NFL RedZone host Scott Hanson joins the pod; plus: CBS' JJ Watt decision and what it means for Troy Aikman

But before we get to that, we have the news of the week in sports media, which is that J.J. Watt has been named the permanent lead NFL analyst for CBS.

Watt, of course, took that role in the offseason, filling in for Tony Romo after his arrest on OWI and subsequent leave of absence, which, of course, became permanent earlier this month.

And now J.J. Watt, after about six weeks of auditioning with Jim Nance, is the selection going forward.

I think a lot of people expected CBS... to take advantage of what should be a very busy free agent market this off season that could feature Troy Aikman, could include Greg Olson.

There are Super Bowl veterans available in the free agent market, but they decided to stay with second year game analyst JJ Watt, who has yet to do a playoff game.

And really ultimately, I mean, I think he's worked what, 24 total weeks? 18 last year and 6 this year.

So they are committing significantly to someone who has yet to really have the kind of experience that Greg Olson has, that Troy Aikman has, and who even knows who else could be available because the LA Rams are 2-4 and Sean McVay might be in broadcasting before long as well.

Armand, are you surprised that CBS has decided to stay with J.J. Watt for the long term?

Not surprised, maybe a little disappointed only because it's kind of juicy when you get a lot of uncertainty and we can watch all this news break like we did back in 2022.

But not surprised at all.

I'm thinking about what happened in 2017 with then CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus.

who from seemingly nowhere hires Tony Romo to become the new lead analyst after so many years of stale commentary with Phil Simms.

It rocked the industry and Romo became the bell of the ball.

Compare that to now 2026 and David Burson goes the opposite direction.

No big gamble, no big roll of the dice.

We're going to commit to J.J. Watt.

And I think part of it is he's just likable.

I mean, you watch J.J. Watt and you say even his pictures with his family, he's got this loving family, young family, smiles, he's happy, he's grateful, he's cheerful.

Sort of this Midwestern charm to him that just makes him personable and easy to like.

And I think that does work to his advantage.

There is something to be said about being famous enough to be known but also being agreeable enough to be liked.

And I think Watt possesses both of those qualities.

And as we know, in this industry, that doesn't always happen.

There's a lot of ego, a lot of hubris, a lot of arrogance, a lot of folks who think that they're greater than they really are.

And this is one of those moments when you get to stop and look at a guy who has paid his dues considering how young he is.