Out Indefinitely: Mononucleosis.

This phrase instantly evokes a memory of an ESPN graphic that was immediately added to the file of embarrassing things that have happened to the New York Jets. The graphic in question featured Sam Darnold looking locked in, if not menacing, while the text next to him announced that he was out with…mono.

The moment was a microcosm of Darnold’s career as a Jet, and everyone assumed that mononucleosis and “seeing ghosts” would be the most memorable parts of what was supposed to be a storied career.

Then, over time, the worm turned.

A successful season in Minnesota, a move to Seattle, a miraculous season out west and boom: Sam Darnold was a Super Bowl Champion.

Today I’m joined by my old friend Mina Kimes, who’s going to help me figure out if Sam Darnold’s second act is one of the most impressive in NFL history. If it isn’t the best, it’s certainly close.

Welcome to Episode 010 of REAL DEAL! I’m Tony Reali, and I’m so happy you’re here.

Subscribe for new episodes of REAL DEAL every Tuesday. You can also listen on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Out Indefinitely: Mononucleosis.
This phrase instantly evokes a memory of an ESPN graphic that was immediately added to the file of embarrassing things that have happened to the New York Jets. The graphic in question featured Sam Darnold looking locked in, if not menacing, while the text next to him announced that he was out with&hellip;mono.
The moment was a microcosm of Darnold&rsquo;s career as a Jet, and everyone assumed that mononucleosis and &ldquo;seeing ghosts&rdquo; would be the most memorable parts of what was supposed to be a storied career.
Then, over time, the worm turned.
A successful season in Minnesota, a move to Seattle, a miraculous season out west and boom: Sam Darnold was a Super Bowl Champion.
Today I&rsquo;m joined by my old friend Mina Kimes, who&rsquo;s going to help me figure out if Sam Darnold&rsquo;s second act is one of the most impressive in NFL history. If it isn&rsquo;t the best, it&rsquo;s certainly close.
Welcome to Episode 010 of REAL DEAL! I&rsquo;m Tony Reali, and I&rsquo;m so happy you&rsquo;re here.
Subscribe for new episodes of REAL DEAL every Tuesday. You can also listen on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

REAL DEAL with Tony Reali is a sports culture podcast built around one irresistible moment at a time. A play. A clip. A photo. A legend. The cultural touchstones of sports that never leave us. Every episode starts small and goes deep into the story behind the story, the feeling behind the moment, and the human truth that explains why it's still living rent-free in our heads years later.

 

Hosted by longtime ESPN personality Tony Reali, REAL DEAL blends storytelling, humor, nostalgia, emotional insight, and unpredictable energy with guests who complete the story. Athletes, broadcasters, superfans, comedians, journalists and the people nobody else would think to call.

 

This is neither a debate show nor a recap show. It’s an evergreen sports culture format built around the moments, stories, and emotional chaos that keep sports alive, always.

 

REAL DEAL with Tony Reali is a sports culture podcast built around one irresistible moment at a time. A play. A clip. A photo. A legend. The cultural touchstones of sports that never leave us. Every episode starts small and goes deep into the story behind the story, the feeling behind the moment, and the human truth that explains why it's still living rent-free in our heads years later.
&nbsp;
Hosted by longtime ESPN personality Tony Reali, REAL DEAL blends storytelling, humor, nostalgia, emotional insight, and unpredictable energy with guests who complete the story. Athletes, broadcasters, superfans, comedians, journalists and the people nobody else would think to call.
&nbsp;
This is neither a debate show nor a recap show. It&rsquo;s an evergreen sports culture format built around the moments, stories, and emotional chaos that keep sports alive, always.
&nbsp;

REAL DEAL with Tony Reali

Sam Darnold’s Journey From Jets Meme to Super Bowl Champion

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/7ce9fea0-bbfe-45c9-a719-b4be0127cfd4/transcript

Seven touchdowns. Zero interceptions. 462 yards.

Peyton Manning, then the Broncos’ quarterback, opened the 2013 NFL season with one of the most ridiculous performances ever, torching the defending Super Bowl champion Ravens and kicking off what would become a record-setting season.

Was it the best start to a season by a quarterback ever? Or maybe by any player ever?!

With Week 1 finally upon us, Tony is joined by Underscore Media’s John Jastremski to relive Peyton’s perfect start and ask a bigger question: How much should we actually believe what we see in Week 1?

Tony and JJ look back at some of the greatest season-opening performances ever, debate Peyton Manning vs. Tom Brady at their absolute peaks, and look at some hypothetical Week 1 overreactions for the 2026 NFL season.

Welcome to Episode 011 of REAL DEAL! I’m Tony Reali, and I’m so happy you’re here.

Seven touchdowns. Zero interceptions. 462 yards.
Peyton Manning, then the Broncos&rsquo; quarterback, opened the 2013 NFL season with one of the most ridiculous performances ever, torching the defending Super Bowl champion Ravens and kicking off what would become a record-setting season.
Was it the best start to a season by a quarterback ever? Or maybe by any player ever?!
With Week 1 finally upon us, Tony is joined by Underscore Media&rsquo;s John Jastremski to relive Peyton&rsquo;s perfect start and ask a bigger question: How much should we actually believe what we see in Week 1?
Tony and JJ look back at some of the greatest season-opening performances ever, debate Peyton Manning vs. Tom Brady at their absolute peaks, and look at some hypothetical Week 1 overreactions for the 2026 NFL season.
Welcome to Episode 011 of REAL DEAL! I&rsquo;m Tony Reali, and I&rsquo;m so happy you&rsquo;re here.

Was Peyton Manning’s 7-TD Game the Greatest NFL Season Opener Ever?

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/a4b901dd-8553-4547-bc27-b4c10175d9df/transcript

On September 1st, 2007, the Big Ten Network made its debut, airing what should have been a relatively uneventful game between Michigan and Appalachian State. Instead, it turned into one of, if not the biggest, college football upsets of all time!

A back-and-forth battle ended with a dramatic blocked field goal, a moment that hasn’t left my mind since it happened. And it begs the question: are upsets of that magnitude dead? Has the disparity between teams made it nearly impossible for an App State to head into the Big House and take down Michigan? Will we ever see something like this again?

To help me relive this moment and explain the viability of a shocking upset in modern college football, I’m joined by Ty Hildenbrandt and Dan Rubenstein of The Solid Verbal. We remember some guys, talk about what an upset would look like in the 2026 college football landscape, and get in our time machines to go back to 2007, when NFL legends were still in college and people were watching games on Sony WEGA televisions.

Welcome to Episode 009 of REAL DEAL! I’m Tony Reali, and I’m so happy you’re here.

Subscribe for new episodes of REAL DEAL every Tuesday. You can also listen on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Thanks The Solid Verbal. If you don’t already listen tot heir show, check it out wherever you get podcasts. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-solid-verbal-college-football/id270037732

 

On September 1st, 2007, the Big Ten Network made its debut, airing what should have been a relatively uneventful game between Michigan and Appalachian State. Instead, it turned into one of, if not the biggest, college football upsets of all time!
A back-and-forth battle ended with a dramatic blocked field goal, a moment that hasn&rsquo;t left my mind since it happened. And it begs the question: are upsets of that magnitude dead? Has the disparity between teams made it nearly impossible for an App State to head into the Big House and take down Michigan? Will we ever see something like this again?
To help me relive this moment and explain the viability of a shocking upset in modern college football, I&rsquo;m joined by Ty Hildenbrandt and Dan Rubenstein of The Solid Verbal. We remember some guys, talk about what an upset would look like in the 2026 college football landscape, and get in our time machines to go back to 2007, when NFL legends were still in college and people were watching games on Sony WEGA televisions.
Welcome to Episode 009 of REAL DEAL! I&rsquo;m Tony Reali, and I&rsquo;m so happy you&rsquo;re here.
Subscribe for new episodes of REAL DEAL every Tuesday. You can also listen on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Thanks The Solid Verbal. If you don&rsquo;t already listen tot heir show, check it out wherever you get podcasts. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-solid-verbal-college-football/id270037732
&nbsp;

Could an App State-Michigan Upset Ever Happen Again in College Football? | The Solid Verbal

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/2fff89e6-8836-41bb-858f-b4ba0155acd2/transcript

This week, we’re LIVE at the US Open with former Wimbledon quarterfinalist and current voice of tennis on ESPN, TNT, and Tennis Channel, Chris Eubanks.

Chris is here to help me unpack one of, if not my favorite tennis moments ever.

It was 1991. I was a little kid watching the Yankees. Shortly after the game ended, I was swallowed whole by the raucous celebrations and charismatic energy of a 39-yard old Jimmy Connors.

Connors was making an outrageous run at the US Open, upsetting one opponent after the next and slowly transforming a tennis crowd into a rabid New York crowd, one making noises normally reserved for a metal concert in a football stadium.

It was incredibly cool.

Connors didn’t get the job done that year, but the run has stuck with me, and every tennis fan who experienced that moment,  ever since. More than three decades later, it remains a huge part of US Open lore.

Chris Eubanks wasn’t born yet when Connors turned Louis Armstrong Stadium into a rock concert, but he gives me his view of the moment from the perspective of a guy who’s been there. We talk about momentum in tennis, what it’s like to go viral as an athlete, and the greatest showmen in tennis history.

Oh, and I tried my best to get him to do the patented Connors hip thrust and fist pump.

I tried.

Welcome to Episode 008 of REAL DEAL! I’m Tony Reali, and I’m so happy you’re here.

Subscribe for new episodes of REAL DEAL every Tuesday. You can also listen on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

This week, we&rsquo;re LIVE at the US Open with former Wimbledon quarterfinalist and current voice of tennis on ESPN, TNT, and Tennis Channel, Chris Eubanks.
Chris is here to help me unpack one of, if not my favorite tennis moments ever.
It was 1991. I was a little kid watching the Yankees. Shortly after the game ended, I was swallowed whole by the raucous celebrations and charismatic energy of a 39-yard old Jimmy Connors.
Connors was making an outrageous run at the US Open, upsetting one opponent after the next and slowly transforming a tennis crowd into a rabid New York crowd, one making noises normally reserved for a metal concert in a football stadium.
It was incredibly cool.
Connors didn&rsquo;t get the job done that year, but the run has stuck with me, and every tennis fan who experienced that moment,&nbsp; ever since. More than three decades later, it remains a huge part of US Open lore.
Chris Eubanks wasn&rsquo;t born yet when Connors turned Louis Armstrong Stadium into a rock concert, but he gives me his view of the moment from the perspective of a guy who&rsquo;s been there. We talk about momentum in tennis, what it&rsquo;s like to go viral as an athlete, and the greatest showmen in tennis history.
Oh, and I tried my best to get him to do the patented Connors hip thrust and fist pump.
I tried.
Welcome to Episode 008 of REAL DEAL! I&rsquo;m Tony Reali, and I&rsquo;m so happy you&rsquo;re here.
Subscribe for new episodes of REAL DEAL every Tuesday. You can also listen on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

LIVE From the US Open: Remembering Jimmy Connors’ Electrifying 1991 Run | Chris Eubanks

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/36093352-311d-4943-b082-b4b8002846fb/transcript

Sam Darnold’s Journey From Jets Meme to Super Bowl Champion

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