, just preserve it. Just keep it as is. Maybe you get your name

up in the ring of honor. And yeah, that's pretty big deal. You didn't play a snap for the team,

but you're up in or or make a decision for the team like, you know, like Wolf or anyone like

they didn't do any of that. But you're up in statue honor statue. Next your name's going to be next

the bread farmer Aaron Rodgers. Yes. And then larger letters. Yeah, I mean, I would probably have

to concede that maybe you should have it in the same letters or I just don't, I'm not going to say

smaller letters. Maybe just the same size. I don't know. Not smaller. It can't be smaller. All right.

Can't be smaller because that's a pretty big contribution to, uh, keep Lambo Field,

I mean, it's pretty big. It is special. I, I, I'm not necessarily same group years. I only care

about one thing winning. Uh, you can do whatever you want if the packers need the money. But I get the

other part because I will never forget the first time I drove there and said that that can't be the

place. What do you mean? We can park across the street in a neighborhood. This is NFL football.

You've gone to any stadium in any place or even a college stadium. They engulf a certain thing

and they're, and you go like, holy smokes. They're just houses all over the place. We can park in

someone's driveway and walk two minutes to the stadium. Less than that. I don't know. And, and,

it's, and then the size of the town and you're driving in and you're going, what, we're,

are we going to a restaurant? No, no, we're going to, uh, yeah. No, they play NFL football. I

mean, I don't know when you were there the first time. It blew me away. It blew me away. Uh, because

I like Kinnick Stadium is in, you know, a college town and it's, it's built in the college town.

It's not like some of these things that are on the outside or outskirts. And there's Melrose,

Melrose Street, which is my wife. She lived on Melrose and she walked to the stadium every single day

and I lived a bit further down Melrose. Um, and there's houses there where all college kids lived.

And it was kind of like that where it's, but it's way more built up than what Lambo Field was

initially, right? There's not giant hospital was next to it. The teaching hospital. Everything,

it was built up. So my first time pulling in to Green Bay, Wisconsin, you'd get off the highway.

And you see it, but you see it and you're like, you're like, what is like that, that's it.

Like that's right here. Like this is, this is where this is at. And I'm driving down, you know,

you're, you're driving down the Barney and there's a, there's a donut shop right on the corner.

And you're like, what, you're like, what is going on here? And that donut shop I went in there now

every Friday to get donuts for the guys as a rookie. Like I, it's clear as day. It was just so

cool to see that stadium literally jammed in to a neighborhood. Like I just thought it was

the coolest thing ever. Like, and to me, obviously they've done a lot of good things to develop,

but they're still, it's still jammed into a neighborhood. It's still jammed into a neighborhood.

Now they're building around it. And I would ask you of all the places that you travel to in the NFL,

I'm not asking you what was close because nothing's close.

No, but what gave you one, one hundred of the same kind of feeling that

where you were at was just smaller than being at an NFL stadium. Buffalo. Oh, yeah. Buffalo.

Yeah. Buffalo felt that way and kind of how they have their set up. And honestly too,

uh, New England. You got to go through a lot of, a lot of neighborhoods and things to

wind back and through to get to their stadium. Like so New England was kind of like that as well.

Or really Foxboro. Um, if you want to call it that, I don't, if that's the exact location.

I haven't been there, but it's, I don't want to say a significant distance, but it's

a distance from Boston. There's no. Oh, yeah. You have no feeling of Boston at all when you're there.

Right. No, no, not at all. No. So, but Buffalo would probably be the closest,

you know, closest stadium to that, like to that vibe of Green Bay would, would that make sense?

Uh, the size of the town too. Yep. It wouldn't, it does. And if you go to Buffalo,

man, it's, it's a, it's a party out there. I'll tell you that. You go through that parking lot

pregame. It's wild out there. You never know what you're going to see driving up to the stadium.

No, you're going to see people drinking heavily. I think shopping through table. Right.

I think they outperform Green Bay and craziness.

There's a good chance. Yes. There's a very good chance. And I know I'm not saying

does craziness equal more beer striking. I'm not saying that. I know. Um, uh,

but the pictures of things people do. Like you just said, like smash and tables.

That's not even special. I don't know. Yeah. I mean, it's happened often enough. Oh,

it happens every weekend. Yeah. I don't know. Every weekend. And now we have as we move on. And

again, the discussion of, um, Lambo field and to me, and we'll have Jason on, but the real

discussion is I didn't know the Packers were poor or I don't know the Packers weren't any

situation to need money. No, but it's changing in the NFL where you have private equity firms.

But their limits in the NFL because of salary cap and different things that I don't see how the

Packers could be behind in anything that would affect their ability to win. But we'll wait.

Jason will be on. He's talked about it a little bit. But before to me, and I'll be happy to tell

Ed policy this if we ever meet. We don't talk much and we never talked before. Um,

if you want to do anything, you need to first explain how the Packers are in some financial

situation because all we get every year. Maybe it's different for you. They're making more money.

And they're making more money and they've got a kitty of millions and millions and millions of

dollars. And so wait, there's something that they need more money for. I don't, I don't get it.

Yeah. And I guess that is the thing. I didn't know that there was potentially an issue. Yes.

Right. I didn't know that there was potentially an issue. And if there is one right, I'm with you

like how much of an issue like from a, from the millions of dollars standpoint, how much of an

issue is it? Right. And what are you using it for? There's only so much you can spend.

Somebody mentioned the bears had a situation where they needed money to pay some, well,

I mean, I think that would have to address the Makaski situation as a thing. But I can't believe

whatever the millions and millions they have in their kitty or in their coffers. They think they

can't, yeah, in their vote, they can't handle anything that would happen. That's what I assume too.

Yeah. I'm not only didn't know they were going to have to look at these things. I didn't even know

they weren't a situation where they weren't rich. I thought everybody would say, well, it's amazing

given that they're, they don't have an owner. How the Packers have done so well financially in

terms of handling things and expanding the availability so that people who love Lambo field can take

advantage of it year-round, not just for the football games, which to me is very smart

because if you make changes and make money, that means you're doing what people what? There's no

guarantee, you know, that what you do is going to be of interest enough to make money. And it seems

like everything they've done is help make them more money. Yeah. I mean, right from Tantletown,

right? That development has to print money. There's prints money. I mean, at least that's my

thought. That's my understanding. Because people like what they're doing. Yes, they like forcing

them to come there, right? No, there's a lot to do. There's a lot to do. And people just like

being around Lambo field. Now you enjoyed it when you had the donut shop. I can't remember the name

of that shop, but I know exactly what you're talking about. Yes, because I was in the 80s. I did like

the donut shop. I did. It was great. Here's our discount like a Twitter poll question. You can vote

now or after we take the break. If the Packers need money, is the first thing they should do

another stock sale? Yes, or no? Brian Bulaga's vote. Oh, yes. Yes. Yes.

I do. I do want to go ahead. I just want to say I guess you continue to tap that well until it

goes dry is the way I look at it. Right? Like go down that road until people literally are like,

all right, we don't want this no more, right? And then you go to a different, a different road.

But people love that. They love having a piece of memorabilia. Whether it's worth, it's worth

nothing, whatever. But it's a piece of memorabilia, right? Like it. And that's what people love. And to

me, if you could raise money that way and Green Bay Packers fans will do it. And even opposing fans do

it so they can touch their buddies and say, I own a piece of your tea or whatever it may be. It's

worth it. So I'd always go down that path first. I'd always go down that road. I definitely say the

same 60% say and the key was the first thing 60% agree 40% disagree. But I do want to make it clear.

I ain't buying the stock. I mean, my dirty fault one when they did it. Yeah. I don't know what I

would do if I will do this. I would put up a grand if as an alternative, they gave me a piece of

paper that said I could retire as a member of the Green Bay Packers. And probably

would like a jersey when they name up, but not as much as because I think the way that players do

that is a joke because you retire with whatever team you finished before they retired you or you

decided to play again. But if you want to give a piece of paper, it to me is the same value of the

stock. It says, yes. Homer was a member of the Green Bay Packers on this date and retired or whatever

that piece of paper is. Did you get one? You did it. I think two didn't shit. Yeah, but you didn't

get any piece of paper. Nothing. No, I didn't give me a piece of paper. Well, they brought you in and

had it made a reasonably nice announcement, right? That you retired as a member of the Packers.

And I wasn't any I wasn't any kinder to you than any other player. No, you weren't. You were

telling you are a thing that's true to me about it, but that doesn't matter. It doesn't matter.

You feel good about it. And I think I think that would be cool. Would I rather have a stock

meaning this stock or a meaning this says, I retired as a member of the Green Bay Packers.

I'm going with that. And I'm onion up a thousand. I'm in for a thousand if they do that.

Now they can't just do it to me to get my grand. They got to be a policy they would do. And I don't

know how much I just think you need so much money. These ideas probably don't generate enough. But

the question was, would you start with it? And Brian Boulaga says, yes.

Do you have any problem with me getting this? Of course, you'd never got a piece of paper. Do you

have any problem with me saying, you know, Brian, you and I have a lot in common. We both retire

as a member of the Green Bay Packers. That seemed to be that would bother you.

It would bother you. Great conversation starter. Like, hey, how did you, how did it come about?

Actually, they wanted my girl. I wanted my money more with Brian Boulaga next.

The home rower is back after this on ESPN Wisconsin and the ESPN Wisconsin app.

The Brian Boulaga home rower we've discussed everything other than the Packers free agency.

Where they are, I just wanted to play tomorrow. I just want to see what happens.

And just observing others and like Goody or Goody's getting the players and the floor hasn't done

enough with them. I'm willing and open to listening anything from you, Brian. I just almost

see him as twins. The difficulty is that the GM doesn't pick the coach, which would then be

another standard by which to judge Goody. But I think they're both good and let's see what happens.

I also, I guess, feel that they're a bit unlucky because, and I'll defer to somebody who does

all the research. I think the division is tougher and that it really does start with winning the

division as they show the first couple of years with Aaron Rogers and how close they came.

Because to me, it started with winning the division. I'm obsessed with that part of it.

Have I gone too far? No, and I think the division has gotten tougher.

Although, even in my times, each team had their ups and downs of being good,

or being competitive, right? Minnesota had their little run with it. Chicago had their run with it.

Detroit got good for like one or two years in there as well.

They're on my 10 years there. But was it ever a year when all three were good? I think all three?

No, yeah, no, it never happened. Especially with Minnesota if they courted back works out.

Go ahead. Yeah, no, it never happened where all three were good.

So two there, and I don't like giving excuses, but two there are credit. The vision is more

difficult. If you have a slip up, one of those division opponents is going to bounce on it,

right? And we saw Chicago do that this year. They were able to take advantage of Green Bay's

mistakes down the stretch while you lose what? Four in a row, the Chicago's going to walk through

that door, no matter what. Like you drop four straight games, someone's walking through that door,

and this year it happened to be Chicago. They secure the home, you know, the home game and

win the division. But I think it all starts with winning the division. That's like, and the

thing is like, I don't want to hear about super blows and NFC championship games. Like that's all

that's fun to talk about. You know, maybe when you have 13 wins on the season and you know,

you're going to win the division, that's not stuff to talk about right now. What you need to

talk about right now is taking care of the division and securing a home game and giving yourself the

best best chance possible in the post season. That's it. Like because being a seven seed, it's not

happening. It's just I think at this point, you look at all the data. Since the seven seed has begun,

it hasn't been good, right? There's just no data to back up that being a seven seed is,

it's going to help because you're going to play the two then you're going to play the one and then

most likely you'll play the three. And that's just that's it's tough business and people say, well

you were the six and you played the you played the three you played the one and then you played the two,

but it's it's a different because now because the playoffs have seven teams it and unfortunately,

it gets things get wacky, right? Things do get wacky with the extra team in there and the team,

you maybe normally would play you won't see, right? Like you just you wouldn't play them and maybe

you catch a break in that first round, but now you don't catch a break. So for me, I just

winning winning the division is the most important goal this this season. It has to be because there's

no there's no super bowl ambition or there's no NFC championship without that in my opinion. Like I

just don't think I just don't think you're getting them and I get they almost at it, but almost

doing it doesn't count. Jordan loves first year almost getting to the NFC championship as the

seven doesn't count. You didn't get there. So to me, it starts with what you said, division first,

worry about that other stuff after that's been secured. And I'll always look back to that year

that everybody knew the Bears weren't that good. In 2010. Yes. Well, listen, they had a great defense.

Correct. But you knew if you could score some points, you had a really good chance. You had

really good chance, but their defense was just so good and it's what teams can break down that

defense. And well, we happen to have an offense that can break down just about any defense. And that's

the way that worked out for Chicago. Unfortunately, they got us. But and you know, that year too,

we had played every team already going into that play. If we played the Eagles week one, we played

at land in the middle of season and lost by a field goal in the final seconds in Atlanta. And we

played Chicago, the Chicago Poison split that series. So we felt as a team good about every

opponent that we were going to go play. That's not the case now when you throw in a seven seed.

Like it's it throws things off like you're going to see now a ramps team that you might have

not have played or a Seahawks team that you have never that you haven't played in that season. So

you don't really have a gauge on the head to head. Like I get the head to head that a comparable

with Chicago. But it just so happened that the game they lost against Chicago the week prior

turned out really poorly. And it repeated itself. I love it. I love it when we agree. We have

Phil in Cedarburg. And he will get he's going to turn us to college. But we'll take a break and

then sneak him in before the end of the show. The Brian Bologna Homer hour more next more of the

Homer hour coming up next on ESPN Wisconsin and the ESPN Wisconsin app.

The Brian Bologna Homer hour and Phil in Cedarburg has something that he wants you to hear Brian

take it away Phil. Yes, I got kind of upset today when I read about something. I don't know

your guys take on this. But I see there's a bill passing through the Wisconsin legislature to

subsidize the athletic department to ultimately pay for these NIL payments for these players.

The thought of taxpayers that came for players now is almost makes me want to go in the corner

and throw up. What did your guys take on this? I completely agree with you. I think that's

absolutely absurd. Phil's not used anybody to agree with him. So Brian, you should know.

No, I'm with him. I think it's absolutely absurd. If your university can't get donors to

pony up cash, your university is going to suffer in your sports teams. We're going to suffer and

you're going to stink. That's the way it goes now. That's today's landscape. And having the

Wisconsin taxpayers make sure that the badgers athletics can keep up with the rest of the big

10 is absolutely pathetic. It's pathetic. And it shouldn't happen. It should not happen.

You feel better Phil? I do. I do. Now I do want to say one thing because I mentioned this on

Twitter and somebody said like 50, not 52, like 42 other states have it. My assumption is,

and I'll research it. No, that what they're asking for is that the state helps pay for facilities.

And my guess is that money was there to pay for the facilities, but it's not there anymore

because they're paying the players. And so now there needs to be some help. I don't think that

changes your position. I'm pretty sure it doesn't change Brian's either. But I think that's the

the guys of which they're trying to say we need your help on facilities. Yeah, it all goes the same

odd. It's all the same nonsense. So how about this? How about pay the coaches less? Does the college

coach really need to make $10 million? Do assistant coaches really need to make $2 million?

Like there's enough money there. They just need to reallocate it and coaches can't make as much as

they should be paid like professional coaches, which they've been paid in the past. They need to

they need to realign what coaches get paid in college. That's the big problem. I might go ahead,

Brian. Well, they're going to say part of it too is they allow these coaches to get away with

learners when they get fired. They just get to walk away with the whole contract. It's got free.

They can they can stink, be terrible and they get the rest of their 30 million and that's gone

and that is someone's got to pay them. And to me, that's on the universities. That's on the

universities of how they're handling contracts and money and things like that. So you you want more

money for your school? Just look right at your school and who's negotiating these deals with

for the coaches, for example. And what's happening with that? Like to me, it's it's it's absolutely

insane how college now it's these coaches just want to get a head job because they know if they

stink, it doesn't matter. I'm going to walk away with a minimum of 5 million to 10 million. And if

you're at a big school, probably 30 to 40. And that's just absolutely crazy.

Phil, I would give you one other tip because I always go to Jay Bellis and he said, Homer,

college sports last year made made $16 billion. They'll figure it out. So when will you know that

things have changed when they don't have as much money as they used to had to do various things?

Will coaching staffs be smart there? They will have to if necessary figure out ways and one of

I guess is going to the government asking for money. But at this point time, there seems to be

enough money for everybody. Because they're making so much. But Phil appreciate it and

it's the first thing and go ahead Brian. I would say I literally hope that that doesn't pass on

the backs of the Wisconsin taxpayers. That would be that would that would be crazy. It would be

crazy. Like Wisconsin does not need the money from the taxpayers of the state to help their NIL

fund. That's insane. Figure it out, right? How's that? Yes. Brian Mulaga says figure it out.

I would not give a thousand to get a contract that says I retired as a football player for the

Wisconsin badges, by the way. If you were thinking that, Brian, we'll talk Thursday. NBA basketball,

the magic and the hearts. Oh, baby. Next.