Hour 2: Yankees Expectations Spiral, and Giannis Faces the New York Pressure Test

Evan & Tiki

Audacy

Sports

4.2 • 989 Ratings

🗓️ 29 January 2026

⏱️ 43 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Evan and Tiki start Hour 2 with a stat that confirms what everyone’s been feeling: the NFL playoffs have been called way looser, with penalties, false starts, and especially holding dropping hard compared to the regular season. They debate whether it’s better teams, better discipline, or a league-wide “let them play” emphasis, plus the one-off moments that still ruin it for everyone. From there, the show pivots back to New York, starting with calls on the Yankees and the bigger question of what fans even expected this offseason. The conversation turns into a Monday morning quarterback exercise, including the idea that the one move that could have changed everything was adding a true lockdown bullpen arm. They also hit the ongoing concern: too many “ifs” across the roster, and whether the bullpen is the biggest risk heading into 2026. Then the hour goes full New York chaos: a date-night detour about Rascal Flatts, a quick Mets roster chemistry question, and a deep dive into the real Giannis conversation, not just “can he play,” but can he handle New York. The guys replay Giannis’ famous “failure” press conference exchange and ask the only question that matters if he becomes a Knick: will that mindset survive a brutal city after a playoff loss? Calls roll in on what “the core” even means, which players are truly untouchable, and whether New York fans will ever accept anything but championship or bust.

Transcript

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0:00.0	I noticed this about the NFL playoffs, but now I can just give you a stat to back up the thing I noticed and the thing most of us noticed, which is that we have not had a lot of penalties called throughout this postseason.
0:13.0	And I've made that comment to you a few times when we've come in on Mondays like, hey, this was great. They're letting them play.
0:18.2	Obviously, there are a few exceptions to that, like the end of the Buffalo Denver game, but for the most part, penalties are down. Here are the stats to back
0:24.7	it up so far, and it's incredible. The NFL playoffs have averaged 7.5 penalties per game
0:31.0	for 62 and a half yards. Perspective. In the regular season, instead of 7.5, 12.7. Wow. For 102 yards compared to the
0:42.1	62. It's almost half. Isn't that crazy? Yeah. False starts have seen a decline of 24% versus the
0:48.5	regular season. Now, part of this is because the teams are better. They're more disciplined.
0:53.0	They're just not as idiotic as some of the other teams in the regular season.
0:57.6	I think that plays better teams and they're better coach.
1:00.2	The Jets aren't in the playoffs.
1:02.0	Is that what you're trying to say?
1:02.9	Exactly right.
1:03.8	By the way, a thousand percent right.
1:06.0	The biggest decline in a specific penalty.
1:09.0	Would you want to guess that one?
1:10.3	The penalty that's been called on the biggest decline from a specific penalty. Would you want to guess that one? The penalty that's
1:11.1	been called on the biggest decline from the postseason compared to the regular season is what?
1:16.4	Holding. Holding. That's your guess? Pass interference. Offensive holding is the biggest
1:22.3	downward mover. 67% decline versus the regular season. On average, 2.47 in the regular season, 0.83 in the playoffs. You know how I knew that? How'd you know that? Because every time I've watched one of these playoff games, where I have a gambling slide on, I scream a lot more this postseason. That's holding! And I've noticed myself yelling that more.
1:45.1	Really?
1:45.6	And it's not getting called.
1:46.5	And that's why I call it. You're not cool on that. We don't agree this is good, though, right? Of course. And I do think you got to let them play. And I think your point is a part of it. Like the teams are better. The teams are cleaner. I don't think there's any doubt. but I also think it feels like there's an emphasis of let them play.
	...

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