Speaker 1: The Around the NFL Podcast should win come Back Player
Speaker 1: of the Year from the Chris Westling podcast studio. It's
Speaker 1: Around the NFL. I am Dan Jnzas, This is Greg Rosenthal,
Speaker 1: that is Mark Sessler. How are you boys coming back?
Speaker 1: We're on top, baby. We were here a year ago,
Speaker 1: thriving and we continue to exist like this. I'd like
Speaker 1: to see us as the ten time Raining podcast champions
Speaker 1: of the NFL. Maybe it's like this the year where
Speaker 1: they gave it to Philip Rivers for coming back from
Speaker 1: being like the fourteenth best quarterback to the ninth best
Speaker 1: which comes up. It's like Philip Rivers coming back from
Speaker 1: his sixth child. Yes, yes, yes, oh you you can
Speaker 1: hear it listener and viewer. The bounce in our step
Speaker 1: because it is wild Card Super wild Card weekend in
Speaker 1: the NFL and we are going to preview all of
Speaker 1: the games. How many games you got here? In eighteen
Speaker 1: laminated fourteen teams remaining two teams on pay it's twelve
Speaker 1: by six. That's yeah, six, yea, so we got six games.
Speaker 1: Talk about the human calculators. That's where we are got
Speaker 1: there and we're gonna go through every game. We have
Speaker 1: two on Saturday two, on Sunday one, on Monday night
Speaker 1: three on Sunday. Hello, that's why we need this preview.
Speaker 1: Lock this down. Yeah, all right, you want to get
Speaker 1: into it. Sure, let's get into it. Let's go and order.
Speaker 1: I think that's a good way to do it. Let's
Speaker 1: go to Bowl Bottom four thirty pm Eastern. We used
Speaker 1: to call it West of vis our late friend Chris
Speaker 1: Westling his favorite kind of playoff game when the Andy
Speaker 1: Dalton led Bengals would get knocked out of the postseason
Speaker 1: every year, and that early time slot on Saturday. It
Speaker 1: became a big party for West who had a antagonistic
Speaker 1: relationship with his boyhood team UH in the second half
Speaker 1: of his life. They don't do that early, early slot anymore.
Speaker 1: It's now a four thirty pm Eastern kickoff. It's on Fox,
Speaker 1: and it's the Seahawks, who greg they found their way
Speaker 1: to the postseason, and they deserve credit for it because we,
Speaker 1: you know, we were all it were a little but hurt.
Speaker 1: I think a lot of people were about the lines
Speaker 1: not making the playoffs. But Seattle deserves a lot of
Speaker 1: credit because they like the Lions and many other UH
Speaker 1: teams like the Giants, will talk about weren't even considered
Speaker 1: a thought to be playing at this time of year,
Speaker 1: and yet here they are to get a chance. Unfortunately,
Speaker 1: their reward for making the playoffs is facing, in my mind,
Speaker 1: the best team in football writing a ten game winning
Speaker 1: speak it hurts, And yes, you, you are so confident
Speaker 1: that the Seahawks weren't gonna win, you put sandwiches on
Speaker 1: them being one of the worst teams in the league.
Speaker 1: I think we're getting to that, yes later. And I
Speaker 1: don't think everyone in this room even took me on
Speaker 1: that because it was deemed to be hanging shallots. It
Speaker 1: was such a weak wager that turned out to be
Speaker 1: not so weak, right, So they deserve credit. And in
Speaker 1: a perfect game where brock Purty gives them a couple
Speaker 1: of chances, and brock Purtty usually gives the opponent like
Speaker 1: one chance a game, you gotta catch that interception pretty
Speaker 1: good for a seventh round pick, He's he's very good.
Speaker 1: But at the beginning of that Thursday night game where
Speaker 1: they played him pretty well on defense, the Seahawks defense
Speaker 1: played well in the first half. The forty Niners punted
Speaker 1: actually five of their first six possessions, but they didn't
Speaker 1: catch an interception chance. Quandre Diggs dropped one, and eventually
Speaker 1: they just overtook him. In these two matchups, the Seahawks
Speaker 1: have gotten smoked. It's a terrible matchup for them. It's
Speaker 1: forty eight to twenty in these two combined games. And
Speaker 1: as a Gino Smith fan, I've watched these games. They
Speaker 1: didn't score on offense in Week two. That that's a
Speaker 1: long time ago, but they didn't do much on offense
Speaker 1: just four weeks ago as well. They were lucky to
Speaker 1: keep it as close as forty eight to twenty over
Speaker 1: those two weeks. And the thing that I really was
Speaker 1: taken by rewatching the Week fifteen game was like Gina
Speaker 1: just said, noe time. It was just like watching the
Speaker 1: mon Stars going up against a bunch of regular players. Uh,
Speaker 1: it was like watching TCU Georgia the other night. It
Speaker 1: was just such a mismatch. You know, had no time
Speaker 1: get the second reference in the first but space jams
Speaker 1: and that's why, Like it hurts, but I'm gonna lock
Speaker 1: up the forty niners to start the week. Wow. Okay, alright, interesting, interesting, interesting,
Speaker 1: And as we'll take a look at standing later, perhaps
Speaker 1: it is a one second justice justin Is it something
Speaker 1: that needs to be said right the second he's got
Speaker 1: to lock up the forty night, I'm also going up.
Speaker 1: I also am locking it up, which is funny to
Speaker 1: stand before the show. You've got across the board. Everyone
Speaker 1: would lock up Buffalo. We'll see what happens there. But
Speaker 1: this one stands out to me is the obvious home
Speaker 1: run lock Alright, So I am now going to because
Speaker 1: I saw a little report yesterday. I'm gonna check out.
Speaker 1: You know, it's really scary the weather in California for
Speaker 1: the past two weeks or so, heavy rains is I
Speaker 1: think they're called the river or what are they river
Speaker 1: fronts or something, rolling in and pounding the entire coast.
Speaker 1: It's it's cost people property. People have lost their lives.
Speaker 1: And the weather i'm hearing is not going to be good,
Speaker 1: uh this weekend. And it's that old adage weather is
Speaker 1: the ultimate equalizer. Right now, is a chance of rain
Speaker 1: this weekend. That's the only chance I think Seattle has
Speaker 1: here that you have a situation where the field becomes
Speaker 1: an issue, you can't throw the ball, and then some
Speaker 1: mistakes started piling up. Otherwise, I think this is very safe.
Speaker 1: The people in the desert have this at nine and
Speaker 1: a half right now. Uh. If Seattle wins, it's one
Speaker 1: of the biggest upsets. And along I also think ill
Speaker 1: weather and it's at an atmospheric river apparently from from
Speaker 1: Drew our producer. But bad weather is great for the
Speaker 1: Niners too in my book, because you're gonna have to
Speaker 1: run the ball if you're Seattle and you want to
Speaker 1: keep possessions away from the Niners. One running back has
Speaker 1: created more than a hundred scrimmage yards against the Niners.
Speaker 1: That was Christian McCaffrey, who is now on the Niners.
Speaker 1: Now it's not ken Walker, they kind I mean ken
Speaker 1: Walker really was bottled up by the number two games,
Speaker 1: and I think that sort of started ken Walker's downslide
Speaker 1: a little bit. The Niners. To me, if you look
Speaker 1: at how Christian McCaffrey has performed against Seattle, he dominated
Speaker 1: them in that game. George Kittle's done that over the years,
Speaker 1: Deebo Samuel has done it. There are too many weapons here.
Speaker 1: I just don't see Geno Smith's way out of this,
Speaker 1: because you're right. The thing that I remember from that
Speaker 1: Week fifteen game was how Geno Smith, after such an
Speaker 1: incredible regular season was dominated. In that game, their line
Speaker 1: was dominated, and you go, like the quandary digs dropped interception,
Speaker 1: Lilli's little moments like that. Seattle cannot create those mistakes.
Speaker 1: They've got to find a way to get Brock pretty uncomfortable.
Speaker 1: I do think Pete Carroll has one interesting opportunity that
Speaker 1: no coaches had. He's seen brock Purty for the second time.
Speaker 1: No one's had that chance. I mean, there's been very
Speaker 1: little tape on him. I think Pete Carroll's a kind
Speaker 1: of coach that can find a way to make some
Speaker 1: use of that. But again, I think he keep people
Speaker 1: keep waiting for brock Purty to suddenly collapse. It's like,
Speaker 1: this guy is playing He's won five in a row
Speaker 1: and his metrics are basically matched only by Tom Brady
Speaker 1: when he had a five game win streak with the
Speaker 1: Bucks when they won the Super Bowl. He's playing at
Speaker 1: a superhuman, strangely superhuman level. Well that's interesting. When I
Speaker 1: watch him, I see him as a like a deeply
Speaker 1: professional quarterback, a guy that plays like a five year veteran.
Speaker 1: I don't I don't watch him in like I scratch
Speaker 1: my head at how talented he is, and throws he's making,
Speaker 1: but I there's certainly a lot to be said for
Speaker 1: his the skill group around him. Of course, the scheme,
Speaker 1: it's kind of the defense on the other side of
Speaker 1: the ball, putting the offense in good situations, they're not
Speaker 1: playing from behind. I mean, yes, there will be a time,
Speaker 1: most likely in these playoffs, where you're gonna party's back
Speaker 1: is gonna be against the wall and he's gonna have
Speaker 1: to leave the team and we're gonna see what version
Speaker 1: that is. Just don't see it happening in this game.
Speaker 1: And I'm glad you brought up Purty because I still
Speaker 1: kind of think it's being slept on a little bit.
Speaker 1: How incredible this story is, um, this is from our
Speaker 1: research notes. He will become the latest drafted rookie quarterback
Speaker 1: including undrafted free agents in the common draft era, to
Speaker 1: start a playoff game. T J. Yates was the last one,
Speaker 1: if you remember, with the Texas a fifth round pick.
Speaker 1: Um And not only is he he stepped into that.
Speaker 1: I think t J. Yates his family is in the
Speaker 1: top row of NRG state. This is not t J.
Speaker 1: Yate's leading the Niners. It's it's remarkable that he stepped
Speaker 1: into the lineup is a third string quarterback and the
Speaker 1: team got better. That's crazy, right, And I don't see superhuman.
Speaker 1: I see like you like, like a quality starter with
Speaker 1: the athleticism is surprising, where he uses his legs a
Speaker 1: few times of games, he doesn't have to do too much,
Speaker 1: he has open receivers, he makes good decisions, and I
Speaker 1: just don't think Seattle is like a game plan specific
Speaker 1: type of team that's gonna cook up all these things
Speaker 1: that confuse him. Now. Pete Carroll has done a good
Speaker 1: job and seeing Kyle Shanahan's offense more than any coach
Speaker 1: in the NFL, And until this year, the Seahawks had
Speaker 1: actually kind of owned the forty Niners in this matchup,
Speaker 1: even though they've been around the same level of quality.
Speaker 1: Maybe the forty Niners have even been better on average,
Speaker 1: and the Seahawks have won more than their share of matchups,
Speaker 1: So I don't think it's something that they're gonna like
Speaker 1: step out there and be surprised. But then I just
Speaker 1: look at the matchups and it's not just the forty
Speaker 1: niners defensive line dominating, it's the forty Niners offensive line dominating.
Speaker 1: I didn't see Purty with a lot of trouble there.
Speaker 1: I think of where Seattle is good on defense. Yeah,
Speaker 1: you got Tarik Woolen, but it's in the middle of
Speaker 1: the defense that forty Niners attack. And they got Elijah
Speaker 1: Mitchellbach look good last week, they got look good last week.
Speaker 1: Jordan's Brooks is normally the starting middle linebacker for the Seahawks,
Speaker 1: really struggled in that week fifteen game. Now you've got
Speaker 1: Tanner Muse in there his backup because he's here, and
Speaker 1: I think of all the screens and I think of
Speaker 1: how Kyle Shanahan. He's a mean guy. Sometimes he likes
Speaker 1: to pick on You wouldn't think he mean. He pick
Speaker 1: on one guy on the other team and he just says,
Speaker 1: I'm gonna eat you. You're my food. I'm gonna eat
Speaker 1: you for this entire day. That's that's that's tan or Muse.
Speaker 1: He's just gonna have like a big circle on him
Speaker 1: and it's gonna be kittle, and it's gonna he's gonna
Speaker 1: embarrass him in front of his family. Well, that's that's
Speaker 1: just the way sports are. Don't take a personally young man.
Speaker 1: If it happens, um and I think the weather hurts
Speaker 1: Seattle because the one thing Seattle does better could hurt them. Okay,
Speaker 1: here's what they need. They need an act of God. Here.
Speaker 1: The only thing that Seattle is better than in theory
Speaker 1: is receivers on the outside making big plays down the field.
Speaker 1: Geno Smith's greatest strength and he gives the other team
Speaker 1: a chance to pick off a couple of balls a
Speaker 1: week lately, which is not good. But his biggest strength
Speaker 1: is he still has three or four beautiful dimes down
Speaker 1: the field. So I could see Tyler Lockett or DK
Speaker 1: Metcalf picking on Lenore, who every offense kind of picks
Speaker 1: on for the forty now ners and getting some big
Speaker 1: plays down the field. But that's hard to do. Anything.
Speaker 1: I think about from that week fifteen games, Treverius Ward
Speaker 1: and how physically was on DK Metcalf, and that that's
Speaker 1: the Niners defense. And I think, like, I don't care
Speaker 1: about the weather. And when I say superhuman like from Purty,
Speaker 1: it's that this is someone that everyone basically just thought, well,
Speaker 1: this could end the Niners season, and so in terms
Speaker 1: of what we thought he would be and what he's been,
Speaker 1: it is one of the most unexpected things I've ever
Speaker 1: watched on a football field, So from that end, Gole,
Speaker 1: it's like they've gotten better with Purdy. He's not a liability.
Speaker 1: This is an incredible situation for the Niners that they
Speaker 1: haven't fallen off a cliff. Um. What if Niners defensive
Speaker 1: coordinator Damik O Ryan's puts on his little bib thing
Speaker 1: and takes out his his fork and his sharp knife
Speaker 1: and then pulls a big plate of Gina Smith out
Speaker 1: in front of him. Put some salt and pepper on
Speaker 1: um a little hot because Gino has not been playing
Speaker 1: great football, um the last few weeks. Um. And if
Speaker 1: that pass rush, which has been relentless with Nick Bolsa
Speaker 1: leading the way, puts him in a situation where he
Speaker 1: starts throwing the ball off for grabs in wet weather.
Speaker 1: It listen, Gino deserves all the credit in the world.
Speaker 1: Great season. I kind of foresee it ending very poorly. Now,
Speaker 1: maybe I'll be doubting and be wrong about Gino one
Speaker 1: more time, but I think he has a tough go
Speaker 1: of it. You guys are gonna lock this up right.
Speaker 1: I feel torn because if the Seahawks are competitive, I
Speaker 1: will enjoy that. But as someone who has enjoyed this season.
Speaker 1: I was kind of hoping you locked up against the Seahawks,
Speaker 1: I know, but the other ones which just felt like
Speaker 1: less so the Sea whatever an edge, But I'm with you.
Speaker 1: I would take one more brock Purty stat I love this.
Speaker 1: Since week thirteen, brock Purty is the second highest passer
Speaker 1: rating of passes of ten plus yards. Um. You know
Speaker 1: who who would it be the top two? You would
Speaker 1: think Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Trevor Lawrence. No,
Speaker 1: it's Brock Purdy and Jared Goff. That's the two thousand
Speaker 1: two season. In the show Strange Years, nothing's changed between
Speaker 1: the last time they played in my book, other than
Speaker 1: the fact that the Niners, I gotta say, is someone
Speaker 1: that's enjoyed the SAX experience, all the s X fans
Speaker 1: that were rooting for, you know, the Lions and everything.
Speaker 1: I was kind of thinking like their season might have
Speaker 1: ended perfectly with a win over the Rams getting to
Speaker 1: nine and eight. They didn't need to go here and
Speaker 1: be food for Damiko Ryan's in a game where I
Speaker 1: don't think they'll be that competitive. But we have like
Speaker 1: multiple cannibalism references in the show and we're about eight
Speaker 1: minutes and let me see, bones and all. Let me
Speaker 1: see we have game as bones and all, greggy. We
Speaker 1: have one to three, we have three of the six
Speaker 1: games have desert spreads of nine at least. And yet
Speaker 1: you went out of your way to find the Seahawks
Speaker 1: to lock against. That's interesting to me. That's all the
Speaker 1: Dolphins we haven't gotten. There just felt less favorite team.
Speaker 1: It like felt less sporting the Dolphins, and uh yeahs
Speaker 1: are the next sporting he said. It was like, at
Speaker 1: some point, it's just like Skyler toime. It just didn't
Speaker 1: even feel right. So when I lock against Adoptins, that
Speaker 1: will be a poor sportsmanship on that part. Totally fine,
Speaker 1: but it just was like I didn't feel like, hey,
Speaker 1: this is January football, all right, should we go to
Speaker 1: game two? Let's go to game too. I got a
Speaker 1: little more speaking of cannibalism and chewing meat. It's getting
Speaker 1: grossest episode. But we have a little bit more time
Speaker 1: to talk about these games, which just nice. No, oh
Speaker 1: my god, the end of the season, with all those games,
Speaker 1: enough was enough at a certain point eight teams that
Speaker 1: we've are ready to You're just you're thinking of Week
Speaker 1: teen too, much. It was Week teen is turned out December,
Speaker 1: it is I do look forward. I hope we're doing
Speaker 1: this podcast a long time from now, and my kids
Speaker 1: are in college, and you know, I have just football.
Speaker 1: Is I could focus on it more that last month
Speaker 1: of the regular season. It's a bear. It feels good
Speaker 1: to get to the playoffs, be able to focus on
Speaker 1: least teams. We don't got the Santa vibes around. Just chill,
Speaker 1: let's let's get back to ball. The elite level comes
Speaker 1: back at It's my because I'm pro Santa. It leads
Speaker 1: to me be a anti you know, seventy seven games.
Speaker 1: It can be stressful. You know, everyone says the holiday
Speaker 1: is one of the most stressful times of the year.
Speaker 1: You throw in, see what happens. Let's we'll play well
Speaker 1: with Like the Bricklayer OUTNA was listening to a bunch
Speaker 1: of like talking heads, like see what they're saying, and
Speaker 1: I agree with them. I feel for them. I bet
Speaker 1: family man, the Chargers they made the playoffs. How about that?
Speaker 1: This is this is my favorite game of the weekend.
Speaker 1: Seven Chargers. They travel to t i a A Stadium,
Speaker 1: home of the Jacksonville Jaguars, nine at eight this is
Speaker 1: the Saturday night game, uh, and it's a good one.
Speaker 1: I think it will be a compet of the game.
Speaker 1: I think it's gonna be a fun game Mark Sessler,
Speaker 1: because he's got the Chargers led by Justin Herbert, and
Speaker 1: you know, listen, Brandon Stilly got killed for how he
Speaker 1: handled week A team, and rightly so I don't think
Speaker 1: if he could do it again, he probably would do
Speaker 1: it differently. He would probably done something similar to what
Speaker 1: Brian Dable did with the Giants. Is like hell or
Speaker 1: high water. I'm going to figure out a way to
Speaker 1: protect my guys. But that also, like to the point
Speaker 1: with Seattle and everybody getting so you know, pumped up us,
Speaker 1: especially about the Lions. Oh, they should have made it.
Speaker 1: The Chargers won four straight games to get to the playoffs.
Speaker 1: So let's now move on from Brandon Stelli's big gaff
Speaker 1: as long as Mike Williams is playing and I believe
Speaker 1: he is, uh, and see what they could do against
Speaker 1: the Jaguars, a team that has not lost since December
Speaker 1: four and is led by their own young star quarterback
Speaker 1: Justin Herbert versus Trevor Lawrence. Let's go. I think it's
Speaker 1: a huge game for Joe Lombardi too, because there's been
Speaker 1: critique of Joe Lombardi and how he's handled Justin Herbert
Speaker 1: all year long. The offense has looked better lately because
Speaker 1: they've been healthy, but a lot of that was because
Speaker 1: you had Mike Williams and Keenan Allen and you'r all
Speaker 1: your line got better. And it's like, I, I won't
Speaker 1: you know, harp on this, but the Brandon stilly thing,
Speaker 1: I think he would do it again. I just think
Speaker 1: he he has these ideas. If he knew Mike Williams
Speaker 1: miss practice, which he didn't, he took the risk. He
Speaker 1: took the risk, but also Joey Bosely got banged up
Speaker 1: the game. He also lost by the way they lost
Speaker 1: with their starters, but he knew that going into last week.
Speaker 1: So it's like, I don't the situation didn't call for it.
Speaker 1: But either way, like, if you don't have a Mike
Speaker 1: Williams at full health here, I don't like that for
Speaker 1: Los Angeles on any level. I think you're if you're
Speaker 1: if you're the Jaguars. What you can do in this
Speaker 1: game is it doesn't have to be all Trevor Lawrence
Speaker 1: and Trevor Lawrence. You know, incredible season, especially there's a
Speaker 1: chunk of five or six games starting a Week nine
Speaker 1: where he was absolutely dominant in terms of touchdowns to
Speaker 1: interceptions and changing the way we think about him. Last
Speaker 1: couple of games not so much. But against the Jets,
Speaker 1: for instance, ran a ton of terrible weather. They pulled
Speaker 1: him in the next game. They didn't need him to
Speaker 1: do everything against Tennessee, but they didn't look to be
Speaker 1: firing at all. Cylinders on offense. I think you're having
Speaker 1: you here because everyone does this. Against Los Angeles, who
Speaker 1: gives up five point six yards per carry, could be
Speaker 1: a big game for Travis e TN. This is a
Speaker 1: team that blew out the Chargers thirty eight to ten
Speaker 1: in Week three, and if you go back and look
Speaker 1: at that game, l A got out to just a
Speaker 1: slow start. That's why I bring up on Bard. It
Speaker 1: was two punts than an interception than a fumble. Jacksonville
Speaker 1: got rolling and and the Charges were never really got
Speaker 1: into the game. You have to get off to a
Speaker 1: fast start. I think if you're the Chargers, I'm with
Speaker 1: you because that's where the mismatches. They should have players
Speaker 1: they can attack on the Jaguars Alua Khan when he's
Speaker 1: in coverage, basically any cornerback not named Tyson Campbell. And
Speaker 1: that's where the Mike Williams injury loom so large, because
Speaker 1: I think the Jaguars can be attacked in the secondary.
Speaker 1: Their defense played better at the end of the season.
Speaker 1: But if you have two really high quality receivers and
Speaker 1: a good three in Josh Palmer, and you got your
Speaker 1: tight in Gerald Ever who can do things, then you
Speaker 1: can start attacking those mismatches. But Williams is the one,
Speaker 1: He's the important one, and suddenly if he's out and
Speaker 1: then you have Tyson Campbell can be handling Alan in
Speaker 1: the slow suddenly you don't have as many mismatches. And
Speaker 1: to your point, Mark, you don't feel like Joe Lombardi
Speaker 1: is a great like game plan specific I'm gonna come
Speaker 1: up with the perfect playoff plan, UH to go attack
Speaker 1: this Jaguars team. Don't have a lot of confidence in
Speaker 1: Joe Lombard. I think there's an obvious way to attack
Speaker 1: them because the jaguars one big weakness on defense is
Speaker 1: they have given up more running back receptions than any
Speaker 1: any team in the league, essentially other than one and
Speaker 1: that's Austin Ekeler, who leads the NFL with a hunter
Speaker 1: and twenty. That's sort of big, been a big part
Speaker 1: of their offense. It's not like just put everything up.
Speaker 1: They seem to not want to put everything on Herbert
Speaker 1: and Ekeler has a chance, I think too, and kind
Speaker 1: of like a tight game like this, just move the
Speaker 1: ball between the red zones and then we'll see what
Speaker 1: happens from there. Yeah. I think Austin Ekeler is another
Speaker 1: guy that's under the radar his consistency and his greatness.
Speaker 1: I used to think that Alvin Kamara was the guy
Speaker 1: when it came to finding the end zone when he's
Speaker 1: near the goal line. I think Ekeler is taking that
Speaker 1: crownd now. Even if it's like, you know, guitar solo celebrations. Yeah,
Speaker 1: little mid as the kids say giffy to you. You know,
Speaker 1: maybe it's due for an upgrade in But that's Matt
Speaker 1: harmon our Old Friends podcast co host Austin Nickler. That's
Speaker 1: pretty good by good jobs, one of the best players
Speaker 1: in football, taking you inside the game with the perspective
Speaker 1: that our show does not. We don't have at all.
Speaker 1: Two of us did not play the sports, did you.
Speaker 1: I did tell us about it was a popcorner. Well
Speaker 1: it was. There was only one division. It was just
Speaker 1: children in uniforms. But I have some some on field knowledge.
Speaker 1: I wouldn't say I played UM. I played a high school.
Speaker 1: It was called the Franklin Avenue Football League UM, which
Speaker 1: was a site of our elementary school in the coal town.
Speaker 1: And I'll tell you what. Let me tell you a
Speaker 1: little bit about playing football in the coal town. Uh.
Speaker 1: We didn't use pets, we didn't use helmets, but we
Speaker 1: played tackle football the Frankly Avenue Football League, also known
Speaker 1: as FAFUL. There are broken wrists. I sustained a concussion
Speaker 1: at quarterback in the Big eleventh verse twelveth grade showdown.
Speaker 1: Rich Parado lead with his head drove me into the
Speaker 1: turf can. I bounced up, and I got back up
Speaker 1: and dusted myself off. And that that's football. It's always
Speaker 1: a joy to be dipped into your mythology of childhood.
Speaker 1: I'm not sure if it lines up, but I guess
Speaker 1: if you're a cold town brain injuries not as much
Speaker 1: a concern. You just go back down there and start digging.
Speaker 1: So the life expectancy is about thirty two years old
Speaker 1: in the first place, so you don't have to worry
Speaker 1: about long term issues in general. My point being, yes,
Speaker 1: I played football as well, which leads us to the
Speaker 1: tennis player over here. I don't even know if you
Speaker 1: should be in this room. I play ball, Mark played ball.
Speaker 1: How about you. Well, I am a state champion Massachusetts.
Speaker 1: So that's like an experience of playing sports at the
Speaker 1: highest of levels and coming through in the clutch. In
Speaker 1: the clutch, it's pretty good answer. Kind of tell us
Speaker 1: a little bit there, a little bit. I mean it's tennis,
Speaker 1: but still different sport. But you know, competitive, you're one
Speaker 1: on one, you have no one else to like, we
Speaker 1: got to get back to this game. But in the finals.
Speaker 1: But because you're not like a hulking man, was your
Speaker 1: opponent like a hyper athletic looking dude, and and he
Speaker 1: was like that Rosenthal, No slightly. But we played the
Speaker 1: same team in the finals back to back years, and
Speaker 1: the he the first year it was a team title.
Speaker 1: You alone. You shouldn't. I didn't know as any of
Speaker 1: those alright. Second thingle tennis with my wife and two
Speaker 1: small children and utterly destroyed them on the like I
Speaker 1: annoyed the guy to the point that he like asked
Speaker 1: the official there to like shut me up because I
Speaker 1: was like talking too much. Fired up, young Michael Chang.
Speaker 1: We're not surprised all right. Back to the game. This
Speaker 1: was a surprise, this little thing a little detour there.
Speaker 1: I'm excited to see and Staley in the playoffs. I
Speaker 1: think he really you are loyal to football, because I
Speaker 1: think you can get fired if Mike Williams will play
Speaker 1: this game and they lose. Okay, I I hear that,
Speaker 1: but I feel like he was kind of loyal to football.
Speaker 1: I think he was in his bag there. In December.
Speaker 1: I saw some growth from Brandon Stalley in terms of
Speaker 1: the game plans he was coming up with on a
Speaker 1: week to week basis. I don't think he was doing
Speaker 1: anything last week against Denver that was like a basic game.
Speaker 1: Now he's gonna look at Trevor Lawrence. They built this
Speaker 1: defense and they've had two years to do it now
Speaker 1: to stop the pass. Yes, they give up a lot
Speaker 1: of running yards. They don't want to give up as
Speaker 1: many as they do, but that's the The idea is
Speaker 1: that we can live with giving up five and a
Speaker 1: half yards on the ground or five yards because that's
Speaker 1: better than giving up uh seven eight nine yards through
Speaker 1: the air. And I think he'll look at Trevor Lawrence
Speaker 1: and I think he'll see some ways maybe he can
Speaker 1: confuse him. If the drag Wars had lost that game,
Speaker 1: we would be talking about how the Jaguars offense choked
Speaker 1: to end the season. Their last five drives of that
Speaker 1: game against Tennessee, they had one first down, they basically stopped.
Speaker 1: And Lawrence is a is a great young player. But
Speaker 1: this is a Chargers defense. It has Derwin, James Helsey,
Speaker 1: has Joey Bosa healthy. To me, they're they're set up.
Speaker 1: I think it is kind of a show me game
Speaker 1: for Brandon Staley. You're a defensive coach, show me something here.
Speaker 1: I think you'll have something cooked up to confuse. Think
Speaker 1: about what happened when the other show me game I
Speaker 1: thought for Brandon Stilley was when you went up and
Speaker 1: it was Herbert verse Tua and that Dolphins offense, and
Speaker 1: it was guys like Michael Davis and the way that
Speaker 1: they shut down Miami's passing game. They I think that
Speaker 1: is Staley's skill and he's got his guys now and
Speaker 1: they're actually playing wealthy. You don't have Cam Robinson at
Speaker 1: left tackle right now. For the Jaguars, You've got Bosa,
Speaker 1: You've got Khalil Mack. If it's ever been a time
Speaker 1: where it's like, let's put a clamp on an offense
Speaker 1: that's been kind of quiet recently despite it our love
Speaker 1: of just Trevor Lawrence, like this would be the game.
Speaker 1: I think this thing is gonna be. This is like
Speaker 1: down to the last possession type of I see that,
Speaker 1: and if you look at all like the underlying data,
Speaker 1: Mike Williams is their big play offense. He's a janga
Speaker 1: piece for the Chargers back and dream you'd better play
Speaker 1: this is the grave digger. Yeah. I feel like there's
Speaker 1: an elephant in the room with this Jaguars team we
Speaker 1: need to address and I prepared something special for you guys.
Speaker 1: A right, wait, what Well, he's still living in his
Speaker 1: and there's just been nothing about this team to me
Speaker 1: that is special. I think they're kind of a mediocre
Speaker 1: team that's been on the wrong side of variants and
Speaker 1: they're not that far from being a five and four team.
Speaker 1: But it doesn't matter that they can't get those winds back,
Speaker 1: and I don't think they're gonna rally enough with that schedule,
Speaker 1: I would fork them, Greg. I think you'll do it
Speaker 1: as well, because what you said, they had their chance.
Speaker 1: They had their chance to absorb these next two losses
Speaker 1: most likely, but they kicked away that opportunity and it's
Speaker 1: going to be too late. Bridget hold on, hold on
Speaker 1: in there. Can we also factor in when we forked
Speaker 1: the Jaguars that we didn't know the Titans were going
Speaker 1: to become a pop orner team. But just you know,
Speaker 1: that's that's that's a little factor. But also that's back
Speaker 1: in November. The reason we do we don't do FOURK
Speaker 1: in week thirteen when it's obvious who's out. We we
Speaker 1: went with what we thought and it was not illogical.
Speaker 1: If someone had gone hard to save the Jaguars, they wouldn't.
Speaker 1: That's why the fork we lost. We lost one. I
Speaker 1: mean I thought we lost a second, just one. No,
Speaker 1: that was its multiples. I'd say we're out ended up
Speaker 1: not making it that Lions saved us some embarrassment. But yeah,
Speaker 1: our listeners in Jacksonville, let us know what your favorite
Speaker 1: charity is here and uh we we dolls pockets. We're
Speaker 1: all gonna donate, all right, well, wait, let's pick these
Speaker 1: two games where we take a break. We got a
Speaker 1: blow out in the first game. We don't even talk
Speaker 1: about that. We locked that this game. Who got Mark?
Speaker 1: I'm gonna go Jaguars, uh one. In overtime, I'm gonna
Speaker 1: go with the Chargers. I did like what I saw
Speaker 1: at the trayvon Walker last week. I'd love to see
Speaker 1: him show up in a big spot. But I'm taking
Speaker 1: just at herb. We barely talked that. This is justin
Speaker 1: Herbert's first playoff game. I think it's a beautiful it's
Speaker 1: going to be on overdrive. I think it's a beautiful
Speaker 1: spot for him to show that. To me, he's on
Speaker 1: another level of Trevor Lawrence. They're pretty even. Teams take
Speaker 1: the better quarterback, all right, But I think the Jaguars win.
Speaker 1: I think the Jaguars have an underrated home field advantage.
Speaker 1: Building is going to be going off and the Charges.
Speaker 1: I don't know. I I said to myself at the
Speaker 1: top of this that, like, let's try to move on
Speaker 1: from what happened last week with the Bolts. I just
Speaker 1: I worry. I worry. I're worry, especially if Williams doesn't play.
Speaker 1: They're not gonna be able to keep pace, So I'm
Speaker 1: gonna go Jaguars. Wow, you and I are one point
Speaker 1: off from the same prediction. By Oh you took the Jackson.
Speaker 1: Do not even remember that? That That was like a minute
Speaker 1: a half ago. I thought you took the charge. I
Speaker 1: see how the show works. Doesn't matter. We'll take a break.
Speaker 1: We'll be right back, all right, Welcome back, Oh Greg,
Speaker 1: I got some breaking news. Mercedes Been Stadium in Atlanta
Speaker 1: has been selected as the site of a potential Buffalo
Speaker 1: Kansas City a f C af C championship game that
Speaker 1: comes from the league. Um, like that turf over there
Speaker 1: in No, I think the coloration is off. If back
Speaker 1: in August you told the city of Atlanta you'd be
Speaker 1: hosting a conference title game, I don't think this is
Speaker 1: what they would have imagined. But um, I know I
Speaker 1: could think of I I definitely am into stadiums. How
Speaker 1: they look on television. I'm with you, Dan, Um Atlanta
Speaker 1: would not have been beautiful facility. There's no one's questioning that.
Speaker 1: Something just seems a little strange on TV. Maybe the lighting.
Speaker 1: I agree that lighting does look a little strange, but
Speaker 1: it's one of the nicest ones in person. We've been there,
Speaker 1: but only a small fraction of humanity will be there
Speaker 1: in person. That's sort of my issue is likes not
Speaker 1: a weather game. I'm all for seeing Josh Allen uh
Speaker 1: and Patrick Mahomes if that's the game, and if it's
Speaker 1: not the right then this league I'd like to just
Speaker 1: see them at the peak of their paris. There was
Speaker 1: there was, yes, there was debate about, oh, should it
Speaker 1: be an outdoor game because their outdoor teams. Calm down,
Speaker 1: Let's just get on an ice field and have a nice,
Speaker 1: fun thirty one shootout. And with that said, let's talk
Speaker 1: about the Buffalo Bills, who are the biggest favorite of
Speaker 1: the week. The desert hasn't meant laying the big time?
Speaker 1: Would thirteen? As the Miami Dolphins come to town to
Speaker 1: a has been ruled out. T ain't playing and that's
Speaker 1: the right move, uh, given all the what we've learned
Speaker 1: the season about the head injury that he sustained and
Speaker 1: then aggravated um a few weeks back. So now you
Speaker 1: get probably Skyler Thompson, a rookie, a Day three pick rookie.
Speaker 1: Maybe Teddy Bridgewater is of taping its up in the air.
Speaker 1: Teddy suffered the dislocated pinky in Week seventeen, did not
Speaker 1: play in Week eighteen and a must win game, and
Speaker 1: is not practice right now limited, But it sounds like
Speaker 1: he can't really make the throws necessary. So it's bad
Speaker 1: news because you could look at it obviously as all right,
Speaker 1: go back to December and the Dolphins had a really
Speaker 1: good showing on a Saturday night against the Bills. Took
Speaker 1: him to the very limit and you needed Josh Allen
Speaker 1: heroics in the fourth quarter to wipe out a deficit,
Speaker 1: and they and they squeezed by And that was what
Speaker 1: two of playing to playing at a high level. You
Speaker 1: don't got that here. And in general, just feels like
Speaker 1: these teams are in totally different places. Now. Miami has
Speaker 1: not played well in a very long time. Yeah, I
Speaker 1: mean this game. This is sort of the trick when
Speaker 1: you add these seventh playoff teams, because you're gonna get
Speaker 1: situations like this. Um with Miami, it's been the story
Speaker 1: of their season. They've just not been able to go
Speaker 1: wire to wire with the quarterback they want. And I
Speaker 1: think there is you know, Teddy Bridgewater, I know, Greg,
Speaker 1: You're a big Teddy guy. You could make this argument
Speaker 1: that the drop off between Twa to Teddy would be
Speaker 1: not that big of a problem. To go to Skyler Thompson,
Speaker 1: who was a bit of a pre season star. He
Speaker 1: just doesn't look ready for this, Like I he can
Speaker 1: do a couple of things that are a little different,
Speaker 1: I guess out of structure, but that's not gonna happen
Speaker 1: in this game. I think, if you're Miami, how do
Speaker 1: you not? You can't. You can't go down shootout Avenue
Speaker 1: with Josh Allen, who Latin Week three piled up four
Speaker 1: hundred and forty seven yards against the Dolphins, and in
Speaker 1: that Week fifteen game, I thought that, you know, they
Speaker 1: had their issues and the Dolphins hung around and we're
Speaker 1: able to get on Buffalo's defense. But he had those
Speaker 1: seventy seven rushing yards and ran so well and made
Speaker 1: such a difference. It's just like you're gonna get that
Speaker 1: from Josh Allen against Miami no matter what. So what
Speaker 1: do you do? I think, if anything, you maybe now
Speaker 1: he Muster is dealing with a he had thumb surgery
Speaker 1: this week. But Monster was pretty great against the Bills
Speaker 1: in that last matchup, and maybe you steal possessions. I
Speaker 1: don't know what your other movies. Yeah, they're running game,
Speaker 1: possibly losing. Most there is just just adds insult to injuries.
Speaker 1: It's not just the Teddy into a quarterback situation, which
Speaker 1: is the most important one. But you know how many
Speaker 1: starting offense of lineman practice for the Dolphins on Wednesday.
Speaker 1: Granted it's early in the week, but you know how
Speaker 1: many one We haven't seen Toron Armstead in weeks. He
Speaker 1: said he shouldn't. He was recommended to have surgery back
Speaker 1: in week one, but tried to play through. And he's
Speaker 1: gonna try to play this game. But Skylar Thompson is
Speaker 1: not playing with the full deck here, we might not
Speaker 1: have moster. Bradley Chubb played limited snaps that last week,
Speaker 1: did not look like himself. Xavian Howard played last week
Speaker 1: but did not look like himself and isn't practicing. These
Speaker 1: are all their best players. It's just disappointing. It's just
Speaker 1: bad luck because I actually thought this was a good
Speaker 1: matchup for them, relatively compared to having to play like
Speaker 1: the Chiefs or the Bengals. It was a division opponent
Speaker 1: that they basically had played to a draw in two games,
Speaker 1: and I thought, Okay, they're familiar. It could have been competitive,
Speaker 1: but with all these injuries, it's hard to imagine. Yeah,
Speaker 1: I mean the Dolphins season kind of changed at halftime
Speaker 1: of that Packers game. They took the Bills to the limit,
Speaker 1: had a lead on the Packers at halftime, or throwing
Speaker 1: the ball all over the field and then two gets hurt,
Speaker 1: throws the three pick and they found a way to
Speaker 1: get by the Jets last week. But we know the
Speaker 1: problems that Jets were having by the end of the season,
Speaker 1: and they did it because they ran the football. And
Speaker 1: I don't know, I'm not a doctor, but if you
Speaker 1: have a broken thumb, most has a broken thumb, how
Speaker 1: do you carry off football as a running back? Ball
Speaker 1: security is obviously tantamont this time of year, it is
Speaker 1: a little tannamount. Thank you, uh, and you put it
Speaker 1: all together. And I don't think. I don't know if
Speaker 1: Miami scores a touchdown in this game, let alone hangs
Speaker 1: in it. So this this to me, I'm locking up
Speaker 1: the Bills here, I gotta make up two games on
Speaker 1: Rosenthal here in the lock challenge. And and here's the thing.
Speaker 1: And you might remember this, you've won before, but it
Speaker 1: was a long time ago. Now there's only two years
Speaker 1: ago and three years ago. I have to be three
Speaker 1: out of four. I think I had either two or
Speaker 1: three game lead in the playoffs last year, and uh
Speaker 1: I got through the wild card round because you should
Speaker 1: be able to find something very some layups in the
Speaker 1: wild card weekend, starting next round, Divisional round, playoffs, title games,
Speaker 1: super Bowl, you can make up three games mark you're
Speaker 1: out to write or one I'm out too. But last
Speaker 1: year I came back just got me um, I needed
Speaker 1: that Super Bowl win by the Rams. We can still
Speaker 1: get you. Sure, yeah, we can still get you. You
Speaker 1: texted us worried that all five of us were gonna
Speaker 1: take the bills. So I guess you're just stunned speaking
Speaker 1: that you were talking about your sportsman though, as you know,
Speaker 1: it just felt like that's I'm confident in both, and
Speaker 1: you're right this guy I was thinking more early in
Speaker 1: the week when it was Teddy. I actually even felt
Speaker 1: more confident in the forty Niners than I did in
Speaker 1: the Bills. Now that it's Skyler Thompson, you're right, probably
Speaker 1: I would take the Bills. But and the last time,
Speaker 1: just like if my life, I'm saying, if my life
Speaker 1: depended on it. But for some reason, the Skyler Thompson,
Speaker 1: it doesn't even feel fun. I feel bad for this team.
Speaker 1: Of course, we know Miami lost five straight. They got
Speaker 1: the win to get in the playoffs eleven to six
Speaker 1: over the Jets. They ran the ball well, I don't
Speaker 1: think they'll be able to do that here. And Skyler Thompson,
Speaker 1: everything I've seen from him playing, he kind of the
Speaker 1: Jets had an allergic reaction to making big plays on
Speaker 1: defense in terms of game changing turnovers last this season.
Speaker 1: But he threw some balls up and they protected Thompson.
Speaker 1: He's gonna have to attack. This one's gonna get bad,
Speaker 1: this one, this one, this one could be a fifty burger.
Speaker 1: This could be like a fifty to six type games.
Speaker 1: And we're and maybe you know that, like the world
Speaker 1: marches on but the Bills And I'm sorry Dolphins fans,
Speaker 1: by the way, you're gonna be mad at me for
Speaker 1: even saying that, But that's just the vibe. I think
Speaker 1: Dolphins fans and if they're sensible, get where they are,
Speaker 1: get where why would you want your team at this
Speaker 1: state to go into the playoffs And just kind of
Speaker 1: a racist things. But I think We're not that far
Speaker 1: away if you're in Buffalo, if you're the Bills, from
Speaker 1: everything that's happened over the past couple of weeks, and
Speaker 1: this crowd is going to be absolutely on fire. This
Speaker 1: is the game where Buffalo just I think simply explodes.
Speaker 1: Except when every single person is saying that, I don't know,
Speaker 1: it's worth pointing out the Bills have not looked like
Speaker 1: the best team in football over the last month. That
Speaker 1: Patriots game was fascinating, and the kickoff turns were like inspiring,
Speaker 1: but otherwise they kind of played them even, you know,
Speaker 1: even yards for play, even back and forth. I think
Speaker 1: it was a great ordinary circumstances all around that team,
Speaker 1: but even even a couple of weeks before that, because
Speaker 1: they've been missing a lot of their players. Now they
Speaker 1: might get Micah Hide back in future weeks. They're off
Speaker 1: their pass rushes kind of down to Greg Russou. They
Speaker 1: neither other guys to step up. They did not have
Speaker 1: good weeks a week ago, like the Ed Oliver's um
Speaker 1: even the Matt Milano's who is coming off of an injury.
Speaker 1: Not that I'm worried about Matt Milano, but I just
Speaker 1: I think they can play better. I think they will
Speaker 1: play better. But there's a chance here for the Dolphins
Speaker 1: if they look at Kristen Wilkins who dominated that game
Speaker 1: a few weeks ago, four weeks ago, Jalen Phillips. If
Speaker 1: you get Chubb back that the upfront, they could win
Speaker 1: that battle. Defensive line off to me. But like if
Speaker 1: you just say and then you got a game where
Speaker 1: Josh Allen, which has done this in the last you know,
Speaker 1: sort of all season long, but especially it's crept up
Speaker 1: a couple of plays where it's like, what are you
Speaker 1: looking at, Josh Allen? Some terrible red zone turnovers if
Speaker 1: you could force the Bills into that mistake played next
Speaker 1: level though last week he was the best player in
Speaker 1: the league. He had one play where he got hit,
Speaker 1: but other than that, he was like, oh my god,
Speaker 1: he's he is like generating turnovers. But I would also
Speaker 1: tell Josh Allen, don't change anything you're doing because the
Speaker 1: reasons some of them happen is because he's got so
Speaker 1: much confidence just throwing the ball down field. It's like,
Speaker 1: Alan still can be the best player with the turnovers,
Speaker 1: but that's been the case in multiple games. I think
Speaker 1: when Henry Hods and our dear friend Um who runs
Speaker 1: the show over in the UK for the NFL longtime
Speaker 1: Dolphins fan. I'm thinking of Henry is Rocky Balboa trying
Speaker 1: to convince Apollo Creed not to fight Drago in that
Speaker 1: exhibition because he he does not well, he didn't listen
Speaker 1: to it. And the Dolphins they're going to go up
Speaker 1: to Western New York and you know they're gonna come
Speaker 1: home in a box. I mean, what are they are
Speaker 1: they supposed to not go? I gotta go to have
Speaker 1: a conversation about it. I mean, weird, weird, weird things
Speaker 1: can happen. I just I'm just saying there's one little
Speaker 1: situation where it fell totally collapsed. And speaking of high
Speaker 1: school sports, UH, I was on the Pearl River varsity
Speaker 1: basketball team in we went three and seventeen, and uh,
Speaker 1: the Sectionals tournament was coming up in New York, all
Speaker 1: the best teams throughout the state and we drew obviously
Speaker 1: a very low seed. UM and we were gonna be
Speaker 1: going against I believe it was Peak Skill, who was
Speaker 1: led by a phenomen named Elton Brand who went on
Speaker 1: to be able to believe a top pick of the Bulls.
Speaker 1: UH and number one overall draft pick. He might even
Speaker 1: he went to Duke I believe, and then yeah, I
Speaker 1: went to uh was he number one overall? I think
Speaker 1: it might have been seventy sixers, was it? And our
Speaker 1: coach asked the team, hey, do you guys want to
Speaker 1: play this guy? And the team literally voted not to
Speaker 1: play in the game. Your going was three and seventeen.
Speaker 1: You know, you know I hate that. It's like everyone
Speaker 1: if you could have projected you probably would go pro
Speaker 1: at some point or the chance you could tell everyone
Speaker 1: that you played against Elton Brand, like your your story
Speaker 1: is that you voted not I was playing. I was.
Speaker 1: I was the sharpshooter that was typically on the bench.
Speaker 1: But I could tell you that, Um, I mean, I
Speaker 1: was like fine with me. It was more like the seniors.
Speaker 1: I wasn't a senior. The seniors kind of voted on it,
Speaker 1: and it was like, okay, nobody was. Everybody's ready for
Speaker 1: that season. A lot of sports, a lot of amateur
Speaker 1: high school sports, talk pretty good. I was a javelin thrower,
Speaker 1: throw it about the length of a house. Drafted by
Speaker 1: the balls, you were right number one overall. I'm very
Speaker 1: um annoyed. I'm annoyed. Now, um, because I said Tana Mott,
Speaker 1: I was very excited about it. I meant paramount. You know,
Speaker 1: I think if you were totally different, but had you
Speaker 1: not um, you would probably get one or two tweets.
Speaker 1: But do you not self correct yourself on the show
Speaker 1: nineties six percent of listeners what would just think that
Speaker 1: you were smart showing some integrity there. That's integrity from
Speaker 1: the old zoo. Sir, we could we spin it that way? Oh,
Speaker 1: you know too, maybe don't correct yourself. Maybe the showman
Speaker 1: he brought it back to himself there by talking about
Speaker 1: it some more and then the show. That's showmanship. Let's uh,
Speaker 1: before we keep going, let's take a break, actually halftime,
Speaker 1: let's check in and go get my lunch. Let's see
Speaker 1: where're at. Oh from the season. Yeah, yeah, I think
Speaker 1: they're pretty much settled. So I figured this is a
Speaker 1: good spot to take a look at the good getting lunch.
Speaker 1: Let's start with Mark Sessler, who enters, Um, Oh, you
Speaker 1: have one outstanding Mark, Um, you're five and ten. Right
Speaker 1: now here we go, Jimmy g will start a game
Speaker 1: for a team other than the Niners in two That
Speaker 1: is incorrect. Colleen Dan and I all, do we have
Speaker 1: any dings or you know, sounds for this sugram would
Speaker 1: be good. A regular season game will finish it under
Speaker 1: two hours in twenty nine minutes, Dan and Gregg. Colleen said,
Speaker 1: I know I'm gonna stay away from that one. Apparently
Speaker 1: that's always the fun point. Was she an, Yeah, why
Speaker 1: would you not take that? I don't know, but that
Speaker 1: never happened. There were some games that were about two
Speaker 1: forty or so, but you did not get that one.
Speaker 1: And what was the two nine? Is that the record is? Uh,
Speaker 1: that would have been the record, which you know, Greg
Speaker 1: and I tracked that. I think literally pretty precisely every
Speaker 1: week games that might be there, and it's just like,
Speaker 1: don't make that sandwich bet again. Two coaches from the
Speaker 1: same team get into a fist fight. Oh, an old
Speaker 1: cest dog classic didn't happen? Kyllee and Dan Gregg all
Speaker 1: picking up sandwiches there. Well, let's trying to turn go
Speaker 1: get my lunch. It's a movie. I don't care about
Speaker 1: my record. It's a showman's movie. We know that by now. Uh.
Speaker 1: And finally one outstanding for you, buddy. The NFC South
Speaker 1: Division winner wins a playoff game. Greg did not take you.
Speaker 1: I was that was a mid season one. Yeah. I
Speaker 1: didn't like that. It was like Bucks at Home because
Speaker 1: it was like week five when things were all falling
Speaker 1: apart a week. He's good about that. I'm not feeling terrible,
Speaker 1: feeling pretty. They're barely an underdock. Claibon and Dan took
Speaker 1: you on that one. Alright, Greggy, your tenant eight right now?
Speaker 1: Jalen Hurts makes the initial NFC Pro Bowl team. Bam.
Speaker 1: Maybe the starter got it picked up three. That was prophetic,
Speaker 1: by the way. The old zeuser brought it up on
Speaker 1: the Tuesday show What's Up with Jalen Hurts? Hurting really bad?
Speaker 1: He came out in the media today. Hurts said he's
Speaker 1: happy that there's no game this weekend and he can't
Speaker 1: guarantee he'll be um a week. Why are we telling
Speaker 1: people this? I don't know. They're being open about the situation,
Speaker 1: but he's being asked and he's being honest. So the
Speaker 1: Browns will end with one of the five worst records
Speaker 1: in the NFL. There's there was some witch casting there
Speaker 1: by Greggy, but they did not telling Dan and Mark
Speaker 1: all they were two games. I'm looking now they would
Speaker 1: have had to be two games worth seven and ten
Speaker 1: would not have gotten five and twelve would have gotten
Speaker 1: at that. There you go. The Broncos missed the playoffs
Speaker 1: and have a sourced report of differences between Russell Wilson
Speaker 1: and Nathaniel hack and I love that one. I mean,
Speaker 1: why is he not getting that? I should get credit
Speaker 1: for that. Well, there wasn't report of difference. This is
Speaker 1: nothos was I got too? Well, that was supposed to
Speaker 1: be the Onion hanger, and then the report was the
Speaker 1: the Onion. Unfortunately, they seemed to really get along and
Speaker 1: like each other. They were just were terrible. Everything we
Speaker 1: heard was that Nathanion Hackett was a nice, nice man
Speaker 1: who just hip hop instructed. He kind of gone up
Speaker 1: one level too high. Peter Rincipal there though. But yeah,
Speaker 1: you if Hackett would have survived the season, maybe there
Speaker 1: would have been some agents dropping some dugs. Never happened
Speaker 1: for you. Jerry Rossberg came into town instead. I saw
Speaker 1: I saw a headline yesterday like which which do Broncos
Speaker 1: fans want more? Rossberg or Jim Harbaugh was like, what
Speaker 1: is happening here? There's a there's a big Rossberg contingent.
Speaker 1: In the Denver meeting. But they got you to look
Speaker 1: at that headline. He must be got you to they
Speaker 1: we're now we're talking about it on the show. Got you?
Speaker 1: So they want the old suser is ten and four?
Speaker 1: Well how about that? Well, hang on, Rams trade for
Speaker 1: a splashy defensive lineman. They tried to. In fact, I
Speaker 1: think they for two first round picks for there was
Speaker 1: also I heard some behind the scenes stuff too that
Speaker 1: they offered like two mid round picks for Marcus Davenport,
Speaker 1: which is an ultimate lose lose, but it's Saints. How
Speaker 1: did you not take that trade? So I and that
Speaker 1: was my thinking was they didn't expect to lose Von
Speaker 1: Miller and they were gonna need somebody to juice up.
Speaker 1: They tried, it didn't happen. Nothing worked for the Rams,
Speaker 1: and it cost me saying which, but you guys didn't
Speaker 1: take me on it. Nobody took me on it. It
Speaker 1: seems I think they were trying not to take you
Speaker 1: because they tried so hard. So sort of like Antonio
Speaker 1: Brown is signed to a team in two thousand twenty two,
Speaker 1: only Greg took me on. And see that's why I
Speaker 1: have a good record. Part um you know what. Uh,
Speaker 1: he just got crazier and crazier to the point where
Speaker 1: he was like, I think just like breaking the law
Speaker 1: in public pools and stuff. It was you know. Uh,
Speaker 1: TWA loses the starting QB role to Teddy Bridgewater for
Speaker 1: performance reasons. Uh, that was not right. Greg and Mark
Speaker 1: both picked up saying, which that seemed like a popular
Speaker 1: concept back then though. Yeah, and to have played excellent
Speaker 1: football for half the season and was injured and not
Speaker 1: so good. Uh, and the other half will see what
Speaker 1: his future is in Miami. The Jags will still be
Speaker 1: in the playoff race. And Week eighteen they were and
Speaker 1: they were got there. I remember us out, not really
Speaker 1: And then uh, this one's what a what a what
Speaker 1: a turn of events for Tugboat the Seahawks of a
Speaker 1: top five pick in the two thousand twenty three draft.
Speaker 1: Greg took me on it, and let's I thought the
Speaker 1: Seattle Seahawks would be terrible, Gino, That's why I did it.
Speaker 1: Then we didn't think about on the side of it,
Speaker 1: a great Russell Wilson being terrible and getting us into
Speaker 1: the top five from the back door. My love opens
Speaker 1: the door. You didn't bring that up as a possibility.
Speaker 1: You said the Seahawks are going to stink and we
Speaker 1: did have Trew we said we did. Brought it up
Speaker 1: to me. I wasn't. Yes, you are on top of it.
Speaker 1: Drew brought it up to me. We listened to it. Oh,
Speaker 1: you listen to it together. This is this is so
Speaker 1: much better than anything else. Well, what's even better is
Speaker 1: I want you to take this sandwich the stain on
Speaker 1: your integrity for taking it. I am totally worth it.
Speaker 1: I am totally open to listening to it and getting
Speaker 1: even Drew to get on Mike for once this year
Speaker 1: and let us know what he thought. But it has
Speaker 1: to be. The wording has to be clear. I have
Speaker 1: to say. It's got to be because of their record.
Speaker 1: Well you all nebulos. You don't bring up the Broncos
Speaker 1: at all. But do we have the sound justin Graver
Speaker 1: that we listen to the sound the team that that
Speaker 1: said we're gonna trade a Hall of Fame quarterback with
Speaker 1: five years five years of prime remaining and get Drew
Speaker 1: Block Drew Drew lock back in the deal. I can't
Speaker 1: even talk right now, so popped up about this one.
Speaker 1: The Seahawks are gonna have a top five pick in draft.
Speaker 1: This is gonna go really poorly. Yeah, I think we're
Speaker 1: gonna have to maybe put it to a vote on Twitter,
Speaker 1: and I'll be and I will on Twitter, I don't
Speaker 1: know whatever wherever we no. Again, I'm a beacon of
Speaker 1: integrity here. What if justin Greg and I decide no,
Speaker 1: because Greg's directly involved in it. If he's gonna be
Speaker 1: sensible about it, though, how do you know he's a
Speaker 1: sensible individual? Sensible if he knows, he knows in his
Speaker 1: heart what he was trying to do. He said, the
Speaker 1: sax are gonna think if he wants to take that sandwich,
Speaker 1: and and here years can decide about the specially rather
Speaker 1: you take the sandwich? Is I got admit, Philly Special?
Speaker 1: What was that? You don't need to know, you're not
Speaker 1: voting what we're gonna do. What you do, will take it,
Speaker 1: We'll send it to the listeners. Have years go on,
Speaker 1: I have to admit I'm starting to waiver on the
Speaker 1: whole Philly Special thing, starting to just be getting kids up.
Speaker 1: Whenever you feel like two and people are still talking
Speaker 1: Philly Special all the time, of like, I would waiver
Speaker 1: if it didn't make Mark. So I understand. That's kind
Speaker 1: of why I want you to just take this sandwich,
Speaker 1: because I'll bring it up often. Interesting that you're almost
Speaker 1: challenging me to take the sandwich, So I will if
Speaker 1: you want me to. If you really want me to,
Speaker 1: Let's bring it to a vote on Instagram story. They
Speaker 1: we we should play the Well you heard the audio, everyone,
Speaker 1: and uh, we know that Dan wasn't thinking about this
Speaker 1: back door. Don't don't you don't know what I was thinking.
Speaker 1: You don't know, vote in a way you wouldn't um
Speaker 1: you would surprise you. And I'm However, anybody votes, I'm
Speaker 1: fine with I'm I'm totally cool that, but just make
Speaker 1: sure what you're voting on is based on the exact wording.
Speaker 1: In the end, that's what it's about. Colleen. Derek Carr,
Speaker 1: she's five and four. Derek Carr throws more touchdowns than
Speaker 1: Tom Brady. What was the final tally there? Great digger
Speaker 1: Derek Carr through touchdown passes this season, Tom Brady through
Speaker 1: bad I can't even remember Brady touched in. Oh that's
Speaker 1: a bad beat. His car got benched two in the
Speaker 1: last two games, cost her three sandwiches. Brady went down
Speaker 1: eighteen touchdowns from a year ago. So she she's another
Speaker 1: right church. She was in the right house. The Eagles
Speaker 1: won't win a playoff game, Wow, Connie, Yeah, and was
Speaker 1: likening them as usual. She didn't quite understand. She has
Speaker 1: the Bills win the Super Bowl. We all six six
Speaker 1: sandwiches here. I don't think it's going to keep her
Speaker 1: up at night. But and uh, Grave Digger will bring
Speaker 1: you in on this one. Four sandwiches lost, zero gained. Uh,
Speaker 1: there's always one producer. Bit bet it is or wager
Speaker 1: Florida prop um and you went, the Colts will finish
Speaker 1: in last place in the a f C South. Where
Speaker 1: did they finish? They finished third, But they finished last,
Speaker 1: I mean not last bit of a teams in your
Speaker 1: power rankings. Right. So to the specific language of the
Speaker 1: sandwich pet, No, it does not. I should have said
Speaker 1: they will be the worst team in the air. Well,
Speaker 1: that doesn't came down to that tie that week one
Speaker 1: time got banged by a half a game, yea. And
Speaker 1: but they tried their best for you. They lost seven
Speaker 1: a row to close that. I mean, I feel like
Speaker 1: I was one of the only people in the world
Speaker 1: who saw a poor Colts season coming. Everyone else was
Speaker 1: picking them to win the AFC. Sound what a hero.
Speaker 1: Thank you. All right, let's uh take a break and
Speaker 1: we'll get to the rest of the playoff games. All right,
Speaker 1: welcome back, Let's get back into it. Another Sunday affair.
Speaker 1: And this is my favorite game of the weekend, just
Speaker 1: because I feel like we're gonna get something that's gonna
Speaker 1: go down to the wire. It's gonna go back and forth. Um.
Speaker 1: The New York Giants nine seven and one at Minnesota
Speaker 1: Vikings thirteen and four. And you'd say, oh, this is
Speaker 1: one of those games with the nine point would know, No,
Speaker 1: nine point three point would for the Vikings, who obviously
Speaker 1: have not been a team uh that have dominated much
Speaker 1: at all this season. Uh, and yet they had this
Speaker 1: tremendous record. And the Giants played the Vikings greg very
Speaker 1: tightly on Christmas Eve, losing on a sixty one yard
Speaker 1: Greg Joseph field goal at the gun, but moved the
Speaker 1: ball well there and really showed that they were very
Speaker 1: close to Minnesota's level. Um, I see a very similar
Speaker 1: type of game uh here coming down to a field
Speaker 1: goal at the end. How about you? I agree? I
Speaker 1: took the Giants in this game on on the game
Speaker 1: picks on NFL dot Com, partly because I think the
Speaker 1: whole idea that they're not that talented is not totally
Speaker 1: true anymore. I mean, the defensive line is talented. The
Speaker 1: defensive line hit the crap out of Kirk Cousins the
Speaker 1: first time around. Dexter Lawrence this season has been ridiculous.
Speaker 1: He's gonna be an All Pro. He has forty pressures
Speaker 1: lined up as a nose tackle. The next closest guy
Speaker 1: at that position has thirteen pressures, and he's going up
Speaker 1: either against a compromised or a third string center. This
Speaker 1: week against Minnesota, they've they've lost Brian o'nei other right
Speaker 1: tackle the Vikings have in the meantime, and you've got
Speaker 1: Zizos lot Azizo Glari on the outside. You've got Cavon Thibodeaux,
Speaker 1: You've got Leonard Williams. Kirk Cousins is the most hit
Speaker 1: quarterback in the league. No one was hit more than him,
Speaker 1: and he's held up pretty well. He's played well against pressure,
Speaker 1: but he has not played well against the Blitz. According
Speaker 1: to PFF, he was thirty third out of forty two
Speaker 1: qualifying quarterbacks against the Blitz when he played the Giants
Speaker 1: the first time around. We know the Giants left to blitz.
Speaker 1: They went from blitzing more than any team in the
Speaker 1: league to blitzing more than half the snaps that they
Speaker 1: even could, which is high even for the Giants. I
Speaker 1: think they're just gonna come after Kirk Cousins, and I
Speaker 1: kind of like their coaching staff, Wink Martindale, to come
Speaker 1: up with the scheme here in the second media in
Speaker 1: a month. That was the most pressures in a game
Speaker 1: all year for the Giants, and you're right, that's exactly
Speaker 1: what it looked like. And you can do that against Cousins.
Speaker 1: It's a cave on Tiviodel game. It's a Wink Martindale game.
Speaker 1: I mean, the Giants in that game gave up a
Speaker 1: hundred and thirty three yards and a touchdown to Justin Jefferson.
Speaker 1: T J. Hawkinson fried him for a hundred plus and
Speaker 1: two touchdowns and it's still went down to the end.
Speaker 1: But I would say you that can that probably can
Speaker 1: still possibly happen and the Giants can hang around in
Speaker 1: this because that was the game where it's like Daniel Jones,
Speaker 1: if you're gonna have one of these contests where you
Speaker 1: go nuts through the air. HiT's this is the time
Speaker 1: against Minnesota's leaky secondary, their defense, which is a mess
Speaker 1: through for three and thirty four, which about a hundred
Speaker 1: and thirty more than the averages per game. I think
Speaker 1: he can do it again. There was reporting that over
Speaker 1: the last couple of weeks of the season that Brian
Speaker 1: Dable and Mike Kafka were running a more conventional, conventional
Speaker 1: passing offense, not using as much rollouts, and the Daniel
Speaker 1: Jones has responded and it's like that changes what their
Speaker 1: offense was. We we thought for so long. It's like
Speaker 1: if Sae Kwon Barkley doesn't explode, if Daniel Jones doesn't
Speaker 1: run for of any five on the ground, the Giants
Speaker 1: don't have a chance. I'm not sure that's the case,
Speaker 1: because guys like Isaiah Hodgens and Richie James are better
Speaker 1: than their names. It's like people don't talk about these guys,
Speaker 1: but they've been pretty good. And in that game they
Speaker 1: combined for almost two hundred yards against the Vikings. So
Speaker 1: I like that opportunity for New York's offense to be
Speaker 1: better than it's been in other situations. And I kind
Speaker 1: of just well, I've already done it. No, I'm not
Speaker 1: gonna do it, but it's gonna go down to the
Speaker 1: last possession. But before that Greg Joseph field goal, Daniel
Speaker 1: Jones led them on a one minute drill and and
Speaker 1: and put them in a position to win. It's like,
Speaker 1: this was a great game by Daniel Jones and what's
Speaker 1: changed so much about this Vikings defense that couldn't have
Speaker 1: a chance to duplicate that. I remember watching this game
Speaker 1: in my backyard with Keith and my dad, who hates
Speaker 1: the Giants. He has he does a lot of Jets
Speaker 1: fans hate this, some and some are the opposite. Playing
Speaker 1: in Giants Stadium, that's a slap in the face more
Speaker 1: the media coverage and the Jets being overlooked and also
Speaker 1: quite frankly not as good for all these years, and
Speaker 1: you just want to see that don't need the Giants
Speaker 1: to get the shine. So he was very happy when
Speaker 1: Joseph hit the kick. Um I was kind of bummed
Speaker 1: because I I don't have that issue with the Giants,
Speaker 1: certainly since I moved to California and didn't get the
Speaker 1: saturated New York coverage of the Giants. UM I came
Speaker 1: out of that game, like, man, Daniel Jones, that's cool man,
Speaker 1: that he's throwing the ball downfield. He's on target, on time.
Speaker 1: And it told me two things that that was in
Speaker 1: Jones and we hadn't seen it much, uh from him
Speaker 1: to that point to be able to light up a secondary.
Speaker 1: And it also was like, oh, so anybody can throw
Speaker 1: on Minnesota's secondary, Like, if you have a quarterback that
Speaker 1: you can keep upright, guys are gonna get open and
Speaker 1: they can hit throws. And I think they're gonna do
Speaker 1: it again. Remember se Quan was not throughout December, and
Speaker 1: I don't know if he's a percent now, but I
Speaker 1: know that he's basically on two weeks rest in this game.
Speaker 1: So you only had fourteen carries in that Minnesota game.
Speaker 1: I think they'll have a more balanced game plan. But
Speaker 1: when they need to throw the ball, I think Jones
Speaker 1: will deliver and make throws. So then it becomes a
Speaker 1: situation to me, can the Vikings offense have a big
Speaker 1: time game? Can they have a huge afternoon where Cousins
Speaker 1: throws for three fifty and you get Theeland getting a
Speaker 1: couple of touchdowns and Jefferson being a monster and Hockinson
Speaker 1: making place. He had thirteen catches Hockinson against the Giants
Speaker 1: last time these two teams met, and two touchdowns. There
Speaker 1: is a possibility that the Vikings, in their building to
Speaker 1: start the playoffs, go nuts on the Giants and have
Speaker 1: a big game on offense. But I kind of see
Speaker 1: it the way you guys do. I think it's it's
Speaker 1: gonna come down to it, and I think it is,
Speaker 1: like again, like a type game, you know. I don't
Speaker 1: see the devil Giants as a team that goes in
Speaker 1: to Minnesota gets blown out. I just don't think that
Speaker 1: that's their DNA. I'm a little worried though everyone's gonna
Speaker 1: be picking the Giants. I think it's I don't want
Speaker 1: problem with saying that the Vikings could easily win this.
Speaker 1: I just think it's a close game they make. The
Speaker 1: Giants might get Dory Jackson, he we'll see, you might
Speaker 1: not get, but that would that would be huge. They
Speaker 1: had Fabian Moreau traveling with Jefferson last time, which is tough. Yeah,
Speaker 1: And why why did can I ask you question? Because
Speaker 1: we did. We were in the newsroom when that there
Speaker 1: was a thing on an NFL network where it was
Speaker 1: talking about the Giants as a blue collar team, and
Speaker 1: I get I kind of get um spiritually what people
Speaker 1: are talking about when they say that. But that kind
Speaker 1: of thing bugs me because they're not. They're not. They're not.
Speaker 1: It's not a running shoot team that's scoring forty eight points.
Speaker 1: But every NFL team is pulling um players from like
Speaker 1: Iowa to play on the offensive line. Like there's a
Speaker 1: lot of meat and potatoes typestuits. What what makes the
Speaker 1: Giants blue collar? Are? We just used to say to
Speaker 1: it's not just their color jersey? You mean that they're
Speaker 1: not really in the medal is filled with guys from
Speaker 1: the Union, from northern New Jersey. Get that other teams
Speaker 1: like that, not from Jermy, that's maybe, And just that
Speaker 1: they've played above their heads. That Daniel Jones not that
Speaker 1: he's a blue collar quarterback, but Hodgens and James and
Speaker 1: this team in general, no one expected. That's so obvious
Speaker 1: that it's slapped on the Giants would never be like
Speaker 1: the time the years when the under Jim Harbor and
Speaker 1: the Niners were destroying people with like heavy pack. That
Speaker 1: was a blue collar team. But it's San Francisco, so
Speaker 1: it doesn't it doesn't really make this the whole team
Speaker 1: leaving the tunnel to head towards the field and like, hey, guys,
Speaker 1: where's your helmets? We don't need the helmets And they
Speaker 1: put on hard hats because Blue Cup they do that.
Speaker 1: I would it doesn't really check out, Like Cavon Thibodeau
Speaker 1: is the top five texter, Lauren is at all pro Uh,
Speaker 1: they have premiere talent sake, say Juan Bart Like part
Speaker 1: of it doesn't match up. I know Vikings fans listening
Speaker 1: to this to be like, you guys are just talking
Speaker 1: about the Giants. There are are ways for the Vikings
Speaker 1: to witness games. Certainly, I think they did a better
Speaker 1: game out of Dalnok. Dalvin Cook has didn't quite have
Speaker 1: as good as season this season in the running game
Speaker 1: hasn't been quite as Walder article I I surfaced from
Speaker 1: ESPN or you talk about the guys that are quietly
Speaker 1: not having big time years. He has not been as good.
Speaker 1: I don't think this year, but he was on that list.
Speaker 1: But I think you could attack him. You mentioned Hockinson,
Speaker 1: It'll be a lot of Hockinson on landon Collins. Land
Speaker 1: and Collins has been a great story coming back, but
Speaker 1: like that's a miss match Justin Jefferson on anyone that's
Speaker 1: a mismatch, like they are a good just go, just
Speaker 1: go do what you've done in these games that you've
Speaker 1: won by one score, which is eleven of them and
Speaker 1: not lost any Just like Justin Jefferson and Hawkinson went
Speaker 1: off last time. It just has to happen again. It's
Speaker 1: crazy that. I mean, the Vikings finished the season. I
Speaker 1: had to check this u v O a like in
Speaker 1: the endite, so it's like there there, this is both
Speaker 1: the it's a straight but they finished, and I think,
Speaker 1: I really it comes down to me. When I was picking,
Speaker 1: it was like I really like seven. I like O'Connell.
Speaker 1: I think O'Connell versus Wing Martindale great matchup, got got
Speaker 1: a lot of wins on both sides. Then it's Brian
Speaker 1: Dable versus Ed Donnitel, and Ed Dontel feels like like
Speaker 1: you're replace like your filling science teacher or something that's
Speaker 1: so passive. I don't think he's gonna be there next year.
Speaker 1: Like they've played a little more man coverage and blitzed
Speaker 1: a little more lately, like they've kind of woken up
Speaker 1: a little, like let's do something. Vikings defense because they
Speaker 1: have some players. But that's where the here's the thing
Speaker 1: with the Vikings why they're so to fund strange team.
Speaker 1: There layers of like misinformation and uh like this onion
Speaker 1: of like figuring out whether or a good team or
Speaker 1: not like their twenty seven ranking and d v o A.
Speaker 1: And for those that don't know, Greg, how about a
Speaker 1: real quick refresh on what d v o A even is.
Speaker 1: It's basically a snap to snap adjustment of how efficient
Speaker 1: their offense, defense, and special teams are combined for the season,
Speaker 1: adjusted for the teams that they've played. And so one
Speaker 1: of the reasons that Vikings are so bad there is
Speaker 1: because every game is close except for the four that
Speaker 1: they got. Let see, I was teeing you up to
Speaker 1: do the d v o A thing, and then I
Speaker 1: was gonna come back with that no, but then you
Speaker 1: took it from me. Now it's gonna stick. That's gonna
Speaker 1: know which part what I wanted you to say what was?
Speaker 1: And then I was gonna say, that's what d v
Speaker 1: o A is. Now, look at some of these gamest
Speaker 1: seventeen forty two three that week to Eagles game, which
Speaker 1: was way worse than seven that affected and kind of
Speaker 1: spiked their number downward. Uh, they're probably just like more
Speaker 1: closer like the middle of the act. But a team
Speaker 1: that's capable of getting blown out three or four times
Speaker 1: is usually not a team you can trust. Well. But
Speaker 1: everything that their winds have coming away that won't come
Speaker 1: again in another the next thirty Viking seasons, well, they
Speaker 1: only need to do it once and then the Giants
Speaker 1: have won a lot of close games out too. I
Speaker 1: think they're either eight three and one and one score
Speaker 1: games or nine three and on something like, let's have
Speaker 1: a negative point of freential that does not happen with
Speaker 1: two playoff teams facing each other. And I don't want
Speaker 1: to be labor because I said it empowerings too. But like,
Speaker 1: here's the other thing about the Vikings. You could think
Speaker 1: that they are a thirteen and four division winner that
Speaker 1: deserves respect. You could see them as a total fluke
Speaker 1: when you look at their season and this is not
Speaker 1: sustainable on any less, it doesn't matter because now we're
Speaker 1: in the playoffs and these things get sorted out real quick,
Speaker 1: either this Sunday or we've said how this is gonna go,
Speaker 1: They're gonna win one of these in the last second
Speaker 1: in a way that makes us it's very Viking Vikings dish,
Speaker 1: and then they're gonna get there, let's get the doors
Speaker 1: blown off. Next week you got the Vikings by field goal. Sure,
Speaker 1: I don't want to force you into it, but I
Speaker 1: thought you kind of went down that think they're absolutely
Speaker 1: I felt that all along, that they're gonna win this
Speaker 1: in Minnesota fashion at home against the Giants team that's
Speaker 1: not much better or worse than them. And then next
Speaker 1: week check you later. I'm with you. Absolute heartbreaker for
Speaker 1: the Giants here. That's my prediction. Let's go what what
Speaker 1: world are we in that I'm the one picking the
Speaker 1: Giants here. I don't think they're playing their best seven
Speaker 1: type heartbreak. The Giants play really well, and the Vikings
Speaker 1: do that thing that they do, close a game strong
Speaker 1: and shock an opponent that thought they had to win.
Speaker 1: I have twenty to fourteen in overtime, Vikings touchdown and
Speaker 1: overtime it goes in four fourteen points at the end
Speaker 1: of regulation. It's just saying it's gonna be a weird
Speaker 1: game and they're gonna they're gonna still win. Okay, with't
Speaker 1: hit me about forty two and forty seven anymore. I'm
Speaker 1: the real believer in the Giants this year. That's not
Speaker 1: a believer, but I believe they're playing their best ball
Speaker 1: right now and the win. All right, we got two
Speaker 1: more games to get to. By the way, that game
Speaker 1: we'll have Burkhart and Olson on it for Fox. I
Speaker 1: noticed here that Sanchez is not getting the game here,
Speaker 1: and I understand. And we knew that Joe Davis and
Speaker 1: Darryl Johnson are head of Googler and Sanchez and the
Speaker 1: pecking order. And I got respect for Big Joe and
Speaker 1: uh the moose, but come on, Sanchez has had a
Speaker 1: big year and the change I had to get that
Speaker 1: thing through. There's like trying to fit a camel in
Speaker 1: a matchbox, Kavin, Look at this window, where's the teen one?
Speaker 1: We need? Clearing out defenders faster than a teenager clears
Speaker 1: his search history on his web browser. Holy smokes, this
Speaker 1: is what you get from Mark Sanchez this weekend. We
Speaker 1: were giving it to That's all you'll get. But he'll
Speaker 1: get back in the mix hopefully. How about Michael's back
Speaker 1: on NBC for that Saturday night charges game. That surprised me.
Speaker 1: That's wonderful, is it? Are you sure that's confirmed. That's great, good,
Speaker 1: good good. All right, let's move to the other ELM
Speaker 1: michaels I hope. So the other NBC game. You have
Speaker 1: the Baltimore Ravens at the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday night football,
Speaker 1: Tariko and Collinsworth in the booth. Do you know who
Speaker 1: Awl's doing the game with? Did you say Tony Dungee? Yeah,
Speaker 1: that's a little interesting. Why don't we doubled it with Collinsworth?
Speaker 1: How much money is he making over there? Get them
Speaker 1: back in there. I'm sure, sir, a certain amount of
Speaker 1: money could one day apart it, would, you know? So
Speaker 1: we went to the meeting. We're getting herb Street like
Speaker 1: working four games in two days, and that's all we
Speaker 1: ever hear about. And then the college football season ends
Speaker 1: and now we're not getting herb Street in the booth.
Speaker 1: What's not on Amazon? It's yeah, it's a it's a
Speaker 1: strange situation. Shockingly there was. Those two aren't a package
Speaker 1: deal necessarily? Alright? Anyway, here we go, Greg, the Ravens
Speaker 1: at Bengals. Uh, the latest on Lamar Jackson still not good?
Speaker 1: Has he practiced yet? No? And just as we're recording,
Speaker 1: Ian Rappaport. Developing News noted that Lamar Jackson was not
Speaker 1: at practice, but Snoop Huntley. The kids call him Snoop.
Speaker 1: Tyler's what I call him. I don't know, personally, I
Speaker 1: feel like Tyler's more appropriate. Why is everyone calling him Snoop?
Speaker 1: Did you know that Snoop opened a store across the
Speaker 1: street from our office? I mean, it's been there the
Speaker 1: whole time, but they re well expanding it expanding. And
Speaker 1: as I pulled into the Oppose today, there was a
Speaker 1: long line of people waiting to get into the Snoop
Speaker 1: Merch shop. I don't know what's going on in there,
Speaker 1: but they had Yeah, they had a big sort of
Speaker 1: opening day, you know, last week, same deal, big line.
Speaker 1: I gotta go check it out. There's a delicious Jamaican
Speaker 1: or rather yeah Jamaican food chicken places at our old workplace.
Speaker 1: Lebron James opened a pizza place down the street. I
Speaker 1: don't know if it has something to do with our workplaces.
Speaker 1: I was gonna say, is a Snoop and Englewood guy? No,
Speaker 1: but yeah, famously is from Long Beach. Yeah, well he
Speaker 1: could probably can claim various regions around town. I mean
Speaker 1: they famously always say, but long beach in woodd al Right,
Speaker 1: here we go at it again. Huntley is set to start,
Speaker 1: which that's good news because he hasn't even been throwing
Speaker 1: a practice fully on Wednesday. He's been listed as limited,
Speaker 1: and that makes me more interested in this game. I
Speaker 1: feel like it's a massive drop off from Lamar Jackson
Speaker 1: to Tyler Huntley. And I know this room isn't super
Speaker 1: high and what Huntley is done, but I think Tyler
Speaker 1: Huntley gives them a chance to compete in this game
Speaker 1: in a way that Anthony Brown doesn't. I think there's
Speaker 1: a big drop from Tyler Huntley to Anthony Brown. And
Speaker 1: the reason I say that is because the Ravens with Huntley,
Speaker 1: I think have a chance to run the ball well
Speaker 1: they did in a week ago. They've shown some good
Speaker 1: running lately, slow the game down and let that defense
Speaker 1: give the Bengals problem. I think this is the best
Speaker 1: defense in the a f C. I think they gave
Speaker 1: Cincinnati all sorts of problems a week ago. I know
Speaker 1: that was a weird game, but they know this Cincinnati
Speaker 1: team and I think more than any team maybe in
Speaker 1: the NFL, they're built to stop this Cincinnati offense because
Speaker 1: they have versatile athletic players, big players in the secondary
Speaker 1: that can compete with these wide receivers on the outside.
Speaker 1: There's so deep at safety and cornerback Marcus Peters is
Speaker 1: gonna be back for this game that you can just
Speaker 1: throw numbers at the Marcus Williams, Kyle Hamilton's all these
Speaker 1: guys up at the line of scrimmage. We know they're
Speaker 1: good at the second level with their linebackers. And I
Speaker 1: did take something away from that game that they kind
Speaker 1: of handed it to Joe Burrow and the Bengals, not
Speaker 1: that they're gonna hand it to him this week, but
Speaker 1: that they can at least make it a game. I
Speaker 1: don't know if the Ravens offense can do anything, but
Speaker 1: I think the Bengals defense is a legit challenge for
Speaker 1: Joe Burrow. I'm with you when you look at the
Speaker 1: fact that the Bengals are right back where they were
Speaker 1: a year ago, where if you have no Lyle Collins
Speaker 1: at right tackle, Alex Kappa ankle injury out ruled out
Speaker 1: at right guards, so that right side of the line,
Speaker 1: whether you're Cincinnati and trying to establish a ground game,
Speaker 1: which has been an issue for them all your long,
Speaker 1: you're not gonna be so it's like you can you
Speaker 1: know you're gonna you're gonna put Burrow into obvious passing situations,
Speaker 1: which doesn't scare me. I think the Bengals take care
Speaker 1: of business here, but the Ravens in general, their defense
Speaker 1: is their way out of this thing. And I for
Speaker 1: for me, if you're the Ravens offense, you do get
Speaker 1: Mark Andrews back. Isaiah likely had a really good game
Speaker 1: last week. Maybe you gotta get find a way if
Speaker 1: you're passing game needs to funnel too those guys for
Speaker 1: the few throws you need to make their Gus Edwards
Speaker 1: practiced again today coming off of percussion. That would be
Speaker 1: big for them. Uh Dobbins has been really good for
Speaker 1: them that last week too. Yeah, I mean that's that's
Speaker 1: the thing. If you're going super banged up beyond the quarterback.
Speaker 1: I just don't like their chances because I don't imagine
Speaker 1: a scenario where as well as they played against Cincinnati
Speaker 1: that Burrow doesn't find a way. There's just some mental
Speaker 1: confidence about Burrow in this offense, which like, do you
Speaker 1: really picture them dropping a clunker in this one? I
Speaker 1: don't know. We're gonna say goodbye to the Ravens this
Speaker 1: weekend and it's gonna be a beautiful thing and they
Speaker 1: can figure out what's going on with their quarterback and
Speaker 1: their skill group and come back and be a different
Speaker 1: team next year. Um, I've said it, Greg, you know that.
Speaker 1: Like I agree that they have a very good defense,
Speaker 1: but they can't close the game to save their lives.
Speaker 1: That would. I'd be nervous about that. From the Baltimore
Speaker 1: the different defense since got there, and there's there is
Speaker 1: exception every possible Jaguars game they didn't close. That's fair.
Speaker 1: What about the Steelers game Sunday Football and close that
Speaker 1: one either. I think Roquan was prominently involved there. I'm
Speaker 1: just saying, like there's I could totally see neither offense
Speaker 1: to do something for totally see their defense. There have
Speaker 1: been games like that, notably like the Halloween night game
Speaker 1: against the Browns, a couple of games here where Burrow
Speaker 1: and the offense has just been a take off. That's
Speaker 1: the key here, that the Ravens can play their best
Speaker 1: defensive game and Cincinnati is a little out of sorts
Speaker 1: and maybe you get out to a lead and it
Speaker 1: becomes a different type of game. That said, I what
Speaker 1: what is so compelling and fun about these a f
Speaker 1: C playoffs to me is the Big three are all
Speaker 1: very worthy of winning a super Bowl this year. Um,
Speaker 1: you don't have to, you don't have to. Um, kind
Speaker 1: of look closely and try to make it happen. Like Cincinnati,
Speaker 1: Uh could have easily won the super Bowl last year.
Speaker 1: I think they're a better team this year. Buffalo is
Speaker 1: obviously a superpower that's ready to take that next step.
Speaker 1: Kansas City is Kansas City, the number one seed, fourteen wins,
Speaker 1: coming off obviously a terrible loss in the playoffs last year.
Speaker 1: They they want it worse than ever. Um, and I
Speaker 1: just don't see Cincinnati getting whacked here. And in fact,
Speaker 1: I think again another that that city, Cincinnati, with the
Speaker 1: terrible thing that happened with Tomorrow Hamlin that uh. Nick Westling,
Speaker 1: our friend who lives there, said that the whole region
Speaker 1: was so excited for that Bills Bengals game because they
Speaker 1: love the Cincinnati team and this feels like their year.
Speaker 1: That place is going to be going nuts on Sunday night,
Speaker 1: and I think the Bengals roll in this game. I
Speaker 1: think also it's whenever we talk about the Bengals, it's
Speaker 1: always their offense, their offense, their weapons. It's like their
Speaker 1: defense last January, it was the turnovers and the defense
Speaker 1: that kind of held them through some clunky offensive outings.
Speaker 1: And they've been second in takeaways per drive over the
Speaker 1: last month. And you've seen it because it wasn't just
Speaker 1: that Browns game, Like the Bengals offense has gone to
Speaker 1: for halves at a time and then that's the other half.
Speaker 1: They're fine. It's like, I, I don't know, if you
Speaker 1: just automatically get out of that against this defense, you
Speaker 1: just need to do it. They were kind of man
Speaker 1: handled a little bit. They've also won eight straight games.
Speaker 1: But when I went back to look at some other numbers,
Speaker 1: like looking at expected points at an e P a
Speaker 1: P play, like their offense was fourteen since Week eighteen,
Speaker 1: a week fourteen rather the Bengals, because they've had those
Speaker 1: stretches in the Patriots game to a lesser degree but
Speaker 1: a little bit. But in the Bucks game last week
Speaker 1: certainly wasn't a great game. I'm not that worried. I'm
Speaker 1: a little worried that Tee Higgins after everything that happened
Speaker 1: with him being involved in that play and having maybe
Speaker 1: the worst game of his career last week, just not
Speaker 1: fighting for the ball at the catch point, and was
Speaker 1: out of practice this week with illness. You just hope
Speaker 1: he's hed. You just hope he's in a good mental
Speaker 1: space because he kind of had a bit of a
Speaker 1: letdown game, which is understandable. I just love that there's
Speaker 1: genuine hatred between these teams. The Bengals defense after last
Speaker 1: week's game talked to the athletic and basically said they'll
Speaker 1: have something with this Ravens offense for the next week,
Speaker 1: because they all but said the Ravens offense is dirty,
Speaker 1: that they're doing stuff after the plays, that they didn't
Speaker 1: appreciate that they were talking and they were going to
Speaker 1: have something for him the next week. Tyler Boyd walked
Speaker 1: off the field to screaming and yelling like they didn't
Speaker 1: give anything to us. We took it. We took it,
Speaker 1: and I just like it. It's it's a vision matchup
Speaker 1: where the two sides legitimately do not like each other.
Speaker 1: But for that reason, I think actually it's a very
Speaker 1: challenging game for the Bengals, just especially their offense. I
Speaker 1: think I think it'll be a little tighter if Tyler,
Speaker 1: I just think a division game where this opponent knows
Speaker 1: you well, third time playing up two weeks, I got it.
Speaker 1: I see that. Speaking Nick Wesley, Gentleman Dorey goes, it's
Speaker 1: finally playoff time. It's not gonna be much of a
Speaker 1: secret who we take here, So I'm gonna get a
Speaker 1: little breakdown. The Ravens offense can't move the ball consistently. Consistently,
Speaker 1: They have no firepower. They have an All year, with
Speaker 1: or without Lamar Jackson, they haven't been good. They just
Speaker 1: hope the other team makes a mistake or two and
Speaker 1: they can take advantage. That's how they've won all their games.
Speaker 1: On the other side of the ball, the Angles offensive
Speaker 1: line pretty banged up. No Kappa O'Collins been by far
Speaker 1: the two best offensive lineman all year, so there is
Speaker 1: that concern. However, the skill positions are healthy. Joe Burrows
Speaker 1: healthy or break. He's gonna find someone open on every play.
Speaker 1: The Bengals start another Super Bowl run, Joe Burrows starts
Speaker 1: a Super Bowl m VP run, and the Ravens season
Speaker 1: you guessed it will be nevermore. Oh ref um, what
Speaker 1: a showman that is a showman and remember listen to
Speaker 1: the Zoo Cincinnati Zoo ladies and gentlemen, Joe Burrow said,
Speaker 1: And I'll end with a two quarterback notes here, as
Speaker 1: Joe Burrow said, my whole career is our super Bowl window.
Speaker 1: You think that dude's going out one and done out?
Speaker 1: Hell no, number two, Greggy. It could be, and I
Speaker 1: hope it is the signature storyline of the upcoming off season.
Speaker 1: Give me a percent percentage chance. Lamar Jackson has already
Speaker 1: played his final game as a Raven ten ten. You
Speaker 1: can franchise him, how about you. Yeah, but if he
Speaker 1: tells you I ain't playing, I ain't signing a new
Speaker 1: deal with you, they might be compelled to franchise him
Speaker 1: and then make a trade that shocks the LEADU. I
Speaker 1: think it's a fair question. I think what's going on
Speaker 1: here it's not if I believe he's banged up not
Speaker 1: ready to play, but it's been so mysterious and so strange.
Speaker 1: There's been sort of like a lack of communication what's
Speaker 1: going on. Even when Harbaugh speaks, I would put it
Speaker 1: at eighteen eighteen eighteen, I'll go that's still low for
Speaker 1: both fifteen. Well, I'm not saying I think it's gonna happen.
Speaker 1: It's just given. And part of this is he represents himself,
Speaker 1: so there's no agent leaks or anything coming from his end.
Speaker 1: I think that's a big part of it. And maybe
Speaker 1: a lack of communication in general. Right, um, there isn't
Speaker 1: There is a chance that we don't know how bad
Speaker 1: it is. And this this injury, which certainly started as
Speaker 1: a real injury. We don't know where he's at physically now,
Speaker 1: but he's obviously hasn't practiced in almost six weeks. He
Speaker 1: might be just done with the Ravens and he lets
Speaker 1: them know that, and he doesn't have anybody else telling
Speaker 1: them to rethink that, and maybe something huge happens here. Interesting.
Speaker 1: Can I say one thing, Like the only thing I
Speaker 1: find weird about that is like the Ravens are the
Speaker 1: one team that from the word go embraced him in
Speaker 1: every possible way. They were so open to make it money.
Speaker 1: But I think they want to. But I right, I
Speaker 1: I think I think he's had a great relationship with him.
Speaker 1: I really think it's all about Deshaun Watson. Like it's
Speaker 1: about Deshaun Watson got a fully guaranteed contract for two
Speaker 1: hundred x amount of million dollars in Lamar Jackson understandably
Speaker 1: is saying, I'm not taking anything less than that, and
Speaker 1: he can find a team that until until I get
Speaker 1: a fully guaranteed contract. I'm better than that, man. I
Speaker 1: am a pillar of this Baltimore community. I'm not taking
Speaker 1: anything less than that. And he doesn't have an agent
Speaker 1: there that can say, like, I get it. But that
Speaker 1: might not happen with the Ravens and I and the
Speaker 1: Ravens might not give him that contract because a lot
Speaker 1: of NFL teams don't want to go down the road
Speaker 1: that the Browns did for anyone. Um, and it's a
Speaker 1: tough agree with that. Hey, Woody Johnson, you sell a
Speaker 1: lot of cute tips. Get at that check book because
Speaker 1: ears ain't going nowhere. Oh man, we'll be right back,
Speaker 1: all right, Welcome back, all right. Super wild Card Weekend
Speaker 1: preview ends Monday Night Football. Joe Buck Troy Aigman on
Speaker 1: the call. Here's the bone, guys, it's been a tough year.
Speaker 1: On Monday Night, Uh, Cowboys at Bucks and Mark another
Speaker 1: game where I feel it's got to be close, because
Speaker 1: I don't think even at the Cowboys, who are not
Speaker 1: playing very well right now, Um, don't play at a
Speaker 1: high level in this game. I don't think the Bucks
Speaker 1: are explosive enough to run away and hide on him. Um.
Speaker 1: I guess it could go the other way, where the
Speaker 1: good Cowboys show up, But you know what, Marky, I
Speaker 1: don't think that team showing up. I don't feel good
Speaker 1: about Dallas right now. They have I mean, they're closed
Speaker 1: to the season has been about as inglorious as you
Speaker 1: can as you can imagine, Like the Washington loss was
Speaker 1: a mess. And it's not just the Dak Prescott interceptions.
Speaker 1: I got a bunch of them aren't on him, but
Speaker 1: a bunch are. He just flat up played terribly against Washington,
Speaker 1: and I just don't like the floor there because how
Speaker 1: there's no guarantee that just doesn't happen again at some
Speaker 1: point the Bucks, Um. I thought the best game they
Speaker 1: played all season probably was way back in Week one
Speaker 1: when they put a nineteen to three stamp on Dallas.
Speaker 1: Doc went out with the injury, but they Cowboys had
Speaker 1: nothing going on. It is so long ago and it's
Speaker 1: another univorse, but it's like this Bucks team the thing.
Speaker 1: I I also don't trust the Bucks much because they
Speaker 1: were explosive and the Brady Mike Evans connection came fully
Speaker 1: to life, and it was like, this is what you
Speaker 1: were waiting for against the Panthers. I don't care about
Speaker 1: last week Brady got pulled. They weren't doing much, But
Speaker 1: is is there any chance you get that against the
Speaker 1: Dallas defense? It isn't is a tick or two below
Speaker 1: where they were, no doubt about it. I mean Dallas
Speaker 1: to me, I think has more pressure on them because
Speaker 1: if I look at this Bucks team all year long,
Speaker 1: They've been frustrated all year long, They've been a mess
Speaker 1: on offense. And what they have done though, d NA wise,
Speaker 1: with Tom Brady at quarterback, is in that fourth quarter
Speaker 1: in the last five six minutes, found their way out
Speaker 1: of jams. It's like, we get we're not flying, we
Speaker 1: get we're not great. But the pressure isn't really on
Speaker 1: them in this situation because I've done that over and over.
Speaker 1: It's a couple of years ago, a different And if
Speaker 1: you're Dallas and you're in that situation where it's tight
Speaker 1: at the end and everyone's like Dak Prescott's not had
Speaker 1: a great game and the run games continues to be
Speaker 1: a little bit sluggish, and the defense has to deal
Speaker 1: with Tom Brady, which team do you trust to kind
Speaker 1: of cave in and think, like Mike McCarthy's already said
Speaker 1: this week, like, yeah, we talked about last last season's playoffs.
Speaker 1: We're not owned, we're not living in it all the time,
Speaker 1: but we talked about it. It's like there's something about
Speaker 1: the Cowboys or on everything about it where it's like
Speaker 1: if they're in this thing late. I don't know Tom
Speaker 1: Brady and Tampa, but I've already said I think they're
Speaker 1: gonna win the game in Tampa Bay. But it's like
Speaker 1: I think Dallas isn't a strange spot on record that
Speaker 1: like maybe seventy seven times. I'm trying to make sure
Speaker 1: it gets on the show. But I mean, wait that
Speaker 1: the Bucks would win this game. The Bucks will win
Speaker 1: this game, Okay, absolutely, Yeah, I almost locked it up.
Speaker 1: But it's like I'm gonna and I was driving here
Speaker 1: and I said to myself, like, I will bet myself
Speaker 1: a hundred dollars that be in a situation where I'm
Speaker 1: getting pressure from Greg to lock it up for the
Speaker 1: exact words he said, And then Dan comes in. It's
Speaker 1: like I'm not doing it. I'm sticking you brought it,
Speaker 1: it would occurred to me. Let's just before it became
Speaker 1: a thing and absolutely, but let's just think about it.
Speaker 1: You have been saying this is gonna be happening with
Speaker 1: this bad NFC style team will win a playoff game
Speaker 1: for months and months. What a way to underline it?
Speaker 1: Put some highlighter over it and a few slammers? Yeah,
Speaker 1: I would be away. Wow, what a that's that's the
Speaker 1: ultimate show in a a parallel universe? Would if you were
Speaker 1: truly confident instead of just saying, this is the kind
Speaker 1: of thing where I, just like Greg could talk for
Speaker 1: six straight minutes, which will happen at some point and
Speaker 1: I'm not listening to a word of it. Tom Brady
Speaker 1: seven and over is the Cowboys in his career. How
Speaker 1: about that? Is that enough to get the lock? That
Speaker 1: kind of stuff I don't care about at all is
Speaker 1: compiled stats against the Cowboy It is crazy to think,
Speaker 1: like Week one feels so longer. How about that Week
Speaker 1: one game when they were defending the title and back
Speaker 1: and Tom Brady are going back and forth and we're
Speaker 1: over at manner for that game? This matchup, right, it
Speaker 1: is the Cowboys are a better team. I I struggled
Speaker 1: to pick this game because of everything you said. I
Speaker 1: do trust the Bucks more in a big situation. Uh,
Speaker 1: they in a fourth quarter in a like they have
Speaker 1: the championship medal. Mike McCarthy and maybe Tide Bowls are
Speaker 1: maybe coaching for their jobs, which is crazy for a
Speaker 1: playoff game. I feel like that's possible, Like the loser
Speaker 1: of this game, the team could get blown up before
Speaker 1: the divisional round. Yeah, but I mean, it's it's just weird.
Speaker 1: It's I don't, I don't. I hope not. I don't
Speaker 1: think so. But I just think you might be losing.
Speaker 1: You might be losing Tom Brady, you might just who
Speaker 1: knows what's gonna happen here. The Cowboys, though, are just
Speaker 1: like a better team and and you They could attack
Speaker 1: the cornerback situation for the Cowboys, which they've sprung leaks lately,
Speaker 1: Like they lost Anthony Brown, which you wouldn't have thought
Speaker 1: would have been such a big deal. But their backups
Speaker 1: that have come in have just not played well well,
Speaker 1: whether it's like Nasan Right or Trayvon Mullin. They got
Speaker 1: off the waiver wire, like you can. You can attack
Speaker 1: those guys, but they have better players like at their best,
Speaker 1: the Cowboys have been a top five offense and the
Speaker 1: top five defense. They probably don't need both to show up,
Speaker 1: just one of them as to show it up, because
Speaker 1: even that Panthers game didn't tell me anything new about
Speaker 1: the Buccaneers. I don't even think they played a particularly
Speaker 1: good game. That they just had Mike Evans get open
Speaker 1: deep like three times, and most of the rest of
Speaker 1: the game they were in quicksand like they always are.
Speaker 1: They're a consistent team. They're like a nine and eight
Speaker 1: not very good. And and the Cowboys have a way
Speaker 1: higher ceiling. We just haven't seen them up there, uh
Speaker 1: in a while now. And that and that's the story
Speaker 1: with with this game, and um, I'm looking forward to it.
Speaker 1: I'm We've talked about Michael Parsons and uh there was
Speaker 1: some some of that LT hype going on around him.
Speaker 1: Why don't why doesn't he pull up a chair, get
Speaker 1: his knife and fork out, put the bibb in and
Speaker 1: eat up thet year old smith. Go get him he
Speaker 1: did in week one. Go go take this game over
Speaker 1: and make plays Parsons that wins the game for your team,
Speaker 1: Like they had thirty three takeaways this year, most in
Speaker 1: the league. Let's let's do it. If your offense is
Speaker 1: kind of at a sink, if Doc isn't quite cutting
Speaker 1: the mustard right now, Monday Night football, go beat this
Speaker 1: stagnant Tampa Bay offense, beat him up and and set
Speaker 1: your offense up better. And that's why I picked the
Speaker 1: Bucks uh to get beat in this game, because I
Speaker 1: don't think that they have enough firepower barring yeah, and
Speaker 1: you said, like, you know, they have obviously that that
Speaker 1: big game with Mike Evans, But if you can neutralize that,
Speaker 1: it's like with the Chargers taking Mike Williams out of
Speaker 1: the mix, who's gonna step up and make big plays?
Speaker 1: I like the Cowboys nineteen the big play thing because
Speaker 1: it's like, so the Brady Evans connection this season has
Speaker 1: worked about eleven percent of the time. And that's great
Speaker 1: that it happened against a Carolina defensive can handle him
Speaker 1: from a cornerback scenario. But that doesn't tell me that
Speaker 1: they've figured it out in that situation at all. They
Speaker 1: haven't figured it out. Now, if I'm a Bucks fan,
Speaker 1: I'm almost a little worried that they're gonna run the
Speaker 1: ball too much on early down to get back to
Speaker 1: that because the Cowboys are so vulnerable against the run
Speaker 1: and their defensive tackles haven't been good lately, so they're
Speaker 1: gonna maybe try to stay bounce. I'm I do think
Speaker 1: they'll attack Brady though Dan Quinn is a creative defensive coordinator.
Speaker 1: That's been what's been different about this team. You mentioned
Speaker 1: on our last show how that the the announcers are
Speaker 1: really fixated with dnps like blitzing Brady up the middle
Speaker 1: and everything. Last well, just that they had this relationship.
Speaker 1: These two know each other. You know what it worked
Speaker 1: like that is that's the only recipe against Tom Brady
Speaker 1: is to change your look, snap to snap, drive to drive,
Speaker 1: keep varying it. Certainly, send pressure up the middle, never
Speaker 1: get let him feel comfortable, and letting him know what
Speaker 1: he's gonna see. And I think the Cowboys defense could
Speaker 1: do that. I'm not sure about this Cowboys offense though,
Speaker 1: I'm not sure we uh shall. By the way, the
Speaker 1: there is a remarkable amount of pressure on Mike McCarthy
Speaker 1: to get out of the first round of the playoffs.
Speaker 1: You've talked about that. The Panther is a requested permission
Speaker 1: to talk with Kellen Moore. There o C. The Broncos
Speaker 1: have requested permission to talk to their d C Dan
Speaker 1: Quinn and uh, it's a huge, huge, huge game for
Speaker 1: the Dallas Cowboys organizationally, Uh, gotta beat this. Terry Jones
Speaker 1: all but said, they've got to win the games in
Speaker 1: the playoffs. And you can't get beat by the eight.
Speaker 1: And I know it's the Tom Brady Bucks, but it's
Speaker 1: an eight and nine team. You've had a big year
Speaker 1: for the most part, you got at least get back
Speaker 1: to divisional playoffs. I would say that the like the
Speaker 1: Cowboys playoff loss a year ago is more fresh in
Speaker 1: their minds than even the Bengal Super Bowl losses in
Speaker 1: Cincinnati's that may sound sturg just like it seems hangs
Speaker 1: in the atmosphere in Dallas. And Mike McCarthy, if you
Speaker 1: lose this, like everything could suddenly flitter away. You've got
Speaker 1: what a great caper to the to the weekend. One
Speaker 1: last thing I just went which is just I find
Speaker 1: it very strange that a future Hall of Fame left tackle,
Speaker 1: Tyrann Smith, he's out there playing at right tackle. That
Speaker 1: Tyler Smith, their rookie first round pick, who played well
Speaker 1: at left tackle all season, is now at left guard
Speaker 1: and that forty or forty one year old Jason Peters
Speaker 1: is over at left tackle. I feel like this has
Speaker 1: been an underrated, strange thing to happen in the last
Speaker 1: three weeks of the season. I don't understand, and I
Speaker 1: think there'll be a lot of talk about it. If
Speaker 1: this game doesn't. I would say it's probably because Peters
Speaker 1: at this stage in his career that they need to
Speaker 1: put him in the best position to succeed, and they
Speaker 1: feel probably can handle the right side, and he has
Speaker 1: yet point The Cowboys have been one of the worst
Speaker 1: teams running on early downs, which is not the case
Speaker 1: before that line combination changed problem players. Don't give me
Speaker 1: any zeke in this game. He looks like he's running
Speaker 1: out of gas. He started this season. Well, give me
Speaker 1: twenty five touches at Tony Pollard. We don't need the
Speaker 1: zeke alright, And Jason Peters, by the way, is forty
Speaker 1: years old. That's that's quite a roll of the dice
Speaker 1: for your blind side, for your quarterback that you know
Speaker 1: has been in a turnover machine this season. I'll just
Speaker 1: say this where nobody's on ther dog, Yeah, stop it, yeah, Zaddy,
Speaker 1: you know I'm a Fani. You know. I love your
Speaker 1: big Zaddi energy, but you gotta have that team ready,
Speaker 1: I gotta win. If you wanted to going around calling
Speaker 1: yourself as Zaddie or being called Zaddy by the other
Speaker 1: would not be big Zaddy, so called Zaddie. Everyone's so
Speaker 1: everyone who's labeling themselves as Daddie needs to like, are
Speaker 1: there guys out there labeling themselves? Sure? I would imagine
Speaker 1: in our society right now? Do you labels? No? I
Speaker 1: don't see him as a Zaddi on any level. I
Speaker 1: think he's talking about you that Have I called myself
Speaker 1: as Addie? Probably have at some point. Yeah, absolutely, Let
Speaker 1: others decide when it comes I don't. I'm not saying
Speaker 1: that I would deny that you are according to some stipulations.
Speaker 1: But I think when you picked Mike McCarthy's daddy, you
Speaker 1: you found a parallels Zaddi energy to yourself. That's what
Speaker 1: you're seeing. I don't think Greg, and I don't see
Speaker 1: Mike McCarthy as a Zaddie. That's fine, and I have
Speaker 1: more power to you. I do think you You've given
Speaker 1: that a lot of thought, it seems, and I that
Speaker 1: kind of does it for me. I mentioned it before
Speaker 1: that I just I don't I'm mystified that Mike McCarthy
Speaker 1: is rolling. If he's a saddie, I don't know. Who
Speaker 1: isn't it, who is not an I didn't realize that
Speaker 1: that's it. Yes, we are on television NFL network. Check
Speaker 1: it out YouTube YouTube of course, Fast NFL dot com,
Speaker 1: Slash NFL channel beautiful. All right, we'll see a Sunday
Speaker 1: night flagship recap. He's the call