December 24, 2025 • 41 mins
Fitz & Buck talk about the outlook for the Tennessee Titans after their win over the Chiefs, intrigue around Cam Ward, some more thoughts on Shedeur Sanders in his first year in Cleveland, taking the temperature of the NFC, Would You Rather, and more!
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to The Jason Smith Show with Mike
Harmon podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weeknight
ten pm to two am Eastern seven to eleven pm
Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. Find your local station for
The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon at Foxsports Radio
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Speaker 2 (00:23):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
I'm right.
Speaker 4 (00:29):
It's a bucking fits takeover Merry Christmas Eve. We've officially
crossed over in multiple time zones into Christmas Eve, including
where Buck is in Nashville, where I am in Connecticut.
But we're broadcasting live from the Fox Sports Radio studios.
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(00:53):
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Every time I say shipped free and fast, I just
get a look from Buck as he just he sees
me walking.
Speaker 5 (01:07):
The tight rope.
Speaker 4 (01:08):
I appreciate your support. I feel like you were with
the safety net I needed right there.
Speaker 5 (01:12):
That look is that look is fear.
Speaker 6 (01:14):
That look as and it's and it's not it's not
fear for you, it's fear for me.
Speaker 5 (01:17):
It's it's self interested.
Speaker 6 (01:19):
Fear because if you, if you run me into the ground,
I have to deal with the consequences.
Speaker 4 (01:24):
Do you do you when's the last time Buck Rising
ever really dealt with content? Like if there's ever been
a guy that in a zombie apocalypse would just put
a like fedor on with his little briefcase and just
leave the scene of the zombie apocalypse and not even acknowledged,
like Buck wouldn't acknowledge the zombies or the people, Like
that's that's he is the rare gift of just like
the gift of ghost.
Speaker 3 (01:45):
I feel like.
Speaker 6 (01:47):
I'm just gonna go about my day. Yeah, good luck,
have fun. Oh man, I hope you find a cure.
Like it's like I am legend, like I would, I
would I would so much rather be eaten alive by
zombies then turn out like Will Smith and I am legend,
Like I don't want to have to get that whole
thing out.
Speaker 5 (02:04):
It's just it's too much, it's too much pressure now.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
Like again, except inevitabilities.
Speaker 4 (02:10):
If I see a zombie apocalypse when everybody's breaking in everything,
I'm gonna break into the drug store and I'm just
gonna have the best last twelve hours of my life
I possibly can.
Speaker 3 (02:19):
And I'm not really gonna worry about it. I'm not
gonna try and fight that.
Speaker 4 (02:22):
Even if we make it through, how are we then
getting to the other side? And then what jerky are
you gonna have to deal with on that process? Somebody's
gonna be the guy that defeated all the zombies and
they're gonna be the new king of the land. I'm out,
Like zombie apocalypse happens, I'm out, y'all. Fight, y'all, y'all
go for it. I'm just going to I'm just gonna
enjoy the end of my my trek. By the way,
(02:43):
speaking of enjoyment, it is Christmas eve. Do we have
a do we have?
Speaker 3 (02:46):
Does Buck Rising have big Christmas plans?
Speaker 6 (02:48):
Buddy, I've got to go to Titans practice here in
a couple hours a gat way for that.
Speaker 3 (02:56):
That's that's do do you fight?
Speaker 5 (02:59):
Ask you?
Speaker 4 (03:00):
The real question is do you find the team to
be less plugged in when there's nothing to play for
at the end of the year. But that's all you
know because you've only been covering the Titans for like
twenty years, so you only know that was just me
making a dig at the Titans.
Speaker 3 (03:11):
I have no room to talk. I'm a Raiders fan.
But it's kind of be like, genuinely, it's gotta be
hard on the guys to just come in and give
a damn right now, like when it's Christmas, and like,
you know, you just feel like it's gotta.
Speaker 6 (03:23):
Be easy to skate sure, which is why honestly I'm interested.
Speaker 5 (03:28):
And again I don't want to do.
Speaker 6 (03:29):
I do three hours a day of Titans talk locally
in Nashville. I don't need to do you know, more
of it here on Fox Sports Radio. But I do
think it's an interesting dynamic because I just witnessed the
Chiefs basically just lay down and listen. What are they
going to do with the third string quarterback Minshew blows
his me on the third play of the game on
Sunday at Nissan Stadium, a game that they had already
(03:50):
been eliminated in and Patrick Mahomes had tours acl in
the game previous like it was just a really tough
situation and the Chiefs just kind of rolled over in
this game.
Speaker 5 (04:00):
There was nothing that they could do.
Speaker 6 (04:01):
And it was interesting to watch because the Titans put
it on them twenty six to nine. It's the biggest
lead that they've had on a team all year, and
you would say, okay, theoretically, that's still a top fifteen unit.
Speaker 5 (04:13):
As a defense.
Speaker 6 (04:14):
Did cam or to actually do something or were the
Chiefs just dogs on that particular day. Titans have won
two out of three in the last couple of weeks,
which I think is interesting for a team that who's
only win prior to that was Arizona pooping themselves in
Week five, and you didn't really think, at least I
didn't think that was a real win of any consequence,
(04:36):
even though they got credit for it. So I guess
for me, FITZI, in the coverage of a single team
and a team that's looking to rebuild, as so many
of these awful teams are, or so many of these
middling teams are probably thinking about like do we just
kind of need to let it go for a year
or put ourselves in a position that we're still trying
(04:59):
to but we understand that the circumstances are going to
require us to move a bunch of assets at the
trade deadline this year, or field a quarterback situation that's
less than ideal because we understand that we just don't
need to be picking seventeenth again or something like that.
Tanking doesn't happen in the NFL from a coaching and
(05:21):
from a player perspective, But organizations can make a decision
as far as.
Speaker 5 (05:26):
How they're going to approach a year.
Speaker 6 (05:28):
Understand that, Listen, your tape still matters here, your opportunities
for the future.
Speaker 5 (05:32):
Still matter here.
Speaker 6 (05:33):
But right now we're in a situation where we just
have to kind of reboot this whole thing for the
Titan for the purposes of the Titans. I don't know
how real momentum is into an offseason, right but if
a team that doesn't win at all in the last
two seasons has four consecutive seasons now with double digit losses,
starts to learn how to win around a number one
(05:54):
overall picket quarterback. I am intrigued about how that might
carry forward into the future, because I've got a an
entire offseason of all manner of different kind of stuff.
Coaching searches and otherwise that I'm going to have to cover,
and I want to see if they can actually do
this thing or not.
Speaker 4 (06:08):
Immedia change I don't think exists in the NFL, but
I think we do see stages like Look, year one
under Caleb wasn't what the Bears wanted, and now year
two substantial move forward. Look at Carolina, a team that
you mentioned a little bit of momentum at the end
of the season. It felt like they were grabbing some
at the end of last season, and now look at
the way this season has gone and the way we're
starting to view Bryce Young differently. I think there is
(06:30):
logic to looking at it and saying, hey, it's two
or three year plan. I say this to you all
the time, but I want to stress A former head
coach in the NFL told me years ago, if you
are lucky, you get four or five great news starters
on your team, and in one offseason, if you're lucky,
if you have a home run of one. GM told me,
a Hall of Fame offseason is five guys that come
(06:53):
in and high level in one offseason.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
So now, this is what I always tell fans to do.
Speaker 4 (06:58):
Now, look at your favorite team's roster and ask yourself
how many of these guys would be starting on a
truly playoff caliber team this week. So for me as
a Raiders fan, Max Crosby, Brock Powers would be starting
on a playoff team, and we'll see on Ashton Gentem but.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
Really two so okay.
Speaker 4 (07:14):
So that means if I want to have a truly
playoff competitive team, my favorite team needs roughly twenty new starters.
When you do the math that way, you understand that
immediate turnaround is almost impossible. Some years you get lucky.
Certainly last year, Washington was winning games that analytics told
you they.
Speaker 3 (07:31):
Never should have won.
Speaker 4 (07:32):
And that's where Bill Barnwell did a great job of explaining, Hey,
the numbers shit is say that Washington's gonna regress.
Speaker 5 (07:38):
What do you know?
Speaker 3 (07:38):
This year?
Speaker 4 (07:39):
They took a step back in part Jayden Daniels has
been hurt most of the year. But above and beyond that,
they're still just tragically bad. And I say this because
when you look at this week's games, yeah, there are
some big ones. Texans Chargers is a great game. Ravens
Packers should be a pretty good game. The Bears forty
nine ers great game, Bill's Eagles. These are great games.
There's also Giants, Raiders, Patriots, Jets, Jags, Colts who have
(08:03):
fallen apart, Saints, Titans, Steelers, Brown's, Cardinals, Bengals.
Speaker 5 (08:08):
There are just a lot.
Speaker 3 (08:10):
Of bad football teams this year.
Speaker 4 (08:12):
And maybe you know, as you were talking about rebuild,
I think rebuild is just it's a terrible word now
because nobody actually does it and they need to, Like
you cannot consistently just say all right, we're gonna put
a band aid on this thing. I genuinely think that
part of the reason we see the same teams picking
in the top ten every damn year in the NFL
Draft is because none of them just figure out, Okay,
(08:35):
we need to rip this thing all the way down
to the studs. We need to start a five or
six year process to just becoming a normal organization, to
see if we can turn this thing around. Like everybody
wants some media Ozmpic results, and that's just not a
real way to change your football fortunes.
Speaker 5 (08:51):
I go back and forth with it.
Speaker 6 (08:53):
I mean not you know, not like microwaving the results
or anything like that, but is, for example, Jacksonville, I
don't know how I feel about Trevor Lawrence other than
he's playing really good football. This is probably the best
stretch of his career. Like these these six games at
this point in time, like the production versus what they're
(09:15):
accomplishing on a team that's winning at a meaningful rate. Right,
they're leading their division. They still have theoretically a path
to the one seed, for God's sakes, and they were
last year picking what the trade up for Travis Hunter
took them. I can't remember where where they traded up from.
Was it four or five?
Speaker 3 (09:37):
Four or five?
Speaker 6 (09:38):
Ye? No, I'm sorry the Patriots picked forth. I want
to say it was five. The swap with the Browns
and the Browns end up getting some decent draft capital
in exchange. But James Gladstone, who's a young and up
and coming aspiring general manager with a coach who wasn't
going to come in and work with the Trent Balkey, right,
the whole Trent Balky thing. Like, think about how long
(09:59):
it took the Jags to be able to land Liam
Cohen because they kept screwing around with the Trent Balke thing.
Like they almost put themselves in a hole to not
accomplish this because for some reason, The only person that
knew that nobody in the league wanted to work with
Trent Balkey was a Shad Khan, the owner of the Jags.
So just think about the domino effect that had to
happen for the Jags to become an eleven and four
(10:19):
team all of a sudden, or even the Patriots who
did the roster flip in ways and Mike Rabel you
know famously I had him for all six of his
seasons here in Tennessee. Mike's best asset is getting buy
in and cohesion the best version of players that are
probably not very good. And if you can get good
(10:41):
players that you also can get to overachieve, well, then
all of a sudden, combined with an offensive coordinator who
you don't have to worry about losing to the next
head coaching cycle because nobody's hiring Josh McDaniels again as
a head coach.
Speaker 5 (10:52):
Bet your ass you're.
Speaker 6 (10:53):
Looking at a situation that's almost almost too perfect to recreate.
And I'm curre there is to see how sustainable it
is with some of the things that New England did.
New England did the thing that almost ever works. They
spent like hell and free agency but so many of
those moves actually panned out. I just saw the Titans
do the exact same thing around Will Levis two years ago,
(11:14):
and you could say, well, that was Will Levis versus
Drake May, and that's a completely fair point by you.
But lagerious sneed Calvin Ridley, Lloyd Cushion Berry, Kenneth Murray,
who's not even here anymore. Like none of the big
deals that they did, none of the big spends that
they went for, none of them worked out.
Speaker 5 (11:31):
And that's way more the norm in the.
Speaker 6 (11:33):
NFL versus what the Patriots did, which is spent I
think a record amount of money in free agency this
year and basically get return on investment from every position
that they spent on.
Speaker 4 (11:43):
Yeah, but this again comes back to the patriots magnificent turnaround.
It sounds like I'm a Patriots heter. I'm the farthest
thing from a Patriots heater. A look at their schedule
coming up for next year, because we already know most
of the opponents for twenty twenty six. I'm on the
Patriots website right now. Some of their opponents in twenty
twenty six, their home schedule, they'll have the bills, of course,
(12:05):
but also the Broncos, who we think are probably going
to be pretty good. They'll have the Packers right who
we think are probably going to be pretty good. They'll
have to go to Chicago, They'll have to go to Detroit.
So they're taking on the NFC North. Next year, they
have to take on the Kansas City Chiefs. They have
to take on the Chargers next year. The Patriots schedule
looks much different next year than it does this year.
Speaker 3 (12:24):
I mean, way too.
Speaker 4 (12:25):
Early to know, but I would only imagine that Bill
Barnwell next year when he and his article is every
summer it comes out, Fans hate it every year. They
think he's just absolutely up to his eyeballs. And you
know what, when he comes out and says, hey, the
analytics show you that this team's going to take a
step back, he's right all the time about these things.
And part of the reason is, I think more than ever,
(12:45):
we need to apply a college football mindset to what
happens in the NFL. Who is on your schedule is
going to impact whether.
Speaker 3 (12:52):
Or not you look good.
Speaker 4 (12:53):
Now, sometimes we don't know, Like sometimes we look at
that in the summer and we're like, oh, this is
the easiest schedule, and then by the time you get
into it, like turns out that this look, everybody that
gets stuck with the NFC South this year, you got screwed,
like the Tit wouldn't known.
Speaker 6 (13:06):
That the Titans, they had they're playing a fourth place schedule.
That fourth place schedule involves the AFC West, the NFC West,
the Colts, who were you know, eight and two at
the time that the Titans played them earlier in the
season with a healthier roster than obviously they do now
it ended up being in the AFC.
Speaker 5 (13:26):
I don't know if it is the hardest schedule in
the league.
Speaker 6 (13:28):
It's the hardest strength of schedule by record of opposition
of any team in the AFC right now, and it's
a fourth place schedule with the number one overall pick.
Like maybe they didn't they wouldn't look good, and maybe
they would you know, came wordboard struggle regardless of the situation.
But not only were they bad, they were deeply unlucky
based on how some of the fortunes for a lot
(13:49):
of the teams on their schedule just changed overnight.
Speaker 4 (13:52):
And that's the hardest part. Like again, we'll spend all
when the schedule comes out in April or May, whatever
it is this year. Next year, we'll spend all this
time breaking down what it really means. We don't know
until we get into it. But the most important thing
that you need to to analyze whether the team's actually
really any good is to take a look at who
they played and try and figure out from there.
Speaker 3 (14:11):
What it actually means.
Speaker 4 (14:12):
Because I don't know, speaking of things, I don't know
after everything we've seen, We've talked about the AFC, what
about the NFC? Is it clear cut the Rams are
actually the best team in that conference. I'm not so
sure the answer is that simple. We'll talk about it next.
He's Buck Rising, I'm Jason Fitzbucking Fits. I'm Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 3 (14:39):
Pally Fools Go Hey with Tony Foodsco.
Speaker 2 (14:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (14:42):
As everybody knows, we're the hosts of the award winning
Polly and Tony Foodsco Show. Yeah, but instead of us
telling you how great we are, here's how Dan Patrick
described us when he came on our.
Speaker 4 (14:50):
Show, quick, knowledgeable and funny, opinionated.
Speaker 5 (14:55):
What you doing interrupting our promo?
Speaker 2 (14:57):
Yeah, he wasn't talking about you. You took clips totally
of context.
Speaker 7 (15:02):
Oh yeah, well after this promo, I'm gonna take you
out and beat you.
Speaker 2 (15:06):
Let me put this into context.
Speaker 3 (15:08):
Shut up.
Speaker 7 (15:08):
Yeah, anyway, just listen to the Paully and Tony Fusco
Show on iHeartRadio, Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 3 (15:15):
Yeah, he's bug Rising.
Speaker 4 (15:18):
I'm Jason fitz Bucket Fits on Fox Sports Radio in
on the Jason s.
Speaker 3 (15:23):
Fith Show with Matehart with Mike Carman.
Speaker 4 (15:26):
I'm I'm I'm perplexed by this Christmas song. Yeah, I
understand the song.
Speaker 3 (15:36):
It's so very special. I just what are we listening
to here? Guys? What have we got going here?
Speaker 5 (15:44):
No?
Speaker 3 (15:45):
Chicken chicken on cree.
Speaker 4 (15:49):
Okay, we've got Santa Claus to creep. That's how you
know you've gotten too deep in the Christmas season. Buck Rising,
bug Rising does not like Christmas music the way.
Speaker 3 (16:00):
I do, and I've got it.
Speaker 4 (16:02):
On November first, while I'm putting away my Halloween animatronics,
I've got I've got Christmas music going and i feel you.
By the time you get this late in the season,
you're like, just give me something different. I think, wait, wait,
we've explored different book.
Speaker 6 (16:17):
There is some some experimentation here that probably shouldn't have
made it past the experimentation phase.
Speaker 5 (16:24):
I'll just wait for the next song. No, this man,
listen to him.
Speaker 6 (16:31):
He's been nefariously slow building up the weird Christmas music
until the grand finale in the well. I guess this
is the this is the one am hour for you.
It's twelve twenty three. Yeah, amma, I'm looking forward to that.
Speaker 3 (16:47):
Yeah, I can't. I cannot wait for this.
Speaker 4 (16:50):
I want to get your thoughts on the NFC, but quick,
I do want to address I got a tweet because
we were talking about the play call last hour of
Kevin Stefanski. As we were talking about whether or not
Kevin Stefanski should remain head coach, you mentioned the two
point play call that was wild for everybody, and everybody
freaked out about it. I quickly because we were up
(17:10):
against the break mentioned. I had no problem with the play.
I just want to clarify in case anybody else is
confused the factors of this play why I have no
problem with Kevin Stefanski again, no rooting interest one way
or the other on Shador.
Speaker 3 (17:22):
I don't care.
Speaker 4 (17:23):
No team in the NFL since Schador was named the
starter has run wildcat more than the Cleveland Browns team.
No team has scored more touchdowns or had more successful
conversions since Shador was named the starter in the wildcat
formation than the Cleveland Browns. The week before this game,
(17:43):
when the Cleveland Browns got absolutely just trounced by the
forty nine ers, they scored a touchdown and late in
the game for their two point conversion, they went wildcat
and they converted it. And it's been such a huge
part of their offense, which by the way, I saw
firsthand because I watched every snap of Shador's first game
against the Raiders, and on that first two drives, every
time they needed a short conversion, they took shadeer off
(18:05):
the field and.
Speaker 3 (18:06):
They went into wildcat.
Speaker 4 (18:07):
It's become such a huge part of their offense that
before that game ever occurred that we got so riled
up about. Their offensive coordinator was asked about the usage
of wildcat and talked specifically about how Quinn Shawn Jenkins
is such a trusted part of the backfield that they
really love having the options he gives them from the
wildcat formation, and as a result, they've become really comfortable
(18:28):
with all of that. I say that because I think
that's all just context. So for ninety percent of the
people not everybody, but ninety percent of the people freaking
out about that call, all they saw was Chador was
taken off the field when Chador was hot, and that
doesn't make any sense. I would argue that if you
had watched the last month of Cleveland Browns football, which
I did leading up to that conversation, if you had
watched the last month of Cleveland Browns football, you'd see that's.
Speaker 3 (18:51):
Just what they've been doing the whole time. And on
top of that, I.
Speaker 4 (18:54):
Do believe that it's a fair point that he didn't
get a lot of time and with the ones we've
all talked about that. So once you get into that
practice schedule and he's getting the time, how much of
every practice session is spent running two minute drills?
Speaker 3 (19:06):
A little bit of it.
Speaker 4 (19:07):
So if they have a handful of blays that they're
actually comfortable with and only a few of those that
they're comfortable with with Shador and he did fumble the
snap on the previous two point conversion attempt.
Speaker 3 (19:17):
That was the look that they may have been comfortable
with there.
Speaker 4 (19:20):
So now the next time they come up, they don't
want to give the same look. They give a different look.
I'm just saying that I can stack the logic because
I don't really give a damn about.
Speaker 3 (19:26):
Shador one way or the other, and I have a motion
on it. So many people on social media do.
Speaker 4 (19:31):
I'm just looking at the logic bricks and stacking it, saying, Okay,
I know I personally I wouldn't have taken a hot
quarterback out, but I understand if that's what you've done
for the last month, and that's who you are, that's
why you would do it.
Speaker 6 (19:43):
Yeah, I guess the only counter because that's a well
made point by you, obviously brought about by a random
tweeter in the middle of the night.
Speaker 5 (19:51):
So I'm happy that you were able to work for that.
Speaker 3 (19:53):
Thank you. No, no, no, I got I got some.
I said it the next day on Yahoo too.
Speaker 4 (19:57):
I got some blowback on it, so I'm very rehearsed
on my response to the blowback.
Speaker 5 (20:02):
Very good. My only.
Speaker 6 (20:06):
Devil's advocate argument would be Okay, So it's the thing
that you've done basically all season long, and certainly in
the last month of football leading up to that point.
If when presented with the new information that Chador is
playing the best game that a Browns quarterback has played
this season, I'll beat against the Tennessee Titans, whatever bad defense.
Speaker 5 (20:30):
Are you allowed to.
Speaker 6 (20:32):
Recognize that in game and make an adjustment? Now, what
you're saying about the limitations of how much they've actually
practiced and how much time are they devoting to Shador
Sanders as a you know, in a conventional in a
conventional sense, operating a two point conversion play, if that's
been their mo with a quin Shawn Judkins, and how
(20:53):
they approach their two point conversions and what their packages
are versus what they're actually able to rep what he's see.
I'll hear you on that being too sudden of an
adjustment for the risk to be worth the reward. But
I struggle with watching Kevin Stefanski watching that level of
quarterback play that he got on that particular day, understanding
(21:16):
that Shador fumbled the snap on the previous two point
try and saying, Okay, but I don't think that should
completely remove you from trying this again, because he's had
a really big day here, and he's clearly been the
best version or the best the biggest reason why.
Speaker 5 (21:33):
Your offense is having success.
Speaker 6 (21:35):
I know they found advantageous matchups with linebackers and coverage
on Judkins and uh and Dylan Sampkins or Dylan Sampson,
who were just killing the Titans out of the backfield
in a variety of different ways. Right, So there's not
that much heavy lifting necessarily on Shudur. Chador also had
a couple of big time throws in that game that
made me feel like, all right, let him play a
(21:57):
little bit, let's let's let's work this thing out.
Speaker 5 (22:00):
Maybe that's antithetical.
Speaker 6 (22:01):
To how some coaches like Kevin Stefanski or Wired, where
it's not just what your average NFL fan would do
from the stands and their vantage point of the press
box or whatever, where they're just like, all right, let's
let him air it out a little bit. I don't
think that's how any NFL coach, any coach of any consequence, works,
because they're all control freaks in that situation, all very regimented,
(22:21):
militaristic in some elements. So maybe it's just it would
be a complete change, unabout face for Kevin Stefanski to
just completely diverge what they've been working on all that
week and say, all right, Shador work it out. That
would be my only Devil's Advocate argument. It's just why
not be willing to make the adjustment.
Speaker 3 (22:42):
I think you're right about that, and I think, honestly,
if you look at the overall vibe, let's say this
way of the way the offense has been called since
Shador became.
Speaker 4 (22:51):
The starter, I think it's pretty apparent you're right. Shador
has some nice throws. In almost every game, Shador has
one or two especially deep throws, like he's got some
of that timing down and it's really fun to watch.
It's also pretty clear that Kevin Stefanski doesn't totally trust Shador.
He's not opening the offense to him that level. And
you know, in fairness, before that becomes some indictment, I
will remind everybody that about six weeks into Jade and
(23:14):
Daniel's rookie season five, six weeks in, there were shows
literally saying Jayden can't throw past the line of scrimmage
because Cliff Kingsbury.
Speaker 3 (23:22):
Wasn't allowing that to happen.
Speaker 4 (23:23):
And the way that they got him into that offense
was they kept everything short out of his hands right
away until he got more comfortable. And then he's got
more comfortable, he got more of the offense delivered to him,
so that that could all be part of it, but
it is. It is abundantly clear Stefanski doesn't fully trust
his quarterback right now, all right, Steve Disager, get us
caught up on the scoreboard, and then we'll figure out
(23:43):
who he actually trust.
Speaker 8 (23:44):
In the NFC, everything's final. In the NBA, the Lake
Game in LA went to the Clippers over Houston one
twenty eight to oneh eight. Kawhi Leonard with forty one points.
Victories for Memphis and Orlando on the road and for
Detroit as well the Pistons twenty four and six, winning
at Sacramento one thirty six to one twenty seven. Lakers
did not have Luka Donci shout with a Bruce calf.
(24:06):
Austin Reeves did return from injury off the bench had
seventeen points, but at Phoenix it was all Suns, one
thirty two to one oh eight. San Antonio won its
seventh straight game, beating Oklahoma City again one thirty to one.
Ten Spurs out scored him by fifteen in about the
last ten minutes. Shay Gilgos Alexander thirty three points in defeat.
OKC was twenty six and three coming in. They've now
(24:29):
lost three of their last five games, including twice two
the Spurs at Dallas, the MAVs edge Denver one thirty
one to one thirty Cooper Flag thirty three points, nine rebounds,
nine assists. Teammate Anthony Davis thirty one points. At Minnesota,
Anthony Edwards thirty eight points in a win over New
York one fifteen to one oh four, this despite forty
from Carl Anthony Towns. The next Jalen Brunson did not play.
(24:52):
Chicago and Toronto each one victories for Cleveland and Milwaukee,
and wins for Charlotte and Brooklyn, which won at Philadelphia
one fourteen one oh six. Despite Joel Embiad's twenty seven
points in college hoops, Villanova a winner at Seton Hall
sixty four fifty six, Saint John's beat up Harvard among
the thirteen NHL games. Overtime wins for Detroit and Nashville
(25:12):
Florida won five two at Carolina, Colorado posted a one
nothing shutout against Utah. Brooks Koepka is leaving liv Golf
to stay closer to home. He had one year left
on his contract. He would have to formally reapply for
PGA Tour membership if he wanted to return there. Bryce
Harper says he will play for Team USA in the
World Baseball Classic in March. In college football, we had
(25:34):
three bowl games. Ohio U over UNLV seventeen to ten
at the Frisco Bowl in Texas, attendant six thousand, five hundred. Meanwhile,
a robust seventeen thousand at the New Orleans Bowl, Western
Kentucky beats Southern Miss twenty seven sixteen with two touchdowns
in the last eight minutes. And at the Boca Raton
Bowl in Florida today attendance fifteen thousand. Louisville beat Toledo
(25:59):
in a battle of a four teams twenty seven to
twenty two to the final it was twenty seven to
fourteen with about five minutes left, Toledo with fourteen penalties.
The Pro Bowl teams were announced. There are nineteen first timers.
Four teams have six Pro bowlers each Denver and Baltimore,
San Francisco and Seattle. Vikings quarterback JJ McCarthy will miss
(26:19):
the Christmas game against the Lions. He has a hairline
fracture in his right hand, fourth injury for him in
his two years there. Rookie quarterback Max Brosmer will start,
and quarterback Brett Rippon was claimed off waivers from the Colts.
Lions running back David Montgomery did not practice today due
to illness. Washington quarterback Marcus Mariota missed another walk through
due to hand and quad injuries. The Commanders on Christmas
(26:42):
host Dallas. Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love was limited at practice.
He's still in concussion protocol, and his backup Malik Willis
was limited with a sore shoulder. Patriots running back Trevion
Henderson is in concussion protocol, as his wide receiver Kashawn Booty.
The Jets placed quarterback Justin Fields on ir The Colts
will start quarterback Philip Rivers again. The Ravens listed quarterback
(27:05):
Lamar Jackson with his bruise back as a non participant
on today's practice report, and the two game suspension of
Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf was upheld he had appealed
back to you.
Speaker 4 (27:19):
Thanks, Steve, appreciate it. He's Buck rising on Jason fitzbuckin
fits hanging out with them. Fox Sports Radio feeding off
the success of our college basketball bracket challenge. Each March,
we got a bracket challenge for the college football playoff.
That's right now, there are eight teams left, so it's
bracket Challenge time. Compete against our Fox Sports Radio host
and against fellow listeners to see who has the best
(27:40):
college football playoff bracket.
Speaker 3 (27:41):
Play for your chance to win one thousand dollars.
Speaker 4 (27:44):
Visit Fox Sports Radio dot iHeart dot com to register
to get rules in to fill out your bracket. Entry
will be open until just before kickoff seven thirty pm
Eastern on New Year's Eve. Again, fill out your bracket
at Fox Sports Radio dot iHeart dot com for your
chance to win one thousand bucks. All right, Buck, how
are we feeling in the NFC?
Speaker 6 (28:05):
Like?
Speaker 4 (28:06):
Where what am I supposed to do with Seattle? I mean, genuinely,
you're talking about a Seahawks team that has played like
hot garbage against the Rams in two games they truly
have and one game they could have won with the
field goal at the end. The next game they did
win in improbable fashion. Like I'm sitting here trying to
figure out, does that mean the Seahawks are really good
but maybe don't play well enough against the Rams?
Speaker 3 (28:25):
Does that mean the Rams are actually really good? I
don't know. Is this a two horse race? Where are
you on the NFC?
Speaker 5 (28:34):
Well?
Speaker 6 (28:34):
No, I mean I certainly don't think it's a two
horse race. I wouldn't discount Chicago that way. I mean Seattle.
Seattle is interesting from the standpoint, and you and I
talked about this a little bit on Saturday, coming off
that insane I mean game of the year Thursday Night
football between the Seahawks. And for all the different elements
that we had, we had some officiating controversy, we had
(28:57):
bad quarterback play, we had excellent quarterback play, we had
a you know, just a tough as nails performance down
the stretch by the quarterback that had the bad quarterback.
Speaker 5 (29:05):
Play early on to help them win the game. Seattle's
good enough.
Speaker 6 (29:11):
I just think it's a I think it's a coin
flip between La and Seattle. I don't think you have
to definitively claim that one is so much or even
even by a margin significantly better than the other.
Speaker 5 (29:25):
One has the MVP.
Speaker 6 (29:26):
At court, the likely MVP at quarterback, the odds on
favorite at quarterback to be the MVP. The other one
has a running game that's as good as any in football,
and a defense that is ferocious on a variety of
the fronts. Seattle, or rather the Rams, have a good
defensive front. They have a secondary that maybe can be
(29:47):
taken advantage of from time to time. They're they're really
they're not the same team, but they are so good
at so many other things that it basically makes it
a push between the two of them, so much so
so that they split the seeds, split the series this season,
and go on to leave you questioning, Okay, how big
(30:07):
a difference is there between the number one seed and
the NFC and the sixth seed, which is currently Seattle
at one and the Rams at six. Is there a
great difference between the two of them? No, of course not.
San Francisco is a fascinating character in all of this,
right because San Francisco is technically now ahead of the
(30:28):
Rams in the seeding, and no one would look at
the Niners and say, I mean, I don't know, maybe
I wouldn't look at the Niners and say, definitively they
are a Super Bowl contender because their defense is suspect
at best, but that offense is just drilling people.
Speaker 5 (30:46):
At this point in time.
Speaker 6 (30:47):
Kittle popped up on the injury report today for what
it's worth, a situation, a monitor, but they just have
so many answers on offense. Brock Perdy is playing the
best football of the season so far after dealing with
so many injuries on the end and coming back with
a bit of questions, and should he be benched for
mac Jones. Definitively, now we have our answer for anybody
who is even pondering that question. So no, it's it's
(31:10):
anything but a two horse race in the NFC. It's
Seattle at San Francisco, It's the Rams three from the
same division, and then I'd probably put Chicago in that mix.
Speaker 4 (31:19):
It's the wild part is again I keep dying on
the who of you played hill when you look at
the forty nine ers schedule, because they're on this massive
wind streak right now. I believe the Panthers deserve some credit,
so I'm sorry they're in this. They are maybe the
exception here, but this wind streak is against the Colts,
the Titans, the Browns, the Panthers, the Cardinals. In fact,
if you go back further, if you look at this,
(31:40):
then they have a loss to the Rams, a win
over the Giants who suck, and a loss to the Texans,
who are good. If you look back over the course
of the last two months, they've lost to the two
good teams that they've played, that being the forty nine ers.
So I don't know what to make a San Francisco
because you're right, I mean, that was surgical. The way
that they looked on offense, particularly against the cold was
(32:00):
so damn impressive. But I'm also looking at it and saying
that that is not really a good football team they're
taking on. And the crazy part to your point about
the standings right now, look at the difference between you
mentioned verses one and six, well two and seven in the.
Speaker 3 (32:13):
First round of the playoffs.
Speaker 4 (32:14):
If the playoffs were today, the Green Bay Packers would
go to Chicago Electric. The Green Bay Packers would played
two games that came down to the wire against the Bears.
The Bears would be the two seed, and I have
no idea who would win that football game. Like, so
I'm looking around saying, Okay, that game. It's such a
toss up with where we are with Chicago and Green Bay,
(32:35):
it's almost unfair that that would be a first round matchup.
Speaker 5 (32:39):
Oh I love it though.
Speaker 6 (32:40):
I love the idea of seeing those two teams play
a third time this.
Speaker 5 (32:43):
Year, because there were we were a Melik.
Speaker 6 (32:46):
Willis botched snap away from seeing the Packers do something
I mean awesome, and he was. I hate that it
was marred by that, and they had other turnovers, They
had other fumbles in that game that ended up costing
them position in Chicago.
Speaker 5 (33:01):
I mean, Chicago had a.
Speaker 6 (33:02):
Hard time moving the ball basically until that final that
final drive from the way that they started that game,
and Caleb Williams just making God.
Speaker 5 (33:09):
Tear throws at the end of it to just.
Speaker 6 (33:12):
I mean, I mean, not the same kind of a
game as Thursday Night Football between the Rams and the Seahawks,
but just as entertaining as a game that was. I mean,
what was the score at halftime? Even was it six
to three? Was something like that? Just a very a
very a different kind of a ballgame, but still esthetically
pleasing for a couple of different reasons. I love the
(33:34):
idea of that being so such a close race between
these NFC teams, and Philadelphia and Carolina just kind of
looking around to top their divisions.
Speaker 5 (33:45):
Being like, do we belong here? Are we? Are we
the same as the rest of these other teams.
Speaker 6 (33:49):
I really don't know what to do with Carolina, to
be honest with you, I'm going to question them.
Speaker 5 (33:53):
I think Carolina is just the happy to be here team.
Speaker 6 (33:56):
And Philadelphia, I mean, I don't know if anything's happy
about Philadelphia right now. They've won back to back games,
but who have they beaten. They've beaten the Commanders, they've
beaten the Raiders since they lost three in a row.
Speaker 5 (34:07):
Does that I'm certain.
Speaker 6 (34:08):
That that does not have Philadelphia fans convinced that they're
going to be able to pull this thing out as
the defending Super Bowl champions. And I understand the degree
of difficulty. I don't think Eagles fans care about the
degree of difficulty of repeating as a champion, because if
Mahomes can do it, why can't they?
Speaker 4 (34:24):
Yeah, Well, if the playoffs started today, the Eagles would
draw the Rams in the first round. So that'll put
a fok in that season. The Rams are not advantageous yeah,
and the Panthers w draw the forty nine ers. So
one thing seems to be clear. The NFC West is
on a path. We'll see how it plays out. Coming
up next, the single greatest game show in the history
of sports talk radio.
Speaker 3 (34:45):
Would you rather? Coming up next?
Speaker 4 (34:47):
Bucking Fits taking over on Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 2 (34:49):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern seven
pm Pacific.
Speaker 4 (34:57):
No, that was great. I don't even know where the
hell we find these things.
Speaker 3 (35:09):
These bug rising up.
Speaker 4 (35:10):
Jason fitz Bucket Fits hanging out with you taking over
Fox Sports Radio, hanging in on the Jason Smith Show.
We appreciate everybody letting us come in be idiots have
a good time over the course of this. We appreciate
all you guys that have taken the time to listen.
Merry Christmas Eve to everybody. If you're new to the show,
you should know this. By the way, we're on every Saturday.
(35:32):
You can hang out with us six to eight pm Saturdays,
Eastern time. We'll also be back what Friday morning, Friday.
Speaker 5 (35:38):
Morning, Yes we are.
Speaker 6 (35:41):
We are the Friday Morning Crew This Friday and next
Friday and I believe we're back here the week tonight.
Speaker 3 (35:49):
Yeah, tonight, Yeah we got this.
Speaker 4 (35:51):
Yeah, we're back a week from tonight here and then
we're about Yeah, two pros and a cup of Joe.
Speaker 3 (35:55):
Come hang out with us Friday morning. Tell us what
you got for Christmas. In the meantime, we end we
show the same way.
Speaker 4 (36:01):
It is time for the single greatest game show in
the history of sports talk radio book.
Speaker 3 (36:05):
Are you ready? Are you ready? Okay, let's do this.
Speaker 4 (36:08):
It's time for would you rather?
Speaker 2 (36:13):
I don't think too hard on would you rather bucket?
Touch no good or fix it?
Speaker 6 (36:25):
It's okay when we do it in front of Ian
and Mary, but when we embarrass ourselves in.
Speaker 5 (36:29):
Front of new people, it's always it's always tough.
Speaker 4 (36:31):
Sorry, I mean, it wasn't our best effort, but we'll
get it this time. Greada's question, we'll figure out what
we'd rather.
Speaker 3 (36:38):
Let's go.
Speaker 9 (36:39):
Yeah, we got some uh, we got some Christmas movies
on in the studio here.
Speaker 3 (36:42):
Uh.
Speaker 9 (36:43):
Yes, So this one's off the top of my head.
Would you guys rather try to get the Grinch off
of Mount Crumpet or be Harry and Marvin home alone?
Speaker 3 (36:52):
Two?
Speaker 9 (36:53):
And I say two, because Kevin McAllister straight up kills
those guys like forty seven different times, and two it's electric.
Speaker 6 (37:01):
I think two is superior to one. But that's a
conversation for another day. I would rather I feel like
me and the Grinch would get along. I feel like
we are kindred spirits. I feel like I would enjoy
the conversation. I feel like I would have the audacity
to go up and bother the Grinch on Mount Crumpet,
and then I would be completely comfortable participating in all
(37:22):
of the Grinch's illicit activities. Maybe skip the heart grows
three sizes at the end. That's not really my vibe.
Speaker 4 (37:29):
And look, I would rather go up to the Grinch.
But here's the thing. We're very opposite in what happens
once we get up there. I'm going full like circus clown,
acting like an idiot, trying to get the Grinch to smile.
That's going to be my goal, Like I'm going to
basically be a grown up idiot version of Zindi lu Who.
Speaker 3 (37:45):
So yeah, I'm in on this. I'm I'm in on
going up to Grinch.
Speaker 4 (37:48):
The Grinch but also acknowledging that he'd be a big,
scary green monster, and I might chicken.
Speaker 5 (37:53):
Out in size. You do resemble a who.
Speaker 9 (37:58):
Geez, the spirit of the Nice and Naughty List. Would
you guys rather have to explain your entire Google search
history to your mother or have your Spotify wrapped narrated
by your ex?
Speaker 5 (38:12):
I love that.
Speaker 9 (38:13):
What's the cutoff for the Google history? By the way,
is it like your entire life?
Speaker 3 (38:17):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (38:20):
I'm doing that, you know, because oh yeah, no, no,
see this is like this is as somebody that's not
particularly close.
Speaker 3 (38:26):
With my mom.
Speaker 4 (38:27):
I want her to have to read it out loud,
because like, it's the best part about playing cards against humanity.
There are certain cards that you know, Unsheath, you know
that when you get certain cards in the deck that
it's just watching watching a mom.
Speaker 3 (38:39):
Try and read that card with a straight face. Yeah,
I'm in on that. I'm in. It's gonna make my
mom feel more awkward than I am.
Speaker 4 (38:45):
I'm kicking my grinch shoes up, putting them on the
table and being like, yeah, I'm read me the next one.
Speaker 6 (38:49):
Yeah, give me my ex reading my Spotify wrapped.
Speaker 5 (38:54):
I mean it's just.
Speaker 3 (38:57):
And a very nice person.
Speaker 5 (39:00):
Yes, she she was just down here.
Speaker 6 (39:02):
This evening she came down for She drove down two
hours to take me to see some Christmas lights, and
then drove two hours home.
Speaker 3 (39:09):
She see, that's it, she doesn't.
Speaker 5 (39:11):
She doesn't deserve to have to read my Internet search history.
We won't.
Speaker 3 (39:15):
That's fair, That is fair. What do we got next?
Speaker 9 (39:17):
No shot? Would you rather accidentally like a five year
old Instagram post from a situationship once a month or
send a U up text to your boss once a year?
Speaker 6 (39:27):
I think I do both of those things currently. Oh okay, okay,
probably the situationship, though.
Speaker 5 (39:33):
You know, I mean, it's so you're doing some opposition research.
Speaker 6 (39:38):
Maybe not opposition, you're trying to get out of the opposition,
as you know, FITZI.
Speaker 5 (39:41):
Are you Are you familiar with the term situationship?
Speaker 3 (39:45):
Yes, I'm not that old, my god, like, I'm not
in my eighties.
Speaker 4 (39:48):
Okay, I am that old, But yes, I'm very familiar
with the situations I like the like it. You're liking
the picture on the situationship. You're learning a couple of things.
If they respond to it, you're figuring out, like how
much attention they're still paying to you. And if they
respond to it, you might also be putting a line
in the water, depending on what your status is at
that point. Like you know, I'm in, I'm in for
the Subtle Monthly. Uh yeah, the Subtle Monthly. Little heart
(40:10):
there little like a little like that.
Speaker 5 (40:12):
It goes down, it goes down in the DMS. A
wise man once.
Speaker 2 (40:16):
Said, wouldn't you guys, Uh?
Speaker 3 (40:17):
Would you guys?
Speaker 9 (40:18):
Rather be incredible at one party trick that absolutely never
impresses nobody, or a mediocre at everything, but people insist
that you should do it again.
Speaker 4 (40:27):
I'd rather be incredible at something that impresses nobody. I like,
But that's what happens when you go up a fact
kid that plays the violin, that's no doubt.
Speaker 3 (40:34):
What about you, Buck? MM?
Speaker 6 (40:37):
I would like to be thoroughly mediocre across the board,
and I would like people to encourage me to be
more than mediocre.
Speaker 5 (40:44):
But I'd like to just stay baseline, keep it cruising.
Speaker 4 (40:48):
That's called managing expectations, and that's basically what Buck does
every single time we're.
Speaker 3 (40:52):
On radio together.
Speaker 4 (40:53):
He's just thoroughly mediocre, and then they ask us to
come back and be mediocre all over again. Merry Christmas, everybody,
Thanks so much, Thanks for listening. We appreciate it. We'll
talk to you again on Friday, Merry Christmas.
Thanks for listening to The Jason Smith Show with Mike
Harmon podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weeknight
ten pm to two am Eastern seven to eleven pm
Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. Find your local station for
The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon at Foxsports Radio
dot com, or stream us live every night on the
iHeartRadio app by searching FSR give this.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
I'm right.
Speaker 4 (00:29):
It's a bucking fits takeover Merry Christmas Eve. We've officially
crossed over in multiple time zones into Christmas Eve, including
where Buck is in Nashville, where I am in Connecticut.
But we're broadcasting live from the Fox Sports Radio studios.
For over forty years, tiract it's been helping customers find
the right tires for how what where they drive, Shipped
free and fast, backed by free road hazard protection. I
(00:53):
am playing with gods with convenient installation options like mobile
tire Installation tirack dot com the way tire should be.
Every time I say shipped free and fast, I just
get a look from Buck as he just he sees
me walking.
Speaker 5 (01:07):
The tight rope.
Speaker 4 (01:08):
I appreciate your support. I feel like you were with
the safety net I needed right there.
Speaker 5 (01:12):
That look is that look is fear.
Speaker 6 (01:14):
That look as and it's and it's not it's not
fear for you, it's fear for me.
Speaker 5 (01:17):
It's it's self interested.
Speaker 6 (01:19):
Fear because if you, if you run me into the ground,
I have to deal with the consequences.
Speaker 4 (01:24):
Do you do you when's the last time Buck Rising
ever really dealt with content? Like if there's ever been
a guy that in a zombie apocalypse would just put
a like fedor on with his little briefcase and just
leave the scene of the zombie apocalypse and not even acknowledged,
like Buck wouldn't acknowledge the zombies or the people, Like
that's that's he is the rare gift of just like
the gift of ghost.
Speaker 3 (01:45):
I feel like.
Speaker 6 (01:47):
I'm just gonna go about my day. Yeah, good luck,
have fun. Oh man, I hope you find a cure.
Like it's like I am legend, like I would, I
would I would so much rather be eaten alive by
zombies then turn out like Will Smith and I am legend,
Like I don't want to have to get that whole
thing out.
Speaker 5 (02:04):
It's just it's too much, it's too much pressure now.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
Like again, except inevitabilities.
Speaker 4 (02:10):
If I see a zombie apocalypse when everybody's breaking in everything,
I'm gonna break into the drug store and I'm just
gonna have the best last twelve hours of my life
I possibly can.
Speaker 3 (02:19):
And I'm not really gonna worry about it. I'm not
gonna try and fight that.
Speaker 4 (02:22):
Even if we make it through, how are we then
getting to the other side? And then what jerky are
you gonna have to deal with on that process? Somebody's
gonna be the guy that defeated all the zombies and
they're gonna be the new king of the land. I'm out,
Like zombie apocalypse happens, I'm out, y'all. Fight, y'all, y'all
go for it. I'm just going to I'm just gonna
enjoy the end of my my trek. By the way,
(02:43):
speaking of enjoyment, it is Christmas eve. Do we have
a do we have?
Speaker 3 (02:46):
Does Buck Rising have big Christmas plans?
Speaker 6 (02:48):
Buddy, I've got to go to Titans practice here in
a couple hours a gat way for that.
Speaker 3 (02:56):
That's that's do do you fight?
Speaker 5 (02:59):
Ask you?
Speaker 4 (03:00):
The real question is do you find the team to
be less plugged in when there's nothing to play for
at the end of the year. But that's all you
know because you've only been covering the Titans for like
twenty years, so you only know that was just me
making a dig at the Titans.
Speaker 3 (03:11):
I have no room to talk. I'm a Raiders fan.
But it's kind of be like, genuinely, it's gotta be
hard on the guys to just come in and give
a damn right now, like when it's Christmas, and like,
you know, you just feel like it's gotta.
Speaker 6 (03:23):
Be easy to skate sure, which is why honestly I'm interested.
Speaker 5 (03:28):
And again I don't want to do.
Speaker 6 (03:29):
I do three hours a day of Titans talk locally
in Nashville. I don't need to do you know, more
of it here on Fox Sports Radio. But I do
think it's an interesting dynamic because I just witnessed the
Chiefs basically just lay down and listen. What are they
going to do with the third string quarterback Minshew blows
his me on the third play of the game on
Sunday at Nissan Stadium, a game that they had already
(03:50):
been eliminated in and Patrick Mahomes had tours acl in
the game previous like it was just a really tough
situation and the Chiefs just kind of rolled over in
this game.
Speaker 5 (04:00):
There was nothing that they could do.
Speaker 6 (04:01):
And it was interesting to watch because the Titans put
it on them twenty six to nine. It's the biggest
lead that they've had on a team all year, and
you would say, okay, theoretically, that's still a top fifteen unit.
Speaker 5 (04:13):
As a defense.
Speaker 6 (04:14):
Did cam or to actually do something or were the
Chiefs just dogs on that particular day. Titans have won
two out of three in the last couple of weeks,
which I think is interesting for a team that who's
only win prior to that was Arizona pooping themselves in
Week five, and you didn't really think, at least I
didn't think that was a real win of any consequence,
(04:36):
even though they got credit for it. So I guess
for me, FITZI, in the coverage of a single team
and a team that's looking to rebuild, as so many
of these awful teams are, or so many of these
middling teams are probably thinking about like do we just
kind of need to let it go for a year
or put ourselves in a position that we're still trying
(04:59):
to but we understand that the circumstances are going to
require us to move a bunch of assets at the
trade deadline this year, or field a quarterback situation that's
less than ideal because we understand that we just don't
need to be picking seventeenth again or something like that.
Tanking doesn't happen in the NFL from a coaching and
(05:21):
from a player perspective, But organizations can make a decision
as far as.
Speaker 5 (05:26):
How they're going to approach a year.
Speaker 6 (05:28):
Understand that, Listen, your tape still matters here, your opportunities
for the future.
Speaker 5 (05:32):
Still matter here.
Speaker 6 (05:33):
But right now we're in a situation where we just
have to kind of reboot this whole thing for the
Titan for the purposes of the Titans. I don't know
how real momentum is into an offseason, right but if
a team that doesn't win at all in the last
two seasons has four consecutive seasons now with double digit losses,
starts to learn how to win around a number one
(05:54):
overall picket quarterback. I am intrigued about how that might
carry forward into the future, because I've got a an
entire offseason of all manner of different kind of stuff.
Coaching searches and otherwise that I'm going to have to cover,
and I want to see if they can actually do
this thing or not.
Speaker 4 (06:08):
Immedia change I don't think exists in the NFL, but
I think we do see stages like Look, year one
under Caleb wasn't what the Bears wanted, and now year
two substantial move forward. Look at Carolina, a team that
you mentioned a little bit of momentum at the end
of the season. It felt like they were grabbing some
at the end of last season, and now look at
the way this season has gone and the way we're
starting to view Bryce Young differently. I think there is
(06:30):
logic to looking at it and saying, hey, it's two
or three year plan. I say this to you all
the time, but I want to stress A former head
coach in the NFL told me years ago, if you
are lucky, you get four or five great news starters
on your team, and in one offseason, if you're lucky,
if you have a home run of one. GM told me,
a Hall of Fame offseason is five guys that come
(06:53):
in and high level in one offseason.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
So now, this is what I always tell fans to do.
Speaker 4 (06:58):
Now, look at your favorite team's roster and ask yourself
how many of these guys would be starting on a
truly playoff caliber team this week. So for me as
a Raiders fan, Max Crosby, Brock Powers would be starting
on a playoff team, and we'll see on Ashton Gentem but.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
Really two so okay.
Speaker 4 (07:14):
So that means if I want to have a truly
playoff competitive team, my favorite team needs roughly twenty new starters.
When you do the math that way, you understand that
immediate turnaround is almost impossible. Some years you get lucky.
Certainly last year, Washington was winning games that analytics told
you they.
Speaker 3 (07:31):
Never should have won.
Speaker 4 (07:32):
And that's where Bill Barnwell did a great job of explaining, Hey,
the numbers shit is say that Washington's gonna regress.
Speaker 5 (07:38):
What do you know?
Speaker 3 (07:38):
This year?
Speaker 4 (07:39):
They took a step back in part Jayden Daniels has
been hurt most of the year. But above and beyond that,
they're still just tragically bad. And I say this because
when you look at this week's games, yeah, there are
some big ones. Texans Chargers is a great game. Ravens
Packers should be a pretty good game. The Bears forty
nine ers great game, Bill's Eagles. These are great games.
There's also Giants, Raiders, Patriots, Jets, Jags, Colts who have
(08:03):
fallen apart, Saints, Titans, Steelers, Brown's, Cardinals, Bengals.
Speaker 5 (08:08):
There are just a lot.
Speaker 3 (08:10):
Of bad football teams this year.
Speaker 4 (08:12):
And maybe you know, as you were talking about rebuild,
I think rebuild is just it's a terrible word now
because nobody actually does it and they need to, Like
you cannot consistently just say all right, we're gonna put
a band aid on this thing. I genuinely think that
part of the reason we see the same teams picking
in the top ten every damn year in the NFL
Draft is because none of them just figure out, Okay,
(08:35):
we need to rip this thing all the way down
to the studs. We need to start a five or
six year process to just becoming a normal organization, to
see if we can turn this thing around. Like everybody
wants some media Ozmpic results, and that's just not a
real way to change your football fortunes.
Speaker 5 (08:51):
I go back and forth with it.
Speaker 6 (08:53):
I mean not you know, not like microwaving the results
or anything like that, but is, for example, Jacksonville, I
don't know how I feel about Trevor Lawrence other than
he's playing really good football. This is probably the best
stretch of his career. Like these these six games at
this point in time, like the production versus what they're
(09:15):
accomplishing on a team that's winning at a meaningful rate. Right,
they're leading their division. They still have theoretically a path
to the one seed, for God's sakes, and they were
last year picking what the trade up for Travis Hunter
took them. I can't remember where where they traded up from.
Was it four or five?
Speaker 3 (09:37):
Four or five?
Speaker 6 (09:38):
Ye? No, I'm sorry the Patriots picked forth. I want
to say it was five. The swap with the Browns
and the Browns end up getting some decent draft capital
in exchange. But James Gladstone, who's a young and up
and coming aspiring general manager with a coach who wasn't
going to come in and work with the Trent Balkey, right,
the whole Trent Balky thing. Like, think about how long
(09:59):
it took the Jags to be able to land Liam
Cohen because they kept screwing around with the Trent Balke thing.
Like they almost put themselves in a hole to not
accomplish this because for some reason, The only person that
knew that nobody in the league wanted to work with
Trent Balkey was a Shad Khan, the owner of the Jags.
So just think about the domino effect that had to
happen for the Jags to become an eleven and four
(10:19):
team all of a sudden, or even the Patriots who
did the roster flip in ways and Mike Rabel you
know famously I had him for all six of his
seasons here in Tennessee. Mike's best asset is getting buy
in and cohesion the best version of players that are
probably not very good. And if you can get good
(10:41):
players that you also can get to overachieve, well, then
all of a sudden, combined with an offensive coordinator who
you don't have to worry about losing to the next
head coaching cycle because nobody's hiring Josh McDaniels again as
a head coach.
Speaker 5 (10:52):
Bet your ass you're.
Speaker 6 (10:53):
Looking at a situation that's almost almost too perfect to recreate.
And I'm curre there is to see how sustainable it
is with some of the things that New England did.
New England did the thing that almost ever works. They
spent like hell and free agency but so many of
those moves actually panned out. I just saw the Titans
do the exact same thing around Will Levis two years ago,
(11:14):
and you could say, well, that was Will Levis versus
Drake May, and that's a completely fair point by you.
But lagerious sneed Calvin Ridley, Lloyd Cushion Berry, Kenneth Murray,
who's not even here anymore. Like none of the big
deals that they did, none of the big spends that
they went for, none of them worked out.
Speaker 5 (11:31):
And that's way more the norm in the.
Speaker 6 (11:33):
NFL versus what the Patriots did, which is spent I
think a record amount of money in free agency this
year and basically get return on investment from every position
that they spent on.
Speaker 4 (11:43):
Yeah, but this again comes back to the patriots magnificent turnaround.
It sounds like I'm a Patriots heter. I'm the farthest
thing from a Patriots heater. A look at their schedule
coming up for next year, because we already know most
of the opponents for twenty twenty six. I'm on the
Patriots website right now. Some of their opponents in twenty
twenty six, their home schedule, they'll have the bills, of course,
(12:05):
but also the Broncos, who we think are probably going
to be pretty good. They'll have the Packers right who
we think are probably going to be pretty good. They'll
have to go to Chicago, They'll have to go to Detroit.
So they're taking on the NFC North. Next year, they
have to take on the Kansas City Chiefs. They have
to take on the Chargers next year. The Patriots schedule
looks much different next year than it does this year.
Speaker 3 (12:24):
I mean, way too.
Speaker 4 (12:25):
Early to know, but I would only imagine that Bill
Barnwell next year when he and his article is every
summer it comes out, Fans hate it every year. They
think he's just absolutely up to his eyeballs. And you
know what, when he comes out and says, hey, the
analytics show you that this team's going to take a
step back, he's right all the time about these things.
And part of the reason is, I think more than ever,
(12:45):
we need to apply a college football mindset to what
happens in the NFL. Who is on your schedule is
going to impact whether.
Speaker 3 (12:52):
Or not you look good.
Speaker 4 (12:53):
Now, sometimes we don't know, Like sometimes we look at
that in the summer and we're like, oh, this is
the easiest schedule, and then by the time you get
into it, like turns out that this look, everybody that
gets stuck with the NFC South this year, you got screwed,
like the Tit wouldn't known.
Speaker 6 (13:06):
That the Titans, they had they're playing a fourth place schedule.
That fourth place schedule involves the AFC West, the NFC West,
the Colts, who were you know, eight and two at
the time that the Titans played them earlier in the
season with a healthier roster than obviously they do now
it ended up being in the AFC.
Speaker 5 (13:26):
I don't know if it is the hardest schedule in
the league.
Speaker 6 (13:28):
It's the hardest strength of schedule by record of opposition
of any team in the AFC right now, and it's
a fourth place schedule with the number one overall pick.
Like maybe they didn't they wouldn't look good, and maybe
they would you know, came wordboard struggle regardless of the situation.
But not only were they bad, they were deeply unlucky
based on how some of the fortunes for a lot
(13:49):
of the teams on their schedule just changed overnight.
Speaker 4 (13:52):
And that's the hardest part. Like again, we'll spend all
when the schedule comes out in April or May, whatever
it is this year. Next year, we'll spend all this
time breaking down what it really means. We don't know
until we get into it. But the most important thing
that you need to to analyze whether the team's actually
really any good is to take a look at who
they played and try and figure out from there.
Speaker 3 (14:11):
What it actually means.
Speaker 4 (14:12):
Because I don't know, speaking of things, I don't know
after everything we've seen, We've talked about the AFC, what
about the NFC? Is it clear cut the Rams are
actually the best team in that conference. I'm not so
sure the answer is that simple. We'll talk about it next.
He's Buck Rising, I'm Jason Fitzbucking Fits. I'm Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 3 (14:39):
Pally Fools Go Hey with Tony Foodsco.
Speaker 2 (14:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (14:42):
As everybody knows, we're the hosts of the award winning
Polly and Tony Foodsco Show. Yeah, but instead of us
telling you how great we are, here's how Dan Patrick
described us when he came on our.
Speaker 4 (14:50):
Show, quick, knowledgeable and funny, opinionated.
Speaker 5 (14:55):
What you doing interrupting our promo?
Speaker 2 (14:57):
Yeah, he wasn't talking about you. You took clips totally
of context.
Speaker 7 (15:02):
Oh yeah, well after this promo, I'm gonna take you
out and beat you.
Speaker 2 (15:06):
Let me put this into context.
Speaker 3 (15:08):
Shut up.
Speaker 7 (15:08):
Yeah, anyway, just listen to the Paully and Tony Fusco
Show on iHeartRadio, Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 3 (15:15):
Yeah, he's bug Rising.
Speaker 4 (15:18):
I'm Jason fitz Bucket Fits on Fox Sports Radio in
on the Jason s.
Speaker 3 (15:23):
Fith Show with Matehart with Mike Carman.
Speaker 4 (15:26):
I'm I'm I'm perplexed by this Christmas song. Yeah, I
understand the song.
Speaker 3 (15:36):
It's so very special. I just what are we listening
to here? Guys? What have we got going here?
Speaker 5 (15:44):
No?
Speaker 3 (15:45):
Chicken chicken on cree.
Speaker 4 (15:49):
Okay, we've got Santa Claus to creep. That's how you
know you've gotten too deep in the Christmas season. Buck Rising,
bug Rising does not like Christmas music the way.
Speaker 3 (16:00):
I do, and I've got it.
Speaker 4 (16:02):
On November first, while I'm putting away my Halloween animatronics,
I've got I've got Christmas music going and i feel you.
By the time you get this late in the season,
you're like, just give me something different. I think, wait, wait,
we've explored different book.
Speaker 6 (16:17):
There is some some experimentation here that probably shouldn't have
made it past the experimentation phase.
Speaker 5 (16:24):
I'll just wait for the next song. No, this man,
listen to him.
Speaker 6 (16:31):
He's been nefariously slow building up the weird Christmas music
until the grand finale in the well. I guess this
is the this is the one am hour for you.
It's twelve twenty three. Yeah, amma, I'm looking forward to that.
Speaker 3 (16:47):
Yeah, I can't. I cannot wait for this.
Speaker 4 (16:50):
I want to get your thoughts on the NFC, but quick,
I do want to address I got a tweet because
we were talking about the play call last hour of
Kevin Stefanski. As we were talking about whether or not
Kevin Stefanski should remain head coach, you mentioned the two
point play call that was wild for everybody, and everybody
freaked out about it. I quickly because we were up
(17:10):
against the break mentioned. I had no problem with the play.
I just want to clarify in case anybody else is
confused the factors of this play why I have no
problem with Kevin Stefanski again, no rooting interest one way
or the other on Shador.
Speaker 3 (17:22):
I don't care.
Speaker 4 (17:23):
No team in the NFL since Schador was named the
starter has run wildcat more than the Cleveland Browns team.
No team has scored more touchdowns or had more successful
conversions since Shador was named the starter in the wildcat
formation than the Cleveland Browns. The week before this game,
(17:43):
when the Cleveland Browns got absolutely just trounced by the
forty nine ers, they scored a touchdown and late in
the game for their two point conversion, they went wildcat
and they converted it. And it's been such a huge
part of their offense, which by the way, I saw
firsthand because I watched every snap of Shador's first game
against the Raiders, and on that first two drives, every
time they needed a short conversion, they took shadeer off
(18:05):
the field and.
Speaker 3 (18:06):
They went into wildcat.
Speaker 4 (18:07):
It's become such a huge part of their offense that
before that game ever occurred that we got so riled
up about. Their offensive coordinator was asked about the usage
of wildcat and talked specifically about how Quinn Shawn Jenkins
is such a trusted part of the backfield that they
really love having the options he gives them from the
wildcat formation, and as a result, they've become really comfortable
(18:28):
with all of that. I say that because I think
that's all just context. So for ninety percent of the
people not everybody, but ninety percent of the people freaking
out about that call, all they saw was Chador was
taken off the field when Chador was hot, and that
doesn't make any sense. I would argue that if you
had watched the last month of Cleveland Browns football, which
I did leading up to that conversation, if you had
watched the last month of Cleveland Browns football, you'd see that's.
Speaker 3 (18:51):
Just what they've been doing the whole time. And on
top of that, I.
Speaker 4 (18:54):
Do believe that it's a fair point that he didn't
get a lot of time and with the ones we've
all talked about that. So once you get into that
practice schedule and he's getting the time, how much of
every practice session is spent running two minute drills?
Speaker 3 (19:06):
A little bit of it.
Speaker 4 (19:07):
So if they have a handful of blays that they're
actually comfortable with and only a few of those that
they're comfortable with with Shador and he did fumble the
snap on the previous two point conversion attempt.
Speaker 3 (19:17):
That was the look that they may have been comfortable
with there.
Speaker 4 (19:20):
So now the next time they come up, they don't
want to give the same look. They give a different look.
I'm just saying that I can stack the logic because
I don't really give a damn about.
Speaker 3 (19:26):
Shador one way or the other, and I have a motion
on it. So many people on social media do.
Speaker 4 (19:31):
I'm just looking at the logic bricks and stacking it, saying, Okay,
I know I personally I wouldn't have taken a hot
quarterback out, but I understand if that's what you've done
for the last month, and that's who you are, that's
why you would do it.
Speaker 6 (19:43):
Yeah, I guess the only counter because that's a well
made point by you, obviously brought about by a random
tweeter in the middle of the night.
Speaker 5 (19:51):
So I'm happy that you were able to work for that.
Speaker 3 (19:53):
Thank you. No, no, no, I got I got some.
I said it the next day on Yahoo too.
Speaker 4 (19:57):
I got some blowback on it, so I'm very rehearsed
on my response to the blowback.
Speaker 5 (20:02):
Very good. My only.
Speaker 6 (20:06):
Devil's advocate argument would be Okay, So it's the thing
that you've done basically all season long, and certainly in
the last month of football leading up to that point.
If when presented with the new information that Chador is
playing the best game that a Browns quarterback has played
this season, I'll beat against the Tennessee Titans, whatever bad defense.
Speaker 5 (20:30):
Are you allowed to.
Speaker 6 (20:32):
Recognize that in game and make an adjustment? Now, what
you're saying about the limitations of how much they've actually
practiced and how much time are they devoting to Shador
Sanders as a you know, in a conventional in a
conventional sense, operating a two point conversion play, if that's
been their mo with a quin Shawn Judkins, and how
(20:53):
they approach their two point conversions and what their packages
are versus what they're actually able to rep what he's see.
I'll hear you on that being too sudden of an
adjustment for the risk to be worth the reward. But
I struggle with watching Kevin Stefanski watching that level of
quarterback play that he got on that particular day, understanding
(21:16):
that Shador fumbled the snap on the previous two point
try and saying, Okay, but I don't think that should
completely remove you from trying this again, because he's had
a really big day here, and he's clearly been the
best version or the best the biggest reason why.
Speaker 5 (21:33):
Your offense is having success.
Speaker 6 (21:35):
I know they found advantageous matchups with linebackers and coverage
on Judkins and uh and Dylan Sampkins or Dylan Sampson,
who were just killing the Titans out of the backfield
in a variety of different ways. Right, So there's not
that much heavy lifting necessarily on Shudur. Chador also had
a couple of big time throws in that game that
made me feel like, all right, let him play a
(21:57):
little bit, let's let's let's work this thing out.
Speaker 5 (22:00):
Maybe that's antithetical.
Speaker 6 (22:01):
To how some coaches like Kevin Stefanski or Wired, where
it's not just what your average NFL fan would do
from the stands and their vantage point of the press
box or whatever, where they're just like, all right, let's
let him air it out a little bit. I don't
think that's how any NFL coach, any coach of any consequence, works,
because they're all control freaks in that situation, all very regimented,
(22:21):
militaristic in some elements. So maybe it's just it would
be a complete change, unabout face for Kevin Stefanski to
just completely diverge what they've been working on all that
week and say, all right, Shador work it out. That
would be my only Devil's Advocate argument. It's just why
not be willing to make the adjustment.
Speaker 3 (22:42):
I think you're right about that, and I think, honestly,
if you look at the overall vibe, let's say this
way of the way the offense has been called since
Shador became.
Speaker 4 (22:51):
The starter, I think it's pretty apparent you're right. Shador
has some nice throws. In almost every game, Shador has
one or two especially deep throws, like he's got some
of that timing down and it's really fun to watch.
It's also pretty clear that Kevin Stefanski doesn't totally trust Shador.
He's not opening the offense to him that level. And
you know, in fairness, before that becomes some indictment, I
will remind everybody that about six weeks into Jade and
(23:14):
Daniel's rookie season five, six weeks in, there were shows
literally saying Jayden can't throw past the line of scrimmage
because Cliff Kingsbury.
Speaker 3 (23:22):
Wasn't allowing that to happen.
Speaker 4 (23:23):
And the way that they got him into that offense
was they kept everything short out of his hands right
away until he got more comfortable. And then he's got
more comfortable, he got more of the offense delivered to him,
so that that could all be part of it, but
it is. It is abundantly clear Stefanski doesn't fully trust
his quarterback right now, all right, Steve Disager, get us
caught up on the scoreboard, and then we'll figure out
(23:43):
who he actually trust.
Speaker 8 (23:44):
In the NFC, everything's final. In the NBA, the Lake
Game in LA went to the Clippers over Houston one
twenty eight to oneh eight. Kawhi Leonard with forty one points.
Victories for Memphis and Orlando on the road and for
Detroit as well the Pistons twenty four and six, winning
at Sacramento one thirty six to one twenty seven. Lakers
did not have Luka Donci shout with a Bruce calf.
(24:06):
Austin Reeves did return from injury off the bench had
seventeen points, but at Phoenix it was all Suns, one
thirty two to one oh eight. San Antonio won its
seventh straight game, beating Oklahoma City again one thirty to one.
Ten Spurs out scored him by fifteen in about the
last ten minutes. Shay Gilgos Alexander thirty three points in defeat.
OKC was twenty six and three coming in. They've now
(24:29):
lost three of their last five games, including twice two
the Spurs at Dallas, the MAVs edge Denver one thirty
one to one thirty Cooper Flag thirty three points, nine rebounds,
nine assists. Teammate Anthony Davis thirty one points. At Minnesota,
Anthony Edwards thirty eight points in a win over New
York one fifteen to one oh four, this despite forty
from Carl Anthony Towns. The next Jalen Brunson did not play.
(24:52):
Chicago and Toronto each one victories for Cleveland and Milwaukee,
and wins for Charlotte and Brooklyn, which won at Philadelphia
one fourteen one oh six. Despite Joel Embiad's twenty seven
points in college hoops, Villanova a winner at Seton Hall
sixty four fifty six, Saint John's beat up Harvard among
the thirteen NHL games. Overtime wins for Detroit and Nashville
(25:12):
Florida won five two at Carolina, Colorado posted a one
nothing shutout against Utah. Brooks Koepka is leaving liv Golf
to stay closer to home. He had one year left
on his contract. He would have to formally reapply for
PGA Tour membership if he wanted to return there. Bryce
Harper says he will play for Team USA in the
World Baseball Classic in March. In college football, we had
(25:34):
three bowl games. Ohio U over UNLV seventeen to ten
at the Frisco Bowl in Texas, attendant six thousand, five hundred. Meanwhile,
a robust seventeen thousand at the New Orleans Bowl, Western
Kentucky beats Southern Miss twenty seven sixteen with two touchdowns
in the last eight minutes. And at the Boca Raton
Bowl in Florida today attendance fifteen thousand. Louisville beat Toledo
(25:59):
in a battle of a four teams twenty seven to
twenty two to the final it was twenty seven to
fourteen with about five minutes left, Toledo with fourteen penalties.
The Pro Bowl teams were announced. There are nineteen first timers.
Four teams have six Pro bowlers each Denver and Baltimore,
San Francisco and Seattle. Vikings quarterback JJ McCarthy will miss
(26:19):
the Christmas game against the Lions. He has a hairline
fracture in his right hand, fourth injury for him in
his two years there. Rookie quarterback Max Brosmer will start,
and quarterback Brett Rippon was claimed off waivers from the Colts.
Lions running back David Montgomery did not practice today due
to illness. Washington quarterback Marcus Mariota missed another walk through
due to hand and quad injuries. The Commanders on Christmas
(26:42):
host Dallas. Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love was limited at practice.
He's still in concussion protocol, and his backup Malik Willis
was limited with a sore shoulder. Patriots running back Trevion
Henderson is in concussion protocol, as his wide receiver Kashawn Booty.
The Jets placed quarterback Justin Fields on ir The Colts
will start quarterback Philip Rivers again. The Ravens listed quarterback
(27:05):
Lamar Jackson with his bruise back as a non participant
on today's practice report, and the two game suspension of
Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf was upheld he had appealed
back to you.
Speaker 4 (27:19):
Thanks, Steve, appreciate it. He's Buck rising on Jason fitzbuckin
fits hanging out with them. Fox Sports Radio feeding off
the success of our college basketball bracket challenge. Each March,
we got a bracket challenge for the college football playoff.
That's right now, there are eight teams left, so it's
bracket Challenge time. Compete against our Fox Sports Radio host
and against fellow listeners to see who has the best
(27:40):
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Speaker 3 (27:41):
Play for your chance to win one thousand dollars.
Speaker 4 (27:44):
Visit Fox Sports Radio dot iHeart dot com to register
to get rules in to fill out your bracket. Entry
will be open until just before kickoff seven thirty pm
Eastern on New Year's Eve. Again, fill out your bracket
at Fox Sports Radio dot iHeart dot com for your
chance to win one thousand bucks. All right, Buck, how
are we feeling in the NFC?
Speaker 6 (28:05):
Like?
Speaker 4 (28:06):
Where what am I supposed to do with Seattle? I mean, genuinely,
you're talking about a Seahawks team that has played like
hot garbage against the Rams in two games they truly
have and one game they could have won with the
field goal at the end. The next game they did
win in improbable fashion. Like I'm sitting here trying to
figure out, does that mean the Seahawks are really good
but maybe don't play well enough against the Rams?
Speaker 3 (28:25):
Does that mean the Rams are actually really good? I
don't know. Is this a two horse race? Where are
you on the NFC?
Speaker 5 (28:34):
Well?
Speaker 6 (28:34):
No, I mean I certainly don't think it's a two
horse race. I wouldn't discount Chicago that way. I mean Seattle.
Seattle is interesting from the standpoint, and you and I
talked about this a little bit on Saturday, coming off
that insane I mean game of the year Thursday Night
football between the Seahawks. And for all the different elements
that we had, we had some officiating controversy, we had
(28:57):
bad quarterback play, we had excellent quarterback play, we had
a you know, just a tough as nails performance down
the stretch by the quarterback that had the bad quarterback.
Speaker 5 (29:05):
Play early on to help them win the game. Seattle's
good enough.
Speaker 6 (29:11):
I just think it's a I think it's a coin
flip between La and Seattle. I don't think you have
to definitively claim that one is so much or even
even by a margin significantly better than the other.
Speaker 5 (29:25):
One has the MVP.
Speaker 6 (29:26):
At court, the likely MVP at quarterback, the odds on
favorite at quarterback to be the MVP. The other one
has a running game that's as good as any in football,
and a defense that is ferocious on a variety of
the fronts. Seattle, or rather the Rams, have a good
defensive front. They have a secondary that maybe can be
(29:47):
taken advantage of from time to time. They're they're really
they're not the same team, but they are so good
at so many other things that it basically makes it
a push between the two of them, so much so
so that they split the seeds, split the series this season,
and go on to leave you questioning, Okay, how big
(30:07):
a difference is there between the number one seed and
the NFC and the sixth seed, which is currently Seattle
at one and the Rams at six. Is there a
great difference between the two of them? No, of course not.
San Francisco is a fascinating character in all of this,
right because San Francisco is technically now ahead of the
(30:28):
Rams in the seeding, and no one would look at
the Niners and say, I mean, I don't know, maybe
I wouldn't look at the Niners and say, definitively they
are a Super Bowl contender because their defense is suspect
at best, but that offense is just drilling people.
Speaker 5 (30:46):
At this point in time.
Speaker 6 (30:47):
Kittle popped up on the injury report today for what
it's worth, a situation, a monitor, but they just have
so many answers on offense. Brock Perdy is playing the
best football of the season so far after dealing with
so many injuries on the end and coming back with
a bit of questions, and should he be benched for
mac Jones. Definitively, now we have our answer for anybody
who is even pondering that question. So no, it's it's
(31:10):
anything but a two horse race in the NFC. It's
Seattle at San Francisco, It's the Rams three from the
same division, and then I'd probably put Chicago in that mix.
Speaker 4 (31:19):
It's the wild part is again I keep dying on
the who of you played hill when you look at
the forty nine ers schedule, because they're on this massive
wind streak right now. I believe the Panthers deserve some credit,
so I'm sorry they're in this. They are maybe the
exception here, but this wind streak is against the Colts,
the Titans, the Browns, the Panthers, the Cardinals. In fact,
if you go back further, if you look at this,
(31:40):
then they have a loss to the Rams, a win
over the Giants who suck, and a loss to the Texans,
who are good. If you look back over the course
of the last two months, they've lost to the two
good teams that they've played, that being the forty nine ers.
So I don't know what to make a San Francisco
because you're right, I mean, that was surgical. The way
that they looked on offense, particularly against the cold was
(32:00):
so damn impressive. But I'm also looking at it and saying
that that is not really a good football team they're
taking on. And the crazy part to your point about
the standings right now, look at the difference between you
mentioned verses one and six, well two and seven in the.
Speaker 3 (32:13):
First round of the playoffs.
Speaker 4 (32:14):
If the playoffs were today, the Green Bay Packers would
go to Chicago Electric. The Green Bay Packers would played
two games that came down to the wire against the Bears.
The Bears would be the two seed, and I have
no idea who would win that football game. Like, so
I'm looking around saying, Okay, that game. It's such a
toss up with where we are with Chicago and Green Bay,
(32:35):
it's almost unfair that that would be a first round matchup.
Speaker 5 (32:39):
Oh I love it though.
Speaker 6 (32:40):
I love the idea of seeing those two teams play
a third time this.
Speaker 5 (32:43):
Year, because there were we were a Melik.
Speaker 6 (32:46):
Willis botched snap away from seeing the Packers do something
I mean awesome, and he was. I hate that it
was marred by that, and they had other turnovers, They
had other fumbles in that game that ended up costing
them position in Chicago.
Speaker 5 (33:01):
I mean, Chicago had a.
Speaker 6 (33:02):
Hard time moving the ball basically until that final that
final drive from the way that they started that game,
and Caleb Williams just making God.
Speaker 5 (33:09):
Tear throws at the end of it to just.
Speaker 6 (33:12):
I mean, I mean, not the same kind of a
game as Thursday Night Football between the Rams and the Seahawks,
but just as entertaining as a game that was. I mean,
what was the score at halftime? Even was it six
to three? Was something like that? Just a very a
very a different kind of a ballgame, but still esthetically
pleasing for a couple of different reasons. I love the
(33:34):
idea of that being so such a close race between
these NFC teams, and Philadelphia and Carolina just kind of
looking around to top their divisions.
Speaker 5 (33:45):
Being like, do we belong here? Are we? Are we
the same as the rest of these other teams.
Speaker 6 (33:49):
I really don't know what to do with Carolina, to
be honest with you, I'm going to question them.
Speaker 5 (33:53):
I think Carolina is just the happy to be here team.
Speaker 6 (33:56):
And Philadelphia, I mean, I don't know if anything's happy
about Philadelphia right now. They've won back to back games,
but who have they beaten. They've beaten the Commanders, they've
beaten the Raiders since they lost three in a row.
Speaker 5 (34:07):
Does that I'm certain.
Speaker 6 (34:08):
That that does not have Philadelphia fans convinced that they're
going to be able to pull this thing out as
the defending Super Bowl champions. And I understand the degree
of difficulty. I don't think Eagles fans care about the
degree of difficulty of repeating as a champion, because if
Mahomes can do it, why can't they?
Speaker 4 (34:24):
Yeah, Well, if the playoffs started today, the Eagles would
draw the Rams in the first round. So that'll put
a fok in that season. The Rams are not advantageous yeah,
and the Panthers w draw the forty nine ers. So
one thing seems to be clear. The NFC West is
on a path. We'll see how it plays out. Coming
up next, the single greatest game show in the history
of sports talk radio.
Speaker 3 (34:45):
Would you rather? Coming up next?
Speaker 4 (34:47):
Bucking Fits taking over on Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 2 (34:49):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern seven
pm Pacific.
Speaker 4 (34:57):
No, that was great. I don't even know where the
hell we find these things.
Speaker 3 (35:09):
These bug rising up.
Speaker 4 (35:10):
Jason fitz Bucket Fits hanging out with you taking over
Fox Sports Radio, hanging in on the Jason Smith Show.
We appreciate everybody letting us come in be idiots have
a good time over the course of this. We appreciate
all you guys that have taken the time to listen.
Merry Christmas Eve to everybody. If you're new to the show,
you should know this. By the way, we're on every Saturday.
(35:32):
You can hang out with us six to eight pm Saturdays,
Eastern time. We'll also be back what Friday morning, Friday.
Speaker 5 (35:38):
Morning, Yes we are.
Speaker 6 (35:41):
We are the Friday Morning Crew This Friday and next
Friday and I believe we're back here the week tonight.
Speaker 3 (35:49):
Yeah, tonight, Yeah we got this.
Speaker 4 (35:51):
Yeah, we're back a week from tonight here and then
we're about Yeah, two pros and a cup of Joe.
Speaker 3 (35:55):
Come hang out with us Friday morning. Tell us what
you got for Christmas. In the meantime, we end we
show the same way.
Speaker 4 (36:01):
It is time for the single greatest game show in
the history of sports talk radio book.
Speaker 3 (36:05):
Are you ready? Are you ready? Okay, let's do this.
Speaker 4 (36:08):
It's time for would you rather?
Speaker 2 (36:13):
I don't think too hard on would you rather bucket?
Touch no good or fix it?
Speaker 6 (36:25):
It's okay when we do it in front of Ian
and Mary, but when we embarrass ourselves in.
Speaker 5 (36:29):
Front of new people, it's always it's always tough.
Speaker 4 (36:31):
Sorry, I mean, it wasn't our best effort, but we'll
get it this time. Greada's question, we'll figure out what
we'd rather.
Speaker 3 (36:38):
Let's go.
Speaker 9 (36:39):
Yeah, we got some uh, we got some Christmas movies
on in the studio here.
Speaker 3 (36:42):
Uh.
Speaker 9 (36:43):
Yes, So this one's off the top of my head.
Would you guys rather try to get the Grinch off
of Mount Crumpet or be Harry and Marvin home alone?
Speaker 3 (36:52):
Two?
Speaker 9 (36:53):
And I say two, because Kevin McAllister straight up kills
those guys like forty seven different times, and two it's electric.
Speaker 6 (37:01):
I think two is superior to one. But that's a
conversation for another day. I would rather I feel like
me and the Grinch would get along. I feel like
we are kindred spirits. I feel like I would enjoy
the conversation. I feel like I would have the audacity
to go up and bother the Grinch on Mount Crumpet,
and then I would be completely comfortable participating in all
(37:22):
of the Grinch's illicit activities. Maybe skip the heart grows
three sizes at the end. That's not really my vibe.
Speaker 4 (37:29):
And look, I would rather go up to the Grinch.
But here's the thing. We're very opposite in what happens
once we get up there. I'm going full like circus clown,
acting like an idiot, trying to get the Grinch to smile.
That's going to be my goal, Like I'm going to
basically be a grown up idiot version of Zindi lu Who.
Speaker 3 (37:45):
So yeah, I'm in on this. I'm I'm in on
going up to Grinch.
Speaker 4 (37:48):
The Grinch but also acknowledging that he'd be a big,
scary green monster, and I might chicken.
Speaker 5 (37:53):
Out in size. You do resemble a who.
Speaker 9 (37:58):
Geez, the spirit of the Nice and Naughty List. Would
you guys rather have to explain your entire Google search
history to your mother or have your Spotify wrapped narrated
by your ex?
Speaker 5 (38:12):
I love that.
Speaker 9 (38:13):
What's the cutoff for the Google history? By the way,
is it like your entire life?
Speaker 3 (38:17):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (38:20):
I'm doing that, you know, because oh yeah, no, no,
see this is like this is as somebody that's not
particularly close.
Speaker 3 (38:26):
With my mom.
Speaker 4 (38:27):
I want her to have to read it out loud,
because like, it's the best part about playing cards against humanity.
There are certain cards that you know, Unsheath, you know
that when you get certain cards in the deck that
it's just watching watching a mom.
Speaker 3 (38:39):
Try and read that card with a straight face. Yeah,
I'm in on that. I'm in. It's gonna make my
mom feel more awkward than I am.
Speaker 4 (38:45):
I'm kicking my grinch shoes up, putting them on the
table and being like, yeah, I'm read me the next one.
Speaker 6 (38:49):
Yeah, give me my ex reading my Spotify wrapped.
Speaker 5 (38:54):
I mean it's just.
Speaker 3 (38:57):
And a very nice person.
Speaker 5 (39:00):
Yes, she she was just down here.
Speaker 6 (39:02):
This evening she came down for She drove down two
hours to take me to see some Christmas lights, and
then drove two hours home.
Speaker 3 (39:09):
She see, that's it, she doesn't.
Speaker 5 (39:11):
She doesn't deserve to have to read my Internet search history.
We won't.
Speaker 3 (39:15):
That's fair, That is fair. What do we got next?
Speaker 9 (39:17):
No shot? Would you rather accidentally like a five year
old Instagram post from a situationship once a month or
send a U up text to your boss once a year?
Speaker 6 (39:27):
I think I do both of those things currently. Oh okay, okay,
probably the situationship, though.
Speaker 5 (39:33):
You know, I mean, it's so you're doing some opposition research.
Speaker 6 (39:38):
Maybe not opposition, you're trying to get out of the opposition,
as you know, FITZI.
Speaker 5 (39:41):
Are you Are you familiar with the term situationship?
Speaker 3 (39:45):
Yes, I'm not that old, my god, like, I'm not
in my eighties.
Speaker 4 (39:48):
Okay, I am that old, But yes, I'm very familiar
with the situations I like the like it. You're liking
the picture on the situationship. You're learning a couple of things.
If they respond to it, you're figuring out, like how
much attention they're still paying to you. And if they
respond to it, you might also be putting a line
in the water, depending on what your status is at
that point. Like you know, I'm in, I'm in for
the Subtle Monthly. Uh yeah, the Subtle Monthly. Little heart
(40:10):
there little like a little like that.
Speaker 5 (40:12):
It goes down, it goes down in the DMS. A
wise man once.
Speaker 2 (40:16):
Said, wouldn't you guys, Uh?
Speaker 3 (40:17):
Would you guys?
Speaker 9 (40:18):
Rather be incredible at one party trick that absolutely never
impresses nobody, or a mediocre at everything, but people insist
that you should do it again.
Speaker 4 (40:27):
I'd rather be incredible at something that impresses nobody. I like,
But that's what happens when you go up a fact
kid that plays the violin, that's no doubt.
Speaker 3 (40:34):
What about you, Buck? MM?
Speaker 6 (40:37):
I would like to be thoroughly mediocre across the board,
and I would like people to encourage me to be
more than mediocre.
Speaker 5 (40:44):
But I'd like to just stay baseline, keep it cruising.
Speaker 4 (40:48):
That's called managing expectations, and that's basically what Buck does
every single time we're.
Speaker 3 (40:52):
On radio together.
Speaker 4 (40:53):
He's just thoroughly mediocre, and then they ask us to
come back and be mediocre all over again. Merry Christmas, everybody,
Thanks so much, Thanks for listening. We appreciate it. We'll
talk to you again on Friday, Merry Christmas.
Hosts And Creators
Jason Smith
Mike Harmon
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