10 Takes with Kyle Brandt: Ready for the Playoffs?

14 teams in the NFL Playoffs and still only 10 Takes about them:

• The Vikings worst game of the season
• The coolest moment in football
• The Bengals 'deserve' nothing
• Time to move on from a future Hall of Famer
• When winning is stupid
• Early Playoff picks 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:04):
Ten Takes is a production of the NFL in partnership
with iHeartRadio. Ten Takes ten Takes in twenty twenty five.
You have clicked. I'm thankful, I'm appreciative. We're here. We
are ready to give you ten takes exactly ten minutes.
I'm sitting in Lower Manhattan right now, amidst a beautiful

(00:26):
snow flurry. As I look out the window, there's an
excitement to it. The playoffs are here. We now have
fourteen teams still alive, which the mat tells me eighteen
are in the offseason. Those players are probably already in
to loom right now. I'm jealous of them. Let's start
ten minutes. Start the clock. Take number one. Vikings just

(00:48):
played their worst game of the year in their biggest
game of the year. That was unbelievable. Right We were
told that it was going to be the greatest regular
season game ever. It's going to be first to forty,
this amazing shootout. The Vikings look tight, they looked tense.
It was everything that you didn't want them to look
in that stage. Sam Donald just kept missing high, missing inaccurate.
It was I've seen all the jokes this morning. He

(01:10):
turned back into Jet Sam Donald or Panthers Sam Donald.
I don't think this whole season just gonna explode on them,
But I'm watching them, and at one point early in
the second half, Chris Collins were saying, you know, you
get the feeling that the Vikings offense is just about
ready to explode, And I'm like, I didn't get that
feeling at all. I didn't recognize that team. I cannot
believe that that was a fourteen win team who had
nine points nine points against the defense that's beat up,

(01:34):
and that's been taken advantage of my bolt a whole
bunch of other teams. I just kept saying it tight.
Why does he look so tense? Why does he feel
like Donald is aiming every throw and they're all sailing
on him, to Jefferson to Howkinson. They could not score
a touchdown and that team's supposed to now be in
a super Bowl contender. Do you understand what happens to
them because they lost that game? Do you understand the

(01:55):
punishment of that. I'm really still coming to grips with it.
Imagine you right now you're about to get you can
get a week off at your job, whatever it is,
because you get some sort of accomplishment. A week off.
That's huge. Now it's taken away from you have to
work next week. But not only that. So they fly
back from Detroit to Minneapolis, not too bad of a
flight to get in the middle of the night, they

(02:16):
go to sleep for a few hours. They come back,
and now they have to get ready to fly to
California to play the Rams. A Rams team that they've
already lost to this year by double digits in that building,
and a Rams team I'll get to this later that
just rested all their starters. That sucks. That is hugely,
hugely punitive. They could easily lose that game and be like,

(02:37):
wait a second, ten minutes ago, we were fourteen and
two and ready to play for the one seed, and
now we just lost to the Rams. It's a crazy
thing that happened. That is such a massive penalty, and
they deserve it. They were bad. Take number two. Lines
were awesome, lines were tough, lines were clutched, and if
you watch Vikings lines, I think the game really pivoted
on one play and it was a really bad play

(02:59):
for the Lions. It was the play where Goff dumped
it off to Jamiir Gibbs and Ben Gingleed destroyed him.
Blonde haired Alex vand Giggle for the Vikings, not to
be confused with blonde haired Alex ANZELONEI for the Lions
absolutely had a free kill shot on Jamiir Gibbs. It
was clean, it was not flagged. It will not be
fine for it. It reminds me Eagles fans and Saints
fans remember it was a Sheldon Brown destroying Reggie Bush

(03:23):
in the flat about fifteen years ago. It is one
of the nastiest hits I've ever seen. It was that hit.
Jamiir Gibbs stays down, he's rattled, but then he gets up.
Because the identity of that Lion's team was all right,
we got Sonic and Knuckles. Jamiir Gibbs us the fast one,
Montgomery is the tough one. Jamiro gives us both. Jamiir
Gibbs is what we used to call a feature back
back in the day, a back who doesn't have to

(03:43):
come off the field, who can do everything. It was
really really cool. He got up and scored four touchdowns
from that hit, and that was like, that was supposed
to be the tone setter, that was supposed to be
the Seahawks Broncos Super Bowl when Cam Chancellor destroys the
Broncos wide receiver and the Broncos never recovered. That was
supposed to be the Vikings play that turned the game,
and it didn't. It turned it for the Lions. They

(04:04):
were tough, they were crazy like they always were. Constant
fourth downs. I'm so excited for the Divisional round. The
first fourth down that Dan Campbell goes for. It's that
Lions team. Every team wants identity, so few teams have it.
You know. The Eagles, they like fighting, they like nonsense
on the sideline, they like screaming at fans, fighting with
each other. The head coaches of maniac that's just who
they are. Works for them. The Lions like to just

(04:25):
roll dice and Dan Campbell is playing campbell ball. And
the funny thing about it was Kevin O'Connor was trying
to play Campbell ball last night and it wasn't a
natural fit and they couldn't do it. And they would
go for it and fourth down and not get it.
That was the advantage of the Lions is amazing. Take
number three. The Mike Evans moment was the coolest week
eighteen moment ever, unbelievable thing, and you've already seen it.
He needed a thousand yards, he gets money. He gets

(04:46):
a thousand yards. Here's my question about that. So it's
the last play of the game. Essentially, they're up eight points.
That's one score to the Saints in a game that
they really needed to win. The Buccaneers they if they
lose that game. I know the Falcons were an overtime
with the Panthers, but they could have cost them the
playoff spot. They're down, they're up eight points. With the
ball you take in the the game is over, you
go to the playoffs. Instead, they call a pass to

(05:08):
throw to Evans. He gets the nine yards. My question
is he needed five. If he got tackled for a
three yard game. Would they have used their last remaining
timeout and run another pass to Evans? I think they
would have. That was so insane, Or if it was incomplete,
would they run another pass? I think they would have.
They didn't care risking anything. The Saints on the second
play could have been like, well, they're obviously throwing to Evans,

(05:30):
I'm gonna jump this thing, pick six it. We're gonna
try to win this game. We're down eight. We can
tie it. So cool. I love Mike Evans. Much been
documented about. I've said many times I think it's the
greatest buccaneer in history. With due respect to all the
guys from the late nineties early two thousands, Mike M's
is the greatest buccaneer of all time. Yesterday proved it
even more. Take number four. I love what Sean McVay.
Did you know? I love Sean McVay. I get sick
of talking about it. So here's the deal with McVeigh.

(05:51):
In the last week. If he didn't follow this, he
decides to rest the starters. They already have the NFC
West locked up. He says, Stafford, Cooper and Pooka all
sit down. We're gonna start Jimmy Garoppolo. If they win
that game yesterday at home, they welcome in the Commanders
next week. If they lose, they welcome in the Vikings.
In other words, you want to win the game, right
because you welcome in a rookie quarterback and Jane Daniels

(06:13):
playing in his first playoff game. You don't want to
lose and have the Vikings come in and fourteen wins
with all the stuff they've accomplished. Mcmay says, I don't care.
I know my team. I want to rest them. I
don't want to just win a wildcard game either. I
want to set this thing up for a super Bowl run.
We have not had to buy since Week six. My
quarterbacks old, my wide receivers are banged up. I'm gonna
just rest them. I'll take my chances with it. With

(06:34):
the Vikings, I don't care, and I like it. I'd
rather go against the Vikings right now, with what they
just did on the road, and have them come up
in that STADIU where they've already lost. Jane Daniels won
five in a row. I don't want to risk it
with some unknown rookie and have him come in like
Michael Vick going into Lambeo and destroy the place. I
think I know what I'm getting from the Vikings. I
don't know what I'm getting from the Commanders. I love
what McVeigh did. I'm way behind schedule. I'm Onlyn take five.

(06:57):
Bengals don't deserve anything. Stop it with that. The Bengals
deserve to be in the playoffs. You ever seen the
unforgiven clin Eastwood. Deserve's got nothing to do with it. Boom.
He doesn't want to hear it. Guys, it's not the
committee in college. There's no eye test. It is math
and facts. Did you have enough wins? Too bad? Don't
tell me well, Pittsburgh doesn't deserve to get in. Pittsburgh

(07:19):
put forty plus points on the Bengals just this matter
of weeks ago. If you want to get in the playoffs.
I love the come running team. It's fun. Win anything
in September. Anything. They're always horrible in September. It's a
huge fault in their staff and their team. If you
could have not lost horribly to the Jacoby Brissett and
the fired in one year, jerrodmeo Patriots team week one,

(07:41):
you'd be in the playoffs. You warn't. You don't deserve it, deserves,
got nothing to do with it. Take number six and
then I'm good. With Aaron Rodgers. I think I'm off set.
I have a massive Rogers fan on the football field.
I love watching him play as much more than anybody.
I really do. I've got interviewing a few times, some
of the most fascinating stuff I've ever done in my career.
I think I'm good. He just threw his five hundred

(08:03):
plus touchdown pass. It felt like he targeted DeVante Adams
seven hundred times so we could throw him one. He's
a sentimental guy, just like he was when he ended
it in Green Bay and walked off with Cobb. You
gotta win. It didn't work out with the Jets, No shame.
You're in your forties. God knows what you're gonna do
after you're a plane here. I can't wait to see it.
I'd much rather see him walk than I don't know,

(08:23):
find some other team that wants to take him on
next year. If the Jets want to bring him back
and he wants to play and make a ton more money,
I get it totally. But personally as a fan, I'm good.
Take number seven. The Patriots win was really, really, really stupid.
I don't have any of this sentimentality of good for them.
They fought and they gotta win. Guys, it's a business
they're running. They just did a direct assault on their

(08:44):
own business prospects. They went from the one pick to
the four pick and got nothing for it. Just absolutely terrible.
And also, like as a person who as a content guy,
quote unquote, I am so mad that we went from
the Patriots having the one pick with a franchise quarterback already,
meaning they'll be all kinds of fun trade talks and
what do they do to the number one pick now

(09:05):
goes to the Titans. Oh my god, we have to
talk about the Titans the next three months. Respect the
people at the Titans. I'm not interested in them being
on the clock for three straight months. The Patriots completely
bluit stupid. And by the way, you fire the coach
right after the game, so basically you let him decide
if you're going to win that game or not, and
then you fire him, fire him before the game or

(09:26):
the week ahead, and then have some people who are
actually in line with the company ambitions rather than their
own to lose the game. I'm way behind. Take number eight.
I'm gonna give you my playoff picks. Why the hell not.
I'm not gonna be on till next Monday. Take number
eight my AFC playoff picks. I have the Chargers going
into Houston and winning. Jim Harbaugh wins the playoff game.
I have Pittsburgh going to Baltimore and losing, and all
hell will break loose with Steelers Nation. It has already

(09:48):
I have Denver going to Buffalo and losing in a blowout. Denver,
you got in I respect it. The Buffalo is too good.
They'll be ready. Take number nine. My NFC picks green
Bay I think is going to lose to Philadelphia. A
terrible day for green Bay. Yesterday, Love gets hurt, Watson
gets hurt. They lose to the Bears for the first
time over two thousand days. Now they've got to go
to Philly. I have Washington going to Tampa and win
in screw it. I think Jane Dwn's gonna go in

(10:10):
there and win. And mostly this is the wild one.
I have the fourteen and three Minnesota Vikings going to
Sofi Stadium and losing to the Rams. A terrible end
to the season for the Vikings. I don't wish it
on them. I just see it coming. Take Thember ten soccer.
Twitter is out of control. I'm gonna try to explain
this in fifteen seconds. Cairo Santos for the Bears, kicks
a game when you feel against the Packers does a
celebration I've never seen before. I tweet, Wow, I've never

(10:32):
seen a human being do that with their arms. I
have thousands and thousands of replies from soccer fans saying
it's a soccer celebration. I'm a stupid, ignorant American who
doesn't know ball and should rethink my life because I
don't know that celebration. I apologize for nothing. That's it.
That's ten takes really really front loaded today. I don't

(10:54):
usually do that. It's ideally you allocate one minute per take.
That's never happened, but I think I did the first
three takes in eight minutes. In the final seven and
two minutes. That's how twenty twenty for the dude, I'm
gonna walk out in the snow right now. I'm gonna
have some sort of ticket or fine or fee or
tax for just walking around New York City because that's
what they're doing these days. And I'll also have to
pay it like a sap. You guys are the best.

(11:16):
I love you. Happy twenty twenty five. Sorry Larry David,
I'm still saying Happy New Year, See you next week.
Ten Takes is a production of the NFL in partnership
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