Mark Willard and Kerry Rhodes React to the NFL Playoff Picture

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 2 (00:04):
Well, it is a brand new year for us, our
first foray into twenty twenty four here on Fox Football Sunday.
Brand new year, but for one coach, same old story.
And we'll tell you which coach that is in just
a moment. But the first thing I need to do
is not only wish a happy new year, but say

(00:25):
a very very hearty hello to a voice that I
haven't had the chance to talk to you in quite
a while, and that is the great Carry Rhodes.

Speaker 1 (00:33):
How you been my.

Speaker 3 (00:33):
Man, Mark, It's been a pleasure. It's a pleasure to
be here, man, be with you. I was selling Dan
before the show started. It's been a while since I've
talked to Mark, so I'm excited.

Speaker 2 (00:43):
It has been a while. But old friends are gonna
jump right in together. I have no doubt because I
want to get this off of my chest right away.

Speaker 1 (00:52):
I've never understood in.

Speaker 2 (00:53):
The world of professional sports carry and you played, so
you tell me. I am all for sports meanship. Ye,
I'm all for doing the right thing. But my god,
if you want the other team to stop playing, then
you have to also. That's the way I view it.
I've got three kids in this house. I've been at

(01:16):
youth sporting events all weekend long, and if the scorer
is being run up at a youth sporting event, that's
a different conversation. But when millions of dollars are being
made by the players and coaches all over the field,
I have the hardest time feeling for someone because their
feelings got hurt because the other team.

Speaker 1 (01:36):
Did too good.

Speaker 2 (01:38):
I mean, could Arthur Smith, if he wants to get
fired this badly, just ask, I mean, this is a
terrible look, a terrible look. Then if you don't know
what I'm talking about, Falcons and Saints today, Arthur Smith
has already been the most frustrating coach to watch I
think all year long, just by virtue of what he's done.

(02:00):
Bejon Robinson's fantasy owners for crying out loud, but outside
of that, to finish the season this way, where you
go and scream at an opposing coach because you wanted
to lose forty one to seventeen instead of forty eight seventeen,
I'm sorry, Carrie, I do not understand this in professional sports.

Speaker 3 (02:18):
You know what it's I'm with you. I'm with you
on this to be honest. I mean, you gotta go
out there and get stops and play well and execute
on your end. And if you don't, then yeah, what
can happen is you get B forty eight to seventeen.
And so I mean, obviously there's we're in the season
now where players are trying to reach incentives you got.
You know, you're trying to take care of long, long

(02:40):
tenured guys and get them touchdowns and all all the
things that you know, field you want to have a
feel good story for yourself going into the offseason into
the new year. So if you can't stop them, you
get a chance to score. Score. The sports the sportsmanship thing,
I think that's overrated, and it's been one of those
things where it's it's longwithstanding you just have this like, oh,
it's annoying, we don't do this anymore. I think that's past.

(03:03):
Say now and now you got to go out there
and get stops and play football.

Speaker 2 (03:07):
We'll broadcasting live from the tyreq dot com studios tyret
dot com.

Speaker 1 (03:10):
We'll help you.

Speaker 2 (03:11):
Get there an unmatt selection, fast free shipping, free road
AZERD protection in over ten thousand recommended installers.

Speaker 1 (03:17):
Tyreq dot com. The Way tire buying should be.

Speaker 2 (03:20):
This may sound milk and cookies to some people listening
to us, but I vowed a long time ago not
to use these microphones to get people fired. It's just
not my position. I don't know what's going on inside
these buildings. I don't know who's got the locker room
and who doesn't have the locker room, And so for me,

(03:40):
I don't feel comfortable coming on and saying this person
should be fired up unless we're talking about a really,
really egregious type of a situation.

Speaker 1 (03:49):
So I'm not an expert on Atlanta Falcons.

Speaker 2 (03:51):
Football, but I thought all year long that moves made
by Arthur Smith were completely headscratching. You've obviously got a
team that is still in some measure of transition. They
don't have the answer at quarterback, so they're going to
be on the search for that in this offseason. And

(04:11):
I'm just telling you what it feels like to me.
It feels like they're going to be searching for a
head coach today and today did not help his case.

Speaker 3 (04:21):
Yeah, and I think that's probably why he was so
upset at the end, right, I mean, that's that pours
into what's what you saw at the end of the game.
So you know, his he knows he's fighting for his life.
He knows he's fighting for his survival there in Atlanta.
And so you know, if you don't get the quarterback
and you miss on that position, you're going to be
at a disadvantage. And you know, we can take it
all the way back to the you know, the preseason

(04:42):
and having a chance to bring in a guy like
Lamar right. I mean, you know, they came out and
we're one of the first teams that said we weren't interested.
But your quarterback position is the position that is the
least effective in the in the least stable on that
on that team. So the fact that they didn't go
out and make that happen for them, think was you know,
I guess problem number one. But then you get into

(05:03):
the season. You know, Ritter doesn't pan out. You have
Heineke who played okay in certain spots but couldn't stay healthy.
I think that's the main reason for their downfall. The
defense played well. You know Arthur Smith as a play caller,
I mean he obviously didn't do do enough or do
well enough. So for him to be in that position
and for that team to you know again, to have
all the talent they have and miss the playoffs. It's

(05:24):
not a good look.

Speaker 2 (05:27):
Speaking of what Arthur Smith is thinking and and and
what he's saying, we actually have his comments after the game,
after his very clear meeting with Dennis Smith of the
of the Saints at midfield, where it was quick, it
was terse, it was screaming. If you can read lips,
there was a bs in there and and and that

(05:49):
was that. But then after the game and in the
locker room, this is what Arthur Smith had to say.

Speaker 1 (05:55):
They made the player certainly, the second half got out
of hand. You can do whatever you want. I just
gave him my opinion about it.

Speaker 3 (06:00):
But it doesn't take away the fact that they they
beat us in that second half.

Speaker 1 (06:04):
They took advantage of our our turnovers, they hit some shots.
I mean, I don't know, Carrie.

Speaker 2 (06:11):
Again, when I look at the level that we're playing at,
I actually don't agree with something he says there that
you can you can have your opinion about it.

Speaker 1 (06:22):
This is one of those rare cases.

Speaker 2 (06:24):
And you know, look, everybody's allowed to have their opinion,
but I don't think there are two opinions to be
had here.

Speaker 1 (06:31):
This, This is the n f L.

Speaker 2 (06:35):
I like, I can't believe that we even still have
these conversations, the idea that somebody at the you know,
running up the score. You can talk about this. I
guess at college football. You know there there are there
are varying levels, there are varying divisions. When Alabama plays
the Citadel. We're not talking about a fair playing field.

(06:57):
But here in the NFL, more so than any professional
league in the world, where there is a hard salary
cap and revenue sharing and TV dollars, everybody, if Green Bay,
Wisconsin can compete with Los Angeles and New York, then

(07:18):
there are zero excuses and there's zero room for you
to come out and give me the wham wham they
kept playing when we were getting our butts kicked for
crowd out loud. The game was tied at halftime. The
game was tied at halftime, and we ended up having
a conversation about the score being run up.

Speaker 1 (07:38):
To me, it's a bad look. There's no way around it.

Speaker 3 (07:41):
Well, like I said, I I don't even think it's
really about that play or even that situation. Right, he
has a lot of stuff that's happening off the field. Obviously,
his job is on the line. And I think that's
what it really, that's what it boils down to. I mean,
it's a situation where his feeling's a hurt. He didn't
have the team paired in the second half to win,
and then you just I think that's the play, right,

(08:04):
that's the angle we really need to look at. And
I think as you talk about it, and as we
talk about it, and as other people talk about it online,
that's the glaring, the glaring thing, right. He didn't have
the team you ready to come out in the second half,
and for him to get his guys come out there
and play and defend and play to the last play,
to the last whistle. He didn't get that accomplished. So
it's a failure on his part.

Speaker 2 (08:25):
Yeah, no doubt. And I get it. We've all been there. Yeah,
we've all been there. When you're tired, you're in a
bad mood, somebody else says the wrong thing to you,
and you snap at them and then you circle back
an hour later, a day later, a month later, however
long it takes you to realize that you projected and

(08:46):
you took it out on somebody. I mean, I feel
like we're having a playground conversation with little kids. You
took it out on somebody that had nothing to do
with this, and that's what happened here with Arthur Smith
and Dennis Allen. He took it out on someone who
had absolutely nothing to do with what's going on.

Speaker 3 (09:03):
Yeah, Dennis Allen was you know, he was tried to
give him the reassurance or I'm sure he told him,
you know, sorry or whatever. On the field, it looked
like he was trying to coddle the situation. But at
the end of the day, yeah, it was just more
about you know, Arthur trying to blow of some steam
and take it out on somebody that he could at
that time. And the first person that he saw after
that play was obviously going to be the head coach,

(09:25):
so I'm going to take it out on him. And
that's kind of what happened in that situation.

Speaker 2 (09:29):
Hey, real quick before this thing gets started, and it's
Kerry Rhodes in for Kyle Rudolph. Tonight, Mark Willard, Fox
Sports Radio were thrilled that you're with us. Would love
to get your thought on this big game. A little
bit of the juice has been taken out of it
because it was potentially going to be an elimination game
for the Buffalo Bills, but by vers due of Jacksonville's

(09:50):
loss earlier. Today, the Bills are in, which is an
impressive enough feat on its own, considering where they sat
at six and six, with all kinds of weird stuff
that had happened to them earlier in the year. They
are in the playoffs, but still plenty on the line.
The winner gets the division, the loser gets the wild card.
The Bills a slight favorite. The Dolphins are banged up,

(10:13):
no doubt, no Raheem Moster, no Jalen Waddle, and we
know about the problems on the defensive side with Chubb
and Howard, and they're all gonna miss this game.

Speaker 1 (10:22):
What's your thought on what we're gonna see tonight?

Speaker 3 (10:25):
You know what, coming into this game, when I knew
Buffalo had to win, I had them to win. And
it's been impressive. I mean during the season, I thought
they were done and I really didn't think there was
gonna be any salvaging for this, I mean, for them
this year. But at this moment, like you said, a
little bit of the juice is going I think they
know that they're in, and we talk about Miami being

(10:46):
banged up here, I think Buffalo's you know, pretty banged
up as well, and Josh Allen's not one hundred percent
and and Diggs isn't one hundred percent either. So now
that they're in, I want to see how they're gonna
handle and manage this game, because you know, they want
to they want to be healthy, they know they're in,
they know they who are pretty much who they're going
to play as well. So you know, I think Miami

(11:08):
is actually going to win this game because of I
think the division will probably matter more to them, and
at this point it's about what, you know, who it
matters to most.

Speaker 1 (11:18):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (11:18):
Interesting, I mean the way I read this, if if
Miami wins this football game, then uh, I don't even know.
Do we have the seedings out like if if the Bills.
If Miami wins this game, uh, they get the two seed.
And does that give them Pittsburgh?

Speaker 1 (11:36):
Do I have that right?

Speaker 3 (11:37):
Yes, that would be pitt I think pitt would be seven, okay.

Speaker 2 (11:39):
Yeah, And and and obviously if Miami loses this game,
then they moved down. They moved down to six, and
then they would be on the road at Kansas City,
so you know, still still plenty on the line, and
uh and if the Bills win, uh, then then they're
gonna move into Division champs and and have a home game.

Speaker 1 (12:01):
So okay, yeah, what is it? All right?

Speaker 4 (12:05):
So if Miami loses there the sixth seed of Buffalo loses,
they're the seventh, you could so you could get a
rematch the very next weekend.

Speaker 2 (12:12):
And okay, once again Buffalo loses. If Buffalo loses, go
to the hotel and stay.

Speaker 3 (12:17):
There exactly, don't.

Speaker 1 (12:22):
All right? All right?

Speaker 2 (12:23):
And and if and if Buffalo wins, then they're gonna
move up to the breakover Kansas City, so they get
the two seeds and.

Speaker 4 (12:33):
They'd host Pittsburgh and then as you said, yeah, it'll
be Dolphins at Casey.

Speaker 2 (12:37):
I mean to me, that's a big There's a lot
to play for line, Carrie, it is. There's a lot
to play for tonight. All right, Well, we'll watch the
game together.

Speaker 1 (12:45):
There is.

Speaker 2 (12:46):
There's plenty to go through, including the future of one
very big name coach who had absolutely nothing on the
line today except for maybe a goodbye. We'll get to
that coming up around the corner with Carry Rhoads I'm
Mark Willard. This is Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 5 (13:03):
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 to.

Speaker 4 (13:16):
NBA Insiders podcasting twice a week to plug you right
into the NBA Great Five.

Speaker 6 (13:21):
All happening in only one place. This League Uncut, the
new NBA podcast with me, Chris Haynes and me Mark Stein.
Join us as we team up to expound on everything
we're covering. Hearing and Chason.

Speaker 3 (13:36):
Listen to This League Uncut with Chris Haynes and Mark Stein.

Speaker 6 (13:40):
On the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get
your podcasts.

Speaker 1 (13:45):
Okay, we're in the tie Ride dot Com studios.

Speaker 2 (13:48):
Sunday Night Football, the final regular season football game of
the year, is about to get started in with Carry Rhoads.
I'm Mark Willard. Glad you are with us and the
playoffs are ahead, so we got plenty of intrigue around
the corner Carry, But I do always shed a little
bit of tear when this comes around. This entire day,

(14:09):
this whole week eighteen experience with no fantasy football and
half the teams are playing for nothing, and you're getting
to see matchups like Sam Darnold versus Carson Wentz, like
all kinds of weird stuff, and it always signals that
the NFL season is almost over, and I hate that.

Speaker 1 (14:31):
I hate when the NFL season is over.

Speaker 3 (14:34):
You know what, I agree with you there, I'm also
I'm also also be a little sad. But I'm a
big basketball guy as well, so at least I get
that little carry over, you know what I mean. I
get that obviously nothing like football, but you know, I
get there right now. I mean, I got the Bills
game on in here and the Dolphins, but also have
the Dallas MA Big game on, so I'm you know,
I'm a little intertwined between both.

Speaker 2 (14:56):
Believe me, I will be toggling back and forth between
showdown between the Warriors and the Raptors as well as
we watch this one. But it is interesting. I mean,
if you've been alive for the last twenty years to
see a final weekend matchup between the Bills and the
Dolphins for the AFC East on the Line and the

(15:18):
Patriots are not.

Speaker 1 (15:19):
Even a part of the conversation.

Speaker 2 (15:21):
We've gotten used to this now for the last couple
three years, but it's obviously hit a tipping point. The
Patriots are now among the worst teams in the league.
They are one of the teams that is still at
ground zero as far as the quarterback position is concerned.
So let me ask you a question. If we all
agree on the premise that Bill is moving on from

(15:44):
the Patriots, what's your thought on how hirable he is
for someone else?

Speaker 3 (15:51):
You know what, I had this conversation the other day.
I don't think he's that hirable, and I just there
comes a point where as a head coach, oder head coach,
you lose touch and it's just part of you know,
it's part of life, Like you lose touch with a
lot of things. When when it's kind of when it's over,
and I think it's really over. I know he I

(16:12):
don't know, but I think there's some desirability for him
to be the all time winning as coach. I'm sure
because it's so close. But as far as trying to
achieve things or go after go after certain milestones in
his career, I mean, he's reached them, all right, So
what does he want to do? I mean, legacy wise,
does he want that if that's the case, then you know,

(16:33):
but you know, by all means, go do that. But
if I'm if I'm a GM or owner from a team,
I don't know if I want to bring him into
a team that has young guys on it that are
trying to learn the game, this new game, because it's different.
So I don't know. I think he should probably walk
off and do something else, consult or do something if
he wants to stay around. But being the head coach

(16:55):
is going to be tough for him.

Speaker 2 (16:57):
Yeah, that's kind of my thought, and I get it,
especially if you're kind of an old school thinker. Sometimes
it's hard for people to come around to the evolution
and the changes that are that are automatic.

Speaker 1 (17:10):
But the Patriot way, if you will, which you're saying,
just the Belichick way. Do you know what I mean? Hey,
that of course you do. Of course you do.

Speaker 2 (17:19):
And it only, it only is possible if you are
winning three out of every four football games and contending
for Super Bowl championships. Which look, I'm a big believer
in coaching, and there are great coaches out there, there's
no doubt about that. But how many reminders do we

(17:41):
need in professional sports that the players are more important.
And if you go somewhere else and and and start over,
and if you don't have the right people around you,
I just don't know if Bill Belichick is somebody around
whom you can build, as you're saying, bring young players

(18:01):
and growing up together with a way that asks so
much of people.

Speaker 1 (18:07):
I just out that doesn't feel realistic to me.

Speaker 3 (18:10):
Yeah, let's take it even a step further. Right, we
talk about the Patriot way, right of all of his
coaches or disciples, who's actually won doing it the Patriot way?
Like it doesn't that thing, it doesn't really exist. There's
a way of doing something the way that Belichick wants
to do it, and he has success doing it. So
if you have veterans on that team that buys in,

(18:30):
then the younger guys are automatically, automatically gonna you know,
buy in. But those days are gone. I mean, there's
no Boots Skis in that locker room. There's no Vrabels
in that locker room. There's no Brady's in that locker room.
There's no Vince Wolfolks in that in that in that
locker room. So it's a guide those guys. And then
you look at the teams he's had there. I mean,
they've been talentless. And I hate to say that speaking

(18:52):
about NFL guys, but their their level hasn't been to
that same level. So you can't keep hammering a certain
way when it's not working. You have to do something different. Well,
And and you know you.

Speaker 2 (19:04):
Mentioned a bunch of names and there are no veterans
there like that. Couldn't I whittle it down and just
be like, well, no, no Tom's not there. You could period,
you could, I mean listen, And I don't want to
take all of his acumen away from him.

Speaker 1 (19:18):
I would never do that.

Speaker 2 (19:20):
He had a big hand in all of this. But
Bill Belichick's record without Tom Brady in his career.

Speaker 6 (19:26):
Is what.

Speaker 3 (19:28):
It's not. It's not as successful, I'll say that, but
you know what, you know, you know what Mark is
one of those things where but that happens with any
winning team though, right, like you have to have your guy.
So I mean, we could see the year when Tom
Brady wasn't there, they still won eleven games under Bill
Belichick with those guys that I named, you know, you

(19:50):
know I just mentioned, right, So it's it's it's the
perfect storm. A lot of things has to go your
way to winning this league, and if you don't have
that quarterback we're seeing, you cannot get it done.

Speaker 2 (20:00):
Okay, what if I zero in on one team though,
because I bet some people listening to us are like,
wait a minute, what if he ends up somewhere where
the guy is already in place? And we don't know
technically if the guy is in place. We all think
the guy is in place, and it's been everything around
him that's been unsuccessful, and if given the right coach

(20:24):
and the right system and the right backing.

Speaker 1 (20:27):
We all believe. I think that Justin Herbert can be
the guy. So does that fit?

Speaker 3 (20:35):
I know, I mean that's obviously the one that a
lot of people are talking about. It seemed like it fits.
I think there's so much more wrong with that team, though.
Agree they can't stay healthy, and I don't know what
that's about. Obviously, that's part of playing sports, you know,
injuries happen, so that's been kind of their history. I

(20:55):
don't think their leaders are our real leader, and I
think they're one of those teams that are front runners.
So I just don't think that that team is as
ready to win as people think. And even Herbert, Right,
we saw him in the playoff game. We saw he
played well, but he can get it done. The year
that they were up big on I mean last year,

(21:18):
the year they were up big on the Jags and
kind of floundered that game. So yeah, I think there's
more wrong with that team than than people think it
is as well, and there's.

Speaker 1 (21:27):
No doubt about it.

Speaker 2 (21:28):
There are a couple of teams this year in the
NFL where I really scratch my head and I go, God,
what they're doing is just kind of it's mysterious, like
I can't figure it out. I think some people feel
that way about the Philadelphia Eagles for the last six weeks,
like what happened?

Speaker 1 (21:45):
And we will get to that, no doubt.

Speaker 2 (21:47):
But when I look at the the Los Angeles Chargers,
sure call him that if you want. I mean, part
of their problem astray is inherent. Part of their problem
is they don't play home games. And I no issue
saying that. Yeah, like that that building is filled with
whoever is is the visiting team every time, and that

(22:07):
is a built in disadvantage for the Chargers. But that said,
every coach I've ever talked to is like, well, the
key positions on the field are obviously quarterback, pass rusher
for most is maybe next shut down corner and left tackle,
receivers or obviously on the rise in terms of importance.

(22:30):
And I name those positions and I go, She's the
Chargers are stacked in those spots. They're absolutely stacked with
elite talent in those spots and can't win football games.

Speaker 3 (22:44):
I don't get it, well, because all those guys you
just named that they're they're elite at those spots. They
stay hurt. Yeah, So again that's part of it, right,
Like those guys, I mean, Bosa, he's always he's he
always finds, he always ends up, you know, with some
kind of nick or injury that takes him for some time.
Khalil Max getting a little older. I don't even think
he's going to be around too much longer. So think

(23:05):
about those guys. Think about your stud safety Derwin James.
He's hurt usually during the season. I mean even Herbert.
Herbert's always usually banged up at some point during the season.
So health, health is going to be a big thing
for them. And uh, you know, I think that's I
think that's probably the number one thing. And also having
the coach that thinks he's playing a video game and
not playing actual football at the time. That that hurts too.

(23:26):
So it was a multitude of things that was wrong
with those.

Speaker 1 (23:29):
Guys, no doubt, no doubt, Keenan Allen, also Mike Williams.

Speaker 2 (23:33):
These guys struggle with injury every year, and h and
Staley never met a fourth down that he didn't like,
and all those things were problems. But you know, that's
that's obviously a big part of the reason why he's
not there. All right, much more to discuss, including that
Eagle situation. But let's get you up to date on
everything that is happening has happened.

Speaker 1 (23:54):
It's a lot. Here's Nick Cole.

Speaker 3 (23:55):
All right, thank you very much.

Speaker 1 (23:57):
Mark.

Speaker 4 (23:57):
We're keeping tabs on the Sunday night game in South Florida,
Miami and Buffalo scoreless to a tongue of Iloa. Dolphins
had the ball first and he was picked off. They'rewn
deep into double coverage downfield. He was looking for Tyreek Hill.
Bills have the ball currently their first drive. They're at
their own thirty six yard line. So the rest of
the AFC and those wildcard matchups that largely hinges on

(24:18):
what happens tonight in this game, the winner will win
the AFC East. They get the number two seed. If
Buffalo is the loser, they'll be the seven seed, and
we'll have a rematch between these two teams next week.
If the Dolphins lose, they'll be the sixth seed and
face the Chiefs, and then it'll be the Steelers either
the six or the seven, depending on what happens. We
do know one matchup in the AFC and will be

(24:38):
the Texans hosting the Browns on the four or five,
Houston winning the AFC Sound with the Jaguars loss earlier
today to the Titans. NFC wildcard matchups those are set.
Packers beat the Bears seventeen to nine to clinch the
final wildcard spot. Matt Lafleur now ten and zero against Chicago,
so Green Bay the seventh seed. They'll travel to take

(24:58):
on the Cowboys. Dallas blew out the Commander's thirty five
to ten to clinch the NFC East and the number
two seed. Rams clinched the sixth seed a twenty one
to twenty win over the forty nine Ers in a
game that featured several backups. La receiver pukaakuas at the
NFL's records for receiving yards and receptions by a rookie.
Rams will face the three seed Lions, who beat the

(25:19):
Vikings earlier today thirty to twenty. Bucks won the NFC
South and earned the number four seed with a shutout
of the Panthers nine zip. Tampa will host the Eagles
next weekend. Philly struggled against the Giants twenty seven to ten,
and they've got some injury concerns as well. Aj Brown
left with the knee injury. NFL Meter reports though that
it's not believed to be serious. Jalen Hurts and then

(25:40):
left and then later returned with a finger injury.

Speaker 3 (25:42):
Hurts it after the.

Speaker 4 (25:43):
Game that it popped out and he's just going to
take things day by day. Draft order taking shape as well.
Bears wide the number one pick via the Panthers. Rest
of the top five in order, Commanders, Patriots, Cardinals, and
Chargers and again Buffalo and Miami currently scoreless, but the
Bills now in plus territory, just outside the red zone.

(26:05):
As we are about six and a half minutes into
the first quarter. Let's go back to Mark Willard and
carry Rhodes.

Speaker 2 (26:10):
Okay, Nick, great stuff, Thank you very much. We are
live in the tiraq dot com studios. Let's talk about
those Philadelphia Eagles for a second, Carrie. It's going to
be another rough week for Nick Sirianni on Philadelphia Sports Radio.
I can promise you that as they have won one
football game since the start of the month of December,

(26:33):
and that came in a close home win against the
hapless New York Giants, who, by the way, today just
completely picked them apart. Whether it was a lack of motivation,
the injuries, hurts in and out of the game. AJ
Brown gets knocked out of the game. The Eagles were
already in a bad spot. And I said this a
week ago on my weekday show here in San Francisco,

(26:57):
where the forty nine ers as the one seed, all
trying to predict how this will play out. And I
don't want to call the worry, but sort of the
thought is the Niners might get a division foe right
out of the gate in the Los Angeles Rams. I
have more respect for the Detroit Lions than it sounds
like some people do. I think the Lions are gonna
win that football game, and I predicted a couple of

(27:20):
weeks ago that the Tampa Bay Bucks are going to
be the Niners first opponent here in a couple of weeks,
because I think the Bucks are going to beat the
Eagles next week, because I think just about anybody would
beat the Eagles next week. What has happened to this
football team through your eyes?

Speaker 3 (27:36):
Well, I don't think. Yeah, I've been bad on them
and for a while, even when they were winning, and so,
I mean I was having conversations about that. I mean,
I just thought something was wrong. And you can definitely
tell something's wrong now and it stamms internally. Something's off there.
You can see the players aren't really I don't want

(27:58):
to say listening, but respond to what Nick Sirianni has
to say here. I mean, he's in these last couple
of weeks. You know, you change the defensive coordinators during
the season. You're giving one play caller a chance to
call it in the first half another one. It's just
it's bad, Like you know what I mean, Like you
don't do that because as a play caller, you have
to get rhythm. You have to get into the game
and to the flow and know what's going on. So

(28:19):
even just some of those things you hear that are
going on, it's just it sounds like it's bad. And
for me, I'm not a big fan of Sirianni anyway,
so I'm almost like wishing him ill intent. And I
know that's kind of hard to say on the air
right now, but I really am like, I don't think
he's that likable, and so when you see those things

(28:41):
kind of permeate now it makes sense to me.

Speaker 1 (28:45):
Talk to me about that statement. You're not a big
fan of him, to be, I want to hear why.

Speaker 3 (28:49):
Yeah, yeah, no, I'm not a fan of his. I mean,
number one, he's he's a little bit of a front
runner as well. I mean, when things are going well,
he puts it out there for people to see it.
He's definitely brag adoseed with this approach. He's very emotional,
and as a coach, sometimes you know, if you're that
guy and you're super emotional, when the highs or high
players see that and can go with that and obviously

(29:11):
can take you to where they went last year to
the super Bowl, but when the lows are low, I
can only imagine how that energy is in the locker room.
So that's what I that's what I kind of sen
from him.

Speaker 1 (29:21):
I don't.

Speaker 3 (29:22):
I don't since he has I don't feel that he
has this level of being able to keep it coping
steady for a team. And if you don't have that rock,
then who's going to be that guy? And you know
you have Jalen Hurts, who usually is that guy. But
when you have a coach that likes to be in
front of that, it doesn't sit well with the team
as well.

Speaker 2 (29:43):
Josh Allen picked off in the end zone by the Dolphins,
kind of a wayward throw where at minimum his receiver
and him had a little bit of a miscommunication.

Speaker 1 (29:54):
It was close to the ground.

Speaker 2 (29:56):
But looking at that replay, I think that's gonna stand
and I think that Dolphins.

Speaker 1 (30:00):
Have got a turnover.

Speaker 2 (30:02):
So both quarterbacks picked off on their opening drive and
we sit still at a zero zero some game after
one drive each for the Bills and Dolphins, and Josh
Allen's turnover bug continues there.

Speaker 3 (30:15):
It is no he's a guy that obviously we know,
yeah when he played. When he does this, it's just
bad and it looks bad too, like even that one
right where is he throwing it too? Obviously a miscommunication,
but you know, they gotta they gotta be careful with him. Man.
They have to continue to do what they've done to
win games down the stretch, and that's run the ball
and you know, play play defense and let him run

(30:36):
the ball as well.

Speaker 1 (30:38):
Uh, no doubt about it.

Speaker 2 (30:39):
But back to the Eagles, there's sort of like it's
a team that's filled with an emotional response. Like you
you even the way you just talked about that, Nick Sirianni,
there's an emotional response.

Speaker 3 (30:51):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (30:51):
Uh, the whole fan base is an emotional response.

Speaker 2 (30:54):
There are big, you know, sparkly things on offense, from
Jalen Hurts to AJ Brown to Devon Smith, but just
the x'es and o's here's what no one noticed for
a while. And they were ten and one, and I'm
not going to say that they weren't a good football team.
You're a good football team if you're ten in one,
But if you did a little bit of a deep dive,

(31:16):
they got away with a lot of stuff in close games,
in the fourth quarters of games throughout that first eleven weeks.
Number one, but number two, they also had an offense
that was in sync and therefore covering up for what
I think carry is absolutely one of the worst defenses
in the entire NFL. Sam Howell would win the job

(31:40):
for the Commanders in the future if he got to
play seventeen times against the Eagles, because he scores over
thirty points against them. They don't get to fourteen against
anybody else. But if you look at what the Eagles
were giving up for the most part early on in
the year close games, Jalen Hurtz and the butt push
and all this stuff was was sort of overcoming what

(32:03):
was clearly not a good group. The Niners went in
there on December third, exposed them and it's just been
downhill ever since. So you know, the emotional vibe is off.
I don't know if you could recapture that in seven days.

Speaker 3 (32:19):
Nope.

Speaker 1 (32:20):
But even if you can't carry, they've got an exus
and O's problem.

Speaker 2 (32:23):
They do.

Speaker 3 (32:23):
I agree with you, and I think the excellence and
old thing is one hundred percent true. But they also,
like you said, they had a couple of plays that
would save them, right the tust push like they would
get they would just run the ball and get it
to third and one, And obviously you can't stop them
on third and one, so they would keep the chains
moving and in games, those close games where you know

(32:45):
it's you know, inches, your inches away from losing or winning.
They were really good at the inches, right, but in
between that, they weren't good. I mean even you go
earlier when they lost to the Jets right at that time,
trying to out execute or you use the exes and
O's situation where it got them in trouble. They threw
the interception, the Jets win that game. And then there's

(33:08):
games where obviously they came back and were able to
win down the stretch. But yeah, they're not. They weren't
in a good way. They just were eking out some
wins and they kind of mask the I guess the
problematic areas that they had throughout the season so far.

Speaker 1 (33:22):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (33:22):
Absolutely so, more on that around the bend, the matchups
that we know, we will get into that. And also
was it the biggest mistake of the day by any team.
We'll talk about that coming up next with Kerry Rhoads.
I'm Mark Willard. It's Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 5 (33:40):
the nation. Catch all of our shows at foxsports radio
dot com and within the iHeartRadio app. Search FSR to
listen live.

Speaker 2 (33:51):
Okay live in the ti rag dot com studios with
Kerry Rhoads in for Kyle Rudolph. I'm Mark Willard. It's
Fox Sports, and down the stretch we come. With regard
to all of the NFL action, the seedings, the matchups,
one word to describe Dan Campbell after the last eight

(34:12):
days of our lives.

Speaker 1 (34:13):
I think it's pretty simple.

Speaker 2 (34:14):
I don't think it's always a bad word, but there's
one word, in one word only that we can use
to describe him. Stubborn. Oh my god, stubborn, like the
refs messed with us. And now I'm at the seven
yard line and we're going for two anyway. And then

(34:36):
you're facing a week eighteen situation where, let's be honest,
I know that coaches don't love to do this, assume
who's gonna beat who and all of that, But the
Cowboys are gonna beat the Commanders.

Speaker 1 (34:51):
Man, they're gonna win that division.

Speaker 2 (34:54):
And so what are you hammering all your starters into
this game four from beginning to end so that you
can win a football game to solidify a seed that
you essentially already had.

Speaker 1 (35:10):
And now now here.

Speaker 2 (35:12):
Comes Matt Stafford you're this city's old quarterback and a
hot RAMS team and your stud rookie tight end is out.

Speaker 1 (35:23):
So listen, I get it. I love Dan Campbell.

Speaker 2 (35:28):
I think that the line between stubborn and consistency is
very thin. He's consistent and he backs his guys, and
he's got a very rough, gruff, former player type attitude.
But man, the bottom line is is that is at
times gonna get you in trouble.

Speaker 3 (35:46):
Yeah no, I mean, obviously there's the whole adage of
rust versus rest, right yep. And I know a lot
of times, especially when you know you're going to plan
that wild card weekend, you want to keep that momentum going.
I do understand it. I don't know why he played
them as long, I mean the whole game, but you

(36:06):
definitely I think for them probably needed to get some
reps and play a little bit there to keep the
to keep their momentum going. But after a certain amount
of time, it's time to get those guys out of there.
I mean, and to see Laporter go down. And we
saw the reports. I mean I just saw the report
when I sat down. It was hyper extended. So at
least there's no structural damage. And so hopefully he'll be

(36:27):
able to you know, tough it out and be ready
to play this weekend, next weekend coming up. So hopefully
everything turns out.

Speaker 1 (36:34):
Okay.

Speaker 3 (36:35):
But you're you're, you're a little bit right. He's a
little stubborn. He's a little bit you know, he has
that Machi's more about him, and it's it's permeated throughout
the team and that that grit and all that stuff
that we rave about when we talk about him. But yeah,
I think he played him a little too long obviously.
I mean, and I guess hindsight's twenty twenty. If they
get out that game and and they're health free, then

(36:56):
we're it's probably a different tune, right. So yeah, it's
just tough right now.

Speaker 2 (37:00):
Well, listen, I understand the thought process I did last
Saturday too. You know, I had this back from this perspective.
I didn't really like it when the national discourse was
kind of like, sure, the ref's messed up, but Dan
Campbell really messed up too by not just taking the

(37:21):
extra point once you ended up back at the seven
yard line. And I'm thinking to myself, Okay, human beings,
let's put ourselves in Dan's shoes for just a second. Okay,
you walked into the building, You worked on this play
all week. You walked into the building, You pulled the
ref aside, and you said, this is what we're doing,
and the situation then presents itself and you do it.

(37:46):
You do exactly what you said you were going to do,
and it is fully within the rules, and you execute
it to perfection, and you win a football game that
was going to change the seeding in the playoffs, and
these guys took it from you, and then they gave
you thirty seconds to calm down. I mean, it doesn't

(38:12):
work that way, especially not in football. That is a
moment where I would be and he was so livid.
I mean, you just see red. You see red, and
in that moment, you're gonna ask a guy now, while
you're seeing red, while there is steam coming out of
your ears, make sure you make a calm, mature decision.

(38:36):
It's like, come on, man, like, no, I got his
back here.

Speaker 1 (38:41):
Sure it's easy for us to be like, dude, kick
the one, but I'm like, he's.

Speaker 2 (38:45):
Absolutely on a heater right now. Of course, And I
get the thought process here too, young team. I'm not
gonna let them, get complacent, fat cat sword of mentality.

Speaker 1 (38:57):
We've already got our division.

Speaker 2 (38:58):
I get the mental but you're just walking a very
tight rope and it looks like two weeks in a
row that same stubborn mentality has had collateral damage.

Speaker 3 (39:10):
Well, the thing about all of this is they're in
the spotlight now right where it's been decades where that
hasn't been the truth hasn't been the case. So now
things are going to be you know, we're going to
question it. We're going to see if he can actually
get through these situations that happens with winning teams where

(39:33):
you have to make decisions and not just be the
emotional catalyst or you know, have you know, be the
backbone for the team. Now you have to start making
real coaching decisions, and you have to be able to
separate the two, right because the emotion sometimes as a player,
we want to always go we won't always be aggressive,

(39:53):
and him being a former player, he's going to take
that stance a lot of times. But there's also a
maturity about being a head coach and being a decision
maker that has to come into a play, has to
come into account here as well. You definitely don't go
for two at the seven, you kick extra point, by
the book. So being able to make make those decisions
and decipher between those things, it's going to be a

(40:15):
learning curve for them.

Speaker 2 (40:17):
You know who's the player version of Dan Campbell, Who's
his name is Josh Allen. And we will explain exactly
why we said that coming up next, as we continue
to watch this game and talk out the matchups that
are already set for the playoffs with Kerry Rhads, Mark Willard.

Speaker 1 (40:35):
FSR listening to Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 2 (40:40):
Look, I never want to judge on a small sample.
I never want to be a prisoner of the moment.

Speaker 1 (40:49):
Carrie Rhodes, I don't want to do that.

Speaker 2 (40:51):
But I got questions why why is this game still
tied at zero? Because of poor decision making by Allen?
Bottom line? And so I got some questions to ask you. Well,
broadcasting live from the tyrach dot com studios. Tyrek dot
com will help you get there on match selection, fast
free shipping, free road hazard protection in over ten thousand

(41:13):
recommended installers, tyrack dot com the.

Speaker 1 (41:15):
Way tire buying should be.

Speaker 2 (41:17):
There are a number of these guys in the NFL,
but this year the poster guy for this is Brock Purdy.
People who get downgraded because they're just you know, doing
what their coach tells them to do. They're just running
a system, they're just you know, putting the ball in

(41:39):
space and letting.

Speaker 1 (41:40):
Other people do all of the work. And we get
to the point where it boils down to some of
these quarterbacks.

Speaker 2 (41:48):
Being denigrated for simply being decision makers.

Speaker 1 (41:53):
Carrie, give me a decision maker.

Speaker 2 (41:55):
That's what I want in every facet of my life.
I want a good decision maker. I wish I was
a better decision maker. I'd like to be brock perty
in my life. I'd like to just be able to
process everything quickly and see the future and make the
right decision and then just be boped down the field
of life. But no, I got a little Josh Allen

(42:17):
in me where it's just like, oh gosh, everything's going
to hell.

Speaker 7 (42:20):
How could app Let's see what happened? And then no,
that's not good. So this guy who we keep putting
in that elite.

Speaker 1 (42:31):
Sentence mahomes Alan Burrow. I like watching him all year.
Of course he's got elite skills.

Speaker 2 (42:40):
But my goss, the two picks already in the end
zone tonight and neither one of them had any excuse.

Speaker 3 (42:48):
Yeah, you know what it is. I was talking about
this the other day as well. Every NFL quarterback is
a system quarterback. You have to learn the system to
be able to operate in that system to be the
best version of yourself. Now, once you acquire that level
of you know knowledge and you're able to make those

(43:11):
decisions and you're able to put us in the best
possible situation, then you know, obviously there are some things
that break down during the player, during the game where
you have to be elite, And I think that's the
issue with Josh Allen. He tries to be elite all
the time. And on the other side of the ball.
You know what, there's some elite talent on that side

(43:33):
as well, right, and so when you play the elite game,
it's going to bite you in the butt sometimes. But
you know, I think if you really understood what was
going on or what coverages you had a lot of
times you don't have to do that. You can save
yourself from being in those situations by being able to
read the feeld and knowing what's going on and knowing
what the defense is trying to do to you as well,

(43:54):
because the quarterbacks that you know that are going to
last in this league and the quarterbacks that are going
to always have an opportunity to play in this league
and have a job on the system guys, and I
think we give that system Moniker a back. It's just
it's not fair. It's not a fair thing to give
the guys as a punishment, kind do you know what

(44:14):
I mean?

Speaker 2 (44:15):
Totally totally long, long touchdown run while we were talking
by Devon ah Chan the rookie, and the Dolphins strike
first seven nothing, even though the Bills had moved the
ball up and down the field pretty nicely, and then
there was also a non decision making issues Stefon Diggs
a couple of drives, Ago ran wide open down the
field and Alan just threw the ball right over his head.

(44:37):
So listen, I take nothing away from guys who are
made men in this league, and I don't I'm not
one of these people that's like, until you win a
Super Bowl, you're not a made guy.

Speaker 1 (44:48):
I don't buy it.

Speaker 2 (44:49):
If you have your team in contention pretty much every
year and you've shown the ability to do big things
in the playoffs, then you've got my vote. So I
have no problem with Josh Allen and Joe Burrow being
in that conversation. They're fantastic players. But those three guys
are the three guys that coming into this year everyone went,

(45:12):
all right, that's tier one Mahomes, Alan and Burrow.

Speaker 1 (45:19):
Let's take stock of tier one this year.

Speaker 2 (45:23):
Burrow with his second major injury, not that that's his fault, Yep,
Josh Allen has been.

Speaker 1 (45:30):
A turnover machine. See the discussion we just had.

Speaker 2 (45:34):
And Patrick Mahomes is engineering an offense that for whatever reason,
and I know people will point to the receivers and
drops and I get it, but for whatever reason, he's
now engineering an offense that seems to have a hard
time getting to twenty points.

Speaker 3 (45:51):
Yeah, Mahomes doesn't get a passer either. He's supposed to
be the guy. And when you're the guy, we've seen
other the guys with less talent that then he has
at the wire re serial position still win and still
put up points. I mean, we can go back we
talk about we talked about Brady earlier. You tho some

(46:11):
of those days with New England or they were giving him,
you know, the bare minimum, and he will still have
those guys making plays and leading them and putting them
in positions to win. So I don't want to give
him a pass just because guys, you know, his receiving
core isn't the same as it's been. So let's let's
also you know, put some of the blame on him
as well, because I think he's gotten to the point

(46:33):
now where it hasn't been as easy for him and
now he has to to play quarterback and it's just
not as easy as people make it to make it seems,
and even how he's made it look at certain points
during during his tenure so far. So you know, it's
it comes it comes to a point where as a
quarterback you have to evolve and you have to again

(46:54):
be a student of the game and be able to
put your players, other players, the players that are supposed
to be your wingman in positions to succeed as well.
So you know, that's that's kind of where I see it.

Speaker 2 (47:06):
Best quarterbacks in the league this year, it's it's really
it's really rather easy. Lamar Jackson, yep, Brock Purdy yeah,
uh Tua yeah, CJ.

Speaker 1 (47:17):
Stroud, I love it, And and probably Dak Prescott.

Speaker 3 (47:21):
You can't can't.

Speaker 2 (47:22):
There's your top five and I can't say and I
don't even think it's debatable.

Speaker 3 (47:27):
Yeah, you can't say it's not. I mean you look
at you look at all those guys. We I know
the numbers can be you know, misleading sometime, but you
watch those guys, you see the numbers, see the output,
you see where their teams are in the standings, and
you can't you can't say they aren't the class the
class of the NFL this year.

Speaker 2 (47:45):
I mean, I'm not a huge stat guy, but it's
a part of our of our world, and it does
tell you something. Those five guys I mentioned, those are
the five guys where a quarterback rating of one hundred
or higher.

Speaker 3 (47:58):
Well that's that. That matters.

Speaker 1 (47:59):
One other.

Speaker 2 (48:00):
Yeah, there's one other, although he only played half a year,
and that's Kirk Cousins. Yeah, and uh, you know we
we we already know I think who Kirk Cousins is
and and uh and what his limitations are. But but yeah,
those those guys are those are the guys this year,
and largely Tua and brock At a little bit of

(48:20):
doc I think are the three that get the label
of just being these sort of like system distributors.

Speaker 3 (48:29):
Yeah, and Mark, you know what you just said, they're
out of those guys you just named. We talk about
stats not being the only the only thing that matters,
which I agree, But the stat that does matter is
they're all number one in the DION in their in
their divisions. Yep, they're the top of the division. So
they're winning. They're doing something right. And I think again
we can give that label as a system, game game manager,

(48:51):
all those things you want. Give me that guy, the
guy that knows the system, knows how to get us
in the right play and occasionally can make make the
Superman play, which they all can. And I'll take that
guy any day.

Speaker 1 (49:03):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (49:04):
I mean, and by the way, if the three other
names that we were talking about were sitting like right
behind him in some of these statistical categories, then you go, okay,
that's just kind of some of the ways that the
balls bounced this year.

Speaker 1 (49:19):
But they're not.

Speaker 2 (49:19):
Patrick Mahomes is thirteenth in quarterback rating, Josh Allen is sixteenth,
Joe Burrow in his ten games, was eighteenth.

Speaker 1 (49:29):
That's what these guys did this year.

Speaker 2 (49:32):
And they are all let me make sure that I'm
right here, they are two three well, and of course
not fair because Burrow missed so much time. Yeah, but
Allen and Mahomes are two and three in interceptions this year.

Speaker 1 (49:50):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (49:51):
No, the Burrow one is a little unfair because his
rating wouldn't have been as low if he wasn't hurt
to start the season high Field, no doubt, no doubt.
But the other two, Yeah, I mean, like I said,
Patrick has been put in the situation where he's had
to force things a little bit more than he had
to in the past, and trying to force it and
make plays, and he's made some terrible decisions. And obviously,

(50:13):
I mean Josh Allen has been a terrible machine, not
just interceptions but fumbles as well. So it's been it's
been a tough season for him.

Speaker 2 (50:20):
He does have the Bills already across midfield as they
try to answer the Dolphins touchdown, and I'm with you
as they hand the ball to James Cook right now.
That's the guy that's kind of been a real key
to their resurgence here in the final month of the season,
and in a f out of the Bills, I would
look to get him a little bit more involved than

(50:42):
what they're doing. We're broadcasting live from the ty rack
dot com studios. Tyraq dot Tom will help you get
there on matt selection, fast free shipping, free road hazard
protection in over ten thousand recommended installers tyraq dot com.
The way tire buying should be. That's Kerry Rhoades in
for Kyle Rude and I'm Mark Ward Fox Sports Sunday.

(51:03):
So in just watching this one also allow us to
daydream a little bit about the.

Speaker 1 (51:10):
Matchups that may come.

Speaker 2 (51:13):
As much as you've complimented the Dolphins and they do
have the lead, there's one team in each conference that
when they have to play another good team, especially if
it's on the road, I got a big fat zero
in terms of confidence in them, and it's the Miami
Dolphins and the Dallas Cowboys. Those are the two teams

(51:37):
that I think, situationally, things just need to be perfect
for them to be at their best. So the Dolphins
have the lead here and I would suggest they better win, yes,
because even though Kansas City has not looked any bit
of themselves of late, the Dolphins at Arrowhead all banged up,

(51:58):
I think is a terrible matchup.

Speaker 3 (52:00):
It is, Yeah, the Dolphins. That's why I said it
to lead off the show. They need to They need
this win more more than Buffalo does. And I don't
think Buffalo is as dangerous as people think they aren't.
I mean, obviously yes, I mean they have weapons, and
they can they can win a game, and they have
you know, they have some I guess a little band

(52:20):
with their of playoff games that they can go to
and kind of you know, have that recollection of you know, success.
But you know, Miami really needs this win. I need
to play a home game, but they play on the road.
I don't have any confidence in them either. So I'm
right there with you.

Speaker 2 (52:36):
It looks like the Bills might might be ready to
tie this one up on the most Josh Allen touchdown
pass that I've ever seen in my life. After the conversation,
we just had a ball that absolutely bounced directly off
of I.

Speaker 1 (52:50):
Think a helmet and it went straight up in the air,
only to.

Speaker 2 (52:54):
Have a Bills receiver tot tap in the back of
the end zone and and bring it in and on review,
this one looks like it's probably going to stand.

Speaker 1 (53:03):
So there you go.

Speaker 2 (53:05):
What Josh Allen was doing in the end zone was
not working, So now just bouncing off somebody's helmet and
take your chances.

Speaker 1 (53:13):
That seems to work better.

Speaker 3 (53:15):
Yeah, I mean it's got to be the circus variety
for him to even be content with it. So there
you go.

Speaker 1 (53:21):
Unbelievable, all right, and the extra point is good and
so there we go.

Speaker 3 (53:26):
It is.

Speaker 1 (53:27):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (53:28):
I'm looking at the replay now, yeahs right off of
a dolphin pass, rusher's helmet, Bills tie the game.

Speaker 1 (53:34):
It's seven seven, all right.

Speaker 2 (53:36):
Coming up next, let's dive into the matchup that so
many people want to talk about. I'd love to hear
what you think, Carrie. Matt Stafford is going home. Jared Goff,
we'll see his old coach. Let's take a look at
that one. Coming up next on Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 5 (53:49):
dot com and within the iHeartRadio app search FS to
listen live.

Speaker 2 (54:01):
Okay, these Arethtyereg dot com studios in for Kyle Rudolph.

Speaker 1 (54:05):
It's the great Kerry Rhoads. I'm Mark Willard.

Speaker 2 (54:08):
Whatever you're doing, however, you're bringing us in here on
this Sunday evening across our land. Happy New Year to you,
and thank you for doing it with us. We're watching
Bill's Dolphins. It's seven to seven, late first half. We
will keep you posted there, Carrie. I tell you what,
the Detroit Lions are easy to dismiss. And maybe it's

(54:29):
because they're new. Maybe it's just because the Honolulu Blue
were used to them being disappointing.

Speaker 1 (54:36):
I don't know.

Speaker 2 (54:37):
But with a new coach and a new attitude, and
quite frankly, I would argue a record that's been ignored
for a while. They're not just a twelve and five
football team this year. They're also a team that finished
last year eight in two, and so I go, that's
a football team that's won twenty of its last t

(55:00):
twenty seven football games.

Speaker 1 (55:03):
So this idea that the Rams.

Speaker 2 (55:06):
Are gonna waltz into Detroit and win this football game
next week, which I think is just I don't know,
people feel like it's a birthright. Stafford has been there,
and McVeigh has been there, playoff tested and Stafford against
the Lions. So and they're they're the flavor of the month.
They've been hot, they have Yeah, and so that's all great.

(55:30):
I'm sorry, man, I think Detroit's winning that football game
and they are being they are being unfairly dismissed.

Speaker 3 (55:36):
Yeah, it's it happens. It happens in the football, it
happens in any NFL mark. It's one of those things
where you know a team can get hot and you
know it's not like the NBA right where Detroit is
the better team. You know, like the NBA. That's why
they do the series right, because in the series, the
better team is usually gonna win.

Speaker 8 (55:55):
Right.

Speaker 3 (55:56):
You're not gonna beat the number one seed two off
and four times, and and and and pull off an upset.
It's hard to do. But in the NFL one game,
a couple of mistakes and you lose to that team,
right when you know that you're the better team, but
not better that day. And I think that comes into
play a lot in in the NFL. But I'm with you.

(56:18):
I think the I think the Lions are the better team.
They've shown that over over a length of time that
makes that statement to be true. But it's gonna be
an interesting game. I think the storylines, all the stuff
that you know that comes with this game is going
to be big time. And so I'm just excited to
be a fan and watch it.

Speaker 1 (56:37):
It's gonna be great. It's it's gonna be absolutely great.

Speaker 2 (56:40):
There are a handful of matchups that that we we
already know, we know the whole NFC. We're just waiting
on the AFC because of this game. But next week,
the Buccaneers will host the Eagles. The Eagles are a
three point favorite. The Lions will host the Rams. The
Lions are three point favorite. The Cowboys will host the Packers.

(57:03):
The Cowboys are a seven point favorite in those games.
But before we look at some of the other ones,
keep hitting me a little bit on the Lions and Rams.
Here's another thing that I wonder about, and I again,
Dan Campbell. With everything that's happened in the last eight days,
the Cowboy game, the officials, you end up the three seed,

(57:25):
You've lost Sam Laporta.

Speaker 1 (57:27):
I know you said.

Speaker 2 (57:28):
The report is that it's not as bad as feared,
and that's true. However, Campbell did also say he's gonna
miss some time. I'm not expecting Laporta to be ready
in six or seven days to play in this football game.
But I also look at the Rams situation, and sometimes
when you've got to press that hard for that long

(57:51):
to get to a spot When you get there, it's
just incredibly human to take a breath.

Speaker 1 (58:00):
And they made it. They made it, they got it,
they achieved it.

Speaker 2 (58:05):
They even got the matchup that they think they want,
and I just think it's gonna be tough for them
to summon the energy that's gonna be necessary to keep
it at a high level. And you're also going up
against a home environment that's gonna be built by a
fan base that is dying for this moment.

Speaker 1 (58:27):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (58:27):
No, I agree with you there. The one thing I
costing Lions fans in this game is I'm gonna throw
a team out to you. I gotta make sure I
get this year right.

Speaker 2 (58:39):
It was.

Speaker 3 (58:41):
Two thousand and eight. It was a team that got
hot down the stretch. They you know, high flying offense
even though the Rams I wouldn't say it's a high
flying offense, a really good offense, and got hot at
the right time, made it all the way to the
Super Bowl. Lost, unlike the last play of the Super Bowl.

(59:04):
But it was Arizona Cardinals back in two thousand and eight, right,
they got hot. Nobody really expected them to, you know,
to win. You know just what you say. I think
they would probably run out of gas and go down.
As you know, it'd be a success for the Arizona
Cardinals to make the playoffs, and I think it kind
of it. Kind of this story, this narrative lens to
the Rams as well, but because I think come into

(59:25):
the year, nobody really thought the Rams would do anything.
I think there was a lot of talk about them
being in the top five of the lottery. I mean,
you know what I mean, and as far as picks go,
so for them to get hot the way they have,
I could see them having a run like that. But
I do believe that the Lions are the better team,
and it's just if the Lions come out and do
what they're supposed to and handle business, they will get

(59:45):
to win.

Speaker 1 (59:47):
Yeah, I agree with you.

Speaker 2 (59:49):
I think they've been underrated largely on both sides of
the ball. Like I even like their defense a little bit.
The Rams, look, they've they've got players, and Kyron Williams
is going to be a problem and that receiving core
is a problem all the way across the board. But
you know what, let me ask you this, because this
is a game that's also as we said, it's filled

(01:00:10):
with emotion. But sometimes I wonder if we overrate and
overstate that, because that's kind of where our minds are.
Like we're fans, so we we we sit around and go,
oh my gosh, it's it's Stafford in Detroit while golf
goes against McVeigh. This is amazing and uh and and

(01:00:30):
so we've got all of this intrigue involved. But when
you're on the field, how much of that kind of
energy and emotion has any effect.

Speaker 1 (01:00:43):
At all on what actually plays out?

Speaker 3 (01:00:47):
None. Once the game starts, you got to lay them
up and play, and you got to execute. You got
to do all the things that you've been drilled to
do throughout the week. I mean, obviously the storyline are
going to be great. They're gonna be asked about, they're
gonna be talked about. You know, all that stuff makes
for good TV, good radio, and you know, for us

(01:01:08):
it's it's exciting. But you know, Stafford's not trying to
beat the Lions because he played for the Lions. He's
trying to beat the Lions because that's the team that's
in front of him. Obviously, there's gonna be there's gonna
be connections that are you know, life lifelong connections that
that are that he's made there and it'll be fun
to see people, but once the game starts, none of

(01:01:28):
that matters. All that's out the window and you got
to beat the Lions, and the Lions gotta beat the Rams,
and that's really it.

Speaker 2 (01:01:34):
Is there a coaching edge though for McVeigh, just because
he has been there and because he.

Speaker 1 (01:01:40):
Knows Jared Goff so well, oh for.

Speaker 3 (01:01:42):
Sure, yeah, for sure, yeah, no, he definitely is gonna
know some tendencies of golfs. It's gonna help him. But again,
this is a totally different offense. I mean, this is
an offense where you know, it's it's it's similar to
what he did in the Rams. You know, they want
to run the ball, they want to play action, they
want to take shots. It's similar and I guess the

(01:02:03):
mechanics of it, but it's still different. I mean the Lions,
the running backs they have there. I mean obviously the
Ramsad Gurley doing that stretch, but they have two studs.
I mean, they have two guys that are that you
can't They're gonna have to stop them. They can't just
key in on golf. So it's going to be interesting
to see the chess match that happens.

Speaker 2 (01:02:24):
I see them as as pretty similar teams in the
way they're building. I mean, they both got uh they
both got these really good receiving corps and at a
short passing game with a I don't want to call
them immobile, but quarterback, these are pocket passers. Yes, I
want the ball out of their hand. They both have
a stud rookie running back. I think this game is

(01:02:45):
won though, because Detroit's.

Speaker 1 (01:02:46):
Defense is better. That's that's to me. That's that's where
this football game gets won.

Speaker 3 (01:02:50):
Well, the Lions defense has been a little bit consistent.
I mean down the stretch, they haven't. They haven't been
as good as they were down I mean in the
beginning of the year. The beginning of the year they
were really really good. I know, there has some injuries here,
and even even you know the way that they pressured
the quarterback early in the season, they haven't been doing
that down the stretch. So they're gonna have to get
back to that to win this game. Because if Stafford

(01:03:11):
has a clean pocket and he feels comfortable, you know
he can deal. So we'll see, we'll.

Speaker 2 (01:03:16):
See Tyreek Hill touchdown. We'll see if review holds up.
But it looks like he had it in the end
zone right before he went out of bounds.

Speaker 1 (01:03:26):
And this is with just under two minutes to go.

Speaker 2 (01:03:28):
Until halftime, So it looks like the Dolphins have moved
back in front. We've got other NFC matchups and one
AFC matchup that we know about to go over. Will
do that coming up in just a few But now
let's get Nick Coping here with the latest on everything
that's gone on and is going on.

Speaker 4 (01:03:45):
All right, guys, Well, he did just learn listen to
the TV broadcast. We're apparently gonna have the schedule at
halftime where we're gonna learn where the matchups are gonna
be oriented. So even though there's still some variables with
this game going on right now, they're gonna map it
all out for us and so we'll be able to
really dive in and see all the matchups and where

(01:04:05):
all they land coming up at halftime. So it is
now fourteen to seven in favor the Dolphins. Tyreek Kill.
He's got four catches for over fifty yards and a touchdown.
Devon a Chan had the touchdown run earlier. He's got
fifty five yards on the ground to a tongue of
Iiloa one touchdown pass and one interception. Josh Allen he
is throwing a touchdown pass, but he's been picked off

(01:04:26):
twice today. Also for the Bills, that receiver Gabe Davis.
He limped off with the knee injury and is questionable
to return. So the winner of this game they get
the AFC East title and the number two seed Buffalo loses,
they get the seven seed. We'll have a rematch next
week between these two teams. If the Dolphins are on
the losing side, they'll be the sixth seed face the Chiefs.
We do know one matchup in the AFC for sure,

(01:04:48):
that's the Texans hosting the Browns in the four to
five and the NFC, as you guys have talked about,
those matchups are sent Dolphins hosting the Packers. Green Bay
had to beat the Bears earlier today that final playoff spot.

Speaker 3 (01:05:01):
They got it done seventeen to nine.

Speaker 4 (01:05:03):
Matt Lafleur now ten to zero against Chicago in his
time as Green Bay's head coach. Matthew Stafford getting set
to make his return to Detroit. The ramstake on the Lions.
LA had to beat the forty nine Ers today twenty
one to twenty to clinch that number six seed, or
else they would toggle down to the seven seed. Otherwise,
Bucks will host the Eagles in the four to five matchup,

(01:05:23):
and Philly with a number of injury concerns. NFL Meter
reports Roocky safety Sydney Brown is believed to have torn
as acl aj Brown, the receiver he left with the
knee injury, but NFL media says it's not believed to
be serious. And then, of course Jalen Hurts he left
the game and later returned with a finger injury. Had
that finger wrapped up. Hurt said after the game that

(01:05:44):
it popped out in describing what happened to his finger,
and at this point he said he's just going to
take it day by day. And finally the top of
the draft order is set. We know the Bears will
pick first, that pick via the Carolina Panthers, and then
after that the Commander's second, Patriots third, Cardinals four, and
the Chargers will pick fifth. Mark Wielerd carry roads back
to you guys.

Speaker 2 (01:06:04):
Okay, Nick, great stuff, Thank you so much, Live tire
rack dot Com Studios. I tell you what I think,
Jayalen Hurts, the wonderful football player, I really do, And
I don't even know what he's been dealing with all year.
As far as that knee, we keep hearing about, but
it doesn't seem to show itself in games. He's able
to move around pretty well well enough. He's certainly able

(01:06:26):
to pull off the tush push and all of that.
But with this finger situation, Carrie, I'm sure you've done it.
When you dislocate a finger and then pop it back
into place, it's not just like cool, now my finger's
back in place like that thing. It could be broken.
It swells up like crazy. This is a quarterback that

(01:06:48):
we're talking about. Ye, And so they head on the
road to Tampa, and I know Tampa in theory doesn't
really scare anyone, but man, you know, Baker has been
kind of sneak good this year, and the Eagles are
already just they've been awful the last six weeks. They've
been absolutely awful. And now from Sydney Brown to A. J.

(01:07:10):
Brown to Jalen Hurts, who's showing up for this game?

Speaker 3 (01:07:16):
You know what, Mark, if it was any team they
were playing outside of Tampa Bay, I think they lose
this game. And I'm not saying they won't lose because
they I mean, they quite possibly could. But if it
was any other of the playoff teams that are in
the playoffs right now, they lose that game for sure.
So's it's actually crazy for me to kind of think

(01:07:38):
about right now, the fact that they've played so bad
and they still kind of fell in the place where
they could win a game and then you know, once
you win one, you could pick up, you know, some
momentum and keep going. But yeah, I mean, something like
we said, like we said earlier, something's not right with
this team, and you know, the injuries are starting to
pile up as well, and they just don't They're not
right and they're not in a good place. So it's

(01:07:59):
gonna be interesting to see how what team shows up
or like you said, who's going to show up to
play this game against the Buccaneers.

Speaker 1 (01:08:07):
Yeah, I wonder.

Speaker 2 (01:08:08):
I wonder, Like I mean, I I think there's a chance, uh,
especially with how out of sync that offense has already been.
If Jalon Hurts has any difficulty throwing the ball, I
think that entire offense could be so compromised to the
point where, yes, even Tampa Bay can can can take
them down.

Speaker 1 (01:08:26):
Next week, but uh, we'll circle back to that.

Speaker 2 (01:08:30):
As Nick was rolling through the matchups already in place,
he mentioned that Cleveland will be at Houston and Carrie,
you made.

Speaker 3 (01:08:37):
A noise seeing you just made another one more time?

Speaker 2 (01:08:40):
Our Cleveland will be at Houston. Yeah, and and and
so what's that about? Like, what are you reacting to
in that matchup?

Speaker 3 (01:08:48):
Cleveland's my sleeper, Okay, I mean, I think Houston's been
a great success story. My former high school teammate Demico Ryans,
He's done the heck of job out there in Houston,
and it's just it's been a beautiful story to see.
To see c J. Stroud have all the adversity coming

(01:09:08):
into this year. I mean people talking about his wonderlick
scores and his IQ, can he process?

Speaker 1 (01:09:14):
Is he the right pick?

Speaker 3 (01:09:15):
You know, all these things For him to come out
and play the way he played this year, man, it's
just been nothing short of just remarkable. So I love
the story. But you know what story I love a
little bit better than that. It's Flocko coming off the
couch and going in there and writing the ship for Cleveland.
I mean, that team is going to be dangerous. He's

(01:09:36):
not scared. He's been there before. That defense is top
notch anyway, And so you talk about getting hot and
being able to win some games in the playoffs, and
next thing you know, they have a chance to do
something historic. I think Cleveland is one of those teams.

Speaker 2 (01:09:50):
I tell you what, nothing but respect for both of
these squads. I think they're going to finish one and
two in the Coach of the Year vote. Yep, Stefans
and Demico Ryans. I agree with you on that one completely.

Speaker 1 (01:10:05):
And they're both great stories. They have both I don't
necessarily love.

Speaker 2 (01:10:10):
This word, they probably wouldn't love it, but they've both
overachieved with what they've had to deal with. Stroud miss time,
Tank Dell goes out, they're a young, young team.

Speaker 1 (01:10:20):
And then Cleveland four quarterbacks? Are you kidding me?

Speaker 2 (01:10:24):
Four quarterbacks? And you pop out with eleven wins. So
all of it is really really good stuff. But what
if I said to you that the Flacco thing, Yes,
great story, nothing but respect, but are we a little
over our skis as far as the talking points?

Speaker 1 (01:10:47):
Because Flacco came in.

Speaker 2 (01:10:49):
He threw for over three hundred yards in each of
the four victories that he engineered However, in those five
games that he played, this got totally swept under the
rug because of the results.

Speaker 1 (01:11:06):
The fact that they were winning. Quite frankly, it was
a pretty soft schedule. He get picked off eight times,
yes he did. He threw eight.

Speaker 2 (01:11:16):
He did not play a game where he didn't throw
an interception. So I'll say it right now.

Speaker 1 (01:11:24):
I like Houston in this game.

Speaker 3 (01:11:26):
Okay, I like I like the Houston.

Speaker 1 (01:11:28):
Texans in this football game.

Speaker 2 (01:11:32):
And I think the Flacco story is a really good
one that comes to it at next weekend.

Speaker 3 (01:11:36):
Well you know what I said. I mean, him coming
off the couchs off the streets. It just gives all
us former players hope.

Speaker 1 (01:11:44):
You know what I mean.

Speaker 3 (01:11:45):
We always think we can watch the game and we're
like like, yeah I could. I think I could do
that to steal at forty one, Yeah, I think I
can go take a drop and give me a couple
of picks. So, you know, for him to go out
there and play that way and make a lot of
you know, make a lot of touchdowns, and like I said,
right that ship, it's just been a beautiful story for me.
But you're right, I mean, he has throwing picks, but

(01:12:06):
I think that's the part of him that they've kind
of had to live with, right, He's not afraid, and
a lot of those guys are afraid to make mistakes.
He's not.

Speaker 1 (01:12:17):
And I think.

Speaker 3 (01:12:17):
There's some positivity to that, and there's a negative side
to that as well. And so if he gets into
a situation where he throws one at the bad time,
they can lose.

Speaker 9 (01:12:26):
But for the most part, they've been winning. So you
got to give him Credit's got something, Yeah, no doubt
about it. And these two played just a couple of
weeks ago, but of course CJ. Stroud was not in
the game. Nick Cope joins us again with something on
this discussion. Hey, Nick, what's up?

Speaker 4 (01:12:43):
Well, I just we're getting some of the game times
trickling in, So I thought you guys might like to
know Brown's at Jaxson's. That'll be four to thirty eastern
on Saturday, Packers at Cowboys, no surprise for thirty eastern
on Sunday. So we got those two game times via schefter.

Speaker 2 (01:12:59):
Just then, okay, and remember this is Super Weekend, so
there will also be a game on Monday night and
uh and and so six games and and but there's
the the the afternoon sort of primetime stuff if you will,
Cowboys hosting the Packers. You knew that would get the
late Sunday window. Saturday will be Cleveland and Houston. And

(01:13:23):
as I've been reminding anyone who listened Carrie, go get
yourself or find out if you've got a friend or
something that has Peacock, because that's where the first playoff
came of the year will be played. As far as
the television product, it's gonna be on Peacock.

Speaker 1 (01:13:38):
And I don't want.

Speaker 2 (01:13:39):
People to wake up Saturday morning, go all right, where's
the NFL playoffs?

Speaker 1 (01:13:43):
Honey?

Speaker 10 (01:13:45):
Do we subscribe to Peacock? Like I You know, I'm
worried about people, carry no worry about me. Now I
gotta find a place to watch it. So now you
gotta find a place. I might i' might just coming
to work to make sure I see there you.

Speaker 1 (01:13:58):
Go, there you go? All right?

Speaker 2 (01:14:00):
The Eagles issue is not done yet, and also coming
up still ahead, we'll circle back to where we started today,
which was what I thought was the worst coaching performance
of the entire year.

Speaker 1 (01:14:13):
So all of that is ahead with Kerry Rhoades. I'm
mark whether this is Fox Sports.

Speaker 5 (01:14:17):
Radio 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 1 (01:14:30):
These arethetyrog dot com studios. I need to know what
you think. Carry, I need to know what you think.
The Bills took a chance, and that's all they've been
doing all night, and they keep coming up. Snake guys. Man,
they keep coming up snake guys.

Speaker 2 (01:14:46):
What would you all do? Everybody listen. Eleven seconds to go,
You're down fourteen to seven. You've got the ball just
shy of the ten yard line, but you've got no timeouts.
It's the classic drop back. Do not take a sack
if it's not there, Josh, throw it away, but you
gotta throw it into the end zone. Well, he completes

(01:15:09):
a pass at the two, hoping the receiver will get in.

Speaker 1 (01:15:15):
The receiver gets stopped at the one.

Speaker 3 (01:15:17):
Yeah, my hands went that's my hands went up in
the air. Mark. As it was happening, I was like,
what are they doing? If he gets in, obviously it's
a great play. He did not get in, So it's
not a good play. What I mean, it's it sucks.
That's crazy. That's crazy.

Speaker 2 (01:15:36):
I just feel like we've arrived at a time in
the NFL where there are so many coaches and maybe
this is analytics, maybe it's a little machismo, maybe it's
playing to the entertainment side of all of this, but
my god, coaches.

Speaker 1 (01:15:55):
Are allergic to field goals. Allergic.

Speaker 2 (01:16:01):
Yes, it's like taking three is a personal affront when
it when it comes to these situations. And I'm looking
now at a Bills team that's down by seven points
and has thrown two interceptions in the end zone and
now this, and you, boy, you want to talk about
playing with fire when the difference in this game is

(01:16:24):
either having to do it again next week home to
Miami or getting a home game.

Speaker 1 (01:16:30):
Against a T. J. Wattless Pittsburgh Steelers team.

Speaker 2 (01:16:34):
Dude, dude, Like, I don't know, man, like take take
a mature play once at least once, but it's just.

Speaker 1 (01:16:44):
It's not in their DNA.

Speaker 3 (01:16:46):
Yeah, a lot of these. You're right, You're right, Mark.
I'm having the same issue with with with coaches this
year as well. And I think being here in LA
we get we get a glimpse of that all the
time with with the l h rges and now you know,
doing the analytic thing right where it's where it's you know,
and that in that time, with that in that place,

(01:17:07):
we take one more shot at it, obviously, which is
a smart play. You take one more shot, but but
you throw that to the end zone, or you throw
out a bounds. You do not throw it in play
where you can get tackled and not get any play.
So it's situational awareness awareness. A lot of these teams
don't have it right now, and more importantly, the coaches
don't because they're trying to outscore people at a clip

(01:17:28):
that just isn't sustainable. So yeah, it's it's, it's it's
it's been crazy for me to see this year.

Speaker 1 (01:17:34):
It's wild. It's wild. I think we've seen it over
and over.

Speaker 2 (01:17:39):
I watched Belichick do it about three or four weeks
ago where they're just left three out there in order
to go for it.

Speaker 1 (01:17:45):
If it's fourth and three or less.

Speaker 2 (01:17:48):
It's almost like And again, I don't think people are
are playing to the fan base or afraid of the
fan base.

Speaker 1 (01:17:56):
I really don't think that. But there is something that
is very.

Speaker 2 (01:18:01):
Sort of emotionally drab about the idea of not going
forward on fourth and three, it's almost like an admission.
It's an admission that you don't have a play call,
like you just don't have it, you know, like you should.
You should be able to draw something up that gets
you two and a half to three yards whenever you want,

(01:18:24):
every time, and therefore if.

Speaker 1 (01:18:26):
You don't go for it, that's what it feels like.
It feels like a coach is making an admission. And
I get that.

Speaker 2 (01:18:35):
But by the same token, I don't know how many
games you watched finish at twenty one to twenty today.

Speaker 1 (01:18:40):
But three points is pretty valuable.

Speaker 2 (01:18:44):
Forty nine ers missed a field goal and an extra
point today lost by one.

Speaker 1 (01:18:47):
Yes, so a couple of points here and there it
can change a football game.

Speaker 3 (01:18:52):
Mark It's it's it's keeping up with the joneses. You
got so many, you got so many of these young
head coaches that are that are being super aggressive, aggressive,
and you know, like again, you have to keep up
with the times, right, But I also think there's a
purity that comes with doing the right thing taking the
points in certain positions. Now, there there are times when

(01:19:14):
you have to be aggressive and you have to you know,
go forward on foot downs and you know, some of
those things do need to happen, but they're doing it
so so willy nilly now that it's just it's almost
becoming Madden now instead instead of the NFL. And that's
the part where it's kind of crazy for me.

Speaker 2 (01:19:30):
Well, and let me ask you this because we always here,
like even just go back to when Dan Campbell was
at the two yard line, forget when he was at
the seventh Yeah, do you like the idea from from
the get go, because we always hear that when a
coach does that, boy, it fires the sideline up.

Speaker 1 (01:19:45):
The players love it.

Speaker 3 (01:19:46):
Sure, sure, the you know it's it's crazy because I
think we there's a game early on in the year
where an old school coach, Ron Riveravera and the Commanders
had a chance to go for two to win a game.
I can't remember who it was. I think it was
the Eagles got a chance to go for to and
win the game and it kicks your extra point, go
to overtime and lose. Right, we wanted him to be aggressive,

(01:20:11):
you know, and then we have a situation where Campbell
was aggressive. It didn't work. It didn't work, and we
get we blame him. So it's it's one of those
things where it's a catch twenty two.

Speaker 1 (01:20:22):
No question about it.

Speaker 2 (01:20:23):
There are always situations for it, but it seems like
all the situations are for it now with the way
that most coaches play it out. Speaking of coaches, Arthur Smith,
Dennis Allen, it got hot. We're gonna get to that
coming up next on Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 1 (01:20:41):
Don't listening to Fox Sports Radio Radio. Should have known, Carrie,
should have known.

Speaker 2 (01:20:48):
You should have known after even the way we sat
there talked about that Eagles Bucks game. They're like, yeah,
let's let's not even put that one on the weekend.
Let's let's just make that on Monday night and we'll
tuck it in at the end of the whole process.
And I don't know, hope nobody notices, right, I mean,
Baker Mayfield is hosting a one handed Jalen Hurts.

Speaker 1 (01:21:11):
So that's what you get exactly.

Speaker 3 (01:21:13):
No, No, it may it makes sense, but no, what
is we talked about earlier?

Speaker 5 (01:21:17):
Though?

Speaker 3 (01:21:17):
It's been such a pleasant surprise for me, and I've
really been high on on Baker man, you know, being
able to kind of rewrite his narrative in his story
and kind of been cast away, and you know he's
back into playoffs. We just can't get rid of Baker Mayfieldield.

Speaker 1 (01:21:34):
No, we cannot. We cannot get rid of Baker Mayfield.

Speaker 2 (01:21:37):
And he has put himself in an interesting spot when
we talk about and and you know, before we get
to what happened in New Orleans today, maybe we can
bounce around with this a little bit. The teams that
definitely need a quarterback and what exactly they're going to
do about it.

Speaker 1 (01:21:55):
So you know you've been hearing.

Speaker 2 (01:21:57):
Nick talk about the draft order, and it'll all start
with the Bears and what do they want to do?

Speaker 1 (01:22:04):
What would you do? Carrie? You going you're going all
in on Justin Fields or are you going in a
different direction.

Speaker 3 (01:22:10):
I'm going in. I'm going in on Justin Fields and this.
And the reason I say that is just I mean,
we obviously have seen what he can do down the
stretch here, He's played better, the team has rallied around them,
I mean even the city. I mean the city has
been showing their support for him. So I'm going to
make him my guy. There's other other things they need

(01:22:32):
that that can bolster that team and put them in
the position to win and they're close. They're not far off,
even though you know, I think their final record with
seven and ten, they've they're definitely trending in the right
direction and kind of they're kind of giving me me
detroit lyons energy. Now I'm not saying it's going to
happen the same way, but the way they finished down

(01:22:52):
the stretch and what's competitive And you know, even had
a chance today to be the team that was going
to the playoffs. So I would give him the chance
and build around that with the picks that they have
they have.

Speaker 1 (01:23:05):
I tell you what two reasons I agree with you.

Speaker 2 (01:23:07):
Number One, justin Field screams the kind of guy that
if you're like, you know what, we're going to go
in a different direction, oh my god, you're gonna regret, Like,
doesn't he just feel like somebody who if he ended
up on the Falcons next year and he played near

(01:23:28):
home on a fast track with Kyle Pitts and Drake
London doesn't and b Jon Robinson doesn't, it just feel like,
oh my god, he's a star and we let him go.

Speaker 1 (01:23:40):
Like I don't know that he is, but I'm not
sure that he's not.

Speaker 2 (01:23:45):
And if I were the Bears, knowing that his whole
career has been played in like sloppy soldier field and
the whole time. One year we gave him one receiver.
One year, we gave him one receiver. And by the way,
DJ Moore had a pretty freaking good year. Yes, it
did pretty freaking good year and went out there and

(01:24:07):
went for thirteen hundred yards. It would terrify me if
we gave up on Justin Fields that he would go
somewhere else and become an absolute stud.

Speaker 3 (01:24:16):
Yeah, in that point you just made right there the
threat of him leaving, and obviously he's picked up his
play to a point where you could see the potential
of him being what you just said, a star star.
And that is the team that I kind of had
in mind as well Atlanta. Now, if what would be
the asking price would be another thing that comes into

(01:24:38):
play here, Right, So if Atlanta did offer something that
you couldn't refuse for Justin Phils and you take that
and then you take Caleb Williams with the number one pick,
then I understand it. But other than that, just to
get rid of him, to get off him, to get
another quarterback, I wouldn't play around with that because number
one is a GM and that says you made the

(01:25:01):
wrong pick right right, and so you lost as a GM.
So you don't want that on your record either your
record either.

Speaker 2 (01:25:09):
Well, here's the other thing, and to the point of
what you can put around justin fields, I don't know
if in recent memory carry I've seen a more powerful
draft position than the Bears have right now. So they
are in inc They've got number one and number nine,
so they've already got two top ten picks.

Speaker 1 (01:25:31):
But it doesn't stop there.

Speaker 2 (01:25:33):
They've gotten number one in a year where there are
very impressive, intriguing quarterback prospects on the board, and no
less than two teams sitting right behind them who you
know are dying for the quarterbacks. Washington at two, New

(01:25:57):
England at three. Yes, they're going quarterback.

Speaker 3 (01:25:59):
Yes.

Speaker 2 (01:26:00):
And so if I'm Chicago, I'm sitting there with that
first pick, and I'm calling both teams, and I'm going dance, dance,
and i want to see how well you dance. And
then when you're done dancing, you're gonna dance some more.
Because whichever player you want, we hold the power to

(01:26:20):
put either one of you over the other one, and
you may be able to pull a deal twice.

Speaker 1 (01:26:27):
Washington, you want to move up to one. Cool. Once
you move to two, you can look into England and go,
would you like to move up to two?

Speaker 2 (01:26:34):
You could end up with half the first round for
crying out loud for the next couple of years if
you play this right, if you're the Bears, and if
you do that, what you could put around justin fields
starting with Marvin Harrison junior by the way, next to
Dj Moore and an offensive lineman and defensive players like,

(01:26:55):
what you could put around justin fields could be pretty interesting, Carrie.

Speaker 3 (01:27:00):
And that's that's where I would go. I mean, they
hold the cards here. They have a chance to really
really improve their team in a short amount of time.
I mean, and really one draft they can get all
of their needs that they want to. So if they
play it right, knowing that they have the trump card
in their hands, if they use it correctly, this could

(01:27:20):
be a big, big, big off season for them and
put them into real contention to be a team that
you know, makes the playoffs and start to really be
able to beat Green Bay right down the stretch.

Speaker 2 (01:27:31):
Here right absolutely, And then just looking at the whole
top ten and you know, Nick has mentioned it.

Speaker 1 (01:27:38):
The top eighteen are in place.

Speaker 2 (01:27:40):
It goes Bears, Commander's Patriots, then Cardinals, Chargers, Giants, then Titans, Falcons,
Bears again, and then the Jets, and sitting at eleven
the Vikings, who are also very interesting quarterback wise, with
Kirk Cousins as a free agent and Justin Jefferson unsigned
as far as an extension, So all kinds of stuff there.

(01:28:02):
But I wonder, like, in that group, who else do
you see with not only eyes on a quarterback but
how they'll play it. Commander's Patriots, that's obvious, But then
sitting at number.

Speaker 1 (01:28:12):
Four is the Cardinals. Okay, what do you do?

Speaker 2 (01:28:16):
Kyler Murray not not that long ago signed but then
major injury and just also, uh, the overall thought around
him is still up in the air.

Speaker 1 (01:28:29):
Well.

Speaker 3 (01:28:29):
I mean, I think you saw last week their head coach,
Jonathan Gannon came out and said, you know, Kyler was
the guy, and you know we can you can you
can take that with a grain of salt a lot
of times, but you know it seemed like he was
sincere and that and another this is funny another head
coach that's a former teammate of mine. So I do
know him when he speaks, and I know if he's

(01:28:50):
being sincere or not. So it looks like he was
he was, and if Kyler is that guy then yes,
I mean, I mean the part where Arizona has been
winning some games here down the stretches actually put them
in a position to be outside of that top the
top couple ones that to get those you know, Drake
Maids or Caleb Williams or Marvin Harrison picks and so

(01:29:11):
you know, obviously those that's probably the cream of the
cop for any team really coming into this draft, those
those three names and being outside of that, you probably
want to try to move up to get in that
top three to have a chance at one of those guys.
So there's definitely going to be some action. I think
Arizona's going to give Kyler another shot here, healthy healthy

(01:29:32):
Calamaria shot, and he showed some flashes again this year
of who he was before. But we we you know
the juries said, I don't him.

Speaker 2 (01:29:39):
Yeah, I agree with you with your assessment there and
the way that'll play. Chargers sitting at five, they've got Herbert,
so they're not going to do anything. The Giants are fascinating.
Their GM said recently they would add a quarterback either
through the draft or free agency, But how does that
look a year after a four plus million per year

(01:30:02):
deal for Daniel Jones who barely played this year.

Speaker 3 (01:30:06):
I mean, the fact that they did that and didn't
want to pay their best player of the money and
give it to him, it's just a bad look. So
totally for them to be talking about Bill and on
Daniel Jones at this point is just at an abject failure.
They would call it, and it wouldn't look good for them,
good for them.

Speaker 2 (01:30:25):
Titans at seven could also go either direction. Are they
interested in Will Levis? Do they want him to compete
for it? That one is kind of a coin flip.
Falcons at eight, you gotta think that they're very interested
in the quarterback market. And then the Jets will be
trading a quarterback. But that's not Aaron Rodgers. They'll trade

(01:30:45):
Zach Wilson, you would think. And so that's how that
top ten kind of plays out real quick. While we're
on it, what would you do if you were the
Vikings sitting at eleven, Cousins hitting free agency, Justin Jefferson
unsigned and screaming on the sideline as he left the field.

Speaker 3 (01:31:00):
Today, the Vikings are in a position where things can
go south really quickly for them. I mean, Kirk Cousins
is obviously coming off a catastrophic Achilles injury, and you
know there was talks even before this year if this
is going to be it for him and where they
going to move on anyway. So I think even if

(01:31:21):
they're bringing him back in to compete, they're going to
have to get another quarterback in there to be the
future of that team, and you definitely got to bring
somebody in that's going to be be there to be
paired with Justin Jefferson, because if he's going to be
your future there, you're going to have some have to
have somebody there that can get him the ball and
keep him happy. So they're definitely in the market for KB.

(01:31:44):
I don't know how they're going to maneuver that situation,
but yes, they're one of those things that if they
can trade up in there some kind of way to
get in that top three for to get a chance
at one of those guys or even where they are,
they maybe maybe they can take a Pinnix or a
Daniels M. Daniels and take and take a risk of

(01:32:05):
one of those guys. So it's going to be interesting
to see, interesting to.

Speaker 2 (01:32:07):
See broadcasting live tyraq dot com Studios. Tyrek dot com
will help you get there an unmatched selection, fast, free shipping,
free roadhazard protection, and over ten thousand recommended installers. Tyrek
dot com the way tire buying should be all right. So,
as you heard Nick mention about ten minutes ago, we
have the playoff matchup set, the game times and all
of that. We don't know exactly who's playing who and

(01:32:29):
all of them yet because the Bills and Dolphins are
still working it out.

Speaker 1 (01:32:32):
But more on that coming up and.

Speaker 2 (01:32:34):
Additional details in the Arthur Smith Dennis Allen situation in
New Orleans earlier today.

Speaker 1 (01:32:40):
All of that is coming up next.

Speaker 2 (01:32:41):
Carrie Roads in for Kyle Rudolph Mark Willard with you
as well on Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 5 (01:32:46):
dot com and within the iHeartRadio app search FSR to
listen live.

Speaker 2 (01:32:58):
Tyrag dot com Studios. Bill's looking hot in here, but
they always do. At this point in the drive, they
moved down the field and then something goes sideways, so
we'll see they're into.

Speaker 1 (01:33:09):
Dolphins territory again.

Speaker 2 (01:33:13):
But the Dolphins continue to lead fourteen to seven as
they move into the late portions of the third quarter
in this very very pivotal matchup.

Speaker 1 (01:33:24):
So we'll get back to that.

Speaker 2 (01:33:26):
The playoff matchups are all set lots to get to
with all of that, but circling back to where we
started tonight, Carrie and it's Mark Willard and Kerry Rhodes
with you carry in for Kyle Rudolph. Tonight, the Saints
and Falcons played, and when you and I talked about
this the first time around, we didn't really get to
the portion of the story that's a little bit deeper.

(01:33:47):
We talked about Arthur Smith being completely angry that on
one of the last plays of the game, when the
Saints could have taken a knee instead, they ran Jamal
Williams in for a one yard touchdown, making a forty
one to seven team game forty.

Speaker 1 (01:34:01):
Eight to seventeen.

Speaker 2 (01:34:03):
Apparently, Arthur Smith, coach of the Falcons, had the Falcons
plus thirty and so he lost and was very very
upset about it. I don't buy it at the pro
sports level. I just don't think there's any such thing
as rubbing it in or running it up. But Dennis

(01:34:24):
Allen says that he put in victory formation and his
players overruled him, ran a play that was counterintuitive to
what he was trying to do because Williams hadn't scored
a touchdown all year and they got him a score.

Speaker 1 (01:34:41):
Smith was furious. Allan was apologetic.

Speaker 2 (01:34:45):
I get why he apologized, But Carrie, let's dive into
this angle of it a little bit. How do you
feel about the idea of players wanting personal or statistical.

Speaker 1 (01:34:59):
Gain and doing it in in that way when you've
already got a game in hand.

Speaker 3 (01:35:04):
Huh, Well, again, some of these guys have incentives they
have they're trying to reach. Again, a guy that's been there,
been tenured, a big player for them, hadn't scored a
touchdown all year, last game of the season. Does it
really matter Let the man score a touchdown, I mean,

(01:35:25):
or you try to stop him and go from there.
And if if the play was called, which I did say,
I saw an interview with James Jameis Winston saying, yes,
the victory formation was called, we had the option to
override it. And as players. We wanted to get William
to touch down, and that's what they did. And again,
again you have a chance to stop that as well,

(01:35:46):
and they did not stop it. So I mean, I'm
all for taking care of players. You know, I'm a player,
former player obviously, So if they want to get their
guy a touchdown and you stop us, stop us.

Speaker 2 (01:35:58):
Kyle Shanahan earlier this year year was trying to get
Christian McCaffrey a record of the streak for consecutive games
with at least one touchdown.

Speaker 1 (01:36:10):
Yeah, it it eventually ended, but they.

Speaker 2 (01:36:15):
Made no bones about the fact that towards the end
of the game, that's what they were trying to do. Obviously,
they were doing it at a time where a game
was completely in hand for the forty nine ers.

Speaker 8 (01:36:25):
Boy, I didn't I didn't hear anybody get upset. What's
the difference, Well, we know the difference. Arth the Smith's
on the hot seat. So again we talked about it.
It's it's personal for him and and you know, like
I said, emotions run high in that game, and we
talked about emotions with Dan Campbell, right and how he

(01:36:45):
got you know, excited and couldn't it was seeing red
and couldn't differentiate between going for two at the at
the thirty thirty five yard line or kid me extra points.
So you know it happens in the hit the Battle sometimestimes.
And you know, we saw Arthur Smith apologize as well
about his behavior and even changed the tenor of what

(01:37:06):
he was trying to communicate or convey after.

Speaker 3 (01:37:08):
But you know, it goes with it sometimes.

Speaker 1 (01:37:10):
Sometimes Yeah, I just don't and maybe I'm weird this way.

Speaker 2 (01:37:14):
I don't have any issue with guys wanting that kind
of whether you want to refer to it as statistical
glory or what have you. Like, I do love when
when fans sit around and be like, come on, be classy,
be like Barry Sanders, be classy, dude, score an NFL touchdown.

Speaker 3 (01:37:37):
That's amazing.

Speaker 2 (01:37:38):
It is like I please, like, I why and you
pointed it out there? I think so often we look
at this from the lens of well, you didn't need
to score that, so be nice. Well you didn't need
to care that he did. What the hell does Arthur Smith?
Is he calling his boss and like, so we only

(01:38:00):
lost forty one seventeen. Yeah, so I get to keep
my job right, right, because we were we were tied
at halftime, and then we got blown off of the
field to the point where we only lost by twenty four.
It's not like I lost by thirty one or anything.
So you're gonna keep me right, Like, what is the
damn difference?

Speaker 3 (01:38:21):
Yeah, I don't know. I mean the final score part
of it. Yes, it doesn't, It doesn't make a difference.
It's a loss, I think. I think there's finer details
and if his players are still fighting for him, still
competing for him, and I think that's the other underlying thing, right,
So no matter what what's going on in the game,
are they still listening, is his voice still being heard?

(01:38:46):
Are they they trying their best to to not let
this person score or let this team score. All these
questions are the questions that I would have more than
the actual final, final score, final score.

Speaker 2 (01:39:00):
I just think that sometimes we have a hard time
as sports fans blending the difference between what's happening down
the street at your local school on a Saturday afternoon
and BA jillion dollar professional football. It's funny to me
that we've now got room for feelings. We've got room

(01:39:23):
for feelings. Carrie, Carrie Wide receivers used to come over
the middle and you would take your and their life
into your own hands.

Speaker 1 (01:39:31):
Yeah, and now we don't have an issue with that.
But I'm I'm worried about a dude in.

Speaker 2 (01:39:38):
A baseball hat and his feelings because you scored a
touchdown at the end of a decided game.

Speaker 1 (01:39:48):
Since when are we doing feelings in the NFL.

Speaker 3 (01:39:52):
I don't think we are. I think he is, and
I think there has been in the past. It's almost
like an unwritten rule or a code of ethics where
you don't you don't embarrass your opponents, right, And I
think that was taught. And so if you're from that.

Speaker 1 (01:40:11):
Old school.

Speaker 3 (01:40:13):
Approach to the game, then you would probably be a
little bothered by that, right Yeah. So I think that's
where this is is, I guess, becoming a conversation or
a topic of discussion because now everything's so broadcast for
the world to see. Every little thing, and the handshakes,
the handshake line, all that stuff is very crystal clear.

(01:40:35):
There's no grainy footage of the nineteen sixty five Cleveland
Browns playing the old Baltimore Cults or something like. We
can actually see everything that's going on, So to say
that it hasn't happened in the past is not true.
We just haven't seen it, so we see it all now.

Speaker 2 (01:40:54):
Well, you know what, the other funny thing is the
sort of comical hypocrisy of all this. Now, Jamal Williams
a very accomplished football player. Heck, I think he might
have led the did he lead running backs and touchdowns
last year? So it's not like the guy's never touched
the end zone or something like that. This is a
very very accomplished veteran player. But at the same time,
the mere idea of hey, it's the end of the year,

(01:41:18):
we've got a decided game, let's get a little nod
to someone we love is something that is time honored
and constant in sports.

Speaker 1 (01:41:30):
There's a movie about it. It's called Rudy. This is
what we do. You get to the end of the
year and a game.

Speaker 2 (01:41:39):
Is decided, and you start looking around and going, hey,
who can we get a little Hey?

Speaker 1 (01:41:44):
How you doing to We do that even in youth sports,
see it all the time.

Speaker 2 (01:41:50):
End of the year, Little Bobby hasn't scored all year
long because he rides the pend.

Speaker 3 (01:41:56):
You because you said Bobby's very clearly.

Speaker 1 (01:42:03):
Right, I mean, he's the least athletic kid on the team.
Let's see.

Speaker 2 (01:42:08):
In fact, I've even seen coaches have a little meeting
with each other. Hey, get your let.

Speaker 1 (01:42:13):
The get out of the way for a little bit.

Speaker 2 (01:42:15):
Let's you see, get this kid a shot at the
hoop and see if he could put a bucket in
because he hasn't scored one all year long.

Speaker 1 (01:42:22):
And we do it. And when we do it, oh
my gosh.

Speaker 2 (01:42:25):
It's a standing ovation amongst all of the parents because
the cutest thing happened.

Speaker 1 (01:42:30):
I hope you got a video for Instagram, but.

Speaker 2 (01:42:33):
But but here we do it for Jamal Williams, who
the Saints loved, because the dude's a total team leader.

Speaker 1 (01:42:38):
And we're we're offended till we're red in the face.

Speaker 3 (01:42:42):
Yeah, I don't think, yeah, right, but I don't think.
I don't think we're really offended. I mean, I'm sure
you can see. I mean, I know you're not off
and I'm not offended, but I'm sure again, there are
some old heads that are that are you know, in
their in their sixties, and they're they just learn how
to do her X a couple of months ago, and

(01:43:02):
they're responding to it right, and so the old the
old way would be, you've won the game, you take
a knee, and you get out of there, right, right.
But again, what we talked about, we don't know all
the interworkings of what they know. Well, we do know
that they it was the play was over ridden to

(01:43:24):
to get a guy who's been there busting this tail
all year to get him a touchdown. That's a great
story on one end, and on the other end, the
people that are losing, they take a certain you know,
they take a certain uh I guess disliking to that that.

Speaker 2 (01:43:40):
Yeah, look, he's only twenty eight years old. Like the
thought across my mind too, I'm like, is he retiring? Maybe,
But like I doubt it. He's only twenty eight years
old and still a very productive back rush for almost
four thousand yards in his career. So but who knows,
you know, I mean, if you were to hear that

(01:44:01):
announcement the next day, wouldn't you feel a little bit
different about the what the Saints just did?

Speaker 1 (01:44:07):
So who knows?

Speaker 2 (01:44:09):
But either way, Mark Willard Carry Rhodes and we've got
the playoff matchup set.

Speaker 1 (01:44:15):
We'll talk more about them coming up.

Speaker 2 (01:44:16):
But Nick Cope's gonna jump in right now and tell
all of you exactly what they are with what's trending?

Speaker 3 (01:44:21):
Hey, Nick, Hey, what's up guys.

Speaker 4 (01:44:23):
Yeah, I'll get to those in just a moment, But
just to update this Sunday night football game. Dolphins still
leading the Bills fourteen to seven, the fourth quarter just
underway in South Florida. Tough night for Josh Allen. He's
thrown two to interceptions and the moments to go Buffalo
driving again, but a strip sack from the Dolphins able
to take the ball away. So three turnovers for Josh

(01:44:44):
Allen and they've all come in plus territory as well,
and Miami is currently on the move. They just had
a completion of Tyreekill challenge. Looks like it's going to
be reversed, but Miami leading by seven. They still got
the entire fourth quarter to go. News in this game,
Bills receiver Gabe Davis out with the knee injury, and
another injury for the Dolphins defense, linebacker Andrew van Ginkel.

(01:45:08):
He has been ruled out with a foot injury. Again,
seven point lead for Miami. We could have this same
matchup if the score holds again next weekend, Let's get
to the Super wild Card weekend. In the schedule, it's
gonna start four to thirty Eastern on Saturday, the Browns
at the Texans. Then the nightcap eight eastern. It will
be the Chiefs against an opponent to be determined, and

(01:45:30):
this will be the streaming only game on Peacock. So
if you want to watch the Chiefs, you're gonna have
to get Peacock to do it.

Speaker 3 (01:45:37):
Based on the current score here.

Speaker 4 (01:45:39):
In Sunday Night Football, it would be the Steelers at
the Chiefs, and then we would get the rematch of
the Bills and the Dolphins. That would be one eastern.
On Sunday, we'll have the Packers Cowboys four thirty eastern.
That'll be on Fox Rams that lines. That'll be your
Sunday night game eight fifteen eastern, and then the Eagles
at the Bucks that'll be on Monday night. Order is

(01:46:00):
set in just to give you the top picks you
guys talked about it earlier this hour. Bears will pick
first via the Panthers, then picking second the Commanders, followed
by the Patriots, Cardinals, and the Chargers. The rest of
the top five and so Baseball News this evening, free
agent outfielder Tawsker Hernandez is set to sign with the
Dodgers one year, twenty three and a half million, and

(01:46:21):
according to reports, eight and a half million of that
deal will be deferred into the twenty thirties. Let's go
back to Mark Willard and carry Rhoades Roads.

Speaker 2 (01:46:29):
Okay, Nick, thank you very much, appreciate it. We are
live in the tire rack dot Com studios and taking
a look at all these matchups, and there is already
movement on the lines as we were talking about them earlier.
The Texans that two point underdog, they are now one
and a half point underdog.

Speaker 1 (01:46:45):
So there's money coming in on Houston.

Speaker 2 (01:46:48):
And the Cowboys have already gone from a seven point
favorite to a seven and a half point favorite over
the Green Bay Packers. Lions holding as a three point
favorite over the Rams, and there's movement for the Eagles
as well, that started as a three point favorite at
Tampa Bay down to two and a half.

Speaker 1 (01:47:08):
What's your read on any of that movement as we
get ready for these games.

Speaker 3 (01:47:13):
Before I talk about the movement, just think about this
right now. We got we got the Steelers and the Chiefs.
You got Patrick Mahomes game. That's not going to be seen.
We've we've gone to the we've gotten to the point
where where they're on the they're the consolation prize. If
you want to see them, if you if you want
to see that game, you can check it out here.

(01:47:35):
That's that's that's the crazy part about that. What Nick
just said to me right now, that's that's correct.

Speaker 2 (01:47:40):
Well, that's because they want they want to stream Chiefs
games because all of the teenage girls who want to.

Speaker 1 (01:47:46):
Watch Taylor Swift they've got peacock.

Speaker 2 (01:47:48):
Yeah, they know all the streaming services Carrie, so they'll
be ready for that one.

Speaker 3 (01:47:52):
That's what it is. Okay, got it? Now it makes
sense because Carrie is not Carrie doesn't have Peacock. So
I'm just gonna yeah, I'll, I'll may come into Fox
and check it out, like I said. But uh yeah,
I mean the lines. I mean that that Dallas line,
that's the one that sticks out to me so far,
the fact that they got them. You know, seven, seven
and a half and a half, that's a big number.

(01:48:14):
Green Bay's playing well too. I mean, I know, I
know the defense is a little a little hit and
miss with them, and they haven't been healthy, but Jortan
Low is playing well, and so I could see that
game definitely being closer than that line is.

Speaker 2 (01:48:25):
Right now, Cowboys have been a dominant home they have
they had this year, they've been a dominant home team,
and they've been dominant against the lesser and and and
Green Bay. Like you said, they're they're they're capable, They're
they're solid, but I don't know if they're a really

(01:48:46):
good team. And uh, and so it does sort of
feel like it feels like a good spot for for
the for the Cowboys, I guess I'll put it that way.

Speaker 1 (01:48:56):
It feels like a good spot for them.

Speaker 2 (01:48:58):
And but you know, I mean, that's it, like as
soon as they soon as they win that game, all
all bets are off as far as what happens with
the Cowboys if and when they get to the second
weekend and have to go up against some some actual beasts,
because those that just usually does not go well for

(01:49:19):
the Cowboys.

Speaker 1 (01:49:20):
Man.

Speaker 3 (01:49:20):
It's it's one of those it's one of those things
where I'm not even a Cowboys fan, and it's just
like when is it gonna be time? I Mean, they've
had some teams here where they they were the better
team obviously and lost in the playoffs. And even Mike McCarthy,
I mean we we even saw the other the other
week where they gave the Lions a chance to win

(01:49:44):
that game down the stretch because of just bad clock management,
which has been part of Mike McCarthy's deal. But it's
it's gonna be interesting to see. Yeah, like you said,
once they get into that, all right, we're just as
good as you are. Let's see what happens.

Speaker 1 (01:50:03):
I'm laughing, don't you do? You know why I'm laughing.

Speaker 3 (01:50:06):
I saw something happening out my peripheral, but I didn't
see what happened.

Speaker 1 (01:50:09):
Yeah, yeah, No, you're making great points. I'm not laughing
at you. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:50:14):
I'm watching a ninety guard punt return for a touchdown
by the Buffalo Bills here in the fourth quarter, extra
point pending. There are no flags on the field, and
it looks like we are about to be tied in
quarter four.

Speaker 3 (01:50:34):
You never catch the ball inside the ten, exactly what
my coach would tell me. But look at this touchdown.
That's cool.

Speaker 2 (01:50:41):
Yep, I'll kick the coverage, is what happened, though, So
he fielded it because he had a ton of room
and then boom he hit the Jets and this one.

Speaker 1 (01:50:49):
Was like you could see it his own thirty yard line.
It was a touchdown.

Speaker 2 (01:50:53):
Yeah, I mean it was like, oh my gosh, he
busted through the wedge and it was just wide open space.
And indeed, we're about to have a tie game in Miami,
and so this one's gonna be coming down to the
wire between these two for who wins the AFC East
and how that sets up the matchups. So a little

(01:51:16):
bit more on that coming up next, because I do
wonder if people have thought about the Stafford golf game
that everyone's buzzing about, have you thought about what is
probably gonna happen.

Speaker 1 (01:51:28):
Next, no matter who wins. I'll explain what I'm getting at.

Speaker 2 (01:51:34):
Coming up next, we'll talk it out with Kerrie Rhoads
Mark Willard Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 5 (01:51:38):
dot com and within the iHeartRadio app search FSR to
listen live.

Speaker 1 (01:51:51):
All right, We're in the tyrag dot com studio.

Speaker 2 (01:51:53):
Has been a whole lot of fun with I got
Carrie Rhodes tonight in for Kyle Rudolph here on Fox
Sports Radio Mark Willard alongside three and out for the
Miami Dolphins, is gonna have to kick it away twelve
minutes to go, TI football game in South Beach.

Speaker 1 (01:52:09):
Pretty good one as it's turned out it is.

Speaker 3 (01:52:12):
It is getting down to winning time now, is what
we call it. And I mean Miami. Miami should be
up in this game after the way that Buffalo has
been reckless with the ball. But here we are, fourteen
fourteen with twelve minutes to go for the AFC East Division.
It's it's going down to the wire.

Speaker 1 (01:52:32):
Baby. Yeah. So again, if if you're with us right now,
if the.

Speaker 2 (01:52:37):
Dolphins win this game, these same two teams will play
again in Miami next week.

Speaker 1 (01:52:42):
If the Bills win this football game.

Speaker 2 (01:52:44):
Miami finds themselves at Arrowhead and the Bills will have
a no TJ. Watt Pittsburgh Steelers team in Buffalo next
week with temperatures soaring all the way up to about
fourteen degrees.

Speaker 3 (01:52:57):
Oh man, those those games aren't fun. It's as much
as much as they used to say it's football weather,
it's not football weather, it's it's me and Tie weather.

Speaker 1 (01:53:10):
Did you watch Pats and jets at all today you
put on that uniform. I'm sure you've been in those
of time or two.

Speaker 3 (01:53:16):
I have been in a couple of those, and like
I said, I'm speaking from experience, guys, So if you're listening,
it is not fun and it is not football weather.

Speaker 1 (01:53:23):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:53:24):
I remember one game playing in Green Bay in my
second year two thousand and six. I think, yeah, oh, man,
just made myself same, really old two thousand and six.
It was negative for wind chilled and wind chill and
I had to I say this very very correct with
my verbiage. I had to catch an interception once time

(01:53:48):
from Brett Favre and it was not pretty. It was
not nice. I caught it, but I wanted to put
it back down it was that hard. So yeah, it's
not fun.

Speaker 2 (01:53:55):
It's like someone throwing an absolute ice ball. You did
it stick to you or did you actually catch it?

Speaker 3 (01:54:01):
Oh? I caught it with my hands too. That that
was the most impressive part of it. But like I said,
it was not fun.

Speaker 2 (01:54:09):
Unbelievable, man, I tell you what though, fascinating to look
at that NFC structure, which is the side that we
already know. So everyone's buzzing, right, Stafford and golf. Golf
and Stafford Rams are hot. Here we go, Dan Campbell,
what's he going to do this time? You realize the
likelihood is is that if the Lions are able to

(01:54:30):
win that football game over the Rams, they're gonna get
yet another juicy set up that everyone's gonna buzz about,
which is they're gonna go right back to Dallas and
try again.

Speaker 3 (01:54:46):
Yeah. Yeah, And that'll be a game that a lot
of people will be tuned into, I mean, obviously from
the prior game, just a couple of weeks ago, not
being too far removed from that situation where we all
know there was some contra and you know, the Lions
felt that they should have won that game in Dallas.
It'll be a fun game, I would, man, it'll be

(01:55:09):
a pick them. It'll be a pick them too, I mean,
and either one of those teams could win that.

Speaker 2 (01:55:13):
Game well, and we would obviously have more information because
we'd seen both teams play. I don't want to dismiss
the Packers' chances to win that football game, and if
they win, they would automatically go to San Francisco the
next week. But if Dallas is able to win and
then the Rams come out of that game against Detroit,
then then it's the Rams who would automatically go to

(01:55:35):
San Francisco, which is its own sort of juicy situation
because those two teams know each other so well. Yes,
they've had so many recent playoff battles, and of course
the whole McVeigh Shanahan thing where they used to be
assistants who came up together in Washington and beyond, and

(01:55:55):
so uh, the NFL. Let's put it this way. I
do not believe that anything is scripted in the.

Speaker 3 (01:56:01):
National Football League, but I think you don't think.

Speaker 1 (01:56:04):
I do think. I do think that the.

Speaker 2 (01:56:07):
League office and the TV execs are feeling very good
about some of the possibilities in the NFC.

Speaker 3 (01:56:13):
I'm so glad you brought that up because I was
literally thinking about it and I wanted to say it earlier,
but I'm glad you came back around to it. That's
why you're so great Mark the script writers, and I'm
sure Arian Foster was at home watching watching all this
unravel and say, see, I told you so.

Speaker 1 (01:56:32):
You know what's funny. What's funny is that we're having
this conversation.

Speaker 2 (01:56:34):
So my daughter, who is actually gotten into football at
a much higher level this year. She's fourteen years old.
The other day at breakfast, she looks at me and
she goes.

Speaker 1 (01:56:44):
Hey, Dad, is it scripted? Wow? And I'm like, well, no,
you know, I know how how would that be possible?

Speaker 2 (01:56:54):
I know, you know what I mean, Like, yes, you've
got a very big entertainment entity here. There's billions of
dollars at stake. So do you want to be skeptical?
I guess you can.

Speaker 1 (01:57:03):
But think of how many human beings would have to
be in on the bit.

Speaker 2 (01:57:08):
And oh, by the way, their money and their bodies
would just be collateral damage or a byproduct to this
larger game that would be played.

Speaker 1 (01:57:18):
Like, come on, it's not and it's funny.

Speaker 2 (01:57:22):
In about six minutes of discussing it, I don't think
I convinced her.

Speaker 3 (01:57:27):
Smart smart, smart girl.

Speaker 1 (01:57:29):
No, but no.

Speaker 3 (01:57:29):
It's one of those things where when he said it,
I remember it and I was like, okay, I was
an All Pro player, I was pretty good. I didn't
get the script, you know what I mean? Like, I'm like,
why what I get?

Speaker 1 (01:57:41):
Everybody ever call you.

Speaker 2 (01:57:42):
No, like, yeah, Brett Farb's gonna throw you the ball,
but it's gonna be really cold.

Speaker 3 (01:57:46):
So it right, it's a lot of moving parts. Now,
I could I understand from I guesst the bird's eye view,
right there are certain matchups that we know, we're talking
about them now right there. There there are some matchups
that are juicy, more juicy than the others, and so
that makes sense. But as far as what's gonna happen

(01:58:08):
and all those things being lined up before the season,
even stars, it's just it's just crazy to think about.
Somebody actually thinks that's the case.

Speaker 2 (01:58:16):
Speaking of crazy to think about, the script writers have
put Dawson Knox in the end zone, I know, with
seven minutes and sixteen seconds left to go, and just
like that Lake Andy's split. In six game minutes, you
go from a fourteen to seven lead for the Dolphins
to what is now a twenty to fourteen lead for

(01:58:38):
the Bills with the extra point pending.

Speaker 3 (01:58:42):
That's cooret. I mean, they Miami. It's like I said,
Miami should be up in this game a couple of scores,
and they didn't capitalize on the mistakes that Buffalo you know,
laid out there for them. Now they're down seven and
now we're going to see what two was made of
you know, he has a chance. Yeah, he has a
chance to bring him back down and the tide the game.

Speaker 1 (01:58:59):
So we'll see our extra point is good as you said.

Speaker 2 (01:59:02):
So it's twenty one to fourteen down for the Bills,
and if we play this out then real quick, I'd
love your thoughts on if it continues to go this
way the matchups that would be produced because of it.

Speaker 1 (01:59:17):
So, Dolphins at Chiefs, what do you think.

Speaker 3 (01:59:21):
The Dolphins don't play well in cold weather situations usually, right, So,
I mean you're taking a team from South Beach and
putting them into that climate. It'll be tough. It'll be
tough for them, even though I don't I don't really
believe in Kansas City at all, and I don't think
they're they're the same team. I just don't see Miami
being able to get through it well.

Speaker 2 (01:59:42):
And the scriptwriters, though, you know what the Tyreek Hill ball, Yes,
I mean all year long, it's Mahomes has gotten no
receivers to throw to. How about Tyreek Hill being on
the other sideline when they open up their playoff run.

Speaker 3 (01:59:57):
We're seven minutes away from it being reality. That's that's
true as well. So it'd be another fun storyline. I
wonder if if they win, when would that time slot
be for them? Would it still be that same game
for Kennas City.

Speaker 1 (02:00:10):
I think I think they said that's going to be
the second game on Saturday.

Speaker 2 (02:00:13):
That's already that's already an ink, so uh six days
away all of a sudden, so a quick week for
the Dolphins as well, potentially, Kerrie. Great to hear your voice, man,
this was a whole lot of fun.

Speaker 3 (02:00:23):
Mark always man. Appreciate you.

Speaker 1 (02:00:24):
Man. All right, you two four, Carrie Rhoads. I'm Mark Willard.
The playoffs are all or almost set.

Speaker 2 (02:00:32):
You'll get the final analysis coming up next on Fox
Sports Radio.

All Episodes

Episode Transcript

Fox Sports Radio News

Host

Jonas Knox

Popular Podcasts

Stuff You Should Know

24/7 News: The Latest

Crime Junkie

.css-15opob5{left:0;position:absolute;top:0.8rem;} All Episodes

.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Mark Willard and Kerry Rhodes React to the NFL Playoff Picture