Richard Sherman Podcast - Week 14 REACTION: Seahawks-Falcons, Bengals-Bills, Bears-Packers, Lions-Cowboys | Richard Sherman NFL - The Herd with Colin Cowherd

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
Welcome back to the Richard Sherman Podcast. And what a
game for the Seattle Seahawks in Atlanta. It started off
a bit slow. It was tied six to six at
the half. Just a little bit sluggish. Offensively, the defense
looked fine. They looked great, Nick m and Worrie swarming
all over the place, Devin Witherspoon playing a great game,
Leonard Williams and DeMarcus Lawrence all the culprits playing well

(00:28):
for that defense. But offensively just a little bit of
a struggle. Atlanta has done well against the pass this
season despite their record, and they did a good job
against Seattle Seahawks, against Jackson Smith and Jigba. Against Sam Donald.
They brought pressure on Sam Donald. He struggled a little
bit with his accuracy in the first half, but the

(00:49):
start of the second half and overall the second half
was an entirely different story, Mitchell. It started with Rashid
Shaheed making his biggest play as a Seattle Seahawks one hundred,
the first one hundred yard play of the season, one
hundred yard return kickoff return. Coming into the game that
Atlanta Falcons were the worst kickoff return and kickoff unit

(01:13):
and kickoff covers unit in the National Football League, and
the Seahawks exploited that that that's just something that Another
component of what makes this Seattle Seahawks team so complete
is that every phase is a strength, every phase. And
I know we can talk about how the offense is

(01:36):
struggled with the last few weeks, and Sam has struggled,
no question about it. But for a team to go
on the road and continue to play like the Seattle
Seahawks have and I mean they're world warriors. I think
they've only lost one road game this season, and I
mean it's something insane like fifteen or sixteen and one

(01:57):
over their last seventeen games. They just have a way
of going on the road, walking in in your trap
and taking over your trap. Mentell you hear it every
time in the locker room when they when they played
a song, they walk in your trap and take over
your trap. And that's what they did in Atlanta. They
walked in they trap, took over they trap. The defense
started to dominate right after that shit shit he touchdown,

(02:18):
The defense forces a fumble, recovers it, the offense wakes up.
They all of a sudden wake up. Find Jackson Smith
and jig, but he gets his most productive drive of
the game. Uh and it ended with a Jackson Smith
and jig but twenty eight yard touchdown. That's when things
started to to to really really snowball for the Seattle Seahawks.

(02:41):
In the Atlanta Falcons, they could not stop him. Kirk
Cousins through two interceptions in his game, one to nick
Emmin Worey, who was probably honestly the player of the game.
I would likely be up for Player of the Week
this week. He had an interception, a sack, a block
field goal. The guy was everywhere he was. He was
milking the cow Menchell mowing the lawn, fixing the roof,

(03:02):
Mitchell fixing the plumbing. He was everywhere you needed to be.
You talk about do it all Swiss army knife, and
that's a guy Mike McDonald was really really excited about
before the season even started, and before you know, he
got injured a little banged up before the season started,
all right, during the first game of the season. So
he missed a few weeks. And all Mike McDonald was
saying was like, wait until this kid gets into the fold,

(03:24):
waiting until he comes back. Then this defense will be unleashed,
and this is the first time the entire season the
entire starting unit of the defense has been healthy. They
got Jaron Reed back, they got Julian Love back, and
that was huge to get a Pro Bowl safety back
this point in the season. Obviously, they've been playing like
one of the best defensive in the National Football League

(03:46):
before they got him back. But this was a great
game for them. Sam Darnold recovers from a slow start,
goes twenty to thirty for two forty nine, three touchdowns,
and an interception off a tip pass to a royo.
It's a good game. It was a good game. Again,
the concerns about the running game continue. It seemed like

(04:06):
Atlanta had them figured out a lot of that first
half and and kind of felt had a good feel
for what they were doing on the ground game.

Speaker 2 (04:13):
In through the air.

Speaker 1 (04:15):
So hopefully Clinton those guys can get it get it
figured out and and and start moving forward and start
to get that run game consistently going. But overall, if
you're a Seattle Seahawks fan, you have to be excited
and proud about, proud with the with the product that
was put on the field this week on the road
in Atlanta's It was fantastic. This team looked really good

(04:36):
and again that's why they're number two of my bot rank.

Speaker 2 (04:39):
They looked the part today, at least in the second half.
Richard that at that first half they looked like they
were on auto pilot. I know the Seahawks have had
some trouble in Atlanta in the past, and Richard, at
six to six, it could have been, you know, ten
to six. Darnel Mooney looks like he caught a touchdown,
stepped out of bounds, did not res established himself. So

(05:01):
that was a huge turning point going into halftime. And
then obviously you see the benefit of having a guy
like Rashid Shaheed on the roster one hundred yard kickoff
return to start that half, and ultimately it's swung the game.
But I too, am looking at these running stats, and
I've watched the game and it just seems like it's
week after a week and every once in a while

(05:22):
to have a good running game. But Richard, is this
a personnel issue? Is this a scheme issue? What's going on?
Why have we not seen a consistent runner establish himself
in the back backfield? Because it looks like they got
some two good ones and Canine and Zach Charbiney.

Speaker 1 (05:38):
What's the issue there, Rich, Well, some it's a little
bit of both. I think both of the running backs
can get the job done. But every play it's one guy,
you know, to get a run game being successful, to
get a consistent run game, everybody has to do their job.
Everybody has to stay on their blocks and execute. And
it seems like every single week there's one guy that

(05:59):
gets beat, one guy who falls off his block, one
guy who can't sustain long enough for the play to
develop the way it has. And some of it is
Kenny's walker just bouncing everything outside and not every play
is designed for it to get to the edge. And
it seems like that's the reason that they're they're running
sharpen A on different runs inside mid zones because it's

(06:22):
because it doesn't seem like K nine right now, at
least at this point, and it sees is gonna be
patient and wait for those holes to develop. And sometimes
that's what you gotta do with with the zone scheme
is wait for the wave, wait for the wave, wait
for guys to commit, then then find the gap. And
sometimes it seems like the Canine's getting there, reading it
quick and then bouncing it to the outside and trusting
his speed. And this is the National Football League, and

(06:45):
he's made some huge plays and has incredible speed, but
there are fast guys out there. You're not gonna consistently
have success that way, and not every play is designed
for you to have success that way. Sure, and I
think that's one of the biggest frustrations for him, And
I'm sure offensive coordinator Clinton Kobiak is you gotta trust
the scheme. You gotta trust with the ball is supposed

(07:06):
to hit and if you if you don't do that,
it's it's not ever gonna gonna click for everybody. And
maybe they need to maybe they switch it up, you know,
just like the San Francisco forty nine is they went
to a gap scheme eventually in a couple of games,
just to switch the mojo up, just to switch it
up to to to to switch the tendencies. And sometimes

(07:26):
you have to do that, is to change the and
it's hard. It's hard. Let's not let's not think that
is easy. A team has been running a scheme for
the entire season, you installed that in training camp. But
when you see things aren't on working the way you
want to.

Speaker 2 (07:40):
You gotta adjust, no question about it, Richard, this team
looks special. I mean, frankly, I always knew they were good,
but they're starting to trend towards that, Hey, they might
be pretty damn damn good. I'm starting to think that, Richard.
They got their eyes on the number one seed in
the NFC. I think it's within reach. They got some

(08:02):
big games coming up against the Colts, who may or
may not be without their starting quarterback Daniel Jones, and
then the Rams. I mean, what, in your eyes makes
this team so special.

Speaker 1 (08:15):
It's the complete It's the completeness of this team. It's
every phase having being a strength. And Sam Donald just
just became the just just had the most wins for
its quarterback that has changed teams over over two seasons.
So he had the most wins of a quarterback. And
that's every quarterback that's ever switched teams. That's the Tom

(08:37):
Brady's included the Peyton Mannings. Who would have thought Sam
Donald would switch teams and have the most wins over
that period. Who would have known? But that's a huge
stat And I think the chemistry he has with Jackson
Smith and Jabba the the development, I mean continued development

(08:58):
of this offense, and wish they would give guys like
Cody White more opportunities, if I'm being honest. But Aj
Barner Uh getting more opportunities, Arroyo trying to get more opportunities.
And then should Heat Shad Heat finding his space and
and and especially in an intermediate game, he caught it
a few digs in overs today. It's great to see

(09:18):
that that's going to continue to open this offense up
and continue to open this offense up down the field
and give him more opportunities. The more you can can
sprinkle it in and keep the defense guessing, the better
off they will be. But the huge, the biggest strength
of this team is the defense and and how consistent
they are, how deep they are at the defensive line,

(09:39):
how deep they are in the secondary. Ernest Jones comes
back and is is the heartbeat of this defense. Then
you got nick Ammon Moore. We talked about the huge
game that he had. Devin Witherspoon flying all over the place,
got an interception in this game as well. It just
Trek Wool finding his rhythm, his swagger, looking like his
old self, looking like the guys. They had high hopes

(10:02):
he could continue to be and he's he's continued to be.
He's making himself a lot of money, no question about that.
Whether it's here or somewhere else, he's gonna he's gonna
be playing in the National Football League for a long time,
and he's gonna make a lot of money doing it,
playing in position. But this is this is honestly one
of the most complete defenses in the National League League

(10:22):
Football League. And the only reason I don't say the
most complete is because the Houston Texans are out there
really just mauling people over the last ten games. So
the Seattle Seahawks just have such a bright future. They're
so young. I think they're second youngest team in the
National Football League. They got a lot of young guys
really really thriving right now, and that's why you get hold.

(10:43):
But then they got veterans. They got to Marcus Lawrence
playing football. Looks like he's having the most funny he's
had playing football in a long time. You got Leonard Williams,
a guy who's who's having a blast playing football. The
veteran presence Jaron Reid is coming back Byron Murphy Byron
Murphy is is blastoming into the player they always hoped
he would be a guy that you know, some people

(11:04):
were calling busting a lot of different things his rookie year.
Has really really had a quietly dominant season and started
some game, has rotated some games, but has been incredibly
impactful all season long. And then you're not even mentioning
guys like Derek Hall and Boye Mafe and Uchena Nuosu,

(11:26):
and I mean, you can go on and on and
on about all these guys they have on the defensive line.
They're going in waves. And when it gets into the
playoffs and you start wearing teams down, that's when you
start to see the strength of this team is. They're
never tired on defense. They're always swarming. It's first quarter swarming,
second quarter swarming, third quarter swarming, fourth quarter turnovers, turnovers

(11:46):
because they've been swarming the whole game. It's relentless. And
you can see this relentless attitude, this relentless behavior, this
relentlessness every single play from every single guy.

Speaker 2 (11:56):
And when you have that tough team to be no question,
and you gotta tip your hat to John Schneider. He's
he's put on a masterclass these last couple of years,
drafting well, evaluating talent, and free agency very well. The
trademarket obviously Rashid Shahid. As we mentioned, it's all starting
to add up and form perfectly for the Seattle Seahawks.
We'll see how they handle these next couple games.

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Speaker 2 (13:42):
Richard, let's take our commentary to the AFC. We saw
a barn burner in Buffalo, Holy cow. The Bills down
double digits in the fourth, they look like they're well
on their way to a loss, and then Josh Allen
starts to look like the MVP of last year that
he was, And my goodness, did they take over this
game offensively and defensively. Huge win for the Bills, major comeback.

(14:06):
Joe Burrow did as much as he could. You know,
two hundred and four yards, four touchdowns. You see how
good the Cincinnati Bengals can be when they are healthy.
But the Bills, I mean, you gotta tip your hat
and give them credit. Backs against the wall. Coming off
a brutal loss to Miami a couple of weeks ago,
they find themselves in another dog fight with a team
that's well under five hundred, and they persevere. Richard, your

(14:29):
thoughts on this Buffalo Bills game in their major comeback today.

Speaker 1 (14:36):
I mean, another incredible game for Josh Allen through the
air and with his legs. Obviously tough in tough conditions.
It was snow on the ground. They were in a
dog fight. They were down majority of this game. It
looked like this was this game was a lost calls.
They were down twenty one eleven at one point, and
the Cincinnati Bengals defense were playing as about as well

(14:57):
as they played all season. And then Josh Allen turned
it on Uh. He gets a huge touchdown with his legs.
I think it was a forty four yard touchdown or so,
longest touchdown of his career on the ground and again
one of the most incredible plays, scrambling scrambling, looks like
the play was dad to rights in the red zone.
Josh Allen hits Uh Shakir in the back of the

(15:20):
end zone for a touchdown. I mean, one of the
the It looked like luck, Mitchell, but you can't call
it luck when guys like that continue to play this
way and play this way in critical games and in
very tough circumstances, and so you got to tip your
gap to him. It was a concerning game early on
for this this McDermott defense. Uh, Burrow was having his

(15:41):
way with him throughout this game. And and honestly the
pick six uh was wasn't It was a great play,
but it was like Joe Burrow was trying to get
a touch pass over into the pressure, because they always
say when the pressure comes, when they bring pressure, you
throw into it. And Burrow tried to throw into it.
But he threw this lollipop of a lob pass because

(16:03):
he it was almost like it surprised him maybe and
he wants to make sure he got the ball where
it was supposed to be, but didn't put too much
zip on it and it and it ended up being
a mistake. I think it was a sixty something yard
pick six. Then the next drive the mistakes compound the
ball gets tipped up in another interception for Joe Burrow.

(16:25):
This is in the fourth quarter, and that's what turned
the game. That's what turned the game. That's what allowed
the Buffalo Bills to score back to back touchdowns and
really just start roaring back in the fourth quarter. T
Higgins played a really good game. Mike Joseki, uh played
a really good game. It looked like the Cincinnati Bengals
were gonna We're gonna take this game and make it

(16:45):
really competitive in this AFC North late in the season.
But Uh, this lost all but eliminates them, and it
puts the Buffalo bill in a in a really great
spot to to continue to compete for the top seed,
I mean the AFC and a chance to win this
AFC East if they can find a way to beat

(17:06):
these Patriots. Obviously it's not in their control because they
need some help along the way as well, but they've
done everything they can this week to give themselves a chance.
Great game for Josh Allen, a real stellar performance for him,
carry this team to this win in tough, tough conditions.
Give him a lot of respect.

Speaker 2 (17:26):
Well, you got to. And unlike the Seattle See Seahawks
who struggle on the ground, that's the Bills Forte. I mean,
when you got a running back and James Cook who's
constantly rushing for seventy five plus yards, catching the ball
at a backfield, big gains here and there, This Bill's
team I think the reason they get a little stagnant
and stale offensively at times is because of their wide

(17:46):
receiver room. They got a personnel issue. I think it's
pretty apparent when you're scooping up Brandon Cooks midway through
the season to try to find another safety blanket for
Josh Allen. That's gonna be the Achilles heal. In my opinion,
with this Buffalo Bill's team, can these wide receivers rise
up and play in conditions like this during the playoffs
and beat teams that are well above five hundred disposed

(18:08):
of well below. That's the question I have with this
Bills team. There's greatness in there, but it seems like
they've been playing awful mediocre a lot of times. They
really squeak one out today, Richard, and it's fortunate that
they did. Otherwise, I mean, the Bengals, like you said,
they might be sniffing the AFC North Divisional crown if
they go the other way with this game. Richard. Let's

(18:30):
take it to the Chador Sanders Land in Cleveland. The Browns,
I mean, talk about a game that you did not
expect to be good against the Tennessee Titans, But Shador
Sanders put up three hundred and sixty four yards three touchdowns,
brings back the Browns against a double digit deficit against
these lowly Titans, and almost ties it up late but

(18:52):
for probably one of the most ridiculous two point for
conversion calls that I've ever seen recent memory. But let's talk,
Shador Sanders looks to me like Cleveland might have found
someone here for the future. I know you like Shador Standers.
You've stood on the podium and sung praises to this
man's name for the last couple of years. Are you
liking what you see right now? Despite the loss?

Speaker 1 (19:14):
No question, I love what I saw from Shador Sanders today.
Obviously there's still some growth there. There's growth. Every rookie
quarterback whoever steps in the National Football League will have growth.
They'll have growth each game. They'll have things you can
do better. But do you see the potential? Do you
see an NFL quarterback? Do you see NFL level throws?
Do you see NFL level decision making? And you see

(19:37):
all those things With Shador Sanders, you saw a dime
of a throw in his first touchdown pass to his
first touchdown pass was to Najoku. It was a pinpoint pass,
tight coverage him off of his back foot, maybe not
the best footwork in the world, but accurate pass for
a touchdown. Then you see a really beautifully layered throw

(19:59):
to Jerry Judy that ends up in a touchdown. Jerry
Judy catches the ball in stride, does the rest, gets
the ball to the end zone in a huge I
think it was a sixty yard touchdown pass. But you
saw great things from Shador. He even did it with
his legs. He had a fourteen yard touchdown run where
he socker are. I think it was around fourteen yards

(20:21):
touchdown run where he sacrificed his body. He ended up
with four total touchdowns in this game. And the underlying thing,
I know you don't worry about storylines and these background stories,
but he was playing against cam Ward and they they're
known to be really good friends. Cam Ward obviously the

(20:42):
number one pick in the draft, and he was out
played today by Shador Sanders and far out played Shaar Door.
Sanders had was twenty three or forty two for three
sixty four three passing touchdowns. Did have a really bad
I mean not a bad I in T, but a
I in T. You don't want to pass. I'm sure
he would have wanted back. He was a little high
trying to take a shot down the field, Woods making

(21:02):
him pay for it again a learning opportunity. He's not
the only one to throw interception. You're not the first,
won't be the last. But what you did see in
this game was consistency from you saw, Hey, when the
when When it's not there, he's either he's either getting
the ball, throwing the ball away, or he's eating it.
He only took two sacks in this game. That's growth

(21:24):
and I'm sure the offensive line for the for the
Cleveland Browns is excited to hear that, because that's one
of the knocks on your door. Sanders. He holds the
ball too long, he takes unnecessary sacks that puts his
team in a really difficult situation. He's a guy that
really values completion percentage, so sometimes he doesn't throw the
ball away as much as he probably should. I think
today he threw all that out the window, said Hey,

(21:44):
whatever it takes to win, I'm gonna do. And in
a game where the run game wasn't necessarily as effective
as it usually is, the run game for the Cincinnati Bengals,
I mean for the Cleveland Browns is something they usually
lean on. Judkins has been phenomenal. Season, has has really
been productive, but today it just wasn't his day. He
had fourteen carries for twenty six yards, only one point

(22:06):
nine carry average, but sure Doris Sanders carry carried the
weight this game. He did a good job each and
every drive, making good decisions, figuring out where he needs
to go, going through his progressions, and that's growth, That's
what you would expect. He played like a guy, not
like a guy picked in the fifth round. He played
like a guy you would have, if you didn't know

(22:27):
any better, would have thought was picked in the first round,
and probably should have been picked in the first or
second round of this draft. But you know that's not
here nor there. There are quarterbacks in the league playing
worse than him, drafted a lot higher. But who am I?
I'm just a humble servant. The questionable thing and frustrating,
probably the most frustrating thing in this game if you're
just a casual fan, not even if you're a fan
of the Titans. Are the Browns was a two point

(22:51):
conversion at the end? Shere Doris Sanders drives this team
down the field, scores, they score the touchdown, and you're like, okay,
all right, they need a two point conversion. What are
they gonna do? This guy has been fantastic. They put
the ball in his hands forty two times. He's gonna
played twenty three passes three hundred and sixty four yards.

(23:13):
What is he gonna do this time? Even if you
decide to run it, the run game is it isn't
doing great. But you take him out the game. You
take him out the game on the most critical play
of the game. And then Judkins, who's out a quarterback,
who's Who's a really good running back I believe, and
it's gonna be a really good running back in the future.
Forgets on a on a oh my god, Mitchell on

(23:35):
a play where it's a wildcat, and you know, so
much was going through his head, so much. He had
to he had to give the play call, he had
to do this, he had to do that, and then
he forgets to pitch the ball. Mitchell, he had taken
five steps past the guy he was supposed to pitch
the ball to before he remembered, oh my god, I'm
supposed to pitch the ball if they try to turn

(23:55):
around and throw it back to the guy. That's what
we do for the game. Like I think STEVANSI has
done a done a pretty solid job in Cleveland, and
I think he's he's done some good things, especially early on.
He won Coach of the Year a couple of times.
But my goodness, was that awful. My goodness was that awful?

(24:17):
And I and I know he's gonna be criticized of
it because of how polarizing shador is in America right now.
And Trudeur played a fantastic game. He gave you a
chance to win the game, he gave you a chance
to tie it. And you say, hey, we're gonna take
you out. We're gonna, we're gonna, we're gonna, We're gonna
give the play to a guy who doesn't really call
plays in the most critical time in the game, and

(24:38):
we're gonna see if he can do it. We're gonna,
we're gonna say, hey, can our rookie running back get
us where we need to be? Mitchell, that's what they said.
They said. They said, we're gonna give our put put
the game in our rookie running backs hands. He's gonna
call the right play to make the right decision. Instead
of our rookie quarterback who plays quarterback, whose job it

(24:59):
is to call plays and run plays. We're just gonna
take him out and win. See see what happens if
I'm that in Cleveland Browns defense, I am frustrated. I
am pissed. I am pissed. I mean, they didn't play
their greatest game by by any means. They gave up
thirty one points. But what was that, Kevin Stevanski? I don't,

(25:22):
I can't. I'm sure somebody can explain that play. Somebody
can can peel back the layers and tell me why
they went with a rookie running back wildcat. They sure
they've had some success with it.

Speaker 2 (25:34):
Sure, but Mitchell, you want to what do you want
to put on that tenfoil cap with me? Here, Richard,
I got a conspiracy for you. Let's put it on.
I mean, I think Kevin Stevansi's a good coach. I
think he's underrated. I would I wouldn't mind him as
my head coach if I was a Cleveland Browns. But
they're three and ten, three and nine, you know, Titans

(25:55):
are one and eleven. There's something called a draft positioning right.
I mean this even Brown's team is not gonna make
the playoffs. Richard could have even gotten this from ownership.
Hey Kevin, we got this this play that the owner
wants to run. Why don't we try it out now?
We don't want to win this game anyways, because that's
kind of what it looked like to me. Looks like,

(26:15):
seems like feels like the Cleveland Browns did not actually
want to win this game, Richard. That being said, I
will say this about Cleveland. You know, next year, it's
they're bringing back to Shaun Watson in his massive cap hit.
There's nothing you can do about that. Once this team
gets out from under that huge mistake that they made
and getting rid of Baker Mayfield and bringing into Shawn,

(26:38):
I think you might have something with Shador here. I mean,
you're gonna have a ton of cap space. You're still
gonna have Miles Garrett in his prime. Who knows. I mean,
maybe Cleveland is actually doing something smart by losing this game.

Speaker 1 (26:50):
Yeah, I want to see that vision, Mitchell. I want
to say, oh man, they they're they're above the brain.
They're big brain in this thing. But they're not They're
not they're not big braining this thing. You could have
lost the game in ot mentro There's many other ways
you could lose a game, Like if you're telling me
you you decided, hey, we're gonna do this to lose

(27:11):
the game. It's if FBI is gonna add to their investigation,
no question about it. And Steph Kevin Stefanski is gonna
be on that list. But I I really don't know
what they do at quarterback next season. It's gonna be
a crowded quarterback room. What do you do with a
healthy Deshaun Watson? There are a lot of QB and
needy teams. Every year that's gonna be a QB and
needy team. Does anybody still believe in Deshaun Watson like that? Potentially?

(27:35):
Can he has some add some value to somebody? Probably
not for that contract because not a lot of people
are gonna wanna pay him that money. Are you desperate
enough to eat that salary for maybe a couple of
draft picks? Those are decisions they're gonna have to make.
But the way Stefanski talks about Sho Dori Sanders, and
I mean maybe he talks about all rooky quarterbacks and
young quarterbacks this way, it doesn't seem like like a

(28:00):
guy that's excited about him, like a guy that he's
excited about playing and excited for his success. And I
didn't hear him after this game. I didn't have a
chance to earxpress conference after this game. But if you
listen to to the way Vrabel talks about Drake May
you know, or or even the way Sean Payton talks
about bon Nicks or you know, guy coaches who speak

(28:23):
confidence into their young quarterbacks, there's something to be said
about that. There's something to be said to know that
your coach and play caller thinks hiy of you, thinks
you can get the job done, believes you're the guy.
And obviously they didn't believe Shador was the guy because
if they thought he was the guy, he would have
drafted him higher. They drafted Dylan Gabriel higher. So that's
the guy who, obviously, in their mind, in the in

(28:45):
the ownership's mind, in the front office's mind, and the
coach's mind, is the better player. Now Shador has played
better like Dylan Gabriel, doesn't have a game comparable to
this where he in my opinion, where he had four
total touchdowns in the game where he threw for three
sixty four, where he looked like an NFL quarterback a

(29:07):
lot of deal in. Gabriel's games were sometimes efficient ish,
but they were conservative. He just was trying to play
no risk football. Hey, I'm not going to push the
ball down the field. I don't want to risk a turnover.
So I'm just gonna lean on my defense and run
game and hope for the best. Shador Standers is playing, Hey,
I will push that. I will push it down the field.
And now they do those screens and he benefits from

(29:27):
some yak and running backs making big plays. But running
back fumbled the ball today. It hurt this team. That's
probably a big reason they lost this game as well.
But I think Shador Standers showed he's an NFL quarterback
and he can be a really good NFL quarterback if
he continues to develop and continues to build on this.
And I know people talked about how arrogant he was, like,
oh man, this is only a week of practice, This

(29:48):
is only a week of practice, or what like. It
just rubs people the wrong way. And for people that
have grown up in that culture and grown up in
neighborhoods like that, where you have to be where you
have to walk it like you talk, where you have
to back up what you say, where you have to
really be about what you say you're about. It didn't
sound that crazy to me. Sound like a guy who
who knows himself, who's been through the fire, who thinks

(30:09):
he can go through the fire, and knows he can
do the job he's being asked to doing. That's sometimes
what is needed. Maybe every other quarterback doesn't doesn't outwardly
say it, but they feel it. I guarantee you, I
guarantee you Drake Mayfield's he's the best quarterback in the
National Football League. I'm not even gonna talk about the
top five guys Josh Allen and Burrow and Lamar and
and Aaron Rodgers and talk about how they feel about

(30:32):
themselves when they step on that football field, because there
is no doubt. So a young kid just outwardly displaying it.
It's it's gonna always rub people the wrong way, But
so what, So what? Maybe that's why y'all not special.
Maybe that's maybe maybe you need to change the way
you feel about yourself to be able to go out
into the world and perform like you're capable to really

(30:53):
to really realize your potential. Maybe that's not the right
way to do things in your eyes, but there are
many ways. It's gonna catch, many ways to have success
in many ways to play this game, and that's part
of the journey. Maybe one day Shador Sanders wake up
and be like, I don't really want to play it
like that no more. I want to I want to
go a different route. I want to I want to
be quiet, speak up on my teammates. But he speaks

(31:15):
highly of his teammates, he celebrates his teammates, he speaks,
he does the things. He doesn't throw his quarterback, I mean,
his coach under the bus at all when when coach
makes obvious mistakes. I'm sure after in his press conference,
they're gonna ask him what does you feel about Kevin
Stefanski's decision to take you from under center and put
Judkins in on the most critical part of the game.
And he's probably gonna say, hey, I trust my coach.

(31:37):
If that's what they decide, that's what they think is best,
that's what we gotta go with. I'm just excited to
be a part of this team and a part of
this organization. He says the right things. So it's frustrating
when guys treat treat young quarterbacks a certain way that
believe in themselves, But you know, it is what it is.
It's the league.

Speaker 2 (31:54):
Yeah, wow, Richard, Let's take the conversation to the AFC North.
The Steelers go on the road in a must win
scenario and beat the Baltimore Ravens at M and T Bank,
and Aaron Rodgers looks like vintage Aaron Rodgers again. There
was a lot of conversation about his hand and coming
into this game, how he's gonna have to be in
shotgun all game and YadA, da da da. But at

(32:17):
the end of the day, the Pittsburgh Steelers finally looked
good offensively. This was an offense that had been sputtering
the last few weeks. There was a lot of conversation
about should they just put Mason Rudolph in this game
to give him better shot to win. Aaron Aaron Rodgers
quickly cliudeed quieted those conversations. His connection with DK meccalf
today was a different Seven receptions for one hundred and

(32:38):
forty eight yards. Impressive win by the Steelers, But what
in the world is going on with Baltimore. I mean,
they have not looked themselves all season long. I understand
they're dealing with injuries, but come on, I mean offensively,
these are the same guys that they've had on the
field for the last numerous seasons and they have not
been able to get it going. Before we go into

(32:59):
the game, Richard, what has happened to the Baltimore Ravens
that we all knew from the last couple of years.

Speaker 1 (33:07):
I really can't explain it, but it starts with Lamar Jackson.
He just doesn't look like the guy, the the m
v P, the annual MVP Canada, the perennial m VP
candidate that he's been. He doesn't look as dynamic. I don't.
You've seen him jump on and off the injury report
for various things. Maybe there's something underlying there that that
is that is much more serious than than than the

(33:29):
Baltimore Ravens are letting on. We we saw that, we
saw them get fined for for the game. Where where
where they they activated him and and and said, hey,
he's limited, et cetera, et cetera, he has a chance
to play, and then ultimately decided not to play him
in the game, So I think there's something going on.

(33:52):
They start the season one and five after he got hurt,
but they didn't look good that great then we can
talk about I mean, it all really really started to
go downhill. Maybe that Buffalo game when when when Derek
Henry fumbled with that ball in the fourth quarter, and
and things kind of just started to cascade. Things that
are unusual for Baltimore Ravens team started to happen, and

(34:12):
that's continuing to happen. And and with all that's it,
they're still they still got a slim chance to win
this division because everybody Pittsburgh is just says it inconsistent
as Baltimore is. You don't know what you're gonna get
from them from one week to the next. They got
the Dolphins, who are who are playing really good football.
The Steelers face to Dolphins, and they got your Detroit Lions,
who who could go either way. You know, your Detroit

(34:34):
Lions could put a hurt and on them. And then
the Browns a division game that's gonna be rough and
tough and tumble, and then you got the Baltimore Ravens.
So that last game could potentially be for this division.
But Lamar Jackson just does just looks out of sorts
right now for some reason. And this was his first
touchdown and I think four weeks, first passing touchdown in

(34:56):
four weeks, and that's the way he's been struggling in
another interception. Think over the last four weeks he's gotten
one touchdown and four interceptions, which is which is just crazy.
And this was his first rushing touchdown this game since
Week one. These are things that it's unheard of, and
it's it's it's mind boggling, and those are the things

(35:19):
that you're like, hey, I don't unless I go into
the Baltimore Ravens locker room and building and really see
what's going on, I can't really explain it because it
just looks odd. Derrick Henry is is. He had twenty
five carries in this game, and usually when Derrek Henry
gets over twenty something carries, they win these games. But
they didn't. They didn't, and the Steelers were the better

(35:40):
team this game, and the Steelers were the better team
the entire game. Aaron Rodgers and DK Metcalf, we were
dealing with a lot of outside noise and about how
they can't connect and how DK might not be the guy,
And what they showed in this game is maybe DK
is the guy and things just weren't They just weren't clicking.
They just didn't have the field early on. But if

(36:01):
they can play like they did in this game, they'll
be a tough outfit to beat. If their defense can
get an interception and sack the quarterback and critical situations
like they like they did in this game, they will
be okay. But on the other side, Baltimore's defense, no sacks,
no interceptions, just a pedestrian effort from a defense that

(36:22):
has been historically really good. You always expect good defense
from Baltimore. Now the last few years they've had they've
had stretches where they've looked awful. They've looked they've been
one of the worst pass defenses and scoring defenses statistically,
and then they've had stretches where they've turned it on

(36:43):
and looked really great. But since Mike McDonald has left,
they aren't the same kind of defense, and that's been shown.
That's been a big, big change in this team. And
you wonder in this the thirty ninth meeting between Tomlin
and Hardball, like is both of the times coming to
an end? You know, are these teams gonna move on

(37:03):
and say, hey it's a new garden. Times are changing.
These teams don't hire a new quarter I mean new
coaches very often, these aren't. These aren't those kind of franchises.
But you have to wonder if the powers that be
or thinking about, hey, maybe it's time for change.

Speaker 2 (37:21):
You never know, But I mean, regardless, this is a
massive win for Pittsburgh. This is a team that looked
like they wanted it a lot more. I know they
couldn't get the rushing game going today, only thirty four
rushing yards. But I tell you what, Kenneth Gainwell has
been a big, low key addition for them this offseason,
the guy in the red zone, giving it to him
on the edge. He seems to be consistent and helping
them get into the end zone. So, like you said,

(37:43):
a couple of big games on the horizon and now
one in Ford Field against the Lions. Heaven forbid, they
beat the Detroit Lions, but they're gonna be in must
win mode. So that's gonna be like a playoff game.
Every game going forward for them is going to be
like a playoff game. Let's talk Jaguarres and Colts. I'm
the Cults were one of the hottest teams in all
for they were the hottest team in all football to

(38:04):
start the season. Daniel Jones total revelation. Indiana Jones, Right, Richard,
we haven't heard about Indiana Jones a whole lot recently.
I know he's been battling the leg injury. Now he's
got this Achilles injury. Is this the end of the
Indianapolis Coast magical season?

Speaker 1 (38:24):
Sadly, it looks like it looks that way, Mitchell. And
it's unfortunate because they had been playing really great football,
complimentary football. They went all in trading for Sauce Gartner,
and it looked like maybe that move would propel them
and to the Stratuspeare that they wanted to be in

(38:46):
of AFC contender. And then you lose Daniel Jones. And
that's the unfortunate part of this game. When you're trying
to battle through injury, when you're trying to say, hey,
I'm fighting for my team, sometimes you're your sacrifice isn't
rewarded and your body is trying to compensate. But in
trying to compensate, you overcompensate and you injure something else.

(39:09):
I've been victim of this many times. You know. I
tear my knee up, my other quad strains, my glued strain,
my backstrains, tear one achilles, the other ones banged up,
et cetera, et cetera. But these are the kind of
sacrifices that I'm not even sure fans recognize and to
this degree because at this point they're like, oh, well,

(39:30):
Daniel Jones, that's unfortunate. That sucks for my team, not
that it sucks for Daniel Jones to go out there
and sacrifice the way he did for my team and
potentially have a season ending injury that will will go
will travel on to next year and potentially put him
out for some of the next season and drastically affect
his free agency and the money that he can make

(39:52):
going forward, the money that he can make as Indianapolis colt,
et cetera. That's why I think that was the frustration
of him slamming his helmet on the garround. He immediately
the understood the consequences and the results of what just happened.
And that's the saddest part about this. I'm so sad
because he had been having such a resurgence, such a

(40:12):
really cool season that and you want to see that
for guys. If you guys struggling, you know, you got
to report it the way it is. But you don't
want to see him continue to struggle and continue to
struggle and give you up. You'd love to see a
comeback story. And he was having a beautiful comeback story.
The Indianapolis Colts were having a beautiful revival. Everybody's talking
about the owner, her coming down, wearing the headset, et cetera,

(40:33):
her the note taking, et cetera, et cetera. It's fun,
it's a great story, and you're looking forward to how
they're going to do in the postseason. They had been
playing well defensively. I had had been a top five,
top ten defense. He looked like an MVP candidate in
the backfield with Jonathan Taylor sixteen touchdowns on the season.

(40:54):
Now and now it looks like that has all fallen apart.
You're now going with a quarterback Leonard out of Notre
Dame struggled in this game. Eighteen to twenty nine interception.
That's that's no fault of his own. That's it We're
not gonna judge him all of that. He needs a
weak you know, to preparing them the game plan and
designed a plan around him and his strengths. But now

(41:18):
they got to go and play the Seattle Seahawks, a
team that's playing fantastic football, that's rolling. They got to
play the same the Seattle Seahawks and try to try
to get a win there. Because you're going from hey,
we're we're leading this division, we're winning, running away with
this division, to now the Jaguars are winning this division,

(41:39):
the Houston Texans are on an incredible run. You could
find yourself out of the playoffs with a few losses.
With just a few losses, Mitchell, you could go from
the number one seed who everybody the Cinderella to Cinderella
losing the slipper off her foot. And that's the way
this league is. That's how important a quarterback was is

(42:00):
to a team. And so it's really sad, it's really
sad that that this has happened to Daniel Jones because
he's he it's it was such a cool story and
gonna be such a cool off season for him and
his family, and and it was gonna be well earned

(42:21):
but unfortunately, uh he got the achilles injury. Hopefully he
goes to UH goes to a doctor. They they have
new surgeries and new techniques they're using. That's why Aaron
Rodgers was able to come back as quickly as he was.
Hopefully he goes and gets that from Elatrosh and he's
able to come back as quickly before next season. I mean,
fingers crossed. You know, you want the best for the guy.

(42:44):
But obviously the Jacksonville Jaguars and and and uh Trevor
Lawrence are in command of this division now. Trevor Lawrence
had one of his best games of the season, throwing
the ball to to Brian Thomas throughout the game. Had
a really good game. Tim Patrick had a really good
game and a touchdown. Jacoby Myers has been enjoying his

(43:05):
time in Jacksonville. It appears he had a touchdown in
this game. The defense continues to turn the ball over
at a high tilt, and that's the reason this team
has had success. They continue to find a way regardless
of how many yards and all that they give up.
There have been, but don't break defense, and they turn
the ball over at a high tilt. You can do
that you can find a way to get wins in

(43:25):
this game. And that's what the Jacksonville Jaguars have done.
They're nine to four now and look to be on
their way to win the AFC South.

Speaker 2 (43:32):
No question about it. And what stood out to me
today especially is Trevor Lawrence. It seems to his game
is it matured a little bit. He's getting more involved
with his legs. You know, he doesn't seem as timid
with the ball in his hands. And he extended a
couple of these drives by putting his head down and
driving for yardage. And then the other side of it
is Travis Etien. I mean, this is a year that

(43:55):
no one really expected much out of him, but reality
is he's playing for next year as well. He's going
to be a free agent after the season. Two touchdowns today,
and then kudos to James Gladstone, the young GM that
they brought in. He's aggressive GM. You know, he saw
what happened with them obviously moving up to get Travis Hunter.
Whether you like to move or not, he stuck his

(44:16):
neck out. He wants what he called a generational talent
on his team. Once he goes down, he goes and
immediately require acquires Jacoby Myers, who's had a couple good games.
For this offense, the Jags look very good. I'm not
going to put him in this category where I think
they're Super Bowl contenders because I don't, but I think

(44:38):
they have a legitimate shot at winning this division. However,
I think the Houston Texans are just the better football team.
The Jags may have the better record, though We'll see
what happens, but overall, I leave this game very impressed
with what I saw from the Jags and Trevor Lawrence,
and kudos to James Gladstone for what he's been able
to do in his first year as a GM. Let's
talk about a team that needed a win and did

(45:00):
not have the mojo today at home against the New
Orleans Saints. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers just appear lifeless offensively.
You can see the Mike Evans effect play play itself
out week after week without him there. It seems like
this offense is just totally different. A Mecca Buka. This
guy was, you know, rookie of the year, surefire rookie

(45:23):
of the year. When's the last time we mentioned his name? Richard?
He had a crucial drop in the end zone on
this game. What has happened to these Tampa Bay Bucks
Because as they continue their downfall, their counterpart, the Carolina Panthers,
are looking steadily not even in the rearview mirror anymore, Richard.
They are in the driver's seat to win this division.

(45:44):
The lowly Carolina Panthers are going to potentially take over
this division from the Tampa Bay Bucks. I might be
speechless here.

Speaker 1 (45:52):
Rich no question. And what's crazy is the NFL does
phenomenal job with these schedules because the Tampa Bay and
Carolina Panthers play each other twice in the last three
weeks of the season, so both teams will have a
chance to decide their own destiny against one another. But
this was a really head scratching loss for the Tampa

(46:13):
Bay Buccaneers. We have them this week on Thursday Night
Football against the Atlanta Falcons, who who just struggled against
the Seattle Seahawks. Not sure the ratings will be great
this week, but but Baker.

Speaker 2 (46:24):
You're gonna bring the energy regardless, Richard, I'm gonna bring
the energy.

Speaker 1 (46:28):
Mitchell, I'm gonna be there and I'm gonna talk about it.
But Baker Mayfield really really struggled in this game. And
that's the biggest concern for this team. Is the reason
they were everybody's darling and and really everybody thought, hey man,
this team could really go even without Chris Godwin and
Mike Evans at one hundred percent, was because Baker Mayfield

(46:49):
was playing at such such a high level putting up
big numbers. They were putting up big point numbers offensively.
But now you look up in Baker Manfield fourteen to thirty,
a touchdown and interception against the Saints defense that honestly
hasn't been great this season, and then you lose a
game to Tyler Shah who was thirteen or twenty. It

(47:12):
looked like, hey, Kellen Moore was like, hey, we're just
gonna stay in your wheelhouse. Don't lose us to game.
He did throw an interception in the game, no touchdown,
but he again uses his legs. That's the evolution of
quarterbacks in the National Football League, knowing when and when
not to use your legs. And Tyler shut seven rushes
for fifty five yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

(47:33):
That was the difference in the game. You can't have
this loss if you're Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But it's all
is not lost. The NFC South is done. It's every
year it comes down to the wire, and every year
the Tampa Bay Buccaneers find a way, at least for
the last four years, to get it done, to win
the games they need to win, to scrape and grid

(47:54):
out the wins that they need to win to get.
And it seems like Mike Evans is on his way
back into the fold, and I think people will have
much more appreciation for him each time he comes back
from injury. Unfortunately, it looks like his streak of thousand
yard seasons is gonna end at eleven. But he'll have
impact in the next few games, and I think he'll

(48:15):
get them over to hump and help them win the
number one seed. But this was just a really bad
loss for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and and I mean
not even a great win for the Saints if I'm
being honest, because because at this point in the season,
it's it's what we talked about a little earlier in
the show with the Cleveland Browns, like draft position matters,
Like if you're gonna be bad, then't be bad, Like

(48:36):
don't don't decide at the end you want to go
upset people and and and and damage the division and
do all this because when the draft picks come down,
you're gonna wish you had that leverage. You're gonna wish
you could get that guy, and you're gonna be like,
how important was that win against the Bucks? What did
he get you other than a worst player, not the
player a worst position in the draft. I mean, that's

(48:58):
that's the stuff. Not that you take games are lose
games on purpose, because nobody's built like that in NFL.
But but it just this is a game that that
hurts both teams, honestly, and it's weird.

Speaker 2 (49:10):
It certainly is before we leave this game. In regards
to Mike Evans, if anyone wants to debate the topic
of whether he is a Hall of Famer, I think
the absence of Mike Evans on this froster over the
last month and a half shows how good of a
player this guy is. Richard. In my opinion, this guy
is a Hall of Famer, no question about it. I

(49:32):
guess that leaves us with the Detroit Lions, Richard. They
took on the Dallas Cowboys in my neck of the Woods, Detroit, Michigan.
You were in town. We had another great time together.
It's always great welcome you to my side of the country.
And you were able to see an absolute spectacle. The
Detroit Lions slapped forty four on the board and took

(49:54):
care of the red hot Dallas Cowboys. We talked pregame,
You said you were gonna show some love to this
Detroit Lion team. They needed it, Richard, and they showed
up for you. Jamiir Gibbs is the story of the
NFL this week. In my opinion, he has firmly put
his name in the hat for the most destructive, elusive best.

(50:16):
I don't even want to call him best running back.
I mean, he might be the best running back in football.
I don't know what your thoughts are on that, Richard,
but in my opinion, this guy just tied Barry Sanders
for the most touchdowns by anyone before the age of
twenty four, his forty seventh touchdown of his career. Your
thoughts on Jamier Gibbs and this Detroit Lions team who

(50:39):
desperately needed a win.

Speaker 1 (50:41):
A huge win for this Detroit Lions team. They did
it with a complete effort Obviously, this defense hasn't been
hasn't been phenomenal this season, but they got a ton
of pressure. They got more sex in this game against
the Dallas Cowboy and they had the last four games combined,

(51:03):
and your guy al Kadin Muhammed had a huge game,
multiple sacks, and this is a confidence builder for that defense.
But you look on the other side and Jared Goff
three hundred and nine yards in a touchdown, David Montgomery
getting involved, had a big run in the game, and
then your guy Jamier Gibbs three touchdowns in the game.
One of the most impactful players in the National Football League,

(51:26):
one of the best players in the National Football League,
regardless of position, continues to make huge impact, breaking record
after record. You can talk about his yards per carry
over the forty first forty five games, beating Barry Saners.
He has five point five yards per carry in through
his first forty five games. Jerry Rice had forty three
total touchdowns, Jamier Gibbs has forty seven. Emmitt Smith had

(51:50):
forty six, I mean forty six hundred yards total yards.
Jamiir Gibbs has forty seven one hundred yards and he's
doing it through the on the ground. He's been phenomenal
and he's been consistent all season long. And you gotta
appreciate that this was a Dallas Cowboys team that was rolling,
that was red hot. Ceedee Lamb came into this game

(52:13):
and really was dominating before he went out with that concussion.
He was having a fantastic day. He ended up with
six receptions for one hundred and twenty one yards, and
then he went out when he had that concussion where
his head slapped against the turf. Unfortunate. And then Flora Noyd,
who I think had twenty career catches coming into this game,

(52:35):
had nine in the game, four hundred and fifteen yards
in a touchdown. And enough has been said about George
Pickens and his performance. Was he double teamed a lot,
was he you know playing, was he engaged? You know?
Enough has been said about that. But I think that's
gonna be the story of this offseason what the Dallas
Cowboys decide to do. They have draft picks, they have

(52:58):
a really talented offense. Obviously, see this is the number
one offense in the National Football League coming into this game.
So that you know they can score points, you know
they can can push the ball, down the field. You
know they can run the ball. Jamonte Williams has had
a resurgence of a season of his career. It's the
defensive side where they where they give up forty points
and you think, hey, Quinnin Williams has had twenty one

(53:22):
pressures in the last three games, and they got all
these trades, and Adiggie Zua has also been doing great
since Quinton Williams has come and the defense has just
been playing better overall. But then they have a setback
against the team that's a true contender, and and you
question if they're really what they were were over those
last three games or was that a mirage. They're gonna

(53:44):
have to address. They're gonna have to address the defense
as a whole. Figure out if eber Fluis is the answer,
if he gets another year, And personnel wise, they're gonna
have to make some decisions whether to draft more guys
at the position. You're gonna need more pass rushing, more
pass rushers the better in special teams wise, what you're

(54:05):
gonna do to help this team be what Jerry Jones
thinks they can be. He wants to win a super
Bowl before he passes. They're gonna have to put a
better team together.

Speaker 2 (54:15):
No question about it. Back on the other side of
the field with the Detroit Lions, we saw i'm On
Ross Saint Brown suffer and ankle injury in the Thanksgiving
Day game when he got rolled up on on a
play and a lot thought that he was not going
to be playing this game. He was listed as doubtful,
then moved to questionable, then was a game time decision,
and ultimately he went out there and a lot of

(54:36):
people thought, Hey, maybe he's just gonna go out there,
run a couple of routes and be a decoy. That
was not the case at all. I'm on Ross Saint
Brown records six catches for ninety two yards and didn't
look injured at all. I know the guy. It toughness
is in his DNA. We've all heard about his family
and his dad and just his genuine upbringing. But this
kind of a player reminds me a lot of your days, Richard.

(55:00):
He's in a boom. I know you guys played through
your injuries, your ailments. No one ever complained about it. It
was always hey, strap up and get ready to play.
And that toughness when you have that on your team.
I know it's infectious. What does it mean to play
with somebody like I'm on Ra who you know is
in a world of hurt, but he's gonna go out
there and put his ass on the line in a
mustling game.

Speaker 1 (55:21):
I think it's inspiring. I think inspiring to his coaches,
to his teammates, and it gives him even more respect
in that building and with the fan base because they
know he's putting his money where his mouth is. He's
a guy that thinks this team is great. And when
your best players sacrifice and put them put their bodies
on the line for a team like that, then other

(55:42):
guys know that's the standard. And that's set in a
standard for other young guys when they have injuries or
they're a little nicked up in the decisions they make
going into it. If your veterans say, hey, then I'm
a little sore, I'm sitting this one out, then young guys,
it's gonna trickle down. And the opposite is true as well.
If your best guys and your best players are your

(56:02):
hardest workers and guys that put it all on the
line for the team, then the young guys will know
that's the way we do things in Detroit, and that's
the message that I'm on right sat Brown is sending
to this team and to the league that hey, regardless,
I'm gonna do everything in my power to give my
team the best chance to win. If my body is able,
I will be out there. And he put on an

(56:25):
incredibly inspiring performance that you gotta respect and you appreciate
if you're a Detroit Lions fan. That's a hat tip
to him, Richard.

Speaker 2 (56:33):
Before we leave this game, I gotta ask, I mean,
it was the talk of the town. George Pickens didn't
seem to love your commentary on him during the game,
although it was valid in my opinion, Richard, what are
your thoughts about his comments? I know players get emotional,
especially after losses in big games, but some of the
statements were just not factual. Whatsoever your thought about George

(56:56):
pickens comments postgame?

Speaker 1 (56:59):
I don't really have any thoughts about it, Mitchell, as
a young kid getting emotional. You know, it's it's our
job to analyze the performance, and in that game, it's
less about, you know, the the comments about his play,
and more about the the the potential you believe he
has and if you think he can be the best
receiver in the National Football League, and that's the expectation

(57:21):
you have for him. When you see a performance like that,
you're disappointed. And and so that was the commentary, and
I think that's where I was speaking from, was was
he has the all the ability in the world, and
he has a new start, and he's been playing like
the guy that we think he's capable of being. And
then in this game you're saying, oh, cloud coverage and
and and man, they were bracketing, So we don't. I've

(57:44):
I've played against some of the best receivers in the
National Football League, the Calvin Johnson, the Julio Jones, the
AJ Greens, the Antonio Browns. If cloud coverage made them
shut it down Mitchell, they would never play. And that's
the that's the thing, you know. And it's a lazy
excuse for people to say, oh, well, he was getting

(58:05):
double team. Why do you think Dak was still throwing
him into football, because that for a guy with that
kind of talent, it doesn't matter. It does not matter.
If he's a guy with the kind of talent that
he has, Dak's gonna find a way. Dak is a
good enough player to get him the football, and that
is why Dak targeted him. Dak sees the coverage, he

(58:25):
sees the Cloud, but he also knows this is his
best guy and he knows what he's capable of. So
when he sends him on a seven pump, he says, hey,
I see the double, but I don't think that's enough
to stop him. And that's what you agree with. When
you see the talent that George Pickens has, you say,
you gotta think, no matter what who's out there, double cloud,

(58:47):
bracket whatever, that's not enough to stop me. And I
think when George Pickens realizes that the league is in trouble,
you can't you can't say, hey, I recognize I'm being bracketed,
so I'm taking the playoff. That's that's that's that's wasting
the gift, and that's the that's the reason I was frustrated.

(59:08):
And I you know, we his agent, David Mulgetta, is
good friend of mine, and he reached out and we
had a conversation about it, and so everybody's on the
same page. There's no there's no ill will or bad
blood there. But I just want I want it for him,
you know, And you can't want it for somebody more
than they wanted for themselves. And I think that was
my frustration in that game, is because everybody sees it,

(59:31):
everybody sees what he can become, and it's like, oh,
I I looked at that game and I said, I said,
Terry on On is on IR They got a Meek
Robinson Robertson and they got my guy, DJ Reed not
not the biggest corners in the world. Very bad matchups
against the George Pickens, very awful matchups, Like that's the

(59:52):
kind of game, especially with Ceedee Lamb on the other side.
You're not gonna just single Ceede Lamb and double George Pickens.
They've leaned safeties over the last I think that's what
the Kansas City Chiefs did. But I thought this was
a game that George Pickens was going to eat and feast,
and they didn't really target him early on because CD

(01:00:13):
was was having a way. He was having his way.
But once CD went out, I was like, Okay, it's
about that time, Like they don't have a choice. They're
gonna have to feed it to George Pickens. And sure
sure they were finding FLORIDAOI because George Pickens was allowing
him to. George Pickens was pulling coverage and allowing but still,
when you're a guy, coverage cannot dictate. Coverage cannot dictate

(01:00:36):
whether you get that. And that's what That's what Dak
was saying. That's what Dak was saying, with not only
his voice but with his reads. He didn't care that
he was bracketed. He said, Hey, my guy's bracketed. My
guy's better ball My guy's double team. You're doubling him.
He's faster, he's better balled. That's why we were seeing
the targets that George Pickens was getting. And so when

(01:00:58):
people were like, oh, you're just a here, like, I
am absolutely not. I'm the exact opposite. I want. I
want the same thing probably everybody who's a fan of
him wants. And I'm disappointed that we didn't get that.
So I don't really have a response to his comments,
but that's what I was meaning in my analysis of it.

Speaker 2 (01:01:18):
I don't mean to speak for you, but I will Richard.
I don't know if I've ever met anyone that cares
more about other people's success than you. You've always been
a player's guy. You've always wanted guys to get paid more.
You were part of the NFLPA executive committee, always driving
up the salary cap as much as possible. You represented

(01:01:39):
yourself on the field. You try to educate other players
about representing themselves and what to look out for the
questions ask their agents. So, in terms of a guy
that's a hater, a hater, you are not a pragmatic
individual that has objective commentary. You are and you call
the spade a spade. And like you said on that game,

(01:02:00):
the tape showed itself and it's your job to comment
on it. So that's what we'll leave that, no.

Speaker 1 (01:02:08):
Question about it, and we'll leave it there, Richard.

Speaker 2 (01:02:10):
The next game we got here at NFC North Showdown
and obviously my eyes are all over this game. The
Packers are hosting the red hot Chicago Bears, first place
in the conference. Who saw this coming, Ben Johnson at
the Helm. This is a true test. I mean, we
thought last week was a big time test on the
road against Philly. You were there, you saw them firsthand.

(01:02:33):
I think they answered a lot of questions for any
of the dowters out there. And now they go on
the road in a division battle against the Green Bay Packers.
It comes down to the wire interception by your boy
Keyshawn Nixon, friend of the program to seal this game.
How impressed were you with the Green Bay Packers in
this win.

Speaker 1 (01:02:54):
I was really impressed overall team effort, a lot of
good things on both sides of the football. Obviously, the
key Shawn Nixon interception was the game sealer. You know,
a lot of people holding their breath. But it was
a great battle back and forth for both teams. I mean,
and the cold. You know, some people would say this
is what football is about. I'm sure those players wouldn't

(01:03:15):
say this is what football is about freezing cold and
and eight degree weather. But the teams executed at a
high level. Teams that have a lot of respect for
one another. Jordan Love played a really good game seventeen
at twenty five two thirty four, three touchdowns, did have
the interception to CJ. Gardner Johnson, but delivered some really
accurate passes. Christian Watson made some hupes plays in this game.

(01:03:37):
Only had four receptions. I thought they, you know, could
could get in the ball a little bit more in
the second half. Had had a great first half two touchdowns,
but I thought, I thought that that was one of
his best games, and I thought I thought they would
keep feeding him. He looked like he had a good feel.
They kept catching the Bears and man and man coverage
with TJ. Gardner Johnson on him, and they kept taking
advantage of them every chance they got. They surprised the

(01:04:02):
Bears early on with the melting bomb for forty five
yards in a touchdown. But you could see the chess
match going on between these two coaches. I think Green
Bay had a great advantage early on, and then in
the second half, the Bear started to figure it out.
They start churning yards out on the ground with Swift
and Manung Gui Burden started to catch some rhythm at

(01:04:28):
the receiver spot. Caleb Williams was nineteen thirty five six
two touchdowns in that interception. I'm sure he wants that
one back, but I really just didn't understand the call there.
You know, you only needed a yard. I felt like
they wasted way too much time. They were in control,
they had timeouts and all that, and even Tom Brady
on the broadcast was saying, you know, you don't got

(01:04:50):
to go too fast, but you know, got to have
a little bit of a sense of urgency and I
didn't feel like they had that, felt like they could
have ran it, got the first down, called a time out,
you know, had a conversation and ran better plays down
the stretch. But a learning opportunity. And I'm sure Green
Bays excited because that was a hard fought, well deserved win,

(01:05:10):
hard earned win in a division gives them control of
this division and control of their destiny down the stretch.
In terms of winning this division, all they gotta do
is is is win the games ahead of them. But again,
they play this team again, and next time it'll be
in Chicago, and and that's the cool thing about division
games is you never know which one is gonna be

(01:05:32):
the one that determines it. But I look forward to
seeing the next game as well. This was one of
the better games for Jordan Love and this offense. Josh
Jacobs had an unbelievable play that that really helped solidify
and seal this game for him, where it looked like
they pitched play on was it fourth and one and
looked like they had him bottled up in the backfield

(01:05:54):
and he found a way to break you know, four
unblocked bears and Josh Jacobs and he found a way
to get through, breakthrough and almost make it to the
end zone before Bayer was able to bring him down.
But this is this is a cool game. I can't
wait to hear hear the floors comments after the game
because it's you know, you heard Ben Johnson's Yeah, they

(01:06:15):
played it over and over and over and you could
tell that it it irritated the Packers, both the staff
and the players. So you know, I'm sure he'll have
something to say after the game, and he should as
he should to the winner goes to spoils, as we
always say.

Speaker 2 (01:06:30):
No question about it, Richard. A couple things stand out
for me specifically with the Packers. You know, this offense
was stagnant against Philly as a lot of teams are.
You saw a little bit of the hangover of losing
Tucker Craft that was gonna be a big, big, you
know thing for the hurdle for another jump over. And
ultimately they got Christian Watson back off the AC onl

(01:06:52):
injury and he looks like he's healthy now. He's been
hugely impactful three out of these four last games. You know,
obviously his play against the Detroit Lions helped them seal
that game, and now we see it here with two touchdowns.
You see Green Bay adapting. But I'm gonna hesitate to
say this, but I'm gonna say it. I like Chicago.
I mean, they got a heck of a team. You

(01:07:13):
can see Ben Johnson evolving this team into similarly to
how Detroit was built, right. I mean, you've got DeAndre
Swift going for thirteen carries sixty three yards. He's kind
of like your Jremior Gibbs. And then I know they
like Kyle Manung guy at Rutgers. This guy was a
force in college, was widely unrecognized because he was playing
at Rutgers. And this is another David Montgomery type, the

(01:07:36):
hammer that they bring in in these goal line situations.
You gotta love it if you're a Bears fan. Despite
a loss, I think there's a lot of promise with
this team as they close this schedule down the stretch.
It's gonna be tough for him. I mean, that's the
reality of it. They're gonna see this Packers team again
at home, and then they got my Detroit Lions to
finish off the season. Like you said, these scriptwriters know

(01:07:58):
these games are gonna matter there is a strong probability, Richard,
that that game at the end of the season might
decide the destiny of both teams, whether they make to
the playoffs or not. We'll see how it plays out,
but the NFC playoff race is a wild one. And
then let's go to your side of the country, the
NFC West. The La Rams prove why they are at

(01:08:21):
the top of a lot of folks power ranks. Despite
the loss last week. They take care of the Arizona
Cardinals with absolutely no problem forty five to seventeen. We
saw a lot of Blake Korham in this game. Twelve
rushes for one hundred and twenty eight yards. How impressive
were the Rams to you in this one? They were
incredibly impressive.

Speaker 1 (01:08:40):
Obviously, the Cardinals haven't played well this season, but a
division game is a division game, and they took care
of business. Matt Stafford continues his MVP campaign. You may
see a defensive player factor into that for the first
time in the history of the National Football League. But
you know they don't like to put MVPs on bad teams,
So Miles Geared, I'm sorry, they're not gonna give it
to you, bab, but Defensive Player of the Year. They

(01:09:02):
don't mind giving it to players on bad teams, so
they will definitely give him that award. But they it
was just a completely complete domination from the Rams from
from start to finish. Blake corm twelve carries for one
twenty eight, two touchdowns, uh No, Kyron Williams thirteen carries
for eighty four yards, and the touchdown Poolking the cool

(01:09:24):
of seven catches for one sixty seven and and a
Moss Randy Moss on hi top as the kids say
in the game. But they just looked great. They this
was one of their better offensive performances and on the
defensive side, they looked they looked really good. You know.
Obviously there's always gonna be a little things you can
correct and things you can get better at. But in

(01:09:48):
the end, this is the this is what you expected
from the Rams in this game. It's the next couple
of games that are really determine things for the Rams,
for everybody. I mean, again, we talked about the scriptwriters,
talked about the schedule writers for the National Football League.
Your the Rams have your Lions coming up. That's gonna
be a huge game for both teams. Both teams have
to have that win. If the Rams lose that game,
and then they got Seattle the next week, pretty much

(01:10:10):
with with with for what could be the one seed,
you know, the one seeds flipping and flopping every week
because of the teams that play. Then the Rams have
some a little bit of a break because they have
the I mean the Falcons. Uh, they have the Seahawks
after that, and then they have the Falcons and Cardinals. Uh,
the Cardinals are gonna look like they're gonna be picking

(01:10:31):
pretty early in the draft this year. Still got some
a solid team, but got to figure out the quarterback situation,
Gotta figure out a lot of things on defense, got
to get more talented. I think they got to get
coaching staff. I think they got pieces in place, but
just got to continue to get better and improve in
a very tough division. And that's what it looked like.
That's what it's looked like all year. Jacoby Brissett played

(01:10:53):
a solid game two seventy one, two touchdowns and the interception,
but it's not gonna be good enough against a Rams
team that's gonna be competing for championship.

Speaker 2 (01:11:00):
This year, it's been a downward slide for the Arizona
call Cardinals since they lost James Connor. Really, but I mean,
on the bright side of things, they do look like
they have a good stud wide receiver. We thought this
would be Marvin Harrison Junior, but it's your Stanford Cardinal alum,
Michael Wilson. I mean, another huge game for him today,

(01:11:20):
Eleven receptions on honer and forty two yards, two touchdowns.
I know you know his game, Richard. Did you see
this coming? Did you see him having this success in
the NFL like he showed over the last three four weeks.

Speaker 1 (01:11:31):
Yeah, he just needs an opportunity, and I hope he's
able to get to a team that you know, features
him more than what he's been featured in Arizona because
obviously they believe Marvin Harrison Junior is the guy, and
so that's where they, you know, put more most of
their energy in their game playing around. But I think
Michael Wilson can do it. I think he can play
at a high level. I think he can be really
effective in this league, a thousand yard receiver, maybe even

(01:11:56):
fifteen hundred yard receiver in the right offense. And I
think that's important because he's showing what he's capable of
in the time where you know, not a lot of
people are watching, but I think NFL teams like San
Francisco forty nine ers should be watching and paying close
attention because I think that's a guy that can help them,
the Seattle Seahawks, I mean just about any team. You know,

(01:12:18):
A big, strong receiver that can that can get the
job done at a high level is valuable in any offense.
So I think he'll have a market this offseason, and
hopefully if the Arizona Cardinals don't want to feature him
like like they need to, somebody else will come get.

Speaker 2 (01:12:32):
Him, There's no question about it. In the final game
of the weekend at least that we're going to cover
is the Denver Broncos. You know, they're they're in a
tight race with the New England Patriots for the top
of the AFC. But one team to me just looks
a lot more impressive than the other, and that's the
New England Patriots. The Broncos won again on the road,
twenty four to seventeen, and you know what, they control

(01:12:53):
this entire game. The score did not dictate, you know
how much Denver dominated, But I think a lot of
teams dominate these Las Vegas Raiders. That being said, you know,
bownecks thirty one to thirty eight, incredibly efficient for two
hundred and twelve yards, had a rushing touchdown. We expected
the Broncos to win, but Richard, I candidly I expect

(01:13:13):
them to blow this team out and then it didn't
do that eleven and two. I guess they've earned that record.
But on its surface, do you see this team as
the cream of the crop in the AFC?

Speaker 1 (01:13:27):
I don't know. I don't know the NFC is. I
mean AFC is wide open, and I think anybody who
says anything else is full than themselves. I think it's
wide open. You get to the playoffs and I'm really
not sure who's gonna win each game. I think it's
going to be some intriguing matchups, no question about it.
But I look forward to seeing how the Broncos do
next week when they have to play back, when they

(01:13:51):
have to play the Green Bay Packers. I think that's
a game that's going to determine a lot for both
teams to really good defenses in past rushes, a young
quarterback in bow Knicks who's still figuring it out, Sean
Payton's at the helm. But we'll see, we'll see, we'll
see who's able to come out victorious. The Packers just

(01:14:12):
had a really physical division game, and I think they'll
look at things from this this Raiders tape and understand
that this this Broncos offense isn't is it is. They
aren't world beaters, you know, and they they can be stopped,
bone knicks can be stopped. I like Harvey, but I
think I don't think there's anything about this Broncos offense

(01:14:35):
that scares defenses. And I think if you if, if
I'm Jeff Haffley, I'm looking to be really aggressive, uh
and go after this young quarterback and see if we
can get him to make a mistake. And on the
other side, I think, I still think that this pass
rush is one of the best in the National Football League,
and I think they're gonna have a chance. But uh,
and again one of the best coiners in the National

(01:14:57):
Football League, and Patrick certain this defense is gonna give
the Green Bay Packers some trouble. So it's gonna be
a great game overall. I look forward to see it.

Speaker 2 (01:15:04):
Oh question, and then one team on Bay we got
to cover him, We got several listeners, and it's San
Francisco that we love so deeply, Richard. I know San
Franz on by. They got the Titans next week, and
then they close out at the Colts, who are without
Daniel Jones, the Bears, a team that you've seen firsthand,
and then of course the Seattle Seahawks. They're sitting in

(01:15:26):
sixth place right now in the NFC. They got the
Titans next week. I don't want to jump to conclusions,
but I think that's all win ten and four and
then they finish up at the Colts and then hosting
the Bears and Seahawks. They could win this division. Richard,
And I knew you said early on we predict, you
predicted prior to the start of this year that it

(01:15:47):
would come down to a battle in that last game
for the division against Seattle. And you're looking pretty darn
smart right now. What do you think of the San
Francisco forty nine ers chances down the stretch.

Speaker 1 (01:16:01):
I feel really good about them, and I'm sure the
San Francisco feel The forty nine ers, uh faithful, feel
really good based off what happened in this week, and
and you look at the unfortunate things that happened. The
Colts lose their their quarterback to an injury. Now there
you're facing an entirely different offense with without Daniel Jones
at the helm.

Speaker 2 (01:16:21):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (01:16:21):
Obviously they still have Jonathan Taylor incredibly effective, but that
changes the way you game plan form. You you're gonna
you're gonna force the young rookie quarterback to beat you
in that game. You know, Sauce Gardner's out for that team.
So a number of things have happened that that just
changed the dynamics of some of these games. Again, I
think they can beat the Tennessee Titans. Uh. I think

(01:16:43):
it's gonna be a great game between the San Francisco
forty nine ers in the Seattle Seahawks at the end
of the season. Uh. I believe they played the Chicago
Bears as well, another game that's gonna be a doll
fight for this team. So yeah, there's there's every possibility
in the world for this team to to win this division.
But there's it's unpredictable. Uh And anybody that thinks they

(01:17:04):
can predict this uh is I'd love to see their method,
the method to their madness, because it's simply madness. Right
now in the National Football League, a ton of parody.
Unexpected things are happening every week. You never expect the
Carolina Panthers to beat the l A Rams the way
they did. You you don't expect so many things to
happen that are consistently happening this season. So it's anybody's

(01:17:27):
guest who wins this division. It's there's a huge game
next week, obviously, between the Rams and the Lions, and
the Rams in the Seahawks. Those the way, the results
of those games will have a huge impact on the
overall standings at the end. So I can't say, oh, man,
I know the Rams are gonna win this or the
Seahawks is gonna win this, and then this is gonna happen.
You just never know. And if the if the San

(01:17:50):
Francisco forty nine ers can beat the Titans and then
beat the Colts, and then if they find a way
to beat the Bears, woe Nelly. You know, woe Nelly.
You're looking at it and credible seasoning. I mean you
got to be looking at Kyle Shana and for a
Coach of the Year, I really, I know there's no
way you don't give it to Mike Rabel. But the
circumstances are so unique this season for the San Francisco

(01:18:11):
forty nine ers, it's hard not to keep looking at
this team, especially if they look up. If you look
up and they're one of the top three seeds in
the NFC, You're like, how how did you do that
without some of your best players? You know, in in
in uniform. You got some of the best players in
the National Football League on crutches and on the sideline
and in the stands watching his team play, and you're

(01:18:33):
still able to win football games. So I think there's
something to be said there. But uh, it's a it's
a it's a great it. It's gonna be a great finish.
It's gonna be a photo finish for sure.

Speaker 2 (01:18:42):
Well, we got to have an agreement between Northern California
and the Pacific Northwest. You guys are all big time
Detroit Lions fans next weekend as we take on your,
I guess biggest rival, the l A Rams. So it's
all let's all root for Detroit Lions victory.

Speaker 1 (01:19:01):
All odds and lines come from our partners at hard
Rock that we've got the Eagles at the Chargers on
Monday Night Football tomorrow. Hard Rock has the Eagles as
a two point spread in this game. I think that's
a low light. I think with the way their pass
rush gets home in the struggles that the Chargers offensive

(01:19:23):
line has the big time injuries obviously to both tackles,
I think the Eagles can pull away, but obviously Vegas
doesn't agree with me. But how you feeling, Mitchell man Richard.

Speaker 2 (01:19:38):
Once the Lions lost to the Eagles, I thought, hey, man,
maybe this Eagles team is really gonna go back to back.
But then the last couple weeks what I've seen, Man,
I just don't know if I'm a believer in them.
I think offensively they're sputtering, but they're playing indoors in LA.
I think the Chargers are gonna win this game. I
think it's gonna be close. I think the Eagles offense

(01:19:59):
is going to have some sick sss and the sunshine,
but ultimately I think the Chargers are gonna win. That
being said, I got Davonte smith, Sakwon Barkley, who's much
needed to have a good game, and Lad McConkie all
getting in the end zone. That's my three picks as
anytime touchdown scores.

Speaker 1 (01:20:20):
As always, we appreciate you joining us. You could be
anywhere in the world, but you here with us, and
we surely do appreciate it. Thank you, thank you, Thank
you to everybody who helped us get to two hundred
thousand subscribers. It will for we couldn't be here without
your heartfelt support and love and you paying attention and
thinking that our opinion matters. We really, sincerely appreciate you

(01:20:43):
more than you'll ever know. You could be anywhere in
the world, but you're here with us every Sunday, and
we surely do appreciate it. You guys have a beautiful
holiday season. We will see you next week. Bom

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