Aaron Torres & Jason Martin Break Down the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs, Preview the CFB National Championship & More!

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
You're listening to Fox Sports Really Radio.

Speaker 2 (00:04):
Welcome in everybody, Fox Sports Radio, Fox Football Saturday Er Tords.

Speaker 3 (00:10):
Jason Martin broadcasting live.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Yes, we are live eleven oh one Eastern Time from
the Fox Sports Radio studios.

Speaker 3 (00:18):
Two NFL playoff games.

Speaker 2 (00:20):
One is essentially in the books, jaymar a lot to
take out of Denver Buffalo.

Speaker 3 (00:28):
Don't really know.

Speaker 2 (00:29):
How much we're gonna be talking about breaking down third
and seven in the second quarter of Seahawks forty nine
ers as de Sega just told you about. Midway through
the fourth quarter, forty one to six, Seattle leads. Seattle
returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown. It has not
slowed down since then. Jason Martin, hope you're well plenty

(00:53):
to talk about. As I said, don't think we're gonna
be really breaking down very much of Seattle San Francisco.

Speaker 4 (00:58):
Here, Seahawks look awesome pretty much like you said, from
the kickoff return. And finally, all these injuries and all
this like sorcery that Kyle Shanahan has been pulling out,
it just ran out like they just they're just not
as good. They don't have the players, and not to
mention they're on the road, and once the momentum got going,

(01:21):
you looked up it was seventeen to nothing. And then
when they got that extra touchdown there right before the
end of the half made it twenty four to six,
it felt like it was over, and indeed it was.
And that's pretty much that's my thoughts on that game.
That's pretty much it. Seahawks have looked dominant. They look
like the number one.

Speaker 2 (01:38):
Seed really quickly. I have a couple tiny more thoughts
before we get to what was both a thriller and
frankly a disappointing result for both Denver and Buffalo. With
how it resulted with Denver and Buffalo real quick, Sam Darnold,
does he does?

Speaker 3 (01:56):
Does he really have an oblique injury?

Speaker 4 (01:58):
Twelve?

Speaker 1 (01:58):
Dude?

Speaker 4 (01:59):
Like I did want to make that matter go ahead.
I saw a whole lot of article Is he gonna play?
Is he gonna of course he's gonna play unless he
doesn't have legs? Like I didn't buy that for a second,
not that he wasn't hurt, but this idea that it
was questionable if he was gonna play. Are we serious
about this? And then the talk was, well, I mean,
Drew lock will be backing them up. Well, guess what
Drew lock is playing in the game, because it's a

(02:22):
thirty five point blowout and Donald is now on the
sidelines twelve to seventeen in the game, and every pass
that I saw him throw looked like Sam Darnald to me,
like it generally seemed like it wasn't bothering him all
that much. I'm not saying that they lied. I'm saying
that the media blew this thing way out of proportion
in my opinion.

Speaker 2 (02:39):
Yeah, forty one to six, Sam Narnald twelve of seventeen
passing one hundred and twenty four yards, one touchdown. If
there is a major injury, it was not exposed. Tonight,
Seattle will be hosting the NFC Championship game.

Speaker 3 (02:52):
Again.

Speaker 2 (02:52):
For those of you just joining us, six point fifty
left Seattle up forty one to six. I can't believe
these two teams played literally two weeks ago today and
it was a back and forth game that could have
gone either way. Admittedly it was in San Francisco, but
Seattle gets the win. They will be hosting the winner
of the Rams Bears game. That is the second game
on Sunday. First game on Sunday Patriots and the Houston Texans.

(03:18):
The winner there will be headed to Denver. Denver gets
the thirty three to thirty victory over Buffalo. Now, Marnon
Monci de Sager, they've been on since the end of
that game. They got you all the details. It's worth
noting bo Knicks is out for the playoffs. We'll probably
talk about that maybe next segment. But I do think

(03:41):
I want to start with not quite the way this
game ended, but sort of the way this game ended.
In overtime, Buffalo gets the stop to open overtime. First
possession on offense for Buffalo, Josh Allen deep pass to
Brandon Cooks. He catches, it comes down with it. It

(04:03):
is cold an interception on the field. The refs don't
even bother to go to review. Now, admittedly, you know
once the play is fully fully fully over, the defensive
back does have the ball, but it felt like it
could go. I actually, j Mart, we have two really
good pieces of sound from Sean McDermott. But before we

(04:26):
get to them, listen, Buffalo had five turnovers, including that
one in overtime. It's not the sole reason that they lost.
But first of all, am I even framing this correctly
deep past two Brandon Cooks catch comes down, ball ripped
out after he hits the ground. We'll get to the

(04:47):
Sean McDermott sound in half a second. But am I
setting this upright? Am I over selling it? Did it
look like a catch to you? Did it look like
a clean interception to you? I want to be fair
to the Broncos fans listening, But what was your takeaway
before we hear from Sean McDermott.

Speaker 4 (05:00):
So I wasn't sure in the moment. Now you know
where my allegiances lie as a fan.

Speaker 3 (05:06):
You're a I want to set that up.

Speaker 2 (05:08):
You're a Broncos fan, so I but I think you'll
be fair one way or the other.

Speaker 3 (05:12):
So go ahead.

Speaker 4 (05:13):
I thought it was a catch when I saw the
first replay. I heard Gene Stertor on the CBS broadcast say,
I don't know that he had possession fully in his
hands before he hit the ground, so that the ball
was jostling enough that the simultaneous possession came into effect
and the dB was able to rip it away. I

(05:36):
still felt afterwards. It's not that I felt like there
was robbery, but I definitely felt cloudy about it. Like,
I wasn't sure and I felt like whatever had been
called on the field would have stood, because I didn't
know that there was evidence enough to overturn. But I
am surprised that they didn't go to review, they didn't

(05:57):
replay it a little bit more because it was a
huge play in the game, obviously, Ja.

Speaker 2 (06:01):
Mart, I'll tell you what. You were confused as to
why they didn't go to replay. So was Sean McDermott.
Here was Sean McDermott, Buffalo Bill's coach after the game
about this very controversial play in overtime ruled an interception
on the field, and they did not go to replay.

Speaker 5 (06:17):
I called a time out to try and slow it down.

Speaker 6 (06:19):
It would just it would seem logical to me, the
head official would walk over and want to go and
take a look at it, just to make sure that
everybody from here who is in the stadium to there
are on the same page.

Speaker 4 (06:31):
That's too big.

Speaker 6 (06:32):
Of a play, in a play that decided the game
potentially as well to not even.

Speaker 4 (06:39):
Slow it down.

Speaker 5 (06:40):
And I've had a chance to look at it's hard.

Speaker 6 (06:41):
For me to understand why it was ruled the way
it was ruled, and if it is ruled that way,
then why wasn't it slowed down just to make sure
that we have this right?

Speaker 5 (06:51):
That would have made a lot of sense to me.
So I'll just leave it at that.

Speaker 2 (06:54):
Sean McDermott had a little bit more to say. Here
was the second part of this.

Speaker 6 (06:58):
Sound I'm saying because I'm standing up for Buffalo, damn it.
I'm standing up for us because what went on is
not that is not how it should go down. In
my estimation, that plays these guys spend three hours out
there playing football, pouring their guts out to not even say, hey,
let's just slow this thing down.

Speaker 5 (07:17):
That's where That's why I'm bothering.

Speaker 2 (07:19):
Sean McDermott after the game. You know, J Mart, I
think what you said. Okay, so two things can be true.
I think what you said is accurate. I think whatever
was called on the field, there wasn't enough to turn
it over turn it either way. Where I am at though,
is it is twenty twenty six.

Speaker 3 (07:39):
How do we not know what it can?

Speaker 1 (07:40):
Well?

Speaker 3 (07:41):
How do we not know what a catches?

Speaker 1 (07:42):
And?

Speaker 2 (07:42):
J Mart, listen, all I'm saying is is that first
of all, bills continued just get royally screwed. There's there's
gonna be a second time in about five years that
you know we might have to revisit a role in
the offseason because of a way that Buffalo lost in
the playoffs. My thing is this, though, I mean, listen,
we all from the time you started playing in the

(08:03):
backyard with your neighbors through the NFL. If you catch it,
if you come down with the ball, I don't know
how it isn't a catch. And then listen to Sean
Mcdermot's a larger point. How do you in the biggest
game of the year, the biggest game of the year
playoffs over time, you don't even go to review. Now,

(08:28):
I'll say this to your point, I think because of
the way the rule is written, I don't know if
you go to review if that play gets overturned. But
I guess just what I'm saying is this is that Look,
we've talked about catch versus non catch for fifteen years
now whatever I mean, dating back to Dez Bryant, dating
back to whatever, and it's like, I don't know, man,

(08:49):
Like you have the ball in your hands, your knee
hits the ground, and then the ball gets taken out
and I actually saw some people arguing this on social media,
and I have heard any Brandy Cook sound yet, so
I don't know if it's necessarily the case. But I
saw some people saying, well, he let up and he
let go the ball because he just assumed it was
a catch.

Speaker 4 (09:10):
So I didn't see that. I'll need to see that again.
I would disagree with that based on what I've seen so.

Speaker 3 (09:17):
Far, but broader point.

Speaker 4 (09:20):
But more to the point though, I agree, and I
listening to Sean mcdartott, I agree with his analogy, and
I actually believed when he called the time out that
they were assuredly going to go look at it, because
I understood why he called the time out. I was
actually stunned that they did not do it. But I
shouldn't have been, because you know what, I hate to

(09:40):
do this kind of But Carl Cheffer's crew is not good. Wow,
And they haven't been good for a very long time now.
I don't know if it's the exact same crew he's
had year after year, but for some reason Carl Cheffer's
whatever crew he's with, there's some sketchy stuff that goes on.
They are way too prevalent in a lot of the
the games. Carl Jeffers is definitely an official who likes

(10:03):
to be a star. He's definitely somebody that you hear
a lot from when his guys are out there. And
what was this game? In the end, it was back
to back DPI calls. After that interception call, it leaves
a sour taste in your mouth. And I understand why
Bill's fans would be frustrated by it. I understand why

(10:25):
Josh Allen would be frustrated by it. I understand why
Sean McDermott would be frustrated by it. I will say this,
and I know no one is going to disagree. The
officials did not cause Josh Allen to fumble the football
at the end of the first half, or throw the
first interception, or cause James Cook to fumble the football.
They turned the ball over five times in the game.

(10:46):
You want to take the other one out, maybe it's
four if you don't want to call that last one
an interception. Of course, that's what it was on the field.
Josh Allen was in tears after the game, saying he
felt like he let his team down. He let his
guys down. Everybody was talking about how this was the
legacy game. This is the one where he becomes one
of the greatest to ever play, and we're hearing all

(11:06):
this other stuff and let's just be real about it.
He wasn't great for much of that game. He definitely
left some plays out there. He overthrew a couple of
receivers and then he you know, skipped the rock across
the lake trying to get it to Dawson Knox. And
that's a play that he's going to want to have back,
similar to the one at the end of the game

(11:26):
a few weeks ago in the regular season where he
missed the two point conversion. They end up losing that game.
So the Bills did enough to allow the referees to
take the game for them from them, if you want
to say that the referees took the game from them,
if you want to argue that on behalf of the Bills,
the Bills did enough to put themselves in a position
where that could happen. And of course, you know, little

(11:48):
Jordan Humphrey dropped a wide open touchdown on a dime
from bow Nicks in the first quarter that cost them
a touchdown. They end up with a field goal there
who knows what happens if he makes that catch, But
those are the things that happened in sports back and forth.
The biggest issue, though, is you hate that this thing
is going to be talked about more for how it
ended than just this war that we got to watch,

(12:11):
which was just a great football game between two hard
nosed opponents that were given it all they had.

Speaker 2 (12:17):
Well, I'll tell you what, it was a great game
between two hard nose opponents. The Broncos advance will come
back because there is some interesting Josh Allen sound. He
kind of speaks to what you said, Jay mart. We
got to talk about that, We got to talk about
Sean McDermott's future, We got to talk about the Broncos
future because, as Diseger told us to lead to show
Bo Nicks an ankle injury that will lead to surgery,

(12:41):
a broken bone in his ankle. He is out for
the year. So we're going to come back discuss all that.
For those of you who are still waiting breathlessly, by
the way for the Seattle San Francisco update, under thirty
seconds to go, coaches are officially shaking hands at midfield.
Seattle forty one, San franc six The Seattle Seahawks will

(13:02):
host next week's NFC Championship Game, facing the winner of
Rams Bears, which of course is Sunday. Bronco's hosting the
AFC Championship Game. But how do they do it without
Bo Nicks? And more importantly, how much of Saturday's Lost
by Buffalo is on? Josh Allen. That's all coming up next.
We're on till two am Eastern and we will be

(13:24):
jam packed wall to wall until then. Ra Torres, Jason
Martin Fox Sports Radio.

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Speaker 2 (14:12):
Welcome back everybody, Fox Sports Saturday Air Torris Jason Martin
broadcasting live from the Fox Sports Radio Studios, Hey. For
the best pregame show every weekend, be sure to tune
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(14:34):
For all the best plays and up to the second
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Radio and the iHeartRadio app. The two games tomorrow on Sunday,
of course, Houston at New England three pm Eastern and
then the six thirty Eastern Star Time at Soldier Field

(14:55):
Rams and Chicago Bears should be two fun ones after
certainly an interesting day of football here for people just
joining us the game in Seattle's final Seattle forty one,
San Francisco six, we're actually I had Lee in the
back monitoring for sound. I need some details on what
the heck happened with Sam Donald, because.

Speaker 4 (15:17):
So well, First off, I got to ask you a question.

Speaker 3 (15:19):
Ask me a question.

Speaker 4 (15:19):
If you're the Jets or a Jets fan. You saw
Geno Smith, you know, basically come back from the dead
like the Undertaker in Seattle and win games. And then
Sam Donald, who was just bust material left and right,
is going to be at home for the NFC Championship

(15:42):
game and has played great football much of the year
and seems to be confident, has his swagger back. Everybody
is playing hard for him. At some point, do you
just think it's it's just you, Like, if you're the Jets,
does it matter who you draft?

Speaker 2 (16:02):
So it's very interesting you asked that because one I
personally think that if you're a Jets fan, you just
have to acknowledge, you know, I say this all the time,
is that at a certain point, it can't be all
the coaches.

Speaker 3 (16:16):
It can't be you know.

Speaker 2 (16:16):
By the way Robert Sawa, I know it didn't go
well tonight, but kind of proved he knows what he's
doing calling the defenses this year. You know, you go
on and on down the list, et cetera. But what
I will say, that's my personal opinion. But we have
a Jets fan producing us tonight. So Ian Roddy. I'll
just let you answer that. I know how I feel,
but I'll just let you answer that question. Yeah, you

(16:38):
nailed at jamrd It's it's pretty hopeless man.

Speaker 9 (16:40):
But but I I will say, Sam Darnold has been
to multiple stops since the Jet part.

Speaker 3 (16:46):
Yeah, so I think.

Speaker 9 (16:47):
And it's not just you, Like there's plenty of people
in national media taking shots of the Jets because of this,
like how do you let this guy out the door?
But but he was bad with the Panthers, he.

Speaker 3 (16:56):
Say, real quick up on the Niners.

Speaker 2 (16:57):
This does not happen if he stays like it's not
like that, if he recited the Jets.

Speaker 4 (17:02):
That's part of the hopelessness. That's the whole point.

Speaker 8 (17:03):
Though.

Speaker 4 (17:04):
It's not that it's not how did you let this
guy go? It's why does everybody suck? Right?

Speaker 9 (17:09):
They just get Aaron Rodgers all time, worse year playing
with the Jets. Like it's just no matter who you get.

Speaker 4 (17:15):
I mean, Justin Fields was never going to light the
world on fire, but this year, like ownership was burying
him publicly, Like how being a quarterback in New York
has to be the worst job in America?

Speaker 2 (17:29):
Well, really quick let's this isn't a topic that I
thought we were going to get to. But do we
think Dante Moore came back specifically because he doesn't want
to be a Jet? So for people who don't know
what I'm talking about, Dante Moore, quarterback at Oregon, decides
this week to announce that he is coming back for
another year. And I know, like Todd McShay was the
one that really pushed the narrative of don't come out

(17:50):
because you're going to be a Jet. The Jets of
course have the second overall.

Speaker 4 (17:54):
Pick, which it might be a Jet next year too.

Speaker 2 (17:56):
Well, that's why I ask, do you think do you
think that do you think he just was like I
need it another year, or do you think it's like
I may need another year, but I also just don't
want to go to the franchise where quarterbacks go to die.

Speaker 4 (18:07):
I mean, personally, I think it's the former. I think
he does need more season. I think he actually got
good advice. I think that it's not gonna hurt him
to come back. Guess what, this year's quarterback class is
not very deep. You know what next year's quarterback class
is not very deep.

Speaker 2 (18:23):
I was gonna say it ever gonna be okay, Yeah,
everyone's gonna tell us it's gonna be great, and then
the season.

Speaker 4 (18:27):
It's not just like this year. Yeah, yeah, it's just
it's not. I mean Mendoza, I think Mendoza. I can't
wait to see what he looks like in the pros.
But I mean you had what Simpson now potentially being
the second pick. He's not ready like that. That right
there tells you the problem. Even if that's being argued,
which I saw it argued, just you know yesterday and today,

(18:48):
there's not a whole lot of depth at that position.
There's not a whole lot of future stars, I don't
think at the quarterback position. So either you go cash
in now because you're Dante more in a week class,
or you go back to try and get better, not
just to potentially be the number one next year, but
most importantly just to get better as a football player,
so you have a better chance of success. But I

(19:11):
will say this, I would put it past no one
to choose anything other than the Jets as a potential employer.
If you're a.

Speaker 2 (19:22):
Quarterback, Yeah, do you have anything to addie? And you
know we got other stuff that I think that Jane
Martin nailed it.

Speaker 9 (19:28):
But yeah, I mean I think I don't think it
was the reason he decided to go back to school,
but I think it at least had to play some
role in it. Like if it was I don't know,
like the Steelers or something like if it was the
Steelers picking the second overall, I think that would have
pushed him a little more towards the NFL. Even if
it wasn't just because it's the Jets, I'm not gonna go, Yeah,
that's I was gonna say. If it was some weird

(19:50):
year where there was like a half decent team that
just happened to need a quarterback, I could see the scenario.
But playing for the Jets certainly didn't help. Alrightyan, you
can wallow in your misery while you get back to
the Jets. AFC East can't call him a rival because
they're not really rivals. But Buffalo Bills. So Buffalo Bills
we talked in the first segment. They lose thirty three

(20:11):
to thirty in overtime. Big story in overtime, there was
a questionable call could have been called to catch on
the field by Brandon Cooks. It was not called to
catch as a matter of fact, it was called an interception.
Refs did not even attempt to review the call. Denver
ends up winning the game. However, to a point that

(20:33):
JMRT brought up earlier in the show, yes it may
have been a questionable call, it also doesn't change the
fact that it was one of five Buffalo Bills turnovers.
There was a crucial fumble late in the first half
that led to a Broncos field goal, which ultimately, obviously
in many ways, was the difference in the game.

Speaker 4 (20:52):
By the way, it wasn't just a crucial fumble, it
was a bad fumble. Great that right there was Josh
Allen making a mistake. It was completely him, like there
was no reason to do what he did in that spot.
I understand that he's competitive and wants to be aggressive,
but there was basically no chance outside of a miracle,

(21:13):
that they were even gonna get into field goal range
in that spot. So the risk was not worth the
potential reward, and it ended up costing them three points.

Speaker 2 (21:21):
Ended up costing him three points. Here is Josh Allen
on being turnover prone, not just him, but the entire
team on Saturday.

Speaker 5 (21:28):
Can't win with five turnovers.

Speaker 4 (21:30):
I fumble tize through two picks and can you shoot
yourself in the foot like that? You don't deserve one
football games.

Speaker 3 (21:36):
That was Josh Allen after the game talking about it.

Speaker 2 (21:39):
Yeah, Jamar, I don't know that I really have a
ton to add and I will say this, and you know,
maybe after we get to Disager we talk about Sean McDermott.
You know, I've been critical of Sean McDermott. I still
do worry big picture. I mean, this is now five
straight years where you have a crippling playoff loss.

Speaker 4 (21:55):
But as a I don't put it on him.

Speaker 3 (21:58):
Don't as a.

Speaker 2 (21:58):
Josh Allen defender twenty five of thirty nine, two interceptions
as a team, five fumbles.

Speaker 3 (22:06):
We just set up that.

Speaker 2 (22:07):
We just referenced the fumble that set up a Broncos
field goal right before the half. You know, the path
was there for the Bills, but the path was there
for Josh Allen specifically, and he didn't do enough on
Saturday Jays.

Speaker 4 (22:20):
Look, there was no Joe Burrow, there was no Lamar Jackson,
there was no Patrick Mahomes. But the fact of the
matter is I saw this comment and it's accurate, at
least at the time. Then we found out Nicks was out.
So we can now say this, either Drake may c j.
Stroud or Jarrett Stidham will reach a super Bowl before
Josh Allen.

Speaker 3 (22:41):
Crazy.

Speaker 4 (22:42):
That is unreal. It really is. Look, it's happened seven
times in the playoffs to Josh Allen. He has played
miraculous in a lot of those games. He didn't play
great in the first half last year against Baltimore. In
this game, he just didn't have his best stuff. He
really did not. He was off on some throws, both

(23:03):
underthrowing and overthrowing guys. He missed a few that would
have potentially been walk off shots in this game. But
I mean he also made some stellar plays that kept
him that got him back in it. Although I think
that James Cook was probably most responsible because for whatever reason,
Denver could not stop the run in this game to
save their lives. But I mean, think about this, you know,

(23:25):
I see a lot of people have read some articles
since the game about the lack of receiving talent for Buffalo.
I mean, Denver lost two wide receivers to concussions on
their first possession, Mems ends up coming back thankfully, and
then they lost Franklin later in the game. They lost
three wide receivers during this game, two of them who

(23:46):
did not come back in and they still found a
way to win this football game. It's not that Josh
Allen is not good enough in the playoffs. I'm not
sure how you. I don't know that there's a trend
to what's happening. But I will say this because we
were both on record if they did not reach the
AFC Championship Game, or even further than that, if they

(24:07):
didn't reach the Super Bowl, McDermott had to go. I
don't think any of this is on Sean McDermott. I
think he coached a pretty good game. I really do.
I felt like, generally speaking, Joe Brady was doaling up
a solid offense, and generally McDermott was was doing what
he was supposed to do, even to the point that
he called the time out to try and slow things

(24:27):
down to get the replay on the questionable call in
ot that didn't end up going their way. I can't
put this on the coach. There's nothing that I can say.
What are you doing McDermott. I didn't see that, not
at all. As a matter of.

Speaker 2 (24:40):
Fact, well, I'll tell you what. Why don't we come back.
We'll talk Sean McDermott's future in the future of the Broncos, who,
as Disager is about to tell us in half a second,
they're going into the AFC Championship Game. Shorthanded Disager first
update of our show taken away, sir.

Speaker 10 (24:56):
Good evening to you, gentlemen. And you talked about Carl
Shecheffer's crew. By the way, in the playoff game. This
isn't his crew. It's a postseason so it's a so
called all star crew. So not a single guy that
he worked with in the regular season, including back judge,
everybody else. Not a single guy he worked with regular
season was on the field for him today. I've always
thought that curious, frankly, because crews tend to be like teams,

(25:20):
you know, yeasty right exactly, and yet this is how
they award things.

Speaker 4 (25:25):
Also, Cheffers is just bad generally, is what I mean. Then,
so I guess it wasn't his crew. It's just it's
just Cheffers, who reminds me of the former president on
twenty four.

Speaker 10 (25:35):
I will say, if you just look at the resume,
I think he's been the ref for three different Super Bowls.
I'm not in any way saying every guy who's had
a Super Bowl assignment has just had a stellar career.
He has been an NFL ref for a long time.
He's from southern California. I've known the name for a
long time. He was a Pack ten reft, his dad
was a Pack ten ref. Just saying for today's crew

(25:57):
and for anybody that's working postseason, really not their crew,
so to speak. But the amazing stat is the Bills
come so close and they're out again under Josh Allen
and coach Sean McDermott in postseason overtime games. They're now
zero and three, and so Denver wins at home in
ot against Buffalo thirty three to thirty on a short

(26:19):
field goal, Bills with five turnovers. The big news that
quarterback bow Knicks of Denver suffered a broken ankle late
in the game.

Speaker 11 (26:25):
He's out for the postseason.

Speaker 10 (26:27):
Which means Jared Stidham, who has not thrown a regular
season pass in over two years since he started a
couple games after Russell Wilson was benched, is going to
start the AFC Championship game in Denver next weekend. In
fact stats in look back to nineteen fifty in their numbers,
because that's when quarterback starts first began to be tracked.

(26:50):
Jared Stidham next weekend would become the first ever NFL
quarterback to start a conference title game or later in
the playoffs after not throwing a single pass during that
regular season.

Speaker 2 (27:00):
Jared Stidham and Russell Wilson. That was like a crappy
quarterback's mad libs. R.

Speaker 4 (27:04):
Well, dude, you got to look at this though, like
this is former Auburn quarterback to former Auburn quarterback. Oh,
that's next to Jared Stidham.

Speaker 11 (27:11):
That is correct synergy and not the.

Speaker 3 (27:14):
Right kind of synergy if you've watched Auburn No No.

Speaker 6 (27:18):
So.

Speaker 10 (27:18):
One seed Denver will be hosting the AFC Title Game
next weekend. One seed Seattle will host the NFC Title
Game next weekend. Seahawks have won eight in a row
that beat the forty nine Ers forty one to six.
Sports Illustrated had an incredible stat that tonight snapped a
streak that had been going on for over twenty years
where the forty nine ers either got to the NFC

(27:40):
title game or later or missed the playoffs entirely every
season since two thousand and three. Wow, and they're out
in the Divisional roun at least what's left of the
forty nine Ers, we should say, is out in the
divisional round. The last time the Niners franchise lost at
this point of the postseason was two thousand and two.

Speaker 11 (28:00):
Steve Mariucci Seger, did you see the.

Speaker 2 (28:02):
Story about the forty nine ers practice field? Yes, I
feel like you would have an interesting take on that.
Do you have one?

Speaker 11 (28:08):
If they're saying that it's responsible for injuries?

Speaker 2 (28:11):
What is it basically on like an electrical lighter by Yeah,
there's some sort of like electrical facility there, and yet apparently.

Speaker 10 (28:18):
Before the stadium was built, they did practice in that area,
So that makes no sense to me.

Speaker 3 (28:23):
Okay, there you go. There's your interesting take.

Speaker 4 (28:25):
Ken, go ahead and move it, though, Like, go ahead
and eliminate that excuse. Don't continue to exactice there if
you think that's a problem.

Speaker 11 (28:31):
Not saying it's not anything.

Speaker 10 (28:33):
I mean, you shouldn't live next to it, so maybe
practicing for an hour or two it would be bad.
Kenneth Walker tonight became the first Seahawks player with three
rushing tds in a postseason game since Sewn Alexander over
two decades ago. Seattle eliminated the Niners forty one to six.
Walker nineteen carries one hundred and sixteen yards. The coaching

(28:54):
carousel can be updated. The top candidate for the Falcons
job is Kevin Stefanski X of Cleveland and now NFL
Network and others reporting tonight he and Atlanta are working
towards a deal. The Giants finalized that five year contract
with coach John Harbaugh. Green Bay gave head coach Matt
Lafleur a multi year extension. There is one late game

(29:14):
going in the NBA and the Lakers defense showing again.
He says, sarcastically. It is Portland already eighty to sixty
seven over the Lakers. They've just started the third quarter. Earlier.
San Antonio Edge Minnesota won twenty six to one to
twenty three despite fifty five points from Anthony Edwards at
Denver forty two points for Jamal.

Speaker 11 (29:33):
Murray in a win over Washington.

Speaker 10 (29:36):
Boston got forty one points from Jalen Brown in a
victory at Atlanta. College Hoops Cincinnati upset number two Iowa
State number five perdue one at USC sixty nine sixty four.
And I mentioned this on the prior show, but the
owner of the Buffalo Bills is also the owner of
the Buffalo Sabers. Buffalo Savers played on home ises tonight
and lost in overtime to Minnesota.

Speaker 11 (29:58):
Back to you.

Speaker 2 (29:59):
Good thing is they're getting a nor'easter through the northeast,
so they got that going for him, So I guess
they're gonna show. They're gonna have a lot of shoveling
to do. That'll distract him.

Speaker 10 (30:07):
But there won't be any more shoveling out the seats
in Buffalo because they're done with the fifty year old stadium.
The new place being built next door ready for next season.

Speaker 2 (30:16):
All right, to Sega, thank you very much. Fox Sports
Radio er towards Jason Martin. We're taking it up till
two am Eastern, jmart real quick. I don't really have
anything to add on Sean McDermott. I have been very
anti Sean McDermott. I still do think to a degree,
you know, I I.

Speaker 4 (30:36):
Were both on the same page, we always have been.

Speaker 2 (30:38):
Yeah, I worry about what bringing him back.

Speaker 3 (30:42):
I don't think.

Speaker 2 (30:43):
I do think there is A definition of insanity is
doing the same thing over and over. But I also
think the combination of it's hard for me, like you said,
to blame him for doing anything wrong, and then beyond that, uh,
you know the the I mean, how many openings do

(31:03):
we still have eight? I think we still have eight openings.
You know, there's only so many good jobs, only so
many good candidates to go around. And admittedly, obviously the
Bills would immediately be the best job available, but Harbaugh
is officially off the market. John Harbaugh, that is, Mike
Tomlin doesn't seem like he's coming back. And I don't
even know that I would necessarily want. I don't know

(31:24):
whatever point I'm trying to make, I don't really have
much to add on. Sean McDermott really quickly. You are
the resident Broncos fan. Is there any hope next week
with Jared Stidham? You are at home and you're either
gonna be playing a Houston team that obviously struggled last
week against Pittsburgh Drake may would have to in theory

(31:45):
be going on the road. Do you give the Broncos
any chance at home with Jared Stidham as the quarterback
for people who just missed it. Bow Nicks broke a
bone in his ankle, having surgery Tuesday and is out
for the year.

Speaker 4 (31:56):
I mean, you give him a little bit of a
chance because it's one football game and a lot of
crazy stuff can happen. We also don't know, you know,
you have no idea what comes out of tomorrow's game either, right,
Like we weren't expecting on Saturday for bow Knicks to
end up with an ankle bone broken and be out
of the playoffs. God forbid something happens to one of
the quarterbacks tomorrow, but their team still advances, and you

(32:18):
have a weird scenario there. But barring the unforeseen, it
would seem to be a tough road because Houston's defense
is just going to key off on Stidham and I
don't know that the O line, as good as they've been,
can hold up there. And it's just not going to
give you much room if you're you know, Harvey or
one of the backs to get much done. So I

(32:40):
don't like it if it's Houston. Although it being a
low scoring game, it's possible that the defense can score points.
If you're Denver or if you're Houston. In that case,
New England, to me, would be a little bit more difficult,
only because I think their offense is more dynamic and
more consistent. The same time, you have Drake May that's

(33:01):
just in his second year, so they may be a
little ahead of schedule. So yeah, I mean, because of
the teams involved, you still give them a chance. But
I mean I'm gonna take the orange glasses off and
say they're gonna lose. I just I can't see a
scenario where a guy in Jared Stidham, who hasn't taken
a snap all season long or thrown a pass all

(33:22):
season long, is going to go into this game and win.
I saw had a friend send me a photo of
Philip Rivers in a Broncos uniform. Said, one more ride,
one more rodeo, and I'm not gonna lie. For about
two seconds, I said, do it. Then I thought no, no, no, no, no.
And look, I mean Stidham's been with them all year

(33:42):
and so he understands Peyton's offense. They were always higher
on him than I have been. But I expect the
winner of tomorrow's game to represent the AFC in the
Super Bowl. But look, as a fan, you gotta be
blinded to some degree and just hope that things go.
I think that losing Nicks on a day where he

(34:04):
played really, really well three touchdowns to the one interception,
ran the ball effectively, that last drive in particular, which
just kind of one of those make it drives where
you just don't forget it as a quarterback, and then
for that to just be overshadowed by the injury at
the end, it just feels like, well, your snake bit here.

(34:25):
And then if your TV, this is the other thought,
if your TV in this scenario, if you were carrying
the Super Bowl, you lost a chance to have Josh
Allen in that game. And there's not anything nearly as
exciting as that remaining in the playoffs, it's.

Speaker 2 (34:43):
A lot to consider. Buffalo eliminated. Denver advances without bow
Nicks again. He is out for the season with a
broken bone in his ankle. Denver will host the winner
of Houston and New England. Fox Sports Radio er Toorys
Jason mart broadcasting live from the Fox Sports Radio studios.
We mentioned I actually am gonna correct myself. I said

(35:06):
there were eight jobs open still, it's actually seven because
the Atlanta Falcon has just made an interesting hire as
we came on air. We'll discuss that next, we'll discuss
a little John Harball.

Speaker 3 (35:17):
A lot of football.

Speaker 2 (35:18):
Now till two am Eastern Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 1 (35:24):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio Radio.

Speaker 2 (35:27):
Welcome back, everybody, Fox Sports Radio er Tords Jason Martin
broadcasting live from the Fox Sports Radio Studios.

Speaker 4 (35:35):
Ghetto Boys bringing us back in. Josh Allen's gonna be
tossing and turn in tonight.

Speaker 2 (35:44):
You know, we didn't play sound that their sound of
him getting very emotional, basically saying that he felt like
he let the team down.

Speaker 3 (35:51):
Maybe we get to it here.

Speaker 2 (35:53):
In hour two, hour three, Broncos beat the Bills thirty
three to thirty in overtime. Controversial call in over time
gives the ball back to Denver. However, Buffalo did have
five turnovers in the game. Not gonna get the job done.
Another wasted season for Josh Allen and they mentioned it

(36:15):
on the broadcast. When he takes the field to start
the twenty twenty sixth season, he will be thirty years
old and yeah no, and that's you know, listen, we
did the McDermott stuff, you know today Saturday, whatever wasn't
on Sean McDermott. But this is what I keep going
back to and why I was so you know, tough

(36:36):
on Sean McDermott. Is you know, Josh Allen doesn't get
a prime in perpetuity, Like you know, he's not twenty
six anymore.

Speaker 3 (36:44):
He's, like I said, he's gonna be thirty.

Speaker 2 (36:46):
And you know, you just don't know how many more
cracks are gonna get at it if you're Buffalo. And
as everybody knows, this one was the interesting one because
of course, never forget no Patrick Mahomes, no Lamar Jackson,
no job, no Joe Burrow. I think it's safe to
assume that any run that Buffalo could hypothetically go on

(37:07):
going forward, the chances of you going zero for three
and not even having them in the playoff feels highly unlikely.

Speaker 3 (37:15):
Let's switch gears sort of.

Speaker 2 (37:18):
Baltimore Ravens, of course, are coachless because they did not
make the playoffs. John Harbaugh now the head coach of
the New York Giants. It is official. There was some
talk of like, is it possible that maybe just maybe
something as a hold up and he's not gonna sign. Well,
he does sign officially on Saturday, not a surprise, Jmark,

(37:41):
But do you have any big picture thoughts on this one?

Speaker 4 (37:43):
I mean, I don't see that if you're the Giants,
you could have done better than bringing in somebody that's tenured,
that's won. You're not bringing in a first time head
coach here. Yeah. Were the Ravens as strong as they've
been like the last couple of years, had they tailed
off a little bit? Maybe? So. I don't know how
much of that is Hall. I feel like there were
some issues there with players in that roster and Harball

(38:06):
change of scenery, that kind of thing. I felt more
like this was a Kyle Whittingham sort of situation.

Speaker 3 (38:11):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (38:13):
For John Harball even said that in advance of him
losing that job that maybe he would want to just
step somewhere else. But I still obviously thought that he
wanted to coach. Question is did he go to the
right place, Because as much as he likes Jackson Dart,
Dart is going to be an injury risk, I'm afraid
throughout his career. Scattabow has already dealt with an injury

(38:35):
that knocked him out for his season. Neighbors was out
for the year with an injury and John Harball. If
you know anything about the NFL behind the scenes, the
Baltimore Ravens practiced their guys extremely hard, to the extent
that they deal with a lot more injuries than a
lot of teams because of how hard they go in practice.
So you add those two things together, something's going to

(38:57):
have to give. But the big thing if you're the Giant,
says since Tom Coughlin, you've had absolutely nothing whatsoever to
talk about. They've been one of the worst franchises in
the NFL, despite being in New York City, even though
they play in Jersey. But I just think that this
is this is a home run for them, because what

(39:19):
else were they gonna do. Like, John Harball doesn't come available,
and there could have been better opportunities for him elsewhere,
but he picked you. So I think it's a good hire.

Speaker 2 (39:28):
Yeah, I don't really have anything to add. Yeah, I
really don't have anything to add. I think there's a
reason for excitement. We'll see if it ends up coming
to fruition. Obviously interesting division with Philadelphia. Very quickly, we
got about a minute left. The Atlanta Falcons hire. Kevin
Stefanski think that's a nice landing spot for him and

(39:49):
vice VERSA lot of weapons in the toolbox there for
the quarterback under Kevin's defanse.

Speaker 4 (39:54):
Yeah, but who's the quarterback?

Speaker 2 (39:56):
That's why I was very careful as to how I
frame that company.

Speaker 4 (40:00):
There's a lot, there are some weapons, There's no question
about that. But Stefanski, I'll tell you what. Stefanski is
used to not having quarterbacks. They that are, you know,
kind of in the spot. But that makes me It's
like I felt like there were opportunities out there where
that wasn't the case. But if you really look around, like, honestly,
Tennessee might have been your best role because everybody seems
to love cam Ward inside the league and he's the

(40:22):
entrench starter. Uh in Nashville, in Atlanta, I don't know
what you've got a quarterback, And if you don't have
a quarterback, I don't care how much of an offensive
genius you are. Unless you're Kyle Shanahan, it's not gonna work.

Speaker 3 (40:33):
I'll tell you what.

Speaker 2 (40:33):
There's a conversation about Pittsburgh that we can have later
on in the show, but coming up, we got to
talk college football, Indiana Miami.

Speaker 3 (40:39):
Who wins next? Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 1 (40:42):

Speaker 2 (40:45):
Welcome in everybody, hour two towards the martin Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 3 (40:49):
We are broadcasting live.

Speaker 2 (40:51):
Yes, we are live, twelve oh one Eastern Time, eleven
oh one Central, on and on, and we're taking you
up till two am Eastern.

Speaker 3 (40:58):
And there is so much much to get to.

Speaker 2 (41:00):
Two NFL playoff games are complete in the divisional weekend.
Denver beats Buffalo thirty three to thirty in overtime, Seattle
the forty one to six beat down of San Francisco.
We talked about those two games an hour one. We
will get back to them later on in the show.

(41:21):
Let's go ahead and switch gears, though not to the
Sunday NFL games. We'll also talk about those later on
in the show. But let's get to what we get.
Monday night, Monday Night, Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Indiana,
Miami National Championship Game, real quick, Jmar. Before we get
to it, one little rant. We gotta get this thing
earlier on the calendar.

Speaker 3 (41:41):
Man, like, we just do it.

Speaker 4 (41:42):
Yeah, it doesn't feel like it feels like the season
is over right.

Speaker 2 (41:45):
A few weeks ago, I had a buddy who's like, yeah,
I just in my head I was like, Oh, yeah, Indiana,
Miami just co national champions and seasons over and we
just know, you know, I'll say, I'll say this, and
I do want to talk a little bit about the game.

Speaker 3 (42:00):
Understand.

Speaker 2 (42:01):
So ESPN is the not the exclusive, but they they
own the rights the entire playoff. And I know that
they have Monday Night football and they like the branding
and this and that. If we're gonna play the semi
finals on a Thursday Friday, why are we not playing
the championship game on a Thursday Friday. I think the
other thing too, and somebody it might have been Dan Byer,
somebody mentioned it to me though, you know, after you know,

(42:24):
if we're trying to grow college football, and I don't
even know that ESPN necessarily cares about it, but I
will say that having the National Championship game after four
divisional round playoff games in the NFL, it's like, if
you're trying to get that casual fan that maybe isn't
a huge college football guy, but they're gonna tune in

(42:46):
and watch kind of the next generation whatever doing it
on a Monday night after there's two straight days of football.
I don't know that that brings the casual fan in,
so college football has bigger issues. I don't know if
you have anything to add to the game being on
Monday night, it should be on a Thursday or Friday,
in my opinion, anything to add there before we actually

(43:06):
talk about the game.

Speaker 4 (43:08):
No, I mean, I agree with you. It just it
feels this break between it, you've just kind of forgotten
all about it, Like you know, the game is still
there to be played, but I mean, the NFL has
taken center stage the last two weeks, and outside of
this game that we just finished about an hour ago,
in the NFC, a lot of these games have been
bar and burners. So now we're watching that, we're talking

(43:30):
about that, and it just kind of is like, oh, yeah,
Indiana and Miami still have to play for the national championship,
and I think there would have been excitement, but you
had to play it faster than this, and you had
to play it before the NFL got this close to
its own conference championship game because nothing can compete with that.

Speaker 2 (43:48):
Yeah, And there are broader conversations about the college football
calendar and how everything overlaps and does the season go
on too long? And those are conversations that are valid,
but I don't know that tonight is the night, especially
with the only three hours on air.

Speaker 3 (44:01):
So let's get to the game.

Speaker 2 (44:02):
You know, Indiana is about a seven to seven and
a half point favorite, depending on what sportsbook you look
at some places the number has even gone up. And
I'll say this, j mart I am a little surprised.
I haven't really seen a lot of people.

Speaker 4 (44:19):
Now.

Speaker 2 (44:19):
I did talk to Martin Weiss between between shows, Martin
Weis and Manzie Bolanio's host before us and main Martin
is taking Miami. But for a team that beat Ohio
State one at Texas A and m beat Ole Miss.

Speaker 3 (44:33):
At one point.

Speaker 2 (44:34):
By the way, I think it's easy to forget this too.
And I've heard a couple of people bring this up,
and I'll readily admit that even I forgot it. Is
with the way they started the season beat Notre Dame
Florida State at the beginning of the year, when we
thought Florida State was good, they won there. I mean,
there was a time where we were talking about is
Miami the best team in college football? But now they're

(44:54):
entering this game as well over a touchdown underdog in
most sports books. I haven't really heard very many people
make the definitive argument for the Miami Hurricanes to win
this game outright. I'm not asking you to make it,
but just curious where you stand on this game going in.

Speaker 4 (45:10):
Yeah, I mean it does. It feels like a lot.
But Indiana has been so dominant in so many games
all year and they've just obliterated teams, you know. I mean,
Miami certainly outlasted Ole Miss and they were the better
team in that game, but that thing still came down
to the wire, and Indiana just hasn't played a lot

(45:33):
of games that came down to the wire. The Penn
State game is really the only one that you really
can go back to and recall that way. Obviously, the
Oregon game was pretty tight as well, not the not
the playoff game, but the one in the regular season, but.

Speaker 3 (45:46):
The Ohio State I think ten championship games.

Speaker 4 (45:48):
Yeah, that was a tight tooo, that's true. I think
it's more just Miami's in the ACC. I still don't
I still people, I still think that a lot of
people saw it eye them and what is the number
generally designed to do? As somebody that is anti gambling,
I can tell you. It's done to generate, you know, interest,

(46:08):
it's trying to get people to place money, and it's
not necessarily designed to tell you who's gonna win and
all of those things. But it does seem like a
lot considering that Miami has this feel of Ohio State
last year, where during the regular season it was kind
of like eh okay, and then you know, they don't

(46:29):
play in the conference championship game they eke in. But
then just look at what they've done since that point
that defens has looked dominant. They've been able to run
the ball at everybody. So I feel like this is
more I don't know that it's as much shade to
Miami though, as it is just ultimate respect to an
Indiana team that, should they finish this off, especially if

(46:53):
they win it by double digits, will go down as
one of the greatest college football teams we've ever seen
because of how dominant they've been throughout.

Speaker 2 (47:01):
It is crazy, huh like that we are having that
conversation about what Indiana could be historically. I mean, you know, listen,
I know it gets hyperbolic to talk about the Indiana story,
but it is crazy to think about not only are
they going to win a national championship, but if they
are to close this out, could go down as one
of the greatest teams ever. You and I can have

(47:22):
that conversation next Saturday if they do win. In the meantime,
I will say I agree with basically everything you said,
is that I do understand the argument of yeah, Indiana
is gonna win and dominate, because that's what they've done
in this college football playoff, destroyed Alabama, destroyed Oregon. I
do think though it's not as though they haven't been

(47:46):
tested throughout the year. And you brought up the games
Penn State they needed to rally Iowa. By the way,
it was actually a very close game as well Ohio State,
certainly in the Big Ten championship game. And I guess
what I would say is this is that you know
you mentioned you don't gamble, blah blah blah blah blah,
But I bring it up because yes, the points spread
is designed to get action on both sides. But the

(48:08):
counter to that is also you me everybody listening knows
that when everybody feels like a certain game is gonna
go a certain way, generally it goes the other. And
it does feel like virtually everybody is taking Indiana in
this game. And I'll be honest, I'm not gonna, you know,
not to spoil the end of the segment. I do
think Indiana is gonna win. But I will say Miami

(48:29):
the way to your point that they've been able to
run the ball, you know, Jamart, Again, part of this
is because there's way too much time between these games.
I have kind of forgotten this, and then you know,
going back and looking at stuff over the last day
or so. Miami against Ole Miss in the in the
in the semi final, right, we remember the thriller, you know,
last play? Was it pass interference?

Speaker 4 (48:51):
Was it not?

Speaker 2 (48:52):
Miami had the ball forty one minutes and twenty two
seconds in that game. They ran the ball fifty one
times for almost four yards per carry.

Speaker 8 (49:05):
It.

Speaker 2 (49:05):
It's like, and I will admit that's also part of
the reason that worries me about Miami is that, you know,
crystal ball certainly has a reputation, but I think even
outside of crystal ball, beyond that. You know, we talked
about it last week, like didn't love the play calling
against Ole Miss. There was a there was a possession
in early in the fourth quarter where they were up
bit and they were up you know, wanted to take

(49:26):
time off the clock, run the ball on first down,
immediately drop back and pass twice, have to punt the
ball away. So I guess all I'm trying to say
is that's where my concern is is that they physically
dominated pretty much everyone they've played in this playoff. But
you know, against Ole Miss, I just thought they got
way too cute. And the one thing you cannot do,

(49:47):
clearly against Miami or against Indiana excuse me, is give
them any wiggle room is try to outsmart yourself, outsmart them.
I think if Miami sticks to run the ball, keep
running the keep it away from Fernando Mendoza, and conversely,
you know, frankly, keep it away from Carson Back. I
know he was great late in the game against Old Miss,

(50:07):
but but hasn't been great for most of the playoffs.

Speaker 4 (50:10):
Right.

Speaker 2 (50:10):
I think they have a shot, but I do worry
about Like I said, there's just been times where whether
it's Mario Cristobaul driven, whether it's the offensive coordinator or whatever,
I just haven't loved some of the in game coaching.
And that's what worries me.

Speaker 3 (50:24):
You cannot give Indiana ninch because obviously they'll take a foot.

Speaker 4 (50:27):
Yeah. So the point about Beck is right, because I
felt like in their last game, Miami kind of overcame
their own quarterback for more than three quarters of the game. Sure,
that last drive, notwithstanding where he played, you know, as
good as you could possibly play in that role like
he had that calls oh, this is the drive that

(50:49):
makes him one of the most you know, his legacy
at Miami. He's famous and all this. I'm like, dude,
come on, like it was a good drive. But for
three quarters, it was because of how they ran the
ball and played defense that they were able to kind
of overcome his mistakes or his deficiencies. And here's the
thing that Kurt Signetti does, maybe better than anybody else

(51:11):
in the country. He understands what you're bad at and
he says, you're gonna have to beat me with that.
And when you look at Miami, what do we know
they can do. We know they can run the ball
with multiple backs. Nobody's really been able to run the
ball in Indiana all year long. So this is I
can't wait to see that. I want to see Fletcher

(51:31):
hit those d linemen and see what happens there. But
if the ball is in Beck's hands, do you trust
him to win the game, because I don't think Signetti
is going to let him run the ball the way
that he did in the previous game. Like I was
wondering watching it, Aaron, I was just kind of like,
at what point are you going to stop allowing him

(51:54):
to get you know, eight nine yards every time? Because
he can go do that. He's a little bit athletic,
he can run, and I just feel like Signetti's gonna
dare him to do that and light him up when
he does. Like, the more I talk about it, the
more I think that number they're going to clear that number.
And then some I do think that they are the
better football team, but Miami is very dangerous and they

(52:17):
have some really, really good football players. I think it
comes down to not trusting the quarterback on one team and
thoroughly trusting the quarterback on the other team.

Speaker 2 (52:25):
And the other thing that I'm gonna keep going back
to Indiana doesn't make mistakes and this is kind of crazy.
So they have now played fifteen games, which is obviously
two more than most teams, three more than a lot
of teams. They are still in the top ten nationally
in fewest penalties and oh, by the way, on top

(52:45):
of that, in fewest turnovers. Despite playing three more games
than a lot of teams in college football, they have
top ten fewest penalties, top ten fewest turnovers. So when
you don't commit penalties, when you don't turn the ball over,
and when you are really good, it leads to a

(53:07):
situation where, clearly, to beat Indiana and nobody has this year,
you can't beat yourself. And again, I just keep going
back to that's what worries me about Miami. To your point,
with Carson Beck, he's been up, he's been down. To
his credit, the game winning drive, but the counter to
the game winning drive is that he hasn't really been
great for essentially, what would that be eleven quarters of

(53:28):
the college football playoffs prior to the fourth quarter against
Ole Miss. So the first four quarters against Texas A
and M first four quarters against Ohio State, and then
the first three against Old Miss. Yeah, I don't really
know that. I really have a ton else to really
say about this game. I'm gonna take Indiana twenty four
to twenty. I think it'll be close. I don't know

(53:49):
if anybody can truly slow down the Miami run game.
But to your point, if anybody's gonna do it, it's
gonna be Indiana. But I just think at the end
of the day, they're just so mistake fore that you
gotta play perfect and you gotta be really good. And
I don't know that. I mean to get four quarters
of not only perfect execution from Miami, but I think

(54:10):
four quarters of, you know, in game play calling things
like that. So certainly, if you have more on the game,
you're you're certainly, you know, take it wherever you want.

Speaker 3 (54:19):
J Mart.

Speaker 2 (54:20):
But I'm gonna go ahead and take Indiana to win
twenty four to twenty. I do think it'll be close.

Speaker 4 (54:24):
Yeah, I don't think it will be that close. I
do think they're gonna win the game by double digits.
I just think they're the better football team by and large.
And your point is right, I don't see them making
those critical mistakes. Mendoza just he protects the ball so well.
Now are they gonna get after him and try to
make him uncomfortable. There's no question that's gonna be what

(54:47):
they do. And Mario Cristobal has built this team from
the line out, as he usually does, but his offense
and his defensive line, they're not gonna be bullied around.
But they haven't seen anything like they're gonna see on
the other side from Indiana. So I do think that's
going to be a fascinating matchup to watch. I just
feel like Mendoza has had the answer all season, and

(55:10):
he's got weapons that he trusts. The chemistry is outrageously
good right now. If they need to run the ball,
they can, But this is an offense that's high powered,
that scores on absolutely anybody. I would be shocked if
they don't get thirty in the game. I think that
Miami's defense is good enough to potentially make it the
score that you said. I just kind of feel like

(55:30):
it'll be tight for a minute, but it's just as
the game wears on, Indiana is inevitable and I feel
like that's that's how it's going to play out. So
I see it being more like a thirty five to
twenty one kind of game.

Speaker 2 (55:43):
Mendoza's stats, by the way, in the playoff just ridiculous
against Alabama fourteen of sixteen, one hundred ninety two yards,
three touchdowns, and no interceptions. So not great at math,
but more touchdowns than incompletions, and then against Oregon it
was the same seventeen of twenty passing, five touchdowns, no interceptions.

(56:04):
So in both games he has more touchdowns than interceptions
and he is completing thirty He's completed thirty one of
thirty six passes. I don't have the math off the
top of my head, but that's pretty darn good. Indiana
and Miami play on Monday night. J Martin and I
both have Indiana winning. I have it a little bit

(56:25):
closer than Jmr. Fox Sports Radio Aertors Jason Martin broadcasting
live from the Fox Sports Radio Studios.

Speaker 3 (56:31):
Hey, j Martin, I'll tell you what.

Speaker 2 (56:33):
All this time between the semi finals and the finals,
you know what, it gave Miami a chance to do
tamper like hell, Oh my goodness, tamper like hell of
the transfer portal.

Speaker 4 (56:44):
We gotta talk about this.

Speaker 2 (56:46):
Welcome back and talk about the twenty twenty six Miami Hurricanes.
Nothing's official yet, but we certainly seem to know who
the next quarterback may be. And boy did this get interesting.
On Friday, Er Tors Jason Martin Sports.

Speaker 3 (57:00):
Radio, Welcome back, everybody. Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 2 (57:05):
Er Geors Jason Bartin broadcasting live from the Fox Sports
Radio studios with a new and improved iHeartRadio apps, stream
us wherever you happen to be catch all of our
Fox Sports Radio shows live twenty four to seven. All
you gotta do is search Fox Sports Radio in the
app to stream us live all day, every day, and
be sure to select Fox Sports Radio is one of

(57:25):
your presets in the iHeart app, so will always pop
up at the top of your screen. Gotta come back
and discuss an interesting week in college football off the field.
Before we do, though, let's get it over the news
desk Steve Disager.

Speaker 3 (57:37):
What is trending well?

Speaker 10 (57:38):
The Seattle Seahawks won their eighth straight game. They'll be
hosting the NFC Championship next weekend after eliminating San Francisco
forty one to six and a divisional playoff. Tonight's Kenneth
Walker three touchdown runs one hundred and sixteen yards. By
the way Jackson Smith and Jigma, I won't say he
was invisible. He did have a touchdown catch late first quarter,
but only two other receptions for Seattle. This is a

(58:00):
guy who had one hundred and nineteen catches during the season.
Almost eighteen hundred yards worth. In fact, he was the
first player to lead the league in receiving yards while
playing for the one seed in his conference since Jerry
Rice nineteen ninety four. Seattle nonethe last fifteen and three overall,
and Rashid Shaheed ran back the opening kickoff tonight ninety

(58:21):
five yards for a score. The Seahawks last played a
couple weeks ago, so they had rest between games. San
Francisco last played last Sunday, so five days rest between games.
Since nineteen eighty four, teams that have that big of
a rest advantage heading into a playoff matchup have all
won their games eight to zero. Now, those winners, like Seattle,

(58:41):
were also the higher seeded team and playing at home.
Denver at home, eliminated Buffalo in overtime thirty three thirty
as the Bills committed five turnovers. Denver quarterback Bo Nick
suffered a broken ankle late in the game. He is
out for the postseason, so Jared Stidham will start the
AFC title game in Denver next weekend. Khalil Shakir, who

(59:02):
was so good last weekend for Buffalo, had seven receptions
today seventy five yards. Tight end Dalton Kincaid six catches
eighty three yards in a score. Buffalo threw an interception
on a deep pass. In overtime, Denver winds up winning
on a short field goal after driving seventy five yards
for that field goal. And by the way, I did
notice the Josh Allen stats, and they put up the

(59:24):
graphic how he hadn't had an interception thrown in recent
playoff games. In his whole pro career, fourteen career playoff games,
he'd only had two fumbles, four interceptions. And yet he
finished with two interceptions today and two fumbles. By the way,
after that PI call late in overtime, one of the
NFL writers, Zary Mirov, tweeted out, Sean Payton finally gets

(59:46):
his pass interference call in a playoff game. Green Bay
gave head coach Matt Lafleur a multi year extension. The
Giants finalized a five year deal with coach John Harbaugh.
The top candidate for the Falcons job is Kevin Stefanski,
and reports say he and Atlant are working towards a
deal now. In the NBA's late game, under four minutes
to go at Portland, the Blazers now lead the Lakers

(01:00:07):
one twenty eight to one oh six. Lebron James twenty points,
Marcus Smart for LA has twenty five. Luca Donzitch out
with a groin injury. Tonight at Denver forty two points
for Jamal Murray and a win over Washington one twenty
one to one fifteen. Miami edged Oklahoma City one twenty
two to one twenty even though Shay Gilgis Alexander scored

(01:00:28):
thirty nine points, but the heat and about the last
two minutes outscored OKC five nothing. Boston got forty one
points from Jalen Brown and won easily in Atlanta. Dallas
beat Utah today even though Cooper Flag of the MAVs
was out again with a sprained ankle, and Tonight at
San Antonio what a shootout. Spurs edged Minnesota one twenty
six one twenty three. Victor Wembin Yama had thirty nine points.

(01:00:51):
Anthony Edwards of the Timberwolves had fifty five in the loss.
He returned tonight after missing the previous two games with
a foot injury. Edwards had twenty six points just in
the fourth quarter. There is an NBA game in London
on Sunday, Orlando against Memphis. The Magic came back to
beat him in Berlin on Thursday. Grizzlies guard John Morant
did not play the first game. The team said there's

(01:01:13):
a good chance he'll play Sunday after a calf injury.
The All Star Game starters will be announced this Monday.
Fan voting just ended on Wednesday, and as you mentioned,
college football's national title game is Monday night, Indiana at Miami.

Speaker 2 (01:01:24):
Back to you, thank you very much, Steve Sayer, Fox
Sports Radio, Fox Sports Saturday into Sunday, depending on where
you're listening Air Tours, Jason Martin, and we are in
the Fox Sports Radio studio. So I mentioned this before
the break. Miami will play for a national championship on
Monday night. You probably know about that. What you may
or may not have heard is that they probably have

(01:01:47):
their quarterback of the future.

Speaker 3 (01:01:49):
All right, So I'll set it up real quick.

Speaker 2 (01:01:51):
Jmark so Darien Mensa, one of the top quarterbacks in
college football this year at Duke, actually led Duke to
the ACC championship, which is how the weird you know,
James Madison gets in whatever, has an awesome year. A
lot of people actually thought he was gonna go pro.
He announces very shortly after the season that not only

(01:02:11):
is he not going to go pro, but he is
going to stay at Duke. It's a huge win for Duke,
at least until Friday, when we found out that he
is going to enter the transfer portal and did in
fact enter the transfer portal just hours before it closed.
Why does this have to do with Miami. It appears
as though Miami is the school where he will land.

(01:02:34):
Of course, earlier this week, I don't even think you
can call it a report. Ty Simpson confirmed that Miami
offered him six million dollars.

Speaker 4 (01:02:43):
Six and a half.

Speaker 2 (01:02:44):
Yes, yeah, I was gonna say over six million, so yeah,
six and a half. I think the number was six
and a half.

Speaker 4 (01:02:48):
That's crazy.

Speaker 2 (01:02:50):
Yes, ty Simpson confirmed that, So that's not like. I mean,
it could be not true, but I don't know why
he would lie about it, but ty Simpson said they
were offering up six and a half million. He decides
to go pH Darien Metsa now in the portal really quickly, Jmar,
I just want to give just a little bit more context.
There's all sorts of talk about buyouts and I don't

(01:03:12):
know all I do know is that Miami appears to
be ready to pay a preposterous amount of money to
get Darien Mensa to the Hurricanes. It's a crazy story.
And of course the loser is Duke, which lost a
you know, a potential All American quarterback hours before the
transfer portal closed. There is zero percent chance they'll be

(01:03:33):
able to replace him.

Speaker 4 (01:03:34):
So Darien Mensa put out a video was it a
month ago, three weeks ago, something like that, where he
did his own lebron decision, and at the end of
it he says, and so I'm gonna take my talents too.
He's like, I'm just playing around. We're going to run
it back and aha, that's that's hilarious. And then eight

(01:03:58):
hours before the as for portal closed, he said, actually,
now I'm gonna leave. I'm gonna go to Miami. This
is incredible because it just reveals again that college football
is just in an uncontrollable, untenable state in terms of

(01:04:18):
anything that we have known before. The most compelling argument,
I guess it's not about you know, the guys getting
paid and you know all that kind of thing. That's
that's just part of it at this point. But I
will say this when he committed to come back or
when he said, yeah, I'm gonna run it back. It

(01:04:38):
doesn't you know, you changing your mind is one thing,
But how many other Duke players or individuals that decided
to come to Duke, how many choices were made based
on what they believed was going to be the situation
with Mensa being the quarterback at Duke. That's the argument

(01:05:02):
that that's the argument that compelled me. Now, can those
guys then make other choices in the last hour, perhaps,
but you know, what they had in the portal were
what opportunities they had. Some of those things are not
available now. So it affects a lot more than just Mensa.
And of course it puts Duke in a position where
all the other transfer quarterbacks are landed and so they

(01:05:25):
basically don't have a quarterback going into the year. So
it's a mess for them. Nobody's gonna feel sympathy from
any daz I even saw that. You know, well, Diaz
did this exact same thing as a coach, and Duke
did this to Tulane when they got Mensa in the
first place, And then of course they start talking about
Duke basketball and all this other stuff. I think that
the overarching point is just college sports is completely out

(01:05:50):
of control and no one has any respect for any
level of like authority when it comes to rules, regulations
or governing bodies. Like it is completely and totally the
wild West is said a lot in regards to college football.
It's one hundred percent accurate, though, because I don't even

(01:06:11):
know what this sport is. Like, you're a Yukon grad.
I'm a Western Kentucky grad that also attended NC State.
But like, from year to year, every player is a mercenary.
It's like everyone is a free agent every single year,
and that is I don't know what to make of that, Aaron,
I really don't. It's just you are literally now just

(01:06:31):
cheering for the school because the athletes from year to
year are gonna be completely different, and there's almost no
way to wrap your brain around it.

Speaker 3 (01:06:41):
Yeah. Yeah, no.

Speaker 2 (01:06:42):
And it's actually funny you mentioned the Yukon thing, not
because this has to be a Yukon segment, but you know,
I as an outside you know, we cover this on
a day to day basis, and you know, you kind
of just take for granted this is how it is,
and you know, coaching changes happened but it really did
strike me being a kind of lum. Yukon wins nine games,

(01:07:03):
Jim Mora leaves after the season, and the team that
took the field in the bowl game was it didn't
even resemble like, you know, the team that won nine games.
And this isn't a Yukon segment, but I just bring
it up because it was the first time it really
hit me of like if I'm a Yukon fan, or
if I'm a donor, or if I'm somebody who gives money,

(01:07:23):
like every player that I rooted for for twelve weeks
of this season is not going to be here going forward.
It's not because they all graduated. So that part is
interesting to me. But the bigger picture is one you know,
first of all, I will be curious. There will be
more reporting as this gets deeper into the week, but
like one, I agree with what you said, but I

(01:07:47):
also like, I don't know what you can do if
you know, all the reporting is that there is a buyout,
it's an expensive buyout, and Miami's just gonna pay it,
and it's it's just like you know, again, it's I
don't even know what the analogy is in sports, but
like I don't know what you can do in a

(01:08:09):
situation like that, but I will say to a point
that you made, I also do think there is some
degree of integrity that has to take place. I understand
the notion of it's a lot of money. It's potentially
to a degree even life changing money for Darien Mensa,
And who am I to say that he shouldn't take
millions of dollars. It's on It's like a known thing

(01:08:32):
that he was gonna make four million dollars a duke
this year. And so my thing is, I understand that
you know, if he's gonna make six million dollars at Miami,
that is a fifty percent pay increase, and everyone in
America would take a fifty I'm just saying, I do
think if this is something that you're considering, there's a
right way to go about it in a wrong way,

(01:08:53):
And I do think doing this hours before the portal
closes because of all of the lives as you said,
that it impacts, I don't know.

Speaker 3 (01:09:01):
I think there's a better way to do that.

Speaker 2 (01:09:03):
And so that's my only real takeaway is man, dude,
like and I do feel bad for Duke, and I
know like you said, you know he transferred from Tulane.
You know this happened to do an hour before the
portal closes. I mean, you just torpedoed their entire season.

Speaker 1 (01:09:20):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:09:21):
But I also will say, like again, if he has
some huge buyout and and all the reporting is that
there is a buyout, I just don't know what you
can do.

Speaker 3 (01:09:31):
But I do agree this is weird. It's gross, and.

Speaker 4 (01:09:36):
It's a bad look for him to like to the
point about money. Yeah, you can't decry him for her
you understand it from a financial standpoint, but like, man,
the optics are bad. They're really really bad, especially when
he put out that video three weeks beforehand.

Speaker 3 (01:09:52):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:09:52):
And if I could jump in on one more thing too,
is you know who else I think needs to step
up in this situation is actually the ACC because it's
one thing if and I'm just gonna use hypotheticals, but
we know Tennessee needs a quarterback as well. If Tennessee
tampered with this guy, he ends up in the portal.
But when you're talking about two schools in the league

(01:10:15):
and Miami just basically saying none of these rules apply
to us, I understand Miami's doing great things for the
AC right now. But like I was thinking about this,
like if I was Manny Diaz, I would be calling
out the ACC league office and the commissioner specifically, because
again to your point, there's a way to enter the
transfer portal and there's a way not to enter the

(01:10:37):
transfer portal. This was bad enough, and the fact that
it's happening in the league. I haven't looked ahead to
schedules next year, but the fact that Miami, in theory
could be playing Duke, I think that makes it even
a worse.

Speaker 4 (01:10:47):
Look.

Speaker 3 (01:10:47):
But I didn't mean to cut you off. I just
want to add that as well.

Speaker 4 (01:10:49):
Yeah, no, I mean, it's just not that much more
to say. It's just it's a really bad look for mensa.
It's unfortunate. You understand what he's doing again from a
financial standpoint, but it's just if you're gonna go, then
go a month in advance. Don't screw Duke right at
the end. Even though you can. Just because you can
do something doesn't mean that it doesn't feel disgusting, and

(01:11:12):
it kind of does now. Look the coaches have been
able to make moves and leave kids high and dry
and all this stuff. No one is disagreeing with There's
a lot of imperfection to be found in college football,
but this is just like it's like mensa becomes a villain,
and I don't know that that's that's just not a

(01:11:32):
good result. He's gonna get paid, but for what And
then the other thing is what if he doesn't end
up being great there?

Speaker 2 (01:11:40):
That's my thought too, and I think that's very possible. Well,
and I think that's like a low key huge risk.
And I don't I'm not gonna lie this time of year.
I'm not thinking a ton about the NFL draft. But
there were people that thought, you know, not QB one,
not QB two, but you know, first second round pick this,
you know, late first early second round pick this year.

(01:12:01):
Now you're going to a third system in three years,
third off.

Speaker 3 (01:12:04):
I don't know.

Speaker 2 (01:12:04):
I just I actually think in a weird way, it's
actually a huge risk where if you run it back,
same coaching staff, obviously, same teammates, I don't know. I
actually think that part of it is maybe a little
bit understated, the risk that you're taking to transfer to
a third school in three years.

Speaker 4 (01:12:20):
Yeah, I mean I agree, I do. And eventually some
of these are you're going to crap out on some
of these moves. And it also I do think this.
I saw this in one of the articles about this story.
Now it's even now you really want Indiana to win
because Miami looks kind of villainous and this whole thing
as well. Doing this, it's just like, all right, now

(01:12:43):
go get crushed by signetti, so you have that storyline
as well. College football is just insane. It's completely nuts,
and you can really take the college part out of
it because this is now semi pro at.

Speaker 2 (01:12:52):
Worst, it's semipro it worst, without all the rules of
professional football that are actually enforceable. Fox Sports Radio Air
Towards Jason Martin broadcasting live from the Fox Sports Radio Studios.

Speaker 3 (01:13:03):
We'll come back, Steve de Sager.

Speaker 2 (01:13:05):
We'll get you caught up on everything you missed on
a busy Saturday in the world of sports, and of
course look ahead to a busy Sunday as well.

Speaker 3 (01:13:13):
That's next. Fox Sports Radio. Welcome back, everybody.

Speaker 2 (01:13:18):
Fox Sports Radio Error Tords Jason Martin broadcasting live from
the Fox Sports Radio Studios. Be sure to subscribe to
the Fox Sports Radio YouTube channel. Just search Fox Sports
Radio on YouTube. You'll see all of our best videos
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that thumbs up icon and coming away. Let us know
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(01:13:39):
All you gotta do just search Fox Sports Radio and subscribe.

Speaker 3 (01:13:43):
All right, twelve.

Speaker 2 (01:13:45):
Forty five Eastern Time, as we do every week, Let's
get it over to the news desk, extend it. Update
everything you missed.

Speaker 3 (01:13:52):
Steve de Sager, the floor is yours.

Speaker 11 (01:13:54):
A lot of.

Speaker 10 (01:13:54):
NFL to get to just about everything's final tonight. By
the way, at Portland, the late NBA game did go
to the Blazers over the Lakers, and in late night
hockey at Vegas, Golden Knights seven to two winners against Nashville,
while Edmonton won six to nothing at Vancouver, still one
game going it's in overtime. Kings tied at Anaheim one
to one in ot We did have home playoff wins

(01:14:16):
in the NFL for Seattle and Denver. Those are the
one seeds in their conferences. They will be hosting the
conference title games a week from tomorrow. There are multiple
coaching items to pass along, including the fact that the
Giants officially finalized the five year deal with coach John Harbaugh.
He says he will report to the team owner, not

(01:14:37):
to the general manager. The New York Giants haven't won
their division since twenty eleven, and they just went four
and thirteen. On a recent Sunday night, Harbaugh's Ravens gave
up two fourth quarter touchdowns lost to the Patriots. So
that meant that John Harbaugh, in his Baltimore career, lost
for the twentieth time after leading by double digits in
the second half regular season and playoffs than any other

(01:15:00):
coach since the early nineties, and eight of those late
losses had come in the last four seasons, so he
was fired recently. By the way, in this postseason, it's
the twentieth straight NFL campaign where at least one team
with a new head coach is in the playoffs. That is,
a guy in his first year with that team making
the postseason. The Bears, for example, Jacksonville this year, New

(01:15:21):
England as well. Tomorrow on the schedule, it is New
England fifteen to three hosting a Houston Texans team that
has won ten in a row. That's at three pm
Eastern time. Houston in conference games win eleven and two.
Their turnover margin regular season was plus seventeen, best in
the AFC, and then their quarterback CJ. Stroud has three
turnovers at Pittsburgh, they did pull away, it was only

(01:15:44):
a seven to six lead early fourth quarter at Pittsburgh
last round thirty to six was the final. Wide receiver
Nico Collins is out tomorrow due to a concussion, while
new England star defensive back Christian Gonzales cleared concussion protocol.
The second game, it'll be cold and windy and Chicago.
The Bears are hosting the Rams. Rams. They are coming

(01:16:04):
off a victory obviously to advance and stay on the road.
While the Bears had a home win and incredible comeback
with about three about last ten minutes three touchdowns to
come back and beat Green Bay thirty one to twenty seven.
And yes, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford will play tomorrow with
the sprained index finger from last week and he has
practiced fully this week. The news from Green Bay today

(01:16:27):
they have given head coach Matt Lafleur a multi year extension.
Twenty twenty six would have been his final season under contract.

Speaker 11 (01:16:33):
The Packers are.

Speaker 10 (01:16:34):
Expected to give extensions to their general manager and to
their executive VP as well. The team just lost its
last five games in a row this past season. Green
Bay lost three different games after leading by ten points
or more in the last five minutes, first team since
the merger in nineteen seventy to do that. The front
runner for the Dolphins head coaching job is reportedly Green

(01:16:55):
Bay defensive coordinator Jeff Halflee. He still might talk to
other teams, but it does seem to be settled for
the Falcons job that Kevin Stefanski X of Cleveland is
getting that Multiple reports say he and Atlanta are working
towards a deal now. The Raiders are scheduled for a
second interview next week with Carolina defensive coordinator as Juro
Avero and the Mac mcmike daniel, the former head coach

(01:17:16):
of the Dolphins. McDaniel due to interview with Las Vegas
on Monday for head coach and due to talk with
the Chargers on Tuesday for offensive coordinator. The Denver Broncos
in the home win against Buffalo, eliminating the Bills in overtime,
won thirty three to thirty. The bad news is bo
Nick suffered a broken ankle late in the game, so

(01:17:39):
Jared Stidham is going to have to start in the
home game next weekend. It's been very rare that a
team starts two different players at quarterback in the same season.
In fact, AP sent out a list. You might recall
the Buffalo Bill's early nineties had a huge comeback win
with Frank Reich at quarterback because Jim Kelly was injured.

(01:18:00):
Since nineteen ninety two and the Bills, only one NFL
team has started two different players in the same postseason,
and the asterisk was it was the Rams five years
ago when they had Jared Goff and just chose to decide.
They decided I should say to start John Wofford and
then got rid of golf in the offseason. But the

(01:18:20):
Broncos will be hosting another conference title game eighth in
their franchise history. They've only lost one of those ever,
six and one at home in the AFC Championship, and
it was twenty years ago. The one home loss that
was to Pittsburgh. By the way, Pittsburgh has hosted eleven
AFC championships, forty nine ers have hosted a conference title
game eleven times, Patriots with eight and counting maybe and

(01:18:42):
the Broncos now with eight as well. There was controversy,
as you referenced earlier, and in fact, there was a
pool reporter speaking to the referee from the Denver game today.
First off, what about on the deep pass to Brandon
Cooks that was ruled in interception by Carl Scheffer's The
ref said, the receiver has to complete the process of

(01:19:04):
the catch. He was going to ground as part of
the process, and he lost possession when he hit the ground,
so the defender gained possession of it at that point.
Scheffer says, the defender is the one who completed the
process of the catch, so the defender was awarded the ball.
In overtime, Broncos eliminate a Buffalo team that committed five turnovers.

(01:19:24):
Josh Allen had three TD passes, two interceptions, two fumbles.
James cook after such a great regular season and held
down by the great Jacksonville run defense last week and
cooked today one hundred and seventeen yards rushing but one fumble.
You mentioned earlier in the show. Injuries. Two Denver wide
receivers left in the first half. Troy Franklin hamstring, Pat
Bryant concussion. Courtland Sutton wound up with four catches. He

(01:19:48):
had none until late in regulation. Today, Marvin Mims was
targeted eight times and had eight receptions for Denver ninety
three yards and a touchdown. Bronco scored ten points in
the left thirty seconds of the first half. That was key,
got a touchdown pass, then amazingly, weirdly a Josh Allen

(01:20:08):
fumble and then a fifty yard field goal in Denver
wins by three.

Speaker 2 (01:20:12):
Thank you very much to Sayger, A lot of ground
covered there on a busy Sunday in the world Saturday,
in the world of sports, heading into Sunday, and when
we come back, we're gonna recap it all. We're gonna
talk the thriller in Denver. Denver survives, but what do
they do without bow Nicks. We're gonna look ahead to Sunday,
and of course we'll talk a little bit about a
wild coaching carousel. What's next in Pittsburgh, what's next to Baltimore,

(01:20:34):
what's next for John Harbaugh? Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 1 (01:20:37):

Speaker 2 (01:20:40):
Welcome in everybody our three tours Martin Fox Sports Radio.
We are broadcasting live. Yes, we are live one am
Eastern Time from the Fox Sports Radio studios.

Speaker 3 (01:20:54):
Takeing it till two am Eastern.

Speaker 2 (01:20:57):
Bernie Fratto of The Bernie Fratto Show follows us, and
do you know, Bernie's gonna have all sorts of interesting
stuff on the two NFL playoff games that happened on Saturday,
the two NFL playoff games coming on Sunday, and of
course Monday's College Football National Championship. Bernie fratdo one hour
from now. We still got fifty eight minutes left, though,

(01:21:21):
Jay mart Let's go ahead and get to the stories
plural of the day, and obviously the big one it
did come Saturday afternoon into evening, the big game in Denver,
final score thirty three to thirty. The Denver Broncos win
in overtime. A very controversial call in overtime in which

(01:21:45):
a deep pass to Brandon Cooks appeared to be a catch.
He caught it, he came down with it, it was
ultimately ripped away by the defensive back. The defensive back
was awarded the interception. Clearly, Buffalo got no points. Denver
drives the length of the field scores a game winning
field goal. Very controversial. After the game, Sean McDermott asked

(01:22:08):
about the call and asked about the fact that the
refs did not even review it. Here's what Sean McDermott
had to say.

Speaker 5 (01:22:15):
I called a time out to try and slow it down.

Speaker 6 (01:22:17):
It would just it would seem logical to me, the
head official would walk over and want to go and
take a look at it, just to make sure that
everybody from here, who is in the stadium to there
are on the same page.

Speaker 4 (01:22:30):
That's too big of.

Speaker 6 (01:22:31):
A play, in a play that decided the game potentially
as well, to not even slow it down.

Speaker 5 (01:22:38):
And I've had a chance to look at It's hard
for me to understand why it was ruled the way
it was ruled.

Speaker 6 (01:22:43):
And if it is ruled that way, then why wasn't
it slowed down just to make sure that we have
this right.

Speaker 5 (01:22:50):
That would have made a lot of sense to me.
So I'll just leave it at that.

Speaker 3 (01:22:53):
As a vocal critic of Sean McDermott, I loved what
he had to say defending his guys, and he even
took it a step further more from Sean McDermott after the.

Speaker 6 (01:23:01):
Game, I'm saying it because I'm standing up for Buffalo, dammit.
I'm standing up for us because what went on is
not that is not how it should go down. In
my estimation that plays these guys spend three hours out
there playing football, pouring their guts out to not even say, hey,
let's just slow this thing down.

Speaker 5 (01:23:21):
That's why I'm bothered.

Speaker 2 (01:23:23):
This is now Sean McDermott's Sean McDermott and the Buffalo Bills.
They're one, two, three, four five six, seventh straight season
in the playoffs, zero Super Bowl appearances. Tough, tough, tough
way to end the season, j Mart, What did you
make of the call? But also a game in which

(01:23:43):
Buffalo turned the ball over five times, including that overtime interception.

Speaker 4 (01:23:48):
Look, I don't know what I make of the call
itself in terms of catch not a catch, whatever they
were going to rule whether it was a catch or
whether it was an interception. I think it's probably gonna stand.
When he listened to Jeans Stereotor on the broadcast, he
basically said he felt like they got it right. I
was watching it and in real time I thought it

(01:24:10):
was a catch, and as a Broncos fan, I thought
we just lost the game. And then when he saw
the replay, Stereotor was arguing that he really didn't have
possession Cooks did not have possession enough. He hadn't established
it enough that when he hit the ground the ball
belonged to him, and so it kind of was free

(01:24:30):
and there was a hand on it from the defender,
and so they ruled it as they did. And I
think the biggest issue was I agree with mcdermo one
hundred percent, and when when he called the time out,
I thought, Okay, well, I wouldn't be surprised if this
gets fixed or if something changes here. They didn't even
look at it. And in a playoff game that's in overtime,

(01:24:53):
to not even look at it was and look, I'm
as big a Broncos fan as you'll find, and I
and I was stunned, and I said, man, we may
have just gotten away with one there, or at the
very least, at least make sure it's right, like that
call has got to be right in that moment, and
unfortunately for Bill's fans, it didn't go their way. And

(01:25:18):
then Dever goes down and they get a couple of
DPI calls in addition to some good plays and then
kick a field goal and win the game. So it
just it's just kind of a sour taste in your
mouth at the end. And look, I'm a fan of
the team that won, and I still was just like, man,
that game was too good to be just riddled with
zebras in the last you know, drive and a half.

Speaker 2 (01:25:41):
It's tough because you know, I don't think even if
they went to the monitor that they would have overturned it.

Speaker 4 (01:25:50):
Yeah, I don't either, really.

Speaker 3 (01:25:52):
I don't.

Speaker 4 (01:25:52):
But it's still it's like, but if they had said
that Cooks caught it, they also wouldn't have changed that exactly.

Speaker 2 (01:25:59):
And it's just I don't know, I don't know how
to express it because I'm just gonna start yelling and
screaming like I did in an hour one. And I
think McDermott's point, you know, he said, listen, these guys
played sixty plus minutes. You know you needed to do
more due diligence. I'll take a step further. They you know,
they open training camp in July. To get to this
point and to not even review it, I just think

(01:26:21):
is abominable, and I'm curious. I'm sure the league won't
do anything, and I'm sure the leg will just hide
from it, and I'm sure you know there's gonna be
two games tomorrow and by by Monday morning. I don't
want to say everybody'll forget about it, but something will
happen tomorrow that overshadows this. But it's just for that
to be the way to end things is just so
so so brutal, really quickly. I mentioned this j Mart

(01:26:45):
six straight years where the Buffalo Bills have made the
playoffs under Sean McDermott, six straight years with Josh Allen
and Sean McDermott. I do want to just read you
something really quick and then I'm gonna.

Speaker 4 (01:26:56):
Throw it over to you.

Speaker 2 (01:26:57):
But overall, this is the Buffalo Bills in the playoffs
the last five years. Blow a fourth quarter lead at
Denver in twenty twenty six, blow a fourth quarter lead
at Case in twenty twenty five, blow fourth quarter lead
in Case in twenty twenty four, blow blown out at
home by Cincinnati in twenty twenty three, blow a fourth

(01:27:18):
quarter lead against Case in twenty twenty two. Should Sean
mcdermer be the head coach of the Buffalo Bills next year.

Speaker 4 (01:27:26):
No, But that's because I thought that's because I thought
he should have been relieved last year.

Speaker 3 (01:27:31):
I agree.

Speaker 4 (01:27:32):
I don't think it has anything to do with this
game because I don't think he did anything wrong here.
I don't think that his reputation should take any kind
of a hit because of this loss. I don't think
that he coached a bad game. I think that game
could have gone either way. You know, there were mistakes made,
but that loss, honestly is much more on Josh Allen
than it was on Sean McDermott. It just was because

(01:27:53):
of the turnovers involved. It just it wasn't a great
night for Josh Allen, and he kept him minute late
because he's able to do that, but he also put
him in the hole. He's the one that fumbled the
ball at the end of the first half that I
mean that put three more points on the board for Denver,
and you know that ends up being the difference in
the game. So I believe that McDermott should have been

(01:28:13):
gone last year, and so I can still suggest that
you move on from him, but not because he's done
anything wrong this year, which leads to me to believe
he's coming back. I don't think that they are going
to make a change there because there's a very plausible
argument that that he if he was coaching for his job,

(01:28:35):
he didn't do anything that should cost him his job here,
like this was just the way that this game went.
So I'm torn on it because I'm with you and
we've always kind of been on the same page as
I don't know about McDermott. I mean, Josh Allen's now
thirty years old, but Sean McDermott is not the reason
that they lost this football game. And I don't think

(01:28:57):
anyone will argue that he was.

Speaker 2 (01:29:00):
Ye Paul Bill's mafia would disagree, but very passionate Bills
fan says, don't let McDermott's speech fool you. He's trying
to save his job. You know, listen, two things can
be true. And it was funny because somebody said to me,
oh ha, you know you really think that he's the
reason that they lost? Let me let me see because
somebody did chirp at me on social media and I

(01:29:22):
can't find it now, but basically the argument was like, oh,
you think you lost the game? No, but I think
that probably many years ago he should have been out.
I think the only real argument is essentially the John
Harball Baltimore Ravens argument of it's run its course, it
feels weird, it is worth noting, by the way, first
time in four years now. Part of this is to

(01:29:43):
the credit of the buff of the New England Patriots
excuse me, but first time since twenty twenty, they did
not win the division. And so you go back and
look at this season, and I do still think it's tough.
It's tough, like I'm not gonna I'm not gonna go
back on anything that I've said.

Speaker 3 (01:30:02):
Previously to your point, weird losses.

Speaker 2 (01:30:05):
You lose it, you know, against the Dolphins, you lose
against the Falcons, whatever. But it's tough because I think
I see every side of this, almost like the interception,
Like I see both sides and it's and I kind
of agree with you is if it happens, I won't
be surprised, well, I will be surprised. Actually, if it happens,

(01:30:27):
I don't think it is the worst decision that has
ever been made. And I think it's under the John
Harbaugh edict of its run its course. And if you
listen to Steve Bashatti this week to Baltimore Ravens owner,
they asked him, Hey, if we had if we had
kicked that field goal to win the division, would John
Harball still be the head coach, and he said for
one more week. The insinuation being that I made the decision.
This guy lost the locker room. I don't know if

(01:30:48):
Sean mcdermis lost the locker room or not. They did,
in their defense, win five of their final six games
on the season. They only lost that one point, lost
to the Philadelphia Eagles. Yeah, I don't have much much
else to add on Sean McDermott. I don't know if
you have anything else to add because I do want
to ask you very quickly about bow Knicks and the Broncos. Denver,
of course wins the game, but we find out after

(01:31:10):
the fact that bow Knicks is out for the year.
He broke a bone in his ankle. He is unavailable.
Jared Stidham will be your starter. De Seger gave us
the great stat that he will be the first player
ever to start a conference championship game at the quarterback
position after having not thrown a pass the entire game.

(01:31:31):
This having not thrown a pass once this season. Certainly,
if you have more on McDermott and the Bills, but
I also want to ask your take on the Denver Broncos. Obviously,
going into the AFC Championship game very shorthanded.

Speaker 4 (01:31:46):
Yeah, not really. I mean I think that I think
we pretty much covered it there in terms of the Broncos. Look,
I'm a Denver fan and that's heartbreaking, especially considering the
game that Bownicks played. This was one of those kind
of coming of age games where he really did show
up and then the I mean, look, his guys kind
of let him down early. He had a touchdown dropped

(01:32:08):
by little Jordan Humphrey in the end zone on the
first drive that ends up being a field goal when
it should have been a touchdown for him. But he
made big plays with his legs, He made big plays
with his arms in the game, had three touchdown passes.
Randon Ball effectively moved the chains. Was a leader and
afterwards sounded like a leader when he when he was

(01:32:29):
speaking to the media. You know what, I didn't even
realize he was hurt. I had no idea until I
saw and I said that message. I was just like, man,
my heart just broke, kind of like apparently bo Nix's ankle.
I had no clue that it happened until halftime of
the the NFC game, when Jay Glazer mentioned it on
Fox and I was just like, oh, no, tell me,

(01:32:50):
this is not what I think it is. And so yeah,
he's out for the postseason. It's gonna be Jared Steam.
So it's just it's unfortunate and it's a bad it's
bad for the NFL just because and you mentioned this
to me in a text message, and I think it
bears it bears out. The Super Bowl matchups are not
particularly enticing right now now. I think the best result

(01:33:13):
probably is going to be the Patriots and the On
the NFC, I do think you have some appetizing teams there,
but the AFC has become really light when it comes
to box office. Now, I'm not saying that the bow
Knicks Broncos were super box office either, but they were
far more interesting than the Jared Stidham Broncos. This doesn't

(01:33:36):
feel like Nick Foles to me. This doesn't feel like
that kind of a situation. This feels like, even though
they're hosting the AFC title game, the defense is going
to have to score a couple of touchdowns or they're
not going to have a chance.

Speaker 2 (01:33:48):
Yeah, for people who maybe haven't put two and two
together yet, the AFC will be represented by either the
bow nix list Denver Broncos starting Jared Stidham in his
second star of the season. The Houston Texans, who, while
certainly winning a lot of games, I don't know that
they totally moved the needle. Or the New England Patriots.

(01:34:08):
You know, I hadn't thought of this, but I'll give
you a quick quick thought on this. Do the Patriots again,
even with the new head coach and the new QB,
become hateable if they make the Super Bowl? Because we
come off this incredible dynasty that was basically twenty years
when you break it down, you know, all these super
Bowl wins, all of that, then it finally falls apart

(01:34:32):
under Belichick, He's out and then immediately two years later
after firing Bill Belichick. In theory, they still have to
win two games, but under the argument that they make
the Super Bowl, do they instantly become hateable by all
of a sudden two years later being back in the
Super Bowl with a new coach, a new quarterback and

(01:34:52):
seemingly no reason to think that they aren't again going
to be elite for the very foreseeable future.

Speaker 4 (01:34:57):
No, they don't. I mean, this Patriots team is not
to me as hatable they're just not. I mean, Drake
May doesn't seem to be a bad guy. Like I
covered Mike Rabels's entire tenure with the Titans, and certainly
he had some knockdown dragouts with the media and he
was polarizing, but generally speaking, he was a really good

(01:35:18):
head coach. And he's royalty in that city, so obviously
he's popular there. But like, I really like Trevion Henderson.
I like what he stands for. I love his faith,
I love how outward he is about it. There's a
lot to like about that football team. Now, look, there's
some problems off the field with a couple of guys
as well, But I don't think this feels like the

(01:35:41):
Belichick Patriots at all. It doesn't I think that. I
know that hasn't felt like very much time because it
hasn't been much time, but I kind of think that
page has been turned. Also, I thought about this, we
do have the possibility. I'm not saying it's gonna happen.
You have the possibility of Caleb Williams versus Drake May

(01:36:02):
and the Super Bowl.

Speaker 2 (01:36:04):
So I had a stat that I was gonna throw
out but decided against it solely because you know, given
the bow Knicks context of whatever. But twenty twenty four
NFL draft, okay, you may remember that was the Caleb Williams,
Jade and Daniels draft. And let me just make sure
I have my stats correct. Here, five quarter six quarterbacks

(01:36:25):
off the board in the first twelve picks. Of those
six quarterbacks, four of them already have a playoff win
bow Knicks, Jade and Daniels, Caleb Williams, and Drake May
And I was gonna throw out the stat that that
is more, all four of them have more playoff.

Speaker 3 (01:36:41):
Wins at this point than justin Herbert oh Man.

Speaker 4 (01:36:45):
I was gonna I didn't see that. I didn't see that, Herbert.
I didn't see the Herbert shroutnell coming, but I should.

Speaker 2 (01:36:50):
Yeah, yeah, no, no, And it was like it didn't
really fit for the show, especially when bow Nick shatters
his ankle.

Speaker 3 (01:36:58):
But one, it is crazy.

Speaker 2 (01:37:00):
I mean, I think it's very conceivable, and we'll preview
the Sunday games coming up, but I just think bigger picture,
you know, in theory, we could essentially get two second
year quarterbacks boom right off the bat with those two,
and then of course the Broncos would have been in
theory led by a second second year quarterbacks. So no,
it's crazy how this is playing out and really quickly.

(01:37:25):
I don't think it's some like indictment on some new generation.
I still think Josh Allen Lamar Jackson, if Mahomes can
get healthy, if Burrow can stay healthy, Like, I still
think they got a lot of Super Bowls between the
four of them, and who knows, maybe it's just Mahomes
the way things are going, but but it is interesting
that we could get two second year quarterbacks. I will
also very quickly disagree. I think if we actually do

(01:37:47):
get the Patriots in the Super Bowl, I do think
they will become hateable and it's like, I know it's
not the same group of guys, but I think a
lot of people are gonna be like, really, we're doing
this again after twenty years we thought the dynasty was dead.
But hey, they still got to get two wins before
we get there.

Speaker 4 (01:38:03):
So what are they the John Shire Duke team reaching
the championship game. Yeah, that's a fair way to kind
of look at it.

Speaker 2 (01:38:11):
Maybe, Yeah, I mean I guess because like I don't
think Shire that happened, like if Duke had won the championship.
But I'm just making the argument of going to the
Super Bowl. I think part of it too, and I'll
be quick on this, I think part of it too
is like the Boston fans and the Boston media. And

(01:38:33):
I will say, like, you know, I grew up in
the in the Northeast. I'm not necessarily a Boston fan,
but like, I forgot how annoying and obnoxious all these
Boston people are when the Boston teams are very good
and and I don't know, I think if we get
two weeks of it, you'll be like, oh, yeah, I
forgot how annoying these people are. And I don't think

(01:38:55):
it's like a Drake Mayor or even a Mike Vrabel thing.
I just think people will be like, we're really doing
this again after twenty years after you know, what was it,
six super Bowl wins, another three super bowls. I believe
that they appeared in.

Speaker 3 (01:39:08):
We're doing again. So that's just my opinion. But obviously
you're welcome to disgrease.

Speaker 4 (01:39:12):
Well, no, I mean that's interesting. I mean, I just
I think in order for the Patriots to be truly hated,
there has to be like this insanely likable team on
the other side, I don't know that that's there. I'm
not saying that, like there are like teams to hate
in addition to the Patriots specifically in the AFC, but
like I mean, the Texans really moving the needle Broncos

(01:39:35):
outside of nuddobs like me and Justin Cooper, who, by
the way, he told me he was there. He told
me a couple of weeks ago he went there. He
was there for the divisional round game, and he told
me what he paid for the tickets, and I was like, wow,
that's a high price. But he saw a good one.
We could say that, even though it ended poorly for
Broncos fans. When it comes to losing their quarterback man

(01:40:00):
quite a year. I will say this too. I saw
this stat This is not relevant at all today AFC.
Sam Donald fourteen and three with the Seahawks this year.
Nobody was with the Vikings last year fourteen and three,
fourteen and three really good quarterbacks. Seahawks coincidence is starting
to change when it comes to Sam Donald.

Speaker 2 (01:40:21):
Yeah, I mean, we didn't even mention that game, and
we really don't have to. Seahawks win that one forty
one to six. If there was an oblique injury. Sam
Donald certainly hit it well. He only had to throw
seventeen pastes, twelve of seventeen with one touchdown. J Martin,
You're certainly allowed to jump in if you have some
big bowl.

Speaker 4 (01:40:39):
I mean, he's playing with a with like two collapse
lungs and diverticulitis and everything under the sun. Based on
the way it was being talked about before the game.

Speaker 2 (01:40:49):
Well, it was a regular Willis Reid moment because he
was awesome. And the Seahawks win the game, they will
advance to the NFC Championship Game, where they will host
the NFL Championship Game against the winner of the Bears
and Rams on Sunday. Speaking of Bears Rams Sunday one
of two games, we will come back preview the Sunday games.

Speaker 3 (01:41:10):
That's next Fox Sports Radio. Welcome back everybody. Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 2 (01:41:16):
Here Torris Jason Martin broadcasting live from the Fox Sports
Radio studios. We'll preview Sunday's two divisional round games in
just a moment. Before we do, though final time this evening,
Let's get it to the news desk with Steve Sager.
What is trending to Sega?

Speaker 10 (01:41:33):
Well, last weekend, the Buffalo Bills at Jacksonville got their
first road playoff wins since nineteen ninety two. Today on
the road, they lost in overtime at Denver on a
short field goal thirty three thirty. The Bills with five turnovers.
Broncos had taken the lead with about a minute left
in regulation, then Buffalo kicked a fifty yard field goal
to tie it.

Speaker 11 (01:41:54):
In the lost.

Speaker 10 (01:41:54):
James Cook one hundred and seventeen yards rushing, won fumble,
Josh Allen three touchdown pass but two interceptions two fumbles.
The big news from Denver right after the game in
the coaches press conference, quarterback Bonick suffered a broken ankle
late in the contest. He is out for the postseason,
which means, as you referenced, Jared Stidham, of all people,

(01:42:15):
is going to be starting quarterback in a conference championship
game in Denver next weekend. Yes, the one seed will
be hosting the AFC Championship. The folks at stats Inc.
Went in their statistics dating back to nineteen fifty because
that's when quarterback starts were first tracked, and yes, Stidham
would become next weekend the first NFL quarterback ever to

(01:42:36):
start a conference championship round or later after not throwing
a single pass during the regular season. Stidham did play
one snap this season that was a kneel down in
October apparently, but he hasn't thrown a regular season pass
in over two years, when he started a couple games
after Denver had benched Russell Wilson, and the NFL reports
tonight that the last quarterback to even make his first

(01:42:59):
start of the seas a conference championship game or later
was Roger Staubuck nineteen seventy.

Speaker 11 (01:43:04):
Two for Dallas.

Speaker 10 (01:43:06):
Of course, he had thrown passes in the regular season,
but hadn't started because in seventy two, the Hall of
Famer Stawback had missed most of the season after one
of their many preseason games saw him separate a shoulder,
so they went with Craig Morton as the starter, and
they were having a good year, so even later when
Staubuck was healthy, they kept Morton. It was Stawback that
had the big comeback playoff win over San Francisco, and

(01:43:28):
then they kept him as a starter for the NFC Championship.
And I got to mention, I've seen this in NFL
films the year before that for Dallas nineteen seventy one.
And this is with a Hall of Fame legendary coach
Tom Landry. He had these two guys that could be
NFL starting quarterbacks. He literally alternated the two guys. Each
play there was a different quarterback. He would send in

(01:43:50):
the quarterback the new guy with the play call the
new play from the sideline. That's how it actually worked.
Never imagine I would be mentioning Jared stidhaman Roger Staubach
in the same segment, but there we are. Stidham had
played his freshman year at Baylor in Texas. A couple
years at Auburn, was drafted fourth round by New England
twenty nineteen. Well, I got to mention about Seattle. They've

(01:44:14):
won eight in a row. They'll be hosting as one
seed the NFC Championship next week and tonight against the Niners,
eliminating San Francisco forty one to six. Rashid Shaheed what
a pickup mid season. Ran back the opening kickoff ninety
five yards for a score. Kenneth Walker of Seattle wound
up on nineteen carries, having one hundred and sixteen yards

(01:44:34):
rushing and three scores. Meanwhile, San Francisco's four running backs
combined had twenty one carries just sixty four yards. Seattle
had seventeen to nothing in the first quarter. San Francisco
finished with two field goals, three turnovers plus three turnovers
on downs, and it was a quiet night for Jackson
Smith in Jigba. He did have a late first quarter

(01:44:55):
touchdown catch from San Darnold, but only two other receptions
the entire evening. And this is a guy who not
only led the NFL in receiving yards, he became the
first player in the entire Super Bowl era to lead
the league in receiving yards while playing for a team
that was ranking bottom three in pass play percentage.

Speaker 11 (01:45:17):
He is the guy.

Speaker 10 (01:45:18):
And even without him starring, it was forty one to
six Seattle. That defense for Seattle allowed only seventeen points
a game regular season, best in the NFL. So we
can update a stat for coach Kyle Shanahan. He took
over the Niners in twenty seventeen and all those years since.
When his team is down double digits at any point

(01:45:40):
in a game, his Niners are six and forty nine
including playoffs, including tonight. Meanwhile, the Seahawks have won eleven
straight home playoff games when fans are there. There was
a twenty twenty home playoff game. They lost no fans,
but Mike McDonald's team advances. In fact, McDonald in his
last three playoff games as head coach and before then

(01:46:01):
defensive coordinator, his teams have not allowed a point in
the second half in his last three playoff games. What's
coming up tomorrow? Houston winners of ten straight, playing at
New England three pm Eastern Times Sunday. Texans wide receiver
Nico Collins out with a concussion. New England star defensive
back Christian Gonzales cleared concussion protocol the visitors. Houston did

(01:46:23):
go eleven and two in conference games. To this point,
they had the best turnover margin in the AFC. Of course,
C J. Stroud had three turnovers at Pittsburgh last weekend
and Houston was only up seven to six early fourth quarter.
Thirty to six was the final. You could say New
England's offense failed to impress last weekend as well. They
had the what nine to three lead in the fourth

(01:46:44):
quarter Drake May and a sixteen to three win over
the Chargers one touchdown pass two turnovers, sacked five times.
He was great on the ground and their two running
backs combined nineteen carries eighty yards on the ground as
well in.

Speaker 11 (01:46:56):
The cold and windy conditions.

Speaker 10 (01:46:58):
Tomorrow in Chicago, the Bear will host the Rams Bears,
coming off that incredible comeback against Green Bay with three
touchdowns in about the last ten minutes. Top candidate for
the Falcons job, and they're working towards a deal, according
to NFL Network Kevin Stefanski for the Falcons X of Cleveland,
the Giants finalized a five year deal with coach John Harbaugh.

(01:47:18):
Green Bay gave head coach Matt Lafleur a multi year extension.
Right there was an NBA game with Anthony Edwards coming
back after missing his last two games with a foot injury,
and he scored fifty five points and they did not
win at San Antonio. In this shootout with Victor wembin Yam,
who had thirty nine points, Spurs won twenty six to
one to twenty three the final. Anthony Edwards had twenty

(01:47:40):
six just in the fourth quarter. Denver's Jamal Murray forty
two points in a win over Washington. Jalen Brown of
Boston forty one points in a win at Atlanta Miami
edged Oklahoma City won twenty two to one to twenty
despite thirty nine from Shay Giljess Alexander and we haven't
mentioned it, but there was college hoops today. Kentucky stole
one at Tennessee, Georgia beat Arkansas number three Yukon one

(01:48:04):
sixty four to sixty two. At Georgetown, Cal beat North Carolina,
Texas Tech over BYU Cincinnati upset number two Iowa State
back to.

Speaker 2 (01:48:14):
You, thank you very much to Saga, have a great evening.
We appreciate the extensive update. This is Fox Sports Radio
eron TOURUS, Jason Martin, broadcasting live from the Fox Sports
Radio studios. Let's get us some music. Let's put us
in the mood ian, go ahead and get us started.
Two games on Sunday that we got a preview.

Speaker 3 (01:48:34):
What do we got?

Speaker 9 (01:48:35):
Ile's jump in with three pm Eastern time. The Texans
are going to New England to take on the Patriots
New England as the home team are favored by.

Speaker 11 (01:48:42):
A field goal.

Speaker 3 (01:48:43):
Here three points. We'll start with you, j mart Who
you got?

Speaker 4 (01:48:45):
That's I don't know of the units? Which one do
I trust? The lease it's probably the Texans offense, although
Woody Mark's you know, he can catch the ball out
of the backfield and he can run it for you.
But you look at Stevenson Anderson, I think both of
them could could actually be critical here. The of the
four units, I think Houston's defense is probably the one

(01:49:07):
you trust the most and then the Patriots offense. So
who gets the better of that matchup probably dictates who
wins the game. A little bit torn here because defense
does generally win championships. It has been true more often
than not. And Houston's defense will travel. And this is
a quarterback in Drake May Who's had a whole lot
of answers, but I'm not sure he's seen something this

(01:49:30):
relentless that's gonna be coming after him. I'm still gonna
take the Patriots. I'm gonna take New England to win
the game. But the Houston defense is an absolutely frightening prospect.

Speaker 2 (01:49:43):
Well, the Houston defense is a frightening prospect. I'm actually
gonna go ahead and take Houston. Listen, I know the
games in New England. Neither offense look great. This is crazy, Like,
you know, we talk about all these winning streaks that
all these different teams had. Houston hasn't lost since the
first week of November. Now, I understand AFC South Division's

(01:50:05):
kind of weird, not a lot of tough competition late
in the season. I'm gonna go ahead and take Houston
to win this game outright in New England, though, I
think that defense carries against a young offense. New England's
ahead of schedule. Give me Houston, all right.

Speaker 9 (01:50:21):
Rams at Bears six thirty Eastern Time on NBC. Got
the Rams as the away team are actually favored by
three and a half in this one. Aaron will start
with you this time.

Speaker 3 (01:50:30):
Who you got? You know, I'm really torn.

Speaker 2 (01:50:33):
You don't want to get too caught up in the
emotion of what we saw really from both games last week.
I think it's easy to forget because of the Bears
comeback that the Rams also had a comeback of their own.

Speaker 4 (01:50:47):
Darn it.

Speaker 3 (01:50:48):
I was hoping you go to j Mart first, even
though I knew you were coming to me.

Speaker 4 (01:50:54):
It's hard call. I see your dilemma.

Speaker 2 (01:50:56):
No, I will total take the Rams because listen, I'll
just say this really quick, and I want to get
it to you.

Speaker 4 (01:51:04):
J Mart.

Speaker 3 (01:51:05):
Is that listen? The Chicago thing was awesome.

Speaker 2 (01:51:10):
They needed a lot of stuff to go right last week,
you know, from miss field goals to play calling to
stuff going right when they had the football, and you
just sit there and you say they had a million
ways that they could have lost it. The Rams again
easily could have lost in Carolina. But I'll go ahead

(01:51:31):
and take the Rams to pull off the win in
Chicago against the Bears.

Speaker 4 (01:51:36):
How cold are going to be in Chicago? That's really
I think that's That's kind of my determining factor.

Speaker 3 (01:51:42):
I'm seeing twenty one degrees on ESPN.

Speaker 2 (01:51:44):
Yeah, okay, I'm gonna take their Yeah, six thirty Eastern,
five thirty Central, so it'll be dark and cold by
the time.

Speaker 4 (01:51:49):
I'm gonna take the Bears. I really am. I think
that matters. I think that matters tremendously in a game
like this. The Bears defense is suspect, to say the least,
but man, every HiT's gonna hurt more, and the Rams
are just this is not something that they're as used to.
This is where them not playing at home bites them. Like,

(01:52:11):
I think the Rams are the better football team, but
I do not like them going to Soldier Field in
this circumstance in twenty degree weather, like seeing when I
see Matthew Stafford, seeing his breath, I'm worried. If I'm
a Rams fan, I just am, so I'm gonna take
the Bears really quickly.

Speaker 2 (01:52:29):
We talked about the Patriots potentially being hateable if they
make the AFC or if they make the Super Bowl.
Are the Bears America's team as far as the most
like the team that would get the most love if
they made a Super Bowl? I just feel like, I
know they made a Super Bowl with er Locker, you know,
a decade ago, but the history of the organization, especially

(01:52:53):
on the offensive side of the ball, even as recently
as last year, they were terrible on that side.

Speaker 3 (01:52:58):
Of the football.

Speaker 2 (01:53:00):
Do you think they become kind of the rooting favorite
at that point if they were to actually make a run.

Speaker 4 (01:53:06):
I mean, if Caleb Williams would stop the nail thing,
I think that might help him out. I mean, I
don't know that the Rams are particularly hatable, but they've
kind of been around, and McVeigh has been near Super
Bowls and been two Super Bowls of course, and won
a Super Bowl. I think that the best story remaining
is still probably Seattle just because of the Darnald effect.

(01:53:30):
And then I just wonder, is Ben Johnson polarizing because
he's a little outspoken and he's certainly bristly, and some
people are gonna like that, but other people are not.
I don't know that there's like I don't know if
they become like super likable. I don't dislike the Bears.
I mean, I find myself kind of rooting for them,
but I don't know. I'm not sure. I don't think

(01:53:54):
it's overwhelmingly likable. It's not like Indiana likable in college football.
It's much different than that.

Speaker 3 (01:54:01):
Totally fair.

Speaker 2 (01:54:02):
We will see what happens, and we'll see what happens
if the Bears do make it. I do think there's
some good points there. Certainly don't think the Packers will
be Packers fans will be rooting for the Bears after
some of the stuff that Ben Johnson said in the
postgame locker room last week. Bears Rams is the late game,
the early game New England against Houston. That is a

(01:54:24):
three pm Eastern start time. The Houston New England winner
goes to Denver next week, and of course, the winner
of Chicago and the Rams goes to Seattle. Fox Sports Radio.
One segment left and Jay mart I do have a
question for you. Is the Steelers job actually a good job?
We'll discuss that next Fox Sports Radio. Welcome back everybody,

(01:54:49):
Fox Sports Radio Air towards Jason Martin broadcasting live.

Speaker 11 (01:54:52):
We are live in.

Speaker 2 (01:54:54):
The Fox Sports Radio studios. We're until two am Eastern.
Bernie Frattle follows us. And by the if you missed
any of today's show, you're gonna want to check out
the podcast. Just search Fox Sports Ready wherever we get
your podcasts. Right after the show, today's podcast is posted.
Just follow the podcast rate at five stars. You can
even provide a review. Again, just search Fox Sports Ready

(01:55:16):
wherever you get your podcasts, and you'll find today's show
after we get off air, jam mart So I teased
it before the break. We have still I think seven
openings with Stefanski taking the Atlanta Falcons job the Pittsburgh Steelers,
and so I was thinking about this this week, is that,

(01:55:37):
you know, like the Steelers job opens. And obviously there
was the Mike Tomlin stuff and it was, you know,
certainly crazy how it happened. But my whole thing was
this is I did find it funny. And again, maybe
it's because I'm a college football guy, but I heard
two things said basically in one breath by everybody talking
about the Steelers job.

Speaker 3 (01:55:56):
I saw Danie orro Lovsky talk about. I saw a
bunch of people is.

Speaker 2 (01:56:00):
You know, Steelers don't know how good of a job
it is, don't have a quarterback, overpaid defense, whatever. And
then I immediately saw, well, you know they if you're
Marcus Freeman, you got to take the call from the Steelers.
And I said, why does Marcus Freeman have to take a
call from the Steelers?

Speaker 3 (01:56:15):
Now?

Speaker 2 (01:56:16):
I only bring it up to say this, I don't
think the Steelers' job is a good job. And I'll
be very quick and I'll get it over to you.
I laid it out. They don't have a quarterback. Defense
isn't good. And the only argument is I heard people say, like, well,
you know what I mean, but they.

Speaker 3 (01:56:32):
Give you time.

Speaker 2 (01:56:33):
Three coaches since the nineteen sixties, blah blah blah blah blah,
and it's like, well, one Tomlin won a Super Bowl
like his second or third year, but two and by
the way, for all the criticism never finished below five hundred.
Made the playoffs pretty consistently. That is part of the
reason that he lasted that long and almost certainly would
have continued as the coach had he not resigned. But
my other thing is, if you're a super competitive guy

(01:56:55):
and you have options, and I'm not talking about the
defensive coordinator from wherever that might take this job. I'm
talking about good coaches with good options. I don't know
that the only appeal of a job being well, they
don't fire coaches. I don't think that's appealing because competitive
people want to win right away, don't want to be
in a rebuild. I'm certainly not saying it's the worst

(01:57:18):
job available, but I think we're giving this job way
too much credit. I think it's a mess, not a mess,
but I think it's a rebuild, and I don't care
how much time you're getting.

Speaker 3 (01:57:28):
People want to win. I don't think it's a very
good job.

Speaker 4 (01:57:32):
So it's a It's a great place to be when
you're winning, it's great fan base. There's all sorts of tradition.
You mentioned the three coaches that they have had, and
they've all, you know, had long tenures. They've all been
incredibly successful. But there will come a time when somebody's
gonna come in there and fail, like it's not going

(01:57:54):
to go this way forever. When Mike Tomlin rolled in there,
Ben Roethlisberger had just rolled in there. Also, They've had
good luck with quarterbacks except recently, and somehow Tomlins still
got them to ten wins this year, which I'm just
baffled by, Like, I don't know how it was possible.

(01:58:15):
But look, Aaron Rodgers played pretty well this year, but
I don't think anybody expects that he will be back.
They are not in a great position from a draft perspective.
I don't think their cap situation is all that good.
But I think the biggest thing is many of the
players that you associate with this last group of Steelers,

(01:58:36):
this great Steelers team, they're aging out. If they haven't
already retired. Cam Hayward's not gonna be around much longer. TJ.
Watts is at least over the peak of his career,
and he's getting hurt more and more often. You have
some guys, but I mean, your number one wide receiver
is a complete head case. So that doesn't help you

(01:58:56):
very much. Friar moves have been around forever. A lot
of these guys have been aroun forever. But the biggest
concern again is like it is not a good job
if the quarterback is not right it. At that point,
it's like you're taking over the San Antonio Spurs before
Wemby got there for Greg Popovich when they weren't winning

(01:59:17):
for years. Like, it has a ton of tradition and
aura behind it, and you would love to think that
you could bring that back. But that's gonna be a
hard job. It's gonna be a hard position to be
in because they're not used to losing in Pittsburgh. The
fans aren't used to it. They were tired of what
Tomlin was bringing them. And Tomlin, I think he was

(01:59:39):
doing miracles more often than not. So you look at
all that, like, I don't know what they're gonna do
at quarterback. And so if I'm Marcus Freeman, I'm not
leaving Notre Dame for a very uncertain, high pressure situation
in Pittsburgh.

Speaker 3 (01:59:53):
Yeah, and Marcus Freeman was just maybe the example of
the guy.

Speaker 4 (01:59:56):
Yeah, but it was a good example.

Speaker 3 (01:59:57):
Yeah, good job with good options.

Speaker 2 (01:59:58):
By the way, it is worth noting what Signetti was
asked about the NFL at media availability today and he said, yeah,
I'm a college guy, not going anywhere. All right, We
got to get out of here. I want to thank
the crew producer, Ian, thank you for your help. Same
with Mary mac lee in the back cut up a
lot of great sound. If you missed any of it,
make sure to download the podcast from my partner Jason Martin,
I am ertors. We appreciate everybody listening and coming up next,

(02:00:23):
you know what the deal is. Bernie Fratto of the
Bernie Fratto Show. A lot of good stuff on the
NFL on Saturday, the NFL on Sunday, college football and more.
Aertors Jason Martin. Download the podcast. Fox Sports Areio

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