Colin’s top takes of the week.
Colin is joined by John Middlekauff, host of “3 and Out” to preview the full slate of NFL Wild Card weekend games, then breaks down some of the top NFL storylines with Danny Parkins, host of “First Things First” on FS1
Timeline:
3:30 - Chargers @ Patriots
5:30 - Bills @ Jaguars
9:15 - Bye week effect on Broncos
11:00 - Rams @ Panthers
19:00 - 49ers @ Eagles
24:45 - Packers @ Bears
33:00 - Bears built for cold weather success
43:30 - Lamar Jackson’s future
54:00 - Ranking top NFL head coaches
(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements.)
Follow Colin and The Volume on Twitter for the latest content and updates!
#Volume
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
The volume.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Today's show brought to you by our presenting sponsor, hard
Rock Bet, the official sportsbook partner of the AFC South
champion Jacksonville Jaguars. Duvall is going to be japped up
this weekend. Folks. We've been rolling with hard rock Bet
all season long, and now hard Rock Bet is here
for what is shaping up to be an incredible playoff run.
So you know I love doing these big standalone playoff games.
(00:25):
Same game parlays, lock in one matchup at a time,
stack your picks. Maybe the quarterback throws for two hundred
and fifty yards, the running back hits one hundred, the
tight end punches in the first touchdown. Hard Rock Bet
gives you tons of ways to build your same game parlay,
turning big game days into bigger pay days. And if
you miss kickoff, don't worry. Hard Rock Bet has live
in game betting. You're never too late to the action.
(00:46):
Find a winner, well, grab that player prop you meant
to play, and live bet between snaps couple easy taps
on the phone. If you haven't tried your first bet
on hard rock Bet, still time for you to get
one hundred and fifty dollars in bonus bets. If you win,
just place a five benefit hits, you not only get
your winnings, but an extra one hundred and fifty in
bonus bets. So just because your team may be out
of it, that doesn't mean you have to sit on
(01:07):
the sidelines this postseason between same game parlays, live betting,
can't miss welcome offer, a new promos drop and every
day hard Rock Bet has you covered all postseason long.
That's hard Rock Bet. Download the hard Rock Bet app
today and make your first deposit payable in bonus bets,
not a cash offer offered by the Seminole Tribe of Florida.
In Florida offered by Seminole hard Rock Digital LLC and
older states, must be twenty one plus and physically president
(01:29):
in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee,
or Virginia to play. Terms and conditions apply. Concerned about
gambling in Florida, call one eighty eight admit it. In Indiana,
if you are somebody you know as a problem wants help,
call one eight hundred and nine with it gambling problem
called one eight hundred Gambler. Arizona Colorado, Illinois, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia.
(01:53):
Odds via hard Rock Bet Chargers at the Patriots, Chargers
plus three, So New England the favorite would probably lean
take the points with the Chargers. Now, this is interesting.
Bill's minus one according to hard Rock Bet at the Jaguars.
I like the Jaguars, and I think they can pound them. Now,
I will say, I know Buffalo has been a weird
(02:15):
team that week to week. You know, you get really
good halves really bad halves. I think Jacksonville is completely legit.
I think they're the third or fourth best team in
the league. For them to be at home as an underdog,
to me feels incredibly disrespectful. I get the offensive coach
(02:35):
Trevor Lawrence isn't turning it over. I think I would
take Jacksonville by a touchdown, what say you?
Speaker 3 (02:41):
I get they were playing the Titans today, But man,
they look good and I just counted they They've won
eight straight games and Trevor looks fantastic. There is no
disputing I mean, you could make the argument they're playing
as well as any team in the league. I think
now in terms of in terms of like momentum in
terms of both sides of the ball, the coaching staff,
(03:02):
how well the quarterback looks historically though, you know, I
mean this, that's where the Bills are a unique team
going to the They do have a guy that if
he's on, can just take over a game, but just
based on the way they're playing, it'd be hard to go.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
Against the Jags.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
I mean, there's there's just the Jags can win the
Super Bowl because the AFC is pretty wide open. The
Texans are probably one of the scarier teams. They're comfortable
playing them right there in the division, so they've seen
that personnel. It's not like Denver and New England are
unbeatable squads. So I would say Jacksonville haven't seen the
odds of them to win the AFC. But if they
(03:39):
get by the Bills, to me, they are very very
live to win the AFC. The hurdle because there's gonna
be some weird pressure on the Jags.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
They're at home.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
They're taking on this guy who's most considered when he's
on the best player in the NFL. If they if
they are able to slay that dragon, I can see
the Jags win the AFC for sure.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
Remember Buffalo is a very weird first half team. They
play from behind. Now today they didn't against the hapless Jets.
But you get down like I would take the Jags
in the first half. You get down to Jacksonville and
you know, good luck. They have a pass rush. So again,
(04:19):
Buffalo has trailed, I think in six of their last
eight games in the second half. They're not a fast
starting team.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
John.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
When you go on the road, regular season or playoffs
or college football, when you go on the road, you
have to start quickly. Like Seattle at San Francisco took
command of the game first tribe, You're like, okay, okay,
the crowds not a factor. Buffalo go on the road,
get down fourteen to three, fourteen to nothing like that.
Thing could go sideways fast. Jacksonville's a much better starting
(04:47):
team with an offensive coach in scripted plays. You know,
this is nothing against McDermott, but a team as good
as Buffalo shouldn't trail six of eight games in the
second half in a water down AFC. Jacksonville's a rough
matchup for them. Now, there's no odds yet the Texans
will go either to Baltimore or Pittsburgh, and I think
(05:09):
they will control both. My guess is the Texans would
go on the road and be like a two and
a half point favorite at Baltimore at Pittsburgh. I really
like the Texans. I think you and I both feel this.
You know, you just forget they keep making the playoffs
and c J. Strouds won't playoff games like Demiko Ryans
(05:30):
is like Mike McDonald. You know, do you talk to
you guys around the league like Mike McDonald And Demiko
Ryans is defensive coaches. Jesse Mentor is a defensive coordinator.
They're just different, and I I gotta tell you the
one team I would not want to play is the Texans.
Could you know they're going to be the underdog. Nobody's
(05:51):
pulling form outside of Houston. I don't care if they
play the Ravens and the Steelers. I like the Ravens
tonight close. Where are you on that?
Speaker 1 (05:59):
I think they match you.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
I think the Steelers would have no shot against them,
you know, because Rogers running away not possible. That they're
passing games atrocious. I guess DK's back. They can't really.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
Run the ball.
Speaker 3 (06:10):
The one way to neutralize a good pass rush would
be to run the ball, Derrick Henry's come alive of late.
You know, depending on Lamar, you know, whether he if
he ends up playing to night, how he looks, if
he's healthy for that game, just poses a problem.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
To me.
Speaker 3 (06:25):
The Ravens are a tougher matchup than the Steelers, but
I beat either.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
And if they win that game, they are like the Jags.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
I mean, you could argue two teams that are going
to surprise nobody if they're sitting in there in the
AFC with a chance to win the conference. Is the
Jags and the Texans. Their physicality, the coaching staff, their mentality.
I mean, I've loved Houston. I listen, I thought Houston
was a lock to win the division coming into the season. Obviously,
the Jags have had an incredible season. When your defense
(06:55):
is that good, you can beat anybody.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
You know.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
And look and look at this, Drake May second year player,
Bo Nick, second year player. It's like they're going to
be intimidated playing those two guys. Right, Drake's a better
player than bo Knicks, but look who.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
He's throwing to.
Speaker 3 (07:08):
I mean, they have elite dB play in Houston, So
to me, what they do translates to all the opponents
they're gonna see. You know, they've they've beaten the Jags
with their backup quarterback. Remember they were down like twenty
nine ten and came storming back in that game. So
I think of all the wild cards that we're going
to talk about, maybe the Rams once we get to
the NFC, the Texans would have the best chance to
(07:30):
be representing their conference of the wildcard teams in.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
The Super Bowl.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
Totally agree. You know, Denver, we've seen this in college
football where a bye doesn't necessarily work in football. Like,
if you're like Seattle young athletic, they needed to play,
They're going to get a bye. Denver's gonna get a buye.
I think those two teams, I think they'd want to play.
I think if I'm Seattle after that, yeah, I want
(07:54):
to get back out there and play. Denver's in a
weird spot. I mean, here's where Denver gets a big break.
Houston warm weather team, JAG's warm weather team. You know,
the New England would be fine, but you know you
can see Jacksonville that already beat Denver right going back
to Denver and it's eight degrees. You could absolutely see that.
(08:15):
So it's like in a weird way sometimes losing you know,
that game to Jacksonville. Now, okay, I get us see
what they do. Now, let's play them again when it's
really cold, really windy. So that Denver does have a
not just an altitude, but a little bit of a
wind advantage against you know, a cold weather advantage against
potentially the Chargers, the Jags, and the Texans. I think
(08:37):
that'll be understated, but it's something. It's a couple of
points to me.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
They like Seattle.
Speaker 3 (08:42):
There are only so many teams in the NFL that
have collegiate like atmospheres that it is a massive home
field advantage, and Denver clearly is one. The altitude and
the crowd is just elite. I mean, you watched that
Lway documentary and it's just that place. When it's rocking Peyton,
Manning and those it's a They've beaten Brady there countless
time over the decades with Shanahan to when Elway was
(09:03):
the GM. So when you look at the AFC, that
to me is a point of difference for Denver like Jacksonville.
You know, let's say Jacksonville and Buffalo end up playing
Saturday night, It'll look pretty good in the dark night.
But I would say Jacksonville some home field advantage. Houston
does not have one. The Chargers don't have one. Denver
in the pass obviously throughout the years. I mean that
(09:24):
is a point of you know, that's a huge it's
been a massive advantage for Andy and the Chiefs over
the last five or six years, playing all those games
Arrowhead Collegiate like atmosphere cold that these teams. I mean,
there's no way to prepare when you're playing in seven
degrees because you can be like, okay, we'll practice outside, well,
you won't get anything done. So that's where coaches like
they'll go outside for a minute and then they'll go
(09:44):
in the bubble because they they want to you know,
get the game plan installed, be able to communicate. No
one can listen because you can't focus. So to me, Denver,
the home field advantage is on their side. But when
you watch and play.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
Somethings off, they don't. They don't really.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
Oh and bo Nicks that one game he played against
Green Bay was incredible. But even today and I get it,
the Chargers have a good defense of mentality. You just
what's going on here?
Speaker 1 (10:09):
You'd like a little more juice.
Speaker 3 (10:10):
That's the one thing the Patriots have. They get easier opponents,
but they roll them. They get so much momentum so
that the confidence that quarterback has compared is bo Nick's
confident or does he just keep telling me he's confident
because I watch him play. Doesn't always play confident where
Drake may plays pretty swaggy.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
As the kids would.
Speaker 2 (10:28):
Say, NFC Seattle gets the buy again. I don't think
Seattle would want the buy young dominating performance against San Francisco.
We'll get to that in a bit. So let's look
at the NFC all these odds via the hard Rock Bet. Okay,
we'll start with this. The Rams would be a five seed.
They're going to Carolina. Carolina is going to be hosting
(10:49):
a playoff game, which is absurd. It's the second time
they face the Rams in a month. They beat him before,
and they beat him down the field. You can beat
the Rams over the top. It's an average corner situation
for them. Rams are a ten and a half point favorite.
This is one of these where like today I took
the Rams as a seven and a half point favorite
against Arizona. I'm like, it's just too many possessions Arizona's quit.
(11:11):
I think the Rams win this game. I would stay away.
I don't like giving up ten and a half to
a home playoff team, but I watched the Panthers yesterday.
Like you, you know, it's one of those things where Bryce
Young you're either a franchise quarterback, a backup, or you
could argue you're a bridge quarterback. I'd argue that Bryce
Young feels like a bridge quarterback. He's a little small.
(11:33):
I couldn't build around him, but you could play him
as a starter for a year. He just won the division.
I mean he backed into it. But my take is
the Rams should be favored. There's such an odd team
for considering they have McVeigh weapons in Stafford. They start
slow a lot. They put Arizona away in the second half.
(11:54):
Any strong feeling there, I was.
Speaker 3 (11:55):
The second half that they were up twenty three twenty
going into the fourth quarter.
Speaker 1 (11:59):
I mean, I thought Rams looked terrible.
Speaker 3 (12:01):
McVeigh had this look on his face that looked like
if we lose this game and lose the opportunity to
play the NFC South winner, I might just go to Amazon.
You could see it on it like this is because
they look kind of lifeless. Jacoby Brissett hit this bomb
down the sideline and it got caught back, and that's
kind of where the game stopped the momentum for Arizona
(12:21):
because it felt like Arizona could score on them every
single time. And you're like, I thought part of the Rams
deal was their defense, And I started thinking, whatever happened
that night in Seattle when Seattle came storming back, they
lost their mojo. I mean they I know, they came back.
Last morning. They were down twenty one to nothing at
half on the road to Atlanta. I mean, I watched
Atlanta today. They're not you know, I know they got
(12:43):
some good players, but give me a break, especially when
you're trying to play for seating like they were last week.
Speaker 1 (12:48):
That was an important game.
Speaker 3 (12:49):
Sean mcvage took that and they were down twenty one nothing.
My opinion has changed dramatically on the Rams. I am
not as against Carolina for sure. I mean we need
to enact something. If you under five hundred, you should.
Speaker 1 (13:01):
Not be able to host a playoff game.
Speaker 3 (13:03):
That's sort you could make the argument that you shouldn't
even be eligible for the playoffs. If other teams Minnesota
the Lions. Some of these other teams have better records
than you.
Speaker 2 (13:13):
Yeah, I think there's an argument to be made that
if you're under five hundred, you can make the playoffs,
you can't host a playoff game. I'd be five back, Yeah,
so would I. You know, the Rams, I've watched every
snap really all year long. And you see it with Goff,
you see it with Kirk Cousins, and you see it
with Stafford. When you do not have a mobile quarterback
(13:36):
as good as Stafford is, John, you can't roll the pocket.
You don't get those sort of off script third and
seven runs for first downs. There's about six to seven
times a game that a San Francisco or a Seattle
can roll the pocket. Pretty did it a couple times yesterday.
Sam did it once yesterday. You get those four or
(13:57):
five first downs a game because you're orderback is mobile,
or you can or you can escape when you have Golf,
when you have Stafford, when you have Cousins, If the
play that's designed doesn't work, it can get sideways. It
can be an ugly loss. And I feel like sometimes
the Rams get into these cycles where they've run.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
Through their scripted stuff.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
They're there, you know, now it's McVeigh on the play
sheet looking for some new wiggles, and they stall out.
They have these quarters where they stall out, where again,
if I'm Shanahan, I can just start going to boot stuff.
Darnold does a lot of that. You start doing bootstuff.
You can do a little bit of that with Stafford.
(14:42):
But I do feel like watching the Rams, they're susceptible
in the back end. I mean, they got a big
break on that deep ball down the field that was
caught by Wilson and there was a penalty and it
was a legitimate pedally against an Arizona offensive lineman.
Speaker 3 (14:55):
But will Wilson was all killing them today.
Speaker 1 (14:57):
I mean, Wilson was left and.
Speaker 2 (14:59):
Right and I feel a little bit like the Rams.
This is why they need to, you know, at some
point get a mobile quarterback because their backups are Jimmy
Garoppolo and Stetsan Bennett. Those guys don't move either. I
just feel like this offense, for all the talent, stalls out. Well.
Speaker 3 (15:14):
I think one thing to derail the offense because it
had kind of become and in its peak earlier in
the season. You know, like when you think back Denver
with Peyton Manning. They had so many weapons. I mean,
when you have Davante and Puka Nakula, no one has
better than that. I think DeVante led the league for
receivers in touchdowns when he got injured. I don't know,
I haven't looked at it today, but up until leading
up to this week, that's how dominant he was in
(15:36):
the red zone. So you factor him and with Pooka,
who feels like the averages double digit catches a game,
and then all their other just auxiliary weapons are kind
of an unstoppable offense.
Speaker 1 (15:44):
Will you remove him? It puts so much pressure on
Pooka and Nakula.
Speaker 3 (15:48):
There are other weapons are fine, but they get elevated
into kind of taking over for DeVante and it becomes
a little more difficult. Now, like you said, over the
course of the game, Arizona just fell off. I mean,
they have a million injuries. They're rolling on Michael will
Trey McBride's a good player, but they got a lot
of random guys out there. I do think the health
of DeVante, if you tell me he's fully healthy. They
(16:09):
get by the Panthers, then they are I mean, obviously
a very very potent team coming into the playoffs, but
if you remove him, they are liable to lose to
anybody not naming the Panthers. And the one thing about Carolina,
unlike a lot of the Southern teams, like obviously Tampa
can rain, Carolina and Tennessee are two areas in the
South that can get cold. I mean, it could just
(16:29):
be a weird cold weather game. Well that could just
make it weird. Now I'd be stunned if they won,
but I could see if the weather's weird, you just
never know.
Speaker 1 (16:37):
It's a long flight.
Speaker 2 (16:39):
Also, t Mac and Laguette are big, long targets. The
Rams corners are small. They've they've been beaten down the
field by large targets. So Carolina's got the kind of reversus.
AJ Brown is a nightmare matchup for the Rams. And
Carolina's got two long, athletic receivers, so you can see
(17:03):
them backdoor covering it scoring at some point. I just
I kind of feel when I watch Carolina they just
they Dan Morgan the GM. They need six more draft
picks and one more free agents free agent.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
Month.
Speaker 2 (17:20):
They just don't have enough good players. Okay, the forty
nine ers, a six seed, go to Philadelphia Philadelphia a
three seed and the Eagles are a touchdown favorite. All right,
so if Ricky Pierson and Trent Williams play both missed
(17:42):
the Seattle game, I think the Niners are a live dog.
But I will say Philadelphia can create pressure. And I
said this going into the Seattle game. I took the
Seahawks this weekend. Is that if you speed rock pretty up,
it's not a great old line, it's a solid old line.
If you speed brock pretty up, you have a chance
(18:03):
to make a few more mistakes. He wasn't very comfortable
against Seattle. I do think he's cut down on the mistakes.
I think he's had a hell of a year when
he's healthy. I would take Philadelphia to win. I'm not
sure if i'd take him to cover. But I do
feel like if you go look at the Niners. I
looked it up today. Since week six, John, they've lost
to the Texans Rams in Seattle. If you have an
(18:24):
elite defense, you have such a defensive advantage over them
because they don't create any pressure. Sam Darnold was very
comfortable and Sala has to take big risks with blitz
packages to create any kind of rush, and the Texans
rams and Seattle beat him without having to do that,
and Philadelphia will get somewhat of a pass rush without
having to bring extra bodies and compromise the secondary. So
(18:47):
if you look at what the Niners have done since
Week six, they're wins. They're not beating teams with the
elite level defenses because they can't offer that. They just
like when you watch that Seattle game, it was thirteen
to three, but it didn't feel like that. It felt
like twenty seven to three. It didn't feel that competitive.
Speaker 1 (19:04):
Yeah, they they got murdered.
Speaker 3 (19:06):
The Niners proved they're like an NBA team that wants
to play in the one twenties and one thirties, that
they want to get into a high flying game where
they can score a bunch of points and just get
to a position close to the end of the game
and hopefully they're coaching. And they did it against Colts,
and they did it against the Bears.
Speaker 1 (19:21):
I mean they.
Speaker 3 (19:21):
Scored they won a game forty eight or forty two
to thirty eight. I mean that's how they wanted to play.
And the question was could they get and win a
game if it was like seventeen to fifteen, because that's
what that game last night.
Speaker 1 (19:33):
Was going to be.
Speaker 3 (19:34):
And their defense is really really bad, and they lost
their two linebackers last night, so I have no clue. Now,
the Eagles are the most talented team that can look
the most incompetent for stretches, probably in my lifetime. I mean,
they have so much elite talent on their team it's crazy.
And they got a quarterback who can run, so to me,
if they just have a competent game plan, there's no
(19:55):
way the Niners can stop them, and their defense with
Fangio is more than competent enough to just slow them down.
The other thing the Niners. What Seattle did last night
is run a classic Kyle Shanahan in their peak teams
game plan. We're gonna shove the ball down your throat
running the ball, and we're gonna hit you so hard
on every play.
Speaker 1 (20:13):
We'll just wear you down.
Speaker 3 (20:15):
The scores in their heyday doesn't the scores weren't always blowouts,
but we're gonna smother you.
Speaker 1 (20:23):
Basically played a Shanahan game.
Speaker 2 (20:27):
How many Niners last night, I don't remember. I remember
one Seahawk being slow to get up. There had to
have been six different forty nine ers that literally got
either went to the tent or stayed on the ground.
I mean, Seattle beat San Francisco up for three and
a half hours, and and pierceall and Trent didn't play.
(20:49):
Kittle did. He's still remarkable. I just feel like the Niners,
the gig is up east, They're out of bodies. There's
just nothing they can do. I think Philadelphia arrested a
lot of their guys. Philadelphia. I mean just I don't know.
I just don't think San Francisco's got the AMMO.
Speaker 3 (21:08):
I will say this, and I know the way the
Eagles in that building internalized stuff they do have. They
think obviously most people do really highly of Kyle. That
is not just an easy coaching staff. We talked about
Jim Harbaugh getting you just get Kyle Shanahan and Robert
Sala in the first round. Now, there's only so much
Robert Sala can do. But Kyle just got embarrassed. You know,
(21:30):
probably in front of thirty thirty five million people. They
are gonna have some stuff that they're gonna bring to Philadelphia.
Speaker 1 (21:36):
And here's the other thing.
Speaker 3 (21:37):
If you can just make it a little weird, right,
maybe ten to seven year up at halftime, that place
will start boooning you because they already don't really like
this team like they don't because they're not an entertaining
team to watch. So if you can get them tight,
that place can get tight. Because this ego season has
(21:57):
been weird. If I would have told you this today,
the Bears were gonna lose, he would have said, oh,
the Eagles are playing Washington even with their backups.
Speaker 1 (22:05):
The Eagles will be the two seed.
Speaker 3 (22:07):
And I look, the Eagles lose. How's that?
Speaker 1 (22:10):
How do you lose? With the Bears losing?
Speaker 3 (22:11):
If I would have been Sirianni and I look up
and they're down sixteen to nothing, I'm on the headsets. Hey,
we got to dial. We had a chance to be
the two seed.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
That's multiple home games.
Speaker 3 (22:20):
That is a massive, massive advantage. They know what they
I mean, They've been the one seed multiple times. They
understand the power of playing home games in the playoffs.
Now they might have to go on the road.
Speaker 2 (22:30):
I when I do my herd hararchy, when I do
my herd hierarchy on Tuesday, I never know what to
do with Philadelphia.
Speaker 1 (22:37):
I don't trust them at all.
Speaker 2 (22:38):
I don't know what I don't know what to do
with them. I love their talent, I don't know what
to do with them.
Speaker 3 (22:42):
So I think all the pressure there is on Philly
and Sirianni and we just know that place. Yes, and
that's I don't know the game times yet, but i'd
be I mean, that's got like Sunday Night Football written
all over it.
Speaker 1 (22:55):
Right.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
If you told me Pierceaal and Trent Williams and kill play,
that's a good live dog. They'll score, they'll they'll they'll score.
But God, and you know that of all the games
we've talked about. So let's transition to this Green Bay
seven seed Bears, two seed. Yet the Bears have a
(23:19):
two game losing streak going into the playoffs. It is
according to hard Rock Bet, it is a pick em.
It is a pick em. Now here's the advantage for
the Bears. With Micah Parsons out. They don't generate much
of a pass rush, right. They got to they got
to scheme it up like solid. They've got to take
some chances, compromise the back end of their defense. I
(23:40):
think I like the Bears in this spot. You know
it's watching them today, I almost felt like they were overconfident.
Like they knew they were in the playoffs. Then all
of a sudden in the fourth quarter, you're like, okay, touchdown,
two point conversion. Touchdown two point conversion for the record,
Colston Lovelin and Caleb Williams, it is a thing now
like Holston had a day to day Luther Burden and
(24:03):
colst At Luther Burden and Caleb that's better now. So
I like Chicago in this spot. Again, it's a little
bit of ammo. Green Bay kind of limps into it.
Would would you roll the dice and take the Bears here?
Speaker 1 (24:17):
I would say both the Eagles and the Bears.
Speaker 3 (24:20):
If you would have told them, hey, you get home
playoff game first round.
Speaker 1 (24:23):
You're the two and three.
Speaker 3 (24:24):
Seed, you know six months ago, but you have to
play the Green Bay Packers and the San Franco forty
nine ers, they both would have been like, are you
kidding me? I think part of it is watching the
Bears game today. I give them a little bit of
a pass. They have this devastating loss right to the
forty nine ers on Sunday Night football. You're in the playoffs,
you're guaranteed a too or you're guaranteed a home game.
(24:45):
Young team, but their defense, Colin is not very good.
It might be a little bit better than the forty
nine ers. There are a lot of parallels there. They're
for the forty nine ers and the Bears are kind.
Speaker 1 (24:55):
Of carbon copies of each other.
Speaker 2 (24:57):
They gave them four hundred and forty yards to Detroit
today in bad weather.
Speaker 3 (25:00):
There were guys wide open whatever Jared Goff was, Saint
Brown coming across the middle, Jamis and William coming across
the middle.
Speaker 1 (25:06):
Their dB play that they give up a lot of yards.
We just saw the.
Speaker 3 (25:09):
Niners score a bunch of points on them. Now can
Green Bay take advantage of it? It feels like every time
I look up Green Bays playing and meaningless game. They
got guys on the ground, so they have a ton
of injuries that their defense is really banged up. Their offense,
you know it is Malik Willis a better option right
now than Jordan Love don't. I don't know, but I
mean they got a lot of question marks in that organization.
You got a coach playing for you know, coaching for
(25:31):
a contract extension. But that is a weird. There's not
a Bears fan you live around a lot of them.
Now they're comfortable with that matchup. You've had this magical season.
You're the freaking two seed and you get the Green
Bay Packers. Even if they come limping in and everyone's
gonna be picking you, that's the thing.
Speaker 1 (25:47):
Everyone's gonna be picking the Bears.
Speaker 3 (25:49):
I could just see that thing can get weird as well.
That I'd say the Packers technically not a dog, but
a live dog in that situation for being a team
that no one's gonna pick.
Speaker 2 (25:58):
You know, with Chicago, they have a playmaker at safety.
They have eleven catches almost one hundred and fifty yards
to on Sat Brown.
Speaker 1 (26:07):
He was wide dominating.
Speaker 2 (26:10):
Yeah, and if you look at the NFC, DeVante Adams
will be back. Aj Brown will be back San Francisco
with Piersall and Jennings those guys. Those guys are playmakers.
So Chicago's the kind of team that they're. You know,
they remind me a little of the Rams, where I
don't trust the back end of their defense. They can
(26:30):
really unimpress you. And then you look up and the
Bears in the Rams can put two or three drives
together in a row in the second half and you're like, okay,
all right, this is explosive. I mean Caleb still makes throws.
I mean he made a couple today on those two
scoring drives.
Speaker 1 (26:45):
Like he is.
Speaker 2 (26:47):
He is, so he's got a physical confidence. Like when
he rolls back to throw and he's in, he's rolling
to his right, he's toying with the defensive players, he's
just kind of playing with him. He's going back and forth.
He's totally If Stafford rolls right, he's not controlling it.
He's waiting for somebody to quickly get open. When when
Caleb rolls right, he he could do a high school
(27:08):
pivot and say I'm gonna run backwards. I'm just gonna
buy something like Josh Allen does that occasionally. Like guys,
I'm controlling this situation. I think I like Chicago in
this spot. I really do like how Colston Loveland and
Caleb have really created something special. Like today, it was incredible.
Every big play at was Colston Loveland. They really used
their tight ends. Cole comet at a two point conversion.
Speaker 3 (27:30):
Two, that place is going to be pretty special on
that in that game. I mean, that's that's we're talking
about home field advantage. They haven't once, they haven't made
the playoffs in a while. Definitely haven't made the playoffs
as a team people think can win a couple of games.
It's that that atmosphere a couple of weeks ago when
they played Green Bay had to be one of the
(27:51):
more special games of the year just in terms of
watching it on TV as a viewer. I think there's
a chance that place is absolutely I mean, it's going
to be rocking. It's going to be really really cool.
And can they feed into that and maybe that helps
the defense out a little bit. They just they have
probably less injuries than Niners, and their talent on defense
is just not great. You know, the front seven is
(28:11):
not that good. They don't have a great pass rusher.
They basically just got to score a bunch of points.
Speaker 2 (28:24):
Will he worked in Chicago radio for a long time.
Now he's on FS one career as Sunchon. Been fun
to see. His name is Danny Parkins. So Saturday a
friend of mine in California, he said, Hey, I take
my son to a game every year, and we know
you live in Chicago. Do you want to go to
the Bears game? I said, it's going to be thirty
(28:45):
mile hour wind gusts and snowing He's like, it'll be
so much fun, and I said, when you live in it,
it's really not that fun, Like I don't ski anymore. So,
but it is interesting when I look at that Packer game.
What I think is fascinating is usually when the Packers
play in a playoff game, they are the story, and
it's a total Bear story. Ben Johnson, Caleb the Bears
(29:09):
are literally what everybody is watching for. And my theory
is the lousy weather benefits the Bears because they have
one of the best run games. The Packers run game
isn't as good. The Bears have a better run game,
a better old line, and I would argue the ability
for Caleb to just take off is actually usually the
(29:31):
more skilled offense is at a disadvantage when the weather stinks,
and I actually think it plays into the bears favor
And I like Chicago this weekend, and I think they're
the second best bet on the board after Jacksonville.
Speaker 1 (29:46):
So yeah, a lot there. Caleb's best game of the
season and arguably his career, was against Cleveland and their
defense was very good this year and it was the
coldest game at Soldier Field in like twenty years. His
arm is ridiculous, ridiculous. So they now Jordan Love's got
a very he's got a plus arm.
Speaker 2 (30:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (30:06):
So, but like bad conditions should impact Caleb less than
other players because of his like physical gifts. And then
everything else you said is absolutely true. Home field, offensive line,
run game, all of those things. Green Bay's defense also,
you know, they've lost four straight. Micah got hurt four
(30:29):
games ago. They have three sacks and no interceptions in
their last four games down the stretch. That's the Jets.
The Jets have four sacks and no interceptions. They're the
only other team in that spot. They're giving up twenty
eight a game. Like the pack The Bears defense is
not good, but they lead the league in takeaways, like
they do make plays. The Packers defense, since losing Micah,
(30:51):
is just bad. They don't sack the quarterback, they don't
turn you over. They give up a lot of points.
So they're just bad and not even opportunistic. But before
we get into any more hardcore Access knows football, I'm going,
oh my god, Colin, you didn't even text me back.
I texted you and said, hey, I'm flying in Saturday morning,
do you want to grab lunch? And now I'm going
(31:13):
with my with my buddies and we're gonna get lunch.
So unless you want to come hang out with some
of us as we start boozing, you're more than welcome.
But Colin, I hate going to NFL games. Hate it.
It's expensive. People fight, Yeah, the traffic is miserable. I
think it's crazy that this game ended up on Saturday
instead of on Sunday. And there's been great reporting as
(31:34):
to like how the TV networks divvied up these games
and why Prime got the excellent game that is Bear's Packers.
But when I saw that it was Saturday night in
Chicago and I could fly in Saturday morning, fly back
to New York Sunday morning, be back in time to
watch all the Sunday games and go and not miss
anything by going to this Bears Packers game, this is
going to be a special thing. Like it's going to
(31:56):
be uncomfortable, it's going to be cold, but I I
havered double seats. I am right behind the Bears bench
like so I'm out in the elements, but like first
row behind the Bears bench. I have not been this
excited to go to an NFL game since I was
like a child like, I am very, very excited to
be there. It's because because your friend is correct, like,
(32:17):
it's going to be a it's gonna be an experience.
It's gonna be miserably cold and windy. I'm actually rooting
for it to be cold because I don't want it
to be If it's gonna I don't want it to
be rain like. I'd much rather it be snowing than rain. Yeah,
just for like comfort in the stadium. So if it's
like thirty three in raining, that's gonna be miserable, give
(32:39):
me twenty three in snow. Yeah, the thirty rain. But
I don't know. There's good Bears Packers Soldier Field, Bears
as the two seed, feeling like we are not out
coached and we are not out quarterbacked. I remember watching
football for the first time in nineteen ninety two, being
six years old. My old my dad, and my older
brother raised in Wisconsin, diehard Packers fans. Ninety two is
(33:03):
Brett Favre's first year in Green Bay. I've never seen
the Bears have a better quarterback than the Packers my
whole life. So the idea that like this game could
be like the beginning of the rivalry being real, and
that's the floor where the ceiling is like passing of
a torch to like an era of the Bears being
(33:25):
the hammer and the Packers being the nail. I'm just
I'm so excited for this game. I had to be there.
Speaker 2 (33:30):
Well, you know, one of the things about running a
Northern tier team, and I've said this for years, Danny,
there's never been a dome dynasty in the NFL. There's
never been a warm weather dynasty.
Speaker 1 (33:45):
I mean, Dan, that's interesting.
Speaker 2 (33:46):
Yeah, Dan Marino, one of the Cowboys. Uh, go there
in the winter. It's not that warm, it's it's you know,
they've got I went to a Super Bowl there were ice,
sheets of ice were falling off the stadium.
Speaker 1 (33:58):
That was yes, sure, yes, okay.
Speaker 2 (34:00):
So I don't consider I consider warm you know, Miami, Arizona,
an LA team, Jacksonville, there's never been a warm weather dynasty.
And so the NFL success has gone through cold, crappy weather.
And I was thinking about this the other day. Ben
Johnson's a real sharp guy. Ben Johnson. I think New
(34:25):
Listen it's not named the Windy City because of the win.
That's because of politicians years ago. Nonetheless, and Baltimore's always
done this, and New England did this. Don't worry too
much about deep threats. They went and got a center,
two guards, and a tight end and a slot receiver.
And why those guys can operate under sixteen yards? Now,
(34:50):
Caleb has a power arm. But even if you have
a power arm Saturday, it may not matter. And I
think what one of the quiet pieces of Ben Johnson,
unst dated pieces of Ben Johnson's brilliance. He built this
team to play in crappy weather. This is an excellent
crappy weather team. For the record, so is Philadelphia Saquon Barkley,
(35:12):
good tight ends, excellent O line. So Seattle, by the way,
Darnald big arm. They went and drafted a tight end,
two running backs, really only one receiver. So I think,
what makes you you know we always think of Green Bay.
I mean Green BAYO is far of big arm, Aaron
big arm, Love big arm, Flacco big arm, Lamar not
(35:33):
so much Mahomes big arm. I think Chicago is if
the weather is lousy for the next three weeks. I
think the Bears are completely built for you. For the record,
Detroit wasn't where Ben was at because Gof's not good
in that weather, but they were they were indoors. So
I always feel like when golf goes outside, the odds change.
(35:55):
So I know a lot of people go back and forth,
but I in the last twelve hours, I'm like big Jacksonville,
Big Chicago, and I do like Mike Tomlin Monday now
that DK Metcalf comes back. So those are the three
I feel strongest about. Do you have two to three
that you really feel most strongly about?
Speaker 1 (36:15):
Well, so one that you didn't mention is my favorite,
and it's Chargers plus three and a half. Wow, I think, yeah,
so you and j Mack love that. So I don't
know if I love that. No, Like, obviously three in
the hook is a big deal. Like it's obviously a
(36:36):
very important number in the gambling space, So that is
a piece of it. I think Jacksonville wanted New England
because they know, Okay, two of our most expensive players
and two of our best players Alton Slater, are out
for the year. You take two of the four highest
paid players off any team, it's going to decimate him. Yes,
(36:58):
Now you say they play the same position and their
job is to protect your most expensive and important player,
and it's a death blow, like anyone who has been
hit the number of times that Herbert has been hit,
who has made the playoffs in the last thirty years,
They've all lost in the wildcard round, Like it is
(37:19):
supposed to be a fatal flaw of a team if
you can't stop your quarterback from getting hit. Well, New
England's defense is not good. They're statistically okay in some areas,
but they haven't played anybody, and when you dig into
it just a little bit, like good quarterbacks have been
(37:39):
efficient against them and have at least moved the ball,
and their pass rush numbers are not good. Now a
lot of that is, you know, they don't even really
need to. They're not playing from behind, they're not gearing
up and going after it. There's some prevent stuff. There's
been a lot of blowouts. Sure, I'll concede that. But
I think Denver is a worst matchup for the Chargers.
(38:00):
I think Houston is a worst matchup.
Speaker 2 (38:02):
For Houston's a bad matchup.
Speaker 1 (38:04):
Yeah, no doubt. Denver's pass rush almost beat the eighty
four Bears record, right, I mean the Chargers beat them
in a twenty three to twenty game where Herbert was
incredible but he got hit and abused and sacked and
like he was. They were lucky to win that game.
But I just think that they looked at it and
they said, we'll rest our guys in week eighteen, and
(38:27):
we'll play a team that really hasn't played much of
anybody this year and will run on them, and we'll
protect Justin and Justin Herbert won't be staring at the
ceiling the whole game because their pass rush isn't great.
So I just I think New England having the easiest
schedule of any team since the ninety nine Rams is something,
(38:47):
and I think their pass rush not being very good
is something. And I think Herbert, like you do, is
a superstar. So I really like them to I think
they're gonna win the game, but I'll certainly take them
plus three and a half.
Speaker 2 (39:00):
So I want to talk about the Lamar Jackson thing.
So listen, eighteen years is a long time to be
a CEO of a company like that's just a long time.
And the Harballs are They're intense, like intense personalities. Jim
and John I could see six eight years in and
San Francisco. You know, Jim was wearing people out and
(39:20):
Stanford he did, and I think this Jim is much
more chill. Maybe the Harballs need to get to sixty
and John Harball has never been quite as intense. But
I think John'll go win somewhere and Lamar will win.
But it is interesting with Lamar because I was saying
this today. They sat down with a meeting, and I
don't think the intent was to run John Harbaugh out.
(39:43):
But if you're John Harbaugh, you're like, Okay, listen, I
was eight and four in the playoffs pre Lamar. I'm
three and six with him. He's missed a full season
of games. I don't know what he actually is right
now because it's not what it used to be. And
Cam Newton's last Pro Bowl was at twenty like, but
Lamar is so wildly worshiped and loved in Baltimore. He's
(40:08):
unmovable and that and by the way, Mahomes is Alan
is Lamar is. You could move almost every quarterback and
I'm serious, there's about I mean, now, Herbert in LA
would be tough, but the truth is La is so chill,
you know. But I mean, like Lamar is on a
short list of you just can't move them. But my
(40:28):
point is what what what do you think next year?
Because remember, hyper athletic quarterbacks age faster. That's not disputable.
Old guys, Aaron, Stafford, Brady, don't you can play into
your fort I thought Aaron second half last week was
the best he's played in three years. I thought he
(40:49):
was outstanding. What do you think Lamar is going forward?
Because I think deep down he would never say it publicly,
but Lamar didn't throw out in all of Ranch when
he got fired, and that story got leaked to the
writer in Baltimore, and it didn't come from Lamar's side.
And my take is the untold story is Harbough asked
(41:13):
some questions about Lamar, like what are we going Ford?
He's got a seventy four million dollar capt My ask
to you is next year and beyond. Do you believe
Lamar is what we saw this year, a slower, more tackleable,
more defendable version of what he was three years ago.
Speaker 1 (41:31):
Well, I mean, listen, he arguably should have won MVP
last year. You know, like it was a very close
MVP race with him and Josh Allen last year. So
we're not that far removed from Lamar. You know, he
was what forty one touchdowns and four picks or something stupid.
Speaker 2 (41:45):
But again, athletic quarterbacks age fast. No, no, absolutely, Ben
just fell off a cliff.
Speaker 1 (41:52):
Yeah, listen, I would not want to be tied to
Lamar for his thirties. But like he turned twenty nine today,
I think that it's totally reasonable to say his age
twenty nine, thirty thirty one thirty two seasons that you'd
be thrilled and could win a Super Bowl in two
(42:14):
of those four years, you know, like it. And so
because he has gotten better as a passer, I think
his what the next coach's biggest challenge is going to
be is figuring out how much of his improvement as
a passer was because teams had to defend against him
as a runner and Mike just like because like his
(42:36):
mobility makes you have to put in spies and keep
eyes on the quarterback and so that it makes it
easier to pass the football. He doesn't just drop back
and pass it like Matt Stafford, and he never will.
And so as that athleticism wanes, how much is his
passing efficiency going to wane? And my guess is a
significant amount. Ye Like, well, I don't think Lamar is
going to be. You know, I don't think he's gonna
(42:58):
win another MVP award, and I do think that he
will be good enough in the short term to be
competitive because of how talented that roster is and the
other like, because I think also what you're asking is, like,
how attractive is the Baltimore job. It's a great organization.
Speaker 2 (43:14):
Oh, I think it's I think it's the best job
opening in for since since green Bay. But green Bay
doesn't have an owner and they've got their own obstacles
and things to deal with. I mean, green Bay third
year in a row, youngest team, why they don't sign
free agents much. So, right, Baltimore's as good a job
as that's been opening years.
Speaker 1 (43:34):
I agree with you, But like if you are skeptical
of what Lamar is gonna be, and you're gonna have
to pay him seventy million dollars.
Speaker 2 (43:40):
So I'm not skeptical. I think you get two more
really really high end years. But my guess is the
Lamar that was freakishly hard to corner, I don't think
we'll see that. I think we'll see highly effective eleven
and six can win the division. But I do think
(44:03):
I think it's a reasonable take that twenty nine years
old for his stylistically, I think he's got two really
good years left. I wouldn't bet on four. I think
at thirty three is not the same player.
Speaker 1 (44:15):
I think, you know, I agree with that, and I said,
like two of the next four because you know, maybe
he hurts his back next year or whatever. But I
think I also think that athletes now they're just better, yeah, right,
And so I think we have to kind of like
it used to be, like running backs after twenty seven,
I don't want those guys now. Derrick Henry is still
a top six back in the NFL. You know. Now
(44:37):
he's an Adrian Peterson cyborg. But like Christian McCaffrey used to,
just higher than it's ever been. Like, we have to
like adjust it a little bit, like because Cam Newton
took hits in a way that Lamar doesn't take hits
right now, bigger athlete, but he was one yard touchdowns
(44:58):
Ben Roethlisberger low his shoulder. That's not what Lamar is.
Speaker 2 (45:02):
Like.
Speaker 1 (45:02):
You can still be just if you are a good
escape artist, even if you're not running to scramble, just
like running to evade the pressure, extend the plays. You
can still be effective. So yeah, two of the next
four years, I think you have a top ten quarterback
Lamar Jackson, and you can you can win a Super
Bowl with that, and then when you add in all
the other talent there, how well they draft. What coach
(45:24):
Manjini keeps talking about though, is he's like, what people
underrate is when you're there for eighteen years, it's not
like a coach who was there for three and gets fired.
He's like, you're you're either just doing more of what
John Harball was doing or you're changing everything. But the
pr was how Harball wanted it, the food was how
(45:45):
Harball wanted it, the training staff, all those things. So
I'm fascinated into, like the profile of who the next
coach of the Ravens is, Like, can it be a
first time head coach?
Speaker 2 (45:56):
No I said this today. They don't need their culture change.
They have one of the best cultures. They need somebody
that works with Lamar as he ages Stefanski. Yeah, the
New York Giants need a Vabel, they need a culture changer.
(46:17):
This will probably go viral so years ago I forget
who was doing this, but somebody ranked the best thirty
dunks of all time, and they eliminated the Vince Carter
jumping over the Chinese national team center. So we're gonna
take that one out because it automatically wins. You jumped
(46:37):
over a seven foot man, and so somebody took that
out and started it. So I'm gonna take Andy Reid
out of this question because he's almost Belichickian. Now it's
sort of understood. It's silly. His resume is better his play.
So let's take Andy Reid out of this and let's
go rank the coaches until we get to Ben Johnson.
Speaker 1 (47:02):
Okay, so I would go Max.
Speaker 2 (47:04):
So, okay, I'm gonna go McVeigh one.
Speaker 1 (47:07):
That's fine. Shanahan too, boy, Jim Harbaugh's good. Jim Harbor's good.
Jim Harbor Jim Jim Harbaugh is Jim Harbor is very good.
And I know, I know you love him.
Speaker 2 (47:23):
Okay, here's why Shanahan gets docked for me? Okay, why
doesn't he come? Why is he bad? Second half trailing?
Because he has the best play sheet in the league,
and he gets glued to his play sheet. He has
the best he is that's that that is the most
sophisticated play sheet in the league, and the best play caller,
(47:44):
but he there are certain things, you know. I always
had my Aaron Rodgers theory. Why does he have so
few come from behind wins in the fourth fewer than
Derek Carr? Why because Aaron's mood changes after a pick
or two. He literally his mood changes, you can see it,
his body language changes. He has a bizarre few come
(48:06):
from behind wins. He I always said, he's not a
Foxhole guy. He is a baller but a little bit
of a Baylor.
Speaker 1 (48:13):
Okay, yeah, but okay, I but I love this, so
I want to just like stay on it. Like the
guy went to a super Bowl with Jimmy Garoppolo and
rock Party. I feel like it's like that's the only
argument I need. Like Kyle Shanahan, if you can go
to a super Bowl with the last pick in the draft.
Speaker 2 (48:33):
Okay, so you're putting him third, you're putting him second.
Speaker 1 (48:36):
Yeah, okay, but okay, fine, okay, but my but my thing. Okay,
So now Harbaugh, Harbor wins everywhere he goes everywhere, is
a great culture guy. I don't know, man, I don't know.
Like Ben Johnson calls the plays, well, yeah, but can.
Speaker 2 (48:59):
We can we have him go through a full season before.
Speaker 1 (49:03):
I'm just saying, like Jim Harbaugh runs a little bit
too much for my liking, Like he kicks field goals
a little too often for my liking. Okay, I'm just
I'm just saying, like there's it's just it's a little
All I'm saying is we've reached the point of the list.
We've reached the point of the list where you're gonna
(49:24):
at least get me to start making some arguments for
my guys.
Speaker 2 (49:28):
Okay, that's okay. So I'm like McVeigh, Harbaugh, Shanahan's lack
of second half comebacks bothers me. Shanahan third, Mike Rabel, four,
Sean Payton, I would probably I think Peyton's so good.
And by the way, it's all inches here to me,
like I it's inches, it's not feet.
Speaker 1 (49:49):
And so I have a question about Mike Rabel. Okay,
I'm a question about Mike Rabel. He wins in Tennessee.
Speaker 2 (49:57):
With that political bad ownership.
Speaker 1 (50:00):
With with with Prime Derrick Henry and AJ Brown, yeah, and
Ryan Tannehill. I okay, but they had one great year
and it ended poorly, and yes there was politicking and
all of that he is clearly a smart coach. He
is clearly you know, he plays on the edges like Belichick,
(50:21):
Like he knows the rules backwards and forwards, which I
really respect. Josh McDaniels is a top offensive coordinator. Like
how lucky is that? And maybe it's not luck, it's
relationship and Patriots and all that stuff, but like he
has the best offensive coordinator situation you can have, because
it seems like Josh McDaniels can't be a head coach,
right but he's clearly Like if we were going to
(50:43):
say best play callers in the game, and again we're
removing Andy Reid, like Josh McDaniels is probably in the
top five, right Like he Josh McDaniels is. I think he's.
Speaker 2 (50:54):
I think he's probably he and Brian Floores are the
best coordinators in the game right now.
Speaker 1 (50:58):
Yeah, Well, so, just like you gave him an incredible
quarterback and an incredible play caller, and an incredible play caller,
won't leave because he can't be a head coach. I
just I'll just tell you this right now. I wouldn't
trade Ben Johnson for Mike Rabel. Okay, that one wouldn't
be hard.
Speaker 2 (51:12):
Okay, so the difference between you and I. I get
to seven and I'm willing to consider Ben Johnson, So
I go McVeigh, Jim Harbaughs, Shanahan, Peyton Vrabel, and Mike McDonald.
Mike McDonald took over. I think he's I think he's
McVeigh on the defensive side. So I get to seven,
(51:33):
and I could argue, I like Demiko Ryans, but I
do prefer offense over defense. I would go Ben Johnson
seven and then Demko Ryans eight, and then I'd probably
go I mean, we have to put Mike Tomlin in
there because goddamn one is division again.
Speaker 1 (51:49):
It's so I would the who am I missing?
Speaker 2 (51:54):
Now?
Speaker 1 (51:54):
Listen, you know some people would say Matt Lafleur, he's good.
I would good. I would take I would take Ben
Johnson over him. Listen, I think I think not. It's
very early, but well, Liam Cohen is doing and Jacksonville's very,
very impressive.
Speaker 2 (52:11):
I would like him to finish the season.
Speaker 1 (52:13):
But I agree. Yeah, I'm just saying if I'm going
to have Ben Johnson up there, like, because I'm giving
Liam Cohen a lot of credit for what Baker did
you know? So like that.
Speaker 2 (52:22):
Here's what's funny. Sean McDermott has a higher winning percentage
than Andy Reid and Belichick. I'm at nine and I
don't have Sean McDermott. That tells you the depth and coaching.
Speaker 1 (52:31):
Yeah, and listen and Nick Sirianni has like the highest
win percentage ever and everyone's like, yeah, but it's a
super team, so like we can we can parse some
stuff here. Sean Payton's great. I would take Ben Johnson
because of age, like I think you have him for longer.
McDonald is incredible. McDonell. And what the Seahawks did in
(52:52):
that Week eighteen game against the Niners, Oh, it.
Speaker 2 (52:54):
Was one of the more It's amazing it was only
thirteen to three because it felt thirty to three. That
is the knock I have on Seattle is that they
physically dominate teams. And in the last six weeks, you're like,
I feel like you left fourteen points on the yeah
on the floor.
Speaker 1 (53:13):
Yeah that I mean that JSN is forty percent of
their offense, and you fully trust their court, Like, I
mean they clearly sometimes call plays to hide Donald making mistakes.
They'll like snap throw like one read throws like they'll
like roll them out left and look back right and
there's one and it's like throw it to him or
throw it away. So they they they they clearly don't
(53:35):
fully trust Donald, even though they say everything publicly, like
their actions in their play calling when he gets a
little shakey suggested. But yeah, McDonald doing that. I mean,
we looked it up on the show. Fewest yards ever
for a Kyle Shanahan offense since he'd been the head
coach in San Francisco, fewest rushing yards for McCaffrey since
(53:56):
he got with Shanahan, and tied for the fewest points
for Shanahan since he had been in San Francisco since
his first game. Shanahan's first game in San Francisco in
twenty seventeen, they scored three points and then they held
him to three points when they had been the number
one offense in football since week eleven when Purdy came back,
they were averaging thirty five. The game they play a
(54:17):
must win game against the division opponent they know, and
they get held to one hundred and seventy four yards
and three points. So, yeah, McDonald is excellent. Like to me,
the coach of the Year this year, is fascinating Vrabel,
Ben Johnson, Liam Cohen, McDonald's Shanahan with all the injuries,
there's you know, Peyton obviously getting the one seed. There's
big names, there's history. Guys McDonald's probably I think he
(54:41):
deserves it this year and that's over my guy, Ben Johnson.
The volume
The volume.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Today's show brought to you by our presenting sponsor, hard
Rock Bet, the official sportsbook partner of the AFC South
champion Jacksonville Jaguars. Duvall is going to be japped up
this weekend. Folks. We've been rolling with hard rock Bet
all season long, and now hard Rock Bet is here
for what is shaping up to be an incredible playoff run.
So you know I love doing these big standalone playoff games.
(00:25):
Same game parlays, lock in one matchup at a time,
stack your picks. Maybe the quarterback throws for two hundred
and fifty yards, the running back hits one hundred, the
tight end punches in the first touchdown. Hard Rock Bet
gives you tons of ways to build your same game parlay,
turning big game days into bigger pay days. And if
you miss kickoff, don't worry. Hard Rock Bet has live
in game betting. You're never too late to the action.
(00:46):
Find a winner, well, grab that player prop you meant
to play, and live bet between snaps couple easy taps
on the phone. If you haven't tried your first bet
on hard rock Bet, still time for you to get
one hundred and fifty dollars in bonus bets. If you win,
just place a five benefit hits, you not only get
your winnings, but an extra one hundred and fifty in
bonus bets. So just because your team may be out
of it, that doesn't mean you have to sit on
(01:07):
the sidelines this postseason between same game parlays, live betting,
can't miss welcome offer, a new promos drop and every
day hard Rock Bet has you covered all postseason long.
That's hard Rock Bet. Download the hard Rock Bet app
today and make your first deposit payable in bonus bets,
not a cash offer offered by the Seminole Tribe of Florida.
In Florida offered by Seminole hard Rock Digital LLC and
older states, must be twenty one plus and physically president
(01:29):
in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee,
or Virginia to play. Terms and conditions apply. Concerned about
gambling in Florida, call one eighty eight admit it. In Indiana,
if you are somebody you know as a problem wants help,
call one eight hundred and nine with it gambling problem
called one eight hundred Gambler. Arizona Colorado, Illinois, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia.
(01:53):
Odds via hard Rock Bet Chargers at the Patriots, Chargers
plus three, So New England the favorite would probably lean
take the points with the Chargers. Now, this is interesting.
Bill's minus one according to hard Rock Bet at the Jaguars.
I like the Jaguars, and I think they can pound them. Now,
I will say, I know Buffalo has been a weird
(02:15):
team that week to week. You know, you get really
good halves really bad halves. I think Jacksonville is completely legit.
I think they're the third or fourth best team in
the league. For them to be at home as an underdog,
to me feels incredibly disrespectful. I get the offensive coach
(02:35):
Trevor Lawrence isn't turning it over. I think I would
take Jacksonville by a touchdown, what say you?
Speaker 3 (02:41):
I get they were playing the Titans today, But man,
they look good and I just counted they They've won
eight straight games and Trevor looks fantastic. There is no
disputing I mean, you could make the argument they're playing
as well as any team in the league. I think
now in terms of in terms of like momentum in
terms of both sides of the ball, the coaching staff,
(03:02):
how well the quarterback looks historically though, you know, I
mean this, that's where the Bills are a unique team
going to the They do have a guy that if
he's on, can just take over a game, but just
based on the way they're playing, it'd be hard to go.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
Against the Jags.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
I mean, there's there's just the Jags can win the
Super Bowl because the AFC is pretty wide open. The
Texans are probably one of the scarier teams. They're comfortable
playing them right there in the division, so they've seen
that personnel. It's not like Denver and New England are
unbeatable squads. So I would say Jacksonville haven't seen the
odds of them to win the AFC. But if they
(03:39):
get by the Bills, to me, they are very very
live to win the AFC. The hurdle because there's gonna
be some weird pressure on the Jags.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
They're at home.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
They're taking on this guy who's most considered when he's
on the best player in the NFL. If they if
they are able to slay that dragon, I can see
the Jags win the AFC for sure.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
Remember Buffalo is a very weird first half team. They
play from behind. Now today they didn't against the hapless Jets.
But you get down like I would take the Jags
in the first half. You get down to Jacksonville and
you know, good luck. They have a pass rush. So again,
(04:19):
Buffalo has trailed, I think in six of their last
eight games in the second half. They're not a fast
starting team.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
John.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
When you go on the road, regular season or playoffs
or college football, when you go on the road, you
have to start quickly. Like Seattle at San Francisco took
command of the game first tribe, You're like, okay, okay,
the crowds not a factor. Buffalo go on the road,
get down fourteen to three, fourteen to nothing like that.
Thing could go sideways fast. Jacksonville's a much better starting
(04:47):
team with an offensive coach in scripted plays. You know,
this is nothing against McDermott, but a team as good
as Buffalo shouldn't trail six of eight games in the
second half in a water down AFC. Jacksonville's a rough
matchup for them. Now, there's no odds yet the Texans
will go either to Baltimore or Pittsburgh, and I think
(05:09):
they will control both. My guess is the Texans would
go on the road and be like a two and
a half point favorite at Baltimore at Pittsburgh. I really
like the Texans. I think you and I both feel this.
You know, you just forget they keep making the playoffs
and c J. Strouds won't playoff games like Demiko Ryans
(05:30):
is like Mike McDonald. You know, do you talk to
you guys around the league like Mike McDonald And Demiko
Ryans is defensive coaches. Jesse Mentor is a defensive coordinator.
They're just different, and I I gotta tell you the
one team I would not want to play is the Texans.
Could you know they're going to be the underdog. Nobody's
(05:51):
pulling form outside of Houston. I don't care if they
play the Ravens and the Steelers. I like the Ravens
tonight close. Where are you on that?
Speaker 1 (05:59):
I think they match you.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
I think the Steelers would have no shot against them,
you know, because Rogers running away not possible. That they're
passing games atrocious. I guess DK's back. They can't really.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
Run the ball.
Speaker 3 (06:10):
The one way to neutralize a good pass rush would
be to run the ball, Derrick Henry's come alive of late.
You know, depending on Lamar, you know, whether he if
he ends up playing to night, how he looks, if
he's healthy for that game, just poses a problem.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
To me.
Speaker 3 (06:25):
The Ravens are a tougher matchup than the Steelers, but
I beat either.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
And if they win that game, they are like the Jags.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
I mean, you could argue two teams that are going
to surprise nobody if they're sitting in there in the
AFC with a chance to win the conference. Is the
Jags and the Texans. Their physicality, the coaching staff, their mentality.
I mean, I've loved Houston. I listen, I thought Houston
was a lock to win the division coming into the season. Obviously,
the Jags have had an incredible season. When your defense
(06:55):
is that good, you can beat anybody.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
You know.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
And look and look at this, Drake May second year player,
Bo Nick, second year player. It's like they're going to
be intimidated playing those two guys. Right, Drake's a better
player than bo Knicks, but look who.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
He's throwing to.
Speaker 3 (07:08):
I mean, they have elite dB play in Houston, So
to me, what they do translates to all the opponents
they're gonna see. You know, they've they've beaten the Jags
with their backup quarterback. Remember they were down like twenty
nine ten and came storming back in that game. So
I think of all the wild cards that we're going
to talk about, maybe the Rams once we get to
the NFC, the Texans would have the best chance to
(07:30):
be representing their conference of the wildcard teams in.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
The Super Bowl.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
Totally agree. You know, Denver, we've seen this in college
football where a bye doesn't necessarily work in football. Like,
if you're like Seattle young athletic, they needed to play,
They're going to get a bye. Denver's gonna get a buye.
I think those two teams, I think they'd want to play.
I think if I'm Seattle after that, yeah, I want
(07:54):
to get back out there and play. Denver's in a
weird spot. I mean, here's where Denver gets a big break.
Houston warm weather team, JAG's warm weather team. You know,
the New England would be fine, but you know you
can see Jacksonville that already beat Denver right going back
to Denver and it's eight degrees. You could absolutely see that.
(08:15):
So it's like in a weird way sometimes losing you know,
that game to Jacksonville. Now, okay, I get us see
what they do. Now, let's play them again when it's
really cold, really windy. So that Denver does have a
not just an altitude, but a little bit of a
wind advantage against you know, a cold weather advantage against
potentially the Chargers, the Jags, and the Texans. I think
(08:37):
that'll be understated, but it's something. It's a couple of
points to me.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
They like Seattle.
Speaker 3 (08:42):
There are only so many teams in the NFL that
have collegiate like atmospheres that it is a massive home
field advantage, and Denver clearly is one. The altitude and
the crowd is just elite. I mean, you watched that
Lway documentary and it's just that place. When it's rocking Peyton,
Manning and those it's a They've beaten Brady there countless
time over the decades with Shanahan to when Elway was
(09:03):
the GM. So when you look at the AFC, that
to me is a point of difference for Denver like Jacksonville.
You know, let's say Jacksonville and Buffalo end up playing
Saturday night, It'll look pretty good in the dark night.
But I would say Jacksonville some home field advantage. Houston
does not have one. The Chargers don't have one. Denver
in the pass obviously throughout the years. I mean that
(09:24):
is a point of you know, that's a huge it's
been a massive advantage for Andy and the Chiefs over
the last five or six years, playing all those games
Arrowhead Collegiate like atmosphere cold that these teams. I mean,
there's no way to prepare when you're playing in seven
degrees because you can be like, okay, we'll practice outside, well,
you won't get anything done. So that's where coaches like
they'll go outside for a minute and then they'll go
(09:44):
in the bubble because they they want to you know,
get the game plan installed, be able to communicate. No
one can listen because you can't focus. So to me, Denver,
the home field advantage is on their side. But when
you watch and play.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
Somethings off, they don't. They don't really.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
Oh and bo Nicks that one game he played against
Green Bay was incredible. But even today and I get it,
the Chargers have a good defense of mentality. You just
what's going on here?
Speaker 1 (10:09):
You'd like a little more juice.
Speaker 3 (10:10):
That's the one thing the Patriots have. They get easier opponents,
but they roll them. They get so much momentum so
that the confidence that quarterback has compared is bo Nick's
confident or does he just keep telling me he's confident
because I watch him play. Doesn't always play confident where
Drake may plays pretty swaggy.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
As the kids would.
Speaker 2 (10:28):
Say, NFC Seattle gets the buy again. I don't think
Seattle would want the buy young dominating performance against San Francisco.
We'll get to that in a bit. So let's look
at the NFC all these odds via the hard Rock Bet. Okay,
we'll start with this. The Rams would be a five seed.
They're going to Carolina. Carolina is going to be hosting
(10:49):
a playoff game, which is absurd. It's the second time
they face the Rams in a month. They beat him before,
and they beat him down the field. You can beat
the Rams over the top. It's an average corner situation
for them. Rams are a ten and a half point favorite.
This is one of these where like today I took
the Rams as a seven and a half point favorite
against Arizona. I'm like, it's just too many possessions Arizona's quit.
(11:11):
I think the Rams win this game. I would stay away.
I don't like giving up ten and a half to
a home playoff team, but I watched the Panthers yesterday.
Like you, you know, it's one of those things where Bryce
Young you're either a franchise quarterback, a backup, or you
could argue you're a bridge quarterback. I'd argue that Bryce
Young feels like a bridge quarterback. He's a little small.
(11:33):
I couldn't build around him, but you could play him
as a starter for a year. He just won the division.
I mean he backed into it. But my take is
the Rams should be favored. There's such an odd team
for considering they have McVeigh weapons in Stafford. They start
slow a lot. They put Arizona away in the second half.
(11:54):
Any strong feeling there, I was.
Speaker 3 (11:55):
The second half that they were up twenty three twenty
going into the fourth quarter.
Speaker 1 (11:59):
I mean, I thought Rams looked terrible.
Speaker 3 (12:01):
McVeigh had this look on his face that looked like
if we lose this game and lose the opportunity to
play the NFC South winner, I might just go to Amazon.
You could see it on it like this is because
they look kind of lifeless. Jacoby Brissett hit this bomb
down the sideline and it got caught back, and that's
kind of where the game stopped the momentum for Arizona
(12:21):
because it felt like Arizona could score on them every
single time. And you're like, I thought part of the Rams
deal was their defense, And I started thinking, whatever happened
that night in Seattle when Seattle came storming back, they
lost their mojo. I mean they I know, they came back.
Last morning. They were down twenty one to nothing at
half on the road to Atlanta. I mean, I watched
Atlanta today. They're not you know, I know they got
(12:43):
some good players, but give me a break, especially when
you're trying to play for seating like they were last week.
Speaker 1 (12:48):
That was an important game.
Speaker 3 (12:49):
Sean mcvage took that and they were down twenty one nothing.
My opinion has changed dramatically on the Rams. I am
not as against Carolina for sure. I mean we need
to enact something. If you under five hundred, you should.
Speaker 1 (13:01):
Not be able to host a playoff game.
Speaker 3 (13:03):
That's sort you could make the argument that you shouldn't
even be eligible for the playoffs. If other teams Minnesota
the Lions. Some of these other teams have better records
than you.
Speaker 2 (13:13):
Yeah, I think there's an argument to be made that
if you're under five hundred, you can make the playoffs,
you can't host a playoff game. I'd be five back, Yeah,
so would I. You know, the Rams, I've watched every
snap really all year long. And you see it with Goff,
you see it with Kirk Cousins, and you see it
with Stafford. When you do not have a mobile quarterback
(13:36):
as good as Stafford is, John, you can't roll the pocket.
You don't get those sort of off script third and
seven runs for first downs. There's about six to seven
times a game that a San Francisco or a Seattle
can roll the pocket. Pretty did it a couple times yesterday.
Sam did it once yesterday. You get those four or
(13:57):
five first downs a game because you're orderback is mobile,
or you can or you can escape when you have Golf,
when you have Stafford, when you have Cousins, If the
play that's designed doesn't work, it can get sideways. It
can be an ugly loss. And I feel like sometimes
the Rams get into these cycles where they've run.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
Through their scripted stuff.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
They're there, you know, now it's McVeigh on the play
sheet looking for some new wiggles, and they stall out.
They have these quarters where they stall out, where again,
if I'm Shanahan, I can just start going to boot stuff.
Darnold does a lot of that. You start doing bootstuff.
You can do a little bit of that with Stafford.
(14:42):
But I do feel like watching the Rams, they're susceptible
in the back end. I mean, they got a big
break on that deep ball down the field that was
caught by Wilson and there was a penalty and it
was a legitimate pedally against an Arizona offensive lineman.
Speaker 3 (14:55):
But will Wilson was all killing them today.
Speaker 1 (14:57):
I mean, Wilson was left and.
Speaker 2 (14:59):
Right and I feel a little bit like the Rams.
This is why they need to, you know, at some
point get a mobile quarterback because their backups are Jimmy
Garoppolo and Stetsan Bennett. Those guys don't move either. I
just feel like this offense, for all the talent, stalls out. Well.
Speaker 3 (15:14):
I think one thing to derail the offense because it
had kind of become and in its peak earlier in
the season. You know, like when you think back Denver
with Peyton Manning. They had so many weapons. I mean,
when you have Davante and Puka Nakula, no one has
better than that. I think DeVante led the league for
receivers in touchdowns when he got injured. I don't know,
I haven't looked at it today, but up until leading
up to this week, that's how dominant he was in
(15:36):
the red zone. So you factor him and with Pooka,
who feels like the averages double digit catches a game,
and then all their other just auxiliary weapons are kind
of an unstoppable offense.
Speaker 1 (15:44):
Will you remove him? It puts so much pressure on
Pooka and Nakula.
Speaker 3 (15:48):
There are other weapons are fine, but they get elevated
into kind of taking over for DeVante and it becomes
a little more difficult. Now, like you said, over the
course of the game, Arizona just fell off. I mean,
they have a million injuries. They're rolling on Michael will
Trey McBride's a good player, but they got a lot
of random guys out there. I do think the health
of DeVante, if you tell me he's fully healthy. They
(16:09):
get by the Panthers, then they are I mean, obviously
a very very potent team coming into the playoffs, but
if you remove him, they are liable to lose to
anybody not naming the Panthers. And the one thing about Carolina,
unlike a lot of the Southern teams, like obviously Tampa
can rain, Carolina and Tennessee are two areas in the
South that can get cold. I mean, it could just
(16:29):
be a weird cold weather game. Well that could just
make it weird. Now I'd be stunned if they won,
but I could see if the weather's weird, you just
never know.
Speaker 1 (16:37):
It's a long flight.
Speaker 2 (16:39):
Also, t Mac and Laguette are big, long targets. The
Rams corners are small. They've they've been beaten down the
field by large targets. So Carolina's got the kind of reversus.
AJ Brown is a nightmare matchup for the Rams. And
Carolina's got two long, athletic receivers, so you can see
(17:03):
them backdoor covering it scoring at some point. I just
I kind of feel when I watch Carolina they just
they Dan Morgan the GM. They need six more draft
picks and one more free agents free agent.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
Month.
Speaker 2 (17:20):
They just don't have enough good players. Okay, the forty
nine ers, a six seed, go to Philadelphia Philadelphia a
three seed and the Eagles are a touchdown favorite. All right,
so if Ricky Pierson and Trent Williams play both missed
(17:42):
the Seattle game, I think the Niners are a live dog.
But I will say Philadelphia can create pressure. And I
said this going into the Seattle game. I took the
Seahawks this weekend. Is that if you speed rock pretty up,
it's not a great old line, it's a solid old line.
If you speed brock pretty up, you have a chance
(18:03):
to make a few more mistakes. He wasn't very comfortable
against Seattle. I do think he's cut down on the mistakes.
I think he's had a hell of a year when
he's healthy. I would take Philadelphia to win. I'm not
sure if i'd take him to cover. But I do
feel like if you go look at the Niners. I
looked it up today. Since week six, John, they've lost
to the Texans Rams in Seattle. If you have an
(18:24):
elite defense, you have such a defensive advantage over them
because they don't create any pressure. Sam Darnold was very
comfortable and Sala has to take big risks with blitz
packages to create any kind of rush, and the Texans
rams and Seattle beat him without having to do that,
and Philadelphia will get somewhat of a pass rush without
having to bring extra bodies and compromise the secondary. So
(18:47):
if you look at what the Niners have done since
Week six, they're wins. They're not beating teams with the
elite level defenses because they can't offer that. They just
like when you watch that Seattle game, it was thirteen
to three, but it didn't feel like that. It felt
like twenty seven to three. It didn't feel that competitive.
Speaker 1 (19:04):
Yeah, they they got murdered.
Speaker 3 (19:06):
The Niners proved they're like an NBA team that wants
to play in the one twenties and one thirties, that
they want to get into a high flying game where
they can score a bunch of points and just get
to a position close to the end of the game
and hopefully they're coaching. And they did it against Colts,
and they did it against the Bears.
Speaker 1 (19:21):
I mean they.
Speaker 3 (19:21):
Scored they won a game forty eight or forty two
to thirty eight. I mean that's how they wanted to play.
And the question was could they get and win a
game if it was like seventeen to fifteen, because that's
what that game last night.
Speaker 1 (19:33):
Was going to be.
Speaker 3 (19:34):
And their defense is really really bad, and they lost
their two linebackers last night, so I have no clue. Now,
the Eagles are the most talented team that can look
the most incompetent for stretches, probably in my lifetime. I mean,
they have so much elite talent on their team it's crazy.
And they got a quarterback who can run, so to me,
if they just have a competent game plan, there's no
(19:55):
way the Niners can stop them, and their defense with
Fangio is more than competent enough to just slow them down.
The other thing the Niners. What Seattle did last night
is run a classic Kyle Shanahan in their peak teams
game plan. We're gonna shove the ball down your throat
running the ball, and we're gonna hit you so hard
on every play.
Speaker 1 (20:13):
We'll just wear you down.
Speaker 3 (20:15):
The scores in their heyday doesn't the scores weren't always blowouts,
but we're gonna smother you.
Speaker 1 (20:23):
Basically played a Shanahan game.
Speaker 2 (20:27):
How many Niners last night, I don't remember. I remember
one Seahawk being slow to get up. There had to
have been six different forty nine ers that literally got
either went to the tent or stayed on the ground.
I mean, Seattle beat San Francisco up for three and
a half hours, and and pierceall and Trent didn't play.
(20:49):
Kittle did. He's still remarkable. I just feel like the Niners,
the gig is up east, They're out of bodies. There's
just nothing they can do. I think Philadelphia arrested a
lot of their guys. Philadelphia. I mean just I don't know.
I just don't think San Francisco's got the AMMO.
Speaker 3 (21:08):
I will say this, and I know the way the
Eagles in that building internalized stuff they do have. They
think obviously most people do really highly of Kyle. That
is not just an easy coaching staff. We talked about
Jim Harbaugh getting you just get Kyle Shanahan and Robert
Sala in the first round. Now, there's only so much
Robert Sala can do. But Kyle just got embarrassed. You know,
(21:30):
probably in front of thirty thirty five million people. They
are gonna have some stuff that they're gonna bring to Philadelphia.
Speaker 1 (21:36):
And here's the other thing.
Speaker 3 (21:37):
If you can just make it a little weird, right,
maybe ten to seven year up at halftime, that place
will start boooning you because they already don't really like
this team like they don't because they're not an entertaining
team to watch. So if you can get them tight,
that place can get tight. Because this ego season has
(21:57):
been weird. If I would have told you this today,
the Bears were gonna lose, he would have said, oh,
the Eagles are playing Washington even with their backups.
Speaker 1 (22:05):
The Eagles will be the two seed.
Speaker 3 (22:07):
And I look, the Eagles lose. How's that?
Speaker 1 (22:10):
How do you lose? With the Bears losing?
Speaker 3 (22:11):
If I would have been Sirianni and I look up
and they're down sixteen to nothing, I'm on the headsets. Hey,
we got to dial. We had a chance to be
the two seed.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
That's multiple home games.
Speaker 3 (22:20):
That is a massive, massive advantage. They know what they
I mean, They've been the one seed multiple times. They
understand the power of playing home games in the playoffs.
Now they might have to go on the road.
Speaker 2 (22:30):
I when I do my herd hararchy, when I do
my herd hierarchy on Tuesday, I never know what to
do with Philadelphia.
Speaker 1 (22:37):
I don't trust them at all.
Speaker 2 (22:38):
I don't know what I don't know what to do
with them. I love their talent, I don't know what
to do with them.
Speaker 3 (22:42):
So I think all the pressure there is on Philly
and Sirianni and we just know that place. Yes, and
that's I don't know the game times yet, but i'd
be I mean, that's got like Sunday Night Football written
all over it.
Speaker 1 (22:55):
Right.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
If you told me Pierceaal and Trent Williams and kill play,
that's a good live dog. They'll score, they'll they'll they'll score.
But God, and you know that of all the games
we've talked about. So let's transition to this Green Bay
seven seed Bears, two seed. Yet the Bears have a
(23:19):
two game losing streak going into the playoffs. It is
according to hard Rock Bet, it is a pick em.
It is a pick em. Now here's the advantage for
the Bears. With Micah Parsons out. They don't generate much
of a pass rush, right. They got to they got
to scheme it up like solid. They've got to take
some chances, compromise the back end of their defense. I
(23:40):
think I like the Bears in this spot. You know
it's watching them today, I almost felt like they were overconfident.
Like they knew they were in the playoffs. Then all
of a sudden in the fourth quarter, you're like, okay, touchdown,
two point conversion. Touchdown two point conversion for the record,
Colston Lovelin and Caleb Williams, it is a thing now
like Holston had a day to day Luther Burden and
(24:03):
colst At Luther Burden and Caleb that's better now. So
I like Chicago in this spot. Again, it's a little
bit of ammo. Green Bay kind of limps into it.
Would would you roll the dice and take the Bears here?
Speaker 1 (24:17):
I would say both the Eagles and the Bears.
Speaker 3 (24:20):
If you would have told them, hey, you get home
playoff game first round.
Speaker 1 (24:23):
You're the two and three.
Speaker 3 (24:24):
Seed, you know six months ago, but you have to
play the Green Bay Packers and the San Franco forty
nine ers, they both would have been like, are you
kidding me? I think part of it is watching the
Bears game today. I give them a little bit of
a pass. They have this devastating loss right to the
forty nine ers on Sunday Night football. You're in the playoffs,
you're guaranteed a too or you're guaranteed a home game.
(24:45):
Young team, but their defense, Colin is not very good.
It might be a little bit better than the forty
nine ers. There are a lot of parallels there. They're
for the forty nine ers and the Bears are kind.
Speaker 1 (24:55):
Of carbon copies of each other.
Speaker 2 (24:57):
They gave them four hundred and forty yards to Detroit
today in bad weather.
Speaker 3 (25:00):
There were guys wide open whatever Jared Goff was, Saint
Brown coming across the middle, Jamis and William coming across
the middle.
Speaker 1 (25:06):
Their dB play that they give up a lot of yards.
We just saw the.
Speaker 3 (25:09):
Niners score a bunch of points on them. Now can
Green Bay take advantage of it? It feels like every time
I look up Green Bays playing and meaningless game. They
got guys on the ground, so they have a ton
of injuries that their defense is really banged up. Their offense,
you know it is Malik Willis a better option right
now than Jordan Love don't. I don't know, but I
mean they got a lot of question marks in that organization.
You got a coach playing for you know, coaching for
(25:31):
a contract extension. But that is a weird. There's not
a Bears fan you live around a lot of them.
Now they're comfortable with that matchup. You've had this magical season.
You're the freaking two seed and you get the Green
Bay Packers. Even if they come limping in and everyone's
gonna be picking you, that's the thing.
Speaker 1 (25:47):
Everyone's gonna be picking the Bears.
Speaker 3 (25:49):
I could just see that thing can get weird as well.
That I'd say the Packers technically not a dog, but
a live dog in that situation for being a team
that no one's gonna pick.
Speaker 2 (25:58):
You know, with Chicago, they have a playmaker at safety.
They have eleven catches almost one hundred and fifty yards
to on Sat Brown.
Speaker 1 (26:07):
He was wide dominating.
Speaker 2 (26:10):
Yeah, and if you look at the NFC, DeVante Adams
will be back. Aj Brown will be back San Francisco
with Piersall and Jennings those guys. Those guys are playmakers.
So Chicago's the kind of team that they're. You know,
they remind me a little of the Rams, where I
don't trust the back end of their defense. They can
(26:30):
really unimpress you. And then you look up and the
Bears in the Rams can put two or three drives
together in a row in the second half and you're like, okay,
all right, this is explosive. I mean Caleb still makes throws.
I mean he made a couple today on those two
scoring drives.
Speaker 1 (26:45):
Like he is.
Speaker 2 (26:47):
He is, so he's got a physical confidence. Like when
he rolls back to throw and he's in, he's rolling
to his right, he's toying with the defensive players, he's
just kind of playing with him. He's going back and forth.
He's totally If Stafford rolls right, he's not controlling it.
He's waiting for somebody to quickly get open. When when
Caleb rolls right, he he could do a high school
(27:08):
pivot and say I'm gonna run backwards. I'm just gonna
buy something like Josh Allen does that occasionally. Like guys,
I'm controlling this situation. I think I like Chicago in
this spot. I really do like how Colston Loveland and
Caleb have really created something special. Like today, it was incredible.
Every big play at was Colston Loveland. They really used
their tight ends. Cole comet at a two point conversion.
Speaker 3 (27:30):
Two, that place is going to be pretty special on
that in that game. I mean, that's that's we're talking
about home field advantage. They haven't once, they haven't made
the playoffs in a while. Definitely haven't made the playoffs
as a team people think can win a couple of games.
It's that that atmosphere a couple of weeks ago when
they played Green Bay had to be one of the
(27:51):
more special games of the year just in terms of
watching it on TV as a viewer. I think there's
a chance that place is absolutely I mean, it's going
to be rocking. It's going to be really really cool.
And can they feed into that and maybe that helps
the defense out a little bit. They just they have
probably less injuries than Niners, and their talent on defense
is just not great. You know, the front seven is
(28:11):
not that good. They don't have a great pass rusher.
They basically just got to score a bunch of points.
Speaker 2 (28:24):
Will he worked in Chicago radio for a long time.
Now he's on FS one career as Sunchon. Been fun
to see. His name is Danny Parkins. So Saturday a
friend of mine in California, he said, Hey, I take
my son to a game every year, and we know
you live in Chicago. Do you want to go to
the Bears game? I said, it's going to be thirty
(28:45):
mile hour wind gusts and snowing He's like, it'll be
so much fun, and I said, when you live in it,
it's really not that fun, Like I don't ski anymore. So,
but it is interesting when I look at that Packer game.
What I think is fascinating is usually when the Packers
play in a playoff game, they are the story, and
it's a total Bear story. Ben Johnson, Caleb the Bears
(29:09):
are literally what everybody is watching for. And my theory
is the lousy weather benefits the Bears because they have
one of the best run games. The Packers run game
isn't as good. The Bears have a better run game,
a better old line, and I would argue the ability
for Caleb to just take off is actually usually the
(29:31):
more skilled offense is at a disadvantage when the weather stinks,
and I actually think it plays into the bears favor
And I like Chicago this weekend, and I think they're
the second best bet on the board after Jacksonville.
Speaker 1 (29:46):
So yeah, a lot there. Caleb's best game of the
season and arguably his career, was against Cleveland and their
defense was very good this year and it was the
coldest game at Soldier Field in like twenty years. His
arm is ridiculous, ridiculous. So they now Jordan Love's got
a very he's got a plus arm.
Speaker 2 (30:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (30:06):
So, but like bad conditions should impact Caleb less than
other players because of his like physical gifts. And then
everything else you said is absolutely true. Home field, offensive line,
run game, all of those things. Green Bay's defense also,
you know, they've lost four straight. Micah got hurt four
(30:29):
games ago. They have three sacks and no interceptions in
their last four games down the stretch. That's the Jets.
The Jets have four sacks and no interceptions. They're the
only other team in that spot. They're giving up twenty
eight a game. Like the pack The Bears defense is
not good, but they lead the league in takeaways, like
they do make plays. The Packers defense, since losing Micah,
(30:51):
is just bad. They don't sack the quarterback, they don't
turn you over. They give up a lot of points.
So they're just bad and not even opportunistic. But before
we get into any more hardcore Access knows football, I'm going,
oh my god, Colin, you didn't even text me back.
I texted you and said, hey, I'm flying in Saturday morning,
do you want to grab lunch? And now I'm going
(31:13):
with my with my buddies and we're gonna get lunch.
So unless you want to come hang out with some
of us as we start boozing, you're more than welcome.
But Colin, I hate going to NFL games. Hate it.
It's expensive. People fight, Yeah, the traffic is miserable. I
think it's crazy that this game ended up on Saturday
instead of on Sunday. And there's been great reporting as
(31:34):
to like how the TV networks divvied up these games
and why Prime got the excellent game that is Bear's Packers.
But when I saw that it was Saturday night in
Chicago and I could fly in Saturday morning, fly back
to New York Sunday morning, be back in time to
watch all the Sunday games and go and not miss
anything by going to this Bears Packers game, this is
going to be a special thing. Like it's going to
(31:56):
be uncomfortable, it's going to be cold, but I I
havered double seats. I am right behind the Bears bench
like so I'm out in the elements, but like first
row behind the Bears bench. I have not been this
excited to go to an NFL game since I was
like a child like, I am very, very excited to
be there. It's because because your friend is correct, like,
(32:17):
it's going to be a it's gonna be an experience.
It's gonna be miserably cold and windy. I'm actually rooting
for it to be cold because I don't want it
to be If it's gonna I don't want it to
be rain like. I'd much rather it be snowing than rain. Yeah,
just for like comfort in the stadium. So if it's
like thirty three in raining, that's gonna be miserable, give
(32:39):
me twenty three in snow. Yeah, the thirty rain. But
I don't know. There's good Bears Packers Soldier Field, Bears
as the two seed, feeling like we are not out
coached and we are not out quarterbacked. I remember watching
football for the first time in nineteen ninety two, being
six years old. My old my dad, and my older
brother raised in Wisconsin, diehard Packers fans. Ninety two is
(33:03):
Brett Favre's first year in Green Bay. I've never seen
the Bears have a better quarterback than the Packers my
whole life. So the idea that like this game could
be like the beginning of the rivalry being real, and
that's the floor where the ceiling is like passing of
a torch to like an era of the Bears being
(33:25):
the hammer and the Packers being the nail. I'm just
I'm so excited for this game. I had to be there.
Speaker 2 (33:30):
Well, you know, one of the things about running a
Northern tier team, and I've said this for years, Danny,
there's never been a dome dynasty in the NFL. There's
never been a warm weather dynasty.
Speaker 1 (33:45):
I mean, Dan, that's interesting.
Speaker 2 (33:46):
Yeah, Dan Marino, one of the Cowboys. Uh, go there
in the winter. It's not that warm, it's it's you know,
they've got I went to a Super Bowl there were ice,
sheets of ice were falling off the stadium.
Speaker 1 (33:58):
That was yes, sure, yes, okay.
Speaker 2 (34:00):
So I don't consider I consider warm you know, Miami, Arizona,
an LA team, Jacksonville, there's never been a warm weather dynasty.
And so the NFL success has gone through cold, crappy weather.
And I was thinking about this the other day. Ben
Johnson's a real sharp guy. Ben Johnson. I think New
(34:25):
Listen it's not named the Windy City because of the win.
That's because of politicians years ago. Nonetheless, and Baltimore's always
done this, and New England did this. Don't worry too
much about deep threats. They went and got a center,
two guards, and a tight end and a slot receiver.
And why those guys can operate under sixteen yards? Now,
(34:50):
Caleb has a power arm. But even if you have
a power arm Saturday, it may not matter. And I
think what one of the quiet pieces of Ben Johnson,
unst dated pieces of Ben Johnson's brilliance. He built this
team to play in crappy weather. This is an excellent
crappy weather team. For the record, so is Philadelphia Saquon Barkley,
(35:12):
good tight ends, excellent O line. So Seattle, by the way,
Darnald big arm. They went and drafted a tight end,
two running backs, really only one receiver. So I think,
what makes you you know we always think of Green Bay.
I mean Green BAYO is far of big arm, Aaron
big arm, Love big arm, Flacco big arm, Lamar not
(35:33):
so much Mahomes big arm. I think Chicago is if
the weather is lousy for the next three weeks. I
think the Bears are completely built for you. For the record,
Detroit wasn't where Ben was at because Gof's not good
in that weather, but they were they were indoors. So
I always feel like when golf goes outside, the odds change.
(35:55):
So I know a lot of people go back and forth,
but I in the last twelve hours, I'm like big Jacksonville,
Big Chicago, and I do like Mike Tomlin Monday now
that DK Metcalf comes back. So those are the three
I feel strongest about. Do you have two to three
that you really feel most strongly about?
Speaker 1 (36:15):
Well, so one that you didn't mention is my favorite,
and it's Chargers plus three and a half. Wow, I think, yeah,
so you and j Mack love that. So I don't
know if I love that. No, Like, obviously three in
the hook is a big deal. Like it's obviously a
(36:36):
very important number in the gambling space, So that is
a piece of it. I think Jacksonville wanted New England
because they know, Okay, two of our most expensive players
and two of our best players Alton Slater, are out
for the year. You take two of the four highest
paid players off any team, it's going to decimate him. Yes,
(36:58):
Now you say they play the same position and their
job is to protect your most expensive and important player,
and it's a death blow, like anyone who has been
hit the number of times that Herbert has been hit,
who has made the playoffs in the last thirty years,
They've all lost in the wildcard round, Like it is
(37:19):
supposed to be a fatal flaw of a team if
you can't stop your quarterback from getting hit. Well, New
England's defense is not good. They're statistically okay in some areas,
but they haven't played anybody, and when you dig into
it just a little bit, like good quarterbacks have been
(37:39):
efficient against them and have at least moved the ball,
and their pass rush numbers are not good. Now a
lot of that is, you know, they don't even really
need to. They're not playing from behind, they're not gearing
up and going after it. There's some prevent stuff. There's
been a lot of blowouts. Sure, I'll concede that. But
I think Denver is a worst matchup for the Chargers.
(38:00):
I think Houston is a worst matchup.
Speaker 2 (38:02):
For Houston's a bad matchup.
Speaker 1 (38:04):
Yeah, no doubt. Denver's pass rush almost beat the eighty
four Bears record, right, I mean the Chargers beat them
in a twenty three to twenty game where Herbert was
incredible but he got hit and abused and sacked and
like he was. They were lucky to win that game.
But I just think that they looked at it and
they said, we'll rest our guys in week eighteen, and
(38:27):
we'll play a team that really hasn't played much of
anybody this year and will run on them, and we'll
protect Justin and Justin Herbert won't be staring at the
ceiling the whole game because their pass rush isn't great.
So I just I think New England having the easiest
schedule of any team since the ninety nine Rams is something,
(38:47):
and I think their pass rush not being very good
is something. And I think Herbert, like you do, is
a superstar. So I really like them to I think
they're gonna win the game, but I'll certainly take them
plus three and a half.
Speaker 2 (39:00):
So I want to talk about the Lamar Jackson thing.
So listen, eighteen years is a long time to be
a CEO of a company like that's just a long time.
And the Harballs are They're intense, like intense personalities. Jim
and John I could see six eight years in and
San Francisco. You know, Jim was wearing people out and
(39:20):
Stanford he did, and I think this Jim is much
more chill. Maybe the Harballs need to get to sixty
and John Harball has never been quite as intense. But
I think John'll go win somewhere and Lamar will win.
But it is interesting with Lamar because I was saying
this today. They sat down with a meeting, and I
don't think the intent was to run John Harbaugh out.
(39:43):
But if you're John Harbaugh, you're like, Okay, listen, I
was eight and four in the playoffs pre Lamar. I'm
three and six with him. He's missed a full season
of games. I don't know what he actually is right
now because it's not what it used to be. And
Cam Newton's last Pro Bowl was at twenty like, but
Lamar is so wildly worshiped and loved in Baltimore. He's
(40:08):
unmovable and that and by the way, Mahomes is Alan
is Lamar is. You could move almost every quarterback and
I'm serious, there's about I mean, now, Herbert in LA
would be tough, but the truth is La is so chill,
you know. But I mean, like Lamar is on a
short list of you just can't move them. But my
(40:28):
point is what what what do you think next year?
Because remember, hyper athletic quarterbacks age faster. That's not disputable.
Old guys, Aaron, Stafford, Brady, don't you can play into
your fort I thought Aaron second half last week was
the best he's played in three years. I thought he
(40:49):
was outstanding. What do you think Lamar is going forward?
Because I think deep down he would never say it publicly,
but Lamar didn't throw out in all of Ranch when
he got fired, and that story got leaked to the
writer in Baltimore, and it didn't come from Lamar's side.
And my take is the untold story is Harbough asked
(41:13):
some questions about Lamar, like what are we going Ford?
He's got a seventy four million dollar capt My ask
to you is next year and beyond. Do you believe
Lamar is what we saw this year, a slower, more tackleable,
more defendable version of what he was three years ago.
Speaker 1 (41:31):
Well, I mean, listen, he arguably should have won MVP
last year. You know, like it was a very close
MVP race with him and Josh Allen last year. So
we're not that far removed from Lamar. You know, he
was what forty one touchdowns and four picks or something stupid.
Speaker 2 (41:45):
But again, athletic quarterbacks age fast. No, no, absolutely, Ben
just fell off a cliff.
Speaker 1 (41:52):
Yeah, listen, I would not want to be tied to
Lamar for his thirties. But like he turned twenty nine today,
I think that it's totally reasonable to say his age
twenty nine, thirty thirty one thirty two seasons that you'd
be thrilled and could win a Super Bowl in two
(42:14):
of those four years, you know, like it. And so
because he has gotten better as a passer, I think
his what the next coach's biggest challenge is going to
be is figuring out how much of his improvement as
a passer was because teams had to defend against him
as a runner and Mike just like because like his
(42:36):
mobility makes you have to put in spies and keep
eyes on the quarterback and so that it makes it
easier to pass the football. He doesn't just drop back
and pass it like Matt Stafford, and he never will.
And so as that athleticism wanes, how much is his
passing efficiency going to wane? And my guess is a
significant amount. Ye Like, well, I don't think Lamar is
going to be. You know, I don't think he's gonna
(42:58):
win another MVP award, and I do think that he
will be good enough in the short term to be
competitive because of how talented that roster is and the
other like, because I think also what you're asking is, like,
how attractive is the Baltimore job. It's a great organization.
Speaker 2 (43:14):
Oh, I think it's I think it's the best job
opening in for since since green Bay. But green Bay
doesn't have an owner and they've got their own obstacles
and things to deal with. I mean, green Bay third
year in a row, youngest team, why they don't sign
free agents much. So, right, Baltimore's as good a job
as that's been opening years.
Speaker 1 (43:34):
I agree with you, But like if you are skeptical
of what Lamar is gonna be, and you're gonna have
to pay him seventy million dollars.
Speaker 2 (43:40):
So I'm not skeptical. I think you get two more
really really high end years. But my guess is the
Lamar that was freakishly hard to corner, I don't think
we'll see that. I think we'll see highly effective eleven
and six can win the division. But I do think
(44:03):
I think it's a reasonable take that twenty nine years
old for his stylistically, I think he's got two really
good years left. I wouldn't bet on four. I think
at thirty three is not the same player.
Speaker 1 (44:15):
I think, you know, I agree with that, and I said,
like two of the next four because you know, maybe
he hurts his back next year or whatever. But I
think I also think that athletes now they're just better, yeah, right,
And so I think we have to kind of like
it used to be, like running backs after twenty seven,
I don't want those guys now. Derrick Henry is still
a top six back in the NFL. You know. Now
(44:37):
he's an Adrian Peterson cyborg. But like Christian McCaffrey used to,
just higher than it's ever been. Like, we have to
like adjust it a little bit, like because Cam Newton
took hits in a way that Lamar doesn't take hits
right now, bigger athlete, but he was one yard touchdowns
(44:58):
Ben Roethlisberger low his shoulder. That's not what Lamar is.
Speaker 2 (45:02):
Like.
Speaker 1 (45:02):
You can still be just if you are a good
escape artist, even if you're not running to scramble, just
like running to evade the pressure, extend the plays. You
can still be effective. So yeah, two of the next
four years, I think you have a top ten quarterback
Lamar Jackson, and you can you can win a Super
Bowl with that, and then when you add in all
the other talent there, how well they draft. What coach
(45:24):
Manjini keeps talking about though, is he's like, what people
underrate is when you're there for eighteen years, it's not
like a coach who was there for three and gets fired.
He's like, you're you're either just doing more of what
John Harball was doing or you're changing everything. But the
pr was how Harball wanted it, the food was how
(45:45):
Harball wanted it, the training staff, all those things. So
I'm fascinated into, like the profile of who the next
coach of the Ravens is, Like, can it be a
first time head coach?
Speaker 2 (45:56):
No I said this today. They don't need their culture change.
They have one of the best cultures. They need somebody
that works with Lamar as he ages Stefanski. Yeah, the
New York Giants need a Vabel, they need a culture changer.
(46:17):
This will probably go viral so years ago I forget
who was doing this, but somebody ranked the best thirty
dunks of all time, and they eliminated the Vince Carter
jumping over the Chinese national team center. So we're gonna
take that one out because it automatically wins. You jumped
(46:37):
over a seven foot man, and so somebody took that
out and started it. So I'm gonna take Andy Reid
out of this question because he's almost Belichickian. Now it's
sort of understood. It's silly. His resume is better his play.
So let's take Andy Reid out of this and let's
go rank the coaches until we get to Ben Johnson.
Speaker 1 (47:02):
Okay, so I would go Max.
Speaker 2 (47:04):
So, okay, I'm gonna go McVeigh one.
Speaker 1 (47:07):
That's fine. Shanahan too, boy, Jim Harbaugh's good. Jim Harbor's good.
Jim Harbor Jim Jim Harbaugh is Jim Harbor is very good.
And I know, I know you love him.
Speaker 2 (47:23):
Okay, here's why Shanahan gets docked for me? Okay, why
doesn't he come? Why is he bad? Second half trailing?
Because he has the best play sheet in the league,
and he gets glued to his play sheet. He has
the best he is that's that that is the most
sophisticated play sheet in the league, and the best play caller,
(47:44):
but he there are certain things, you know. I always
had my Aaron Rodgers theory. Why does he have so
few come from behind wins in the fourth fewer than
Derek Carr? Why because Aaron's mood changes after a pick
or two. He literally his mood changes, you can see it,
his body language changes. He has a bizarre few come
(48:06):
from behind wins. He I always said, he's not a
Foxhole guy. He is a baller but a little bit
of a Baylor.
Speaker 1 (48:13):
Okay, yeah, but okay, I but I love this, so
I want to just like stay on it. Like the
guy went to a super Bowl with Jimmy Garoppolo and
rock Party. I feel like it's like that's the only
argument I need. Like Kyle Shanahan, if you can go
to a super Bowl with the last pick in the draft.
Speaker 2 (48:33):
Okay, so you're putting him third, you're putting him second.
Speaker 1 (48:36):
Yeah, okay, but okay, fine, okay, but my but my thing. Okay,
So now Harbaugh, Harbor wins everywhere he goes everywhere, is
a great culture guy. I don't know, man, I don't know.
Like Ben Johnson calls the plays, well, yeah, but can.
Speaker 2 (48:59):
We can we have him go through a full season before.
Speaker 1 (49:03):
I'm just saying, like Jim Harbaugh runs a little bit
too much for my liking, Like he kicks field goals
a little too often for my liking. Okay, I'm just
I'm just saying, like there's it's just it's a little
All I'm saying is we've reached the point of the list.
We've reached the point of the list where you're gonna
(49:24):
at least get me to start making some arguments for
my guys.
Speaker 2 (49:28):
Okay, that's okay. So I'm like McVeigh, Harbaugh, Shanahan's lack
of second half comebacks bothers me. Shanahan third, Mike Rabel, four,
Sean Payton, I would probably I think Peyton's so good.
And by the way, it's all inches here to me,
like I it's inches, it's not feet.
Speaker 1 (49:49):
And so I have a question about Mike Rabel. Okay,
I'm a question about Mike Rabel. He wins in Tennessee.
Speaker 2 (49:57):
With that political bad ownership.
Speaker 1 (50:00):
With with with Prime Derrick Henry and AJ Brown, yeah, and
Ryan Tannehill. I okay, but they had one great year
and it ended poorly, and yes there was politicking and
all of that he is clearly a smart coach. He
is clearly you know, he plays on the edges like Belichick,
(50:21):
Like he knows the rules backwards and forwards, which I
really respect. Josh McDaniels is a top offensive coordinator. Like
how lucky is that? And maybe it's not luck, it's
relationship and Patriots and all that stuff, but like he
has the best offensive coordinator situation you can have, because
it seems like Josh McDaniels can't be a head coach,
right but he's clearly Like if we were going to
(50:43):
say best play callers in the game, and again we're
removing Andy Reid, like Josh McDaniels is probably in the
top five, right Like he Josh McDaniels is. I think he's.
Speaker 2 (50:54):
I think he's probably he and Brian Floores are the
best coordinators in the game right now.
Speaker 1 (50:58):
Yeah, Well, so, just like you gave him an incredible
quarterback and an incredible play caller, and an incredible play caller,
won't leave because he can't be a head coach. I
just I'll just tell you this right now. I wouldn't
trade Ben Johnson for Mike Rabel. Okay, that one wouldn't
be hard.
Speaker 2 (51:12):
Okay, so the difference between you and I. I get
to seven and I'm willing to consider Ben Johnson, So
I go McVeigh, Jim Harbaughs, Shanahan, Peyton Vrabel, and Mike McDonald.
Mike McDonald took over. I think he's I think he's
McVeigh on the defensive side. So I get to seven,
(51:33):
and I could argue, I like Demiko Ryans, but I
do prefer offense over defense. I would go Ben Johnson
seven and then Demko Ryans eight, and then I'd probably
go I mean, we have to put Mike Tomlin in
there because goddamn one is division again.
Speaker 1 (51:49):
It's so I would the who am I missing?
Speaker 2 (51:54):
Now?
Speaker 1 (51:54):
Listen, you know some people would say Matt Lafleur, he's good.
I would good. I would take I would take Ben
Johnson over him. Listen, I think I think not. It's
very early, but well, Liam Cohen is doing and Jacksonville's very,
very impressive.
Speaker 2 (52:11):
I would like him to finish the season.
Speaker 1 (52:13):
But I agree. Yeah, I'm just saying if I'm going
to have Ben Johnson up there, like, because I'm giving
Liam Cohen a lot of credit for what Baker did
you know? So like that.
Speaker 2 (52:22):
Here's what's funny. Sean McDermott has a higher winning percentage
than Andy Reid and Belichick. I'm at nine and I
don't have Sean McDermott. That tells you the depth and coaching.
Speaker 1 (52:31):
Yeah, and listen and Nick Sirianni has like the highest
win percentage ever and everyone's like, yeah, but it's a
super team, so like we can we can parse some
stuff here. Sean Payton's great. I would take Ben Johnson
because of age, like I think you have him for longer.
McDonald is incredible. McDonell. And what the Seahawks did in
(52:52):
that Week eighteen game against the Niners, Oh, it.
Speaker 2 (52:54):
Was one of the more It's amazing it was only
thirteen to three because it felt thirty to three. That
is the knock I have on Seattle is that they
physically dominate teams. And in the last six weeks, you're like,
I feel like you left fourteen points on the yeah
on the floor.
Speaker 1 (53:13):
Yeah that I mean that JSN is forty percent of
their offense, and you fully trust their court, Like, I
mean they clearly sometimes call plays to hide Donald making mistakes.
They'll like snap throw like one read throws like they'll
like roll them out left and look back right and
there's one and it's like throw it to him or
throw it away. So they they they they clearly don't
(53:35):
fully trust Donald, even though they say everything publicly, like
their actions in their play calling when he gets a
little shakey suggested. But yeah, McDonald doing that. I mean,
we looked it up on the show. Fewest yards ever
for a Kyle Shanahan offense since he'd been the head
coach in San Francisco, fewest rushing yards for McCaffrey since
(53:56):
he got with Shanahan, and tied for the fewest points
for Shanahan since he had been in San Francisco since
his first game. Shanahan's first game in San Francisco in
twenty seventeen, they scored three points and then they held
him to three points when they had been the number
one offense in football since week eleven when Purdy came back,
they were averaging thirty five. The game they play a
(54:17):
must win game against the division opponent they know, and
they get held to one hundred and seventy four yards
and three points. So, yeah, McDonald is excellent. Like to me,
the coach of the Year this year, is fascinating Vrabel,
Ben Johnson, Liam Cohen, McDonald's Shanahan with all the injuries,
there's you know, Peyton obviously getting the one seed. There's
big names, there's history. Guys McDonald's probably I think he
(54:41):
deserves it this year and that's over my guy, Ben Johnson.
The volume
Hosts And Creators
Colin Cowherd
Jason McIntyre
Popular Podcasts
Two Guys, Five Rings: Matt, Bowen & The Olympics
Two Guys (Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers). Five Rings (you know, from the Olympics logo). One essential podcast for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Bowen Yang (SNL, Wicked) and Matt Rogers (Palm Royale, No Good Deed) of Las Culturistas are back for a second season of Two Guys, Five Rings, a collaboration with NBC Sports and iHeartRadio. In this 15-episode event, Bowen and Matt discuss the top storylines, obsess over Italian culture, and find out what really goes on in the Olympic Village.
iHeartOlympics: The Latest
Listen to the latest news from the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Milan Cortina Winter Olympics
The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina are here and have everyone talking. iHeartPodcasts is buzzing with content in honor of the XXV Winter Olympics We’re bringing you episodes from a variety of iHeartPodcast shows to help you keep up with the action. Follow Milan Cortina Winter Olympics so you don’t miss any coverage of the 2026 Winter Olympics, and if you like what you hear, be sure to follow each Podcast in the feed for more great content from iHeartPodcasts.