The Sports Grind

Bill O’Brien’s return to the NFL is imminent, but first, he had to finish his duties as the offensive coordinator for Alabama in the National Championship. Hardge has an issue with the play-calling, and the guys discuss it. Stepping over to the NFL, Micah Parsons had a rookie season for the record books, but TJ Watt tied Michale Strahan’s single-season sack record. Who deserves Defensive Player of...

It was the first-ever Week 18 in the NFL, and the drama went into overtime in one of the most exciting games in history. First up, the National Championship Game between Alabama and Georgia is tonight. Calvin and Hardge preview the matchup and discuss the Crimson Tide’s chance to “upset” the Bulldogs. In the second half, the Indianapolis Colts’ meltdown the last two weeks of the season was BAD, an...

Firings on “Black Monday” now mean that coaches who were a bad fit in one place may land safely in another. Who are the best available coaches heading into the offseason? If this was his third year, the Chargers’ Brandon Staley may have lost his job today. The discussion from Hour 1 on the game continues. From there, we head to the phones for some questions and comments from listeners, as well as...

Amari Cooper and Ceedee Lamb attended Dirk Nowitzki’s jersey retirement, which is great. The bad thing is, Cooper isn’t vaccinated and wasn’t wearing a mask either. He could face penalties from the NFL and possibly just put his whole locker room at risk before the playoffs. As the season winds down, Coach of the Year conversations are taking place, and Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur’s n...

The conversation from Hour 1 on which teams on the fringe of the NFL playoffs actually make the cut to start Hour 2. From there, Calvin and Hardge put pen to paper on who they think will be released on Black Monday from their coaching or GM duties in the NFL. The USFL is back this spring and announced Kevin Sumlin as one of their coaches this coming season. A few other big names join him, giving t...

Hardge is on the road today as he's calling a basketball game for EPSN+. After some brief technical difficulties, the show gets off and running, and Calvin and Hardge go around the NBA. Dejounte Murray and Kyrie Irving returned for the San Antonio Spurs and the Brooklyn Nets respectively, leading their teams to wins. The headline of last night, however, was the Dallas Mavericks who retired Dirk No...

Antonio Brown steals headlines once again, but this time it is Bruce Arian’s who speaks the loudest. With that situation winding down, the show goes to the phones where a caller asks about the division between Baker Mayfield and the coaching staff. The coaching conversation continues as Calvin and Hardge try to sneak another peek at what could be coming around the corner on Black Monday next week....

One Chicago radio personality who has a vote in the MVP race snubbed Aaron Rodgers for the annual award this year. Many say the award should just be made into a “Quarterback Award” given how rarely another position player wins it. This opens a discussion on who such an award would be named in honor of. Sticking with the NFL, Rodgers wants to play, but a number of star players will be missing the f...

The guys go to the phones to open up Hour 2, taking the show back to the COVID discussion in the NFL. Piggy-backing on the subject, reports were that Novak Djokovic, the top men’s tennis player in the world, was being prevented from entering Australia, where he was already accepted to play at the Australian Open. In the latest edition of The Hardge Knocks Life, Hardge uses the example of Kansas St...

Monday evening brought updates to a couple of weekend headlines, and the guys start with the Antonio Brown situation. After Brown walked off the field on Sunday, Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians flatly stated that Brown was no longer a part of the organization. After Calvin and Hardge discussed the topic on Monday’s show, reports that evening came out that the team has yet to officiall...

Hour 2 kicks off with Calvin giving his thoughts on the Monday Night Football game in our recap presented by Cover 3. The NFL conversation then shifts over to Seattle, who like the Browns and the Steelers, may have a question at quarterback to figure out. Speaking of quarterbacks, Caleb Williams has officially entered the transfer portal to leave Oklahoma. For all the abuse that the system has tak...

One of the biggest highlights from Week 17 in the NFL wasn’t on the field of play, but rather the sideline when Antonio Brown took off his jersey and walked off the field during the game. Is the troubled receiver’s career in the NFL over? Even after the NCAA went to a playoff format, the SEC continues to show that they are the best conference in college football, once again sending two teams to th...

Hour 2 starts off with Hardge's breakdown of the Dallas Cowboys' loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday before the guys put a bow on the rest of the Sunday games from Week 17. We head to the phones to take some listener calls, on the Antonio Brown situation and the Indianapolis Colts' loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. Finally, Monday's show concludes with the Monday Night Football Preview of the Cle...

The world was shocked on Tuesday with the news that NFL legend John Madden had passed away at the age of 85 years old. Opening the show, the guys reflect on the impact of Madden on the sport and in popular culture. The show moves into more COVID-19 talk as news comes down that the Spurs game was in jeopardy before being canceled, stemming from an outbreak within the Miami Heat. Calvin and Hardge t...

The guys continue to reflect on the passing of NFL icon John Madden in Hour 2. As the show progresses to look at the weekend slate games, The Hardge Knocks Life dives into the Indianapolis Colts’ turnaround this season. Speaking of the Colts, they are once again in Calvin and Hardge’s top-10 Power Rankings, but who else joins them? In the closing moments of our final hour in 2022, the guys talk ab...

The NCAA College Football Playoff is just two days away. Calvin thinks that a title this season would be one of Nick Saban’s greatest accomplishments in his time at Alabama, and Hardge pushes back. On Monday night, the San Antonio Spurs played local product Jordan Clarkson and the Utah Jazz, and a Spurs fan was ejected for “malicious” comments directed at Clarkson. Is this where the fan base is at...

The discussion on Baker Mayfield and his fit with the Cleveland Browns is continued from Hour 1. Breaking news comes in that the Holiday Bowl between UCLA and NC State scheduled for Tuesday night is canceled hours before kick-off due to COVID-19. That opens the door for another expanded discussion on the roles of coaches and universities in the fight against the virus, as well as a critical look a...

The NFL season regular season is almost down to the final two weeks, and some teams made big statements this weekend. Joey B. and the Cincinnati Bengals ran the score up on the Baltimore Ravens, but was it necessary? The Spurs are back in action Monday night after taming the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night. Things are trending in the right direction for the silver and black, but will winning keep...

The recap of the NFL weekend for Week 16 continues in Hour 2 as Calvin and Hardge dive into the game between the Washington Football Team and the Dallas Cowboys. Ron Rivera is a great person with a great story, but he's not been a great coach. What can the loss on Sunday Night Football mean for his future? On teams trending in the other direction, the Indianapolis Colts are one of the hottest team...

In the last show before the Christmas holiday, the Sports Grind is in the festive spirit and decides to unwrap the Bo Nix transfer news. The Dallas Cowboys have a great defense, but how far can the unit really carry them into the postseason? San Francisco is playing Tennessee on Thursday Night Football later, and Jimmy Garoppolo is playing well on the cool. Calvin and Hardge debate his value ahead...

The NFL conversation continues in Hour 2 as Calvin and Hardge look at the Week 16 schedule, impacted already by more COVID-19 updates that broke during the show. Also on The Docket Thursday night is the matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs who are starting to put it together. Buck Showalter recently agreed to terms with the New York Mets to return to the MLB, and Tiger...

After a few weeks away, Calvin and Hardge are back in the studio. We know y'all missed the show, so first, we take a minute to catch up on some headlines. As everyone settles in, "analytics" is once again under the microscope. Music provided by Ticket 760 and AM 1300 The Zone.

The Sports Grind continues in Hour 2 as Calvin and Hardge dive deeper into players' decisions to sit out bowl games, there's another edition of The Hardge Knocks Life, and the guys give their NFL Week 18 Power Rankings. Music provided by Ticket 760 and AM 1300 The Zone.