Hooked on Sports

In this week's Hooked on Sports Podcast: A new era has begun in Foxboro as the New England Patriots named Mac Jones as the starting quarterback and released Cam Newton, so how will it unfold. How will David Bakhtiari's injury impact the Green Bay Packers' quest for a championship, and should the Giants be concerned about the offensive line as the season begins?  That, and a lot more this week...

On this week's podcast: John explains why he disagrees with the decision of the Chicago Bears to start Andy Dalton as their Week 1 starting quarterback, how Cam Newton's COVID situation opens the door on Mac Jones to make his NFL debut, and why it's no surprise that Teddy Bridgewater got the nod over Drew Lock in the Broncos' QB battle. Also, numbers back up his claim that the Seahawks will eventu...

This Week on the Podcast: The landscape in baseball has certainly changed after the trade deadline, with the Phillies surging and four teams in the AL East are at 10 games over .500 or more, and the Cubs trading away their core players. John outlines the impacts of arguably the most dramatic sports trade deadline in recent memory from two weeks ago. Plus, John focuses and chimes in on four stories...

After a summer of turmoil, Aaron Rodgers will in fact play for the Green Bay Packers this season, and John believes in the first segment that it changes the whole equation in the NFL this season. Elsewhere, Simone Biles shocked the world with a  courageous change in heart about competing in the gymnastics all-around events in the Olympics after a mental health issue got to her. Give her credi...

Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Milwaukee Bucks to their first NBA title in 50 years on Tuesday night with a captivating 50 point performance, but what NBA legend was John reminded of last night in watching the 2-time MVP close out the Phoenix Suns, and why was last night such a hopeful night for the NBA? John also discusses news regarding the 49ers, including defensive back Jimmie Ward calling out...

After an exciting and successful weekend in sports, John unpacks everything that went on, including Giannis' dominating Game 3 of the NBA Finals and whether his legacy is on the line in this year's Finals, and what the Bucks must do to win Game 4 tonight. He also discusses other issues like the good and the bad of MLB All Star festivities this year, Italy capturing its first European title in socc...

This week's podcast dives into the NFL defenses as the league gets ready for training camps to begin at the end of the month; John will look at all the league's defenses and power rank each division solely by its collection of defenses. But before he unveils his rankings, he gets into hot button stories such as Sha'Carri Richardson's marijuana usage, the Olympics taking place without fans (likely)...

The Phoenix Suns are set to return to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1993 and for just the third time in franchise history after defeating the L.A. Clippers in the Western Conference Finals. So what should the expectations be for Phoenix in the Finals? The East picture is less clear, however, with both the Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks missing their best players in this stage of the s...

Amidst Flynn's new microphone, he gives a blunt analysis on the state of the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers following gruseome Game 7 defeats in their respective Eastern Conference Semifinals series. The Nets lost their series to Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks, while the Sixers dropped Game 7 to Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday night. So what questions should be rais...

WE'VE HIT ONE HUNDRED EPISODES! But that doesn't stop John from talking about some big news in sports this week, and has some unpopular takes on the big trade that sent All-Pro wide receiver Julio Jones from the Atlanta Falcons to the Tennessee Titans, particularly from a Falcons perspective that they might... win the trade after all?!?! Plus, he gets into the sticky situation between the Green Ba...

In a voluminous week to talk sports, John talks about the surprise announcement of Danny Ainge stepping down as Boston Celtics president of basketball operations and head coach Brad Stevens replacing him, and who the team might hire as their next head coach. Also, can the Lakers bounce back and win Game 6 against the Phoenix Suns on Thursday evening and keep their season alive, potentially without...

This week's podcast dives all into the NBA Playoffs, and why one team's future is very much in doubt, some of the impressive team performances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, such as the Boston Bruins and Winnipeg Jets, and then discuss the futures of NFL stars in trade limbo like Atlanta's Julio Jones, and the missing-in-action-from-Packers-OTA's Aaron Rodgers.

NFL fans had been anticipating the night that the schedule would be released for months now, and now they know when their teams are playing who, the much-discussed primetime slate of games across the networks, and the must-see matchups that'll generate the buzz and importance, beginning with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beginning their Super Bowl title defense on September 9th when they host the Dalla...

John offers two winners and two losers from the 2020 NFL Draft, and of course, the feud between Aaron Rodgers and the Packers and how that's likely going to end. He also talks about the state of the NBA playoff races and reacts to the New York Rangers making sweeping changes.. again, and more.

A much-anticipated NFL Draft Week is here, and there are so many intriguing questions facing all the teams in the league and how this weekend's events will change the course for franchises, whether they hit or miss. Today's podcast mocks the first round of the NFL Draft, which is Thursday evening at 8 p.m. Eastern Time on ESPN/ABC/NFL Network.

LeBron James said on Twitter on Thursday that the NBA is better off when the New York Knicks are winning and relevant. Well, the Knicks are on an eight-game winning streak and in sole possession of 4th place in the Eastern Conference following a 137-127 overtime victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday. John breaks down how the Knicks got to this point and one lethal obstacle remaining in the r...

This week's podcast features a recap of Hideki Matsuyama winning the Masters, John's hot take regarding what the Dallas Cowboys should do in the NFL draft, why New York hockey fans should be excited for the next several years, whether or not the Lakers can win a championship with a lower seed, how replay has wrecked baseball in the last week, and evaluate Julian Edelman's Hall of Fame candidacy in...

This week's podcast is a rant-filled special. So sit back, listen, and have some fun listening to John go ballistic on the wild NCAA men's Final Four, the fallout of the Jets trading quarterback Sam Darnold to the Panthers, and talks about why the Philadelphia Flyers' future isn't as bright as it seems. Plus, he gets into some news with the NFL Draft, some of the new names baseball fans were intro...

In today's special edition of Hooked on Sports, John is giving his complete predictions for the 2021 Major League Baseball season. He'll offer what he believes are the four biggest stories of the season, and give his win-loss records for all 30 clubs, who will capture the major awards of the season (MVP, Cy Young, Rookies of the Year, Managers of the Year) and which team he thinks will win the 202...

The NBA Trade deadline has come and gone, and this year's deadline was a wild one with several significant trades, which encapsulated the Orlando Magic's deep commitment to rebuilding, and the Denver Nuggets adding to boost their strength ahead of the playoffs. We also witnessed the wildest first weekend of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament ever, with a ton of upsets and busted brackets everywh...

Sixty-eight teams are set to play in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament starting on Thursday, March 18, and this episode is dedicated to looking ahead, with John picking the winners and losers, the potential upsets, the Cinderella teams, the Final Four teams, and most importantly, which team will cut down the nets in Indianapolis on April 5.

The annual NFL year is set to begin tomorrow, but the frenzy of free agency opened up as many of the top free agents available this year have already either been tagged or have agreements in place before they can become official. Which teams were some of the biggest winners so far in free agency? Which teams were left out from addressing their biggest needs? Plus, with the NCAA Tournament beginnin...

Dak Prescott signed his much-anticipated long-term contract with the Dallas Cowboys on Tuesday, but will that even matter for the Cowboys, whose fans annually dial up expectations over reality? Will the Chicago Bears franchise tagging star wideout Allen Robinson translate into a Russell Wilson trade? Why did the Giants just set themselves up to fail in 2021? All of that and more on this week's pod...

The Arizona Cardinals shocked the NFL world by signing former Houston Texans star J.J. Watt and recent news surrounding Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks. John tells us this week whether or not Watt makes the Cardinals Super Bowl Contenders and power ranking the potential landing spots for Russell Wilson.

This week's episode revolves around a few major stories in sports, from San Diego Padres star shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. receiving a 14 year, $340 million contract extension, the Philadelphia Eagles trading quarterback Carson Wentz to the Indianapolis Colts, and rumors that the Jets will consider all options for their quarterback situation going forward. There are also 18 days left until Selecti...