All Episodes

January 13, 2025 • 48 mins

Richard Sherman reacts to the NFL Wild Card round, including Lamar Jackson continuing his stellar season by leading the Baltimore Ravens over Russell Wilson's Pittsburgh Steelers, Jordan Love throwing three interceptions as the Green Bay Packers got knocked out by Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles, Jayden Daniels scoring his first NFL Playoff victory as the Washington Commanders eliminated Baker Mayfield's Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills rolling over the Denver Broncos, and C.J. Stroud overcoming a slow start to lead the Houston Texans to a blowout win over Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers.

#volume #herd

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 Deltable Championship. That should always do the expectation.
All right, man, next you go ahead. Welcome back to
the Richard Sherman Podcast. And it's that time of the year,
the playoffs. You win or you go home. Mitchell, your

(00:25):
team got a buy this week, but not everybody was
so lucky, and some team season ended today and yesterday.

Speaker 2 (00:33):
Man, you saw the heartbreak tonight too. I mean, Tampa Bay,
let's start from the top here. Tampa Bay hosts the
Washington Commanders, the most thrilling game of the weekend by
far and away. This one came down to the wire
and we saw the heartbreak on Mike Evan's face after
the loss. Washington Commanders, I mean, they're twelve and five
on the season. They come in here. Jaden Daniels is

(00:55):
playing like a season veteran, and he goes on the
road and steals a victory from Tampa Bay's grasp. I mean,
how impressed are you with this Washington Commander's team, and
specifically with the play of Jaden Daniels.

Speaker 1 (01:08):
I'm really impressed with Jayden Daniels is poised throughout the game.
His decision making took a number of hits throughout the game,
didn't let it bother him. His demeanor throughout the game,
his body language, and I think all that kind of
exudes confidence and really is infectious and rubs off on
the rest of his teammates. And you can see that
you could see guys playing with more confidence. The defense

(01:29):
continue to believe Tampa would get things going, or they
create a turnover, are they do something? And then Washington's defense,
Bobby Wagner, you know, the All Pro, second team, All Pro,
friend of the program, friend of mine, one of my
best friends. It continues to play at a high level.
Zach Ertz, these veterans, Austin Eckler, they all made plays

(01:50):
down the stretch in critical moments when they had to
have it, and that is why dan Quinn got them.
And I think people get confused in this game and
people are like, oh, man, they're too old, they're over
the heel, or man, we could do better. We could
do but you can't. You know, sometimes having vets that
know the situation that it played in super Bowls won
super Bowls. Zach Ertz won a super Bowl, Bobby Wagner

(02:12):
won a Super Bowl. These moments won't be too big
and they can understand how to how to express that
to the other guys and have them understand how important
these moments are and how to navigate through them. And
they did a great job. Man, they did a great
job battling through. When it was four minutes left and
the Washington commanders got the ball back, I figured it
would be a situation where they never you know, the

(02:33):
the Bay Buccaneers will never see it again because of
the control and the command he had. You know, there
were a couple of third and sixes that I was like,
these are close, but again, no risk, no reward. They
went for a number of fourth downs and they didn't
get all of them. They got most of them, and
the ones they got were usually touchdowns are game breaking plays.
And I think, again it goes back to what Dan

(02:55):
Campbell has done. This is gonna be the battle of
fourth downs next weekend, Saturday Night. It goes to show
that maybe this strategy does work. Maybe being risky and
going for things and taking a shot at it, even
when it's not just fourth and one and it's not
just a push push situation, you can have success and
really impact the game in a positive way. And that's

(03:16):
what Dan Quinn did. I'm really happy for him, man.
He went to a team that hadn't had a lot
of success, hadn't had a twelve win season since nineteen
ninety one, and he turned that program around with veterans
and coaches that believe in him and coaches that he
believes in.

Speaker 2 (03:31):
Love to see it, got you love to see it?
I mean, then how quickly the tables turn in the NFL.
This team was picking two overall last year in the draft,
and they got their player of the future in Jaden
Daniels and now they're moving on to the divisional route
and the playoffs.

Speaker 3 (03:46):
It's just wild to see.

Speaker 2 (03:47):
But Tampa Bay looked like they had, you know, the
upper hand in this game prior to that Baker Mayfield turnover.
And then you see Dan Quinn getting aggressive, and like
you say, he brought the guys in there that he
thought were going to change that around, specifically Bobby Wagner.
You see that veteran presence. As a Detroit Lions fan,
they got me a little nervous. I mean, mobile quarterbacks

(04:08):
are not the Detroit Lions best friend by any means.
And when you got a team like the Washington Commanders
coming in with a young quarterback with nothing to lose
that's going to go out there and leave it all
on the field. We'll see the environment in Ford Field
against the Washington Commanders is certainly going to be buzzing.
Next Saturday night, next game of the weekend is down
in Philadelphia. I mean, they host the green Bay Packers,

(04:30):
and you want to talk about an underwhelming performance by
green Bay and this Packers team. I don't get what
we're going to see in the future with Jordan Love.

Speaker 1 (04:40):
And I know.

Speaker 2 (04:41):
You critiqued him, You've critiqued the Green Bay Packers team.
You've taken heat from Packers fans, But I mean, Richard,
I mean you were proved right. And this game got
so boring that even aj Brown, who only had one
catch for ten yards, was caught reading a book inter
Excellence on the sideline during the fourth quarter. I mean, Richard,
what gives here? Is it more impressive with Philly just

(05:04):
just draining green Bay or is green Bay just one
of those frauds that we often talk about in the league.

Speaker 1 (05:10):
Well, they're the seventh seed, and the only seven seeds
to ever win was last year in them against Dallas,
which was you know the I think that's one out
of ten, the one team out of the ten games
that they've had in a wild card round with a
seven seed involved in it. And I don't you know
what I mean. I didn't. They played well, and Jordan
Love played well, but it's Dallas, and Dallas, you know,

(05:31):
has historically choked in those situations, and this time they're
running into a true contender. It's a true team, a
full team, one of the most talented teams in the
National Football League. And again I try to articulate this
to the fans and to educate they're like, oh, you
hate Green Bay. I don't hate it. I just recognize
what they are as a team. I recognize that they're improving.
They're a young team. You know, guys are getting better defensively.

(05:54):
Jeff Hafley has got those guys playing really well. I
think Lafleur has drawn it up offensively, both with Malik
Willis and Jordan Love. I don't think Jordan Love has
shown me anything that really made me feel like, oh
my god, this is He's one of those He's one
of the guys. He's a guy that can can win
it all. I said it early in the season. I said, oh,

(06:17):
that's why they got Josh Jacobs. They don't trust the quarterback.
They're gonna treat him like a rookie, a fifty five
million dollar rookie, but a rookie. They're gonna run the
ball well. They're gonna limit his pass attempts because they
don't want him to throw the game away, and they
think if they have to lean on his arm, he'll
throw the game away. So they're gonna keep it between
twenty and twenty five passes, and they're gonna run the
heck out of the football and they're gonna win games.

(06:39):
But if somebody's able to stop the run, like the
Philadelphia Eagles, then they're gonna have a big issue because
they're gonna all the they're gonna have to take the
training wheels off, and they're gonna have to let him
throw the ball, and he hasn't shown that he can
take care of the ball at a high level. He's
a he's a hater. He hates Green Bay. Keishawn Nixon,
one of my good friends. Fortunately had a tough game today,

(07:01):
good friend of mine, when Preston Smith and Zadarius Smith
were there. Friends of the program. Love those guys. Love
Jeff Haffley to text with him all the time, like
Robert Salas there now huge friend of solace, Like, but
the truth is the truth, whether you want to believe
it or not. And I told them, I said it.
The tape will speak louder than I can ever speak,

(07:23):
Like you will have to see it, and it's going
to be a rude awakening when you see it. Like
I'm trying to soften the blow. I'm trying to let
you know, hey, it's not that, it's not yet. And
they're like, well, he's made the playoffs twice as a
you know, as a first time starter, as the seventh seed.
This seed didn't even exist a couple of years ago.
Like these this team wouldn't even be in the playoffs

(07:45):
a few years ago until this new collective bargaining agreement.
His team would be on the outside looking in and
watching the playoffs. So I think, you know, I just
wanted him to take a step back and be like, hey,
you know, great job, great job on the team, great growth.
You know, way to have Malik Willis up when he
got injured. Great season for Josh Jacobs and what he
was able to do. Really effective runner Rashaun Gary improved.

(08:08):
You know, their defense improved. Xavier McKinney All Pro season,
like friend of the program, loved what he was able
to do this season. But on the opposite side, there
are some concerns for Philadelphia that again I expressed because
Jalen Hurts looked rusty and he hadn't played for a while.
We talked about that he was gonna be rusty. One
hundred and thirty one yards, two touchdowns, five rushes for

(08:31):
thirty seven yards. There were times he was running and
you're like, hey, wasn't he just in concussion protocol because
he's he's running like he like he was, you know,
like he had an arm injury or like he had
a you know, something other than a concussion. But you know, respect,
respect what he was able to do. He's putting it
all out of the line. In the playoffs, you win
or go home. Say Kwan Barkby had twenty five for

(08:52):
one to nineteen and could have had a lot more.
Looked like he was gonna break out a sixty yard
run late in the game. He decided to slide and
you know, be be very classy about that. There were
a lot of people who ripped up parlay tickets because
they had a Saquon touchdown and they feel like Saquan
let him down. I'm sure he's getting a lot of
dms and texts and stuff. That's the dirty part of

(09:13):
the game right now, because it's like he kind of
did what's right, you know what I mean, because magic
he pulls his hamstring on an unnecessary run all the
way down here. But you know, but he did what
he felt was right, and people are gonna be like
it's fixed. And he knew what was on the line,
and he knew I had money. He didn't know nothing
about that. He didn't care about that. He knew the
game was won, it was decided. He showed mercy. He

(09:34):
seemed to be that kind of guy that he got
a good heart, good spirit, has a lot of respect
for the game and a respect for people who came
before him. And he wasn't trying to add insult to
injury to the Green Bay Packers. He wasn't trying to
disrespect that franchise or anything like that. He said, hey,
damage has done, this game is won. He I'm gonna
take a knee and I'm not gonna put more points
on y'all than he needs to be and that's his decision.

(09:56):
But defensively, they played a really good game. They took
the ball from Jordan Love three times. They got the
fumble early on in the game on special teams. That
was a big difference in the game, and they kept
being relentless. Nolan Smith, one of his best games as
a pro, came at the time they needed it most
in the playoffs. He played a really, really good game,
a lot of pressure, a couple TFLs, two sacks. Dallas

(10:19):
Goddard made some unbelievable catches that they had to have
one hand catch in traffic, great catch we talked about.
AJ Brown didn't didn't have a touchdown, but he had
a crucial block on the Dallas Goddard touchdown run. And
so you know he's making an impact in other ways
even when he's not getting the ball. You didn't see
the same frustration on the sideline. You didn't see the

(10:40):
frown and you didn't see the selfishness. You saw a
guy that understands, hey, in the playoffs, you do whatever
is necessary to win this game. And that's what he did.
And I respect that. Great win for the Philadelphia Eagles.
They're gonna probably host the winner of the game tomorrow,
or they're not. Probably they're gonna host the winner of
the Vikings Rams game, which will be a very interesting game.

(11:01):
You know, you won't get Stafford, you won't get Stafford
in Detroit right now, but if you get Stafford in
Philly or a right even Minnesota in Philly, I think
that's gonna be a real, real dog fight for them,
and I think they'll have some asterers. It'll be a
much tougher game than they just faced. Well.

Speaker 2 (11:18):
Shout out also to front of the program Darius Slay
with getting an interception. Thirty four years old, he's still
playing the game like a young man. And then also
credit to the Philadelphia Eagles, Quinyon Mitchell looks like a superstar,
you know, as a rookie right now. And they double
down at the cornerback position in the draft by also
drafting Cooper Dejene. That's one thing I realized this offseason, Richard.

(11:39):
But the Detroit Lions finally being a good team. Good
teams stay good by having good offseasons, winning off seasons,
and you don't need to be drafting top five in
the draft have a great offseason. They're targeting best player available,
and they got two stars in this past draft in
Quinnon Mitchell and Cooper Dejen. So you know, credit to
the Philadelphia Eagles this tested next week is going to

(11:59):
be a challenge for them. Either the Vikings or the
Rams come in to town. It should be a very
very interesting matchup next Sunday. NFL Playoffs. We're talking NFL playoffs.
You bet we are get in on the action at
DraftKings Sportsbook and official sports betting partner of the NFL.
Scoring touchdowns is key to winning in the playoffs, and

(12:22):
the key to you scoring big is betting on them
at DraftKings, the number one place to bet touchdowns. Ready
to place your first bet betting on something simple like
a player to score six, Go to the DraftKings Sportsbook
gap and make your pick. Here's another reason to watch
some of your favorite players crush it in the playoffs.
New customers bet five bucks to get two hundred dollars

(12:43):
in bonus bets. Instantly score big during the NFL playoffs
with DraftKings Sportsbook. Download the DraftKings Sportsbook app today and
use code Richard. That's code Richard for new customers to
get two hundred dollars in bonus bets instantly when you
bet just five bucks only on DraftKings Sportsbook, the Crown
is yours. Gambling problem called one eight hundred Gambler or

(13:04):
visit www dot one eight hundred gambler dot net. In
New York, call eight seven seven eight h O P
E n Y or text h O P E n
Y four six seven three six nine. In Connecticut, help
us available for problem gambling. Call eight eight eight seven
eight nine seven seven seven seven or visit CCPG dot org.
Please play responsibly on behalf of Boothill Casino and Resort

(13:28):
licensee partner Golden Nugget Lake Charles twenty one plus. Age
varies by jurisdiction void in Ontario se sportsbook dot DraftKings
dot com, slash football, terms for eligibility and deposit restrictions,
terms and responsible gaming resources.

Speaker 1 (13:43):
Be at the forefront of style with Rockports New DMX
Casual sneaker fusing sport with comfort. Rebox Iconic DMX technology
meets Rockports Casual style in this exclusive collection. Rebok DMX
technology is a lightweight, dynamic cushion system that moves air
from heel to toe with every step to give you

(14:04):
that springy field underfoot and give you that long lasting cushioning.
This collection features two unique rides, DMX Comfort Plus and
DMX micro Bubble both deliver all day comfort that keeps
you light on your feet. DMX Comfort Plus Technology offers
extra rebound and a pillow soft landing with every stride,
while DMX Microbubble Technology offers dynamic cushioning with the Firmer midsol,

(14:30):
giving you lateral stability and support all day. Visit rockport
dot com and use the code Sherman for thirty percent
off your order, plus free shipping on orders over eighty
five dollars. Discount code valid through December thirty first, twenty
twenty four.

Speaker 3 (14:46):
Let's take it to Buffalo.

Speaker 2 (14:47):
The storyline all off for all season for you, at
least of recent is Josh Allen. And I know we've
had this MVP conversation time and time and time again,
but you know he had an acurba performance and they
absolutely demolished Denver. Denver came out gunning bo Nicks, threw
it to Troy Franklin first possession of the game for

(15:09):
a touchdown, and everyone's kind of sitting on the edge
of their seats saying, oh, boy, Denver might might be
in this thing. Not so fast, Buffalo walks away with
this thirty one to seven. How good is this Buffalo
Bill's team?

Speaker 1 (15:21):
Rich?

Speaker 3 (15:21):
Because they certainly looked great today.

Speaker 1 (15:23):
They are a great team and it's a reason they
got the two seed. You know, Josh Allen played a
really impressive game twenty of twenty six for two seventy
two and two touchdowns, eight rushes forty six yards. But
their defense also played a really, really really sound game.
You know, after that first drive, they didn't really give

(15:44):
up much. You know, they stopped them, held them in check,
held them the seven points throughout the rest of the ball,
held him to zero throughout the rest After the first drive,
they didn't score another point. James Cook looked really good.
He's starting to look like that. He obviously had sixteen
touchdowns on the season and had another touchdown today and
just looks like he's coming to his own looks like
he's dominant. Their offensive line was imposing their will on

(16:08):
a really good Denver Broncos team that's maybe a little
light on the edges, and you got to give them credit.
They they found a game playing. They found Joe Brady
found would work and they stuck to it, you know,
and they Khalil Shakir looked really good. Curtis Samuel had
a long touchdown in there, and they're they're finding ways
to be very versatile and very dynamic and putting guys

(16:28):
in different spots, guys playing different positions. Curtis Samuel's in
the backfield and he's in a slot. Kalil secure running
you know, the jet sweeps and things like that, screens,
and they're finding ways to get guys in space and
doing the things that they do well. Matt Milano comes
back and Greg Russault, they both look really good. That
that's gonna be something that's different from the game in

(16:50):
which they played the Baltimore Ravens earlier in the season.
He was injured, he was out. Now he's back. What
would that mean for the result of his next ballup game?
I don't know. But their defense is playing really, really
well and they deserve to be praised. Josh Allen played
a fantastic ball game. Deserves to be praised. It's gonna
be a freaking that that's gonna be the Sunday Night

(17:14):
Foodball matchup of the week. Next week, I guaranteed, because
that's gonna be a game that everybody, including the coaches
for both teams, want to see. I want to see
what that's gonna look like. I think that's gonna gonna
be the game of the definitely in the game of
the weekend, maybe the game of the year that.

Speaker 2 (17:32):
Life comes at you fast and the FC this divisional
round bills hosting the Ravens. Like you said, this has
got game of the year potential and ultimately rich This
is the MVP battle everyone wants and needs. We'll see
who the better man is, Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson.
But before we leave this game, we got to talk
a little bit about the Denver Broncos. You know, they

(17:53):
were projected five and a half wins over under by
Vegas entering this season, and ultimately they left with ten wins,
led by the rookie bow Knicks. Like, how much promise
do you see with this buffer with this Denver Broncos organization.
Mind you, they had fifty three million dollars in dead
cap hit with Russell Wilson still on their books. Like

(18:13):
how bright is the future with the Broncos?

Speaker 1 (18:16):
It's super bright? What's crazy? Is Mitchell. They still I
think they still got another thirty million dollar cap hit
for him for next year. The gift that keeps on giving.
But the future is really bright. You know, Patrick certain
might be the defensive player of the Year this year.
Riley Moss on the opposite side, got a little banged up,
but looks like he has a bright future. The d line,
Bonito and Cooper look really really good. DJ Reid in

(18:39):
the middle, Allen in the middle, all Pro all both
of them second team All Pro guys. And I think offensively,
Courtland Sutton has gotten a show showcase what he can do.
Marvin Mims has been dynamic. I think they they got
to figure out what they want to do at the
running back spot. They were doing it by committee. You know,
Jamonte Williams it was his spot for a really long time,

(19:00):
and then they started to rotate all these guys. I
think they're gonna have to find a guy that can
just be their workhorse in maybe a third down back.
But I think the future is super bright. Their offensive
line played well. They're gonna continue to improve those things.
As the cap hits wipe away, They're gonna be able
to continue to stack that roster. I think they'll put
another dynamic receiver outside of Sutton. I think they'll they'll

(19:22):
continue to inject talent into that defense, and hopefully Vance
Joseph isn't going any work because he did a great
job with those guys. And I think next year, I mean,
you always want to say it, but I think they're
gonna get the Chiefs and the Chargers run for their
money next season. You know what, Tom it is, It's
time to look at this week's tastiest matchup in a

(19:42):
segment we call Sunday Night food Ball, brought to you
by Uber Eats. It's the Pittsburgh Steelers versus the Baltimore Ravens.
The AFC North battle physicality, physical, physical, and it was
physical Mitchell at least in the second half, because in
the first half Pitts was sleepwalking through the game. Baltimore

(20:03):
was physical. Derrick Henry was physical. Lamar Jackson remembered, Hey,
I'm gonna run at this playoffs, and that's what he showed.
He showed, Hey, I'm not gonna forget my legs in
this playoffs. I'm gonna let you guys know I'm using
everything at my disposal to get these wins. Obviously he
was without Jay Flowers, didn't ended up end up mattering.
He used Isaiah likely consistently, he used Mark Andrews, he used,

(20:28):
he used obviously Derrick Henry to a degree, he used
his own legs. They ran for three hundred yards, two
hundred and ninety nine yards, and he just continued to
get it done. It did it for a second. It
was twenty one nothing at the half. He had an
incredible drive right before the half, and you thought, hey man,
this game is getting out of hand. Russell Wilson responds
in the second half, puts together a really good drive

(20:51):
to take him down for a touchdown, puts together another
good drive after Derek Henry breaks through the defense and
does things that only Derrick Henry can do, especially in
December and January. And then Russell Wilson responds again and
throws a touchdown to George Pickens, And you're like, wait
a minute, is this about to be a game? Because

(21:12):
lookbody's about to be a game. But that was it
that Baltimore defense figured it out, kept getting stops. Now
Pittsburgh has some tough questions to answer. You know, there
are people calling for Mike Tomlin's job. I don't think
that's the right call. I just get frustrated with fans
saying that, you know, because it's always like, man, new
is better, like something else is better. And I think

(21:34):
you run into that with franchises, like like the Seattle Seahawks,
you run in and you run into the New England
Patriots have run into that where it's like, hey, New,
it's better, it's gonna improve, it's gonna be better because
because we don't have this guy. And it's like, no,
New is not gonna be better. You don't have a
great team. You don't have a lot of talent on
that team. So you guys won three games, maybe you
want win five next year? And are you gonna keep

(21:56):
firing guys because you're not going to Super Bowls? And
you know what I mean, you had the greatest two
decades that a franchise could have. You won't see that
kind of success again for a really long time, if ever.
You know, that's a rare thing, and I think people
get spoiled with things because it seems common. And even
they were sitting there like Tom's getting too old, man,
it's time to find another young quarterback. Like when I

(22:18):
heard that. I said, man, I don't people are insatiable
like you're, and you're insufferable because you're looking to replace
the greatest quarterback of all time. And I understand time
waits for no man, and and you know father Tom
is undefeated, but you watching and enjoy regardless that man
played for less than what he what he had to

(22:38):
play for. And now you guys think everybody should be
Tom Brady when they put a Patriots jersey on in
their under center for the Patriots, and that's not gonna
happen again. And it's hard for anybody to follow in
Bill Belichick's shoes or Tom Brady's shoes are being the
new England Patriots with this fan base because they've seen
so much success that anything else seems like failure. And

(23:00):
so I'm interested. I knew they would run. I knew
that he wasn't gonna last very long. I didn't. I
didn't think they would would put him out after one year.
But I don't think they'll put Vverabel out after one year.
But again, you won't see the success that they're used to.
They won't be competing for super Bowls, and so especially
in that even in that division. You know that division

(23:23):
is getting tougher. I'm sure next year Miami will be
back together and they'll probably be a ten win team.
Buffalo's only getting better with time, and so they're so
used to being so dominant that they don't even know
how to rationalize not being relevant, Like, hey, maybe you're
just in a rebuilding phase that's gonna take five six years,
like and you need to just sit there and trust

(23:43):
the process. That's what it's gonna have to take. And
and I'm sorry I ranted. I totally got were supposed
to be going No you, Richard, I hear you loud
and clear.

Speaker 2 (23:54):
Mike Tomlin if he was, if he was let go
by Pittsburgh Steelers would be without a doubt, the most
after head coaching Canada for all these vacancies.

Speaker 3 (24:03):
But yeah, I got a level.

Speaker 1 (24:05):
With you, man.

Speaker 2 (24:06):
They haven't won a game in the playoffs since twenty sixteen,
and I get it. You know, they're always in it,
They're always in contention. But like the showing was just
how do you show up against the division fow a
TEMBC twice a year and have had you know, relative
success against the Baltimore Ravens over the last few years
and only put up two first downs and fifty nine

(24:28):
total yards in the first half. Like that falls on coaching,
That falls on energy out of the gates, you know,
not to mention. I mean the Steelers They're a tough,
in your face defense and in your face offense. They
pound the rock. How does a team like that end
up with only twenty nine rush yards in a game? So, Richard,
I hear you. I like Mike tom and I think

(24:49):
he's a legend, I mean future Hall of Famer. But
I don't know, man. I mean, at some point the
fan base is gonna look and say above average just
isn't good enough? Like when are we gonna be great again?
Because I don't see it in the near future. I mean,
they've they got an absolute bargain at quarterback all year long,
and Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, and I think we're

(25:12):
still faced with the same question next year.

Speaker 3 (25:15):
What are they gonna do at quarterback? Is it Russ
is it Justin Fields?

Speaker 1 (25:19):
I don't know.

Speaker 2 (25:20):
I mean, I just think the Pittsburgh Steelers are ultimately
gonna be running back exactly what we saw this year
again next year. And at what point as a fan
of the Pittsburgh Steelers. You just say, hey, maybe we
shake things up here and see if there's better options.

Speaker 1 (25:35):
Right, But then you like, in order to get what
you want to get, you have to lose, and he's
never gonna lose. He's never going to lose, and you're
gonna get a coach in there. The next coach has
to lose in order for you guys to get an
elite quarterback or get a get a top quarterback or
a top draft pick. And this fan base isn't willing
to sit through three years of losing to revamp a

(25:57):
roster to be competitive again. So it's like you're speaking
out of both sides of your mouth when you say that,
because getting rid of Tomlin, you'll get a worse coach.
You'll lose, you'll get a back, you'll get better roster,
you'll get better players, and maybe you'll win, but you'll
be ready to fire that coach because you were losing.
And then this franchise has had what five coaches in
their whole history of the of the organization, five or six,

(26:20):
and so they're not a team that really gives up
on coaches like that. So who's gonna be the next
long term coach of the Steelers, and he has some
big shoes to feel because if he goes three years
without winning, he won't be there eighteen years like Tomlin was.
Because Tomland was able to stay because he keeps it
afloat even when he has a bad quarterback, even when
his top players are injured, Even when the circumstances say

(26:42):
the team shouldn't be competitive, they're competitive. This was supposed
to be a down year for Pittsburgh, supposed to be
a down year, and they were winning the division. And
it's almost like everybody got brain Washington to thinking, oh man,
this is we're we're contender now, Oh you were, you were.
You weren't supposed to be here, you know, So enjoy
the enjoy the ride, enjoy the dance, but don't get

(27:03):
ahead of yourself. And I think that's what happens. You
get so far ahead of yourself that you think that
we should be somewhere and we should be doing some
things that we're not there. They are the highest paid
defense international football league, and they've been a little banged up,
they've you know, had their issues. But offensively, you got
to find some offensive linemen and that's the case for
just about every team, and I think until they do that, like,

(27:24):
I don't think getting rid of Tomlin is the answer.
I don't think that's gonna solve anything. I think it's
just gonna gonna make the problem worse. It'll be like
a band aid on a broken leg. It's like, oh yeah,
let me let me appease you, let me make it
look like something. But at the end of the day,
it's you got bigger problems than Tomlin, and if you
get rid of him, the problems are gonna magnify and
they're gonna be exponentially worse. But on the flip side,

(27:46):
let's talk about the Baltimore Ravens and what they were
able to do, because they look like the best team
in football at times in this game, and they look
like an unstoppable force running for three hundred yards. Lamar
Jackson running uh using his legs looked so dynamic, even
when they had a guy for him. They had Patrick
Queen for him in eighty one on one, and he'd

(28:07):
making him miss in space and he's getting more yards.
And then you got Derrick Henry. You know, you got
to pick your poison. And I look forward to watching
this game in Buffalo and seeing how they play him
because they played them and played them well earlier in
the year. But a lot of things that have changed
since then. Again, Matt Malono is healthy, Greg Russeu's healthy.

(28:29):
The secondary's playing better. They got more experience. I think
Josh Allen and these receivers have better rapport. James Cook
is running the ball as well as he ever has.
And on the other side there Baltimore's defense is playing
as good as they've ever played. You know, Marlon Humphreys
is all pro. They they're using Kyle Hamilton at safety exclusively.
Ar Darius Washington has been a godsend. He has been

(28:52):
a diamond in the rough that they found. H Nate
Wiggins is playing well. Kyle van oy O way these
guys are playing out a BK. These guys are playing
some of their best football right now. So that's gonna
be That's gonna be a doll fight.

Speaker 3 (29:06):
No question.

Speaker 2 (29:06):
I mean, the way this roster is constructed, it's a masterclass.
I mean truly, Like Richard Derrick, Henry coming over is
the perfect fit for this Baltimore Ravens team. It was
straight up knockout blow in the first half the way
the way Derek Henry was wonn on the football against
the Steelers in that first half of the game. If
you get him and Lamar Jackson, who's now he said

(29:27):
he's going to be more mobile this offseason. I mean,
how do you stop this team? It's gonna be an
absolute shootout, I would assume in Buffalo. How are you
game planning to contain Lamar Jackson?

Speaker 1 (29:38):
Richard?

Speaker 2 (29:39):
I know I remember distinctly, you guys when you were
with the San Francisco forty nine ers in Baltimore. I'm
pretty sure they were undefeated. That was the matchup of
the century with you, with you and the Niners against
against a red hot young Lamar Jackson. What did you
guys do? Like, what did the coaching staff say? How
as you approached that game? How did you guys contain him?

Speaker 1 (29:59):
Well, it takes you, you know, it takes all eleven
to contain him. And he didn't have Derrick Henry then,
so you know, you're really only just worried about him.
I think he had Justice Heel at running back. He
might have had somebody else, but you know, you're you're
it takes all eleven and everybody's effort and everybody's like
containment and everybody's eyes got to know where he is
at all times, and you got to you gotta tackle
as a swarm. Nobody's alone in tackling because nobody's gonna

(30:22):
be able to tackle him by themselves. You know, he
can he can shake one, he can shake two, can
spin off the third. And if everybody's not swarming and
there's not enough pursuit, you're not gonna beat him. When
he has Derrick Henry. You could send two people for him,
but you better send five to Derek. And so you know,
it creates so many more issues because you have to
respect what Lamar does in a huge way, but you

(30:43):
also have to respect Derrick Henry. And that's what the
situation in Pittsburgh Steelers were getting put in repeatedly. They're
picking their poison and either way you're gonna die, you
pick your poison. No matter which one you pick, you're
about to be in for a bad day, a bad time.
This is not gonna be fun. And Derek Henry had
boys turning down drinks like they saw somebody put something

(31:05):
in it, Metchell. And that's the thing that Derrick Henry does,
especially in December and January. He has guys making business decisions,
and we're in a business. Football is a physical business.
And if you're not physical and you're not willing to
go knows to those with him, you're going to have
an issue. And he has people in the third and
fourth quarters of these ball games turning down hits. And

(31:25):
I think that's because of how physical he wins the football.
That's because of his reputation. But his reputation precedes him,
but he also lives up to it each and every week.
And I think this game it's a bad matchup for Buffalo,
but on the flip side, it's not a great matchup
for Baltimore. So especially defensively. You know, Josh Allen presents

(31:48):
a lot of problems, a lot of the same problems
Lamar presents, and James Cook presents a lot of interesting issues,
different issues than what Derrick Henry presents. But the speed
he has dynamic to end the system like you have
to be aware of where he is and he can
break it open at any time. Khalil Secure is a
good one. Coleman is starting to find his way in
this offense. Dalton kink is always a factor in this

(32:13):
so I can't wait. I can't wait. I think this
is gonna be the best matchup of the week. This
is the one, and everybody's gonna say it's for the MVP.
I think Lamar already won it, but we'll see if
they were right or not. You know, you see, if
you got it right. And if Josh Allen wins, they'll
say Josh Allen should have been an MVP this season.
He showed it, he beat he beat him for it.
And if Lamar Jackson and and Derrick Henry win, and

(32:36):
they'll be sitting there like they got it right MV
three our NB eight three or you know, they kind
of do it a whole different way. But he had
a heck of a year.

Speaker 2 (32:47):
It's gonna be a matchup to watch, no question about it.
That's this week's Sunday Night food Ball, brought to you
by Uber Eats, the official on demand delivery partner of
the NFL. Who Breaths is the best game day deals
all season long. Order Now for Game Day, Richard, Let's
take it to Houston. Everyone wrote the Houston Texans off.

(33:10):
They didn't right back though, rich The LA Chargers come
in here three point favorites. I think most folks, especially
all media folks that I saw everyone was picking the
Chargers and they thought it was Justin Herbert's tying to shine.
You know, we talked about a leading into this game,
impressed by the way Jim Harbaugh's changed the culture and

(33:32):
the way the Chargers are playing football, But you wouldn't
have known any difference when you saw them play in
Houston this weekend. I mean, Houston dominated in every facet
of that game. With about five minutes left in the
second quarter and beyond the first twenty minutes of the game,
you're wondering, does either team realize they are in a

(33:52):
postseason NFL game? Do they think they're in possibly the
preseason here, because neither team looked like they wanted to
even be in that game, let alone win it. Are
you impressed with Houston right now at leaving this game
with a thirty two to twelve win.

Speaker 1 (34:07):
I'm impressed with them defensively because they did what they
have done all season, which has take the football away.
They were second in the league in interceptions and they
took four interceptions from Justin Herbert, and they pressured him
all night long. They were getting to him, they were
putting pressure on him. It was great to see my
guy ziz Al Share back on the field. He was
moving around making a number of stops. You know. They

(34:30):
had another clip of him punching at the ball and
they're like, oh, he's so dirty. He tried to punch
him in the hey. First he got a helmet on.
Second off, he's punching at the ball. I understand a
lot of stuff happens real fast out there. Again, you
guys have never played shut up because I'm tired of that.
But c J. Stroud looked really rusty early on, and
he looked really timid, and that was concerning. He's obviously

(34:53):
shown a bit of regression in a year two, but
it just didn't feel right. And then there was like
a slant Niko k where he caught it, got out
of there. It was a tight window throw and it
seemed like it gave uh c J. Stroud a little
bit of confidence, a little bit of momentum. Then he
got the bad snap, picked it up, hit the receiver
down the field, and then he started to wake up

(35:14):
and it seemed like like the the jitters were out,
the cobwebs were gone, and he was back to the
c J. Stroud of old, but they're gonna need that
much much earlier against the Kansas City Chiefs if they're
gonna even have a chance. Now Offensively, the Kansas City
Chiefs aren't what they've been in the past when they're
just a super juggernaut. They're still considered defensive team. But
you're going to get Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid. They're

(35:37):
gonna have some things drawing up. They're gonna know what
you don't do well. They're gonna keep Tony at tackle. Uh,
They're gonna keep the line up the way it's it's
been and they're gonna make it tougher for these dns
to get pressure on Patrick Mahomes. But if the Houston
Texans can create turnovers like they have all season, this
is gonna be a much more interesting game. Uh. Then

(35:58):
people are giving are making it out to be because
interceptions and turnovers can can change it. And they just
have not been shown the ability to really like get
after teams in the way they have in the past.
They've only scored thirty I think twice this season. They
haven't scored more than thirty at all this season. This
is the Kansas City Chiefs, but their defense is as

(36:20):
advertising spags is gonna put a lot of pressure on CJ. Stroud's.
He's probably not gonna just let Joe Mixon have his way.
You know, if Joe Mixon can get going, that'll be
a big boost for them. But with how rested Kansas
City is, how well they're playing, all the pieces, they
all the championship pedigree, it's gonna be you know, I

(36:41):
feel like they're gonna feel comfortable and they're gonna probably
give him a lot of points. But Houston has a chance.
They just have to get up early and they have
to create some turnovers and create some some chaos for
the Kansas City Chiefs to make this gain.

Speaker 2 (36:55):
Well, if they played defensively like this weekend against the Chiefs,
still certainly have chance. They're stingly Junior credit to him, man,
I mean he's really come along this year. Two interceptions,
you know, Eric Murray Kamari Lassiter looks like a steal
in the draft another interception for him. If there's a
way for them to win, it starts with the defense.
Jalen Petrees anothers stud with the Texans, and then offensively

(37:18):
they got to get Nico Collins involved playing and simple.

Speaker 3 (37:21):
I mean, Houston gave gave Kansas City.

Speaker 2 (37:23):
A run a couple of years back in the playoffs,
getting out to a twenty four to nothing lead or
something like that. So it's been done previously. But we'll
see if CJ. Stroud can take that next step. You know,
in terms of the Chargers, Richard, you viewed this season
as a success for them going eleven to six and
getting bounced in the wildcard round.

Speaker 1 (37:40):
I believe it's a success, but I just don't like
the way the fans are talking about it in the post.
You know, they're acting like they were projected to be
a great team this season, and all of a sudden,
now you're saying, oh my god, Greg Romans so terrible,
And it's like, wait, you guys didn't have the most
talented roster in the world. They're cleaning up some things,
They're getting the cap where it needs to be. They

(38:01):
had to get rid of a number of guys. They
had to get rid of Mike Williams, they have to
get rid of Keenan Allen because of the cap hits
and the amount of money they made, so it left
the cupboard pretty bare, and so they did the best
they could with the pieces that they had, and they
got this team to a playoff, and they had them
really competitive guys like JK. Dobbins were able to shine.

(38:22):
Quentin Johnston was having a pretty solid season, you know,
compared to they were considering no bust. He had a
really bad game in the playoffs. But Lad McConkey had
nine catches for one hundred and ninety seven yards in
a touchdown, even though you know he had a few
drops that led some interceptions, led to a pick six.
I think there's promise. And defensively they were one of

(38:43):
the best defenses in the National Football League. Those are
all positive things that you can take and build on
to sit there and say, hey, we went eleven and
six and those were all justin Herbert, and now we
get to the playoffs and we lose, and now it's
because Greg Roman, like what so so, he didn't have

(39:03):
anything to do with the wins. He just got something
to do with the loss in the playoffs. Now he's bad,
and they're like, well, he did the same thing to Lamar.
That's I check. Lamar won an MVP of nineteen. And
you know, again, I don't know who said it, who
said it Josh Allen said it like in the playoffs,
it stops being about the x's and the os, and

(39:25):
it's the Jimmy's and the Joels. Like they can put
you in a position, they can call the plays and
it could be the perfect play, or it could be
the worst play, and we can go out there and
make it the right play because the Jimmy's and the
Joel's gotta make it come to life. And that's what happens.
That's what championships teams do. Stop blaming offensive coordinators because
Greg Roman did a fine job. He didn't have a

(39:45):
lot to work with that receiver. I'm sure they're gonna
go for t Higgins and a lot of these other
receivers that come up in free agency. They're gonna probably
draft a couple. They're gonna they're gonna stock the cupboard
for Justin Herbert. But also understand Justin Herbert showed issues
and this game there was there were plays that were
drawn up that would would have been touchdowns if Justin

(40:07):
Herbert delivered an accurate ball. He missed on a on
a touchdown in the first half might have been the
first quarter up up the post overthrown by five yards
and then of course Will Disley dropped the pass. Uh
that should have been automatic first down to easy first down. Yes,
there was there were drops by the receivers and there

(40:27):
were misses by Justin Herbert. The difference in this is
Justin Herbert is getting paid elite money. He's Will Disley
and not getting paid elite money. Lad mcconkee is a rookie,
I'm gonna expect him to drop a pass or two,
you know what I mean. I expect you got to
be the guy that elevates your team. And so when

(40:48):
fans are getting mad because we're sitting there saying, hey,
he's not living up to what we need him to
live up to, it's okay, right, maybe he does in
the future, but don't don't get an upset at us.
Like he threw four interceptions. Now two of them were
off the receiver, but one of them was a ridiculous pass.
You half roll to the right and throw all the

(41:10):
way across the field and then last picks it off
because you're throwing opposite numbers. Like, who do you think
y'all are? I understand on talent and all that, but
it's a national football league. That's a book, and they're like, Queen, y'all,
Mitchell should have qu Quentin Johnson should knock that down. Yeah,
but he also shouldn't have threw it. It was covered,

(41:31):
and so you gotta like you gotta. There's two sides
to the coin. And the interior offensive line got abused.
Like Mario Edwards had a sack and a half, Will
Anderson a sack and a half. We can talk about
they did. They had a tough day. They tackles are
really good. They got to replace that interior offensive line. Again,
great quarterbacks are able to overcome that. We watched Joe

(41:51):
Burrow take a team with plumbers in the offensive line
to a super Bowl. He got killed. I think he
got sacked the most in the history of the playoffs
while own his way to a super Bowl. And yes,
he has good receivers, but he didn't have an offensive
line worth anything. And so again, if you're gonna pay
the guy this kind of money, then the criticism comes

(42:14):
with the money. It comes with it, like, hey, top
five money, you get top five's criticism, Like, you know
what criticism Joe Burrow get. We will criticize Joe Burrow
if he don't win, don't make the playoffs. We are
on his scout. Hey, your defense gave up forty four points,
why didn't you score forty five? Joe? You're getting You're
getting fifty five million. Like we have said that, we

(42:35):
do criticize him, We criticize Mahomes, but you just cannot
criticize Mahomes much because he's gotten three Super Bowls out
on the last five, he's gotten multiple MVPs. He gets leeway.
Josh Allen gets criticized if he doesn't play well or
he struggles. Whoever loses between Lamar and Josh, it's gonna
get criticized to all to the cows come home. So

(42:57):
don't think Justin Herbert is above reprot which they treated
him like a rookie the same way Jordan Love was
treating like a rookie. Hey, we're gonna run the ball.
We're not gonna let you throw it a lot because
we don't want you to throw the game away. And
then when they needed him to throw it a lot,
guess what he did throw the game away, And he
threw the game away. And his playoff stats and his

(43:20):
playoff numbers and the narratives that are associated with him
aren't good. Because against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he had a
twenty seven point lead, his defense fed him four turnovers
in the first half, and now you got to bring
it home, elite quarterback, and you didn't. You gave up
a twenty seven point lead. You lost. And in this game,

(43:41):
your defense gives you won three four turnovers, you don't
get any points out of it. They give you the
ball onlike the twenty five you get three. Like, at
some point you have to take accountability to say, hey,
elite quarterbacks get that done. Regardless of the play call,
regardless of the circle stands, regardless of everything going around.

(44:03):
They find a way. And when he starts to find
a way, he'll get the credit that Joe Burrow and
Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson and those guys get. But
if he doesn't, and he plays like this in these situations,
we will stop calling him elite. Not that he doesn't
have elite talent, he's not playing that way. Though he
had three interceptions on the season, he had four in

(44:25):
the game. I got you, Like, at some point, results
have to matter, and if we can't judge him by
the results, then are we judging them off the potential
results if he had something else, Like we're playing the
if game, if if if he was doing this, if
he was on this team, if he had these receiven No,
we play in the reality game, and the reality is

(44:46):
he threw four interceptions.

Speaker 2 (44:48):
Man, you're spoty rich. I mean, the talent's there, the
arm strengths there. You see moments of greatness from him,
You see what everyone thinks he is and can be.
But then you see a game like this and at
leads you scrap your head. Reality is for the Chargers
this offseason, they need more playmakers, especially at the wide
receiver position. Lad McConkie looks like a stud for them.

(45:08):
They also got Joe Alt so, I mean they had
a great draft, but I just don't know if Quinton
Johnson is a guy.

Speaker 3 (45:14):
He's not sure handed enough.

Speaker 2 (45:15):
He's a good player, but they need somebody else in
addition to Quinton Johnson and Ladd McConkie to take that
next step.

Speaker 3 (45:22):
We shall see that concludes.

Speaker 2 (45:24):
We got one more game tomorrow night, the Rams against
the Minnesota Vikings. Who do you like in that game
before wrap things up here?

Speaker 1 (45:35):
Yeah, that's a tough one. I think Stafford is hard
to bet against. He played him well, he beat him.
We were there. It was a Thursday night game. Minnesota
lost in LA and Stafford had answers for Flores's defense
for their pressures. Pokinakua had a really good game. Their
defense made a number of plays. They put a lot

(45:55):
of pressure on Sam Bradford. And I think Chris Shula
is gonna look and look at what did Troy was
able to do, and he's gonna do that again. He's
gonna try to replicate that, put pressure on him. Send send,
send more than they can block. Play man and man coverage,
uh and trust his DB's that they can play with
easy league receivers. And we'll see. But so I guess
with all that said, I got, I got, I got

(46:15):
the Rams.

Speaker 2 (46:17):
It's gonna be a great game, and that if the
Rams do go on to win, and look out for
that matchup in Philly next week. And then, finally, before
he wrapped to no shock whatsoever, the Patriots have hired
Mike Vrabel.

Speaker 3 (46:29):
Richard.

Speaker 2 (46:29):
Your thoughts on the hire of Mike Rabel to the
New England Patriots.

Speaker 1 (46:32):
I like Mike Rabel and I think he's gonna be
a good He's been a good coach in this league.
He's been in some really tough situations with not great
quarterbacks and not a lot of talent, and that's kind
of what he's walking into right now. But I think they'll,
you know, learn from what they did to Jared Mayo,
and they'll give him more time to field and give

(46:54):
him more time and patience, understanding that they don't have
the talent, they don't have a lot in the cupboard,
and he'll he'll maximize it. You know, he'll he'll have
all the new England Patriot way. You know, he'll have
them tough in the media. He'll he'll have them discipline.
You know, they'll do things right. But at the end
of the day, if they don't win ball games, what

(47:17):
are they gonna do. So we'll see, we'll see what
they do with this offseason, if anybody wants to come
play for him, if if they can get some free agents,
get this team back to some sort of relevance and glory.
But I think still a few years away.

Speaker 2 (47:31):
Well, sure that that concludes this podcast, I will let
you sign us off, my friend.

Speaker 1 (47:36):
Well, I appreciate you, Mitchell. This has been a great
wild Card weekend. We got one more game. I'm looking
forward to it. I'm looking forward to next week too.
This is the best time of the year. Win or
go home. You see, if all these predictions and premonitions
are are come to fruition, we'll see who wins the
m v P, We'll see who wins the super Bowl.
We'll see all the things we've been looking to see

(47:57):
all year. This is what we've been waiting for. I appreciate,
shate you guys joining us, whether it was for a minute,
an hour, a second, you guys are appreciated. Hit that's
up button if you knew

Speaker 2 (48:25):
The volume
Advertise With Us

Hosts And Creators

Colin Cowherd

Colin Cowherd

Jason McIntyre

Jason McIntyre

Popular Podcasts

Dateline NBC

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

On Purpose with Jay Shetty

On Purpose with Jay Shetty

I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.