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January 14, 2025 41 mins

Jason Smith and Mike Harmon update Vikings/Rams. NFL Insider Jason La Canfora joins the party for all the latest on the Cowboys and Deion Sanders. Plus, the guys give you their Top 3 NFL head coaching openings!

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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to The Jason Smith Show with Mike
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Speaker 2 (00:23):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 1 (00:30):
That might be the open that best encapsulates our show
for the last eleven years. There's a lot too. Yeah,
that might be. Yeah, it might be we encapsulate everything. Greetings,
Welcome inside the Jason Smith Show with my best friend
Mike Harmon, live from the tire rack dot Com studios

(00:51):
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way tire buying should be. Well, you know, I I
don't like to say this because you know it is
you know, I don't like to, you know, draw attention
to certain things. But I did say in the preseason

(01:14):
the Rams were going to the Super Bowl? Did I
did say Rams? Super Bowl? I had there my NFC team,
And if I'm not gonna remind everybody of that now,
I mean, when can I twenty four to three, early
in the third quarter, the Rams are beating the crap
out of the Minnesota Vikings. So preseason I did say that,
yeah you did.

Speaker 3 (01:35):
It was a tenuous hold for a while, and you know,
we did everything we could to get you off the pick,
and you may have jumped off a couple of times,
but no, but here we are with a Rams defense
that is flying around at a speed that I haven't
seen outside of watching any of the Justice League or
the Flash Show off the old WB because they've attacked

(01:57):
Sam Darnold at every turn. Because that's really where I
thought you were gonna go, and really just try to
lambass the history and year that Sam Donald.

Speaker 1 (02:07):
Because because I was right about Sam Donald, it just
took sixteen weeks. He had a nice four month vacation
for who he was. In the last two weeks he
has turned back into Sam Donald. It's fine, it's fine.
It was I thought it would be week three, week four,
that I thought it would be week eight, that I
thought week ten, and I said, okay, But it just
took sixteen something a nice four month vacation he had
for being Sam Donald about taxs of the Minnesota Viking

(02:30):
taking some time off here in this one. Not that
Sam hasn't missed his shared throws, don't get me wrong,
h plus the fumble return for a score and all.
But you want to talk about under duress over the
course of the night. I mean, look, if you can
get a Rams defense that's flying around like this because
the offense hasn't had to do a ton. They had
a great opening drive, but beyond that, it's actually been

(02:53):
kind kind of quiet over the course. And I except
for the ghosts right there, well sometimes you know Sam,
remember the Jets, Sam, I really thought that was gonna
devolve in New I Want to Be Your Dog by
Iggy Pop and the Stooges. Uh No, that's lare. You

(03:15):
didn't think that was gonna be ghosts for Sam Donald.
Really there was gonna be Sam.

Speaker 3 (03:20):
I was hoping it was more. I it was late
that quickly. Mary was on vacation a while. She'd been
back and into the thick of things for a few days.

Speaker 1 (03:31):
But you know, maybe somewhere in her European travels, uh,
you know, she got into the grunge scene. I don't
know in she you know, I started picking up this
new type of music out called grungy. Is that what
it's called? Grue? Oh yeah, rune. Now I get him.
It's not as if Sam Donald is throwing the ball terribly.

(03:53):
It's as more than you know, Sam Donald is not
making great decisions. He's fumbled on a sack that was
turned for a touchdown. He's always fumbled a lot. That's
always been a big thing from his whole career, fourteen
out of twenty for one eight. He also got picked
through a bad pass to get picked off. He's been
sacked six times. And what did we say going into
this game? What did I tell you I picked the

(04:13):
Rams last week? I'm glad you asked is because what
did I say that might have been the Lions might
have been the blueprint to say, this is how you
slow down the Vikings. You have to You have to
just keep Donald under relentless pressure. You can't back off
it and pick pick your times to play, because eventually
he's gonna go, where's Justin Jefferson? Oh there he is.
I'm gonna throw in the football, which is kind of

(04:33):
what has bailed him out a lot this year. But
when you are under constant duress, and Donald has shown
in the past, under constant duress is really difficult. It's
really difficult for anybody, but Donald when he looks downfield.
Is what's kept him from being an elite level quarterback
over the course's career is that he doesn't find the
open guys all the time. Right. I mean you go
back and go, oh, it's all the Jets, all the Jets,

(04:54):
but you see many plays and with the Panthers as well, Boy,
you had a guy wide open. Now I missed that guy.
I missed that guy, missed that guy. But it's the
constant pressure that is there. Not well, we're gonna dial
up a blitz here. It's third and long and we're gonna, Hey,
we're gonna blitz himre they're gonna lay back. It's just
we're sending We're gonna send people if you can get
at him on every play. Guess what, darl is just
a guy and that's kind of what the lines turned

(05:15):
him into. This is a big copycat league. And as
you know and you've seen so far tonight, Hey, guess what,
look at what the RAM has been doing keeping him
under duress all night. Yeah, to be.

Speaker 3 (05:24):
Fair, I think most quarterbacks, if you're under duress on
every snap, the results are gonna be suspect. For Sam Darnald,
he holds on to the football all the time, and
he does you know, he double clutch moves to evade.
Yet the latest guy that's flying bad past him defender
either a blitzing corner or safety or the linebacker coming

(05:46):
up and then double clutching and then trying to make
a play down field. He's missed some wide open throws
in the last possession, they had a couple of sacks,
and then he steps up and he's got nailor wide
open over the middle throws at five yards behind him.
Again after evading, another would be hit. So it's been

(06:07):
a miserable night. And what you saw from the opening
possession was also the Rams are gonna be aggressive on
the wide receivers and not let.

Speaker 1 (06:16):
Them get into their routes. Right.

Speaker 3 (06:18):
We joke about the change of philosophies defensively, and you
don't have guys jamming wide receivers at the line of scrimmage.
Guess what, That's what the Rams have decided they're going
after tonight. Trying to make sure that they disrupt any
potential timing that you're looking at for Sam Donald and

(06:39):
for O'Connell to find any rhythm, any consistency downfield. And
what you've had is a team playing off schedule, off tempo,
and Sam Donald needing to improvise all a recipe for disaster.

Speaker 1 (06:52):
Get ready for Daniel Jones. I'll just keep tweeting out
the picture of Daniel Jones and his Vikings headshot. We're
gonna see Daniel Jones at some point, Gonna see Daniel Jone.
Gonna see Daniel Jones.

Speaker 3 (07:01):
Never can tell. Yeah, it's it's just amazing, you know
how quickly. I mean because we watch with the Lions
and the overall numbers were terrible last week. I get it,
the completion percentage and everything else, but as a squad,
they still moved the football, and then they made a
bunch of dopey fourth down decisions didn't take points, and
then later on when they needed those points, and now
you're chasing and putting yourself in bad positions. So for O'Connell,

(07:23):
he still has to wear it a bit for last week.
So but that's in the past. Here's your playoff game.
Here's your opportunity. You've got to displace Rams team, and
from the opening gun they've been after it.

Speaker 1 (07:37):
What do you got, Frostburg? Sam Donold survived the Jets,
he can survive this. I don't know, man, this it's
twenty fourth survived the damn Jets. It's twenty four to
three and the Rams are inside the thirty yard line.
I don't know, man, this is this is a tough thing.

Speaker 3 (07:50):
We were actually just using the road soon as Rob
and Calvin were leaving it. You know the old line,
you know that which does not kill you makes you stronger.
I remember the Letterman addend him to when he had
come back from a heart attack. Okay, he said, it
only serves to mess you up and you're lucky to
ever get it together again.

Speaker 1 (08:07):
That's kind of where Sam Darnold is right now. Well, look,
and I know, I mean, I know it's a very
short window to try to get right. But it's been
a week. I got to explained millennials who David Letterman is.
I don't think they know yet. He's an owner of
a race card to tie it to sports. Oh I
saw him on that Netflix special he was on. Uh,
here's I know, obviously the focus is on this game.
We have an update on this game coming up in

(08:29):
a couple minutes, waiting to see if a Kyron Williams
fumble is going to be given to the Vikings or
if the Rams keep possession. Looked like William's knee was down,
but they're looking at it right now. I mean, it
might have been a forward pass like Matthew Stafford. That
really that really upsets you. The Matthew Stafford throwing the
ball throw, But it really upsets you. That upsets you, man,

(08:50):
It really does just stupid upset the letter and spirit
of that rule. Did you have the over under on
throws by Matthew Stafford? You didn't want that to be
a throw? Not at all.

Speaker 3 (08:59):
Just it just kind of is one of the funnier
things that we've seen. But hey, by the letter of
the law, it's a pass.

Speaker 1 (09:07):
The focus is on this game obviously, and the Vikings
have a lot of work to do midway through the
third quarter, especially if the Rams keep this football again,
they're already in striking distance. But I don't know anybody
that has cost themselves this amount of money over a
two week spelling in the NFL maybe ever because two

(09:27):
weeks ago, going into the final week of the regular season,
hey most anticipated game in Lions history. Vikings are playing
for home field. Nobody thought it was it was a
charmed season from Minnesota. Who thought they were gonna wind
up having this kind of record. JJ McCarthy gets hurt,
and everything was amazing, right Donald, thirty five touchdowns, four
thousand yards. The biggest thing was gonna be, well, are

(09:48):
the Vikings gonna keep them? Are they gonna franchise him?
Are they going to let him go? Are they going
they gonna? And everything was coming up Donald, right, whatever
it was, it was, they have to keep them. He'll
get somebody long term and get a lot of money.
JJ McCarthy will get traded. And the last two games
have been just so bad and so very publicly bad
because the the ratings of the Vikings Lions game were

(10:12):
through the roof. This game through the roof on a
Monday night, and you are seeing Sam Donald just show.
This is why three teams have said he's not our guy.
He's showing you the last two games. Doesn't mean he's
a terrible quarterback. But to think that all of a sudden,
Sam Donald was going to be great. No, in right situations,
quarterbacks can become the best versions of themselves. But even

(10:33):
quarterbacks like Geno Smith, who took a long time to
make it, they're still held back a little bit. They're
still they're still still suddenly turn into stars. They turn
into serviceable quarterbacks that you can keep and play, and hey,
these guys can play pretty well and they can be
our starting quarterbacks for a couple of years, right, But
they don't become the superstars. You know, Sam Donald's not
going to become the superstar you thought he was going

(10:54):
to be when they drafted him, like what you're seeing
these last couple weeks. Oh so to get Sam Donald
back to being Sam boy, if you really rush him in,
pressure him, that's gonna be a thing. Okay, So now,
what's the best what's the best case scenario for Sam
Darnald coming off this game? If the Vikings lose, they
get blown out. Best case scenario is the Vikings franchising
and they bring him and JJ McCarthy back and Donald

(11:17):
keeps the job for a little bit, and then eventually
it's gonna be antsy to get to JJ McCarthy. Because
that's the thing about the Vikings now is they're fighting
this game and they're fighting their future is you know,
I feel like we're just waiting to see if we
can turn the page on JJ McCarthy. We're just waiting.
We're just waiting to see. So but if Donald's great,
we'll trade McCarthy. But okay, that'd be two years of
McCarthy not playing. What are you gonna get back for
a guy you draft in the top half of the

(11:38):
first round, Like it's antsy to have this decision made.
And now you thought you had it, You thought you
had something with Donald. Hey he's great, he's coming. Now
everything is up in the air again. So now you're
fighting this game and Darnald, it's about what kind of
money's he gonna get next year? Are the Vikings really
gonna keep him after this? Is how much damage has
been done to him and he's done to his own

(11:59):
brand in the last two games.

Speaker 3 (12:01):
Yeah, you get a little bit of the revisionist role
of having to go game by game, let's watch the progressions,
watch because these are also loser leaves.

Speaker 1 (12:11):
Down match and maybe he's just not up to that
because this is the hell of a season. Yeah, you
can't dismiss what he did up there to a week
eighteam absolutely right, right, And that's the hard part in
the evaluation because not every team is going to play
with that level of urgency and dialed in nature.

Speaker 3 (12:27):
We watch it every week in the NFL. You got
several teams that are Yeoman like your Lions, and you
can parse them out, your Ravens whatever, and then you've
got others like, all right, it's week eight, let's he
working worried about getting a week nine?

Speaker 1 (12:42):
Okay, cool, it's not. I have to leave everything on
the field like you saw in that Lions game, like
you're seeing the night with what Shula's dialed up here
from the defensive side of things against him. So overall, again,
going to the draft and where we're at free agency wise,
Sam should have some options, but certainly the guaranteed number. Yeah,

(13:07):
that's coming way, Shirling, that's coming way.

Speaker 4 (13:10):
Sam.

Speaker 1 (13:10):
Let me introduce you to the New York Jets. How
about that? Let me go back that Jack Laden telling
you he has cost himself so much in the left
it's like watching money fly out the window. No, like
in one of those movies where the bad guys they
have the money and they blow up the briefcase and
the money starts flying it. No, there goes the money.
Look at the money all flying to the grand and
the dive because they want the money. I get to

(13:32):
be with it. Field Go buy the rams has maybe
it a twenty seven to three game midway through the
third quarter. We'll have more on this game coming up next.
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(13:54):
Well straight ahead, Yeah, I know today the Cowboys fired
their head coach. I'm pretty sure they have their new
head coach. That's next right here. Jason of Mike Fox.
Are you overweight? Well, if you know it, you know it.
I knew it. Harmon knew it, and we got sick
of it. We scheduled our consultation call with myphdweightloss dot Com.

(14:14):
That's my phdweightloss dot com. You can be healthy again
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Harmon's looking swall. He's wearing the same white Sox T
shirt every night because he's trying to manifest all sorts
of good things for them this year forty nine and
a half.

Speaker 2 (14:32):
Take it over.

Speaker 1 (14:35):
I think you may lose more weight than wins. That
is actually my good card can get past. They're over under.
You're damn right. It has been a phenomenal run for us.
I mean, I'm losing at least three pounds a week.
It is a great, great thing. Visit my phdweightloss dot com.
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Speaker 2 (14:57):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith's
Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern seven
pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app.

Speaker 1 (15:11):
Fox Sports Radio. The Jason Smith Show with My best
friend Mike Harmon live from the tire Rag dot com studios.
You listen to us now, but did you know you
can also see us. Be sure to check out the
Fox Sports Radio YouTube channel. Just search Fox Sports Radio
on YouTube. You'll see a whole bunch of video highlights
from our shows. Be sure to subscribe so you always

(15:31):
have int access to our Fox sports radio videos on YouTube.
The Vikings are in the end zone, but despite Sam
Darnold's efforts, he throws two straight passes well behind his receivers,
but somehow Jalen Naylor comes down with it, so does TJ. Hopkinson,
who takes it to the end zone. Two point conversion
is not good. So making a twenty seven to nine

(15:54):
game now late in the third quarter, Rams with the
lead over the Vikings wake on the two points was
not good either. Let's throw the ball. Let's throw the
ball to Justin Jefferson at the two. Oh boy, I
think uh maybe, uh maybe his Texas calling the plays
at the goal line. Oh where Lake is already in
nicely too soon.

Speaker 2 (16:13):
It was a lot of that this.

Speaker 1 (16:14):
Week, sir. Uh So we'll keep you posted on this
game throughout the rest of the night, obviously.

Speaker 4 (16:21):
But.

Speaker 1 (16:22):
Big stuff happening in the NFL. The Dallas Cowboys today
have parted ways with Mike McCarthy. Do they have their
new head coach? According to reports, Jordan Schultz, NFL inside
or friend of the show, said Jerry Jones has reached
out to Dion Sanders and there could be a dialogue
going on right now that could bring him to the
Cowboys with us now in the hot line to break

(16:43):
it all down, longtime NFL insider. He's on Twitter at
Jason locking for That's at Jason lock and for check
him out on Audissey one O five seven, the Fan
in Baltimore and the Washington Post. Jay, what's up man?
Happy Monday?

Speaker 4 (16:56):
Hey, what's going on? Guys?

Speaker 1 (16:58):
All right, so let's start here. I mean, I have
to feel that if Deon Sanders' name is out there
and Jerry Jones is talking to him, that Deon Sanders
is going to be the next head coach of the Cowboys,
because I usually don't see Jerry Jones fail in a
situation like this.

Speaker 4 (17:13):
I think it's an interesting match. I know, we talked
months ago about this possibility of perhaps, you know, Sidora
and Dion being a package deal, and at that point
in time, you don't know how things are going to
line up in terms of draft order, et cetera. And

(17:34):
you know, I think, yeah, Extreme might have included that
possibility probability, but I don't think that that is out
there for him right now. I don't think the Raiders
will go in that direction. Maybe pre Tom Brady, but
I don't know about now and he knows Jerry and

(17:58):
he played there. I mean, if Jerry's going to do
something that moves the needle and keeps his team interesting
and vibrant and more than anything else, to all tickets
and keeps them in prime time windows and right like,
this is it. I mean, this would be it. This
would be far more because as far more shock and

(18:23):
all than if he were the guy to throw enough
money in front of Ben Johnson to get him, you know,
to get him to finally become a head coach somewhere,
you know, whatever it might take with some of these
other guys. I mean, I don't know who's out there
who you could look at and say, okay, I can
see Jerry doing that. Like, I don't see a whole

(18:45):
lot of potential matches or at least things that would
make him feel good about the sort of marketability and
viability of this franchise. In terms of getting that buy
in from his fans. This would be mussy TV, you know,
at least for a while. And look, they have some

(19:09):
talent there. Dion Sanders clearly knows how to get people
to buy in. It's going to be unconventional, it's going
to be different. But these are two individuals who have
very big egos, who have flourished together before in different roles.
Dion knows what it's like to work for Jerry, the
good of it, the bad of it, and the ugly

(19:31):
of it. I mean, Dion has huge ties to that
area and always has since he played there. So part
crazier things have happened in this.

Speaker 1 (19:39):
League, chaosin sueing.

Speaker 3 (19:42):
Obviously, we've got all these other openings, Rable already off
the board. The Bears have interviewed I think eighteen people,
the Jets right behind them in those standings, and then
Tom Brady involved in Raiderville. What's the most intriguing remaining
seeing as that you've got to go through the management
part of it.

Speaker 4 (20:03):
I mean, the Jets thing is just I'll be fascinated
to see what this coupling is, you know, and who
comes first, the chicken in the egg or if it
is something of a package deal. It's just it's such
an odds sir. I mean, it's just so bizarre, even

(20:24):
by Jet standards, to be back making headlines with Rex
Rye again. And I don't want to get too deep
down that rabbit hole, because we did last week. But
just the fact that this is dragging on as long
as it has, and they fired their guys before anybody else,
and it's not a good enough job for them to

(20:44):
try to sell Oh well, we're just you know, we
got our guy in a back pocket orders wait for
him to be like fully the elbow, because you know,
he's still coaching or whatever. Like nobody's buying any of that.
And it just seems to be a very pecuitous expedition,
you know. And I don't know where that, you know,

(21:05):
when that ship touches short, I don't know who's jumping
out of that boat. First.

Speaker 2 (21:11):
I'll tell you.

Speaker 1 (21:12):
I'll tell you.

Speaker 4 (21:12):
I'll tell you whoever it is.

Speaker 1 (21:14):
I'll tell you who it's going to be. It's going
to be Aaron Glenn. That's who it's going to be.

Speaker 4 (21:20):
And I think that would be a solid choice. That
will makes a lot of sense. And they have competition
for him, you know. I think the Saints, you know,
have a lot of interest in him.

Speaker 1 (21:31):
Yeah, but he's a far jet, he's a pro bowler there,
he gets it.

Speaker 4 (21:38):
Yeah, I mean, look, they could do a whole lot
worse than that. And and he's coming from a place
in Detroit where they put a coach and a GM together,
neither of whom had a whole lot of hooplah with
him right, neither of whom had you know, huge media profiles.
Or we're singing and dan and shucking and driving for

(22:01):
every job that was open. And it turned out to
be a very sensible pairing. And it's turned a franchise
around that looked like it would never ever ever get
it ready, you know, like never ever ever, and they
got it right. So I don't know that the Jets
are going to be as you know, competent, but yes,

(22:21):
if they end up, if it ends up that they're
just doing all this to kill time, because you know,
they got Aaron Glenn. Been great and Aaron Glenn like
the coaching for several more weeks year obviously, But if
he ends up in Las Vegas, or he ends up
in Jacksonville, or he ends up in New Orleans and
they don't and let's say that's their guy and they

(22:43):
don't get their guy, then who the hell is it?
You know what I mean? And it's not like they
haven't been left at the altar before. I will be
fascinating to see. Fascinated to see what that looks like
if they have to go down, you know, go behind
door number two or door numbers like. Good luck.

Speaker 1 (23:04):
Jason Locking for NFL Insider, our guest here the Jason
Smith Show with Mike Carmon, Live from the TIREC dot
Com Studios. All right, No, I assume there will be
zero talk of anything on any of your radio shows
later on this week that doesn't involve the Ravens and
the Bills, like I can already saw. I'm already thinking
what a Titanic all time great forty five forty four

(23:25):
playoff game this is gonna be. I can't stop thinking
about it.

Speaker 4 (23:29):
I mean, it should be. It should be a hum dinger.
It should be a hell of a of a of
a matchup. I don't know that it will be. You know,
sometimes these things don't live up to their billing. It
wasn't it was kind of a good you know when
they played in time time in Baltimore. I guess there's
about three months ago. A lot's changed for both these

(23:52):
teams since then. I will be really interested to see
what Sean McDermott does here to adjust. That's a team
that's got a small front seven that lives in nickel
and dime more than anybody else. Like, they don't really
play anything close to a traditional base defense. And you
can tell me that they didn't have Milano and a
couple of defensive backs in that game, and they didn't.

(24:15):
But if you think that's going to stop, now, they're
using six offensive linemen. They use six offensive lineman for
fifteen players in this game against the Steelers. So now
you've got a perennial All Pro three hundred pound fullback,
you've got six offensive linemen, you've got a two hundred
and sixty five pound blocking tight end and Charlie Kohler,
and you've got a two hundred and fifty pound running
back when nobody wants to tackle, and they're getting them

(24:37):
all in the field at the same time. I don't know, man,
they ran with the fullback on the field. They ran
twenty times for over two hundred yards and a touchdown
on the Bills in the first game. Like the Bill
gollout six yards per carry this season as a team
when the other team's in twenty one or twenty two personnel,
like what happens when they're in twenty three? Like I'm
just saying, I don't like the Ravens are running out

(24:58):
there with no wide receivers, dud, and they're destroying people
and I just don't think Buffalo is built for that.
And like they destroyed him in the last game. How
many times do you think Lamar Jackson threw in the
direction of Say Flowers. I don't think it's going to
play in this game still, Say Flowers are Shad Bateman,
Mark Andrews. Right, they beat these guys by twenty five

(25:20):
points a couple months ago. He threw four times to
those guys in total, not like four comprices, four attempts,
and they rolled up three hundred and six scrimmage yards
to Justice Hill and Derrick Henry alone. Like, if you're
telling me Milano is gonna be the difference between that,

(25:40):
I'm like, we're looking at two different players. Like, he's
got a road greater, He's not gonna blow up Derrick
Henry behind the line of scrimmage. Like, so, I don't know, man,
I think this is a this is a tough matchup,
I believe for this Bill's defense.

Speaker 3 (25:56):
I like that you rolled up some of the stats
that were reminiscent of what the Ravens did in the.

Speaker 1 (25:59):
First half to the Steelers this weekend.

Speaker 3 (26:02):
How much enjoyment was that on Baltimore radio and the
celebration the crowning of Jade and Daniels.

Speaker 4 (26:09):
Yeah, you know it is. It's exciting times around here
for sure. Now Ravens fans are Commanders fans, don't you know,
intermingle a whole lot. There's not a whole lot of
overlap there. But you know, you can't appreciate what jayde
Daniels still and then you really don't like football. It's
pretty astounding that franchise has completely turned the corner. And

(26:32):
then yeah, I mean running over the Pittsburgh Steelers for
out rushing the Pittsburgh Steelers, but two hundred and seventy yards,
Like they out rushed the Pittsburgh Steelers in a playoff game,
but two hundred and seventy yards at halftime. The Ravens
had nineteen first downs to Steelers at two. I mean,
it was seven point five yards per play for the
Ravens three point five for the Steelers. Like that's not

(26:55):
supposed to happen in professional football, especially not in a
rivalry game in the playoffs. But yeah, look, Lamar had
to exercise some playoff demons the Ravens offense and Todd
Munkin had to exercise some playoff demons and they did that.
And I tend to think a lot of what's been
really successful for them, especially coming out of the buy,

(27:16):
with these Crystol runs being a new new emphasis. They
can just attack you so many different ways in the
run game alone, let alone the past game. But I
think there, I think they're on a like, I think
we're going to see a REVERSITYFC championship game last year,
you know, instead of Kansas City coming here, I think
it's going to be Baltimore going there. Like, I think

(27:37):
that's where this thing's headed.

Speaker 1 (27:39):
He's on Twitter at Jason lock and four at Jason
lock In four, Odyssey one, O five seven the Fan
in Baltimore, Washington Post. Jay as always, Buddy, appreciate enjoying
the rest of the game. We'll talk to you next week.

Speaker 4 (27:49):
You guys do the same thing, j Jason.

Speaker 1 (27:51):
All right, there goes Jay. Now, the top three openings
in the NFL coaching openings now, now the Cowboys are
up there because of what happened Boys, Bears and Jets.
Here's how it's gonna go. Cowboys are gonna get Deon
simply because this does this. Jerry Jones gets his guy
in situations like this, he doesn't lose. These are situations

(28:11):
Jerry Jones doesn't lose. He doesn't lose. Oh, I'm connected
with a coach. Then you know that's the guy, right though.
You know that's the guy. He will get Deon Sanders.
The Bears are next, and I'll tell you this, They're
gonna talk to Mike McCarthy if they don't hire him
by the end of the week. You know they're waiting
for Ben Johnson because it just seems like Johnson has

(28:33):
the most implied interest in the Bear's job. You don't
really see any other Ben Johnson really wants to go
to this job here. I know Tom Brady likes Ben
Johnson too, but it's the Raiders, and I think Ben
Johnson knows I have to go somewhere where I'm going
to be able to duplicate this success I've had with
the Lions. I can't bring i'man Ross Saint Brown and

(28:56):
Jamison Williams and Laporte and Jamier Gibbs. I can't bring
all these guys with me. But with the Bears, I
have Williams, and I have Swift and DJ Moore and
Romadon's ankle. The closest thing I have is the Bear.
So it seems like that's been the job he's been
connected with. But Mike McCarthy, clearly CEO head coach, could
hold a lot of appeal. If they don't hire him

(29:16):
by Friday, it's gonna Ben Johnson whenever the Lions are done,
and then it's gonna be Aaron Glenda the Jets when
that's done. That I feel like is a certainty that
is absolutely going to happen. There's so he's gonna go
Deondo the Cowboys, and then it's gonna be McCarthy, if
not Johnson, and then Aaron Glenda the Jets. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (29:31):
See, I don't know how much I like any of
the jobs that are outstanding, because, uh now, I'm.

Speaker 1 (29:36):
Told you all the jobs steaks, they all stink. This
is what's open, this is what's open.

Speaker 3 (29:40):
Hey, the audience changes every show, so they don't know that.

Speaker 1 (29:44):
We had that conversation a week ago. They all know
one of these ownership groups through the GMS and down
who's really in charge. I don't know they know, they do.
I get to do. I don't know, but what do
you say? There's thirty two jobs right one on his
job to all these opening stink they're all terrible. But
you want to be a head coach, right they?

Speaker 3 (30:05):
I think if I'm just starting over, look personnel wise.
Obviously Chicago, you tried to include cole Comet.

Speaker 1 (30:12):
That was cute. Yeah, like that. Cole Comet's has a
bit you know everything at four weeks he has a
big game. Yeah sure. He was also very vocal, So
I wonder how often they froze his ass out of
game plans. That's one of the questions I would be
asking Thomas Brown in his interview when he interviews with
the Bears. But yeah, I mean, those are the three
that stand out Jacksonville because if you have any clout

(30:33):
and a good plan, shot con seems like he'll he'll
do whatever you want. Oh yeah, you can do it
relative of charity. Can I fire Trent BALKI sure, I
want to fire him on the zoom call with him watching,
but well, now.

Speaker 3 (30:43):
He did it like it was a Brady Bunch zoom call.
He's staring at you. Here's a story, You're fired.

Speaker 1 (30:50):
He'll replace Alice in the middle of that, and and
B Davis as Trent Pall So things are getting a
little interesting here in Arizona as the Rams try a
hold on against the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings are driving,
and there is a review of a play to see
if there's going to be a targeting penalty on the Rams.
Sam Donald scampered for a first down. He slid Rams

(31:13):
defender went in, missed his head but still led and
caught him a tiny bit with his arm. We'll see
how this goes, because you know who's got the answers
for us, A guy who has never been called for
targeting in his career. He's received a sager. He's got
what's trending.

Speaker 5 (31:27):
That's a definite unnecessary roughness. But none of me on him,
by the way, and the Rams are leading twenty seven
to nine, Minnesota with the ball. They've just started the
fourth quarter, Vikings with the ball at about midfield. Story
of this game was the pressure on Sam Darnold in
the first half, when he was sacked six times, had
one interception, one fumble returned for a touchdown. The Rams

(31:47):
got the lead up to twenty seven to three in
the third. It is now twenty seven to nine in
the fourth as Minnesota has missed a two point attempt
Matthew Stafford with two touchdown passes. The winner of tonight's
game goes to Philadelphia for a Divisional Round playoff game
Sunday at three pm Eastern. Then it's Baltimore at Buffalo
on Sunday technically night six thirty Eastern time. And yes, recently,

(32:11):
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was voted All Pro ahead of
Buffalo's Josh Allen thirty votes to eighteen. The two Saturday
games this weekend in the Divisional Round, one seed Kansas
City hosts Houston, and then the NFC's one seed Detroit
will host a Washington team that's won six in a row.
That'll be Saturday night on Fox TV eight pm Eastern

(32:32):
Washington at Detroit. Coach Mike McCarthy will not be back
with Dallas. His contract he's expiring and they'll could not
agree on a new deal, so they'll find somebody else.
And McCarthy's playoff record in five years with the Cowboys
was one and three.

Speaker 2 (32:46):
To the NBA.

Speaker 5 (32:46):
They've just held a moment of silence at the Laker
home game. They're about to start up against the Spurs.
The LA teams in the league resuming their schedules after
the fires that started there in Los Angeles last week.
Clipper's home game about to begin against Miami for the heat,
bam Adebayo out with a bruised back. Minnesota got forty
one points from Anthony Edwards in a win at Washington.

(33:07):
Houston just got forty two points from Jalen Green in
a win over Memphis. Toronto ended a five game losing
streak beating Golden State one four to one. Oh one.
Detroit got thirty six points from Cade Cunningham in a
victory at New York won twenty four to one to nineteen.
The Pistons have won ten of twelve in college basketball.
On half s one, Rutgers sent UCLA to a fourth

(33:28):
straight loss seventy five sixty eight. Auburn is the new
number one in the polls. Tennessee fell to number six
among the three NHL games tonight, Philadelphia at home beat
Florida four to three, and boxer Tyson Fury says he's retired.
He's thirty six.

Speaker 1 (33:42):
Back to you, Thank you, Steve though the Jason smithser
with Mike Carmen live from the Tirack dot Com Studios.
Coming up next. More on the final playoff game of
Week one of the playoffs. Here against the twenty seven
to nine lead for the Rams, fourteen and a half
to go in the fourth quarter, but straight ahead, why
the biggest story in the the NFL Playoffs this weekend
was a book That's next Jason to Mike Fox.

Speaker 2 (34:06):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific, Fox.

Speaker 1 (34:15):
Sports Radio The Jason Smith Show with my bis friend
Mike Armon. Let it breathe, Please, let it breathe. It
breathes enough. This song shouldn't breathe anymore. It's good to
be back. We're live from the tire Rack dot Com Studios.
So twenty seven to nine lead for the Rams, still

(34:36):
a long way to go, ten minutes to go in
the fourth quarter, but the Vikings desperately trying to stay in.
They need two touchdowns in a field goal and Sam Darnold,
I want to say, I don't want to say heating up,
but uh, the end of the third quarter wasn't as
awful as the first two and a half quarter. So
it's good as that.

Speaker 3 (34:56):
And then they start on a decent drive and once
again double cl triple clutch and eventually takes a huge
sack instead of getting rid of the ball. And you
see the shot of Naylor running free beyond his man.
It's like, do you not like him?

Speaker 1 (35:10):
Yeah? Yeah, lead it ahead of it. There you go.
But the Rams do have the football at midfield with
about ten minutes to go in the fourth quarter, where
another score here would really put the nail on the
coffin for the Vikings. But again midfield. We'll keep you
posted on this game. I didn't have him at Bengo
card that the biggest story of the weekend in the

(35:31):
first weekend NFL playoffs was a book. But Aj Brown
has changed all that. The Eagles wide receiver who was
shown reading on the sideline yesterday during the Eagles win
that sent them on to the next round of the playoffs,
reading an inspirational book. Jim Murphy, who is the author
The book ranked like five hundred thousands of Amazon's list

(35:54):
of Biggest Soul Properties. It is now number one. Yeah,
after yesterday and Aj Brown making sure that inner excellence
train your mind for extraordinary performance in the best possible
life experiencing that whirlwind turnaround since that was shown on
TV during the Eagles game. Yeah, five hundred and fifty
two thousand and seven nine number one. How many? That's

(36:16):
pretty much jump. I mean that's not even that's not
even a mid major book. That's like, that's like, you know, oh,
it's like Alcorn State Woody the NCAA championship.

Speaker 3 (36:26):
This is one of those things like you know zach
Ertz a couple of weeks ago, remember every catch seemed
to make him another two hundred and fifty thousand dollars.

Speaker 1 (36:32):
Sure do you think this guy had anything for a
sequel where all of a sudden it gets triggered in.
It's like, yes, that manuscript that I was ready to
throw got into the trash thin to the shredder. Uh
to make lining for my bird. It's now gonna get
picked up. But I'm gonna be a multi millionaire, Thank you, AJ.
It's now I read that that it was the highest

(36:54):
rated book on Amazon now, more so than The Housemaid
by Freedom McFadden, which has been a pretty big book
the last year. Rate it right, because now three hundred
and fifty people have read I'm sure there's bought it.
I'm gonna I'm gonna click that there. I'm gonna click
that there to make that book more than that Freedom
McFadden book. I read The House Mary. Always a fun book,
big twist in it. But you know this just book's

(37:15):
got to be better. Right here, This is a J.
Brown when he's not getting the football once, stay in
a positive mindset. I'm gonna go help him out. Look,
I read The Housemaid. The Housemaid is phenomenal. She's written
this woman. Freedom McFadden has written about twenty five books
in the last twelve years, but The Housemaid is her best,
and they're making a big movie out of it next year.
It's Sidney Sweeney and a mad to see Freed's in it.

(37:36):
That trust me that her books are like slump buster books.
Like if you've been reading books and boy, I haven't
read anything good. I like read one of hers, read
one of hers. It's a slumpast. You can slump bust
it a lot of different things. It's not just that
you can tell us Sweeny, I'm telling you this is sweet.

Speaker 3 (37:55):
If you're considering it, how about we take seiph Reid
over the top.

Speaker 1 (38:00):
It's kind of like gone, girl, that that that that's
that's how good this book is wearing a mets at
ben affleck that'd be great. But look, I love this
story because A. J. Brown was just reading right like
he's he was reading and he says, dang, y'all, I
like to read. Why to get off my back? Uh yeah,
he wasn't catching past. Yeah I never saw I'm reading

(38:21):
before he said I like to read. Okay, So now
here's a book he's reading on the sideline, and and
from someone who reads all the time, dude, I'm down.
I'm down with it, man, I'm down. I mean, I'm
not a power of positive thinking type book.

Speaker 4 (38:32):
Guy.

Speaker 1 (38:32):
I'm never going to read one of those books. But
you know, a lot of people read them. They're very popular.
I get it. I get what you figure. I got
to get in on that gravy train. Marvel books don't
killt hey, hey, hey, come on, man, Graphic novels are
still novels. Uh no again, I told you I always.
People get always surprised and they find out how much
I read. You read? Yes, I read, I read. We're

(38:55):
talking about anytime we meet people and they were talking
about books or something going on TV. Did you read this?
You see this, and they'll talk to Pam and they'll say, hey, yeah, reading,
and Pam goes, oh, well, you want to talk about books.
You had to talk to Jason because no one reads
more than him. They look at me and they go really,
And I'm like why, Because I do sports for a living.
I'm not smart. I only know worse. Two syllables are less.

(39:16):
I don't read. I read all the bleep in time. Man,
how much you pay Pam to say that? Dude, you
come to my house. I read all the That's what
I've always been a reader. I've always read, So I
dig this. Just because you have books at your house
doesn't mean you read. I dig this, but but I
do read. Hey, the recipes do not count. No read.
I don't know. He doesn't do any cooking, Are you kidding?
When I cook out or read the recipe, that's just

(39:36):
a suggestion. I do what I want to go. Here's
a passage. We've all had times when everything came together
in perfect harmony, sacred moments, or we were totally immersed
in the experience and felt fully alive. Okay, you know
what that translation is. Remember when you used to get
the football. Those were the.

Speaker 3 (39:52):
Days well, because that's the other part in the Shoe
to Drop here is Yeah, it's a great story when
you win by twelve and Saint qua One gets to
slide down and kiss off people that at at anytime
touchdown bet, But how much of that is I'm not
getting the ball.

Speaker 1 (40:08):
I'm salty. AJ. The only way I'm gonna I'm gonna
be upset with this story because I love it is
if we find out that he was pulling out that
book just to show here's how upset I am with
not getting the ball. I'm gonna read.

Speaker 3 (40:21):
Yeah, we're all so hard on ourselves, amplifying all our
failures and regrets that we neglect to see what's still possible.

Speaker 1 (40:27):
That's in America. Let's go. You know what that means,
Throw me the damn ball. That's all I said. That
was the invisible ink. It was a picture in Keishawn
Johnson's I cover his book. I'm so mad at this game.
I'm gonna read. Okay, just say that now. It's where
you put me out. I'm going to read. I'm opening
into this book. Nobody talk to me now, but we
have some plays. We're gonna put it no, no, no no.
I gotta read. He's got a string quartet behind him.

(40:51):
Exit out about a Frescott exit swollen dumb? Are we
any close to the Rams moving on in the playoffs.
The Vikings have a comeback in him. That's next right here,
Jason Mike Fox
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