January 23, 2026 • 41 mins
He ranks his top 10 players in the NFC Championship Game and defends Seahawks QB Sam Darnold as a top 5 player.
Plus, 7-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady joins the show to tell Colin what he sees in Patriots QB Drake Maye and previewing both the AFC & NFC Championship Games
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
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Speaker 2 (00:21):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
Here we go, hour two. It's Friday. About fifteen minutes
Tom Brady stops by, I'll be joining us live. He's
doing the game, seven time Super Bowl champ, Big big Game,
Big Sandwich game, make a sandwich sit down for three
and a half four hours. Ram Seahawks meet for a
(00:47):
third time. I said this yesterday is if I mean
you didn't get I mean, if that controversial catch no
catch call went Buffalo's way, you'd get Buffalo, New England
for a third time. And so, you know, a lot
of the NFL is hard to predict. Seattle and the
Rams about week seven, eight nine felt like they were
(01:09):
just you know, Philadelphia was good but couldn't get their
offense together. You know, there were good teams. Green Bay
was good, but you know people were complaining they're not
they're running games, not substantial and then they make you know,
and the Mica thing, he gets hurt and you're like, Okay,
that's not going to work. And San Francisco was good offensively,
but defensively lose Fred Warner. They don't have Bosa. So
(01:31):
if you really go back to like week seven, eight, nine, ten,
it kind of felt and then the Rams at the
end of the year didn't quite feel like they were
buttoned up. And then last weekend they go out, they
don't have a drop pass, a penalty or a turnover
against Chicago and literally had to play perfect to win.
So you know, over the course of a journey, what
we have is I think the two most consistent for
(01:53):
the most weeks during the regular season, Seattle Rams were
the best teams in the NFC didn't have huge holes.
Rams specialty teams are dubious, but every third game it
costs him something. Secondary is not great New England. I
think their personnels better than everybody else thinks. I think
their secondary is fantastic, their coaching's fantastic, and Drake May
May be that guy. Maybe, you know, we start talking
(02:14):
about quarterback play. If Drake May gets to a Super
Bowl and wins, it he's a top five quarterback, is
he not. I mean, that's what Mahomes does. That's what
the great ones do. They get to the Super Bowls
early and they win them early. That's very very rare.
So as I'm prone to do when I get five
or six times a year, you get into these massive games,
(02:35):
I get at the out the yellow pad, and I
rank the top ten players, and generally the team that
has the most top ten players feels like the team
that wins the game. And here we go with the
NFC Championship. Number ten, number ten, Pooniford, Pooni Ford Rams.
He was a Charger and he was a really good player.
He's been sensational. In fact, he is the Rams' highest
(02:56):
graded defensive player, right next to Kobe Turner in that
interior D line. Just an incredibly impactful offseason move. And listen,
it's hard to run on the Rams, and one of
the reasons is Poona Ford. He's at ten, number nine
Kevin Dotson, second highest grinted guard in the league, top
(03:20):
ten run blocker. They stole him from Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh was
not reportedly going to start him. He has been sensational
for the Rams since he arrived, so the Rams guards
to me, is the best guard combination in the NFL,
and Kevin Dotson is outstanding. Number eight Jared Verse. People
(03:42):
think he's having a down year. He leads the NFL
and quarterback hits he ranks top five and pressures including
the playoffs. The reality is he's disruptive and Sean mcvayh
talked about that. In this league, you're often judged simply
on sacks, but pressure and hits, Jared Vers is elite.
(04:02):
He's number eight. Number seven Kyen Williams had a fumbling
issue well, fourteen straight games without one. Fourth highest graded
running back in the league. I think they'd like to
play Blake coram Moore. It's hard to get him on
the field. Top five in rush yards, scrimmage, touchdowns, just
(04:22):
really good. He's great at getting the extra yard to
yard and a half. He is just fantastic. You stop
him at three, he gets four. He's eliminated the fumble issue.
You can tell that McVeigh. Even with Stafford and Puka
and Davonte McVeigh, he gets into some zone sometimes he
(04:43):
can take over games with Kyen Williams. Number six Kenneth Walker,
highest graded running back in the league and they don't
have the old line. The Rams do one hundred and
thirty plus scrimmage yards in three of his last four games.
I remember mis Michigan State. He was very good after contact,
(05:03):
really hard to bring down on the opening shot. Clever
can change directions. You get some speed, you absolutely get
some power. He has been a great draft pick by
the Seahawks Kenneth Walker at number six.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
Number five.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
Sam Donald ranked fourth in the league in big time throws.
Only quarterback in league history with fourteen plus wins and
four thousand passing yards in back to back years. And
he did it with two different teams. He did it
with more experienced Minnesota and very young Seattle. Listen he
(05:40):
has He can be reckless, you know, I loved Andrew
luck Stafford can be two, but man, Sam Donald wins
a lot of games and is super productive. He's in
at number.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
Five, Number four.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
Devin Witherspoon, cornerback Seattle, not allowed a touchdown in coverage
since Week four, the highest graded cornerback. I remember when
he came out of Illinois, and I remember reading a
draft preview and they're like, oh, like he's he's physical,
like a linebacker or a safety. You're getting a really physical,
(06:19):
aggressive corner. He was a first round pick a He
is the best corner in this game. There's an argument,
the best corner in this league. He just is great
and keeps getting better. Number three JSN Jackson, Smith and
Jigbu led the NFL and receiving yards in his first
season as number one. Second highest gridded wide receiver. Remarkable hands, runs,
(06:45):
great routes unlike DK Metcalf the route tree does it all,
never drops passes, very elusive, very clever. Does he have
great speed?
Speaker 3 (06:56):
Now? I know?
Speaker 1 (06:58):
Is he makes really good corners get crossed up. He
is just a sensational NFL player. Number two Matt Stafford,
highest quidded quarterback, can be a bit reckless on a
seven to two career playoff record with the Rams with
five come from behind playoff wins. He plays bigger in
big moments. Now he's got Davonte Adams and Pooka in
(07:20):
a good run game, but he led the NFL in
passing yards. He is my MVP. The no look passes.
You know he's not super mobile, and you'd prefer he
has more mobiley. I don't know if he had I
don't think he had a rushing first down this year.
That's kind of the flaw, and he could be a
bit reckless. He's at two number one Pooka, highest receiving
(07:44):
yards per game in league history, averages ninety five, highest
quidded player in the entire league this year, led the
NFL in targets this year and receiving yards six touchdowns
over his last five games. I think he has the
strongest hands I've ever seen on any receiver. He can
get dinged up from time to time, but I mean
(08:05):
when he has the ball, you're not getting it. Incredibly
strong player, almost no body fat like, just does everything well.
The routes yards after the catch, Incredibly strong hands can
beat you deep lethal underneath. So the top two players
are Rams three through six. Of the Seahawks seven through
(08:29):
ten are the Rams. Number eleven I have Kobe Turner
for the Rams twelve, thirteen, fourteen to fifteen all Seahawks,
so pretty evenly split on the best players.
Speaker 3 (08:41):
There.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
When I look at this, I could have gone fifteen easily,
and it would have been about eight seven Rams. That's
what it kind of fell. Eight seven Seahawks, eight seven Rams,
Kobe Turner was number eleven. I think I had Leonard
Williams number twelve and a bunch of Seahawks, But I
think think it's interesting. The one you all want to
push back on, of course, is Sam Darnold at number five.
(09:06):
Everybody abouts to push back on that. Greg Cosel talked
this week about Seattle's balanced attack.
Speaker 3 (09:12):
Walker's been much better.
Speaker 4 (09:14):
Walker has been attacking downhill much more so over the
last three four games, and that has allowed them to
stay on schedule. And it's also with their defense allowed
Donald not to have to throw that many balls. Now,
whether that happens in this game, that's hard to know.
You don't know how it's going to play out. But
in an ideal world, I don't think they want Sam
Donald dropping back thirty five times. I think they wanted
(09:36):
to be a very balanced offense and have their defense
in some ways control the paying tempo of the game.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
Yeah, Seattle's defense statistically better, Seattle's special teams better. You know,
the offense for the Rams was number one in the league.
I don't think that's a shot at Donald. There's very
few quarterback Tom Brady can throw forty times, Mahomes can
throw forty times. I mean even last week with Josh
having to carry the offense turnover prone. I don't want
(10:03):
my quarterbacks throwing a lot. I don't. I think Mahomes
Brady are very rare. Aaron Rodgers in his prime, very
very rare. That I'm you know, Aaron Mahomes Brady didn't
throw a lot of picks. You start asking guys to
throw forty forty two forty three times, that means the
run game's not very supportive. You're throwing a lot of
times on third and six and seven, not a space
(10:25):
I think is good for most quarterbacks. Slinging Sammy d
two and a half point favorite at home, third time
he's faced the Rams this year. Tom Brady around the Corner.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
One more.
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Speaker 1 (10:49):
Hey is Capino and Rich from Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
Now.
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Speaker 1 (11:21):
You know, Seattle is one of those teams that they
smell blood, and you get this a lot of times
when you get a kind of a young athletic team.
Young teams tend to play with a lot of emotion,
and they can get down on themselves. They can get
a little reckless at times when you're a young team,
but they also when a young team is feeling it,
like last week the Seahawks Niners. You're about eight minutes in,
(11:44):
You're like, it's like twenty three year old Mike Tyson duck.
There's no winners and Seattle. You don't want to let
Seattle start playing like that because young teams play with
so much energy and emotion. Tom Brady, he'll be calling rams.
See what a year for Tom? We only give them
a good games. He's got an all time classic. I
(12:04):
can't wait for this thing. So I've said this about
the Seahawks all year. If you turn the sound down
on your TV. They just look faster and athletic and longer,
and they're young, and young teams play with a lot
of energy, and it's do you agree with that? And
if you're the Rams, how do you game plan against
that youth and energy and speed?
Speaker 7 (12:26):
It is It is a lot to handle. And when
we're there last week and the Niners deferred and kick
the ball to Shaheed and Shahed goes ninety five yards,
that place absolutely exploded.
Speaker 3 (12:39):
And it's just hard to overcome that.
Speaker 7 (12:41):
If they play well on special teams, their defense, we
know they're going to play great, and if they can
make some explosive pass plays, they are going to be
very tough to be Now, the one team that can
do it, I think is the Rams. They've already proven
they could do it. They almost did it in Seattle
the last time. This game is just incredible for me
(13:02):
to be at and I'm so excited. I talked to
my boy Kevin Burkhart earlier and he's excited. This is
in our mind at the game of the year for us.
This is our super Bowl. We're gonna We're gonna be
fired up to be there to call it.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
You know, I believe coaching has a greater impact than
calling plays. Your Patriot teams did not fumble and did
not commit penalties. Last last week in awful weather, the
Rams had no drop passes either zero or one penalty.
They I mean, no turnovers in horrible weather for an
LA team. And so my takeaway is some of that's
(13:39):
just in practice. Go back to your career. You guys
didn't fumble, your offense didn't have penalties. What's the secret
to that. You guys didn't drop many passes? What's the
secret to that?
Speaker 7 (13:52):
There's a there's an urgency in practice that the coaches
drive home every single day to do the right thing,
to make the right decisions with the ball, to work
on catching drills pre practice, during practice, post practice, in
the offseason, when you would do like fumbling drills is
a great example for coach Belichick and kind of his genius.
(14:15):
First of all, if you fumbled, you were out of
the game. All the backs knew that. So we did
so many drills in practice that were about covering up
the ball, ball security, tackling drills.
Speaker 3 (14:27):
Not always you.
Speaker 7 (14:27):
Would tack or bring some of the ground, but you
try to punch the ball out every day for the
last twenty years of my New England career, we worked on.
Speaker 3 (14:37):
Those things in practice.
Speaker 7 (14:38):
So the reality of what happens in practice is it
shows up in the game all the time. Bill would
actually take he called him grease balls literally, I know,
some silicone spray that he would spray on the ball
and when we would do running plays, he would put
it in in practice. I would take this greased foot ball,
(15:00):
give it to the back. He would have to tuck
the ball, secure it with both hands, the shoulder pads
with just so they didn't fumble. So that urgency and
that point of emphasis always showed up in the games
because in the games it was always harder in practice
than it was in the games. And I think you
give the Rams coaching staff so much credit for a
(15:23):
performance like that in Chicago last week. You're talking about
a team that probably had a seventy degree temperature difference
from leaving LA to landing in Chicago. I'm glad, by
the way the game's not on Chicago this weekend. With
what I just saw, the temperatures were going to be
coming this weekend, But for them to perform like that,
lack of penalties, obviously, no turnovers, and the drop passes.
(15:46):
That's just I'm very jealous of receivers that don't drop
balls too. By the way, that's a great stat for
any quarterback. But they're doing all the right things. This
is a surgical offense. They have so many weapons. Everybody
touches it. You've got to account for everybody. You've got
to count for fifty three and a third of the
field in the width, you have to count for the
entire length of the field. They have an explosive passing game,
(16:09):
they have a precise passing game, they have a ball
control offense. There's a lot of ways the Rams can
win too. So this is going to be a tremendous
matchup between the top scoring offense and the top scoring
defense in Seattle on the road, sixty eight thousand fans.
The stadium is going to be on fire. I can't
wait for kickoff.
Speaker 1 (16:27):
You won a Super Bowl first year in Tampa, Stafford
won it first year in LA And for both of you,
there were choppy moments. I remember you it was seven
and five and there was a game in Chicago it
and Matt I think he led the league in interceptions
that year. So Darnold first year with Seattle. What is
(16:48):
the hardest part about that year one journey for a
quarterback with the new team.
Speaker 7 (16:52):
Well, there's a lot of newness to the year, and
there starts the obviously a new location, new practice format,
new receivers, new offensive line, new line calls, new center,
all the things that you kind of take for granted
when you have continuity. When I went to Tampa, all
those things were totally different. So it's like, how do
you chip away at those variables kind of one day
(17:13):
at a time. You get familiar with the skill players,
That's what I did first. Then you get familiar with
the center I had Ryan Jensen.
Speaker 3 (17:20):
In that offseason, we.
Speaker 7 (17:21):
Spent thirty days working on snaps and snap counts, and
then when you got to training camp, we worked on
a different variety of plays and so forth, and it's
just chipping away. And it took us twelve games to
feel like we were starting to get familiar with the
things we were really good at and also to put
aside the things that we weren't good at, so that
(17:42):
the time that the December came in the end of
the playoffs, we started to play our best football. Ultimately
culminated in a home Super Bowl against the Chiefs, where
we played our best game of the season. And I
think for Seattle they're going to need to play two
games the best they have all year, because to beat
the Ram for Seattle is going to be a tall task.
(18:02):
This is a game that's both teams are going to
have to play their best.
Speaker 3 (18:06):
You're you're talking about teams that are in the same
weight class.
Speaker 7 (18:08):
They've proven that the two meetings this year, if you cumulatively,
if you out up points and yards, they've been separated
by one point and one yard, which is pretty phenomenal.
Speaker 3 (18:18):
That's as tight as it gets.
Speaker 7 (18:19):
And to be there for round three, man, it doesn't
get any better than that.
Speaker 1 (18:23):
All right, let's go New England, a franchise, you know
well against Denver. When I think back to your career,
the only place that sticks in my mind where you
struggle was at Denver. Now you face good teams. That's
Fairs for reminding me of that. I appreciate that.
Speaker 2 (18:38):
I'm sorry, Tom.
Speaker 1 (18:39):
It's just on the paper here. I just you know,
I just read it what they write. But there is
something about Denver, the altitude Josh Allen last week struggle turnovers.
What is it about Denver.
Speaker 7 (18:50):
It's a unique playing environment. You're right, there's altitude. There's
nowhere else like that in the country. They have an
incredible fan base. They're so loud, it's a deafening stadium,
and when they get their momentum going, you know, it's
a tough place to play in the two times we
lost in twenty thirteen season twenty fifteen season, Denver had
(19:10):
a tremendous defense with Von Miller kind of leading the charge.
DeMarcus Ware was on that team. My boy Keith to
Leeve was playing corner, Chris Harris. They were so good
on defense and that kind of STEMIs offensive rhythm. It's
a hard place to play, and you know, there's the
reason why they're the number one seed. They played great
defense all year. Sean Payton, I mean, what kind of
(19:32):
coaching job has he done in a short period of time.
He's just got one of the most incredible skill sets
as a coach in terms of his leadership ability, his urgency.
He sets the culture for the organization, but he also
runs the offense. It's a really difficult thing to do,
and he's been a tremendous coach in the league for
a long time. It's no surprise to me that they're
(19:54):
in the position and the Patriots they're going to have
to play their best game of the year. This is
not going to be, you know, an easy task for
them to go to Denver and win in this environment.
Speaker 1 (20:03):
Jared Stidham, he was your backup for a year. Give
me a scouting report.
Speaker 7 (20:08):
You know, I've always loved STITTI He's a very natural
passer of the football, very competitive, very smart. He's got
sneaky good athleticism. He's performed well out there when he's
gotten opportunities. And I know the Denver coaching staff from
the things that I read this week, everybody's got a
tremendous amount of confidence in Steve what he can do.
Speaker 3 (20:27):
And you know, it's touff losing bow Nicks.
Speaker 7 (20:30):
That's a brutal injury, certainly at that stage of the game,
at this stage of the season. But at the same time,
you know, Stitty's got a lot of ability. There's a
reason why he's been on this club, and there's a
reason why Sean Payton has a lot of confidence in him.
And I wouldn't sleep on him at all. He's proven
he can make NFL caliber throws. Lead teams to victories
(20:51):
by playing good football, not turning the ball over. And
he's going to need that because New England's defense is
pretty absurd as well.
Speaker 3 (20:58):
So there's really four good.
Speaker 7 (20:59):
Defense defensive football teams here late in the season playing
in these championship games, and it's not going to be
easy out there for anybody.
Speaker 3 (21:07):
This has got to be clean football.
Speaker 7 (21:08):
No turnovers, no penalties, no kind of unforced airs. Whoever
wins the special teams bat on field position will have
an advantage, and then it will come down to, in
my view, third down and situational football in the red zone,
who's kicking field goals, who's scoring touchdowns. These games are
going to be very close, and they're playing for a lot.
This is the chance to go to win a world championship.
(21:30):
So no bigger weekend in football than this.
Speaker 1 (21:33):
I think the most underrated trait for great quarterbacks isn't arm, speed,
all that stuff. It's humility. You're the highest paid guy, Eventually,
you're the most talked about that you're going to lose,
and you're the only person beyond the coach that always
goes to the podium. I think humilities completely underrated. Cocky
(21:53):
does not work in this league. It turns teammates off
and I've never heard a single teammate of yours New England,
even when Randy Moss left early he loved Tom Brady.
And I think that's your humility. I see, Drake May.
I literally feel like I'm watching you when you were young.
That's how to have jumped out to you too with
Drake has it not?
Speaker 3 (22:15):
Yeah, very much so.
Speaker 7 (22:15):
And I you know, Patrick Mahomes is another great example
of someone who's always, you know, humility through incredible success.
If you're not humble, this game will humble you. And
every time you take the practice field there's an expectation
to perform at a high level. And when you're one
of the best to be playing, you are the measuring
stick for every team and they're going to come out
(22:37):
there and you're usually going to play their best game
against you. Now that's a positive if you understand that,
and then you know it's the saying iron sharpens iron.
Speaker 3 (22:45):
You're getting someone's best.
Speaker 7 (22:46):
That means you've got to be at your best, which
over long term, that's a great way to continue to develop.
Speaker 3 (22:51):
But Drake May has that humility.
Speaker 7 (22:53):
Everything that comes out of his mouth is always about
the team. It's always about praise his defense, praising his
offensive line, and that's how you connect with people. That's
the reality. That's what great leaders do. Great leaders are
in service to other people. It's not what can you
do for me, It's what can I do for you?
How can I be the best to support your dreams,
(23:15):
your goals, your vision, whether that's supporting your coach or
supporting your offensive lineman, supporting your receivers. True leadership is
about humility, because true leadership is about service and how
do I show up every day to be the best
I can be for my teammates. That really should be
the lesson for all quarterbacks in the NFL.
Speaker 1 (23:32):
Forty five seconds because you got to go. You got
a big I imagine a zoom meeting with McVeigh. You
gotta pepper because.
Speaker 3 (23:39):
You know everything. You know my whole schedule.
Speaker 1 (23:42):
I got to ask you this though. Everybody in the
world saw you watching Fernando Mendez, who I absolutely love.
What's just your What did you see from him? What
did you see from the quarterback?
Speaker 3 (23:52):
Yeah? It was. It was also a great experience.
Speaker 7 (23:54):
Obviously I live in Miami, so it was a thirty
minute drive to the game and I and the fact
that they playing in the game and all worked out.
My son wanted to go to the game. I brought him.
We sat up there in the suite and got to
be on the field in the pre game.
Speaker 3 (24:07):
And have just observed, and I.
Speaker 7 (24:08):
Haven't been to a college football game and so long,
I haven't been never been to a national championship game,
but just to see kind of the environment, the atmosphere,
you know, did it feel too big for anybody? And
he's played tremendous, you know, all season sixteen and oh
leading his team. And again he's another guy that you
know when you hear him speak, you know, I always
kind of judge quarterbacks that go, how would I have
(24:28):
answered that? And he's just a very mature young man,
and he's got a bright future. And you know, everybody
coming to the league there's still so much room for development.
Speaker 3 (24:38):
Nobody's a finished product. I don't care whether.
Speaker 7 (24:40):
You're won the Heisman or you're the one hundred ninety
ninth pick in the draft. It's what do you do
when you get there? How important is this to you?
Are you obsessed with your job? Are you obsessed with
being the best you can? Be these young men, whether
it's Fernando where a lot of other players that were
on the field the other night, they have a great
opportunity to do something in their life, to enhance their
families life, to go impact a community in a positive
(25:03):
way by playing great football and bringing joy to the
fan base. And that's a job you take very seriously.
So all these young prospects, I hope they go to
environments that embrace them completely, that can help them develop
into the best player they can be. That's how I was,
you know, kind of grew up in the league. I
found a great environment. It was all about football. It
(25:23):
was about, you know, like you mentioned earlier, about how
can you be the best teammate, how can you work hard,
how can you play smart, how can you play tough,
how can you play well under pressure? How well can
you play in tough conditions? And then ultimately how well
can you play in championship games? And all those things
remain to be seen.
Speaker 1 (25:41):
Yeah, Tom, crush it, you got probably the best football
game of the year. Say how to KB and the staff.
You guys have done a remarkable job this year. And
Sean mcvays around the corner on Zoom Go get it done.
Speaker 3 (25:53):
Come on it. Thanks to I appreciate, good to see it,
Good to see you.
Speaker 1 (25:56):
Tom shows up has been for several weeks here in
a row. Yeah, man, that is, Drake May and Mendoza
have a lot in common. Like just like seemed like
a really good come from good stock, good kids, grateful,
humble at the podium. That stuff matters, It matters. Uh
(26:18):
jmak with the news.
Speaker 2 (26:21):
No turns. This is the headline news.
Speaker 8 (26:27):
All right, let's bust right into it. The NFL Coach
of the Year finalists were announced yesterday and in a
mild surprise, Mike vrabel is a heavy favorite at minus
four hundred, followed by Mike McDonald, Liam Cohen, who would
be my call, and then Ben Johnson of the Bears,
who probably would be my number two call.
Speaker 1 (26:47):
Liam Cohen didn't win a playoff game.
Speaker 8 (26:49):
So what does it matter? I mean, Liam Cohen the
regular season, he was tremendous. They won four games last
year regular and now they won thirteen. Well, if it's
playoff award, fine, let's change the title of it.
Speaker 1 (27:01):
I mean, you know, perty was good in the regular season.
Two I like postseason guys a little different that way.
Speaker 8 (27:07):
I mean listen. Rabel is a veteran coach and he's
been excellent.
Speaker 1 (27:10):
But I don't know.
Speaker 8 (27:11):
Ben Johnson was pretty damn good in the postseason.
Speaker 3 (27:14):
I mean, we just give it up.
Speaker 1 (27:15):
I would Ben Johnson would be my two. Vrabel one
Ben two. Interesting.
Speaker 8 (27:21):
All right, let's move to the next story, and that
is Seahawks Rams. We're gonna keep hitting it all day, Colin.
It is the game of the weekend. The Rams lead
the NFL and scoring a thirty point five points per game,
number one offense in the league versus the number one defense, Seattle,
averaging a league best seventeen point two points per game.
It is a classic matchup offense versus defense. I think
(27:43):
there's a couple of angles here not being covered. I'll
get to in headline's next hour. But you know, this
defense of Seattle is pretty nasty. And yet in Week sixteen,
a month ago, the Rams went over for five hundred yards.
Speaker 1 (27:56):
Of offense, Like Stafford was just unbelievable.
Speaker 8 (27:59):
No Defonte Adams in the game.
Speaker 1 (28:01):
He's back, by the way.
Speaker 8 (28:02):
I had to check is DeVante? I asked the staff
is DeVante Adam still alive? Because somehow he didn't make
your top ten or top fifteen.
Speaker 1 (28:10):
He was no, he's it was. I think it was
Kobe Turner was eleven. I didn't write it down. I mean, again,
you're talking about he was dinged up a little bit.
It's hard you get down to these pilights. I always
give like an interior old lineman gets no love, and
like you know, you find miners with the Broncos, like
the highest rated guard, Kevin Dotson's been unbelievable for the Rams.
(28:32):
I'm gonna put those guys, those guys get I don't
want it to be all quarterbacks and receivers. I mean,
like Pooka and Jasent are insane, but it's it's.
Speaker 8 (28:39):
And I did.
Speaker 1 (28:40):
I did star quarterbacks and star receivers. But the guys
in the trenches. Poona Ford, no nobody talks about him.
He's been a monster this year. He's been unbelieve just.
I mean, he was a good charger. I can't believe
how good he is.
Speaker 8 (28:52):
I didn't get a chance to pick apart the list,
but I don't recall seeing Nate Landman, who, for my money,
is the best linebacker in this gig. Again, you know
Seattle good linebackers, but land Man is just whatch citty mean?
Speaker 1 (29:03):
People forget I mean Murphy and Leonard Williams for the
Seahawks on the interior. Can't you can't run on Seattle.
Those guys were like twelve thirteen. For me, it's there's
a lot of dudes.
Speaker 8 (29:15):
This game is tremendous. Final story con Let's go to
John Harbaugh. He is the new New York Giants coach.
You are all aboard. I think you're the conductor of
the New York Giants train right now. Well, guess what.
Jackson Dart is his quarterback. He only had one season.
He was living in the blue tent. But John Harbaugh
is already saying great things about Jackson Dart, that he's
(29:36):
about football. I wonder if that's a daget lamar.
Speaker 1 (29:40):
I don't know.
Speaker 8 (29:41):
Reportedly, Dart and Harball had a conversation during his final
interview at the facility and was going so well it
had to be broken up because it was running nearly
two hours long. A bromance emerges between Dart and Harbaugh.
Colin Dart says he cannot wait to play for his
new coach. I know you're excited.
Speaker 1 (30:00):
Yeah, I mean I this is not any you would
think as a four win team, Oh boy, is a
big lift. They were in seven to one score losses.
They led by double digits in the fourth quarter over
I think it was Chicago, Detroit, and Denver. I don't
think this is a massive lift. I think they got
to get better deeper at wide receiver, better at right tackle,
(30:23):
and like everybody not named Seattle, better in the secondary.
But I think they're really close. I really do. I
think they lost a lot. I mean, for a rookie
quarterback to lose seven games. I talked about Drake May
when I picked New England to be the surprise team
in the NFL. One of the things I said was
New England lost with Gerrod Mayo like six or seven
to one score games. Vrabel was going to flip those.
(30:44):
Drake May year two was gonna flip those. Jackson Dart
is not going to lose seven to one score games.
He's gonna win half of those, just because Jackson Dart's
got another camp. So, I mean, let's say this isn't
all about hardball. Jackson Dart now is going to be
a better quarterback with a better right tackle.
Speaker 8 (31:00):
It is kind of interesting that Harball's weakness the last
few years was blowing double digit leads. Remember with Lamar,
that's a big knock on him. I will listen. I
don't people know I'm a Jets fan. I don't want
to be hammering the Giants here, but I'll just say
this Harball stuff. We saw his brother do it right.
Jim Harball absolutely loved his guy at Michigan j J. McCarthy.
(31:21):
I take a number one. He goes to Justin Herbert
effuse of praise. Maybe it's a Harball trade, but I
don't remember John Harbaugh being this gushy about Lamar Jackson.
And I wonder if that fracture that happened at the end,
whatever went down, is channeling it into Hey, this is
a different guy that I just had for five six
years in Baltimore.
Speaker 2 (31:40):
And I wonder if these are.
Speaker 8 (31:42):
Subtle shots at Lamar, because we know social media is
a big one for athletes.
Speaker 2 (31:47):
Have you seen Lamar?
Speaker 8 (31:48):
I'm gonna miss you, John, we had a great run. Nothing, huh.
I haven't seen a damn thing. That's surprising. That's how
the young guys talk now. It's all on social media.
Speaker 1 (32:00):
That's a pretty good point. But I do here, buddy, Yeah, Yes,
you do all the time. No, I think I think
Baltimore had a choice and they chose the quarterback. I
think I do think there were fissures. I think they
made a choice and their choice Steve Bashatti chose the
star player.
Speaker 8 (32:20):
Even Kyler Murray in Arizona gave a shout out to
Gann and even though Ginning kind of sort of soft benching,
Kyler Burray went on on one on social media and
was like, hey, we had a good run. I'll miss
your coach, blah blah blah, Like that's kind of what
you do.
Speaker 1 (32:32):
Yeah, that's fair, that's fair. Uh Jmack with the news.
Speaker 5 (32:37):
Well, that's the news, and thanks for stopping by The
Herd Line News. Be sure to catch live editions of
The Herd weekdays and noon Easter nine am Pacific on
Fox Sports Radio FS one and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 8 (32:51):
Fox College Hoops Friday has a big ten rivalry tipping
off in prime time as Ohio State battles Yatzel and
the Bourne and number three Michigan tonight eight eastern on Fox.
That's a great game, coward, by the way.
Speaker 1 (33:07):
Yeah, part of the joy of this Seattle, uh donald game,
and it's you know I've said this before. I root
for the better story. We talk about this all the time,
like the Bears beating the Rams is probably the better story.
Like so to me, it was like, now I know people,
a lot of people in the Rams building. I respect him.
(33:27):
I remember once New England played Seattle, and you know,
my family's all Seattle, and I grew up with the Seahawks,
but I lived in Connecticut and it was like it
was the only super Bowl. I was like, I just
give me a fun game and ended up being a
remarkable game. And I feel the same way about anytime
Seattle plays with Sam Darnald in the Rams, like I
just want a great game. I think it's you know,
(33:50):
and you're saying, now, Colin, you want Donald to win.
All I've ever said about Sam he's too talented not
to be successful in the NFL. I don't know if
he's gonna win a super Bowl. He may not be
a super Bowl quarterback, but Nick Foles won a Super Bowl.
I think Sam's better than Nick Foles. Stan Humphries, you know,
trend Dilfer, Like, you know, I mean respectfully, I mean
(34:12):
I think Sam's a better athlete. You don't always have
to be a superstar to win a super Bowl. But
the reckless opinion, my take is yeah, I think he
can be, especially against the Rams. But Matt Stafford before
last week was on a seven game, seven pick that
was his streak. And for the record, l way through picks.
(34:36):
I mean, Brady and Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers were unique.
You get the upside and not a lot of picks,
especially with like Mahomes and Rogers, you don't get any picks.
That's very, very rare. The Peyton Manning threw him, and
Eli threw him, and I think Tom even Tom's touchdown
interception ratio, I think it's like three to one, So
you know, he threw a pick six in a super Bowl.
(34:57):
It's not the end of the world, but it is.
I what's what I think the Seattle Donald proves two teams,
two coaches, two rosters, two staffs, great with both. I
think you have to give it up to You could
argue obviously Minnesota and Pittsburgh could add Donald. They passed.
(35:19):
A lot of people felt like, well he had justin Jefferson.
He can't say that anymore. I mean, DK metcalf gone JSN.
I mean, did we think he was going to be
this good. Well he is with Donald's a brand new team.
It's one of the youngest team, second youngest team in
the league. And I also think this is hard. Stafford
and McVeigh have been together now what five years. They
(35:41):
can complete their sentences. This is still the first year.
Like when Brady went to Tampa, remember that. I remember
a Thursday night game and he's screaming it with the
offensive line for the Bears. They're seven and five going
into a bye. He and Arians don't see the world. Similarly,
this stuff's hard. In year one, Stafford wins the Super Bowl.
(36:01):
Year one with the Rams, he led the league in picks.
So get and those are the success stories. Seven and five,
Tom going into a buy, struggling with Arians offense and
Matt leading the league in picks, and those are the
all time great success stories. Year one with a new team.
So Tom Brady on the challenges with Darnold or ever
(36:22):
being with a new team and a new.
Speaker 7 (36:23):
Year, new location, new practice format, new receivers, new offensive line,
new line calls, new center, all the things that you
kind of take for granted when you have continuity.
Speaker 3 (36:35):
When I went to Tampa, all those things were totally different.
Speaker 7 (36:38):
You get familiar with the skill players, That's what I
did first. Then you get familiar with the center I
had Ryan Jensen. In that offseason, we spent thirty days
working on snaps and snap counts. It took us, you know,
twelve games to feel like we were starting to get
familiar with the things we were really good at and
also to put aside the things that we weren't good at,
(36:59):
so that the time that the you know, December came
in the end of the playoffs, we started to play
our best football. Ultimately a culminated in a home super
Bowl against the Chiefs, where we played our best game
of the season. And I think for Seattle, they're going
to need to play two games the best they have all.
Speaker 1 (37:16):
Year, and it's hard because it's the best coordinators and
best roster you go up against. I also think, you know,
the more spectacular plays last weekend were by Caleb and
the Bears. The more consistent team without the mistakes was
the Rams, and I think the cleanest team, and Rams
(37:36):
play a cleaner version than Seattle. Seattle's just younger. Younger
teams tend to make more mistakes. I think the cleaner
version That's why I like the Rams win this game.
But you know, am I going to be surprised if
Seattle wins. No, But in these last weekend fewer turnovers
four for four won every game. Tom talked about. That's
one of the things that New England always did very well.
(37:59):
They didn't fumble, and they didn't have a lot of penalties,
and they didn't have negative plays, and that all comes
from practice.
Speaker 7 (38:05):
Here's Tom, when you would do like fumbling drills is
a great example for coach Belichick and kind of his genius.
If first of all, if you fumbled, you were out
of the game. All the backs knew that. So we
did so many drills in practice that were about covering
up the ball, ball security, tackling drills. Not always you
would tack or bring some of the ground, but you
(38:26):
try to punch the ball out. Bill would actually take
he called them grease balls literally, I know, some silicone
spray that he would spray on the ball and we
would when we would do running plays. He would put
it in in practice. I would take this greased football,
give it to the back. He would have to tuck
(38:47):
the ball, secure it with both hands, the shoulder pads
with hell just so they didn't fumble.
Speaker 1 (38:54):
Yep. And you know again we talked about this. The
number one factor in building a culture is accountability. You
fumble your out of the game. And Kyen Williams, by
the way cam Akers, when he was with the Rams
was really good. He had a fumble issue. They got
rid of him. Kyen Williams, it felt like a year
(39:14):
ago start. He had a fumble issue. Tiki Barber for
years had a fumble issue before Tom Conflin showed up.
Then suddenly he didn't. So Kyen Williams when he doesn't
fumble is really really good. You know, go so many
good players in this game. I put the top ten
players in this game up an hour ago. I don't
have Devonte Adams, I don't have Kobe Turner, I don't
(39:35):
have Leonard Williams. I mean, there's just so many good players.
You know, this stuff comes down to who's going to
be good on third down, who plays cleaner football? You know,
these are my top ten. Puka Stafford won two, then
JSN Witherspoon, the corners were a unbelievable player, Darnold Kenneth
Walker and then it's inches not feet. Kyen Williams, Jared Verse,
(39:58):
Kevin Dotson, Poona Ford at eleven, I had Kobe Turner.
Then you know, you get into a bunch of Seahawks.
As Jmack pointed out, where do you put Davonte Adams?
I had no Byron Young and he has twelve sacks.
I mean, what do you do? Where do I? I think
Jared Verse a little harder to bluck. What do you do?
(40:19):
I mean that's the kind of game it is. So
a lot of people are saying this is the super Bowl.
We've seen that before the Western Conference in the NBA
for years. I mean it feels like two out of
three years, whoever wins the West, that's the NBA champion.
I mean this year, Detroit and the Knicks are good teams.
Celtics would be if Tatum was there, they'd be really special.
Philadelphia is interesting, same with Orlando. But it's like if
(40:42):
you get San Antonio facing Denver or OKC in the West,
that's the NBA champions. I remember covering the Blazers and
the Lakers that legendary Kobe de Shaq Ala up Game seven.
I was right behind the basket and I remember covering
that game in Indiana was next, and you're like, yeah,
Portland would have beaten Indiana. Lakers beat Indiana. You knew
(41:04):
the Western Conference Finals was the NBA Finals.
Speaker 8 (41:08):
Another guy you missed. I was just looking him up
on Pro Football Focus Quintin Lake, the safety who was
injured broken elbow. He was playing at an all pro
level early in the season, got injured, came back, struggled
in the first game against Carolina, was really good against
Chicago on the back end of that defense. He certainly
top fifteen in this game.
Speaker 1 (41:27):
Oh yeah, great player our three J Max got his
picks Friday,
Thanks for listening to The Herd podcast. Be sure to
catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio in
noon to three eastern nine am to noon Pacific. Find
your local station for The Herd at Fox Sports Radio
dot com, or stream us live every day on the
iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
Here we go, hour two. It's Friday. About fifteen minutes
Tom Brady stops by, I'll be joining us live. He's
doing the game, seven time Super Bowl champ, Big big Game,
Big Sandwich game, make a sandwich sit down for three
and a half four hours. Ram Seahawks meet for a
(00:47):
third time. I said this yesterday is if I mean
you didn't get I mean, if that controversial catch no
catch call went Buffalo's way, you'd get Buffalo, New England
for a third time. And so, you know, a lot
of the NFL is hard to predict. Seattle and the
Rams about week seven, eight nine felt like they were
(01:09):
just you know, Philadelphia was good but couldn't get their
offense together. You know, there were good teams. Green Bay
was good, but you know people were complaining they're not
they're running games, not substantial and then they make you know,
and the Mica thing, he gets hurt and you're like, Okay,
that's not going to work. And San Francisco was good offensively,
but defensively lose Fred Warner. They don't have Bosa. So
(01:31):
if you really go back to like week seven, eight, nine, ten,
it kind of felt and then the Rams at the
end of the year didn't quite feel like they were
buttoned up. And then last weekend they go out, they
don't have a drop pass, a penalty or a turnover
against Chicago and literally had to play perfect to win.
So you know, over the course of a journey, what
we have is I think the two most consistent for
(01:53):
the most weeks during the regular season, Seattle Rams were
the best teams in the NFC didn't have huge holes.
Rams specialty teams are dubious, but every third game it
costs him something. Secondary is not great New England. I
think their personnels better than everybody else thinks. I think
their secondary is fantastic, their coaching's fantastic, and Drake May
May be that guy. Maybe, you know, we start talking
(02:14):
about quarterback play. If Drake May gets to a Super
Bowl and wins, it he's a top five quarterback, is
he not. I mean, that's what Mahomes does. That's what
the great ones do. They get to the Super Bowls
early and they win them early. That's very very rare.
So as I'm prone to do when I get five
or six times a year, you get into these massive games,
(02:35):
I get at the out the yellow pad, and I
rank the top ten players, and generally the team that
has the most top ten players feels like the team
that wins the game. And here we go with the
NFC Championship. Number ten, number ten, Pooniford, Pooni Ford Rams.
He was a Charger and he was a really good player.
He's been sensational. In fact, he is the Rams' highest
(02:56):
graded defensive player, right next to Kobe Turner in that
interior D line. Just an incredibly impactful offseason move. And listen,
it's hard to run on the Rams, and one of
the reasons is Poona Ford. He's at ten, number nine
Kevin Dotson, second highest grinted guard in the league, top
(03:20):
ten run blocker. They stole him from Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh was
not reportedly going to start him. He has been sensational
for the Rams since he arrived, so the Rams guards
to me, is the best guard combination in the NFL,
and Kevin Dotson is outstanding. Number eight Jared Verse. People
(03:42):
think he's having a down year. He leads the NFL
and quarterback hits he ranks top five and pressures including
the playoffs. The reality is he's disruptive and Sean mcvayh
talked about that. In this league, you're often judged simply
on sacks, but pressure and hits, Jared Vers is elite.
(04:02):
He's number eight. Number seven Kyen Williams had a fumbling
issue well, fourteen straight games without one. Fourth highest graded
running back in the league. I think they'd like to
play Blake coram Moore. It's hard to get him on
the field. Top five in rush yards, scrimmage, touchdowns, just
(04:22):
really good. He's great at getting the extra yard to
yard and a half. He is just fantastic. You stop
him at three, he gets four. He's eliminated the fumble issue.
You can tell that McVeigh. Even with Stafford and Puka
and Davonte McVeigh, he gets into some zone sometimes he
(04:43):
can take over games with Kyen Williams. Number six Kenneth Walker,
highest graded running back in the league and they don't
have the old line. The Rams do one hundred and
thirty plus scrimmage yards in three of his last four games.
I remember mis Michigan State. He was very good after contact,
(05:03):
really hard to bring down on the opening shot. Clever
can change directions. You get some speed, you absolutely get
some power. He has been a great draft pick by
the Seahawks Kenneth Walker at number six.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
Number five.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
Sam Donald ranked fourth in the league in big time throws.
Only quarterback in league history with fourteen plus wins and
four thousand passing yards in back to back years. And
he did it with two different teams. He did it
with more experienced Minnesota and very young Seattle. Listen he
(05:40):
has He can be reckless, you know, I loved Andrew
luck Stafford can be two, but man, Sam Donald wins
a lot of games and is super productive. He's in
at number.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
Five, Number four.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
Devin Witherspoon, cornerback Seattle, not allowed a touchdown in coverage
since Week four, the highest graded cornerback. I remember when
he came out of Illinois, and I remember reading a
draft preview and they're like, oh, like he's he's physical,
like a linebacker or a safety. You're getting a really physical,
(06:19):
aggressive corner. He was a first round pick a He
is the best corner in this game. There's an argument,
the best corner in this league. He just is great
and keeps getting better. Number three JSN Jackson, Smith and
Jigbu led the NFL and receiving yards in his first
season as number one. Second highest gridded wide receiver. Remarkable hands, runs,
(06:45):
great routes unlike DK Metcalf the route tree does it all,
never drops passes, very elusive, very clever. Does he have
great speed?
Speaker 3 (06:56):
Now? I know?
Speaker 1 (06:58):
Is he makes really good corners get crossed up. He
is just a sensational NFL player. Number two Matt Stafford,
highest quidded quarterback, can be a bit reckless on a
seven to two career playoff record with the Rams with
five come from behind playoff wins. He plays bigger in
big moments. Now he's got Davonte Adams and Pooka in
(07:20):
a good run game, but he led the NFL in
passing yards. He is my MVP. The no look passes.
You know he's not super mobile, and you'd prefer he
has more mobiley. I don't know if he had I
don't think he had a rushing first down this year.
That's kind of the flaw, and he could be a
bit reckless. He's at two number one Pooka, highest receiving
(07:44):
yards per game in league history, averages ninety five, highest
quidded player in the entire league this year, led the
NFL in targets this year and receiving yards six touchdowns
over his last five games. I think he has the
strongest hands I've ever seen on any receiver. He can
get dinged up from time to time, but I mean
(08:05):
when he has the ball, you're not getting it. Incredibly
strong player, almost no body fat like, just does everything well.
The routes yards after the catch, Incredibly strong hands can
beat you deep lethal underneath. So the top two players
are Rams three through six. Of the Seahawks seven through
(08:29):
ten are the Rams. Number eleven I have Kobe Turner
for the Rams twelve, thirteen, fourteen to fifteen all Seahawks,
so pretty evenly split on the best players.
Speaker 3 (08:41):
There.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
When I look at this, I could have gone fifteen easily,
and it would have been about eight seven Rams. That's
what it kind of fell. Eight seven Seahawks, eight seven Rams,
Kobe Turner was number eleven. I think I had Leonard
Williams number twelve and a bunch of Seahawks, But I
think think it's interesting. The one you all want to
push back on, of course, is Sam Darnold at number five.
(09:06):
Everybody abouts to push back on that. Greg Cosel talked
this week about Seattle's balanced attack.
Speaker 3 (09:12):
Walker's been much better.
Speaker 4 (09:14):
Walker has been attacking downhill much more so over the
last three four games, and that has allowed them to
stay on schedule. And it's also with their defense allowed
Donald not to have to throw that many balls. Now,
whether that happens in this game, that's hard to know.
You don't know how it's going to play out. But
in an ideal world, I don't think they want Sam
Donald dropping back thirty five times. I think they wanted
(09:36):
to be a very balanced offense and have their defense
in some ways control the paying tempo of the game.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
Yeah, Seattle's defense statistically better, Seattle's special teams better. You know,
the offense for the Rams was number one in the league.
I don't think that's a shot at Donald. There's very
few quarterback Tom Brady can throw forty times, Mahomes can
throw forty times. I mean even last week with Josh
having to carry the offense turnover prone. I don't want
(10:03):
my quarterbacks throwing a lot. I don't. I think Mahomes
Brady are very rare. Aaron Rodgers in his prime, very
very rare. That I'm you know, Aaron Mahomes Brady didn't
throw a lot of picks. You start asking guys to
throw forty forty two forty three times, that means the
run game's not very supportive. You're throwing a lot of
times on third and six and seven, not a space
(10:25):
I think is good for most quarterbacks. Slinging Sammy d
two and a half point favorite at home, third time
he's faced the Rams this year. Tom Brady around the Corner.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
One more.
Speaker 5 (10:40):
Heard The Herd streams twenty four hours a day, seven
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Speaker 1 (10:49):
Hey is Capino and Rich from Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
Now.
Speaker 6 (10:52):
In addition to hearing us live weekdays from five to
seven pm Eastern two to four Pacific on Fox Sports Radio,
we're excited to announce a brand new YouTube channel for
the show.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
YEP, that's right.
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You can now watch Covino and Rich live on YouTube
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FSR on YouTube again, go to YouTube search Covino en
Rich FSR. Check us out on YouTube, subscribe, hit that
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Speaker 1 (11:21):
You know, Seattle is one of those teams that they
smell blood, and you get this a lot of times
when you get a kind of a young athletic team.
Young teams tend to play with a lot of emotion,
and they can get down on themselves. They can get
a little reckless at times when you're a young team,
but they also when a young team is feeling it,
like last week the Seahawks Niners. You're about eight minutes in,
(11:44):
You're like, it's like twenty three year old Mike Tyson duck.
There's no winners and Seattle. You don't want to let
Seattle start playing like that because young teams play with
so much energy and emotion. Tom Brady, he'll be calling rams.
See what a year for Tom? We only give them
a good games. He's got an all time classic. I
(12:04):
can't wait for this thing. So I've said this about
the Seahawks all year. If you turn the sound down
on your TV. They just look faster and athletic and longer,
and they're young, and young teams play with a lot
of energy, and it's do you agree with that? And
if you're the Rams, how do you game plan against
that youth and energy and speed?
Speaker 7 (12:26):
It is It is a lot to handle. And when
we're there last week and the Niners deferred and kick
the ball to Shaheed and Shahed goes ninety five yards,
that place absolutely exploded.
Speaker 3 (12:39):
And it's just hard to overcome that.
Speaker 7 (12:41):
If they play well on special teams, their defense, we
know they're going to play great, and if they can
make some explosive pass plays, they are going to be
very tough to be Now, the one team that can
do it, I think is the Rams. They've already proven
they could do it. They almost did it in Seattle
the last time. This game is just incredible for me
(13:02):
to be at and I'm so excited. I talked to
my boy Kevin Burkhart earlier and he's excited. This is
in our mind at the game of the year for us.
This is our super Bowl. We're gonna We're gonna be
fired up to be there to call it.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
You know, I believe coaching has a greater impact than
calling plays. Your Patriot teams did not fumble and did
not commit penalties. Last last week in awful weather, the
Rams had no drop passes either zero or one penalty.
They I mean, no turnovers in horrible weather for an
LA team. And so my takeaway is some of that's
(13:39):
just in practice. Go back to your career. You guys
didn't fumble, your offense didn't have penalties. What's the secret
to that. You guys didn't drop many passes? What's the
secret to that?
Speaker 7 (13:52):
There's a there's an urgency in practice that the coaches
drive home every single day to do the right thing,
to make the right decisions with the ball, to work
on catching drills pre practice, during practice, post practice, in
the offseason, when you would do like fumbling drills is
a great example for coach Belichick and kind of his genius.
(14:15):
First of all, if you fumbled, you were out of
the game. All the backs knew that. So we did
so many drills in practice that were about covering up
the ball, ball security, tackling drills.
Speaker 3 (14:27):
Not always you.
Speaker 7 (14:27):
Would tack or bring some of the ground, but you
try to punch the ball out every day for the
last twenty years of my New England career, we worked on.
Speaker 3 (14:37):
Those things in practice.
Speaker 7 (14:38):
So the reality of what happens in practice is it
shows up in the game all the time. Bill would
actually take he called him grease balls literally, I know,
some silicone spray that he would spray on the ball
and when we would do running plays, he would put
it in in practice. I would take this greased foot ball,
(15:00):
give it to the back. He would have to tuck
the ball, secure it with both hands, the shoulder pads
with just so they didn't fumble. So that urgency and
that point of emphasis always showed up in the games
because in the games it was always harder in practice
than it was in the games. And I think you
give the Rams coaching staff so much credit for a
(15:23):
performance like that in Chicago last week. You're talking about
a team that probably had a seventy degree temperature difference
from leaving LA to landing in Chicago. I'm glad, by
the way the game's not on Chicago this weekend. With
what I just saw, the temperatures were going to be
coming this weekend, But for them to perform like that,
lack of penalties, obviously, no turnovers, and the drop passes.
(15:46):
That's just I'm very jealous of receivers that don't drop
balls too. By the way, that's a great stat for
any quarterback. But they're doing all the right things. This
is a surgical offense. They have so many weapons. Everybody
touches it. You've got to account for everybody. You've got
to count for fifty three and a third of the
field in the width, you have to count for the
entire length of the field. They have an explosive passing game,
(16:09):
they have a precise passing game, they have a ball
control offense. There's a lot of ways the Rams can
win too. So this is going to be a tremendous
matchup between the top scoring offense and the top scoring
defense in Seattle on the road, sixty eight thousand fans.
The stadium is going to be on fire. I can't
wait for kickoff.
Speaker 1 (16:27):
You won a Super Bowl first year in Tampa, Stafford
won it first year in LA And for both of you,
there were choppy moments. I remember you it was seven
and five and there was a game in Chicago it
and Matt I think he led the league in interceptions
that year. So Darnold first year with Seattle. What is
(16:48):
the hardest part about that year one journey for a
quarterback with the new team.
Speaker 7 (16:52):
Well, there's a lot of newness to the year, and
there starts the obviously a new location, new practice format,
new receivers, new offensive line, new line calls, new center,
all the things that you kind of take for granted
when you have continuity. When I went to Tampa, all
those things were totally different. So it's like, how do
you chip away at those variables kind of one day
(17:13):
at a time. You get familiar with the skill players,
That's what I did first. Then you get familiar with
the center I had Ryan Jensen.
Speaker 3 (17:20):
In that offseason, we.
Speaker 7 (17:21):
Spent thirty days working on snaps and snap counts, and
then when you got to training camp, we worked on
a different variety of plays and so forth, and it's
just chipping away. And it took us twelve games to
feel like we were starting to get familiar with the
things we were really good at and also to put
aside the things that we weren't good at, so that
(17:42):
the time that the December came in the end of
the playoffs, we started to play our best football. Ultimately
culminated in a home Super Bowl against the Chiefs, where
we played our best game of the season. And I
think for Seattle they're going to need to play two
games the best they have all year, because to beat
the Ram for Seattle is going to be a tall task.
(18:02):
This is a game that's both teams are going to
have to play their best.
Speaker 3 (18:06):
You're you're talking about teams that are in the same
weight class.
Speaker 7 (18:08):
They've proven that the two meetings this year, if you cumulatively,
if you out up points and yards, they've been separated
by one point and one yard, which is pretty phenomenal.
Speaker 3 (18:18):
That's as tight as it gets.
Speaker 7 (18:19):
And to be there for round three, man, it doesn't
get any better than that.
Speaker 1 (18:23):
All right, let's go New England, a franchise, you know
well against Denver. When I think back to your career,
the only place that sticks in my mind where you
struggle was at Denver. Now you face good teams. That's
Fairs for reminding me of that. I appreciate that.
Speaker 2 (18:38):
I'm sorry, Tom.
Speaker 1 (18:39):
It's just on the paper here. I just you know,
I just read it what they write. But there is
something about Denver, the altitude Josh Allen last week struggle turnovers.
What is it about Denver.
Speaker 7 (18:50):
It's a unique playing environment. You're right, there's altitude. There's
nowhere else like that in the country. They have an
incredible fan base. They're so loud, it's a deafening stadium,
and when they get their momentum going, you know, it's
a tough place to play in the two times we
lost in twenty thirteen season twenty fifteen season, Denver had
(19:10):
a tremendous defense with Von Miller kind of leading the charge.
DeMarcus Ware was on that team. My boy Keith to
Leeve was playing corner, Chris Harris. They were so good
on defense and that kind of STEMIs offensive rhythm. It's
a hard place to play, and you know, there's the
reason why they're the number one seed. They played great
defense all year. Sean Payton, I mean, what kind of
(19:32):
coaching job has he done in a short period of time.
He's just got one of the most incredible skill sets
as a coach in terms of his leadership ability, his urgency.
He sets the culture for the organization, but he also
runs the offense. It's a really difficult thing to do,
and he's been a tremendous coach in the league for
a long time. It's no surprise to me that they're
(19:54):
in the position and the Patriots they're going to have
to play their best game of the year. This is
not going to be, you know, an easy task for
them to go to Denver and win in this environment.
Speaker 1 (20:03):
Jared Stidham, he was your backup for a year. Give
me a scouting report.
Speaker 7 (20:08):
You know, I've always loved STITTI He's a very natural
passer of the football, very competitive, very smart. He's got
sneaky good athleticism. He's performed well out there when he's
gotten opportunities. And I know the Denver coaching staff from
the things that I read this week, everybody's got a
tremendous amount of confidence in Steve what he can do.
Speaker 3 (20:27):
And you know, it's touff losing bow Nicks.
Speaker 7 (20:30):
That's a brutal injury, certainly at that stage of the game,
at this stage of the season. But at the same time,
you know, Stitty's got a lot of ability. There's a
reason why he's been on this club, and there's a
reason why Sean Payton has a lot of confidence in him.
And I wouldn't sleep on him at all. He's proven
he can make NFL caliber throws. Lead teams to victories
(20:51):
by playing good football, not turning the ball over. And
he's going to need that because New England's defense is
pretty absurd as well.
Speaker 3 (20:58):
So there's really four good.
Speaker 7 (20:59):
Defense defensive football teams here late in the season playing
in these championship games, and it's not going to be
easy out there for anybody.
Speaker 3 (21:07):
This has got to be clean football.
Speaker 7 (21:08):
No turnovers, no penalties, no kind of unforced airs. Whoever
wins the special teams bat on field position will have
an advantage, and then it will come down to, in
my view, third down and situational football in the red zone,
who's kicking field goals, who's scoring touchdowns. These games are
going to be very close, and they're playing for a lot.
This is the chance to go to win a world championship.
(21:30):
So no bigger weekend in football than this.
Speaker 1 (21:33):
I think the most underrated trait for great quarterbacks isn't arm, speed,
all that stuff. It's humility. You're the highest paid guy, Eventually,
you're the most talked about that you're going to lose,
and you're the only person beyond the coach that always
goes to the podium. I think humilities completely underrated. Cocky
(21:53):
does not work in this league. It turns teammates off
and I've never heard a single teammate of yours New England,
even when Randy Moss left early he loved Tom Brady.
And I think that's your humility. I see, Drake May.
I literally feel like I'm watching you when you were young.
That's how to have jumped out to you too with
Drake has it not?
Speaker 3 (22:15):
Yeah, very much so.
Speaker 7 (22:15):
And I you know, Patrick Mahomes is another great example
of someone who's always, you know, humility through incredible success.
If you're not humble, this game will humble you. And
every time you take the practice field there's an expectation
to perform at a high level. And when you're one
of the best to be playing, you are the measuring
stick for every team and they're going to come out
(22:37):
there and you're usually going to play their best game
against you. Now that's a positive if you understand that,
and then you know it's the saying iron sharpens iron.
Speaker 3 (22:45):
You're getting someone's best.
Speaker 7 (22:46):
That means you've got to be at your best, which
over long term, that's a great way to continue to develop.
Speaker 3 (22:51):
But Drake May has that humility.
Speaker 7 (22:53):
Everything that comes out of his mouth is always about
the team. It's always about praise his defense, praising his
offensive line, and that's how you connect with people. That's
the reality. That's what great leaders do. Great leaders are
in service to other people. It's not what can you
do for me, It's what can I do for you?
How can I be the best to support your dreams,
(23:15):
your goals, your vision, whether that's supporting your coach or
supporting your offensive lineman, supporting your receivers. True leadership is
about humility, because true leadership is about service and how
do I show up every day to be the best
I can be for my teammates. That really should be
the lesson for all quarterbacks in the NFL.
Speaker 1 (23:32):
Forty five seconds because you got to go. You got
a big I imagine a zoom meeting with McVeigh. You
gotta pepper because.
Speaker 3 (23:39):
You know everything. You know my whole schedule.
Speaker 1 (23:42):
I got to ask you this though. Everybody in the
world saw you watching Fernando Mendez, who I absolutely love.
What's just your What did you see from him? What
did you see from the quarterback?
Speaker 3 (23:52):
Yeah? It was. It was also a great experience.
Speaker 7 (23:54):
Obviously I live in Miami, so it was a thirty
minute drive to the game and I and the fact
that they playing in the game and all worked out.
My son wanted to go to the game. I brought him.
We sat up there in the suite and got to
be on the field in the pre game.
Speaker 3 (24:07):
And have just observed, and I.
Speaker 7 (24:08):
Haven't been to a college football game and so long,
I haven't been never been to a national championship game,
but just to see kind of the environment, the atmosphere,
you know, did it feel too big for anybody? And
he's played tremendous, you know, all season sixteen and oh
leading his team. And again he's another guy that you
know when you hear him speak, you know, I always
kind of judge quarterbacks that go, how would I have
(24:28):
answered that? And he's just a very mature young man,
and he's got a bright future. And you know, everybody
coming to the league there's still so much room for development.
Speaker 3 (24:38):
Nobody's a finished product. I don't care whether.
Speaker 7 (24:40):
You're won the Heisman or you're the one hundred ninety
ninth pick in the draft. It's what do you do
when you get there? How important is this to you?
Are you obsessed with your job? Are you obsessed with
being the best you can? Be these young men, whether
it's Fernando where a lot of other players that were
on the field the other night, they have a great
opportunity to do something in their life, to enhance their
families life, to go impact a community in a positive
(25:03):
way by playing great football and bringing joy to the
fan base. And that's a job you take very seriously.
So all these young prospects, I hope they go to
environments that embrace them completely, that can help them develop
into the best player they can be. That's how I was,
you know, kind of grew up in the league. I
found a great environment. It was all about football. It
(25:23):
was about, you know, like you mentioned earlier, about how
can you be the best teammate, how can you work hard,
how can you play smart, how can you play tough,
how can you play well under pressure? How well can
you play in tough conditions? And then ultimately how well
can you play in championship games? And all those things
remain to be seen.
Speaker 1 (25:41):
Yeah, Tom, crush it, you got probably the best football
game of the year. Say how to KB and the staff.
You guys have done a remarkable job this year. And
Sean mcvays around the corner on Zoom Go get it done.
Speaker 3 (25:53):
Come on it. Thanks to I appreciate, good to see it,
Good to see you.
Speaker 1 (25:56):
Tom shows up has been for several weeks here in
a row. Yeah, man, that is, Drake May and Mendoza
have a lot in common. Like just like seemed like
a really good come from good stock, good kids, grateful,
humble at the podium. That stuff matters, It matters. Uh
(26:18):
jmak with the news.
Speaker 2 (26:21):
No turns. This is the headline news.
Speaker 8 (26:27):
All right, let's bust right into it. The NFL Coach
of the Year finalists were announced yesterday and in a
mild surprise, Mike vrabel is a heavy favorite at minus
four hundred, followed by Mike McDonald, Liam Cohen, who would
be my call, and then Ben Johnson of the Bears,
who probably would be my number two call.
Speaker 1 (26:47):
Liam Cohen didn't win a playoff game.
Speaker 8 (26:49):
So what does it matter? I mean, Liam Cohen the
regular season, he was tremendous. They won four games last
year regular and now they won thirteen. Well, if it's
playoff award, fine, let's change the title of it.
Speaker 1 (27:01):
I mean, you know, perty was good in the regular season.
Two I like postseason guys a little different that way.
Speaker 8 (27:07):
I mean listen. Rabel is a veteran coach and he's
been excellent.
Speaker 1 (27:10):
But I don't know.
Speaker 8 (27:11):
Ben Johnson was pretty damn good in the postseason.
Speaker 3 (27:14):
I mean, we just give it up.
Speaker 1 (27:15):
I would Ben Johnson would be my two. Vrabel one
Ben two. Interesting.
Speaker 8 (27:21):
All right, let's move to the next story, and that
is Seahawks Rams. We're gonna keep hitting it all day, Colin.
It is the game of the weekend. The Rams lead
the NFL and scoring a thirty point five points per game,
number one offense in the league versus the number one defense, Seattle,
averaging a league best seventeen point two points per game.
It is a classic matchup offense versus defense. I think
(27:43):
there's a couple of angles here not being covered. I'll
get to in headline's next hour. But you know, this
defense of Seattle is pretty nasty. And yet in Week sixteen,
a month ago, the Rams went over for five hundred yards.
Speaker 1 (27:56):
Of offense, Like Stafford was just unbelievable.
Speaker 8 (27:59):
No Defonte Adams in the game.
Speaker 1 (28:01):
He's back, by the way.
Speaker 8 (28:02):
I had to check is DeVante? I asked the staff
is DeVante Adam still alive? Because somehow he didn't make
your top ten or top fifteen.
Speaker 1 (28:10):
He was no, he's it was. I think it was
Kobe Turner was eleven. I didn't write it down. I mean, again,
you're talking about he was dinged up a little bit.
It's hard you get down to these pilights. I always
give like an interior old lineman gets no love, and
like you know, you find miners with the Broncos, like
the highest rated guard, Kevin Dotson's been unbelievable for the Rams.
(28:32):
I'm gonna put those guys, those guys get I don't
want it to be all quarterbacks and receivers. I mean,
like Pooka and Jasent are insane, but it's it's.
Speaker 8 (28:39):
And I did.
Speaker 1 (28:40):
I did star quarterbacks and star receivers. But the guys
in the trenches. Poona Ford, no nobody talks about him.
He's been a monster this year. He's been unbelieve just.
I mean, he was a good charger. I can't believe
how good he is.
Speaker 8 (28:52):
I didn't get a chance to pick apart the list,
but I don't recall seeing Nate Landman, who, for my money,
is the best linebacker in this gig. Again, you know
Seattle good linebackers, but land Man is just whatch citty mean?
Speaker 1 (29:03):
People forget I mean Murphy and Leonard Williams for the
Seahawks on the interior. Can't you can't run on Seattle.
Those guys were like twelve thirteen. For me, it's there's
a lot of dudes.
Speaker 8 (29:15):
This game is tremendous. Final story con Let's go to
John Harbaugh. He is the new New York Giants coach.
You are all aboard. I think you're the conductor of
the New York Giants train right now. Well, guess what.
Jackson Dart is his quarterback. He only had one season.
He was living in the blue tent. But John Harbaugh
is already saying great things about Jackson Dart, that he's
(29:36):
about football. I wonder if that's a daget lamar.
Speaker 1 (29:40):
I don't know.
Speaker 8 (29:41):
Reportedly, Dart and Harball had a conversation during his final
interview at the facility and was going so well it
had to be broken up because it was running nearly
two hours long. A bromance emerges between Dart and Harbaugh.
Colin Dart says he cannot wait to play for his
new coach. I know you're excited.
Speaker 1 (30:00):
Yeah, I mean I this is not any you would
think as a four win team, Oh boy, is a
big lift. They were in seven to one score losses.
They led by double digits in the fourth quarter over
I think it was Chicago, Detroit, and Denver. I don't
think this is a massive lift. I think they got
to get better deeper at wide receiver, better at right tackle,
(30:23):
and like everybody not named Seattle, better in the secondary.
But I think they're really close. I really do. I
think they lost a lot. I mean, for a rookie
quarterback to lose seven games. I talked about Drake May
when I picked New England to be the surprise team
in the NFL. One of the things I said was
New England lost with Gerrod Mayo like six or seven
to one score games. Vrabel was going to flip those.
(30:44):
Drake May year two was gonna flip those. Jackson Dart
is not going to lose seven to one score games.
He's gonna win half of those, just because Jackson Dart's
got another camp. So, I mean, let's say this isn't
all about hardball. Jackson Dart now is going to be
a better quarterback with a better right tackle.
Speaker 8 (31:00):
It is kind of interesting that Harball's weakness the last
few years was blowing double digit leads. Remember with Lamar,
that's a big knock on him. I will listen. I
don't people know I'm a Jets fan. I don't want
to be hammering the Giants here, but I'll just say
this Harball stuff. We saw his brother do it right.
Jim Harball absolutely loved his guy at Michigan j J. McCarthy.
(31:21):
I take a number one. He goes to Justin Herbert
effuse of praise. Maybe it's a Harball trade, but I
don't remember John Harbaugh being this gushy about Lamar Jackson.
And I wonder if that fracture that happened at the end,
whatever went down, is channeling it into Hey, this is
a different guy that I just had for five six
years in Baltimore.
Speaker 2 (31:40):
And I wonder if these are.
Speaker 8 (31:42):
Subtle shots at Lamar, because we know social media is
a big one for athletes.
Speaker 2 (31:47):
Have you seen Lamar?
Speaker 8 (31:48):
I'm gonna miss you, John, we had a great run. Nothing, huh.
I haven't seen a damn thing. That's surprising. That's how
the young guys talk now. It's all on social media.
Speaker 1 (32:00):
That's a pretty good point. But I do here, buddy, Yeah, Yes,
you do all the time. No, I think I think
Baltimore had a choice and they chose the quarterback. I
think I do think there were fissures. I think they
made a choice and their choice Steve Bashatti chose the
star player.
Speaker 8 (32:20):
Even Kyler Murray in Arizona gave a shout out to
Gann and even though Ginning kind of sort of soft benching,
Kyler Burray went on on one on social media and
was like, hey, we had a good run. I'll miss
your coach, blah blah blah, Like that's kind of what
you do.
Speaker 1 (32:32):
Yeah, that's fair, that's fair. Uh Jmack with the news.
Speaker 5 (32:37):
Well, that's the news, and thanks for stopping by The
Herd Line News. Be sure to catch live editions of
The Herd weekdays and noon Easter nine am Pacific on
Fox Sports Radio FS one and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 8 (32:51):
Fox College Hoops Friday has a big ten rivalry tipping
off in prime time as Ohio State battles Yatzel and
the Bourne and number three Michigan tonight eight eastern on Fox.
That's a great game, coward, by the way.
Speaker 1 (33:07):
Yeah, part of the joy of this Seattle, uh donald game,
and it's you know I've said this before. I root
for the better story. We talk about this all the time,
like the Bears beating the Rams is probably the better story.
Like so to me, it was like, now I know people,
a lot of people in the Rams building. I respect him.
(33:27):
I remember once New England played Seattle, and you know,
my family's all Seattle, and I grew up with the Seahawks,
but I lived in Connecticut and it was like it
was the only super Bowl. I was like, I just
give me a fun game and ended up being a
remarkable game. And I feel the same way about anytime
Seattle plays with Sam Darnald in the Rams, like I
just want a great game. I think it's you know,
(33:50):
and you're saying, now, Colin, you want Donald to win.
All I've ever said about Sam he's too talented not
to be successful in the NFL. I don't know if
he's gonna win a super Bowl. He may not be
a super Bowl quarterback, but Nick Foles won a Super Bowl.
I think Sam's better than Nick Foles. Stan Humphries, you know,
trend Dilfer, Like, you know, I mean respectfully, I mean
(34:12):
I think Sam's a better athlete. You don't always have
to be a superstar to win a super Bowl. But
the reckless opinion, my take is yeah, I think he
can be, especially against the Rams. But Matt Stafford before
last week was on a seven game, seven pick that
was his streak. And for the record, l way through picks.
(34:36):
I mean, Brady and Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers were unique.
You get the upside and not a lot of picks,
especially with like Mahomes and Rogers, you don't get any picks.
That's very, very rare. The Peyton Manning threw him, and
Eli threw him, and I think Tom even Tom's touchdown
interception ratio, I think it's like three to one, So
you know, he threw a pick six in a super Bowl.
(34:57):
It's not the end of the world, but it is.
I what's what I think the Seattle Donald proves two teams,
two coaches, two rosters, two staffs, great with both. I
think you have to give it up to You could
argue obviously Minnesota and Pittsburgh could add Donald. They passed.
(35:19):
A lot of people felt like, well he had justin Jefferson.
He can't say that anymore. I mean, DK metcalf gone JSN.
I mean, did we think he was going to be
this good. Well he is with Donald's a brand new team.
It's one of the youngest team, second youngest team in
the league. And I also think this is hard. Stafford
and McVeigh have been together now what five years. They
(35:41):
can complete their sentences. This is still the first year.
Like when Brady went to Tampa, remember that. I remember
a Thursday night game and he's screaming it with the
offensive line for the Bears. They're seven and five going
into a bye. He and Arians don't see the world. Similarly,
this stuff's hard. In year one, Stafford wins the Super Bowl.
(36:01):
Year one with the Rams, he led the league in picks.
So get and those are the success stories. Seven and five,
Tom going into a buy, struggling with Arians offense and
Matt leading the league in picks, and those are the
all time great success stories. Year one with a new team.
So Tom Brady on the challenges with Darnold or ever
(36:22):
being with a new team and a new.
Speaker 7 (36:23):
Year, new location, new practice format, new receivers, new offensive line,
new line calls, new center, all the things that you
kind of take for granted when you have continuity.
Speaker 3 (36:35):
When I went to Tampa, all those things were totally different.
Speaker 7 (36:38):
You get familiar with the skill players, That's what I
did first. Then you get familiar with the center I
had Ryan Jensen. In that offseason, we spent thirty days
working on snaps and snap counts. It took us, you know,
twelve games to feel like we were starting to get
familiar with the things we were really good at and
also to put aside the things that we weren't good at,
(36:59):
so that the time that the you know, December came
in the end of the playoffs, we started to play
our best football. Ultimately a culminated in a home super
Bowl against the Chiefs, where we played our best game
of the season. And I think for Seattle, they're going
to need to play two games the best they have all.
Speaker 1 (37:16):
Year, and it's hard because it's the best coordinators and
best roster you go up against. I also think, you know,
the more spectacular plays last weekend were by Caleb and
the Bears. The more consistent team without the mistakes was
the Rams, and I think the cleanest team, and Rams
(37:36):
play a cleaner version than Seattle. Seattle's just younger. Younger
teams tend to make more mistakes. I think the cleaner
version That's why I like the Rams win this game.
But you know, am I going to be surprised if
Seattle wins. No, But in these last weekend fewer turnovers
four for four won every game. Tom talked about. That's
one of the things that New England always did very well.
(37:59):
They didn't fumble, and they didn't have a lot of penalties,
and they didn't have negative plays, and that all comes
from practice.
Speaker 7 (38:05):
Here's Tom, when you would do like fumbling drills is
a great example for coach Belichick and kind of his genius.
If first of all, if you fumbled, you were out
of the game. All the backs knew that. So we
did so many drills in practice that were about covering
up the ball, ball security, tackling drills. Not always you
would tack or bring some of the ground, but you
(38:26):
try to punch the ball out. Bill would actually take
he called them grease balls literally, I know, some silicone
spray that he would spray on the ball and we
would when we would do running plays. He would put
it in in practice. I would take this greased football,
give it to the back. He would have to tuck
(38:47):
the ball, secure it with both hands, the shoulder pads
with hell just so they didn't fumble.
Speaker 1 (38:54):
Yep. And you know again we talked about this. The
number one factor in building a culture is accountability. You
fumble your out of the game. And Kyen Williams, by
the way cam Akers, when he was with the Rams
was really good. He had a fumble issue. They got
rid of him. Kyen Williams, it felt like a year
(39:14):
ago start. He had a fumble issue. Tiki Barber for
years had a fumble issue before Tom Conflin showed up.
Then suddenly he didn't. So Kyen Williams when he doesn't
fumble is really really good. You know, go so many
good players in this game. I put the top ten
players in this game up an hour ago. I don't
have Devonte Adams, I don't have Kobe Turner, I don't
(39:35):
have Leonard Williams. I mean, there's just so many good players.
You know, this stuff comes down to who's going to
be good on third down, who plays cleaner football? You know,
these are my top ten. Puka Stafford won two, then
JSN Witherspoon, the corners were a unbelievable player, Darnold Kenneth
Walker and then it's inches not feet. Kyen Williams, Jared Verse,
(39:58):
Kevin Dotson, Poona Ford at eleven, I had Kobe Turner.
Then you know, you get into a bunch of Seahawks.
As Jmack pointed out, where do you put Davonte Adams?
I had no Byron Young and he has twelve sacks.
I mean, what do you do? Where do I? I think
Jared Verse a little harder to bluck. What do you do?
(40:19):
I mean that's the kind of game it is. So
a lot of people are saying this is the super Bowl.
We've seen that before the Western Conference in the NBA
for years. I mean it feels like two out of
three years, whoever wins the West, that's the NBA champion.
I mean this year, Detroit and the Knicks are good teams.
Celtics would be if Tatum was there, they'd be really special.
Philadelphia is interesting, same with Orlando. But it's like if
(40:42):
you get San Antonio facing Denver or OKC in the West,
that's the NBA champions. I remember covering the Blazers and
the Lakers that legendary Kobe de Shaq Ala up Game seven.
I was right behind the basket and I remember covering
that game in Indiana was next, and you're like, yeah,
Portland would have beaten Indiana. Lakers beat Indiana. You knew
(41:04):
the Western Conference Finals was the NBA Finals.
Speaker 8 (41:08):
Another guy you missed. I was just looking him up
on Pro Football Focus Quintin Lake, the safety who was
injured broken elbow. He was playing at an all pro
level early in the season, got injured, came back, struggled
in the first game against Carolina, was really good against
Chicago on the back end of that defense. He certainly
top fifteen in this game.
Speaker 1 (41:27):
Oh yeah, great player our three J Max got his
picks Friday,
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Colin Cowherd
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