Aaron Torres & Jason Martin Discuss the Lamar Jackson Drama, the Future of the Lions, Preview CFP Round 2 & More!

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

Speaker 2 (00:04):
Welcome in everybody, Fox Sports Radio, Fox Sports Saturday, Ertoris
Jason Martin broadcasting alive from the Fox Sports Radio studios
here at eleven pm Eastern on the twenty seventh. We're
taking it up till two am. A lot to get
to two NFL games to Sega. Got you most of

(00:25):
the details just a second ago, and we obviously we
got a preview the college football playoff quarterfinals before we
get out of here. J mart Hello, I hope you
had a great Christmas. Did Santa bring your little girls
everything that they were hoping for? I hope you had
a great holiday the last couple of days.

Speaker 3 (00:42):
Yeah, it was solid. It was good and health Center
for you everything that you wanted.

Speaker 2 (00:48):
You know, I'm sure everyone asked about the kids. Did
Jason Martin get what he wanted from Santa?

Speaker 3 (00:52):
There was technically only one thing that I asked for
and I did indeed get that. So I was with things.
But look, man, this was all about just watching watching
them and watching you know, the She'll be two in March,
but you know started she like a meat. We started
opening gifts, which is very interesting, Like I actually almost

(01:15):
missed it. I was trying to make coffee for my wife,
and all of a sudden I hear rustling and the
not even two year old has gone to the tree
and just started unwrapping things. And usually that's not how
that works. Usually have to help them and all this,
and she was just ripping stuff open. She's a bit bright,
like she's she's quick on the draw. She's kind of
dangerous in that regard. But it was an absolute blast,

(01:37):
just a good time and good time of family, good food.
You know. The football kind of stunk, but that's all right.
You know, you can't you can't have them all. At
least basketball is pretty good.

Speaker 2 (01:46):
Basketball was good. Spurs beat the thunder.

Speaker 3 (01:50):
Football I need to talk about that, but.

Speaker 2 (01:51):
Yeah, yeah, apparently JJ Reddick has headed up to here
with Lebron James, even though he didn't call him out
by name. And the football did stink, but they're repercussions.
We're going to talk about the Lions in half a second.
But glad to hear you had a great holiday. It's
funny you said you only asked for one thing. So
I am officially an old man because my wife for
weeks asked me what I wanted, and I swear this

(02:14):
is the only thing that I asked for. I like to,
you know, especially during the summertime, I wear you know,
little golf shirts, button down shirts, whatever. We do not
have an ironing board, and I said, literally, could we
have an iron And my wife's like, oh, just iron
it on the kitchen table. It comes out the same.
I'm like, it doesn't come out the same as a

(02:34):
real ironing board. And I literally I said, all I
want is literally I want is an I board. I
swear in my life, I asked for an ironing board
because I said, I'm so tired of these wrinkled shirts
that are half wrinkled and I'm doing a wrinkle free
well I got a couple, not enough, by the way,
the shirt I'm wearing actually is a little bit wrinkled
right now because I have not broken out the ironing board.
But that was I swear that was the only thing

(02:56):
I asked for. Now, you know, you know, ends and
family got me a couple of gift cards and stuff,
But that when you said you only asked for one thing,
it cracked me up because that was me and I'm
very much the type of person. I'm like you know,
I'm very blessed, like I have what I need. I
you know, I don't. I'm not somebody that asked for much.
So when I asked for something, it's like, no, it's
something I really want and I probably won't get on

(03:18):
my own. So Santa, I won't say he left the
ironing board under the tree. Amazon actually was the one
who delivered my ironing board, not Santa, and I got
it right around New Year.

Speaker 3 (03:28):
And well, look if you asked for a Yukon.

Speaker 2 (03:30):
Bowl win, oh no, for our first ten win season
in school history. Yeah, that was tough. By the way, random,
can I give you a random college football take to
leave the show before we get Okay, So I woke
up today or it was really late last night. I

(03:52):
looked at the bowl schedule for today and obviously no
college basketball, and like ESPN, you know, is going head
to head with you know, two NFL games game, And
so I looked at the schedule today. I'm not saying
that Notre Dame opting out of their bowl game isn't lame.

(04:13):
It is, but I also looked at the schedule today
and realized ESPN was very much trying to put Notre
Dame in the Pop Tarts Bowl against BYU in a
game that they could promote as twelve thirteen versus fourteen
who really deserved to be in the playoff tune in

(04:33):
three point thirty Eastern, and I was kind of like,
you know, I still wish Notre Dame had played a
Bowl game. I still wish it, you know, it had
happened differently. But I also kind of understand Notre Dame
saying we won ten straight to end of the year,
We're not going to be part of some made for
TV game that you just want, you know, like, I

(04:54):
don't know how to even fully explain it.

Speaker 3 (04:55):
But I'll say this, I mean, if you just to
make your argument stronger, even if I I don't fully
agree with it, but I know what you're saying. Notre
Dame's probably a little salty at ESPN because it felt
like ESPN was still in the Alabama line hardcore and
so why are we gonna do something to benefit ESPN
in a game that we don't care about. When ESPN
kind of threw shade on us, of course, yeah, then

(05:18):
they started to back up the whole like, you know,
group of five shouldn't have this and shouldn't have that.
But at the same time, they championed Alabama maybe harder
than anybody else. Sure, and I think there's there's that
may have actually left them a bit salty on top
of it.

Speaker 2 (05:31):
No doubt, And I want to get some other stuff.
Two NFL games are basically final at this point, they
are officially final. But yeah, no, I listen the way
things broke and we did the whole playoff thing last
you know, it was an unfortunate circumstance where there had
to be two G five teams. We wish that Miami
had just gotten the auto bit out of the ACC

(05:51):
and if they did, the Notre Dame gets in. But
I do think there is something too. You know, you guys,
you know, you guys have the weekly show. You guys
had us at whatever it was, tenth or eleventh going
into the final show, you moved us down. And I
will say this too. Like again, I'm not advocating teams

(06:11):
not playing football, but now Notre Dame forever gets to
just say we finished with ten straight wins. What could
have been where if they go to the Pop Tarts
Bowl and all their guys opt out, Jeremiah Love ops out, whoever,
and they lose the game, then it's an off season
of you know, we told you Notre Dame didn't belong
blub blah bush. So anyway, we don't have to talk

(06:33):
hypotheticals with Notre Dame. But I did see the schedule
and it was clear for because I will say this, Jamar,
I don't know if it's like that was the game
that ESPN was trying to get Notre Dame in BYU
versus Notre Dame in this Pop Tarts Bowl that eventually
was won by BYU. Notre Dame in BYU were the
last two teams left, first two teams left out of
the college football playoffs. So I'm just saying it's still lame.

(06:56):
I wish they had played some bowl games somewhere, and
I think it's to the detriment of their program. The
young players don't get the practice time, they don't get
the reps whatever. I don't know if there's any more
Notre name takes and we can move on to what
happened today in the rest of the.

Speaker 3 (07:09):
World sports, Yeah, I mean not really. I mean I
agree with what you're saying. Generally, I will say this,
at least the Pop Tarts Bowl was pretty good. It
was pretty entertaining game, like Georgia Tech led it most
of the way, ended up losing it, but you know,
had it in the red zone there at the end.
I mean, you got a pretty good finish out of that.
Look like both teams actually wanted to win that game.
That was nice. I mean, you know, those are two

(07:32):
teams that had great years and so you were gonna
get a pretty good matchup. And I'm just gonna be real.
I was excited about Bowl season, but I just haven't
watched a lot of this stuff because I just haven't
been able to bring myself to care sure about most
of the matchups thus far. We're starting to get some
of them, and of course I've paid attention to the results,
but like sitting down and watching some of these games,
I just I don't know what it is. I understandably,

(07:57):
you know, some of the schools are that are a
little bit smaller, and there been a few that I've
paid attention to. But I think I've paid less attention
to this week of Bowls than ever this week I've
paid attention to in the past. It's just been hard
for me to kind of drum up the excitement in
my own brain to watch.

Speaker 2 (08:13):
This, no doubt. And I'll wrap on this. The games
do get better because I you know, I know this
because every year that I used to work with Arnie Spanner,
and I still do in some capacities during the holidays, Oh,
all these bowl games are meaningless. And then you get
to around New Year's Day, and we're gonna have Iowa
versus Vandy, We're gonna have Michigan versus Texas. We're certainly

(08:34):
gonna have some intriguing games into New Year's Day as well,
and then obviously the college football playoffs. So anyway, I'll
tell you what. We got another two and a half
hours to talk college football, and we will be previewing
the four quarterfinals in a little bit. Let's switch gears
just very quickly to the NFL games. You know, listen,
it's nobody's fault. Well, some of these games are pretty
tough to watch. The game that just went final was

(08:57):
noteworthy for the reason that Steve Disager just told you.
It was the Green Bay Packers and the Baltimore Ravens.
Baltimore wins forty one to twenty four. No Lamar Jackson,
no Jordan Love we obviously know, no Micah Parsons, etc. Etc.
Baltimore wins forty one to twenty four. To keep their
playoff hopes alive, they need to beat Pittsburgh next week,

(09:19):
and I believe have Pittsburgh lose as well tomorrow for
them to win the AFC North. They cannot at this point. Yeah,
they would need Pittsburgh to lose to Cleveland tomorrow and
then Baltimore would have to beat them next week. But
they are still technically alive for the AFC North. They
cannot win a wild card green Bay. They officially, frankly,

(09:41):
for lack of a better term, hand the NFC North
to the Chicago Bears. Chicago beat Green Bay in this
time slot last week. Chicago plays on Sunday Night, but
they clinched the NFC North title with a Green Bay
loss tonight. Again. Baltimore forty one, Green Bay twenty four.
No Lamar Jackson, no Jordan Love. Don't know if there's
a any deep dive thoughts for you, j Mart, but

(10:01):
figure will touch on this rule.

Speaker 3 (10:03):
I mean, look, man, Milik Willis played really well. He
got hurt late, but he's he has filled in Averan Lee.
He's proven to be a really good backup. But I mean,
you look at his stat line, Jordan Love wouldn't have
played that much better than he did. Sure in this game.
This was the Derrick Henry game, And yes I was
playing against Derrick Henry in my third place fantasy game today.
He put up forty five points. That puts me behind

(10:24):
an eight ball going into tomorrow. But that's all right,
that's the way it goes. Derek's done this before. When
you know Tennessee didn't have a quarterback to rely on.
There was a game where he basically did the wildcat
for eighty five percent of the offense against Houston and
won that game. Here he goes over two hundred and
has four scores, So Baltimore is still alive. This is
just I don't even if Baltimore gets into the playoffs

(10:45):
at this point, like it's just a wasted season. It
just is like it just doesn't feel good. Who can
possibly feel good about them going into the postseason. Kind
Of same thing with the Packers. Once Micah went down,
you started to kind of just feel like, you know what,
this ain't going to be it for them this year.
Either the two teams you probably felt the best going

(11:05):
into the season about any NFC North. One is out
of the playoffs because of the Christmas Day debacle, and
the other one may as well be because I don't
think they can do very much without Micah on defense,
and even just the offense is just very inconsistent. And
again they lost a game in which quarterback almost threw
for three hundred yards, only had the incompletions where iran

(11:26):
for a couple of touchdowns. So I mean, you can't
ask much more from that position. I just these are
two teams that I think are going to look back
on this year and think of what could have been,
and both of them, I would have to think are
going to be seen as disappointments.

Speaker 2 (11:42):
Baltimore has ever been the same since that we were
They have forty to twenty four in that week one
still came back and beat them. When I was taking victory,
lab oh, I got it one of the Super Bowl.

Speaker 3 (11:52):
Look at me and we both did.

Speaker 2 (11:53):
Yeah, they blew that lead pretty quick. So Baltimore loses.
As I said they Pittsburgh needs to win one of
their next two games. Pittsburgh plays Cleveland on on Sunday.
If Pittsburgh wins that game, they win the AFC North.
If they lose that game, we have a winner takes
the AFC North next week. Baltimore has been eliminated from

(12:16):
the wildcard race in the AFC. Speaking of wild cards
in the AFC, Houston Texans officially clinched one thanks to
a win over the Los Angeles Chargers in SOFI Stadium.

Speaker 3 (12:29):
That's an impressive win, man, that's a big time win
on the road for that team.

Speaker 2 (12:35):
That defense is getting after nasty.

Speaker 3 (12:38):
Man.

Speaker 2 (12:39):
Well, I mean, you look at today and I will say,
you know, kind of a precursor of what could be
to come in the playoffs. By the way, they've won
eight straight, nine of ten. This is the Houston Texans
the only loss eighteen to fifteen. So obviously a close,
low scoring game, but you know it could be a precursor, right.
They get up fourteen to nothing in the first quarter
and then they just kind of let that defense pin

(13:00):
their ears back and get after it.

Speaker 3 (13:02):
Now.

Speaker 2 (13:02):
I will know, very controversial defensive hole. It wasn't a hold,
but it was a defensive defensive back illegal whatever proceed
not a legal procedure, but you know what I'm trying
to say, there was a very controversial play. The Chargers
were basically off the field right around the two minute
time out. It was an illegal contact play I think

(13:22):
I said a legal hole. But in illegal contact play
right around the two minute time or two minute warning,
it would have given the Chargers back with given the
ball back with about two minutes to go. They don't
get it. So there was a controversial play. But to
your point, J mart And it goes to what I
just said, that's kind of the blueprint for Houston. They
got up fourteen to nothing and then the defense just
did what the defense did. It was essentially more than

(13:44):
enough over the course of the final three quarters of
the game.

Speaker 3 (13:46):
Yeah, and I know we can. We'll have plenty of
time to break this down. But like, if there is
a team that I feel just less sure of anything
about than the Chargers, I don't know who it is
at this point. Like I thought that Philadelphia was that team,
but really it's the Chargers. Like all year they've won games.
They're eleven and five, but they're the most nondescript eleven
and five team I can remember. Like there's just nothing

(14:07):
about them that I feel strongly about. Like I don't
think they're bad, but I don't know if they're good.
I don't know how I feel about Herbert this year,
Like I feel good about some things that he's done,
and some performances have been kind of weird. The defense
has been up and down, like they're I just don't
know what to make of that team. Like them losing,
I was just like, yeah, okay, all right, just another

(14:28):
data point that doesn't help me understand what that team is.
I don't expect them to do much in the playoffs.
I could be totally wrong about this, but even as
I'm describing this, my left hand is in this position
where I'm like not shrugging my shoulders, but I'm just like,
you tell me, man, because I don't know what I'm
watching here.

Speaker 2 (14:44):
Well, they'll have to open the playoffs on the road.
They could have played for a division title next week,
Denver dot your Denver Broncos officially clinched the AFC West
on Saturday night with the Chargers loss. But I think
to your point, you know, it's weird because they've gone
into these games and they found ways to win, you know,
ugly win against the Eagles a few weeks ago in overtime,

(15:07):
they beat the Chiefs and obviously the game that eliminated
them from the playoffs, but it's not like they played well.

Speaker 3 (15:13):
Right, And I'm with you.

Speaker 2 (15:14):
I just it's just like when I go into a
game expecting them not to win, they do, like the
Eagles a few weeks ago, and then a game like today,
it's just, you know, there's just I don't want to
say there's something not there, like the defense is really good, whatever,
it's just yeah, I guess offensively, I just I don't
know that I'm getting enough consistency from them. Again, I

(15:35):
know they've had some very good nights, but I'm with you,
I kind of just don't really know what them to
get from.

Speaker 3 (15:39):
Okay, I'm glad I'm not alone in that now. So
it's just like I am I bonkers on this. I
just don't I don't know what to make of that
team at all. Like I feel like there's a lot
of good pieces there, and yeah, I understand what Herbert
is capable of doing. I'm just like, from week to week,
I just I've like, I agree with you though there's
many times where I'm like, oh, they're probably gonna lose this,
and they win it well and then and then we

(16:00):
see that instance today where it's like I felt like
that game could go either way. But the thing that
I was most sure about all four of the units
on the field was the Texans defense. Sure, and you
give them a fourteen point cushion, they should win the game.
And they did well.

Speaker 2 (16:16):
And I would just put a bow on it by saying,
you know, Chargers eleven and five gonna be a wildcard.
Houston Texans clinch a wildcard at eleven and five, you
gotta feel more confident about the Houston Texans right now
at this point going on the road and getting a win, right, Oh.

Speaker 3 (16:31):
Yeah, absolutely, yeah, because that defense could travel.

Speaker 2 (16:35):
One hundred percent. The Houston Texans have clinched a playoff spot.
They will be one of the wildcards. We will see
how the standings all shake out. Chargers lose, they are
in the playoffs, but of course the division crown officially
went to the Denver Broncos. On Saturday night, Fox Sports
Radio Aer Torris Jason Martin broadcasting live from the Fox

(16:57):
Sports Radio studios. We mentioned the Ravens win on Saturday
night to keep their playoff hopes alive, but it came
in a tumultuous week where we learned some very interesting
things reportedly about Lamar Jackson. We'll discuss all that next.
Ra Torsji SamArt, Fox Sports Radio, Paully Foods go here

(17:19):
with Tony Foodsco.

Speaker 4 (17:20):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (17:20):
As everybody knows, we're the hosts of the award winning
Polly and Tony foodsc Show. Yeah, but instead of us
telling you how great we are, here's how Dan Patrick
described us when he came on our show.

Speaker 4 (17:30):
Quick, knowledgeable and funny, opinionated.

Speaker 3 (17:33):
What what are you doing?

Speaker 2 (17:34):
We were interrupting our promo.

Speaker 1 (17:36):
Yeah, you wasn't talking about you. You took those clips
totally out of context.

Speaker 5 (17:40):
Oh yeah, well after this promo, I'm gonna take you
out and beat you.

Speaker 2 (17:44):
Let me put this into context.

Speaker 3 (17:46):
Shut up.

Speaker 2 (17:47):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (17:47):
Anyway, just listening to the Polly and Tony Foodsco Show
on iHeartRadio, Apple podcasts oherever you get your podcasts ye.

Speaker 4 (17:55):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
the nation. Catch all of our shows at foxsports Radio
dot com and within the iHeartRadio app. Search FSR to
listen live.

Speaker 2 (18:07):
One of my favorite Christmas songs. By the way, just
kid ink. Fox Sports Radio Air Torris Jason Martin broadcasting
live from the Fox Sports Radio studios. We did have
the Snoop Dogg Bawl. Is that what we're calling it
these days? It's something the Snoop Dogg Something Bowl in Tucsons,
So I'm sure that was what the reference was. Mary,

(18:28):
Mary's always on top of these things. It was the
Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl where Fresno State beat Miami of Ohio.

Speaker 6 (18:36):
Did you see him catch a kickoff Snoop Dogg. Yeah,
kickoff went into the end zone and he caught it
in the middle of an interview on the sideline.

Speaker 2 (18:43):
Oh wow, I did not see that. Well, look it
up on Twitter. It's pretty funny. Very clearly Mary mack
is She's all over Bowl season. So can't wait to
see what kind of music intro you have for our
pop Tarts bull segment later in the show. Anyway, Fox
Sports Radio erra towards Jason Martin before the brand we
were talking a little bit about the two games that

(19:04):
are final now, the Saturday night NFL games. Baltimore beats
the Baltimore goes ahead and takes care of business against
the Green Bay Packers forty one to twenty four. Baltimore
still alive in the AFC North Race. They need Pittsburgh
to lose tomorrow, then next week it will be a
winner takes all AFC North Race. If Pittsburgh wins, over

(19:25):
the excitement, Oh yeah, Tyler Huntley, can you feel the enthusiasm? Baby?
But speaking of Tyler Huntley, speaking of the Baltimore Ravens,
it was certainly an interesting week off the field for
the Ravens. Earlier this week, the Baltimore Sun, which you

(19:45):
know paper of record if you will, in the city
of Baltimore, they put out a pretty scathing report about
Lamar Jackson. I'll just be quick here, Ba. Basically, what
they put in the article was that he stays up
late playing video games, that he's falling asleep in meetings,

(20:08):
and that obviously is he gets older with natural attrition
just to his body and with the way he plays that. Basically,
you know, they're starting to be concerns about the present
and future of Lamar Jackson with the Baltimore Ravens. Did
you make anything of this story? Did you think it
was a big story? Big deal, little deal, no deal?

(20:29):
What was your take when you saw this news earlier
in the week.

Speaker 3 (20:31):
Well, it's very easy to go there right now because
they're not winning and you haven't had a good year,
and there's just been some kind of aloofness in all this.
I'll tell you, like, not really, because again, winning cures
all all of a sudden. Now, Dan Campbell's a terrible coach,
by the way, as well.

Speaker 2 (20:49):
Let him in a couple of minutes.

Speaker 3 (20:52):
But in terms of the Lamar thing, I'll tell you
what did raise my eyebrows. You may think this is insane,
but when I saw this, I immediately had a reaction.
John Harball was asked if there was a problem between
in the relationship between he and Lamar, and he said,
our relationship is a plus. And my reaction to that
when I saw the quote was, oh, they're not doing

(21:13):
well because no one says that sure, Like I don't
know what John harp like. Maybe it is something John
Harball says, But when you say our relationship is a plus,
that's that seems like you're telling on yourself, like you're
trying to overstate it's not an a plus. Very few
relationships are going to be a plus when your team
is barely five hundred and was supposed to do all this,

(21:36):
and maybe you're even on the hot seat now and
he has to some of the fans and all of
these kinds of things. When he said it was a plus,
I immediately said, oh, there, this is this right here
is phony like this. I don't buy this at all
because the way this was said, it was exaggerated and
said in such a fake way. Like I just I've
never heard anybody say our relationship is a plus. And

(21:58):
if you do say that, I feel like your relationship
is more like C minus at best. So the report
from the Baltimore Son, you know, I mean, you can
describe that to a lot of things. There could be
some leaks. There could be some people that are right
now trying to get to Lamar in a different way subtly,

(22:18):
maybe break that facade a little bit. There's something wrong,
but we've known there's something wrong in Baltimore all year.
And whether or not it's Lamar, or whether or not
there's something going on in the relationship with the head
coach and the quarterback and all this kind of stuff,
it's just not what it was supposed to be this year.
And when that happens, finger pointing begins. And you know,
Lamar has kind of skated at times when it comes

(22:40):
to accountability, and not that he hasn't held himself accountable,
but a lot of people have kind of blamed others,
but now a lot more has fallen on him. So
maybe the media is kind of towing that line a
little bit.

Speaker 2 (22:53):
Yeah, I'll just say reading all this, it did feel
to me like there was somebody in the that is
either trying to get through to Lamar or trying to
protect themselves or whatever. I don't I don't get the
sense that it was John Horball personally. Really quickly. Let
me ask you this. You know, there's a little of
the has the John Harball thing run its course? This

(23:16):
is year crazy. If I just counted correctly, you're eighteen
for John Harbaugh, and seems like.

Speaker 3 (23:22):
He has not been there that long. But yeah, he's
been there forever.

Speaker 2 (23:27):
Eight was the first year, So year sixteen, seventeen, eighteen,
somewhere in there. It's been over a decade and a half. Obviously,
won a Super Bowl, now well over a decade. It
is worth noting they did win the division each of
the last two years, have made the playoffs each of
the last three, and aren't technically eliminated. I don't feel
like it's like it's time for a fresh voice. Like,

(23:48):
like I've been very vocal about how I do kind
of feel like Sean McDermott, you're on the clock if
you don't get it done this year. There needs to
be a new voice in that locker room. I don't
know that I feel that way about Ball more, but
it has at least been a conversation. Do you have
any inkling that that's how you feel or anybody else
feels in Baltimore.

Speaker 3 (24:07):
I do think that it's probably an emerging sentiment. I
think that the difference between Seu McDermott and John Harbaugh
is that Harball has won a Super Bowl as a coach. Sure,
I think that's really it. Like if he had not,
if he didn't have that, if you didn't recognize him
as a super Bowl winning coach, I think he would
have the exact same critique. But because he's actually cashed

(24:29):
one of these in in the past, I think that
you're kind of seen differently at that point, because I
do think that he does deserve some of this, Like
I mean, he has a two time MVP at quarterback,
and you know, they really haven't sniffed an opportunity at
a super Bowl during this whole run and if we're

(24:49):
talking about well, you know, he's starting to get older
now and you know, the athleticism might not be there anymore.
Isn't taking care of himself. It's like, is it possible
that this group is out actually going to not win?
And at that point, I think a lot of that
is gonna fall on John Harball.

Speaker 2 (25:05):
Yeah, I'd be curious, you know, I do think and
I you know, it's weird. I'll say this, and I
don't know if this is if this will sound like
it makes sense. I think a little bit of what
like I could see next year kind of being a
make or break here. Lamar Jackson will be going and
he'll be turning twenty nine in January of the you know,

(25:25):
so in about a month less than a month from now,
he'll be twenty nine. So you know, listen for the
way he plays, you know, with the athleticism that he has.
I do think, you know, you're probably he's gonna hit
you know, the tail end to the end of his
prime earlier than most. But I'll say this, I do
kind of think like part of how they will be
judged is what the Bills do this this playoffs is

(25:47):
that crazy like so, and I'll frame it for the audience.
I think everybody gets it. But the Chiefs, you know,
they're they're made men at this point. We know what
they've done in the Mahomes eerra and obviously they're probably
not going to be a factor next year either. But
it's like, if Josh Allen, your other contemporary at minimum
makes the Super Bowl, and if he wins it and
in this wide open season, I do think it puts

(26:08):
a little bit more pressure on them next year. Now,
if Josh Allen just goes into the playoffs and they
lose in round one, the Bills losing round one, then
all of a sudden, it's just that cluster of Joe Burrow,
justin Herbert, all these guys that don't and haven't won
at the highest level. But I do think there's something
with the Bills, like if they were to make a run,
I would think it would put a little bit more
of a spotlight on the Ravens John Harbaugh and Lamar

(26:30):
Jackson going into the twenty twenty sixth season.

Speaker 3 (26:32):
Look, so there's some weird analogy for two guys to
go here. But I was just thinking about this like
there's the group of women and you don't want to
be the last one get married. To get married, sure
and somebody is. And so if the Bills go win
the super Bowl this year, that whole grouping of teams

(26:55):
to haven't made a Super Bowl changes, Like Burrow has
been there, We already know what Mahomes is all of
a sudden, Like the Ravens are kind of just like, man,
is anybody ever going to marry that person? Like? What
is wrong there? Like I do think there's a difference
because I think that they are kind of the two
bridesmaids everyone is expecting to get married year after year.

(27:17):
It's Baltimore or Buffalo. It has to be one of them,
which one has the most pressure on them. The worst
case scenario for the Ravens is the Bills go win
the Super Bowl this year while they're falling apart like that.
That is a bad reality because the optics of that
and how it's going to be discussed and seen fair
or not is going to be really difficult for them

(27:38):
to take.

Speaker 2 (27:39):
Baltimore Ravens sort of on the clock. Detroit Lions feels
like kind of the same. We will discuss them next
before we do the let's get it over the news desk,
Steve Sager, what's trending?

Speaker 7 (27:49):
Hello, and Merry Christmas to you, and I consider our
relationship in a plus.

Speaker 2 (27:54):
Thanks for the record, Oh lord.

Speaker 7 (27:55):
By the way, John Harbaugh has been around so long.
Last Sunday night, when they gave up two fourth quarter
touchdowns lost to the Patriots. It meant that Harbaugh, in
his career, lost for the twentieth time after leading by
double digits in a second half regular season in playoffs,
more than any other coach in the last thirty plus years,
and eight of those late losses have come in the

(28:16):
last four seasons.

Speaker 2 (28:17):
To Taga, real quick. I didn't mean to cut you off,
go ahead, as I always do. What was the reaction
in the stadium to that fourth down play? And it
was bad on TV? Even you obviously didn't hear the
game broadcast, but Kurt Warner was like, come on, man, like, yeah,
it was that yeah, okay, God that I will add
though it was you know, it was such a great

(28:41):
Charger crowd today. It was so loud.

Speaker 7 (28:44):
There was one firefighter who works all the games as
I don't remember it being this loud here.

Speaker 3 (28:48):
And it was.

Speaker 7 (28:50):
It was don't do that.

Speaker 3 (28:52):
It is sorry.

Speaker 7 (28:53):
It has it has been over the last well basically
justin Herbert's career, the last five six years. They have
clearly developed a fan base in LA. I hope so
that I and a lot of others didn't expect to
happen this quickly, quite frankly, because if you've ever lived
in LA you know there are twelve to fourteen professional teams,
and it's just you know, there's Lakers and Dodgers and

(29:13):
everybody else is fighting for scraps.

Speaker 2 (29:15):
And a lot of transplants that have absolutely in the
NFL's well.

Speaker 7 (29:19):
I mean, look at my co workers here in this building.
We've got a die hard Bears fan, die hard Jets fan,
die hard Broncos fan who's never lived in Denver yet.
And I'm not even talking about you.

Speaker 3 (29:30):
There's another I know. It's just I know what you're.

Speaker 2 (29:32):
Talking about exactly, and on it.

Speaker 7 (29:34):
One guy, when the Rams first move, he just, you know,
expansion Carolina. I'll get in on the ground for he's
a die hard Carolina fan. And people like this exist
all over Los Angeles. So when the NFL goes a
full generation without having a team here, your point cannot
be more salient. It's it means that when the Cowboys visit,

(29:54):
or the Bears or the Packers or whatever they're the visitors,
it's just going to be full of those fans. And
it doesn't mean that, you know, when the Eagles had
fans a couple of weeks ago. It doesn't mean people
are traveling three thousand miles to see the game in
Los Angeles. It means there are Eagles fans that live
out here, and lots of them. Baltimore won on the road,
Houston won on the road in the NFL Saturday schedule.

(30:17):
How about this from Next Gen stats is Derrick Henry
helped him to the win at Green Bay tonight forty
one to twenty four. Dereck Henry had one hundred yards
rushing inside the tackles and another one hundred yards rushing
outside the tackles. To that, all told, thirty six carries,
two hundred and sixteen yards and four touchdowns. By the way,
no other player in the Next Gen era of the

(30:38):
last decade has done both of those things in the
same game. Derrick Henry has done it four different games
in the last decade. So with the Packers losing at home.
The Bears clinched the NFC North title. Houston won a
LA twenty to sixteen Texans clinched a playoff spot. The
LA loss clinched the AFC West for Denver, which still
has a chance for the one seed. I mentioned how

(30:59):
great the crowd was. That was one of the questions
to Justin Herbert and the press conference afterwards, and he
apologized for not giving the crowd more. They were so
ready to explode constantly and for three hours, and the
team just laid an egg. There's no other way to
put it. I mean, the only well, first off, there
weren't a pile of injuries on top of that, so

(31:19):
I guess that's a good thing. And the only other
good thing is that it wasn't the last game of
the year, because if they went onto the offseason losing
this way, that would be a bit crushing to take
for them. Twenty sixteen Houston wins. Justin Herbert was sacked
five times. Houston got up to the very early fourteen
nothing lead. In fact, their first eleven plays they had
five first downs. Chargers in their last seven matchups with

(31:42):
Houston two and five. Justin Herbert's been sacked over fifty
times this year. He's been hit more than any other
quarterback in the league. He's been pressured more than any
other quarterback in the league, over two hundred and fifty pressures.
The makeshift offensive line they've had to work with, I
wouldn't want to be Justin Herbert even if I had
his talent. They started a guy at left tackle today

(32:04):
who's not started at that position in three years in
the NFL, and by the time Herbert was hit for
the fifth time, they pulled him, a starting tackle was
benched for the rest of the game. It was bad
and the Charger defense took forever to get their first
quarterback hit. The offense their first nine drives, only six
first downs. They were down seventeen to three in the
third twenty to sixteen. Houston a winner. Rams wide receiver

(32:29):
DeVante Adams doubtful for Monday night with a bad hamstring.
Rams guard Kevin Dotson out with an ankle injury. There
is a late night bowl game, Texas Bowl in Houston
has twenty first ranked Houston tied with LSU twenty one
twenty one in the third quarter victories for BYU in Virginia,
North Texas ranked twenty fifth won the New Mexico Bowl

(32:50):
forty nine forty seven over San Diego State. College football
victories for East Carolina and Penn State for Army and
Fresno State, NHL Tampa Bay and Carolina with wins, and
in the NBA New York's Carl Anthony Towns thirty six points,
next one at Atlanta one twenty eight, one twenty five
and guys. On this Christmas weekend, of course, we saw

(33:10):
a lot of white with the uniforms on Christmas. The
Vikings with the all white of the first non purple
helmet in their franchise history. Broncos were all white, even
the helmet. We had the Dallas white helmets.

Speaker 2 (33:22):
Well.

Speaker 7 (33:22):
This Christmas weekend Sunday, Buffalo is wearing the red jerseys
forty nine Ers Sunday Night Red throwback jerseys. Monday Night
in Atlanta, Falcons throwback red helmets.

Speaker 2 (33:32):
Back to you, Thank you very much, Steve Saga, Fox
Sports Radio, Fox Sports Saturday Ara Tours Jacent Barn broadcasting
live from the Fox Sports Radio studios. As mentioned Baltimore
Ravens Organization, maybe at a tipping point, feels the same
for the Detroit Lions after a Christmas Day Tobacca. We'll
discuss that next. Their future and where do they go

(33:55):
from here? Fox Sports Radio dor.

Speaker 1 (33:59):
Listening, no.

Speaker 2 (34:01):
Radio, Welcome back, everybody, Fox Sports Radio. Another one of
my favorite Christmas songs.

Speaker 3 (34:07):
I've never heard this in my life.

Speaker 2 (34:09):
I think Mary just recorded it in the back. This
is you, isn't it?

Speaker 4 (34:13):
Mary?

Speaker 3 (34:14):
Okay family either Griffin or Okay?

Speaker 2 (34:18):
Okay, all right, Mary just furiously googling pop Tarts song.
I actually did. Yes, I believe it.

Speaker 4 (34:28):
Now.

Speaker 2 (34:28):
I hear the Peter Griffin and it's bringing a smile
to my face. No more pop No more Pop Tarts
Bowl breakdowns. We already did that BYU gets to win
over Georgia Tech in that game. Uh you know, they
might be head of the Pop Tarts Bowl next year
because they're not headed to the NFL playoffs. Oh Detroit Lyons. Yeah,

(34:48):
that was a bad segue, not very clever, but third
straight loss on Christmas Day twenty three to ten is
the final margin of victory. Max Brosmer with the victory
for the Minnesota Vikings. After completing nine of sixteen passes.
The Vikings go three of thirteen on third down, finished

(35:10):
with one hundred and sixty one yards of total offense
and still manage to get the win over the Detroit Lions,
who have officially been eliminated from the playoffs. J Mart
I actually have a pretty lukewarm Lions take. I'll get
to in a second, but I want to hear your
thoughts on that game and the Lions season overall.

Speaker 3 (35:29):
First all I'm going to say is you know where
I stand on the concept of windows, sure of championship windows.
I've said this for years on this show. This is
another example of it. It doesn't mean that they can't
then win next year or anything else, but this idea
that all, well, they've got four years to win, they're
going to be back. It's just ridiculous. And I'm not

(35:50):
the only one that says this. I think even Dan
Patrick said this a couple of weeks ago. But like
the idea that you're just going to get back, there
is a graveyard of teams that were supposed to to
get back that never got back. It's very hard to
win and year after year. I think it's forty percent
of the playoff team's turnover on average in the NFL

(36:10):
from year to year, So there are teams that are
on the doorstep of winning a Super Bowl that then
can't even get back to the playoffs next year. I mean, look,
Kansas City finally succumb to it. They're not going to
make the playoffs this year. And you look at this
Lions team. They were supposed to be a juggernaut. They
lost both their coordinators, the important one being their offensive coordinator,
and we see what's happened. That team that that guy

(36:33):
went to is going to be a playoff team. Now,
they had a much easier schedule than did the Lions.
But then the Lions just I don't know what that was,
but I think the biggest problem with what we saw
on Christmas was it was just such a bad performance
by the Lions in a moment where it did look
like I think they had like a three percent chance
to make the playoffs anyway, so it may have been

(36:55):
just kind of academic, but they just that's as bad
as I've seen that team look in years. And because
they're the Lions, it's easy to then be like, oh, yeah,
this is a Lions, Why do we get excited about this,
which is not fair at all because they're still loaded
with talent and it's not the Lions of fifteen twenty

(37:15):
years ago. But there are now flaws in the armor.
But that's the thing, like the idea that you're just
going to get back, that you're just built for the
next ten years is usually not true. It is true sometimes,
but ordinarily like you've got to cash in when you
have the opportunity because next year is never guaranteed.

Speaker 2 (37:32):
So this is why I said I have a lukewarm
take on the Lions. And this is a weird thing
for me to say, because the Lions are fourth in
the NFL and scoring, and they are seventh in total offense.
I don't think their issues are that complicated. They need
a real offensive coordinator.

Speaker 3 (37:51):
No, I thought you were about to go after Golf,
So no, no, no.

Speaker 2 (37:54):
No, listen, I listen. I think Golf is who he is.
I certainly think you know.

Speaker 3 (37:59):
Avi.

Speaker 2 (38:00):
Look, it was all lined up for them last year.
You had the two coordinators, you were at home throughout
the playoffs. It does not happen. But I look at
this team. There's so much talent on the offensive side
of the ball. Jamiir Gibbs, Jamison Williams, David Montgomery, Sam Laporter,
who obviously I know, has been out but the only reason.

Speaker 3 (38:16):
I preaking missed it. I think we realize how valuable
he was too, because they have not been the same
without him.

Speaker 2 (38:21):
No doubt, And we understand the value of what Ben
Johnson was, And so I understand that maybe there just
aren't very many Ben Johnson's out there, and maybe he
is essentially one of one.

Speaker 3 (38:33):
But like.

Speaker 2 (38:36):
As soon as the first time that I saw Dan
Campbell with those old man glasses on the sideline looking
at a play sheet and I'm like, oh, he's calling plays,
I'm like, the season's cooked, Like it's done. Like you
can't have the head coach who I'm pretty sure has
never been a play caller at any point in his career.
Maybe he has been, I don't know. But he's the

(38:56):
culture guy. He sets the culture. I mean, he's you know,
fill in the blank. There's a lot of coaches in
the NFL like this. There are guys like Kyle Shanahan
that are play callers, and there are culture guys that
defer the schematics to to the coordinators. That's who Dan
Campbell is. And the second that he's looking at a
play sheet, that's not what he is there to do.
And so I listen. I'm not an NFL head coach.

(39:19):
I don't know who the hot coordinators are. It doesn't
feel that complicated to me. Now, obviously the defense needs
to be fixed as well, But I just I just
think if you get the you had the coordinator right
last year, you were the number one seed home field
advantage throughout the playoffs, even though you didn't take advantage
of it. Get the coordinator wrong last this year, you

(39:39):
completely missed the playoffs, And I just think it comes
down to do you get a real coordinator this offseason
or do you whiff on that? To me, it's it
really is that simple. Maybe I'm maybe I'm looking at
things too simplistically.

Speaker 3 (39:50):
So is this the Eagles, you know after they lost
their two coordinators and came back the next year. Yeah,
same team then came back with Kellen Moore and won
the Super Bowl bingo.

Speaker 2 (40:04):
And I've seen that analogy, and I think that, Yes,
I think with the right offensive coordinator that knows how
to use all those pieces, I think they're very much
back in the mixed next year. I don't think the
windows closed.

Speaker 3 (40:16):
Let me put it that way, Okay, do you again,
I don't believe in windows I still think that they're
a good football team. Yeah, so I don't think that
the window is closed, door open, because I don't believe
the house has windows.

Speaker 2 (40:27):
To begin with, very good Detroit Lions eight and eight
missed the playoffs. They will play in Chicago in week eighteen.
They will be playing for nothing. The Chicago Bears have
already clinched the NFC North thanks to the Packers loss.
Fox Sports Radio Era tors Jason Martin will come back.
The other big news in Michigan Wolverines have a newe
football coach. That's next.

Speaker 1 (40:48):

Speaker 2 (40:51):
Welcome man, everybody, hour two towards Martin. Fox Sports Radio.
We are broadcasting live. Yes, we are live at midnight
Eastern from the Fox Sports Radio studios, taking me up
till two a m. Eastern time. Plenty more from the NFL,
plenty from college football. Speaking of which, for the best
pregame show every weekend, be sure to tune into Fox

(41:12):
Sports Radios count Down to Kickoff presented by BETMGM. Every
Saturday and Sunday morning. We couch you down to all
of the biggest games for three hours right up until kickoff.
For all of the best plays and up to the
second injury news. Tune into count Down to Kickoff, presented
by BETMGM every Saturday and Sunday morning right here on
Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app. I should also

(41:34):
mention Jmart feeding off the success of our college basketball
bracket challenge. Each March, we decided to do a bracket
challenge for the college football Playoff. That's right, eight teams
left standing. Bracket Challenge time compete against our Fox Sports
Radio hosts and against fellow listeners to see who has
the best college football Playoff bracket. Play for your chance
to win a thousand dollars cash prize. All you gotta

(41:56):
do is visit Foxsports Radio dot iHeart dot com. That's
Foxsports Radio dot iHeart dot com to register and fill
out your bracket. Entry will open, will stay open until
right before kickoff seven thirty Eastern New Year's even that
Ohio State Miami Cotton Bowl. All you gotta do is
Fox Sports Radio dot iHeart dot com to fill out

(42:17):
your bracket and a chance to win a thousand dollars
cash price. Jamiter, have you filled out your bracket yet?

Speaker 3 (42:23):
I have not. As a matter of fact, I need
to actually do that. By the way, Arnie Spaniard, I heard,
chose James Madison to win it all, So you're already
ahead of him as long as you don't pick them.

Speaker 2 (42:36):
You know, Arnie Spanier would be the only one who
figured out how to fill out a bracket before the
bracket challenge was even available, so that's probably true.

Speaker 3 (42:41):
He'd probably sent me like three four pages on how
to do that properly.

Speaker 2 (42:44):
Yes, on a yellow legal pad. He picked James Madison
to win it all. James Madison is eliminated. One team
who was never in the playoff, the Michigan Wolverines. So Michigan,
it's been a certainly an intriguing last couple of weeks.
We all know by now the situation was sure own
more it was weird. He gets fired, he gets arrested.

(43:08):
For the time being, his career is very much on
the back burner. But I bring it up because Michigan
has spent last three or so weeks looking for a
new head coach. And I'll tell you, j mart my
personal opinion. You know when you're out, when you when
you when you're on a road trip, when you're on
a journey, you can make a couple of wrong turns
along the way and end up in the right location.

Speaker 3 (43:28):
Amen. Brother, I know where you're going. I hadd percent
with you.

Speaker 2 (43:32):
And that's what I think about Kyle Whitningham's and you
head coach at Michigan take it away.

Speaker 3 (43:35):
I just I think it's a world class higher It's
a guy that I've wondered about for a long time
and other jobs. But it's just like he seemed happy
where he was. But then he said he still wanted
to coach, but he was going to step down from Utah.
It just felt like, you know, change of scenery, It's
time for somebody else. There was at least some talk
to to coach him waiting there. Uh, you know, was
maybe going to take another job, and in Utah may

(43:57):
have kind of said, hey, Kyle is if you're cool
to go ahead and leave, you know, we can make
sure we retain this guy or whatever. I don't know
if that's true, but I think Whittingham was ready for
a change. I think the university was probably ready for
a change. It had been a great marriage for a
very very long time. But Whittingham is exactly what Michigan needs,
not just because he's been able to win at a
place like Utah so consistently, but because of the kind

(44:22):
of standard of maturity in the program, like who he
is as a man, who he is as a coach,
and how he has led that program is exactly what
Michigan needs. Actually, it's very comparable you would think to
like a John Beeline or something like that, Like a

(44:42):
guy that comes in that has the right kind of
reputation and considering what Michigan has dealt with that in
the last handful of years, certainly more being a completely
different animal than Connor Stallions and you know, all of
that kind of stuff. But it is time for Michigan
to also have a little bit of a reputation change.

(45:03):
They need an adult in the building. They need somebody
that can write this ship but also be stable along
the way. So they get a dude that's won, that
has respect everywhere that he's ever been. Basically everybody will
state the bona fides of that guy, and on top
of it, he's exactly the kind of man that Michigan

(45:24):
needs right now to try and write a ship that's rocky.

Speaker 2 (45:27):
So it's funny you bring up the the what's the
right way to put it the cultural adjustment that Kyle
Whittingham would bring. Credit to Isaac Lohenkron for finding this
tweet yesterday, which made me laugh out loud. Someone named
Scott Bell tweeted yesterday after the hire. Kyle Whittingham follows
five women on Instagram, all are fully clothed, and the

(45:49):
majority of them are related to him. He has zero
posts in the last eleven plus years hiring grade A plus. So,
I mean, Michigan fans, listen, you know, it's tough in cheek,
but you know, I so outside of the fact that
he's a really good coach, that is a huge part
of it that does need to be stated, is you know,

(46:09):
that is part of what was needed at Michigan is
just a completely fresh start. You know, our buddy Bernie
Frattle will be on in two hours. He'll have more
on this story. But you know, I think one of
the sentiments that came out throughout this process was that
basically anyone that had any affiliation to Jim Harbaugh just

(46:30):
was not going to be in the mix for this job.
So that would be a Jed Fish at Washington, that
would be Jesse Minter, his defensive coordinator, whatever. But that
was a big part of it is you needed a
guy that was squeaky clean, no issues, no whatever. But
also I will say this that was also part of
what made this hiring process so tough, is that, you know,

(46:50):
I think you and I may have talked about I
don't know if we did, but as part of the
Sharon More firing, slash, arrests, slash, everything, the University of
Michigan has hired an outside law firm to investigate the
entire athletic department, And so we don't know what kind
of skeletons are going to come out from that. And
on top of that, let's not forget that the ad
who was making the hire over the last couple of weeks,

(47:11):
you know, we don't know what his future is at
the school either, and so that's what made it that
much more complicated. So to get Kyle Whittingham in this situation,
to me, it's an eight plus plus. And I said
this yesterday I was filling in with Dan Bayer. I said,
when the only argument against the hire is the guy
is sixty six and we wish we could have him

(47:34):
for twenty years, but will probably only get him for five. Right,
that means it's a good hire, yes, and and the
football stuff speaks for itself. I think the other thing
to jmrd I'll seeing about this today is, you know
there are guys at the end of their careers that
just feel like they need to get a fresh start

(47:54):
and want to do whatever. And you know you could
tell that it was in decline for Kyle Winningham won
ten games this year. You know, the BYU game. I
don't remember the exact details, but I know that they
like outgained them by a significant margin and b why
you needed something crazy to win and blah blah blah.
This ac well, dude.

Speaker 3 (48:13):
I mean the story of Kyle Whittingham is the last
few years, for the most part, he couldn't keep his
quarterback healthy, thank you, Like cam Risen kept getting injured, yep,
and like there's just nothing you can do about that.
Like and I even think Utah fans even understood that.
The thing that I think spoke most by the way,
not to interrupt you, but the thing that most spoke
to Kyle Whittingham is like I saw comments from like

(48:35):
USC fans and stuff on the articles about him and
Oregon fans and stuff like this, and they were like, Man,
we were really looking forward to not having to play
his teams, and now he's in our conference, Like again,
we thought we had finally escaped to Utah because his
teams always show up prepared, they're always tough to deal with.

(48:57):
We're just so tired of having to play these teams.
They are angry at the hire because they know it's good,
like Michigan found a way to hire a dude that
as soon as I saw this, I was just like,
I just wanted to applaud for Michigan. I'm like, I
don't know if you deserve this based on the last
half decade or so, but man, alive, did you knock

(49:17):
this thing out of the park. Well?

Speaker 2 (49:19):
And I was thinking this too, And you bring up
an interesting point about the coaching wedding thing, because I'll
be honest, when I saw, you know, Kyle Whittingham, I
don't even know what the official release was, but it's
like Kyle Whittingham stepping away from Utah. You know, My
whole thing was man legendary career, the face of Utah,

(49:39):
like sad to see him go. And then he saw
the press conference or whatever media availability that he had
within the next couple of days where he basically said
I'm a free agent. I'm in the transfer portal. It's like, oh,
this guy wants to coach again, and so it was
just it's interesting. The timing of it all is I
understand the concept of the coaching wain, and I understand

(50:01):
the concept of you don't want to lose the guy
that you think is the next in line. I also
wonder like if they, I guess, technically the Michigan job
was open when you know Kyle Whittingham stepped aside or whatever.
But I just bring it up because I wonder two things. One,

(50:22):
I assume Utah sort of forced him out under the
assumption that like, hey, he's not coaching next year, and
you know, maybe after a year off he won't want
to get back in. So one, I wonder if they thought, oh,
he's gonna get a better job than he already has.
And then two, you know, there's it's gonna be two years,
three years, four years, five years before we can figure
this out. But like I could see the scenario where,

(50:45):
you know, if you and I are still hosting in
this spot two three years down the road, sitting there saying, Man, Utah,
I wonder if they had to do that over, if
they would have just said, because like Morgan Scalley might
be good, but Kyle Whittingham is really good. And I
just think it's interesting how it all played out.

Speaker 3 (51:02):
Yeah, I mean again, just it's such a to me.
I just saw it and I was just like, man,
what a hire. Like there it is right there, Like
that's I've been waiting, Like his name doesn't even pop
up in coaching searches for the last few years because
it's just like he's never going anywhere. You know, he's LDS,
he's in Utah, he's happy, he's a different guy, all
this other kind of stuff, and look, Utah, man, you

(51:26):
better be right, like, good luck with that. Imagine pushing
him out the door. But at the same time, it
could be just a change of scenery for him too,
like eventually you just got to move on from the thing.
He loved Utah and he did everything under the sun
for them, But we've never seen Kyle Whittingham in a
scenario where you know he's going to be able to

(51:46):
take money and command a whole lot, he's gonna be
able to bring in a different like I understand, it's
a great school at Michigan, but you can get top
flight athletes at Michigan. We know this, Like it's gonna
be different for him, Like he hasn't had to play
the recruiting game in the Sea, but he's gone through,
you know, having to get guys to come to Utah,
and now he has to sell people on coming to Michigan.

(52:09):
That's not as hard a task. So I want to
see what it looks like on the field when you
take what he's done as a coach and then add
to it a bunch of five star guys that he
could never hope to get recruited at Utah. Like he
maximized the potential of everybody he coached at Utah. Imagine
what he can do at a place like Missige.

Speaker 2 (52:31):
Well, let's take that a step further. He maximized what
he could do at Utah, And I think you can
legitimately argue now with the information that we have that
no one maximized the talent that he had less than
your own more. And I just bring it up because
you know, and I think we kind of even joked
about this last week, and you know, we're understanding that

(52:53):
there's people's lives have been impacted and we're trying to
be sensitive. It's very clear that's your own More was
very distracted, you think, and focused on other things other
than his football team, including by the way, it was
reported this week that I can't even say it's with
a straight face.

Speaker 3 (53:10):
I don't think. I don't know that I saw this
because the laughter right there, I'm like, I'm going to
miss something here.

Speaker 2 (53:14):
Well, though, he put the whole team on a social
media band and then was slided into everybody's DMS. Yeah,
so so the only point I'm trying to make. That's
that's why I laughed, because it's whatever, the only point
I'm trying to make. And I know we made this
point last week, but like that dude was wildly distracted
and they still won nine games. And so you talk

(53:35):
about Kyle Whittingham maximizing what was conceivable at Utah and
now going to a program that no one would argue
maximized what they had on that roster. Given what we
now know, I think there's a lot of reason for
exciting for Michigan fans, no doubt.

Speaker 3 (53:52):
I mean again, I the argument of him being old,
it's like, yeah, okay, so let's say he's there five
or seven years. The first off, it's like he's so old.
It's like, yeah, I also know that there are reports
I've seen these that he skis like black diamond, Oh,
that he's in phenomenal shape and all this. Like, dude,
he's sixty six, not ninety six. Like, calm down. He

(54:13):
can coach for a while. And even if he does
leave in five to seven years, you don't think he's
gonna have somebody on that staff that you might want,
Like he's gonna completely shift the culture, You're gonna continue
to win. I would be stunned if you don't. This
is the complete opposite of the Brian Kelly higher at LSU,
where you weren't sure about the culture fit and all this.

(54:33):
Nobody even cares about the culture fit. They just know
this is a good dude who's also an incredible coach,
and you landed that guy. Like considering it's like, what's
going on with the Michigan coaching search, Well, they knew
what they were doing. That's that's clearly what it was.
This is not They were turned down by twenty guys
and then they went to their maybe pile and Kyle
Whittingham was on it. I imagine there's some schools out there,

(54:55):
Like I didn't even know Kyle Whittingham was available, but
he probably he may not have been, But this is
a job that if anybody has earned the opportunity to
do this on this stage and take a position like this,
it is Kyle Whittingham.

Speaker 2 (55:09):
I'd be very curious to see how it all plays out.
But yeah, I don't know, there's a ton more to
add other than to say that. I mean, let me
put it this way. I've yet and you know, the
internet can be a very uh hostile place. Yeah, sure,
I really have yet to see anyone make the argument

(55:29):
that this isn't a good hire. Like I said, the
biggest argument is you might only get him for a
couple of years. But guess what a couple things. One
he's going to be motivated, which I think is an
important part. This isn't again a dude at the end
of his career just trying to take a check to
keep going. I mean, he was forced out by the
place that he literally brought to unprecedented heights. And then two,

(55:51):
even if it's only four years, five years, who cares?
This is the new world? Uh, you know, I'm just
trying to think, you know, good coach leave for either
better jobs or the NFL or whatever, and so I'm
fascinating to see what happens here. Fox Sports Radio Air
towards Jason Martin, broadcasting live from the Fox Sports Radio Studios.
By the way, Jay Martin, you know who's another big

(56:12):
ten coach in his sixties, the guy who has the
number one overall seed in the college football playoff Kurtzcinneti.
We'll discuss him. We'll discuss the Hoosiers next, and what
are the realistic chances that Indiana wins it all? Will
discuss that next. Fox Sports Radio. Welcome back, everybody, Fox
Sports Radio Air towards Jason Martin, broadcasting live from the

(56:34):
Fox Sports Radio Studios, Mary with some unbelievable Christmas music
from throughout the night tonight. Hey, be sure to subscribe
to the Fox Sports Radio YouTube channel. Just search Fox
Sports Radio on YouTube and you'll see our best videos
from all of your favorite shows. Don't stop there, hit
that thumbs up icon and comment away. Let us know

(56:55):
whose takes you like and even those who takes who
those takes you do not like. To search Fox Sports
Radio on YouTube hit subscribe, come back, start talking college
football Playoff, which kicks off on Wednesday night. Before we do, though,
let's get it over the news desk. Steve Disaga was
training well.

Speaker 7 (57:15):
The Chicago Bears have clinched the NFC North title thanks
to the Green Bay loss at home tonight Baltimore forty
one twenty four the final Derrek Henry two hundred and
sixteen yards rushing and four tds. Houston beat the Chargers
in LA twenty to sixteen. That clinches a playoff spot
in the AFC for the Texans. The LA loss clinches
the AFC West Crown for Denver. We gone nearly a

(57:37):
decade with it always being Kansas City winning that division
no more, and in fact that Broncos still have a
chance at the one seed. The Chargers in primetime games
this year had been five to oh. This wasn't technically
one of those, but it was a standalone game, and
as we mentioned in an hour one, they late in
a and maybe most surprising, not at all surprising that
they didn't score much twenty to sixteen against Houston. The

(57:58):
Texans have the number one defense in the NFL. Cameron
Dicker is the Pro Bowl kicker for the AFC in
his career at that stadium. So far in LA on
extra points, he had been sixty six of sixty seven.
He missed a late extra point which kept them behind
by four. More surprising, he missed a field goal inside

(58:18):
fifty yards in his career. He had been I believe
it was one oh six of oneh eight inside fifty
yards in his career. This is the most accurate kicker
in NFL history at ninety four percent. No other kicker
ever is over ninety percent making field goals in his career.
Brandon Aubrey's close, Justin Tucker was close, just amazing the

(58:42):
game in so many areas that the Chargers had in
the well deserved l today. In fact, the punter JK.
Scott from Alabama usually good for the Chargers seven punts
only a thirty nine yard average. They really needed him
to flip the field in a low scoring defensive battle.
By the way, Justin Herbert next to weekend, and we'll
see if the Chargers play starters now that the Broncos

(59:03):
have clinched. I don't know things will be different next weekend,
but Herbert would need sixty six yards passing. Next weekend
to set an NFL record, passing Peyton Manning for most
passing yards in your first six seasons in the league.
The Big Game on Sunday on Fox TV Philadelphia at Buffalo,
and Patriots running back Trevion Henderson cleared concussion protocol. He'll

(59:25):
play their game on Sunday. In late night college football
under seven minutes to go in Houston, twenty first ranked
Houston leads LSU thirty one twenty eight. In the Texas Bowl,
Connor Wegman with four touchdown passes Number twelve BYU beat
Georgia Tech in Orlando twenty five twenty one. Also among
the eight bowl games for this Saturday, nineteenth rank, Virginia

(59:46):
won thirteen to seven over Missouri and the Gator Bowl
in Jacksonville. At the New Mexico Bowl, number twenty five,
North Texas beat San Diego State forty nine, forty seven
victories for Penn State and East Caroline wins for Fresno
States and Army. In the NBA, the late game went
to the Knicks one twenty eight to one to twenty
five at Atlanta Carl Anthony Towns thirty six points. Jalen

(01:00:10):
Brunson with thirty four. Milwaukee got Giannis Antennacumpo on the court.
He had twenty nine points in a win at Chicago
won twelve one to oh three at Houston, thirty points
for Kevin Durant and the Rockets win against Cleveland. Victories
for Brooklyn and for Miami. Utah won at San Antonio
won twenty seven to one fourteen despite thirty two points
from Victor Wembin Yama. Victories for Sacramento and Phoenix. Orlando

(01:00:33):
beat Denver won twenty seven to one twenty six. Nikola
Jokic a triple double thirty four points, twenty one rebounds
and twelve assists. In an NHL late game, Colorado is
tied at Vegas with under five minutes left in regulation
four to four. Chicago won in a shootout at Dallas
four to three, and guys in that Baltimore win tonight

(01:00:54):
against the Packers. The Ravens became the first team in
the history of the NFL to have all this in
the same game. One running back rushes for at least
two hundred yards, another running back rushes for at least
thirty and the quarterback rush for at least fifty yards.
There were thirty first downs by the Ravens offense, over
three hundred yards rushing at Green Bay time of possession,

(01:01:16):
over forty minutes for the Ravens.

Speaker 2 (01:01:18):
Back to you, Thank you very much, Steve Sager, Fox
Sports Radio, Fox Sports Saturday or towards Jason Martin broadcasting
live from the Fox Sports Radio studios. Sega will be
back in about fifteen minutes or so with his extended update.

Speaker 3 (01:01:32):
J Mark.

Speaker 2 (01:01:33):
College football Playoff resumes Wednesday night. Ohio State Miami is
the opening game in the Cotton Bowl, then three games
on on Thursday, which is New Year's Day. Worth noting,
by the way, you and I are in for Jason
Smith and Mike Harmon on New Year's Night, so we
will be on for the tail end of the Sugar Bowl,

(01:01:54):
which is Old miss and Georgia and recapping all the
big games. So really quickly I wanted to ask you,
this is that we're entering your college football playoff. The
Rose Bowl features the number one seeded Indiana Hoosiers and
the Alabama Crimson Tide. And I was just curious last
year was what it was the first year the college

(01:02:15):
football Playoff, and there was all sorts of weird teams
in SMU and whatever. But we got a quarter five,
or we got a semi final that featured quite literally
four of the biggest brands in the sport Penn State,
Notre Dame, Ohio State, Texas. What do you think about
a world where we could potentially see Indiana, Texas tech
schools like that in a college football playoff semi final.

(01:02:38):
Do you think it's a good thing for the sport
of college football for a school like Indiana legitimately makes
a run or in a world where we're always talking
about ratings, you know, Indiana probably doesn't move the needle
of the way that say a Georgia Wood in Ohio
State would on and on.

Speaker 3 (01:02:54):
Well again, I mean, I think that's the point. Like
it depends on where you are coming from terms of
being good for college football in the short term. For ratings,
it's terrible if Indiana becomes a perennial powerhouse. This is
the start of it, and there has to be a
start before something can become a brand. And I do

(01:03:14):
look at Indiana because they're in the Big Ten. It's
not like, for instance, like Gonzaga is not going to
rate the way North Carolina or Duke or going to
but they're always going to be coming from that conference.
And you look at for example, Indiana, at least they're
coming from the Big Ten, So I think that that
helps them a little bit. You can always have a

(01:03:34):
team sort of emerge out of a big conference and
if they put together a run for five or six years,
it becomes a thing. And the short term for ratings
it's terrible. I mean, you want the Ohio States, you
want the Oregons, you even want the Alabamas. You want
those kind of teams. But this is, you know, the
new reality of college football. We know what Texas Tech

(01:03:55):
has done to put themselves in this spot, and they're
going to do it again next year, and other teams
are then win to continue to do it. Other schools
are going to have to do it. We had Kenny
Dillingham basically saying I need money in order to, you know,
really live up to this contract exactly the way you
want me to, which is go win a national championship.
We have to play the same game everybody else does.
So I don't know, like from a football perspective, it's fine.

(01:04:19):
I don't know that it makes much difference either way.
If it's Indiana or another team. From the revenue perspective,
it's obviously in the short term not as good as
a big brand. But I guess I just kind of
shrugged my shoulders and say, you know, perhaps they become
a power and we're having a different conversation for now.
I think it's just kind of an incomplete We have

(01:04:40):
to see what it looks like and see how it
plays out over the next five years or so before
we can really determine what we're watching right now.

Speaker 2 (01:04:48):
Let me ask you a completely different question related to Indiana,
and I mentioned this again when I was filling in
with Dan Byer yesterday. So Indiana is a they're now
to actually a six and a half point favorite against
Ali Obama, and we will preview these games later. I
think they opened it about like an eight and a
half nine point favorite, so the money's coming in on Alabama.
So I don't know how. Let me put it this way. Indiana,

(01:05:12):
I don't even want to do like they're a great story.
They are a legitimately great team. Beat Ohio State a
few weeks ago in the Big Ten championship game, beat
Oregon in the regular season at Austin Stadium.

Speaker 3 (01:05:24):
I still j mart uh oh, No, I still do.

Speaker 2 (01:05:29):
It's something in my college football brain. I just still
as listen, nobody loves Signetty more than I do. Duh,
Fernando Mendoz is probably gonna be the number one overall pick.
There is still something in my brain that's just like
they're gonna lose to Alabama or like, I don't know that.
If I was ranking teams that I believe will win

(01:05:51):
the national championship, like I don't, I certainly don't think
they'd be in my top three or certainly top two.

Speaker 3 (01:05:58):
Georgia, Ohio State, and.

Speaker 2 (01:06:01):
Yeah, i'd probably say Oregon, even though again, Indiana has
two head to head wins over three of those three teams.
So I was gonna say really quick. And I think
the Alabama thing is a good example of I get it.
I like, I get all of it. I've watched the
Alabama games. They are not vintage Alabama. They can't run
the football. They you know, they they really actually struggled

(01:06:22):
for most of the last month of the season. But
you think about all the five stars that were accumulated
over all those recruiting classes, many of which recruited by
the greatest coach in the history of college football. It's
not even an Alabama thing. It is just a I
love the Indiana story. They've clearly earned the number one
I did. They have such a great personality. But it's

(01:06:45):
just I'm not ready to, you know, keep using wedding
analogies throughout this show. I don't know that I'm ready
to go to to get that, you know, commit myself
to the rest of my life for Indiana. I just
I don't know, what do you like? Am I crazy?
They have be in Ohio State in Oregon, but I'm like,
I don't know, go ahead.

Speaker 3 (01:07:01):
It's just it's impossible to say that you're crazy because
I think a lot of people are going to try
to talk themselves out of Indiana this week because they're
Indiana and the other team is Alabama, and you just think, well,
when they get on that field and they see those
Alabama uniforms, they're going to be petrified. I don't think

(01:07:22):
that's what's going to happen. But I can understand that
that because that look, that's why money is coming in
on Alabama. Like it's the same thing. It's just there's
a prejudice in favor of this gigantic brand that we've
watched essentially dominate the sport for the last fifteen years
or sixteen seventeen years, not winning the title every year,

(01:07:44):
but just kind of being that perennial team that's always
in the mix. And then you've got Indiana. So I understand.
But at the same time, if you look at it
from a football perspective, Indiana is the better football team.
So it's like it's this unc well, man, it's conscious

(01:08:04):
bias because you're even trying to say, like, I shouldn't
feel this way, but I feel this way. And look,
I've thought the exact same thing. I'm just like, man,
everybody is decrying Indiana getting into this playoff, will watch
when they beat Indiana, because this, right here is the
This is the game Indiana has to win. Like, with
all due respect to their first round and all this

(01:08:24):
other stuff, Indiana's got to win this one. If they
go beat that big brand in that big game and
advance again, I think you have a completely different story
on your hands. I understand that this Alabama team really
it wouldn't be it shouldn't be seen as an upset,
But I think there are a lot of general college
football fans that will still be shocked if they win

(01:08:47):
that game.

Speaker 2 (01:08:48):
Yeah, it will be interesting to just it'll be interesting
to see how they match up. It'll be interesting to
see how the game plays out. By the way, I
know it don't keep a ton of BOAL scorers updated,
but Houston is up thirty one twenty eight on LSU
in the Houston Bowl. Lane Kiffin did make an appearance
briefly on the broadcast talking about the LSU coaching job.

(01:09:10):
Didn't really say much of note in that one. By
the way, I saw a funny stat Jamart. I'll appreciate
this since we were both out on LSU early this year.
Per Chris Vanini of The Athletic, first time all season,
LSU has scored more than twenty five points against an
FBS team all season.

Speaker 3 (01:09:29):
Long, so so disgusting.

Speaker 2 (01:09:30):
Well, that's why Lane Kiffin is there and Brian Kelly
is not. Really quickly speaking of Old Miss, let me
let me ask you this, do you have any extra empathy?
Like Dan Byer said this to me yesterday, said he
thinks Old Miss is the best story in college football.
And they're like they're they're the them in Indiana are

(01:09:52):
the easiest teams to root for I get how it
all ended with Lane Kiffin, and maybe again it's just
my college football of me thinking that it's going to
end this weekend for Old Miss, so like so like, yeah,
I don't know. I feel like, Okay, I'm happy that
they got the home playoff game. I expect them to lose,

(01:10:13):
so maybe I just can't whatever, But are they the
best story in the sport? And are you like, because
of how things ended with Lane Kiffin, has it made
you root for Old Miss even more?

Speaker 3 (01:10:22):
Yeah, I mean I do think that second point is true.
Like it's hard not to root for those that team,
especially when you start to get the stories from the
players that they were just kind of so over their head,
coach seemingly being checked out for the last month that
they were playing, and like he's already looking at where
he's headed and he's being courted and he's enjoying this.

(01:10:43):
He's making it all about him and all this sudden stuff,
like those guys are balling out at the same time
and they're winning. So yes, I do think that I
agree with you, But I mean I'm I'm somebody who
pig Georgia to win it all, and so I'm still there,
so I feel like they have to lose this game,
but I think they're going to play their guts out
in this game and they have the ability to win it.

(01:11:05):
I am with you, I think it probably is going
to end. I don't think they're gonna get blown out,
but I think they might be the sentimental favorites at
this point. Not that you hate necessarily a couple of
the other schools. There are a few that you probably do,
but there are some other champions that you'd feel pretty
good about in this situation, Indiana probably being one of them,

(01:11:26):
for example. But I think Ole Miss, just because of
the story, you feel bad for the fans. You feel
bad for all of what's going on, because they just
kind of got just dragged around for the last couple
of months as if they didn't matter. It was just
all about their head coach, and so you kind of
do want them to show out. So I hope even

(01:11:47):
if they do lose, that it's really really competitive and
good kind of the way that was in the regular season.

Speaker 2 (01:11:53):
Last thought on All Miss Georgia, I sent this to
you and Ian earlier today. Have we acknowledged that Old
Miss and LSU are basically co parenting Charlie Weiss Junior,
oh Man and the Olds. Like, I think it's funny.
I was thinking about this, like I saw some you
know headline. It's like Charlie Weiss heads back, Charlie West
Junior and the Old Miss offensive staff head back to

(01:12:16):
Old Miss to prepare for the playoff, and they had obviously.

Speaker 3 (01:12:20):
Gotten on the airplane got.

Speaker 2 (01:12:22):
Yeah, well I think everybody knows, but got on the
airplane with Lane Kiffin. Then Lane Kiffin, by you know,
because he's such a nice guy, decides to let them
coach in the playoff. They coach the opening round, then
they go back to LSU to start prepping for offseason
portal stuff. And then I saw headline and I was like,
they're literally co parenting the staff and it's like Old

(01:12:45):
Mess got it, or I guess LSU technically got him
for Christmas, and then LSC or Old Miss gets up
for the new year, and then we'll see after that.
I will say this and Kiffin, I did listen to
him on the broadcast tonight. I just happened to be
prepping for the show. He said all the right things
about wanting Old Miss to win and all that and
hope he hope they finish it out. Whatever, I do

(01:13:07):
wonder like it was a good jet it was a
good gesture, a good sign of faith of him letting
them coach that team in the playoff. If they were
to somehow beat Georgia and now they're not really able
to help LSU in the portal or they're splitting time,
I do wonder how annoyed Lane Kiffin would be. I

(01:13:29):
don't think he would stop them from coaching. I just
I think it's an interesting thing of like it was
a feel good story that all of a sudden, I
don't think LSU is too excited about if Old Miss
is actually playing beyond this portal opening, which comes the
day after the college football semi final, our quarterfinals. Just
a thought that I had over the last couple of days.

Speaker 3 (01:13:47):
Yeah, And look, man, if you're looking for sympathy for
Lane Kiffin, I don't know where you're gonna find it,
or sympathy for ALSU quite frankly, obviously they're gonna do
what's in the best interest of their football team. But
they just look like they look like the vultures that
have gone and you know, robbed the cradle in many
respects in this case, so like, look the perfect the

(01:14:08):
perfect storyline, like if you were writing the script. The
perfect storyline is Old Miss goes and wins the national championship.
Now because kiffen Field felt like he couldn't win at
Ole Miss. So that's one of the large reasons that
he goes to LSU. It's gonna be easier there. He
can get better athletes there, all that other kind of stuff,
all the work that he's putting at Old Miss. He

(01:14:29):
has to work so much harder to do it there
than he has to do at LSU. I just I
don't know if I can do this year after year
and come close but never actually win a championship. They
can win the championship where he's not been part of
the playoff run at all, which is gonna involve winning
against some big time programs. He's sitting at LSU. They
want a championship and the school that he just abandoned

(01:14:50):
one one after he left. Dude, they would write so
many good books, movies, docket. I couldn't. I hope that
that's what happens. Quite frankly, I don't think that's what's
gonna happen. But man alive there would not be a
better storyline that you could ever find than the one
where the jaded X goes on and wins the championship

(01:15:13):
while the guy who's now and you know what he
thinks is the Promised Land now has all the more
pressure because the school that he left actually won after
he left. It would just be phenomenal.

Speaker 2 (01:15:23):
I will say, Bayer, as I said yesterday, said that
that was the best story. I don't know that I
really had thought it that far through, but yeah, if
Ole Miss won the championship despite Lane Kiffin, given how
he left, that'd be actually about as cool as a
story as we've seen in college sports. Fox Sports Radio
eritors Jason Martin broadcasting that I from the Fox Sports
Radio Studios. Hour three, we will give our official preview

(01:15:45):
and picks of the four college football playoff games. But
coming up next, our buddy Steve the Seger rejoins us
with his extended update everything you missed throughout the day.
Fox Sports Ready, welcome back, everybody. Sports Radio aer George J.
S Bart broadcasting live from the Fox Sports Radio Studios
as we do every week around this time. Let's get

(01:16:08):
it over to the news desk to Sega take it away,
my friend.

Speaker 7 (01:16:11):
Christmas music has been awesome on the show.

Speaker 2 (01:16:14):
All the Christmas classics.

Speaker 7 (01:16:16):
Yeah, did you say you saw on the sideline at the.

Speaker 2 (01:16:19):
Yeah he is at this Houston LSU game is a
big day for rappers at bowl games.

Speaker 3 (01:16:24):
You remember you was at Oklahoma Alabama? Sure, because they
played many Men at the end of at the end
of the third quarter and then the song that Mary
Just Came Back is kind of what Alabama rolled out
to after they finished off the team that you Couldn't Kill.

Speaker 2 (01:16:37):
Well, it was funny because many Men was supposed to
be the Oklahoma theme song.

Speaker 7 (01:16:42):
That's what I'm talking That's what I'm talking about later
that same night.

Speaker 3 (01:16:46):
Yeah.

Speaker 7 (01:16:47):
As for the two NFL game, Oh, by the way,
this late game is the Texas Bowl in Houston. Houston
is beating LSU thirty eight twenty eight under two minutes
to go. As for the two NFL games, what a
performance by Derrick Henry. The Ravens won at Green Bay
forty one to twenty four. Now, Lamar Jackson, the Ravens quarterback,
was out tonight with a bruise back, so Tyler Huntly started.

(01:17:08):
He had eight carries, sixty yards rushing and a touchdown pass.
The Packers normal starting quarterback Jordan Love with us out
with a concussion, so Malik Willis stepped in and despite
the sore shoulder, and he did have to leave in
the fourth quarter, Willis had a great game. Eighteen of
twenty one, two hundred and eighty eight yards, three total touchdowns.
Willis on the ground on nine carries sixty yards rushing.

(01:17:30):
Compare that to Green Bay's Josh Jacobs, who had four
carries three yards in the loss. So the Packers at
nine six and one are, according to NFL Network stuck
as the number seven seed come postseason in a couple weeks.
Derek Henry's going to be in the Hall of Fame
one day, and this is one of the stats they
should throw out there, the kind of game he had tonight,

(01:17:50):
thirty six carries, two hundred and sixteen yards, four touchdowns.
This is now seven different times in his NFL career
he's had at least two two hundred yards rushing and
at least two rushing touchdowns the same game. No other
runner in NFL history has had more than three of those.
He's had seven.

Speaker 3 (01:18:08):
Nobody's been better. When you just give him eight thousand carries. Yeah,
his attrition, like trying to tackle him in the second
half of games is maybe the most impossible thing that's
ever been asked of an NFL player.

Speaker 7 (01:18:21):
We've talked about it on the Sunday Show. His high
school stats, I forget even looking up the video. Just
the numbers when he was in the state of Florida
were atrocious. It just, I mean, I mean that in
a good way. It just we're inhuman. It just should
not have happened.

Speaker 2 (01:18:36):
Well, the funny part was, if I remember correctly, he
played at a really small high school, and so there
were some people that didn't recruit him as a running
back because they were like, oh, you know, you played
in six as, doesn't count in Florida or whatever.

Speaker 3 (01:18:48):
I don't know.

Speaker 2 (01:18:49):
Saban decided to give him the rock.

Speaker 7 (01:18:50):
I will go back to my college basketball analogy because
many years ago UNLV was in the Big West and
kept making the Final four. We keep mentioning this on
Chris Plank Show. The phrase good is good. It doesn't
matter if you're in the Big West. It doesn't matter
if Dick Derek Henry played it as small my goodness
as he could. Green Bay, by the way, a real oddity,
the last three games, they've only had one punt total,

(01:19:11):
and they've lost all three games. Apparently the Cowboys recently
did that as well. Ap says the only NFL teams
that have done that since at least nineteen sixty are
these two. Packers and Cowboys recently three straight games. One
punt or less in the three and you lose all three.
Houston beat the Chargers twenty to sixteen in LA. Chargers

(01:19:33):
their first three drives today had one first down only
fifteen yards net by early second quarter. Of their first
four drives, three of them were three and outs. Texans
got the two long touchdown passes early for the fourteen
to nothing lead. And this is the Texans team that
couldn't move the ball against the Raiders last week that
were under two hundred and seventy five total yards again

(01:19:54):
for the eighth time this year, and yet first seven
plays today over one hundred and fifty yards by the
end of the first quarter, and each team had about
thirteen plays. Houston was at over one hundred and seventy
yards and the Chargers with just those fifteen. And the
Chargers missed a chance for points at the end of
the first half after an interception. Eventually, twenty to sixteen

(01:20:14):
Texans clinch a playoff spot.

Speaker 2 (01:20:16):
Thank you very much, Steve Seger, Fox Sports Radio Air
Tours Jason Martin broadcasting live for the Fox Sports Radio studios.
We will come back look at those two NFL games
from Saturday and make our college football playoff picks. Fox
Sports Radio.

Speaker 1 (01:20:30):

Speaker 2 (01:20:33):
Welcome in everybody. I we're three tours Martin, Fox Sports
Radio broadcasting live from the Fox Sports Radio studios. Yes,
we are live one am Eastern Time around the country.
We hope, by the way, should have mettioned off top.
Hope everybody had a great Christmas holiday. Hope everybody is
hopefully enjoying some downtime here heading into the new year.

(01:20:56):
Jason Martin and I will be on not only until
two am Eastern tonight, but also ten to two am
in for Jason Smith and Mike Harmon on New Year's Day,
recapping three college football quarterfinals. College football playoff kicks off
on Wednesday night with the Cotton Bowl Miami in Ohio State.

(01:21:17):
We will make our college FOOTBA playoff picks in a minute.
Do you want to talk a little NFL we should
also mention, by the way, with the new and improved
iHeart Radio app, you can stream us wherever you happen
to be. Catch us and all of your favorite Fox
Sports Radio shows live twenty four to seven in the
new and improved iHeart Radio app. Just search Fox Sports
Radio in the app to stream us LAB all day,
every day, and be sure to select Fox Sports Radio

(01:21:38):
as one of your presets in the iHeart app so
it will always pop up at the top of your screen.
Two NFL games on Saturday, Houston in the first one
to say, you just gave you the details, but let
me set things up for you. Houston gets the twenty
to sixteen win. Houston goes up fourteen to nothing in
the first quarter. Houston goes up fourteen nothing in the

(01:22:01):
first quarter. By the way, speaking of Houston, for those
who are keeping track of the late bowl game in
the Texas Bowl, the University of Houston has just been
an LSU thirty eight thirty five, LSU's final game before
the Lane Kiffin era officially gets started. Lane Kiffin was
actually at the game in the press box earlier in
the game doing immedia availability. Back to the NFL, Houston

(01:22:22):
wins twenty to sixteen fourteen to nothing lead in the
first quarter, they hold on controversial illegal contact penalty by
the Chargers right before the two minute warning. Bring it
up to say, the Houston Texans do get the win.
Their a straight win, nine out of ten, and they
did clinch a spot in the NFL playoffs. They will

(01:22:44):
be a wild card and I don't want to speak
for you, J Mart, but I think you feel like
they'll be a pretty live road team as a wildcard
team in these playoffs coming up.

Speaker 3 (01:22:54):
Yeah, I do. I mean I think that that's a
team that definitely can travel because that defense is going
to travel. I mean, they've just brutalized some really good
quarterbacks and some good offenses at times this year. They
don't ask the offenses to do too much, but there
are moments when that offense really shows flashes, when the

(01:23:14):
connection is really there from the quarterback and the wide receiver.
You know, the running game could be a bit spotty,
but they have a few different backs that can do
a few different things. And in a conference that definitely
feels undecided in terms of how it's going to play
out when we get to the postseason, there's no reason

(01:23:34):
to think that they are one of those kind of
teams you do not want to see because that defense
is going to be ready for you.

Speaker 2 (01:23:40):
Yeah, they are a very interesting team, and I think,
you know, third straight playoff appearance, they have been there before.
I think you start looking at some of the teams
that they could hypothetically match up with. Listen, you know,
New England Patriots obviously are right now currently in position
to get the number one overall. We'll see what happens.

(01:24:01):
Your Denver Broncos could get it as well. But I
mean Patriots, a lot of those guys have never been
part of a playoff situation. I mean even the Broncos,
you know, like right, not trying to crap on your team,
j Martin.

Speaker 3 (01:24:12):
I mean, look, man, I don't feel confident about that
offense right now, and you put that out there. They're
very similar in that regard. Like the offenses can be
a little bit wonky. It can be you're not exactly
sure from week to week what you were gonna get,
but you generally are from the defense on both sides.
But at the same time, I mean, Houston has been

(01:24:33):
even more tenacious than has Denver this year, So you
really look at it and you're just like, yeah, I mean,
that's the kind of game that you could easily see
it being like a ten to seven kind of game.
It may not be, but that's that. That would just
be a knockdown, drag out fight. And I'm not even
sure who I would actually favor in that matchup.

Speaker 2 (01:24:53):
Well, we'll see what happens. Houston does clinch a playoff spot,
they will be a wild card. The Los Angeles Chargers
in Buffalo Bills have also clinched wildcard spots. Unless I'm mistaken,
the only playoff spots still up in the AFC the
AFC North. With the Baltimore Ravens win over the Pittsburgh
Steels over the green Bay Packers on Saturday, Baltimore stays

(01:25:16):
alive in the playoff race. They would need the Steelers
to lose on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. If that
happens next Sunday, Steelers Ravens would be a winner take
all takes the AFC North. Any big takeaways on the
Baltimore Ravens taking care of business in green Bay not.

Speaker 3 (01:25:35):
Really, and green Bay just seems like they're hanging on
for dear life. The quarterback, of course, has been a
you know, you have Malik Willison there, but he played really,
really well. I don't know that Jordan Love would have
had a particularly better stat line than that. This was
a situation where they needed a Michael Parsons or anybody
that could stop Dereck Henry, especially in a game where
it's not like you were expecting the passing game to

(01:25:58):
be all that special for Baltion more and guess what
it wasn't. But Derek Henry had four touchdowns at about
eight hundred yards. I think he just had another touchdown
while I was talking, so like that's the problem. Like
the defense couldn't stop the run, so it didn't matter.
These are both teams that I don't really have any
particular fondness for when it comes to what they could

(01:26:18):
potentially do. Even if Baltimore does make the playoffs, Green
baysing can get that seven seed. But I just kind
of feel like both of them are just due for
a fairly early exit and just kind of like, all right,
let's reach tool, we'll come back next year because it
just didn't work out.

Speaker 2 (01:26:32):
Here injuries played the Green Bay Packers and Baltimore Ravens
on Saturday Night. No Lamar Jackson, no Jordan Love and
of course no Micah Parsons among others. Speaking of injury
ravage teams, we saw a bunch of them on Christmas Day.
The Jayden Daniels lists, Washington Commanders lose to the Dallas Cowboys.

(01:26:55):
You know, JJ McCarthy was not out of the field.
They still get to win. This being the minute the Vikings,
and of course Kansas City loses not only without Patrick
Mahomes but without Gardner Minshew. Set up for an interesting
Christmas Day where the NFL really six teams that really,
outside of the Denver Broncos, there really wasn't all that

(01:27:18):
much to play for or really all that intriguing matchups.
Sets up an interesting conversation about where the NFL is
on Christmas Day, especially relative to the NBA. Charles Barkley
with some interesting comments on the NBA versus NFL Christmas
Day Land Grab Mary play the sound.

Speaker 8 (01:27:36):
The NFL got greed and started Christmas game. We used
to have this day to ourselves, but you know, Roger
Goodell and them pigs at the NFL always wanted to
hog every day of the week.

Speaker 3 (01:27:44):
Now they can't play.

Speaker 1 (01:27:48):
The NBA.

Speaker 3 (01:27:49):
Dude.

Speaker 8 (01:27:51):
I saw those guys yesterday on the ESPN talk about it,
and they're right, Christmas is an NBA day.

Speaker 2 (01:27:58):
So I have a couple of takes really quick, I'll
toss it over you, J.

Speaker 3 (01:28:02):
Mart.

Speaker 2 (01:28:03):
I don't think anyone owns any day. I think once
the NFL decided that they were going to play on
Christmas Day, you know, there wasn't much the NBA could
do about it. Now, how the NFL ended up on
Christmas Day is another conversation, but basically it was a
lot self inflicted stuff by the NBA as far as
coming out of the bubble. I've told the story million times,

(01:28:25):
but an NBA wasn't sure if they were gonna start
before Christmas Day or not. The NFL plays a game
in twenty twenty, next thing, you know, they realized that
it's a place that they could put some games. But
I will say this, felt like there just wasn't much
juice with these Christmas Day games this year, and I
think part of it was not very good matchups. I'll

(01:28:47):
say this, Jmrt. I don't know if I'm in the
total minority on this. I do think being on Netflix
didn't help, like it I yeah, I was gonna say,
like I can just say from my own personal experience,
I was here in the Fox Sports radio studios for
the Commanders Cowboys game, a little bit of the Lions game,
and I went home and it was just kind of

(01:29:07):
out of side, out of mind. And admittedly nobody was
playing for a ton and maybe if it was Chiefs
Bills with Mahomes and Allen, it would have I would
have defaulted to put the game on. I do wonder
if you know, I don't know if I'm gonna go
call Roger Goodello pig or anything like that, but you know,

(01:29:27):
I do think it's a conversation of it's too much
of anything, not a good thing. And this felt like
the first time that I really felt like this Christmas
Day thing ain't really clicking the way that I felt
like it was even a year or two ago. For
the NFL.

Speaker 3 (01:29:41):
Yeah, I mean, the matchups definitely make a difference, right
and even like you know, Detroit then coming out and
laying that egg Cowboys are gonna rate because they're the Cowboys,
but they're out of the playoffs, right out of the
playoff race, and I'm not sure that you were expecting
them to be in it when you set this game up,
but Washington was certainly likely in your head based on

(01:30:01):
what they had done last year, and then Denver was
a playoff team last year in Kansas City is Kansas City,
so you ended up getting a dog there because you
didn't even have my homes playing in that game, and
then that game wasn't very good. But I will say this,
I personally just didn't care about watching the NFL on
Christmas Day, yes, and basically didn't like I didn't go

(01:30:26):
out of my way to do it. I knew I
wasn't hosting until Saturday, but at the same time, like
I was with my family, I was doing other things
to With all due respect to Charles Barkley, I didn't
watch the NBA very much either that day. I watched
some of it, but generally it was just like I
just wanted to do other stuff. And I do think

(01:30:46):
that the amount of time or the amount of weeks,
maybe that's the way to put it, that there feels
like there's three four days of NFL football, Like I
just I can't bring myself to sit there that much
and do that anymore that maybe I would have twenty
years ago. I don't know, but like it didn't even
really necessary. It wasn't even just because the matchups. It

(01:31:08):
was just because you know what, no not today. And
I don't know that that's how most people felt. I'm
sure a lot of people did tune in. I don't
know what the numbers are gonna look like, and of
course Netflix and streaming it changes, you know, how the
metrics are set up and all that. I get it,
but I just I just didn't care. That's that's the
only way I can put it. Is just I did
not have to host radio that day, and I just

(01:31:30):
tuned it out almost entirely, because I knew by the
time we were coming on, there were gonna be two
more games played, there were gonna be more bowl games played,
We're gonna be looking ahead to the college football playoff.
It was just kind of like, here was a day
of football that I felt like I could pass on
because I'll be excited for the games tomorrow. Because Sunday
you get all of it, You tune into red Zone,
you do the whole thing. This day just felt like

(01:31:52):
it just felt like one I could skip, and I,
surprisingly enough, I took that opportunity, and I skipped it.

Speaker 2 (01:31:57):
So, you know, probably not too thing for two national
radio hosts to admit, but sure, I was basically in
the same boat. And you know, I'll give credit to
a couple of people. One I remember, even going back
to last Christmas, I hosted with VJ. Husky, and he said, like,
you know, if you remember last year, it was a
little different because Christmas was on a Wednesday, and we

(01:32:18):
had basically come off of a week where you had
the Thursday NFL game, then you had Saturday games, then
he had Sunday, then he had Monday, then you're back
on Wednesday, then you're back on Thursday. And I remember
us talking about, like, it's just too much. But as
far as this year is concerned, So I had this
thought and we talked about it a little bit, you know,

(01:32:39):
the show that I was doing the other day. But
I think a lot of people feel the same way
you do. And what I was saying to somebody was,
it feels like the NFL is almost like baked into
the cake of Thanksgiving Day, right of Hey, you know,
Grandma's gonna be cooking in the kitchen. We're gonna have
that Detroit game on early you know, you know, I

(01:33:01):
don't mean to be sexist here. Grandma's cooking, guys are
in the other room. Maybe your place is different. I'm
just speaking in hypotheticals here. Then you kind of eat,
you have the cowboys out in the background, You kind
of sit on the couch, get to digest, and then
you know, there's a late game whatever. It feels like
it's baked into the cake. And I don't think one
it just isn't for the NFL, And part of it

(01:33:21):
is it's only been for a few years. But I
was also thinking about this with the NFL, is that,
like Christmas is such a different holiday where oftentimes you're
going to two or three places you have family over here,
but you got family over there. The point that VJ
brought up, so I'm not a parent, so it's a
little bit different for me. But you know he was saying,
like I was helping my kids put toys together.

Speaker 3 (01:33:42):
Yeah, absolutely, I was too.

Speaker 2 (01:33:44):
Yeah, And so like you said, the number is still
gonna be good. But the other point too with the NBA. Two,
why I think the NBA works on Christmas Day besides
the fact that it's been around forever, Like, let's be honest,
like you don't have to watch every second of every game, yes,
to get the gist of what's going on where Cowboys

(01:34:05):
and Commanders. And to your point, we haven't had to
talk about it, but if we did, you can't just
kind of have it on in the background and be
like oh yeah, uh yeah, Dack through for three hundred
and twenty yards and like you kind of gotta be watching.
And so I do think there is something there where. Yes,
the matchups didn't help, and I think we both agree
that if it was Bill's Chiefs and mahomes Allen, like, yes,

(01:34:28):
we would have tuned in. But I feel like you
were not the only one because I know that I
wasn't the only one. Like I said, I will readily
admit and if it makes me a bad sports talk
radio host, I'll admit it. But I went home on
Christmas night. I had been here for four hours, and
I was like, you know what, like my wife deserves
this time, and we put on Home Alone or whatever.

(01:34:51):
And it's no different for people with kids, people with
why It's like at some point, like you have football
and basically five days a week now and it's just like, yeah,
I don't know if I'm just basically making the same
point you did. But I hit that wall too, of
just like I love the NFL, we all do, but
it's like at some point you do have to make
some time for your family, and I don't know that

(01:35:11):
it translates to Christmas quite the same way that it
does for Thanksgiving.

Speaker 3 (01:35:15):
Yeah, I mean, I think that point about the NBA
is right when it comes to you don't have to
watch the entire thing. I remember many many Christmases growing
up where the Knicks would be on at noon or
even eleven am, depending on where I was at that point,
and like it would be on after we had opened gifts,

(01:35:36):
would probably even be eating biscuits or something like breakfast,
late breakfast that we would usually do or something it'd
be on, and like every once in a while I
glance up and I'd catch a minute or two and
I'd watch it. But like you talk about things that are,
you know, not the things that you say it's sports,
stock radio is looking My life is more than sports,
and I think that a lot of people out there

(01:35:57):
on a daylight Christmas, I already have to take check.
Like if I'm gonna be on the air, then that
makes things a little bit different. I get it, but
I don't think that people fully appreciate the fact that
what they see as an escape is not an escape
for you and me. Sure, when we watch we watch
sports in terms of, hm, what's gonna give me thirteen minutes? Sure,

(01:36:19):
what's gonna give me eight minutes? Like what people use
to relax is the opposite for us. So, after doing
everything that we did family wise and all this, look
at broncos of my team and I watched that game
via the box score. I mean, I had a live
v going on, but like I was exhausted, and I was,
you know, laying with my wife and talking to her,
and we were talking about the day and watching videos

(01:36:41):
of you know, our one year old on a riding
toy and all this other kind of stuff, and like
football just didn't measure up that day because I knew
there was gonna be more football the next day and
the next day and the next day, and I was
gonna have to watch a lot that now I was
gonna be inundated with it again. It just felt like
it felt like a day that didn't necessarily need my attention,

(01:37:02):
and so it just didn't get it.

Speaker 2 (01:37:03):
Yeah, like you said, it'll be interesting with the numbers
again because it's streaming, it'll make it a little bit different.
But yeah, I don't think the NFL is gonna stop,
and I don't think they're gonna be incentivized to stop.
But it did feel like and again, maybe it was
the games, maybe it was the matchups, but it just
felt like first time for me in a while where

(01:37:25):
it's just like, dude, at some point, like you said,
and I think it's a great point by you, is
we all love what we do, but this job isn't
the only thing that we do and it isn't what
defines us. And first time for a while it felt
like I not only did I not watch, I actually
didn't really feel that guilty. Fox Sports Radio aer toors
Jason Martin, broadcasting live from the Fox Sports Radio studios.

(01:37:47):
Four games. We will be watching college football quarterfinals. They
kick off Wednesday night. Coming up next we will preview
them all aer towards Jason Martin.

Speaker 3 (01:37:55):
Fox Sports.

Speaker 2 (01:37:58):
Welcome back, everybody, Fox Sports Radio Erra toords Jason Martin,
broadcasting live from the Fox Sports Radio Studios. It is
Saturday evening. College football Playoff kicks Off or rekicks off
really is a way right way to say it. Wednesday
night with the Cotton Bowl Miami in Ohio State. Jason

(01:38:19):
Martin and I will be filling in for Jason Smith
and Mike harmon ten pm Eastern New Year's Day. But
as I said, for college football playoff games, since we're
not gonna be on air, j mart and since it's
a little bit of a slower week seventeen in the NFL,
figured we go ahead and make our preview and picks.
Now tell you what Mary I didn't tell you, but

(01:38:39):
give us a little football music.

Speaker 7 (01:38:43):
Ian.

Speaker 2 (01:38:44):
What games are we previewing? All right, I know what games?

Speaker 6 (01:38:47):
But for America, let's go chronological order here, starting on
New Year's Eve. That's coming Wednesday here Miami. It's taken
on Ohio State. Ohio State's favored by nine and a half. Here,
who you guys got I'll start with you, Aaron, so
I'll be real.

Speaker 2 (01:39:04):
So what I did pick Indiana to beat Ohio State
in thee in the Big Ten Championship game. I'm just
not sold on Ohio State. I'm gonna make one thing clear.
I think they probably win. But that Miami defense, that
defensive front is the real deal. Look at what they
did against Texas, A and M and Ohio State. Just

(01:39:25):
I really don't feel like they were tested at any
point this season. Michigan was whatever, Washington was pretty good,
but they didn't play Oregon, they didn't play Indiana until
the Big Ten championship game. I will take Ohio State
to win. Actually, you know what, I just filled up
my Fox Sports Radio bracket challenge and I called the

(01:39:45):
upset with Miami, So I'm gonna stick with that. I'll
say Miami twenty, Ohio State seventeen.

Speaker 3 (01:39:51):
Wow. I got Ohio State by at least two touchdowns.

Speaker 2 (01:39:56):
Wow.

Speaker 3 (01:39:56):
I definitely believe in it more than you do. I
know what Miami's capable of, but I just feel like
Carson Beck is gonna show up and be Carson Beck,
and I think that's gonna be enough. I just I
feel much stronger about Ohio State than Miami, even though
I understand they have a lot of talent on both
sides of the ball. I just feel like Ohio State
is gonna be way too much for.

Speaker 2 (01:40:16):
Them very well. Could be probably the best defense that
they've faced, at least since Texas. So I guess Indiana's
probably pretty good too. So we'll see what happens. I
do think I don't even know if I picked Miami.
I think I was leaning towards picking Miami. So I'm
just gonna stick with it. I'm just not as sold
out Ohio State. And by the way, the one thing
about Ohio State, I'll say really quickly, I do think

(01:40:39):
they're a yearhead of schedule. I mean, Julian's saying first
year starter Jeremiah Smith as another year. So we'll see
what happens New Year's Eve in the Cotton Bowl. Ian,
what's the next game?

Speaker 1 (01:40:50):
All right?

Speaker 6 (01:40:51):
So Aaron, you got the Miami upset? And Jmart with
check my bracket real quick. Fox Sports Radio dot iHeart
dot com is where people need to sign up.

Speaker 2 (01:40:59):
I want to see what I actually picked.

Speaker 6 (01:41:00):
All right, all right, and then j Mart, you've got them.
You've got an Ohio State cover on the spread there.
Next up New Year's Day, Oregon's going to be facing
Texas Tech.

Speaker 2 (01:41:11):
There. Oregon's actually favored by two and a half.

Speaker 1 (01:41:13):
Though.

Speaker 7 (01:41:13):
We'll start with you this time, j Mart, who you got, Matt.

Speaker 3 (01:41:16):
This is a situation where Texas Tech has the defense.
I don't know that they have the offense. This is
the game that really will showcase what Dante Moore is
capable of doing if the hype is justified in terms
of potential even number one pick in some people's minds
any NFL draft, if he even decides to declare, which
could be a different argument depending on where he's going

(01:41:37):
to be slotted, perhaps during a pre draft process or whatever.
But I just don't know here. I feel like I
have to. I feel better about Oregon, I think because
I'm just not sold on Texas Tech's offense. But the
thing that scares me a little bit is I'm not
exactly sold on Oregon's defense either. I'm gonna take Oregon,

(01:42:01):
I don't feel particularly good about it. I think they'll
I think that they will cover that spread because it's very,
very small, But this is what I don't feel particularly
good about either way.

Speaker 2 (01:42:11):
Yeah, this one, to me, actually is the one that
I am most in some ways most intrigued by. And
this is the one that I definitely think could easily
go either way. By the way, I did pick Miami
in the bracket when I filled it out, so I'm
just gonna stick with that, even if I think Ohio
State probably does win. So I'm gonna take Oregon for
the same reason that you are, Jmart. Basically Texas Tech. Listen,

(01:42:37):
I don't buy that like Texas Tech played in the
Big Twelve, they're not good. We said that about Miami
last week. Look how that worked out, right. But I
am worried a little bit about that Texas Tech offense.
I know they scored a lot of points against most
of their competition, especially when they're starting quarterback played in
all these games, but I just don't know that it
I don't know. There's just something about the offense that

(01:42:59):
does concern me. And Oregon, like I do think that
they are they're obviously more battle tested. It's weird because
they didn't play Ohio State. They lost to Indiana. But
you look at some of the teams that Oregon beat
along the way. They woned Iowa, they took care of
USC and it wasn't really close. They took care of
Washington and it wasn't really close. So I will take

(01:43:21):
Oregon to win this game as well. I'll tell you what.
We will come back preview the next two games. We
still got two games left, two very intriguing games left,
which we will get to in a minute. Before we do, though,
why don't we get it over the news desk? Final
time for our show, Steve de Seger, What is tread Day?
We'll start with the two NFL games today in LA.

(01:43:42):
Houston beat the Chargers twenty to sixteen. Houston led fourteen
to nothing early on two long touchdown passes. Texans have
won eight straight. The Colts are officially eliminated. This clinch
is a playoff spot for the Texans and the La
loss clinch the AFC West crownd for Denver. Justin Herbert
was said five times. Baltimore won tonight at Green Bay

(01:44:02):
forty one to twenty four. Ravens still alive at eight
and eight. Derrick Henry thirty six carries two hundred and
sixteen yards rushing four touchdowns. Tyler Huntley tonight's starting quarterback
with Lamar Jackson out with the Bruce Beck. Huntley eight
carries sixty yards and a touchdown pass. This result clinches
the NFC Nord title for the Chicago Bears. Packers will

(01:44:24):
again be the seventh seed in the playoffs.

Speaker 7 (01:44:27):
By the way, that's three straight years as the seventh
seed for them, and Derrick Henry joins an elite group
in NFL history to have at least one hundred yards
rushing and multiple rushing touchdowns in a game. He's done
that twenty five times in his career, as did Jim
Brown and Ladanian Tomlinson. The Big Game on Sunday on
Fox TV Philadelphia at Buffalo Bill's quarterback Josh Allen is

(01:44:51):
due to play despite a foot injury. He practice fully
on Friday. The weather rain and about forty degrees. The
Bills are six and one at home getting a new home.
The new stadium's being built next door, supposed to be
ready for next year. The other and there's only one
other late afternoon game in the NFL Tomorrow. Giants, losers

(01:45:11):
of nine straight at Raiders, losers of nine straight. Each
team two and thirteen. The loser could get the number
one overall draft choice. The Raiders have been outscored by
almost one hundred and seventy points this year, worse in
the NFL. Giants have been outscored by about one hundred points.
Worst in the NFC. Giants are zero to eight on
the road going into Tomorrow's matchup Las Vegas, dead last

(01:45:34):
in the league in rushing about seventy five yards a game.
As a team on the ground. College football had eight
bowl games, including the late one in Houston, which was
won by twenty first ranked Houston. It edged LSU thirty
eight thirty five earlier wins for BYU and Virginia. Twenty
fifth ranked North Texas won the New Mexico Bowl forty
nine to forty seven over San Diego State. East Carolina

(01:45:56):
beat Pittsburgh twenty three seventeen. Pick committed five turnows so
eascu's offense thirteen drives, just eleven first downs, and they
won the game. Penn State led at Yankee Stadium sixty
three to start the fourth quarter and beat Clemson twenty
two to ten. At Fenway Park in Boston, Army led
fourteen ten at the half forty one sixteen the final

(01:46:16):
over Yukon Army for the game fifty six carries, three
hundred and sixty eight yards rushing and five touchdowns on
the ground. At the Arizona Bowl in Tucson, Fresno State
kicked four field goals and beat Miami, Ohio eighteen to three.
The late NBA game to the Knicks won twenty eight
one twenty five at Atlanta carl Anthony Towns thirty six points,

(01:46:37):
Jalen Brunson with thirty four. Milwaukee got Janis Antenacumpo.

Speaker 2 (01:46:41):
On the court.

Speaker 7 (01:46:41):
He had twenty nine points in a win at Chicago.
Houston got thirty points from Kevin Durant in a win
over Cleveland. Victories for Brooklyn and Miami Utah one at
San Antonio won twenty seven to one fourteen despite thirty
two points from Victor wembn Yama. Victories for Phoenix, Sacramento,
and Orlando, which edged Denver one twenty seven one twenty

(01:47:01):
six despite a triple double from Nicola Jokich. Most of
college basketball is still on Christmas break. Most teams resume
on Sunday or Monday, Men's and women's. Among the thirteen
NHL games, Toronto seven to five over Ottawa, Colorado wanted
a shootout at Vegas. Chicago wanted a shootout at Dallas,
LA six to one over Anaheimback.

Speaker 2 (01:47:21):
To you, Thank you very much, Steve Sager. Have a
great evening. No, You'll be back with the fellas on Sunday.
Arnie Spanier, Chris Plank and Mark Willard and e from
Salam Fox Sports Radio, Eric Tors, Jason Martin, take it
you till two am Eastern. Bernie Fretto up in twenty
five minutes. We still have two college football playoff games
to preview. Ian What game is up next?

Speaker 3 (01:47:41):
All right?

Speaker 6 (01:47:42):
Four pm Eastern time on New Year's Alabama's taken on
Indiana and the Hoosiers. Indiana's favored by six and a
half points. Here, Who you got, Aaron, We'll start with you.
So I am gonna take Indiana to win outright. I
don't know if I like them to cover. We talked
about this in hour two. If you missed it, you
can check out the podcast. We'll give you full details
on the podcast in a few minutes. I do think

(01:48:05):
there is something to Alabama. Guy for guy has a
crap ton of talent. But I also do think Alabama
is a fundamentally flawed team. They are a team that
has not been able to run the ball all year.
They have holes on their defense, and you know, let's
be honest, listen, good, you know, listen. They took care
of business against Oklahoma. They were the deserving winner in

(01:48:25):
that game, but over the last month they were not a.

Speaker 2 (01:48:28):
Good football team, dominated by Oregon seven point win over.
Oregon lost to Oklahoma during the regular season. I mean,
you just go back to the South Carolina game. They
easily could have lost that game. So I think the
one thing about Indiana, they are so fundamentally sound, do
not beat themselves Alabama one through eighty five or whatever

(01:48:49):
the scholarship numbers are.

Speaker 4 (01:48:50):
Now.

Speaker 2 (01:48:50):
I believe it's the talent advantage, but I think Indiana
does get the win.

Speaker 3 (01:48:53):
Yeah, so I think Indiana wins. I think the cover.
I think that Look, Bama hasn't been able to run
against anybody. Indiana doesn't let people run against them, so
it's going to be even worse there. So it's all
gonna be on ty Simpson's shoulders. And I just feel
like Indiana can sit back and pick their spots and
probably pick them off a couple of times in this game.
I just I think their defense is to sound, and

(01:49:14):
to your point, they're just they're fundamentally sound, They're well coached.
They're going to go in confident but not arrogant, but
they are going to expect to win the game. They
also are going to expect to fight. I think they
are ready to meet this moment. And Alabama is just
very beatable. They're a very flawed team despite being well

(01:49:34):
coached and all of those things. I just think this
is going to be that moment where Indiana takes that
next step in the eyes of a lot of fans.
I think they may actually win this thing pretty handily.
This could be one of those where it's just like,
oh oh, I didn't realize Indiana was this. I think
that might be what we're looking at.

Speaker 2 (01:49:52):
Indiana, by the way, second in the country in turnover margin,
in other words, fewest turnovers relative to the amount that
they create. About that, they have also tied with Texas
Tech for the fewest total excuse me, They are third
in the country in fewest turnovers on the season, by
the way, Number one the Yukon Huskies another conversation for

(01:50:13):
another day, point being they take care of the football
really fundamentally sound. I do like Indiana. Go ahead to you,
all right?

Speaker 6 (01:50:19):
Last one, eight pm Eastern Time in the Sugar Bowl,
Ole Miss is taken on Georgia.

Speaker 2 (01:50:25):
The dogs are favored by six and a half. Here,
who you got, j Mart, I.

Speaker 3 (01:50:30):
Mean, I've got Georgia. If I've got Georgia winning at all,
I don't want to ruin all the predictions on the way,
but I do think the Old Miss story would be incredible.
I just think George is the most complete team right
now in the country. I feel like they are playing
the best of anybody in the country entering everything that
we're seeing right now as well. I just they feel

(01:50:51):
like just an inevitable champion to me, So I can't
pick Ole Miss despite the fact that I think that
they will show put up a good fight and that
might be just a whale of a football game as
good as the story will be. I've got the dogs.

Speaker 2 (01:51:07):
Yeah, we talked about it earlier. I think Old Miss
would be winning would be probably the best story of
the college football playoff, given how lang Kiffin departed, and
I think, by the way, just would be a really
interesting narrative if they were to win this game and
Old Missus staff was still going back and forth going
into now the middle of January, I don't think it's

(01:51:29):
going to be an issue. I actually think you and
I will be on air as this game goes final.
I think this one could be over middle of the
third quarter Georgia and Ole Miss. By the way, of course,
Old Missus only loss at Georgia earlier this year. So
college football quarterfinals kickoff on Wednesday night, j Martin. I
agree on the first game on New Year's Day, which

(01:51:51):
is Oregon over Texas Tech. We agree on the Rose Bowl,
Indian over Alabama. We agree on the late Sugar Bowl,
Georgia overall miss We differ on the New Year Eve game.
I'm taking Miami. He's taken Ohio State. I sort of
already regret that pick, but I put it out into
the universe, so there's no turning back.

Speaker 3 (01:52:08):
Now.

Speaker 2 (01:52:09):
Fox Sports Radio ertors Jays Martin will come back. We'll
wrap the show talk a little bit about Week seventeen
of the NFL. The Saga just told you Bill's Eagles Bears,
forty nine ers, a couple intriguing matchups. That's next. Fox
Sports Radio, Welcome back, everybody. Fox Sports Radio, Era Torres
Jason Martin broadcasting live from the Fox Sports Radio Studios.

(01:52:31):
Hope everyone had a great Christmas, and hope everybody is
excited for what is following us. That is Bernie Fratto
of the Bernie Fratto Show. Bernie is gonna have so
much good stuff on everything going on in the world
of sports. We know Bernie is plugged in in the
world of Michigan athletics of plenty on the higher there
covered the Detroit Lions plenty on the Lions downfall. I

(01:52:52):
think he's gonna have something for you on Lamar Jackson
that you're gonna want to listen to as well. Speaking
of listening, if you missed any of today's show, you
gonna want to catch the podcast. Just search Fox Sports
Radio wherever you get your podcasts right after the show
today's podcast is posted. Be sure to follow the podcast
rate at five stars and you can even provide a review.
Again to search Fox Sports Radio wherever you get your podcasts,

(01:53:14):
and you'll see today's show fully posted right after we
get off air. J Mart. With two Saturday games and
three Sunday three Thursday games, I should say NFL Slate
Week seventeen a little bit lighter on Sunday. Couple notable
games though.

Speaker 3 (01:53:32):
One.

Speaker 2 (01:53:32):
First of all, let me ask you this, Pittsburgh can
clinch the AFC North with a winning Cleveland. I know
how good Miles Garrett is, I know how good the
defense is. Do the Browns have any chance to win
this game and force a winner take all AFC North
Championship game next Sunday?

Speaker 3 (01:53:49):
Should do because nobody in AFC. North's that good anyway,
So I mean, I wouldn't put it past them, you know.
I mean, they gave the Bills a run a week ago,
so there's no reason they could do that again. Miles
wants that sack record against Aaron Rodgers. Maybe he'll get it.
We'll see. I don't think they'll win the game, but

(01:54:11):
stranger things have happened, just because again, I could see
Pittsburgh laying an egg in this game, but generally I
feel like Pittsburgh's probably gonna win. I also think Garrett
may get sack record as well.

Speaker 2 (01:54:24):
Well, we will see what happens there. Really quickly, let's
get to some of the other noteworthy games. There was
the thought, by the way, oh oh we can we
can't skip in some ways the most noteworthy game of
the day Giants at Vegas. Oh boy, loser the inside

(01:54:45):
track to Fernando Mendoza, or at the very least the
number one overall pick. What do you think is gonna
happen in Vegas. I have a buddy, by the way,
who's a Giants fan who booked a flight out for this.
He loves Vegas, but I don't know that he knew
that he was going to be attending the battle for
the number one overall pick between the Giants and the Raiders.

Speaker 3 (01:55:09):
Yeah, I don't know, honestly. I mean I think that
this is like, this is the kind of game where
you could see Jackson Dart go off yep, actually run
the ball again, and you know he's coming off a
really bad performance. But that was a tough, tough scenario

(01:55:29):
for him. This Raiders team's trying to tank. Max Crosby's
not gonna play. He's gonna have to have surgery. He's
done for the year. Maybe gentigoes off in this game too,
But I think Jackson Dart likely is kind of the
difference here because of the multifaceted ways that he can
attack you. So I kind of like the Giants to
win here because of him.

Speaker 2 (01:55:51):
So I actually feel the exact same way is to
the degree in which I trust anyone and anything in
this game, I trust him more than I do Gino
Smith and that putrid offense to go along with the
future defense. I do actually think the Giants get the win.
What it means for the Raiders, I have no idea.

(01:56:11):
You know, the Raiders. The worst part of the Raiders
there not only bad, they're not interesting, like I do
think Jackson Dark kind of makes the Giants interesting when
he's not in the tent. The Raiders are just so bad.
And I don't even know that they'll take Fernando Mendoza
or I don't know what they'll do, but I have
to think that I don't know. There's so bad. Let's
get the only other. By the way, this is the

(01:56:32):
only other. As Disagred has told you, late afternoon window game,
it is Philadelphia at Buffalo. There was thought that Josh
Allen might not play in this game, but he is
expected to go. Philadelphia Eagles have of course, clinched the division.
I guess Buffalo technically is still alive in the AFC
East for the division title. They're one game behind New England.

(01:56:55):
New England is playing the New York Jets in the
early windows, so if they beat the Jets, New England
will clinch the AFC East before Buffalo even takes the field.
Any strong opinions on what we will see when the
Philadelphia Eagles travel to Buffalo in the late window Sunday.

Speaker 3 (01:57:13):
No, this is just exciting. I mean, it's two playoff teams.
I don't know how important a game is generally, Like,
I do think that the Patriots go ahead and do
what they have to do there, But I think Buffalo
is playing a little bit better right now than is Philadelphia.
Neither one of the teams I'm like super confident about.

(01:57:35):
But if you're just looking at both teams, I believe
in Josh Allen more than I believe in anything else
that's happening on that field right now. So I feel like,
if all other things are equal, where the defense hasn't
been quite as advertised, certainly for Philadelphia, I think I
like Buffalo to win that game.

Speaker 2 (01:57:54):
I do too, four straight, four straight wins for Buffalo,
but I think more importantly, you know, the thing I've
said about Buffalo all year, they get up for big games.
And you know, they rally against the Patriots a few
weeks ago, but they obviously, you know, took care of
the Chiefs when the Chiefs was a big game. They
took care of earlier in the year, the Ravens early

(01:58:17):
on first week of the season. So I do think
they get up for big games, and I do think
they win interesting game in the Sunday night game because
we have the Chicago Bears The Bears officially clinched the
NFC North on Saturday night with the Packers loss, but
they are still battling for the number one overall seed

(01:58:37):
in the playoffs. One team that they're battling for positioning
with is the San Francisco forty nine Ers. Both teams
eleven and four. Seattle right now at twelve and three
would have the number one seed if they were to
win out. What do you think happens Sunday night in
San Francisco? Worth noting by the way, if San Francisco
wins this game, they play Seattle in Week eighteen, the

(01:58:59):
final Sunday of the season.

Speaker 3 (01:59:01):
Yeah, I mean this is a nice matchup. I feel
good here for San Francisco honestly, like I think that
Chicago's done what they need to do already. The forty
nine Ers, this feels like a game where Christian McCaffrey
can potentially explode. I don't see brock Party having five

(01:59:23):
touchdowns to this game the way he did in his
last effort, But I think this could be a big
c Mac game, just an all purpose yards kind of game,
and I could see Caleb coming back down to earth
just a hair maybe throwing a couple to the wrong defense,
to Robert Sola's defense. So I like I like San
Francisco in this game.

Speaker 2 (01:59:42):
I'll tell you what we got to get out of here.
I want to thank the crew, Mary Mack on the board,
playing great Christmas music all evening long, Ian on producing front,
and of course Steve Disagara on the updates for my
partner Jason Martin. I am Aaron Torres. As mentioned, make
sure to download the podcast, which will be availed shortly
after we get off air. Speaking of us getting off air,

(02:00:02):
you know what that means. Bertie Fratto of The Bernie
Fratto Show. Coming up next, Bertie, with so much good stuff.
Stay locked in Fox Sports Radio.

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