Fox Football Sunday: Mike Harmon, Bucky Brooks, & Andy Furman talk NFL Week 15, Bears HC, Bill Belichick and So Much More!

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

Speaker 2 (00:04):
Greetings and welcome in another beautiful Fox Football Sunday. Honored
to be in the chair to sit along and chat
with my guys for another Sunday. Four more game or weeks,
four more weeks of NFL regular season action. We're down
to the stretch. Finally passed all those pesky buys. We'll
see how those play out. We had six teams on

(00:25):
BUYE last week. See if they come out of the
gates firing here in the final stretch, run here as
we come to you live from the tyrack dot com studios.

Speaker 3 (00:34):
Tyrack dot com. We'll help you get there.

Speaker 2 (00:36):
An unmatched selection, fast, free shipping, free road hazard protection,
over ten thousand recommended installers. Tyrac dot com the way
tire buying should be.

Speaker 1 (00:44):
I'm Mike Carmen.

Speaker 2 (00:45):
Thanks for being with us, being part of the extended
family and never ever want to do this alone.

Speaker 3 (00:50):
I got my guys.

Speaker 2 (00:51):
Andy Furmant Broadcasting legend scribe, long time broadcaster at Andy
Ferman FSR. Where you find him, Bucky Brooks, the man
who wears many a hat, NFL dot Com, Foxsports dot
Com obviously here with us.

Speaker 3 (01:08):
He's got his.

Speaker 2 (01:08):
Podcast coaching, mentoring, and on the corners giving you secrets
to the meaning of life. Gentlemen, it's good to be
with you again. Here in week fifteen of the National
Football League season, I was waiting in the wings, you know,
you're in the bullpen and kind of getting it working
up a lather before coming into the studio, and I
started looking up things about finish leagues.

Speaker 3 (01:30):
I don't know what to what to tell you. I
got a little obsessive.

Speaker 2 (01:33):
With with you know, ols and what it means and
what it's all about, because you know, I'm a completist
like you guys. I want to compete too.

Speaker 4 (01:44):
We want to be involved within a barrel betting with us.

Speaker 2 (01:46):
Is that in Well, I'm always curious as to the
depths of depravity that Shay's going to go to.

Speaker 3 (01:52):
It would hurt me to.

Speaker 4 (01:53):
Beat both you and Bucky. I mean really, I don't
want to do that.

Speaker 5 (01:56):
I mean, in the words of it Late, I mean,
in the words of the great Chicago Bear Jim Harbor, Competitors.

Speaker 6 (02:03):
Welcome, nice editors are welcome.

Speaker 3 (02:05):
Yeah, it's more just the always the curiosity, guys of.

Speaker 2 (02:08):
You know where we're going in the globe. And then
figuring out what some of the team names are. Olin,
what do we got, Luis Tin Censura there you go
say that five times really fast. That's your OLS thing
as we flow through, but big slate ahead, and I
mean would be remiss if we didn't turn back the

(02:29):
clock to Thursday night's game. You know, there's the whole
epidemic of quiet quitting not so quiet when we look
at what happened in that Rams forty nine ers game
and how it plays out with Devandre Campbell and veteran
and all of the discussion points, I'm sure you guys
hit out it a little bit earlier in the new audience,

(02:51):
new time, and Maya poking the bear of both of
you as we go through, Bucky as A, as a
guy who played and has been around the league, and
and and I who we've talked with, well, I would say,
what do you think Andy, hundreds of people affiliated with
the league and watched more football than is probably healthy
at times just watching that game unfold when you've got

(03:14):
a playoff spot still hanging in the balance. To have
a player walk away from a squad, a veteran of
nine years in the National Football League, who, let's face it,
when they bring you in on a one year deal,
they've already told you what the line of demarcation is
and what the expectations are, whatever the stats are, whatever
the performance are. That's the guy over there, and he's

(03:37):
ready and Greenlaw came out like he was shot out
of a cannon early in that game before going out
and guess what this is why you were brought in,
you know, to replace it when he gets hurt.

Speaker 3 (03:47):
So a lot.

Speaker 2 (03:48):
Coming off of this and people getting all up in
their fields, which I think is great because for a
lot of this NFL season, you know, it's the concentration
has been about the quality or lack thereof, because we've
certainly done that on this show.

Speaker 3 (04:02):
Andy.

Speaker 7 (04:03):
You know, quitting right now, especially in any line of work,
especially when someone needs you. You know, sports is like
a chain lean fence. You know, you hold on one
another really and if someone breaks the fence line, you know,
it's like an electricity, the current stops and this guy's
a quitter.

Speaker 4 (04:18):
It's ugly. But the one thing that came to.

Speaker 7 (04:20):
Mind when I heard about this, and it's kind of
far fetched in a sense. I remember when Corey Dillon,
who's not a Hall of Famer. When he played for
the Cincinnati Bengals the last game of the season against
the Cleveland Browns in Cincinnati, he took off his shoulder pads,
took off his helmet, pitched him into the stands, and
walked away. He had it, but that's what get you know.
He played. At least he played and gave it only God.

(04:43):
Remember one game he rushed for over two hundred and
fifty yards, So this guy gave it only God. He
was a Hall of famer, he is a Hall of Famer.
But he never quit during the game. He just wanted
to get out of there and garn a Tina's competitive
and he ended up winning a Super Bowl.

Speaker 4 (04:55):
With the Patriots.

Speaker 5 (04:58):
I mean, yeah, but that thing peels in comparison to that,
Like that's throwing throwing, throwing you stuff into the stands
at the end of it, like being frustrated whatever. But
someone deliberately asked you, like, like, Andy, that would.

Speaker 6 (05:10):
Be the equivalent. We're in studio.

Speaker 5 (05:13):
I'm all of a sudden having a coughing fit, right,
I'm choking on a jolly rancher, and my Mike is
asking you, Andy, we need you.

Speaker 6 (05:21):
To talk, and You're like, no, I'm not right. I
don't want to say anything.

Speaker 4 (05:29):
Giving you the I come around, give you the man now.

Speaker 2 (05:32):
To be fair, I've had plenty of circumstances here in
sundays and weekdays past, where you know, you run a
bunch of things up the flagpole of here's some topics
we're going to do, and then you go and introduce
it and your partner looks at you, going I got nothing.

Speaker 3 (05:48):
Thanks, I appreciate you.

Speaker 2 (05:50):
Thanks for chiming in on the rundown and everything that
we were going to talk about.

Speaker 3 (05:56):
I won't name names.

Speaker 4 (05:59):
Is anybody in this circle of friend.

Speaker 2 (06:01):
No, no, no, this is This is a well trusted,
well established, and well oiled machine. This is a chain
lead link fence with bonds that cannot be broken.

Speaker 3 (06:10):
This is hold, Hold.

Speaker 2 (06:11):
This is every battle line in a movie that you've seen,
no question about it. But yeah, you know we were
on air, Smith and I as we're watching this, and
word starts to trickle out that this is the case.
And it's the the interesting part to me. Right, it
becomes the aftermath of hey, he's not going to play

(06:33):
for us again, whatever else, But do you get.

Speaker 3 (06:35):
Him what he wants? Because if you give him a release.

Speaker 2 (06:38):
Guess what he's been good enough as a high seventies
tackle total. And I know that doesn't tell everything, but
certainly active. And we've got a number of contenders that
who couldn't use a little bit of linebacker death Bucky,
a little little extra guy roaming.

Speaker 3 (06:53):
Around as it flows. But let me ask this question.

Speaker 2 (06:56):
Coming out of it, Kyle Shanahan had to immediately, you know,
I answer questions about the locker room and where we're at,
and it's easy to dismiss it as one guy, but
is there something brewing there coming off of a couple
of weeks of speculation of him being traded. Where they're
at in terms of their roster going forward and potential

(07:17):
for a shift in that organization.

Speaker 5 (07:20):
I don't think it's because I can't imagine Kyle Shanahan
have an opportunity to.

Speaker 6 (07:24):
Do what he does.

Speaker 5 (07:25):
He is the czar for the forty nine ers. No
one else will necessarily give him the kind of power
and juice that he has, like he's over top of
John Lynch when it comes to the general manager and
those things. It's more so I think it's a signal
to him that has run his course this team, this
iteration of this team has run his course, and then

(07:47):
you have to make the hard decisions to rebuild the
team into a Super Bowl contender. Your best players are
older players, and so we go see a slow exodus
of the likes of the George Kittles, the cal u Checks,
the Deepos Samuels to Trent Williams, some of those guys,
and they're gonna flip it the problem that you might
have if you're the Nanners.

Speaker 6 (08:06):
If you're the Niners, who are the young.

Speaker 5 (08:08):
Players that you're going to entrust it to? Because Brandon
Ayuk would be the guy that takes the batime from
Deebo Samuel as the leader. But are you confident that
he can handle the leadership responsibilities after all the stuff
that we just went through over the course of the
offseason in summer brock Purdy, are you gonna pay Brock
Purdy when you've looked at brock Purdy play without the
weapons and he doesn't look like the superhero that he

(08:31):
looks like when everyone is playing well around him. Those
are hard decisions that they have to make. And I
don't think it's about Kyle Shanahan's job being in jeopardy,
but it's time. You know, it's time. It's time to
put the dog to sleep.

Speaker 4 (08:46):
I would say this one.

Speaker 7 (08:47):
I don't think he's a job in jeopardy, but I
think that his credibility is in jeopardy. And what I
mean by that is that look number one, the wind
that was closed for the forty nine ers, they're finished.
It's now for the future. They got to look for
the future. But you look at the young player. As
you mentioned, They're gonna look at this guy and look
at the coach, say what is he gonna do his
next move? What he does is gonna lay a big

(09:08):
foundation for that team, what they call the culture. They
want to see what kind of guy this guy is.
Is he tough?

Speaker 4 (09:14):
Is he weak?

Speaker 7 (09:15):
Is he going to stand up and say that this
guy I don't want to see his face here anymore,
he's out of here. I mean, that's what he's got.
He's got to make a decision. I mean, I know
if Mike Tomlin it happened to him, he would take
the guy by the neck and throw him out the window.
Really is a difference. I mean, I gotta see what
Kyle Shanahan does, how he reacts to this is gonna
be a big, big statement in the future of the

(09:38):
forty nine ers and how he reacts with that ball club,
don't you agree.

Speaker 2 (09:41):
Well, we had Deontay Johnson who had to get suspended
because he wouldn't go in. Remember Vonte Davis given the
deuces down in Miami back of the day, Antonio Brown
doing jumping, Jackson ripping off his uniform. So I mean,
we've got precedent. What's curious is that I also get
to pull it back again in the bullpen. And I'm
listening to you guys wax loquaciously and being brilliant. Shanahan

(10:05):
facing some of the same questions that were being asked
about it. Get it raining Coach of the Year Kevin
Stefanski a couple of weeks ago about job security and
all of that, And and to your point, Bucky, I agree.
I mean, it's it's that hard reset because it's kind
of a question they're asking there in the Ohio area
as well and nationally right when we look at and

(10:28):
Andy coming up this later this week, we've got the
college football playoffs, and well, what do you do with
Ryan Day? Can you do better than Ryan Day? If
they exit early? All of those things Shanahan. It's kind
of the same question. So all the trade mechanisms that
are fun and in theory, especially in Chicago, you know,
the hometown. The problem is Ryan Poles is like John Cena.

(10:51):
You can't see him. He's invisible. He's not a GM anymore.
It's all through Kevin Warren. But would you agree that that.

Speaker 7 (10:59):
I think the college coaching job right now is a
lot safer the NFL job. Why do I say that
the buyouts are ridiculous? I don't think the colleges could
afford buyouts.

Speaker 2 (11:07):
Well except if you're Bill Belichick. It's a million dollars
in the next year, right.

Speaker 6 (11:11):
He was doing us a solid man.

Speaker 5 (11:12):
He wants to make your affordabilities everything they did, the
investment that Caroline is making in him.

Speaker 7 (11:17):
I don't think they could buy Ryant Day out of
the Ohio state. I really don't.

Speaker 2 (11:21):
I got I gotta think they got enough. I think
you got enough alums that could pass the hat on that.

Speaker 5 (11:26):
We're really going to pass the hat on the guy
that's only one that's only lost like one.

Speaker 2 (11:30):
Yeah, that's like, oh no, I'm full agreement with you, Bucky.
I'm not saying they should I'm just saying, even if
it's in the far reaches of the the lunatic fringe
of your fan base, it's right.

Speaker 7 (11:43):
If they had the money in Cincinnati, they would have
bought out Scott's Sadafield. I don't think they can. M
the fan base is really upset with him and they
didn't even make a Bowl game.

Speaker 2 (11:55):
Well, I don't know, maybe you might have another team
bail and maybe you can get in. Well, they were
five or two, finished five and six. That's all right,
We're seeing teams bail. I mean Marshall didn't have enough players, right, yeah, hey,
next up. But all of that to say, I mean, Bucky,
you know, we'll we'll talk about it a little more
next hour. But you know, since Belichick comes into this conversation,

(12:16):
I mean, you gotta be uh pretty exciting. Great ovation
at the basketball arena. I mean there's a lot behind
the scenes of all of this, but the the fact
that he potentially reached out to the Jets despite having
beef lots of beef. So I don't know how real
or imagined any of it is, but it's great theater
for us on the radio.

Speaker 7 (12:36):
I do have one question, though, will his girl friend
be a cheerleader for the tu Tar heels.

Speaker 6 (12:40):
No, she can't be a cheerleader.

Speaker 5 (12:42):
She's she's done with eligibility to hope with be Maybe
she can go to the check Maybe maybe we can
get into grad school or something like that.

Speaker 3 (12:48):
But non scholarship grad school.

Speaker 6 (12:50):
Yeah, yeah, grad school. Find something like that.

Speaker 5 (12:52):
I think one thing she can keep being relatable to
the young people because when people talk about, oh, how
can he relate to someone?

Speaker 6 (12:59):
So, yeah, I think he's doing a really good job.

Speaker 5 (13:01):
He's good jobs people that he can relate to the
new generation. I think that is that has been proven
and all jokes as I look, I'll say this like
he won the press conference because everyone who thought it
was gonna be gruff and tough and all that doing
the presser like he wasn't that, And look to me,
it's a fascinating experiment. And I'll be honest, I'm like,

(13:26):
I'm excited just because there's so many eyes on the
Carolina program that have never been on it, much like
Colorado benefited from all of the eyes being going Colorado.
It just changes the dynamic. So I know, I know
I'm gonna see my team on TV every week. They're
gonna be in major games because everyone wants to see
what Bill Belichick is gonna do in the next level.

Speaker 6 (13:47):
And for me, I'm good with that.

Speaker 7 (13:48):
You hit it right on the head last hour when
you said the reason why he's going to be success
at least one of the reasons the fact that he
showed that he's human being on TV. He could relate
to the younger people right now thought he was a gamam.
He said, He's still be a gruff kind of guy,
but he has a sense of humor. He was normal
on TV and people saying I want to play for
this guy. I think that made a big difference, a

(14:10):
world of difference, showing his other side on TV this year.

Speaker 2 (14:13):
Well the other part to it, though, guys, I mean,
how long have we heard from the players that have
been in and around that locker room that that's not
the guy at press conferences?

Speaker 3 (14:24):
Is not that guy?

Speaker 6 (14:26):
Right?

Speaker 3 (14:26):
That he is narky, funny And you know, one of.

Speaker 2 (14:29):
My favorite shows to watch is the years when he
was in New England, and this shows how big a
nerd I can be at times is watching his chalk
talk review that he used to do because he'd sit
there with the telestrator, and they'd bring up plays good, bad,
and ugly, and he'd go through them like he was
writing a book on each play. And while it wasn't,
you know, all jokes and haha, it was all right,

(14:50):
here's relatable. Here's a guy explaining it to me like
I'm a five year old, So you can recognize the
thought patterns and the process and all those things that
we do sit on our couches, in the stands or
at the local watering hole screaming like idiot. It's like
here he goes, all right, this is why we made
this call. Watch this line up, watch this formation. So
like to me, I'd already seen some of that, and

(15:12):
I always just anticipated that dude was just putting on
an act more than anything else, like he was only
going to give you so much.

Speaker 5 (15:20):
Yeah, harmon, I'll say this, anyone who hasn't checked out
the podcast that he does with Matt Patricia and Mike
Lombardi called The Coach with Bill Lombardi, if you want
to learn, like really learn ball, like what they talk about,
how they break it down, how they educate the listener
and the viewer on the game. It's fascinating to me
and I'm saying this as someone who's played a lot

(15:42):
of ball, who played with great coaches or whatever.

Speaker 6 (15:45):
I've never heard.

Speaker 5 (15:45):
Someone teach it and explain it in the level of detail.
So when you think about someone being able to explain it,
because remember, like we've all been told on radio, on TV,
or whatever makes you, you can explain it to a
five year old. So if he can explain it like
that to listeners, imagine what he can do to kids
who want to play and want to get better. How
he can detail it, explain it and teach it. There's

(16:07):
always a saying a round ball that the game is
over coached but undertaught. So now imagine if you have
a great teacher teaching talented players how to learn the game,
how much better can they be when it comes to performance.

Speaker 7 (16:21):
I got a quick question for Bucky Brooks way off
the right, off the radar here.

Speaker 4 (16:25):
Do you know when you played? Do you know Mike
Martin who played for the Bengals? Do you know him?

Speaker 6 (16:30):
I did not know Mike Martin.

Speaker 7 (16:31):
Okay, he played for the Bengals. He just won the
NFL Flick Football League Trophy. He and his wife of
a flake football. I just just found that out and
he's he's a pretty good guy. I like Mike good Man.

Speaker 2 (16:44):
That next level, right, I mean that's what you did
with Bucky. I mean that's part of part of what
you've grabbed on too. So I mean, look, you're trying
to learn tips and tricks and all of that as
you go.

Speaker 6 (16:55):
Right, and all that.

Speaker 5 (16:56):
I mean, like how about Teddy Bridgewater going to his
alma ma Western and went in a state title a
team that was four and six a year ago.

Speaker 6 (17:04):
He does that.

Speaker 5 (17:04):
So, like when people talk about coaching and coaching matters,
it is coaching, but really is teaching? Can you teach
the can you break the complex down and make it
very simple for those who need to digest it? And
so and looking at Bill Belichick and even thinking about
Nick Saban and the success, Yeah, because that's always my
argue when people say, like, well, Nick Saban, like they're

(17:25):
two old. Bill Belichick's too old, And I was like, well, man,
Nick Saban's best coaching job to me was this final
season when he took a team that had no business
being getting the playoff and look, man, they had Michigan
dead to rights. Why can't Bill Belichick do the same?
No matter how long it is, man, if it's two years,
three years, five years, Carolina benefits from having that level
of expertise, someone that can raise the standards of what

(17:48):
it should be to me, That's what I'm excited to say.

Speaker 2 (17:50):
Well, I got one last one for you, Andy before
we put a pin in this and we get back
into the games of Week fifteen. And the good, the bad,
the ugly. Former Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer, your new head
coach at the Santa Margarita High School, his alma mater.

Speaker 4 (18:04):
Good guy.

Speaker 7 (18:04):
I mean, he had a run into Cincinnati kind of
not unlike Corey Dillon. He just didn't want to be here,
I mean, and he pushed management to trade him and
they did, and you know, it was a tough time.
It was the dark years of the Cincinnati Bengals. And
I hope we're not headed that way again. It looks
like they might. We'll see what happens. But you know,
he was a heck of a guy. Icemand trophy winner
and I always liked Carson. And he had that bed

(18:26):
real bad knee injury, I guess the Steelers, and it
was it was ugly, he really was. But I always
liked him, and I think he'll do well if nothing else.
His brother's a quarterback coach.

Speaker 6 (18:37):
Yeah, Jordan, Jordan is the guru. He the guru.

Speaker 5 (18:42):
He that should that should help Carson. But let me
tell you, he is jumping into a league that might
be the best football league in the country. Because the
league he is in, a national perennial power, was modern
day Saint John's Bosco servite who was really good. Mason Graham,
the defensive tackle from Michigan, played there. Of course, Lutheran

(19:05):
is good. He comes in as the caboose in that league.
He's gonna have to be a hell of a coach
right away to be able to close.

Speaker 6 (19:11):
Ground all those teams that he's dealing with.

Speaker 2 (19:13):
Here, he can talk to the current Bengals quarterback. Because
this is why you're in good shape. Andy, Joe Burrow
is going to get that batmobile in the next year.
He's riding to the rescue.

Speaker 4 (19:22):
But you told about that high school league.

Speaker 7 (19:24):
I'll put that up against the Cincinnati Greater Cincinnati League
with Moler and Saint Xavier.

Speaker 4 (19:28):
I'll tell you what. I They got some players there too.

Speaker 6 (19:30):
Oh No, that's a great league, like great league. Moler
and those.

Speaker 3 (19:33):
Guys see I love it.

Speaker 2 (19:34):
We're talking some high school football, bringing it all full circle,
wrapping our arms around it. As we get rolling here
out of Fox Football son now by Carmen alongside me,
Andy Furman at Andy Furman FSR. Bucky Brooks find him
over at Bucky Brooks Ad Instagram at Big Play Football.
As we roll forward, we got five games left to
talk about here in your National Football League Week fifteen slate.

(19:57):
The afternoon games for once is that mon few window.
We'll get into it next.

Speaker 3 (20:02):
Here on Fox.

Speaker 1 (20:05):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio Radio.

Speaker 2 (20:09):
Welcome back in It's Fox Football Sunday here live from
the Tirack dot Com studios, Mike Harmon alongside Andy Furman
and Bucky Brooks. Thanks to Mark and Shay making a
sound so pretty this morning. Thanks to all of you listening. However,
you're listening out there, all the terrestrial radio stations in
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(20:32):
of course always the iHeartRadio app. The greatest sell promotion
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Speaker 3 (20:41):
All of that.

Speaker 2 (20:42):
Look, go buy a very cheap pack of Markers and Crans.
They're on sale everywhere. One sheet of paper. That's all
you need. Make a little card, give them the URL,
say let me have your phone.

Speaker 3 (20:54):
Add it there.

Speaker 2 (20:55):
You've given a gift that will last a lifetime, better
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(21:16):
right after we get off the air. Has anybody ever
gotten a Cheese of the Month club or something of
that Ilk Candy Bucky, any of those subscription things? Jesus,
have you gotten any of those things where someone like,
all right, this is gonna be the gift that keeps
on giving, and you're like, I don't want it one month,
let alone twelve.

Speaker 5 (21:36):
Oh yeah, yeah, Like I don't like those Like that's
the thing about like they signed you. They fortune kind
of signed up to things and you're like, oh my god,
why did I sign up for this?

Speaker 3 (21:43):
And then you get the cheese or wine or whatever
that you just want no.

Speaker 5 (21:47):
Part, yeah, no, part of it sounds good late at night,
but then you like, yeah, I don't like this.

Speaker 2 (21:53):
Well, you know what, Sometimes bad decisions end up being
the best. All right, five games left on the NFL
slate to get Let's get it started.

Speaker 1 (22:01):
Buccaneers A Chargers.

Speaker 3 (22:03):
As we roll through, we look at the Chargers.

Speaker 2 (22:06):
You're at a plus seventy point differential, third in the
NFL with a plus eleven turnover differential. Hopeful to get
lad McConkey heard you guys talking about it. Check out
Bucky's article NFL dot com talking about his impact fifty
eight catches on the year, knee and shoulder. But he's
gonna give it the old college try, and they're gonna
need him. Justin Herbert two Orter, twelve yards per game,

(22:28):
fourteen touchdowns against just one pick, which is great, but
right now, struggling to run the football, Dobbins average four
point eight yards per carry.

Speaker 3 (22:36):
Problem is he's hurt and.

Speaker 2 (22:38):
Gus the bus barely falling forward at just three point
five per carry. Second leading receiver Will Disley, he's out,
but Stone smart steps in Josh Palmer trying to find
his way through. Get this thirty receptions on fifty targets
for Tampa Bay three game winning streak. You're at minus
two on the turnover differentials. Bucky Irving will give it

(22:59):
the olddry He's gonna go. Mike Gavan's trying to get
back to another thousand yard receiving season. You know what's
funny is Chris Godwin hasn't played in I don't know
two months. He's still the second leading receiver on this
squad with five hundred and seventy six yards, tied with
Kate Otten. Chargers three point favorite at home forty five

(23:21):
is your total? Can Jim Harbaugh get him up again?
Andy Furman, Well, here's the funny thing you did mention.
They've went three straight. But last week Baker Mayfield that
a pair of interceptions. So basically, you're going against the
team the Charges that allow the fewest points a game,
like fifteen points a game in the NFL.

Speaker 7 (23:37):
Charges win this game. The Charges have him home. I
think the Charges could be a team to reckon with
in postseason. You don't want to play that team.

Speaker 3 (23:45):
Can they score enough in the postseason?

Speaker 4 (23:47):
Today?

Speaker 7 (23:47):
They will question today they will, but I don't know
if they can. I mean they have to look that.
That's Jim Harbor though. I mean they run and then
there's a running team. They play on defense and they run.
That's how they win.

Speaker 4 (23:59):
So he did it in college, he's doing it in
the pros.

Speaker 5 (24:04):
Yeah. I dig the charges. I think the charge of
the team to play here. This team is really good,
even though they're coming off a disappointing loss in Kansas City.
You look at what Jim Harbor has done, how they
construct the team. This team is built to play in
the postseason, and the postseason starts now, So.

Speaker 6 (24:18):
Give me the charges. They find a way to get
it done.

Speaker 5 (24:21):
They may not light up the scoreboard, but they certainly
put up enough points to knock off to ten Bay.

Speaker 8 (24:25):
Buccaneers Steelers that he goes by one of the games
of the day, the Battle for the State of Pennsylvania.

Speaker 2 (24:31):
Russell Wilson says, all I do is win these games.
And you can go back and look at his history.
He's not lying. Five and a half point road underdogs
are the Steelers, which is always a great spot for
Mike Tomlin led squads. Forty three is your total Pittsburgh
winners of two straight and we were talking about, how
do you deal with guys who may be malcontented, Well,

(24:52):
when they're hurt that you don't have to deal with them.
George Pickens not there. Russell Wilson for multi touchdown games
and his seven played twelve to three, completing about sixty
five percent three and one their last four all division games.
And Naji Harris, the much malign Naji Harris leads the league,
creating fifty nine miss tackles. The thing that scares me though,
only three point nine yards per carry, But you know what,

(25:15):
three of.

Speaker 3 (25:15):
Those is a first down.

Speaker 2 (25:17):
Let's go, and they're first in turnover differential at plus seventeen.
On the other side, the chaotic, the twirly, the what
the hell's going on?

Speaker 3 (25:25):
You're winners of nine straight.

Speaker 2 (25:27):
But all we're talking about is mal contendedness, saltiness, the
would be MVP and Barkley coming over. He needs one
hundred and ten yards to get to two thousand total
for the year, hurts sixty eight percent completion percentage, two
hundred yards per game. How about aj Brown forty eight
catches on the year, He's got one touchdown since mid October.
Perhaps that's why he's a little salty. Hmmm, does he

(25:49):
get fed? Can he get it going against this Pittsburgh defense?
What say you, Bucky Brooks?

Speaker 6 (25:56):
Such a tough game man.

Speaker 5 (25:57):
Everything tells me to the Philadelphia Eagles are the more
talent team.

Speaker 6 (26:00):
But it's something about the grittiness of the Pittsburgh Steelers
that leads me to take the Steelers.

Speaker 5 (26:05):
This is a big game. I mean, they know what
they're up against. This as part of a real tough stretch.
But just give me Russell Wilson finding a way to
show this team why he was installed as the starter.
The experience, the expertise, the winning pedigree. Russell Wilson makes
the difference today.

Speaker 7 (26:21):
I don't usually agree with Bucky Brooks. Just just to
come on, man, Steelers win. Steelers winning, I'll tell you why.
Sae Kwon Barkley obviously gonna get the ball in his belly. However, however,
Steelers allowed just about ninety yards of rushing yards a game,
fourth best in the league. All right, can the Philadelphia

(26:41):
Eagles win with Jalen Hurts throwing the football? Sae Quon
Barkley will not have a great game today because of
the Pittsburgh Steelers. Steelers win, I love it, and it's
gonna be a big game defensively, TJ.

Speaker 1 (26:53):
Watt Today, big game.

Speaker 7 (26:55):
Pittsburgh wins today and they bury the Eagles and their
nine game wins.

Speaker 2 (27:00):
Did you catch their bucky how? And he may have
channeled a little bit of our our old friend Chris
Berman there TJ.

Speaker 1 (27:07):
W Yeah, the way the vocal.

Speaker 2 (27:09):
Inflection there, I like that. Little nods too to the
legends in history. All right, let's stay with Philadelphia for
a second. Let's talk this out. Brandon Graham goes and
does some radio appearances kind of talking about the unrest
on the offensive side of the ball. And then they
had to say, hey, get back here, come back in
the call to second, bring.

Speaker 3 (27:27):
That around and let's talk this out a little bit more.

Speaker 2 (27:30):
I don't know that I've ever seen a team that's,
you know, winning as consistently.

Speaker 3 (27:34):
As they are. And yeah, some close close wins. Wins
are wins.

Speaker 2 (27:38):
Right, succeed and proceed, put it in the file and
go but right, no, exactly like, look, you can say
what you want, but you know, the tail of the
tape is, you know, did you put the W up?
Are you eating w's? Like Jameis Winston always liked to say,
but exactly maybe later on today upset special. But you know,

(27:58):
for Sirianni and company, the fact that this still swirls
around them despite the success, Bucky.

Speaker 3 (28:04):
I mean, this is how much can this be fuel er?

Speaker 2 (28:07):
I mean, do we think they're putting out little smoldering
fires all around that locker room.

Speaker 5 (28:12):
I think they're putting out little smoldering fires all around
the locker room. It is a team that for whatever reason, Man, look,
they just don't handle success. Well, it's going, well, you
went nine in a row, and then you have wide
receivers on the sideline bickering. You have Aj Brown talking
about I need the ballmore the passing game. They're dominating
people with the gut punch of the running game, but
yet the guys on the perimeter need the ball more.

(28:34):
So you just wonder can they keep it together where
they keep the team as a priority as opposed to
the individual stuff.

Speaker 6 (28:41):
Because it ain't the money.

Speaker 5 (28:42):
Everyone's got the money, they've all been paid, they all
got new contract ascensions.

Speaker 6 (28:46):
So this is something that's inside.

Speaker 5 (28:48):
When it comes to not feeling like you are valued
because you're not touching the.

Speaker 7 (28:53):
Rock that's on the coach though, that's why Siriana gets
all that heat because they wouldn't happen on a Belichick
coach team, wouldn't happen on a Mike tomin coach team.

Speaker 3 (29:02):
Well, but that's there's the day now.

Speaker 5 (29:05):
I said, like we saw Pickens and Deontay Johnson plenty.

Speaker 2 (29:11):
Well keep going back with all the wide receivers and
running backs. I mean Mike Tomlin man, he can have
an honorary degree as a therapist for some of the
stuff he's had to do through the years.

Speaker 1 (29:22):
Yes, some of those.

Speaker 5 (29:26):
Yeah, he's had him to sit on the couch Minia
day and talk to it and just dump just dump
all on the therapist.

Speaker 2 (29:31):
Tell me, you guys haven't want to just sit and
have a nice decanter of something and just sit with
Mike Tomlin and be like I got like forty questions
you ready, Let's go through your history here and some
of these players along the way. Just to go full
circle something you guys talked about earlier, go back to
Barkley and and when it's Dan Campbell, when we talk

(29:51):
about m vps and coaches, I wonder how much expectations
may mute your opportunity to win set awards because Philadelphia
was expected still to be good. Right, You've had great
success with guys like Boston Scott. Not to besmirch his name,
but he's not Saquon Barkley. Likewise, Dan Campbell, they were
one of the Super Bowl favorites. It's like, all right,
you did what you were supposed to, which is why

(30:13):
you look at Sean Payton or maybe a Mike Tomlin
this year a little more closely you do with it sure,
Orconnell for that matter, absolutely another team that folks say,
do you change the award?

Speaker 7 (30:27):
I mean, the Coach of the Year is to me
is the guy that has done the most, accomplished the most.
I mean, doesn't make a difference what the expectations are
you accomplished the most. I mean Dan Campbell right now
has accomplished the most, especially with an injury riddle team
at times. I mean, come on, how could you not
give the guy the award? But you're right, I mean

(30:47):
the expectation factor has to be involved in voting. Where
a team comes out of nowhere and does something right.

Speaker 2 (30:54):
Well, that's the beauty of it, right, and you know
the larger voting process. Maybe watch it with the Heisman
or whatever else do they always get it right. It's
all a matter of public opinion. That's why that keeps
us in jobs, to guys, So the more we can
debate it all the better, especially when we come here
from the tire Rack dot Com Fox Sports Radio Studios.

(31:14):
It's Fox Football Sunday. He's Andy Furman, that's Bucky Brooks.
We still have a couple more games to get to,
including one I'm trying to push.

Speaker 3 (31:21):
As far as I can off the radar. Gee, Mark,
what do you think that is?

Speaker 2 (31:25):
We'll do that as we continue on Fox Football Sunday.

Speaker 8 (31:31):
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 (31:43):
Hey, welcome back in a groovy little start to your
Sunday morning here Fox Sports Radio Week fifteen. You're National
Football League season. We appreciate you being with us. Been
part of the extended family wherever you're going. No buys,
we're finally through all that nonsense. Fellas we had the
forty nine ers kick things off. The over under was
forty eight and a half. Still waiting for another maybe

(32:07):
one hundred and twenty minutes of football to get to
that point based on what we saw the other night.
But points may be in the offing for us in
a couple of these late games.

Speaker 3 (32:15):
So let's get back to it.

Speaker 1 (32:17):
Packers at Seahawks.

Speaker 3 (32:18):
How about this one. This is fun, this is exciting.

Speaker 2 (32:21):
Jordan Love nineteenth and yardage, twenty one touchdowns, eleven picks.
He will give you the opportunity they thought they were
gonna get Jay r Alexander back. It looked like it
when we did the fantasy podcast. I watch Flax, like,
all right, here we go, a couple days of practice
and then no, no, no, no, no, you're not ready yet.
So little bit of problems there in that secondary. So

(32:41):
we'll see what happens there. Jacob's averaging eighty one yards
per game on the ground, eleven touchdowns. Jade Reid get
this guy's leading receiver. He's got forty four catches. One
of those things that doesn't look like the others when
we talk about the leaders across teams. Gino at seventy
percent completion rate, fourteen touchdowns, twelve picks. He's absorbed forty

(33:03):
sacks on the season. Charbona, you're leading rusher again today,
thirty six catches on the year, averaging a little over
four point one yards per carry. No Kenneth Walker the
third and they got eighty nine yards for Jackson Smith
and Jigma to hit one thousand on the year.

Speaker 3 (33:20):
Key to this game.

Speaker 2 (33:21):
In my humble estimation, you've got a turnover differential of
nine plus nine for the Packers, tied for six best
in the National Football League forty six. Your total Packers
road favorites two and a half. We'll start with you Andy.

Speaker 7 (33:37):
You know it's funny because right now the Seahawks are
eight and five and this game is gonna be like
a playoff game because they need to win today at
the whole position in the NFC West. Pack is coming
back from a heartbreaker last week. They lost at Detroit
thirty four to thirty one, and they held leads in
that game. They were winning like twenty one seventeen, They
winning seventeen to seven, they were winning twenty eight twenty
four in.

Speaker 4 (33:57):
The second half. They lost that game.

Speaker 7 (33:58):
I think they come back today and you look, you
talked about Josh Jacobs, the running back for the Packers.
He's got seven touchdowns in the last three games. That's
the good news. The bad news is he's averaging on
the three yards to carry and his last two games.
Can the Packers upfront block for him to get it
going today?

Speaker 4 (34:15):
But I still think the Packers win. I think the
Packers win this game.

Speaker 5 (34:19):
I'm with you, Andy, we gonna agree again. I like
the Packers. The Packers running game is everything. When we
look at Jayden Reed being the leading receiver, what it
tells you is with that number, they're really balanced. They're
really leaning into the running game. They're trying to control
the game with the running game and set Jordan Love
up for prime opportunities and favorable situations. He just has

(34:39):
to make sure he takes care of the ball. If
Jordan Love takes care of the ball, this game is
going to be. They have a significant advantage for the Packers.

Speaker 6 (34:47):
Give me the Packers in this one.

Speaker 2 (34:48):
On there's the other reason that you go to balance,
perhaps more than you would otherwise. Too many opportunities for
the opposing defense. Seahawks giving up one hundred and twenty
seven yards per game on the ground thus far this year.
All right, let's go to one of those beautiful Monday
night games. Falcons and Raiders Yay Raiders. No Max Crosby

(35:10):
running around here. Bowers needs sixty seven yards to get
to one thousand, thirteen catches to get to one hundred receptions.
Feed the beast you've got. Jacoby Myers is second on
the squad. He's at seven hundred and forty three yards
a respectable year. Hey, you guys want to venture a
guest as to who the leading rusher is for the
Raiders this year?

Speaker 3 (35:33):
Take musical theater.

Speaker 6 (35:36):
I don't know. I don't have a wicked character in mind.

Speaker 2 (35:38):
No, no, no, say one of the quarterbacks, Alexander Madison.
Oh all right, so we're kind of mutating that a
little bit. He's got three hundred and twenty yards this year, guys,
he's the leading rusher.

Speaker 3 (35:49):
That's a great It's not gonna be good for business.

Speaker 7 (35:52):
No.

Speaker 2 (35:52):
On the other side, Captain Kirk seventeen touchdowns, fifteen interceptions,
four the league in yards, sixty seven percent completion rate.
Bijon Robinson twenty three yards to one thousand. He's got
nine total touchdowns on the year. Both Darnell Mooney and
Drake London in range of one thousand yard receiving years

(36:15):
as well. They both need about one hundred and thirty
Kyle Pits, the guy that all sorts of thought pieces
go through. For a little bit of giggles, he's about
sixty five yards behind the receiving prowess of Ray Ray McLeod.

Speaker 3 (36:30):
Let that one sit there for a second, wait for
it and wait for it, all right?

Speaker 2 (36:32):
Moving on minus nine turnover differential for the Atlanta Falcons.
There are four teams worse in the National Football League.
You guys want to guess who they are?

Speaker 6 (36:43):
All the teams at the bottom of the league.

Speaker 4 (36:45):
Giant's got to be there, Jacksonville, Carolina.

Speaker 2 (36:48):
We've got Cleveland at minus ten, the No Conscience Jameis
Winston Jacksonville at minus eleven, tied with Tennessee and rounding
out the league.

Speaker 3 (36:58):
That's right, the Raiders minus seventy yice. There we go,
All right, Andy, you want to you want to run
this one first?

Speaker 7 (37:06):
Yeah, Falcons of Loslis four games rate is nine game
losing streak. You know, it's one of those things. Maybe
I would watch a movie tomorrow night instead of this game.
I always tell you this ratest quarterba. I want I
want to see how Desmon Ridda does because he played
University of Cincinnati. I want to see what he does
with the raatest quarterback picks aid and O'Connell has heard.
So Desmond Ridic is distussed. We'll see what he could do. However,

(37:27):
Red is winning. Look at that Raiders plus four.

Speaker 6 (37:32):
Wow, look at you Raiders win.

Speaker 5 (37:34):
This is Look, this is last in Kirk Kirk Cousins
days are numbered. He knows he has to come through.
He's been a turnover machine the last couple of weeks. Look,
he's prideful. He's a multiple time pro bowler. He figs
it out. Falcons dirty birds last, and they found a
way to win and stay.

Speaker 3 (37:51):
Alive in keep your hope alive.

Speaker 8 (37:54):
All right, I did it long enough, Bears and Vikings.

Speaker 3 (37:58):
There we go.

Speaker 2 (37:59):
Will yeah, Viking six and a half point favorites.

Speaker 3 (38:02):
Forty four is your total? You know?

Speaker 2 (38:04):
Thomas Brown keeps talking about the greatness. That is what
Caleb Williams is doing. Two hundred and fifty five pass
attempts without an interception. That's good, last two weeks. Fifty
seven yards of offense.

Speaker 3 (38:15):
I'll wait for your response.

Speaker 2 (38:17):
Well, Sam Donald twenty eight and ten sixty eight percent
completion rate. He has been sacked forty times this year
and no Darrisaw. They've still been able to move the football.
Aaron Jones creeping up on nine hundred rushing yards justin Jefferson.
This is the interesting battle within the battle. Jalen Johnson
one of those guys credited as perhaps ushering the end
of the eber Flus era. The last time they met,

(38:40):
Jefferson two catches, five targets, twenty seven yards. Jordan Addison
has had some monster games and in the first meeting
a lot of t J. Hockinson seven catches for one
hundred and fourteen yards. Hey, Roma doonesday last game for
the Bears had two touchdowns those first touchdown since the
twenty second of September. Yay, not the twenty first to September,

(39:03):
because then we can sing a song, Bucky Do. The
Vikings cover the six and a half.

Speaker 5 (39:10):
Vikings covered the six and a half and I'm not
gonna say this, I'm gonna tell you to close your ears.
They molly wopped the Chicago Bears like they go ahead
and put them out their misery. After watching their performance
against the Niners dead man walking.

Speaker 6 (39:22):
Yeah, this is the Vikings to win.

Speaker 2 (39:24):
We'll go down memory lane next hour as that echoed
Bears game I watched many years ago.

Speaker 7 (39:30):
Andy Furman, Well, I will tell you this much. I
think the Vikings win, but I think it would be
a lot closer. I bet back in the was Week thirteen,
it was thirty twenty seven in overtime Minnesota. I think
it'll be a lot close, I really do. However, Aaron
Jones will have a day Aaron Jones, Big Jay.

Speaker 2 (39:45):
I like your hopefulness. That's a long time ago. That's Andy,
Bucky and I continue next year on Fox. Greetings and
welcome in another hour of audio greatness here Fox Sports Radium.
It is Fox Football. Appreciate you being part of the
entertainment information chaos that we bring to the table here

(40:07):
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(40:28):
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tire rack dot com.

Speaker 3 (40:39):
I can't do it alone.

Speaker 2 (40:40):
As we do each and every Sunday, it's another hour
Bucky Brooks and myself five years in the league working
with the Jaguars coach mentor scribe NFL dot com, Foxsports
dot com video audio and making us all a bit smarter,
one bite at a time.

Speaker 3 (40:57):
It's our guy, Bucky Brooks. Let's going on, Buddy, going on?

Speaker 6 (41:00):
Man, how are you doing? How's life being a Bears fan?

Speaker 2 (41:04):
Well, you know, it's the fun entertainment gift that keeps
on giving, right, hope being one of those things that is,
as we always say, the Shawshank part.

Speaker 3 (41:14):
Everybody always remembers, Hey, it's the best.

Speaker 2 (41:17):
Oh they also warn it it's the worst because you can
be let down. And that's why some people retreat to
their bubbles and try to keep people at arms, like No,
I'm all about you know.

Speaker 3 (41:28):
Look, I'm all about.

Speaker 2 (41:29):
Hugging and getting together. But I'm also a realist. Somehow
they found a sound by to me calling for people's jobs.
I don't do that often, but every once in a
while it's warranted. And in Chicago right now, you're calling
for jobs every now and again. I mean it's not
a brand thing. I mean I wouldn't call that. You know,
if you know, what do you expect from Harmon on

(41:50):
the radio. You know he's calling for everybody to get
ousted man once in a while. I mean, look, folks
do things and say things that probably warrant to some
sort of discipline or departures. Iber fluse things he didn't say,
or well, the things he tried to in press conference

(42:11):
to excuse away bad decisions that made it necessary. Now
you got Ryan Poles, who quite clearly is an empty suit.
I mean, Kevin Warren's got him sitting there at these
press conferences, and you got these long delays. I mean,
you know, you get ten seconds to shoot a free
throw in the NBA if they actually call it right,
if you see the official just out of frame and
he's doing that thing with his arm one too. You know,

(42:33):
Jiannis and Tennekoopo a couple of years ago would be like,
hurry the hell up. That's what aut long it took.
That's how long it took Poles to answer questions when
they met with all of this stuff. So right now
it's the vote of no confidence and folks praying to
get to the end of the season.

Speaker 6 (42:50):
Yeah, look, look I feel you on that. I understand.

Speaker 5 (42:55):
I'm more curious about who's the next coach. How are
they going to go about it? Are they going to
build a team differently, or are they going to stay
the course, meaning build it all around Kaylyn Williams.

Speaker 6 (43:08):
Calen Williams is going to do everything.

Speaker 5 (43:10):
He's gonna throw it all over the yard and knows
inclement conditions and do all the stuff that they look
to their rival of the North, their two all of
their rivals in the North, and see them throwing the
ball all over the yard and say, you know what,
I would like to double debts like that. I want
to be able to do some of the stuff that
they're able to do. Or are they going to try
and build a more balanced team that may give them
a chance to control the game a little more and
have a little more of that what I call the

(43:32):
Chicago field, a little more of that rough and tumble
feel to the team as opposed to the finesse team
that we've seen.

Speaker 2 (43:39):
All Right, Well, riddle me this batman. What position did
Ryan Poles play?

Speaker 6 (43:45):
He was an offensive lineman.

Speaker 2 (43:47):
What did they not get right at all in any
of the structure of this squad, including signing a guy
for three years thirty million dollars and then washing their
hands of him like he was you know, Paulie telling
Leoa to beat it at the of Goodfellas.

Speaker 3 (44:03):
Yeah, they did the offensive line.

Speaker 5 (44:06):
No, I'm just I mean, I feel you.

Speaker 2 (44:09):
I mean, Roman Dunesa is nice. He had a nice
highlight package. Guess what he can't block on the interior.
What was your identity a year ago? What did you
do really well in the National Football League? Part of
it attributable to your quarterback, but you ran the football? Well,
what have you not been able to do this year?

Speaker 6 (44:31):
We haven't run the football very well.

Speaker 2 (44:32):
Yeah, three point eight yards per carry this year for
DeAndre Swift, Rosehawn Johnson, hurt unavailable, and at times you're
calling plays for offensive linemen to run the football ball
they can't block, But let's give him the football at
the goal. Oh, when you've got a guy that's perfect,
you know what.

Speaker 5 (44:48):
I can't wait in shure, I can't wait for that
that You know how the league always does to yearly
highlight the yearbook. I can't wait to see where that
falls somewhere in the yearbook, because that debt is the
one that will define the met Eberflus era because man,
ooh do you hate that one?

Speaker 6 (45:05):
Well, you hate that one more than any other one.

Speaker 2 (45:07):
But like it all plays together, right, the issues against
Washington and on down the line the no show effort
for San Francisco. I referenced it last hour, Bucky I
went to a game very much like that for the
Bears at San Francisco back in two thousand. Back in
two thousand, I was working at Yahoo. I'm in my

(45:27):
second year. Every once in a while, you know, someone
would be like, yah, I don't want to go see
that game, So the tickets would float up, and if
someone you know, I was busting my ass and you know, like, hey,
you know you can have the tickets this week.

Speaker 3 (45:40):
It's your team. Cool.

Speaker 2 (45:42):
Kate McNown led Chicago Mehrier's offense. They did not get
past half field or midfield. They did not pass the
fifty on any offensive possession, much like last week.

Speaker 3 (45:54):
And then to add.

Speaker 2 (45:55):
Insult to injury, final regular season home game of Jerry
ICE's forty nine ers career, but that was topped off
by something even bigger, and Jerry to this day, I'm
sure is still a little salty about it. Terrell Owens
caught twenty balls that day.

Speaker 3 (46:13):
The highlight for me. The highlight for me is they gave.

Speaker 2 (46:16):
Away a little flip book of the catch Bucky and
folks back then eBay's fairly a new invention. Folks are like,
I don't need this clutter. So guess what Harmon did. Yeah,
like twenty of those mugs and over the course of
the years made quite a bit of money off those
little flip books. Still have one. I'll do a demonstration
of it later. But I'm like, I've seen this movie

(46:37):
before while watching that Bears forty nine Ers game last week.
This is shades of twenty four years ago.

Speaker 6 (46:45):
Yeah, that's a tough one, man. That is unbelievable.

Speaker 5 (46:48):
I mean, like you talk about lack of awareness, like
Steve Mariucci to have you don't.

Speaker 2 (46:53):
Get twenty balls, you got Jerry Rice being carried around.

Speaker 3 (46:58):
I still have my tickets and I want to get
it signed by the guys, and I'm just like, I
just want to see the reactions, like I want to
film it, Like I actually got to bring that story
up first show Smith that I did.

Speaker 2 (47:09):
He t O is one of our first guests. We
had him and Warren Moon on for our first show
all those years ago, and it brought brought up that
game and that day, and he was he was pretty
tight lipped about it, like clearly there's still something swirling
in the background of that all these years later. That's

(47:29):
so unbelievable, but showing where you can be in an
NFL season, And you and I have talked about this
at Fox Sports Radio for years here on this program
and when you've been we've had the opportunity to work together.
Of the final month of the season, you want to
talk about revealing locker rooms, revealing players. We obviously had

(47:50):
the circumstance. We talked about it a little bit with
Andy last hour with Devondre Campbell, and we've got other
points and data points through NFL history, But you know this,
this is where you're starting to look guys auditioning for
jobs and trying to put their best foot forward. And
when you get no show efforts like last week, I
mean that tape doesn't get burned as much as you

(48:10):
can say it in season of Hey, we flush it.
We move on to the next game. Reality is that's
following you to whatever that next job is. And you know,
we talk about how much turnover there is.

Speaker 3 (48:22):
Year to year.

Speaker 2 (48:23):
I mean, we'll go throughout the the NFL at this point,
there's a lot of games where you're you're maybe raising
the eyebrow more than you did in years past in
terms of effort and dedication to finishing out.

Speaker 5 (48:37):
Yeah, I mean, like, look, you want to you want
to you want to finish it out the right way.

Speaker 6 (48:42):
You want to see if you can.

Speaker 5 (48:43):
I can't even say build upon something right, but you
just want to make sure that you do it the
right way. You give everybody is money worth. You put
everything in as a professional to make sure that you
go out uh with the best performance is that you
that you have and that's all you can do. And
that's whether you're in the mix or out of the
mix as a as as a playoff team. Like each
and every week you're putting things on your resume. So

(49:05):
you just always want to make sure that you're proud.

Speaker 6 (49:06):
Of the things that you do. That when you had
an old coach a long time ago, say.

Speaker 5 (49:10):
At the end of the game, you want to be
able to sign, you want to put your signature on
that masterpiece, and so you certainly hope it's a Picasso
and not one of those local things that I would
do in your art and crafts class in third grade.

Speaker 2 (49:23):
Well, let's be fair, though, I mean it's football is
sometimes like art, and that it's all in the eye
of the beholder. Right, many thought pieces about how the
Chiefs are.

Speaker 3 (49:35):
Ready to topple over. I shrug and say they win.

Speaker 2 (49:39):
And given all the givens when you've got fifteen Andy
Reid and a defense that can get after it. Oh,
by the way, Mahomes has been more efficient with the football. Yeah,
you know, Hopkins and whatever else getting healthier. But check
goes back. This is his third game back. All of
that to say again today maybe one of those lookout

(49:59):
kind of games at Cleveland. But in the end, come
playoff time, who do I trust out of the AFC
as much as I trust them, I don't.

Speaker 5 (50:10):
But you know, here's the thing about the Kansas City Chiefs,
And I don't know the soccer equivalent, but it would
be it would be the equivalent of a soccer team
that always wins one meal. Right, it's never sexy, it's
never whatever, Like they score early then they just kind
of squad. Yeah, they find a way that like, yeah,
we're cool, we'll shut it out. We'll just keep winning
on penalty kicks or whatever. But that's what they are.

(50:33):
They are very comfortable in these close score games. So
when everyone talks about it being luck, to me, I say,
every time they win a game like that, they become
more embolden. And I just remember, like growing up a
Carolina basketball fan, when Dean Smith was there, they would
always kind of win these games.

Speaker 6 (50:51):
Late.

Speaker 5 (50:52):
After a while, there becomes a mystique that hangs over
you that the other team also feels. So I feel
like teams are playing the Kansas City Chiefs and the
fourth quarter with five minutes left, they look up and
they say, we're up, But man, how are we gonna
find a way to lose this one? What is Number
fifteen going to do to topple us? That's what the
Kansas City Chiefs have and for me, as the AFC

(51:12):
runs through Arrowhead, that's what everyone has to contend with.
They're gonna be the number one seed, They're gonna have
all their games at home in the postseason, and Pat
Mahomes is shown if he gets home for the vents.
They go to the Super Bowl like it or not. Man,
they're gonna be right there in that conversation again.

Speaker 2 (51:27):
And I watched that Kansas City Chiefs holiday movie. I mean,
that'll tug at the heartstrings. Let me tell you, that'll
get you at Begley Junior, Dedrick Batter the guy from
Office Space A. Ben Ruby, the guy that ran the
desk for er Megan Price, who did that show with
Patrick Warburton for all those years on CBS. I mean,

(51:48):
it's a killer cast just all the way through. And really,
it'll get you. It'll get you. I'd promise you, Bucky,
You're not gonna watch it. But there's my pitch. I'm
watching all sorts of random holiday movies and starting to
do write ups and videos, including many of your lifetime
in Hallmark ones, because we've got to I mean, everybody's
done die Hard.

Speaker 3 (52:07):
We gotta dig a little bit deeper.

Speaker 5 (52:10):
But I mean it's one of the best Christmas movies
out there. Die Hard in Itto, Diehards around the Great
Christmas Movie, one of the greatest Christmas movies ever.

Speaker 3 (52:18):
Come Wow, that Batman returns m How do you like that?
Going a little off the radar for that one.

Speaker 2 (52:24):
Yeah, you got any obscure random holiday movies you'd like
to chime in at Swollen Dome at Bucky Brooks at
Fox Sports Radio. We'd appreciate it because we are in
those you know, final twelve days of Christmas kind of thing.
Be safe on the highways and byways. We appreciate you
hanging out with us here. By the way, Matthew Wright
was released after winning Special Teams Player the Week last week.

(52:48):
As Harrison Butker makes his return. We talk about margins,
we talk about guys who've been there, done that. A
nice little boost for the Chiefs even though their Special
Teams has still gotten the job.

Speaker 5 (53:02):
Yeah, that's they find a way, man. They just keep
finding a way to do it. And what I think
they've had what three or four kickers hit game winners,
like some kind of interferal record in terms of guys
that have knocked them down when they need it.

Speaker 6 (53:14):
But Harrison coming back gives them, look, man, a huge
edge and that's awesome.

Speaker 5 (53:19):
Matthew, right, like get the game winning and didn't get
your papers a couple of days later. That's a tough one,
but you got to I mean, it is what it
is when it comes to the Chiefs.

Speaker 2 (53:28):
All I'm saying is there's a certain team coming off
a buy that might need a kicker Baltimore that should
probably be taking a look see there. Obviously they're massive
favorites today against the Giants, But don't tell me that
that isn't swirling and that wasn't two weeks of chatter
there in Baltimore. I know, doing a little bit of
local radio with folks there, they're wringing their hands because

(53:51):
of the tried and true nature of what Justin Tucker's been.
But again, it owes to the larger AFC picture of
who am I trusting when the money's on the line
at the point, and I can't even trust that guy
in Baltimore. So, yeah, the Chiefs still sitting there in
the NFC. Whole other kettle of fish we'll get into
as we get through these final weeks of the regular season,

(54:13):
but we'd be remiss if we didn't turn our attention
back to your alma mater, Bucky Brooks. Get a little
bit deeper, because like, there's a lot being said, but
I mean, you're in the room where it happens, so
we need to get your perspective at Bucky Brooks at
Swollen Dome where you find us live fromthetirerac dot Com studios.
This is Fox Football Sunday. Hey, welcome back in It's

(54:36):
Fox Football Sunday Here Fox Sports or Radio. Mike Carmen
alongside Bucky Brooks having a blast with your reminder coming
up about thirty five minutes.

Speaker 3 (54:44):
Keep it locked Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 2 (54:46):
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(55:11):
breaking down what we've seen these last twenty four to
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We appreciate you always room for aggressive expansion, Like the
Joker said in the Dark Night not a Christmas Movie.

(55:32):
At Bucky Brooks where you find him, Buggy, You're Alma
mater making waves. The big reception for Bill Belichick yesterday
at the hoops game and all the pageantry and a
lot of people doing some hand ringing, why this, why that?

Speaker 3 (55:45):
Whatever the report comes out.

Speaker 2 (55:47):
Diana Rassini, Rich Samini, I think that the next guy
needs the name rhyme two. But all of that to
say that Belichick reportedly reached out to the Jets one
and I always wonder how much of that is the
Jets trying to say, well, he liked us, we didn't
like him, because you know they've got beef over a
napkin from all those years ago. But you know, the

(56:11):
decision to go to a college job not wait for
the cycle would pretend to thoughts of one, he's already
done the feelers, and perhaps that there was nothing, there
were no bites or even hey just wait around. The
other is, you don't have many college jobs still available,

(56:33):
so if you miss out here, you're gonna sit in.
As much as you may like the media and being
part of the media, you're not gonna be a coach
again for another year.

Speaker 3 (56:43):
Part three, You go to the college game.

Speaker 2 (56:45):
Now it's isn't it really more or less the NFL
the way we're operating things anymore.

Speaker 6 (56:54):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (56:54):
I mean, look, the word that you hear over and
over again is collaboration, collaborative process. You want everyone to
be on board, you want everyone to be on the
same page. I'll say this like it can be democratic
in thought, but only one person can make the decision.
And you can't have a straw poll and do these

(57:15):
things when everyone is held accountable as the leader of
the football program, whether it's the head coach, oral however,
it is like somebody has to have the voice to
set the vision, have everyone understand what the vision is
and carry out the mission. That's what Bill Belichick's wanted,
and that is not happening in the NFL anymore.

Speaker 6 (57:37):
Think about the football.

Speaker 5 (57:38):
Zurs that we have. If you don't have that process.
I think Kyle Shanahan is one of the only ones
who has that kind of power where he hand picked
the general manager. He wills the hammer when it comes
to the way the team is constructed. That doesn't operate
anyone else. Everyone wants everyone to feel good. Bill Belichick
has had a lot of success, unprecedented success being the

(58:00):
gap where the Buck stops here. I can understand when
someone has six Super Bowl rings on the mental is
not willing to see it a lot of their power,
particularly when the franchises or the people that are doing
the hiring know nothing about winning like he does. That
could be a hard thing when you're a smarter guy
in the room.

Speaker 2 (58:19):
Well, you look at some of the franchises that are
going to be looking for head coaches or we presume are,
and wondering, you know, the GMS, are they getting to
hire another coach?

Speaker 3 (58:30):
Right? We talk about with that with the Giants.

Speaker 2 (58:32):
Obviously the questions about Peterson and balk there with Jacksonville
and just go on down the line. What's the power
structure and what do they want to do for all
that success the last couple of years don't play well?

Speaker 3 (58:46):
And I know it's you take the long view.

Speaker 2 (58:49):
You've got six as a head coach, two with the Giants,
and we got a little bit of pushback Smith and
either's a video rolling out from the conversation we were
having about this, Bucky. But you know your perspective angle
from your your history with North Carolina and in the league,
are is going to be be different? And so picking
your brain with it. It's just the the last four years,

(59:12):
great coach, he could still coach. The problem is he
picked the guys that made him have to coach that
much better. The margin for error went away. Right, You
have one year with Mac Jones where he's a pro bowler,
and then you hire Matt Patricia as your offensive coordinator,
Like what are we doing?

Speaker 5 (59:28):
Oh yeah, I understand that, and I understand like the
last few years, but I man, I can't. I think
I can't think of a great coach that didn't have
a peer where they struggled some Chuck Nol, Tom Landry,
Don Shula, they all, yeah, but.

Speaker 2 (59:41):
They were all guys that were that was the coaching side. Like,
I'll take Belichick as my coach. But to your point,
the power structure thing still becomes a bit of an
issue at this.

Speaker 5 (59:50):
Point, Yeah, the power structure thing can become an issue.
But I will contend, like for all the people that
point out like the errors that he made have made,
like when it comes to personnel or whatever.

Speaker 6 (01:00:02):
But he's the same guy that made Wes Welker a star.

Speaker 5 (01:00:06):
Julian Edelman, Malcolm Butler went from an undrafted player to
playing really well. You think about how he resurrected Rodney
Harrison and some of the other things, like you have
to take the good with the bad, and look, look
he didn't hit on all of them. But I will
say this, they were a much better team with him coaching.

Speaker 6 (01:00:24):
Them than they are now.

Speaker 3 (01:00:25):
Well.

Speaker 5 (01:00:25):
Question, I mean like he made a team that people
said were lightly regarded. I think last year they may
have had five, six, seven one score losses. Yep, when
they're there, Yeah, that's not always perky. And look, it's
hard when you transition from a great quarterback in Tom
Brady to Mac Jones and some other guys.

Speaker 6 (01:00:44):
And the coaching decisions.

Speaker 5 (01:00:45):
Yeah, he took some risk by trying to make Matt
Patricia like an offensive guy and all.

Speaker 6 (01:00:51):
Of those things.

Speaker 5 (01:00:52):
I still think when you judge him, though, you have
to judge him on the body of work, and I
don't know if there's anybody that has ever done it
better than him. So to me, when you have a
lot of coaches and it's not even a coin flip
on whether you're going to hire a next coach, you
would like to think that the odds of him doing
it would be better than some of the names that

(01:01:12):
we're gonna see because it's gonna be a lot of
unproven people to have an opportunity at these jobs. And
in two years we can be right back at the
same conversation with those teams.

Speaker 2 (01:01:21):
Well, think about it, just from the guys that would
have been hot prospects a year ago. And how quickly
things change, right, Bobby Slowick in Houston, he was the
next great thing, well quickly, right, And now it's.

Speaker 6 (01:01:35):
Yeah, like how quickly?

Speaker 5 (01:01:36):
And so that's the thing that we talked about the
level of consistency. Six super Bowl wins in over twenty
plus years, and everyone says, yeah, but he's never done
with Tom Brady. Oh you mean Tom Brady, the lightly
regarded six round pick that he found the Michigan and
helped him become the thing. You know, Like it wasn't

(01:01:57):
like everyone was saying that Tom Brady was Paydon Manning.

Speaker 6 (01:02:00):
And then let's also talk about that, right, because people
talk about he didn't want it. Peyton Manning only.

Speaker 5 (01:02:06):
One one with the iteration, with the brain trust that
he had in any opportunity several coaches that went through there,
and then the second one that he won in Denver.
We can say that it was not because of him,
but in spite of him, because the defense carried him
to that second ring. I just think we have to
be careful because everything is like he's never won without
Brady whatever, give him his flowers, like people are intimidated.

Speaker 6 (01:02:29):
I think his.

Speaker 5 (01:02:32):
Greatness, his excellence, his brilliance intimidated a lot of the
people that were in the hiring process. That's why it
was easy for them to dismiss him and put it
on so many of the other things that look can
be tied to him. But he's not the only general
manager or football picker.

Speaker 6 (01:02:49):
That has missed.

Speaker 5 (01:02:50):
II look at the Giants in their struggles and building
a team. So we'll see, like now he's in the
college game, like there's no coming back you seventy two,
seventy three, there's no coming back to the pro game
at that age.

Speaker 2 (01:03:01):
Does have that one year out at just a million
dollars as we talked about buyouts a little earth, I'd
like to see him with this iteration of the Patriots
with the quarterback they have now. And to your larger point,
because this is just the overreaching and me on my
soapbox that I've had for so many years in this
phase because the Patriots always being dismissed at as to

(01:03:22):
how bad the division was. Go back and site be
all the heavyweights playing in the AFC South and the
NFC South. Right, Look, I give Sean Payton and Mike
Tomlin all the respect and what they're doing this year fantastic.
How many they got, how many how many pelts on
the wall and how long ago right to the Peyton
Manning Drew Brees thing. Right, it's it's all of that.

(01:03:45):
You had plenty of opportunity to go and win. They
did it consistently.

Speaker 5 (01:03:51):
I mean, that's that's I mean, that's the thing that
you have to talk about. You have to talk about,
like how teams don't take advantage of the things that
they had. Yeah, they went through it and they're walking
over the AFC East and those things. But there are
other people that have had plenty of opportunities to kind
of enact that kind of dominance but haven't been able

(01:04:12):
to do it. And then when you just look at
the product. To me, I'm just saying, just look at
the product.

Speaker 6 (01:04:17):
Up in New England now compared to what it used
to look like, even.

Speaker 5 (01:04:20):
When they had all those no names, outcasts, unherded players.

Speaker 6 (01:04:26):
Man, they played so much better than this version. The
Crafts have never admitted. Patriots fans have never admitted.

Speaker 5 (01:04:33):
But they missed Bill, they missed Belichick, and they missed
what he was doing. They may not like the gruff personality,
but the longer he's the way, the more that team
is going to deteriorate, and the more we're gonna appreciate
what he was able to do in Foxboro.

Speaker 3 (01:04:45):
The old Randy Travis line. Ready, I'm gonna go deep
in the country. They say the grass is greener on
the other side. From where I stand, I can't see
grass at all. And that's one to grow on all right.

Speaker 2 (01:05:02):
Week fifteen, we got a bunch of big time games,
none really weighing as heavily. Actually, No, the Battle of
Pennsylvania and the Buffalo Detroit games are the two that
have the most eyeballs today. Still plenty of others with
playoff implications. We've got the rarity of Carolina's actually favored
in a game for the first time I think in
thirty four games with Bryce Young and what they've got

(01:05:24):
going again, development of young quarterbacks and all of those
things that we talk about here. But we got into
it a little bit with Andy. But let's stay in
that Pennsylvania battle here, because look, Buffalo and Detroit, I
think we know what we've got there. Whatever the results
are of this game, we've got two teams that we
put in that small little pocket of these teams can

(01:05:44):
contend for a title. With Philadelphia, they're in that discussion.
But we talked with Andy and had a little side
conversation and picking the game of all the things that
are the potential for the fracture there. And Sirianni, despite
all the winning man, there's just all sorts of smoke
there in Philadelphia. Meanwhile, Mike Tomlin with what this squad

(01:06:07):
has been able to do, just an amazing run in
Russell Wilson six and one as a starter, twelve touchdowns,
three picks, bringing the moon ball back. It hasn't always
been pretty. I'm certainly not gonna say that right the
but winning is all that matters. And Mike Tomlin, for
whatever we say, year after year, they get it done.

(01:06:28):
You just have to decide, you know, what's the threshold
that you accept on a year to year basis.

Speaker 5 (01:06:35):
Yeah, that's the thing, like Mike, Mike Tomlin certainly has
them in there. And I've said this multiple times throughout
the show. Like anyone who has not watched Hard Knocks
inside the AFC North, you're missing out on an opportunity
to really gain an appreciation for what Mike Tomlin is
as a leader. The other coaches are also terrific in
terms of like talking to the teams and putting together

(01:06:56):
game plans or whatever, but like you can appreciate Tomlin
Moore in terms of like sometimes people get caught up
in the word salad and the great eloquent press conferences,
but man in terms as a leader, as a strategist
and all those things. You can see him and press
his style and his beliefs upon his team. This Pittsburgh's

(01:07:17):
team is surprising because the hard decision that he made
when going for Russell Wilson over Justin Fields.

Speaker 6 (01:07:23):
I was one of the ones that was like, I don't.

Speaker 5 (01:07:25):
Know, russ, I don't It has turned out to be
like a great decision for them and this team has benefited.
Playing the Philadelphia Eagles today though, to me, is almost
like a signature game for the Stillers because if they
knock off the Philadelphia Eagles in their place, you have
to talk about the stillers differently than we've talked about before.
It's been a nice story, but no one has talked

(01:07:45):
about them being title contenders. If they've knock off one
of the more complete teams in the league. Now you
have to begin to talk about the stealers in that light.

Speaker 3 (01:07:52):
Yeah, Todd, we'd mentioned it just in the stat rundown
of what you're getting from the run game and Najie
Harris running hard. He's creep up towards another thousand yard season,
and we can have the debates of what thousand yard
seasons mean anymore. I think it's the testament to the
fact that you're able to stay healthy in an NFL
season that choose guys up and spits them out, which

(01:08:14):
is one of the greatest attributes right availability among everything else.
But for this Steelers squad, look the change from Fields
to Wilson. While you give away a little in terms
of what you can work with Arthur Smith and company
with Fields and his ability to run man Russell Wilson
puts a ball up that you can go get like.

Speaker 2 (01:08:36):
That's the thing Fields in touch as much as like
he may put balls up for grabs and trust his
guy's gonna go fifty to fifty, which is much to
the light of George Pickens. Notice he's been quieter the
last few weeks, hasn't been able to be on the
field because of the injury, and he won't play this week.
But just that idea of all right, I'm at least

(01:08:56):
you're gonna make you and give you an opportunity to
go get it, whereas justin fields at times it felt
like he wanted to throw the ball through the defender
as if he was playing you know it, Flash Gordon
from nineteen eighty the famous football scene, you know, Flash Gordon,
quarterback New York Jets in the whole you know Hall,
Great Hall as they're introduced as you know, captives of

(01:09:18):
Ming the Merciless, and it becomes this thing where he's
whipping the ball around. It's like you're trying to throw
it through guys. So you know, one of those things
and learn teachable moments. But yeah, the Steelers absolutely fascinating
at this point and wondering what that ceiling could be.
Big test here because if it goes south for Philadelphia
five and a half point favorites at home. With everything

(01:09:40):
going on this week, Bucky, I mean, we may see
the mutiny.

Speaker 6 (01:09:45):
M you think the mutiny, I don't think.

Speaker 3 (01:09:49):
But what do you think A. J.

Speaker 2 (01:09:50):
Brown's got if he doesn't have five targets by the
end of the first quarter, you're telling me they want
to have a picture and picture on him.

Speaker 6 (01:09:57):
Oh, I mean if that he opened his mouth.

Speaker 5 (01:10:00):
And when he did that, he just created more pressure
on a team that in a way had.

Speaker 6 (01:10:04):
Been flying under a radar. Now all eyes, man, you
just know. Look, it's like chumming the water for TV executives.
I bet when they're.

Speaker 5 (01:10:12):
Making the plan, the production plan, A let's make sure
we have isolation camera on number eleven and number one.
Let's see if we can get them whenever they interact,
whenever there's a ball that is thrown out of bounds,
let's go right to number eleven and see his reaction,
and then let's go right to number one.

Speaker 6 (01:10:26):
Yeah, it just creates.

Speaker 5 (01:10:27):
Another layer of distraction that Jalen Hurst now has to
deal with that Kellen Moore has to deal with it,
because now you've got to start thinking, hey man, it's
been a.

Speaker 6 (01:10:36):
Couple of quarters.

Speaker 5 (01:10:36):
Need to get AJ Brown involved, And it takes away
from what they've been doing. They have been absolutely pummeling
people with the running game, and now you have to
subconsciously it now enters.

Speaker 6 (01:10:49):
Your mind, like, okay, AJ, it's pounding. We need to
get them a thing. But man, we're running at five
yards a clip. That's what you worry about.

Speaker 5 (01:10:56):
Now that it has come out in AJ, brown fishness
can undermine what has been a really good thing for
the Eagles.

Speaker 2 (01:11:03):
Boy, you talked about a hard knocks. I want a
shot in the truck. Give me the thirty for thirty.

Speaker 3 (01:11:08):
On monitoring game like this.

Speaker 2 (01:11:10):
All right, now it's time to go to a guy
at the news update desk. We've got a bunch of
injury news and notes. But he's actually lost sleep thinking about.

Speaker 3 (01:11:19):
A guy named Bucky. He's Isaac lohingngrind.

Speaker 9 (01:11:23):
It's true, It's true. Like I said, do I have
the footballs to go the distance on this?

Speaker 5 (01:11:29):
For it?

Speaker 3 (01:11:29):
You got it? We like hercules go the distance.

Speaker 9 (01:11:32):
That that will come up just moments from now as
I try to work up the footballs to indeed say
what I'm about to say about a football player and
named Bucky. Right, we started with the Heisman Trophy. It
was awarded on Saturday night to Colorado receiver and cornerback
Travis Hunter, Boise Stayed. Running back Ashton gent finished second
in the NFL. ESPN reports of candidates for the New

(01:11:55):
York Jets that they are expected to interview for their
general manager job will include former ten See Titans GM
John Robinson and former Washington and Philadelphia Director of Player
Personnel Lewis Riddick.

Speaker 4 (01:12:06):
Jets.

Speaker 9 (01:12:06):
Meanwhile, Rudolph ruled out tight end Tyler Conklin for today's
game of Jacksonville due to personal reasons. But Houston Texans
just announced that tight end Cad Stover underwent emergency appendectomy
surgery last night. He's expected to make a full recovery.
And then in the understatement of the day, the Texans added,
quote Stover has been downgraded to out four today's game

(01:12:30):
against the Miami Dolphins, unquote just in case anybody out
there was wondering.

Speaker 3 (01:12:35):
Where's your intestinal fortitude?

Speaker 9 (01:12:37):
Literally it's on a table at a hospital somewhere, I suppose. Anyway, Finally,
this one's for you, Mike. In soccer, the kickoff of
yesterday's English Ninth Division match Ninth Division between Milton United
FC and Hilltop FC was still laid because Milton United

(01:13:02):
forgot to pack their socks. Someone had to race forty
miles back to Milton E. Fcy headquarters to get the socks.
The game delayed, wound up kicking off. It was tied
one one at halftime when the referee abandoned the match
due to an unruly spectator refusing to leave the field.

(01:13:23):
Quite a day in English ninth division soccer.

Speaker 2 (01:13:27):
I gotta go find the videotape, all right, he's on
the call later on part of the work here in
Los Angeles with the Chargers and Buccaneers at Isaac Loewell.

Speaker 3 (01:13:36):
Yeah.

Speaker 9 (01:13:36):
So, to be honest, Harmon and I were talking about
the matchup during our last time out in the hallway here,
and I was saying how impressed I was with Tampa
Bay running back Bucky Irving, and I gotta be honest,
when it's all said and done, I feel that Bucky
Irving is going to be the greatest Bucky I'm sorry
to say in NFL history.

Speaker 3 (01:13:59):
Ooh yeah, look at that.

Speaker 9 (01:14:00):
But then, oh no, here's the latest waste, here's the
latest twist. I did a deep dive and it turns
out there have been thirteen BUCkies in all of NFL
history and as of right now you, Bucky, are the
greatest Bucky in NFL history. Bucky Irving is on pace
to surpass you. But of all thirteen, right now, you're

(01:14:23):
the best.

Speaker 6 (01:14:24):
Wow. Like now there's a backup quarterback in Houston.

Speaker 4 (01:14:28):
For a while, Yes, the Houston Oilers.

Speaker 6 (01:14:31):
Yeah, for the Houston Oilers, Bucky. I didn't know there
were other BUCkies.

Speaker 3 (01:14:34):
That we're gonna do deep dive on this.

Speaker 9 (01:14:37):
We'll bring we're talking about Bucky Richardson, by the way,
that's the guy you're talking about. But you're better than
all You're better than the other twelve as of right now.

Speaker 6 (01:14:45):
Okay, we'll take that. There.

Speaker 1 (01:14:47):
You count that.

Speaker 6 (01:14:47):
I can put that. I can put it on a
wiki page.

Speaker 3 (01:14:50):
Add that to the wiki page. Thanks Zyle. As we continue,
we had a big vote in college football.

Speaker 2 (01:14:56):
Did they get it right? Bucky gives you his two
cents next year. It's Fox Football Sunday from the tire
Ac dot Com Studios. Hey, welcome back in It's Fox
Football Sunday, finishing up Week fifteen. You're National Football League.
Full slate of games one already in the books. Ram
it all day, ram it all night over the forty
nine ers, the last Ditch efforts of the forty nine

(01:15:18):
ers final weeks of the season, one percent chance to
make the playoffs rams up to fifty percent. We'll see
what happens later on. As we roll through, Mike car
mc Bucky Brooks with you coming up in ten minutes
from now, you've got countdown to Kickoff, presented by bet MGM.
I'd be remiss, you know, we talk about the age
of the rushing quarterback, right we were just talking about
Pittsburgh and the difference of how they're running their offense

(01:15:40):
fields to Russell Wilson and stuff. I'd be remiss if
I didn't bring up Arizona. Now they have a date
against New England, and we got into them a little
bit with the Bill Belichick conversation Bucky. But the fact
that Kyler Murray's not running the football was really interesting
to me. All Right, He's only gone over twenty one
rushing yards once in like the last five five or

(01:16:00):
six games.

Speaker 6 (01:16:02):
It is it is.

Speaker 5 (01:16:03):
One of the more remarkable things that you will find,
and it is something that is very very common amongst
these athletic quarterbacks. And what you don't know is this,
you don't know if someone is in his ear telling
Cayler like, hey, you need to at this stage, you
made your money.

Speaker 6 (01:16:19):
You need to be a pocket pass.

Speaker 5 (01:16:21):
You need to avoid running the pocket to preserve your
health or whatever that is. But it definitely takes away
a dimension of his game that made him one of
the more dangerous.

Speaker 6 (01:16:31):
Quarterbacks that we've seen.

Speaker 5 (01:16:32):
And when you don't do that and you got to
be so exceptional as a pocket pass. I think it's
something that Russell Wilson had to learn when he wanted
to cook and he wanted to do things, and so
he was trying to prove the people that he could
deal from the pocket and all.

Speaker 6 (01:16:45):
Of those things. Lamar Jackson's mom is talking about him
and yeah, man, you need to run the ball.

Speaker 5 (01:16:50):
Quit trying to be a statue a lot of times.
And you hear this all the time, like you know, athletes,
Oh I don't hear now, just don't pay attention to
meet out d da da Okay, you certainly know all
the comments for someone who doesn't know what we're saying
about you, But that noise, man, it seeps in, man,
it seeps in between your ears, and it impacts the
way that you play the game. And for guys who

(01:17:13):
have those superpowers that include their legs and how they
go about doing their business as dual threats. Man, just
always keep the main thing the main thing, man, Play
to your streams. Don't worry about all the other stuff,
because if you play to your strengths and win, no
one really cares, No one says anything, and if you lose, they're.

Speaker 6 (01:17:28):
Gonna criticize you anyway.

Speaker 5 (01:17:29):
So you just got to do what you believe in
and what you know to be your advantages, and then
you always have an opportunity to be at your best.

Speaker 3 (01:17:37):
He needs one hundred and thirty eight yards today to
get to three thousand. Passing on the year.

Speaker 2 (01:17:42):
We'll do more on those accolades and milestones or whatever
else we get towards the end of the year. Some
interesting little news and notes as we go. Podcasts will
go up in a few minutes. Shay, I'll have that
for us. Appreciate him and Chris Purfat in the Big
Cherries waiting for the fifty five point battle Detroit and
Buffalo later on this afternoon. Be remiss if we didn't

(01:18:03):
pause for a moment though the Heisman Trophy awarded.

Speaker 3 (01:18:06):
Did they get it right?

Speaker 2 (01:18:07):
Bucky Travis Hunter wins narrow margin, narrowest in fifteen years
over genty. I told Smith his Syracuse Orange underperformed because
they had a tenth place Heisman guy with Kyle McCord.
But all of that to say, did we get too
excited about the two way playing versus what gent performed

(01:18:28):
or did they get it right?

Speaker 5 (01:18:29):
I think they got it right and it was close,
and it should have been close because both guys to
me were the best of the best at their respective
positions and the way they played. Travis Hunter gets denied
though what he did is even more remarkable than what
Charles Woodson did. Charles Woodson had splashed moments of being
a wide receiver and a DP and I love Charles.

Speaker 6 (01:18:46):
We were teammates.

Speaker 5 (01:18:48):
Travis Hunter literally played both sides of the ball and
excelled at each side. He deserved him in the Heisman
because he was so spectacular, and the Jim Thorpe Reward
should be ashamed of not including him as one of
the finalists. He was the best player in football because
he did it on both sizes of the all.

Speaker 6 (01:19:02):
He deserved it one.

Speaker 2 (01:19:03):
I will say this, Bucky, We've got to make sure
you get in Chuch with old Charles Woodson as well.
The intercept wines are quite.

Speaker 6 (01:19:09):
Good, oh good.

Speaker 2 (01:19:11):
And once upon a time he did shake Jason Smith's
hand and strike terror into a man I've never seen before.
He stared through his soul as if Jason had said something.

Speaker 3 (01:19:23):
That's stuck with him as a motivator. It still comes
up on occasion when we get out and about I
have a good day today.

Speaker 2 (01:19:30):
We'll see it again next week. Countdown to Kickoff presented
by bad MGM Next on Fox

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