December 22, 2025 • 45 mins
Bucky Brooks and Brian Baldinger analyze the biggest games from Week 16, starting with the Jaguars putting the league on notice with a dominant win over the Broncos (19:08). Then they break down Steelers-Lions (9:27), Bears Packers (17:13), Patriots-Ravens (24:25), Buccaneers-Panthers (33:51), Bills- Browns (38:12).
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
And now move the sticks with Daniel Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Welcome to move to six on Bucky Brooks and today
it's a solo mission, me and my guy Baldi's breakdowns.
Speaker 3 (00:12):
Brian Baldy to join.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
You mean to break down all the action from the weekend,
and Baldy, we got to start where I was at
Denver bronc ros Jacksonville Jaguars. You've been on record going
to Jacksonville being very impressed with the coaching staff and
those things.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
Just overview on what you saw when you popped in
the tape.
Speaker 4 (00:30):
Well, it was a rocky start, Bucky, A rocky start.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
I mean, this was a I mean, obviously they've got
a great defense, a great defense in front. They were
all over all over Trentford to start from the very
first play the game. I mean they hit him, and
they sacked him. They hit him early. That first quarter
is a little rough. But then I really thought like,
and you know, they lost they lost Makay, they lost
(00:56):
the right guard. You know early that gave Walker little
went in there. I thought, I thought a third and
ten scramble in that throw to Parker really really kind
of open things up for it. They they they eventually
got some kind of a rhythm to the offense, and
I thought that that was a big part of you know,
kind of success, but uh.
Speaker 4 (01:18):
It was it was not.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
It was not.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
It was a tough start. Let me just say that
just watching it, Bucky, Yeah, look tough start, Like Baldy
coming in. My biggest question going in was not only
the pass rush that the Denver Broncos. Obviously they on
pays for seventy sacks and they had a bunch of
sacks on Sunday, but with the Jaguars be able to
win on the outside, because the thing that makes the
Broncos so difficult is not only the pass rush, because
(01:41):
Vance is gonna bring pressure from everywhere, but they're so
sticky on the outside. They gonna match pass or ten
on your number one, and they're gonna deal you to
win with the twos and threes. And everyone likes to
pick on Ridley Moss, but he's been really, really good
in terms of he may give up penalties, but he
does a good job in coverage and Baldy the first quarter,
the first half, Brian Thomas Junior with null and void
(02:02):
with passive ten, but Riley Moss and all the other
guys McLean and uh they'd hit Millan, Milan. They had
so many guys locking up. It was tough leading for
the Jaguars. Talk about their one the challenge of dealing
with the Broncos secondary, and then what you saw from
Len Coyn and those guys.
Speaker 5 (02:22):
Making adjustments, well, you know, I mean they they you know,
they got the ball to Breton Strange, they got the
ball to Parker, They got the ball, you know, to
Etn for the fourth touchdown pass in the last two weeks, Bucky.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
So they found plays, they found you know, basic flat routes.
You know, they hit Parker on two third and three
third and fives. He turned one into a sixty yard game,
just flit Riley Moss and the safety on the outside,
and he was able to win.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
I thought that, you know.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
Jacoby Myers is a huge addition to this team, just being.
Speaker 4 (02:57):
Able to execute just simple things.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
He's like tossed crack where he's blocking two guys, blocking down,
blocking the outside defensive end and then going up to
Havana and getting that done.
Speaker 4 (03:08):
Just I thought the.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
Receivers between park and Jacobi a lot of tough catches
and Brenton Strange a lot of tough catches, but I thought,
as hard as like, you remember that the hit by PJ.
Speaker 4 (03:21):
Locke on you know, it was.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
Kind of a free shot and you just see, you know,
Trevor just getting bent backwards on a blind side, hitting
where he'd already relaxed and thought, okay, here it comes
to flag and he just you just see the toughness
of Trevor and the Trefler, the toughness of Trevor. I thought,
bucky really from that hit through the first quarter, in
that noise, in that atmosphere, to see him just sort
(03:44):
of survive in that first quarter, to be able to
get into a rhythm, I thought that was really really
key because they didn't they couldn't really run the ball
very well.
Speaker 4 (03:52):
It's a really good front.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
So it was really up to Trevor to just be
able to go through his progressions and get the ball
out of his hands quickly and accurately, you know for
some you know, I think he threw fromos three hundred yards,
but he really had to earn it in those throws.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
I thought, you know, buddy, so much is now going
to be made of Trevor Lawrence and you've dug in
because the last couple of weeks we've had conversations about
the Jacks. But I'll tell you this, since the Arizona
Cardinal game when he threw four interceptions, From that moment on,
even in that game, he's been a different guy. Liam
Cohn and let and Trevor had a one on one conversation.
We encouraged him to just let it rip, to let
(04:28):
it to let it go, to play freely, don't worry
about the mistakes, like be aggressive, not reckless, but just go.
And from that point on, he has been everything that
anyone could envision the number one overall pick being. You
had a chance to see him in training camp when
he was kind of still trying to figure it out.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
Aunte, What what do you see when you look at
number sixteen?
Speaker 1 (04:50):
Well, I mean, to your point, Bucky, from that Arizona game,
I mean, he's thrown twelve touchdowns own receptions last four weeks.
Speaker 4 (04:56):
Now they've won six in a row, so they're a
hot team.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
And to go in and down and being a team
that's one eleven in a row, I mean, he's the captain.
Speaker 4 (05:03):
Of the ship.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
But I thought, I feel like Liam does a great
job of empowering.
Speaker 4 (05:10):
And I think most coordinators try to do this. Okay,
this is your offense, this is what you see you do,
But I think he puts them in really good positions
to be successful. I mean even the touchdown to Parker
to get him on the board. I mean, Jakwan mcmillon's
all over, but he gives them a chance to make
to catch. You know, he's playing, Jaquan's playing blind.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
He's an excellent It's a slot fade, right, I mean
three receivers set slot.
Speaker 4 (05:36):
Fade out there.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
But I just felt like Trevor's giving the receivers a
chance to go make a play. And I think to
your point, you can being out there in training camp
and watching it work, and you've been around Liam a lot,
but if people haven't been around him the command that
he has, he's about as close to McVeigh as we've seen,
(06:00):
just his command of the offense, how he commands the team,
because it's way more than just the offense, how he
commands the team, even the little subtle thing bucket everybody's
playing up right now.
Speaker 4 (06:10):
You're just a small market team, you know.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
What I mean, Just like I mean, it's subtle you
still gotta go play, you still got to go execute.
But just his ability to take a little SoundBite like
that and to make it pretty big, especially after the victory.
Speaker 3 (06:26):
You see that he.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
Hears everything, he sees everything, and then he knows how
to kind of just like it, get it on the
rails for his whole team to play.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
Yeah, he definitely does that.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
He has them playing at a different level, playing edgy
and those things. But I'm gonna say this about the Broncos,
I think this may be the best thing to ever happen.
Speaker 3 (06:47):
I think the weight of having an.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
Extingished winning streak going into the playoffs can be difficult.
I think sometimes, whether it's a loss or whatever, you
kind of need that moment to reset, and a lot
of times you have to play attention best when they lose.
I'm gonna say this, bo Nicks is even better than
I ever could imagine, like watching him first at Auburn
then at Oregon, and it speaks to the maturity that
(07:12):
he has. It also speaks to what a coach can
do to slowly build a player up. Because I know
they lost and he had two turnovers and those things.
Speaker 3 (07:21):
But Baldy, my eyes told me that this is a.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
Really good Broncos team and he is going to be
a really really good quarterback in this league for a
long time.
Speaker 1 (07:31):
Well to your initial point, Bucky about this is not
a bad loss. Nobody wants to lose, but this at
the time of the year, right here at home, and
they got a short week coming up. Alex Singleton said it,
we've won eleven in a row. We've got twelve wins.
This is in the end of the world. Like, that's
a veteran player that's led that team in tackles a
number of years. Yet he's speaking up with a smile
(07:53):
on his face, going, look, we played it.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
You know.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
We hit that quarterback Trevor Lawrence. We sacked him seven times,
we hit him fourteen times. We did some good things.
This is far from over for us, and so I
think the reset button on a short week is is
probably not a bad thing. We've seen good teams lose
late in the season and it's probably the best thing
that could happen to him.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
Yeah, best thing. Last thing before we get off this game.
Speaker 4 (08:17):
RJ.
Speaker 3 (08:17):
Harvey is a huge problem for defenses. Man.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
This dude is really good running between the tackles with
Baldy out in space. You can see the eventual evolution
of this offense where they have Courtland a sudden.
Speaker 3 (08:30):
They have Marvin Men's But r J.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
Harvey is exactly what Sean Payton has always had, and
that is that X factor out of the backfield that
can create problems. He is not quite Alvin Kamara, but
you can see him playing that Alvin Kamara Darren Sproll's
role that Sean Payton has always had someone play out
of the backfield.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
Well, I mean, look, it took an unfortunate injury to JK. Dobbins,
you know, to get him into that role. You know,
I think that Jaliel is still going to get his
carries because he's still slippering and he's still.
Speaker 4 (09:00):
Got excellent vision.
Speaker 1 (09:02):
I've seen cracks, but he's always had He's always had
a committee at running back.
Speaker 4 (09:07):
He's always been able to rotate in on certain situations.
But RJ.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
It means a great rookie class of running backs across
the league, and RJ is one of those guys that
you know going forward, he's going to be a big
part of their postseason plans.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
Yeah, speaking of postseason, I guess we should make postseason
plans for the Pittsburgh steel is because somehow, some way,
no matter what I am telling you, man, Mike Tomlin,
is that that figure in horror movies that you just
can't kill. Somehow, the Steelers are sitting here with nine wins.
They get a big win on the road. I'm be
honest with you, body, I didn't think they could go
(09:44):
in Detroit and knock them off. You were there to
tell me how they got it done.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
Well, it's a ten to three game and the Steelers
weren't able to do anything on offense. And then with
twenty seconds ago and a half, Aaron Rodgers was looking
really just to get him into field goal range to
maybe kick a field goal, because their field goal kicker
was making him from sixty yards. Boswell's making him from
sixty plus a pre game, so I think they were
looking to get in the field goal range and he
(10:08):
didn't like his check down. He just cut it loose.
They had one on one on the outside between the
running back he Kenneth Gainwell and Alex Angeloni, and the
first thing you see is interference on Angeloni and the
flag comes out, but the play's not over. And then
the next thing you see is just maybe the catch
of the year by Gainwell, where he's on the ground
(10:32):
and he somehow traps the ball on his forearm and
then has the just the awareness, Bucky to squeeze it
right there, and then on top of that, to know
that Angeloni has rolled off him and hasn't touched him
to get up and go score, and nobody's really sure
what's happened. Even Aaron doesn't even know at that point
(10:52):
what happened. And so they get a forty five yard
touchdown on a hail mary throw. And we were reminded
by a lot of people in that building that it
was a ten year anniversary of Annon Rodgers thirty yell
married to Richard Rodgers to win the game ten years
ago in Detroit, And so it wasn't that throw, but
(11:13):
it was like this Gamewell could easily, if it's not
for Arny, it could easily be the MVP of the
offense for the Steelers. But what was really odd, Buck
was they scored three touchdowns in the game and all
of them were from forty five yards away. Gainwell was
forty five yards and then Jalen Warren on back to
back series went off left tackle, forty five yards on
(11:36):
a toss crack, and forty five yards off a weak
side slant forty five yards for a touchdown.
Speaker 4 (11:41):
So all three touchdowns were from forty five yards away.
Speaker 1 (11:45):
And so if you're looking for, you know, that voodoo
thing like like you can't defeat that, you know, whatever
that is, it's they had that going on now. A
couple of things. One they have started Dylan Cook, this
kid out of Montana Bucket.
Speaker 4 (12:02):
Two weeks in a row.
Speaker 1 (12:03):
He gave up a sack on kind of a late
sack to Hutch and other than that, he picks another
shutout out there.
Speaker 4 (12:12):
They've been trying to firm up the left tackle spot.
Speaker 1 (12:15):
Since I don't know, you know, Max, Max Starks forever, forever,
they've been drafting guys, you know, broughd.
Speaker 4 (12:21):
A Jones whatever. He looks like he's the guy. He's
always on his feed, Bucky. He's never on the ground.
He's good in the run game.
Speaker 1 (12:29):
He always does is dance in front of his guy
to protect the blind side of Aaron Rodgers. And for
three weeks in a row, Aaron Rodgers's not turn the
ball over. They dink and dunk. They take what you
give you, they get some they find some explosive plays.
It doesn't look pretty. You think to yourself, can they
win a game of the postseason if they get the postseason?
And you think, okay, they play without TJ. They play
(12:52):
without Nick Kirbig, that's the number one offense in football,
and you hold them, you know.
Speaker 4 (12:57):
Like they did, you know.
Speaker 1 (13:00):
To really two fourth quarter touchdowns by Jared Gott but
other than that, you know, they really squeezed him pretty good.
They've got a great special teams. I don't know, like
the team looks dangerous to me.
Speaker 2 (13:13):
Yeah, It's funny you talk about that defense because the
last time many people were tuned in, they looked terrible
on defense, given up big plays all over the place.
Speaker 3 (13:19):
They had done it.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
What have they done the last couple of weeks to
kind of fix the issue, because they's certainly not leaking
like they were leaking well as recent as a month ago.
Speaker 4 (13:29):
Well, you know, the.
Speaker 1 (13:30):
Leakage came in that lost to Buffalo where they ran
for two hundred and fifty yards at home.
Speaker 3 (13:35):
And since then, you.
Speaker 1 (13:36):
Know, they went on the road in Buffalo to Baltimore,
they won them. They beat Miami on Monday night and
then this game. So they won three in a row
since that schlacking by Buffalo where they just had the
ball run down their throats. Yesterday they squeezed Jamier Gibbs
and David Montgomery and they didn't get anything.
Speaker 3 (13:50):
Buck.
Speaker 1 (13:51):
Now Detroit had a center making his first start. The
first two centers were out. He struggled mightily. They put
a nose tackle on them all games, and he couldn't
handle Cano Betton or Cam Hayward. They had a backup
left guard in there for most of the day, like
they were shorthanded up front, and Jared Goff kind of
struggled in the run game, struggled, I thought, up until
(14:13):
those last two drives where they just dropped back and
through it and they got you know, pretty fortunate. Of course,
it came down to you know, this final play, Buck, Yeah.
I mean it's like a lot of these games that
we're gonna talk about all week came down to the
final play and you could call a Monra Saint Brown's
you know, passing interference against Jala Ramsey, and it was and.
Speaker 4 (14:32):
They threw two flags came out.
Speaker 1 (14:34):
But the way the play finished and the way that
you know, GoF took to you can't script this stuff
that's happening at the end of these games right now.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
Yeah, the lateral Amamra Saint Brown finds Jared Goff, flips
it to him, Jared Goff goes into the end zone.
It looked like there was pure chaos in the building
because the referee signaled touchdown and said touchdown. Oh, by
the way, there's offensive pass interference and they kind of
dropped the mic and so no one knows what's going on.
One of the crazier innings I've ever seen.
Speaker 4 (15:03):
Now there's no doubt and yeah, I mean it just came.
Speaker 1 (15:08):
It came down to the final twenty seconds of the game,
and we didn't like you know, Detroit things they scored,
and the Carl Cheffers who was the referee, bucky and
it took it took three minutes, four minutes before they
could get the ruling right because he initially came out
and said touchdown by the lines, which it was, except
(15:29):
it was nullified by the pass interference by So it
was very confusing to hear, you know, the final you know,
wording of that. They got it right, but it didn't
exactly come out right. A couple of things a couple
of things also about this Steelers offense.
Speaker 4 (15:45):
You know, they picked up Adam Feeling from.
Speaker 1 (15:48):
From you know, I mean, he's bounced from Carolina to Minnesota.
Now he's in he's in Pittsburgh. And I saw before
the game a little bit. He had four catches in
the game, but a lot of them were on third downs,
and you kind of get the feeling Aaron just needs
a trusted veteran, you know, on third downs to go
win a round, and he'll get you the ball. He'll
he'll you know, he'll flick it, he'll he'll have an
(16:10):
accurate throw. But a guy that he can really really
put his trust into. And so we don't know what's
gonna happen to DK Metcalf. That's another story, Buckey. I
guess we get into whatever DK did to a fan,
you know, on the side out there. I haven't heard
anything yet today. I haven't really been paying attention. But
they might play without DK four game or two.
Speaker 4 (16:32):
We'll see what happens.
Speaker 1 (16:33):
But Feeling's going a guy that I think they can
count on to step up right now. In addition to
both backs, Warren and Gainwell are guys that they really trust.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
You know, it's funny because in looking at the box
score and seeing the way the ball was distributed, you
can see Aaron going to his full Denk and dunk mode,
working inside out running backs, slot receivers, tied ends, and
then finding a couple of plays on the outside.
Speaker 3 (16:58):
Look.
Speaker 2 (16:58):
That can be very challenging for teams in the postseason,
just because when the pressure gets tight, he is so
good in those moments and trying to find the right one.
It'd be interesting to see how it plays out. They're
going from Aaron to his former team. Man, I'm at
dinner trying to watch the Chicago Green Bay game. It
seems like it's in the bag for the Gobay Packers,
(17:21):
and then all of a sudden have a the dessert
body and it's over.
Speaker 1 (17:25):
Well it's one point buckets, sixteen to six, okay, and
Chicago goes down and they kick the.
Speaker 4 (17:31):
Field goal to make it sixteen to nine.
Speaker 1 (17:33):
And then when two minutes ago they go on sidekick
and you know, Romeo Dops is on the hands team
like all receivers and tight ends.
Speaker 4 (17:40):
Yeah, and he takes his eyes off the ball.
Speaker 1 (17:43):
You know, they're split five to five, so five guys
on one side five or the other and the ball
gets kicked by Cairo Santos. He gets a little bit
of a bounce and Romeo takes his eyes off it
for one pre second. It bounces off his chests and
there's boswell, uh, I'm trying to think of anyways, it
(18:03):
gets recovered by Chicago and then next thing, you know,
I didn't know Jade Walker, I didn't know who he
was bucking. He catches like you know, you got a
two by two set down there, you know, inside the twenty,
and green Bay blows the coverage.
Speaker 4 (18:17):
Bucky Flynt blow the coverage.
Speaker 1 (18:20):
And they leave you know, Walker all alone in the
end zone for the touchdown to tie it up. And
so there you go. And then and then you know,
you got to remember the new overtime rules. You know,
here comes you know, green Bay right down the field,
and you know they score in overtime.
Speaker 4 (18:36):
It's I mean, it was.
Speaker 1 (18:38):
It was absolutely unbelievable the way that they know, the
way it played out to get in overtime like that.
Speaker 3 (18:44):
You know, and the poor green Bay Packers.
Speaker 2 (18:47):
And I know every team is dealing with injuries, but man,
you talk about being snake bit by the injury bug
and key moments. Jordan Love goes out when he's playing
fairly well, Malik Willis has to come in and kind
of finished.
Speaker 3 (18:57):
The deal out.
Speaker 2 (18:58):
They've lost their pass us, they lost to Craft, They've
lost so many guys along the way that look they're
punchless team. But even in saying that, I got to
give the Bears a lot of credit because this is
a new iteration of the Bears and the Ben Johnson.
They're a tough team. They play to the end. He
has found a way to generate offense in different ways
(19:19):
to make sure that they are able to put points
on the board. I can't stop raving about Ben Johnson
in the job that he did, because I'm be honest,
I was a little skeptical. The setup was so great
for him in Detroit, I wonder if he could replicate
it elsewhere. But he certainly has taken that blueprint and
put together into Winni City.
Speaker 1 (19:36):
He is He's an amazing coach and some of the
things he does Bucky like everybody runs feto rows, but
he will do things like just change the speed of
one of the receivers or make it look like the
receivers going to block the free safety to kind of
like just get some kind of.
Speaker 4 (19:54):
Interference and there's Dj Moore in the middle of the field.
Speaker 1 (19:57):
Like just the subtle little things he does to break
the pattern that everybody defends in this league is a
specialty of his. The way that for example, he probably
more than anybody else on third and three, plus he
runs the ball. He ran it with Kyle Managa on
third and three they picked up twelve. But most teams
third and three part during passing situation, they just don't trust,
(20:19):
especially against Packers, Wh's got a good defensive front, good
against the run, but Manangai goes and picks it up.
The use of like the entire league right now is
in thirteen personnel. They get into a thirteen personnel with
Derham smythe along with you know, Loveland and.
Speaker 3 (20:38):
Eighty five.
Speaker 1 (20:39):
Like they just they were able to do that as
well as anybody right now and just and then you know,
the touchdown throw to win the game by Calen probably
the best throw he has made to the biggest throw
that he has made to win that game on that night,
on a Saturday night there to win the game to
Dj Moore with Keishaw Nixon.
Speaker 4 (20:59):
All over all, they can't cover, can't cover any better.
Speaker 1 (21:02):
Buck and the throw and the catch by DJ, I
don't know DJ even knew, just help like he's just
doing a snow angel on the end zone, laying on his.
Speaker 3 (21:13):
Back, goone.
Speaker 1 (21:14):
I don't know how he actually controlled the ball into
the end zone right there to win that game.
Speaker 3 (21:20):
Yeah, it was an amazing throw.
Speaker 2 (21:22):
And it's the thing that really should excite Bears fans
from Kaylen Williams because we all can see the improvement,
even though it's not consistently reflected in the stat line.
Speaker 3 (21:32):
He is a different player than he was his rookie season.
Speaker 2 (21:35):
He is playing with more discipline and attention to detail
and those things. And as he grows or gains more
confidence in the system and what will.
Speaker 3 (21:44):
Open up for him, You'll see those numbers on the ubject.
Speaker 2 (21:47):
But I'm gonna tell you it's the running game that
is going to be the problem that people have to
deal with when they deal with the Bears in the postseason,
no question.
Speaker 1 (21:55):
And all those moves that they made from Drew Dollomon,
you know, to Toney to Jonah like those three guys,
and then to see Darnell Wright come on to go
to Ozzy and Trapillo, you know, a left tackle. After
going through Braxton Jones and going through benedictt and now
deciding on Trapillo. They've had three guys out there from
(22:16):
the beginning of the season, and it looks like they've
they've got their guy at left tackle. But their commitment
to the run game buck and the way that they
do it, I mean, you don't know who's going to
be in the backfield sometimes, but it is a true
one to two punch with DeAndre Swift and Kyle Manungai
and menung guy might be as difficult to tackle as
(22:36):
anybody in this league. Like his balance, his contact strength
is second to none in this league. And they and
then you know, and then if you have to add
on what kleeb can do, whether through scrambles or design runs,
like he's about as hard as any quarterback in this
league to get to the ground.
Speaker 4 (22:55):
So it is a form of commitment. But you know,
they lead the league in takeaways by a wide margin.
Speaker 1 (22:59):
Right now, they're over thirty came aways so far through
fifteen games.
Speaker 4 (23:04):
I don't know if that's gonna stop.
Speaker 1 (23:05):
You know, it could be you know, just recovering a fumble,
you know, between Milie Willis in the center, you know,
in a key spot in the game.
Speaker 4 (23:12):
But they got on it.
Speaker 1 (23:14):
It's a consistent thing week in week out to taking
the ball away.
Speaker 2 (23:19):
I'm gonna tell you this, man, like, it's amazing how
good Dennis Allen is as a coordinator when he's had
the struggles as a coach. But and you know this,
it's uncommon for a team that plays as much man
man as the Bears do to take the ball away
the way that they do it. Normally we play Manda Man,
you get breakups because eyes are not on the quarterback,
so you see it late.
Speaker 3 (23:36):
You reactions are late.
Speaker 2 (23:37):
But man, they are some turnover obsessed ball hawks that
find everybody. I mean, they just just get it. Because
I did a breakdown. I was looking at No Sean
right and what he's been able to do. And I
think about Al Harris and Al Harris working with him
first in Dallas but then in Chicago where this dude
is a legitimate. He's gonna be a big pay corner
(23:57):
when he is free agency in the spring.
Speaker 3 (24:00):
People gonna pay for that size and those balls.
Speaker 1 (24:02):
Well, it's interesting, Buck, because Jalen Johnson is back, but
he's flitting time with Tyreek Stevenson and Nashan is staying
at the right quarner like he he wirely piped everybody
that was Jalen Johnson and Jalen Johnson in Pro Bowl
corner in this league. But he's played so well, they're
just leaving.
Speaker 3 (24:18):
A be over there. Let's move to the sundate.
Speaker 2 (24:25):
That game the New England Patriots Baltimore ravens some people
in Baltimore saying it's the end of an era just
given what they're gonna have to do with free agents
and those things.
Speaker 3 (24:35):
But my Rabel and the Patriots find a way to
get it done on the road. Yeah, they did.
Speaker 4 (24:40):
And it's interesting.
Speaker 1 (24:41):
I just started the offense first because they've got they
got two tight ends that have traveled this league, Austin
Hooper Hunter Henry.
Speaker 4 (24:49):
But they got a real home there, you know, because
they you know, they run.
Speaker 1 (24:54):
Some of the things that they asked Drake made to
do are so basic, Buck, I mean, curl flat, you know,
you know, it gives a cover three divide with a
YY formation. Two tight ends, like some of these things
are just basic, basic completions. But they're drive starters, you know,
and they get chunks and then if you sprinkle in
what Diggs did yesterday to Baltimore, like Diggs had he
(25:18):
had a Digs type. He can still separate at the
top of his route. And it didn't matter if it
was Marlon Humphrey or whether it was Wiggins, like he's
gonna still you give that guy a chance to go win.
Speaker 4 (25:29):
He's continually he's gonna win. Buck, like it's who he is.
Speaker 1 (25:34):
And when they were down twenty four to thirteen, he
was getting kicked off, like we're gonna win this game,
and he kind of like helped put it in his hands.
Speaker 3 (25:43):
To do it.
Speaker 1 (25:44):
And it was, you know, the throw at twenty four
to thirteen, Buck, the throw to Kyle Williams, the rookie.
I went back and look, Buck, he's got seven catches
on the year, but three are touchdowns and the thirty
seven yard touchdown from Drake. And first of all, the
throw is amazing, but the coverage is amazing and Kyle Williams,
like the legs went dead, the concentration, the catch to
(26:08):
get it to twenty four to twenty.
Speaker 4 (26:09):
That was a huge part of that game.
Speaker 3 (26:12):
Yeah, a big part of it.
Speaker 2 (26:13):
And I say this, Mike Rabel has built this team
and the image of the Patriots teams that he played on.
They are a team that you look around and you're
trying to identify the star outside the quarterback. But they
have a bunch of really good players that play their role.
They make their plays when their numbers are called upon.
You talked about Stefan Diggs, who have some star power,
but man, you talk about a nondescript offense that's able
(26:35):
to get it done Keishan BUTI being able to make play.
I mean, they just have so many guys that they've
thrown together. And Josh McDaniels, I mean, you put him
in a Patriots uniform, you put him in that starter jacket,
whatever jacket he wears.
Speaker 3 (26:48):
The play calling is at a different level when he's
up in Foxboro.
Speaker 1 (26:52):
Well you think about it, Buck, I mean, there they
are in typical Josh McDaniels offset eye with Jack Westover,
you know, the fullback, and it's you know, it's twenty
four to twenty one, and here comes Ramandre Stevenson and
a little power and they you know, they just they
just opened up, you know, the Ravens defense. And there
goes Remandre out the back door and you know, Morgan
(27:15):
Moses is over there and I'll when you and like,
nobody's going to the Pro Bowl on that front. But
you know, you look at what Doug Marone has done.
Obviously you know Doug really well, but you know Doug's
in his role like he's probably if he has. Doug
what he really enjoyed always doing going way back to
is coming out of Georgia Tech and coming to the league.
(27:35):
He liked coaching the offensive line and so you know,
you're seeing these guys improve up front as an individually
and then as a group, and how they fit in
that run to give him the league in the fourth
quarter was an example of it right there.
Speaker 3 (27:51):
Yeah, they're good.
Speaker 2 (27:52):
And what I loved about what they did in the
offseason they would go and get a veteran Layden defense,
so now they can jump in and do some things.
They play hard if by they understand what their roles are,
they understand all the adjustments and those things. I can't
say enough about what they've done defensive because they just
find a way to just muck it up just enough,
just enough to make it miserable for you.
Speaker 3 (28:13):
Well, but to.
Speaker 1 (28:14):
Think about calevant H Klevon chasea and doesn't end of
that game like that guy. He's flourishing in this defense
opposite Harold Landry. Now they've had got keyon White out there.
They have different guys like Nope, Klebon, that's our guy.
And you know, I got to know him a little
bit of the Sex Summit this year, like coming out
(28:34):
of LSU. I know he was kind of a holly
thought of never really found a home. Never in a
couple of different spots he is. But you know, once
you find a home and you know they're counting on you,
then the effort, the talent, like for him to double
back and to really strip Zay Flowers in that spot,
Marcus Jones come up with the fumble to really close
(28:55):
that game out.
Speaker 4 (28:56):
That's a Mike Vrabel type play. That's effort. Get to ball.
Good things happen when you get to the ball, Like
that's a play.
Speaker 1 (29:03):
You can see Brabel putting that play, you know, on
a Monday, you know, clicker and going.
Speaker 4 (29:09):
This is how you win games, guys, how you win games?
Who's gonna do it next week? For us? And just
playing and play over and over again.
Speaker 2 (29:17):
I mean, look, it's something to watch and now on
the other side, I gotta say, man, it's probably one
of the bigger disappointments of the league to see the
Baltimore Ravens on the cusp of being eliminated.
Speaker 3 (29:28):
This is a team that many of us talked about.
Speaker 2 (29:30):
They may have the most talented roster and ball quarterback
has been a two time MVP all this other stuff.
Speaker 3 (29:36):
Why hasn't it worked in Baltimore, Body, I don't understand.
Speaker 4 (29:40):
Well, let me just back up what you just said, Buck.
Speaker 1 (29:44):
I went to the Ravens training camp twice this summer,
and both times I came away thinking, this is a
stacked roster like Lamar's coming off or could have easily
been an MVP season everything that he did, and you're thinking, Okay,
the coaching staff sables Zach Orrz in his second year,
you know, Kyle Hamilton coming back like, it looks stacked.
(30:07):
And then you know, defensively, they had a lot of injuries.
They kind of fell apart for a little while, but
they've regained their footing. But Lamarg isn't anywhere near what
we saw the last two years under Monkt. Like under Mounkin,
Todd has done a great job with him developing them
getting the explosive plays the run game, all the things
(30:28):
they did out of the run game with him and
Derrick Henry and whatever third down back they had.
Speaker 4 (30:33):
And I don't know why.
Speaker 1 (30:36):
Derrick Henry wasn't on the field in the fourth quarter
of that game after running for one hundred yards and
looking like Derrick Henry and there's Mike Rabols is probably salivating, going, man,
I had that guy.
Speaker 4 (30:46):
I know how good he is? Yeah, and how he because.
Speaker 1 (30:49):
That's when he goes to work Bucky in the fourth quarter,
after he's gotten twenty carries.
Speaker 4 (30:53):
That's his time.
Speaker 1 (30:55):
And for them in a close game, for them to
go away from Derrick Henry, that part of it is
like some coaching going on right there.
Speaker 2 (31:03):
Well now, only that you're playing with a backup quarterback
in Stupe Hunley. The fact that you don't close it
out with Derrick Henry, to me is it's crazy. And
I'll say this, and I do believe that Monken has
done a great job of evolving their offense in a
passing game. I feel like their running game, particularly when
you have Lamar Jackson, and what you could imagine them
(31:25):
doing with their old run game schemes with Derrick Henry
and Lamar Jackson alternating. You just would think that it
would be explosive and dynamic in those things, But now
you're dealing with, like going forward, a thirty two year
old running back and Derrick Henry, you're dealing with, let's
be honest and off injured Lamar Jackson lower body injuries.
Speaker 3 (31:46):
In those things, what's next for the Ravens? Like, what
does the next iteration of the Ravens look like?
Speaker 2 (31:53):
Because you're now dealing with older quarterback and an older
running back?
Speaker 4 (31:56):
Well, I mean, you know how many division titles do
they need?
Speaker 3 (32:00):
MVPs?
Speaker 1 (32:01):
And then you know postseason disappointment, like is this I mean,
is this an opportunity for Steve Pashatti to make changes
at the very top of this thing? Because this has
they have kept this thing together. They brought him Todd Munket.
That seemed like a good missing piece when they made
changes at the coordinator spot.
Speaker 4 (32:20):
But do you want to run this back again?
Speaker 1 (32:23):
Because Lamar Jackson my entary metric right now, Buck, he's
not running anywhere near.
Speaker 4 (32:27):
As fast as he used to run. Now, is that
just now? Maybe it is?
Speaker 1 (32:31):
He just needs an off season and press it up
and get healthy, and will we see that version of
him where he just makes everybody else look, you know,
like they're standing still. But there was a point in
the last two years prior to this year where there
was no defense that could stop Lamar Jackson until he
got to the postseason. Like you can try anything you
want to, you blitz him, okay, good luck. His ability
(32:53):
to extend plays, keep his eyes down the field, make
explosive throws, accurate throws on the run, whatever it was,
he did it all.
Speaker 4 (33:01):
And that's not the case this season.
Speaker 2 (33:03):
Even the play in which he got injured Baldy, that
is a routine play where we've seen Lamar Jackson get slippery, dive,
get out of it or whatever. It's the first time
that he looked clunky to me as a player. And
we've seen this with and I'm not saying that, like
I'm a believer in a player of his runnings out
being able to be successful, but we've seen this. He's
(33:25):
nearing what you close to year ten. We're getting up
there where it begins to fall off a cliff. If
it's going to fall off, I just wonder how they
can one pay him watch him age gracefully in an
offense to still maximize who he is with the pieces
around him.
Speaker 3 (33:45):
That look tough offseason for.
Speaker 2 (33:47):
The Baltimore Ravens ahead when it comes to decisions, decisions,
Tampa Bay, Carolina, the Carolina Panthers. My brother's heart is
fluttering because his Carolina Panthers are now.
Speaker 3 (34:00):
At the top of division. How are they getting the done? Man?
Speaker 2 (34:02):
Because I definitely didn't see this team as a team
as we go to the postseason.
Speaker 3 (34:06):
Well, a lot of First.
Speaker 4 (34:08):
Of all, defensively, they're very good, Bucky.
Speaker 1 (34:11):
I mean, Mike Jackson at corner last night or yesterday afternoon,
had a great day defending Mike Evans in the end
zone twice. Like he's got Mike Evans one on one
and it's almost.
Speaker 4 (34:21):
A layout for Baker to Mike Evans at the one
yard line.
Speaker 1 (34:25):
They had a goal line stand, you know early in
the game where they missed, you know, he defended Mike
Evans in the in the an zone, you know, and
they settled for three.
Speaker 4 (34:33):
That might have been the difference in the game.
Speaker 1 (34:34):
Right there, Abuka was outside of one catch was basically invisible.
This is a buccaneer team offense, at least, Bucky, where
you got everybody back. You got Evans, you got Godwin,
you got Bucky Irving, you got all your guys, Jayleen McMillan,
and you know they couldn't you know, they couldn't score
more than twenty points.
Speaker 4 (34:54):
So credit what they're doing defensively.
Speaker 1 (34:56):
Derek Brown had another unbelievable game, but it looks like
kind of you know. And then there was a miss
que late in the game between Baker Mike Evans and
you know the rookie ransom is the beneficiary of Evan's
going one way and Baker thinking he's going another way.
And he gets the interception to end the game right there.
And then you know Bryce like him and him and
(35:21):
t mac or a good combination the touchdown to t
mac and anzone like against Jamel Dean. It's a blitzeral.
You know that Todd Bowle is gonna come after you.
They do a decent job of slowing him down. They
throw it up there, he gets his touchdown. Third downs,
he's go to guy right there. This Jalen Coker keeps
coming on making key catches for him. They're not turning
(35:41):
the ball over like they've got their toughest opponent, Like
ast your brother, because I think this is the biggest
game with Seattle coming to down this weekend. Buck, Like,
this is the biggest game that's going to be played
in Charlotte in years, I don't know, like at least
the last five years.
Speaker 4 (35:58):
The biggest game that's going to be played with a
really good.
Speaker 1 (36:00):
Team coming to see him, We're going to find out,
you know, are they going to be if they win
the division? And I'm going to be there on Sunday
in Charlotte if they win the division? Are they going
to be a tough out? You know, should they get
you know, a playoff game at home there in Charlotte.
Speaker 3 (36:16):
Yeah, I'm gonna say this. I give Drew Canalis a
lot of credit.
Speaker 2 (36:19):
I feel like he's done a good job of being
forthright about his struggles as a head coach in terms
of learning and evolving on the job, training the job
that he's done with Bryce Young after making Bryce Young
earn the QB one spot, Like for the last year
or so, it's been really really good defensively, you talked
about how good they are, Yeah, they're will positioned to
do it. I think in anticipation of this matchup with
(36:42):
Tampa coming in, I keep looking for Tampa to hit
the switch.
Speaker 3 (36:47):
I just like with Todd Bowles and his.
Speaker 2 (36:49):
Defense and what they had available and Baker Mayfield coming
on the heels or whatever. I kept waiting for the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers to hit the switch. Here they are
hovering right at five hundred and it drives me absolutely crazy.
Speaker 1 (37:02):
No, no, it doesn't look anything like what we have
witnessed over the last four years with Todd Bowles and Baker,
who was coming off one of the great seasons in
the history of this game, when he threw for over
forty touchdowns and forty five hundred yards a year ago,
and it was one big comeback after another.
Speaker 4 (37:18):
I mean, Baker still getting some scrambles that are keeping
some drives alive.
Speaker 1 (37:21):
But I thought the Panthers had a bunch of third
down stops in the second half of that game to
force them to pump the ball away where they couldn't
really get into their playbook and get in to the weapons.
Speaker 3 (37:34):
That they have.
Speaker 1 (37:34):
Offensively, you saw some runs from Bucky or you saw
a big run from Rashad White.
Speaker 4 (37:40):
You saw pieces. They just couldn't sustain it. Bucky and
Credit because if you look at if you look.
Speaker 1 (37:47):
At Carolina's defense, whether it's Rose Boom or whether it's
Maoring or you know, you go through the list of
players on that a Sean Robinson like, it looks a
little bit.
Speaker 4 (37:59):
Like a you know, expansion team.
Speaker 1 (38:02):
You know, the guys from other teams, but they've done
a good job of molding those guys together.
Speaker 2 (38:11):
Last game, we got to talk about the Buffalo Bills
the Cleveland Browns.
Speaker 3 (38:15):
Buffalo find a way to get it done.
Speaker 2 (38:17):
With Josh Allen compromised with a little foot injury, they
still find a way to knock off the Browns.
Speaker 1 (38:22):
He threw it nineteen times, bucking through four hundred and
thirty yards.
Speaker 4 (38:25):
So it was time for James Cook.
Speaker 1 (38:27):
Like that offensive line is going to be a problem
for anybody in the postseason. I mean, I think you
can depend on James Cook right now. He's got over
fifteen hundred yards just rushing this year.
Speaker 3 (38:38):
Buck.
Speaker 1 (38:40):
He has been the bellcal that they wanted the offensive line.
He just knows how to, you know, continue to extend
drives right there. And that defense in Cleveland is good,
they're great, and to be able to pierce them for
one hundred and seventeen yards like he did getting the
average that he did, being able to sustain drives against
that deep defense like it was good. And then you
(39:03):
know the defense took the ball away from shed or
had the interception by by Poyer and by Jones, which
kind of slowed Cleveland.
Speaker 4 (39:10):
Down a little bit.
Speaker 1 (39:12):
It was it was a hard fought game, hard thought
they knew it was going to be going into Cleveland.
They're still playing hard for Jimmy Schwartz on that side
of the ball, and they just they were able to
eat out a win. But you look at say a
guy like you know, Gregory Rousseau yesterday, he had the
two and a half sacks, but he hits the door
seven times in that game, like they roughed him up
pretty good. And so I thought Buffalo's defense stepped up,
(39:34):
you know, in a game where they had to at
some point.
Speaker 2 (39:37):
Yeah, it's gonna be interesting for the Buffalo Bills in
the tournament because they arguably will have the best quarterback
in the tournament. But this might be the weakest version
of the Buffalo Bills they hit the postseason in the
last four or five years in terms of you know,
they have James Cook about Baldy. If we're being honest
about the number of blue chippers that they have on
the roster. They're not loaded with blue chip players, and
(39:58):
so for them to win, they have to bring their
a game each and every week because they can't just
out talent the teams that are going to be in there.
And if they want Josh Allen to get into the
phone booth, he can, but they can need a healthy
and spryan ready Josh Allen to be able to do
that for a three game run in the postseason to
get them to the super Bowl.
Speaker 1 (40:19):
Well, we know that they're going to be vulnerable to
anybody that can run the ball really well.
Speaker 4 (40:24):
And so it's been a weakness.
Speaker 3 (40:25):
It's there.
Speaker 1 (40:26):
It wasn't you know when Quinn Scheawn went down yesterday unfortunately.
And really the tackle play that Cleveland has right now,
I don't know what number offensive tackle they're on, but
it's it's deep.
Speaker 4 (40:37):
Down the roster.
Speaker 1 (40:38):
I mean, they weren't good enough, but in the postseason
they're going to see some teams, you know, that can
run the football, whether it's it's Jacksonville, whether it's Denver
right now, you know, competing over whether it's Houston, and
what they're doing right now with their rookie running back.
I mean, it's just there's some guys there that some
teams there that you know, can pound the football pretty good.
Speaker 2 (40:58):
Last day, I get a shuit overall. Take I've been
popping in and looking at Shad or what are you
seeing from him? Because there's a lot of noise around
how he's playing, But when you looked at him, where
would you say he is as a normal rookie quarterback
at this stage of his development.
Speaker 1 (41:14):
I think that you got to be happy the way
that he's you know, moving like him and Harold Fan
and have a good relationship. It's just all rookies. The
receiving corps isn't very good. Bucky like Jerry Judy didn't
very good right now and Levardaine and you go through
the guys that they have. I mean, the quarterback is
only going to be as good. Just think about Treadle
and the difference with Parker Washington and Jacoby Myers. In
(41:39):
the addition that Jacoby Myers has been and when they
got Brent Strange back healthy, like he needs pieces around him.
Speaker 4 (41:45):
I think he sees the field well. I think he
throws the deep ball well. I think he extends plays.
Speaker 3 (41:51):
You know he can.
Speaker 1 (41:52):
You know, he ran yesterday a bunch of times for
some first downs. I'm not disappointed in stud or now.
If you don't think he's the answer, Cleveland's probably gonna
have a whole bunch of changes. They might have that
get that opportunity right now. But I think these last
two games are still really important for s order just
to keep playing. Just to think that a month ago
he hadn't even gotten a practice, right you know, in
(42:14):
three months, and so it's on the job training right now.
And so But I don't think he's disappointing. Every time
they try to put the microphone in front of him
to disparage the coach, he never does it. He handles
himself well, because that's a big part of any quarterback
being able to handle the outside noise, the media, all
that kind of stuff. He handles all that stuff, you know,
like he's like like he went to school for.
Speaker 3 (42:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (42:37):
No, he's certainly done a good job when it comes
to that grand pages. You look around the league, all
these young quarterbacks are up and down. JJ McCarthy can't
finish games. You had Jackson Dart who didn't have a
great performance against the Minnesota Vikings.
Speaker 3 (42:48):
That's kind of part of what it is.
Speaker 2 (42:50):
And to be honest, Baldy, I looked at all these
college football games and we'll get to it on another episode.
But man, I don't know if that answer at quarterback
is coming into twenty twenty six class.
Speaker 3 (42:59):
I mean people talking about fandom.
Speaker 1 (43:02):
If you threw after what we see for the last month,
if we threw Tyler Shuck.
Speaker 3 (43:07):
Into this draft, oh, I mean, he's gonna be about
his age.
Speaker 1 (43:10):
I know his age, but that guy can flat out
play Bucky.
Speaker 2 (43:15):
He's gonna be at the top play. He's gonna be
at the top of the He's gonna be at the
top of the charts. And I think people have to
that that evaluation is that it's not just gonna be
twenty twenty twenty six class versus that, but it is
what do these look like versus Jackson Dark versus should
do or versus some of the young quarterbacks?
Speaker 3 (43:33):
Where would they slot up?
Speaker 2 (43:34):
And if we stack them all up, I don't know
if guys in the twenty twenty sixth class are.
Speaker 3 (43:39):
Gonna be at the top of the list. Just give
him without team.
Speaker 1 (43:42):
Yeah, but even but even like nobody wants to talk
about you know Cam, you know in Tennessee. But all
he does, I mean, first of all, he's got all
rookies around him, all right, not a very good offensive
line in certain spots, but like he's gonna take every
snap for him this year. And all he does is
(44:02):
is just compete like hell, and he's looking like there's
a guy that you can build with. And so all
of a sudden, you know some guys that maybe weren't
I don't know, Like if you put Cam back in here,
Cam warton this draft, like this is number one pick,
I think again, and Tyler Shutt might be right behind
him right now.
Speaker 2 (44:18):
Yeah, it's gonna be interesting. It's so fascinating. I can't
wait for us to finish and go through the postseason.
But you know, I love ten draft stuff with you,
especially when you look at these big guys, because watching
that Miami Texas game was a big, ugly game.
Speaker 3 (44:29):
I'm sure you got the pig and slop watching those
big guys play.
Speaker 1 (44:33):
Well, you know, Maredalad right now is like you know,
and then you know what Alabama's gonna have.
Speaker 4 (44:39):
You know, if they were left.
Speaker 1 (44:39):
Tad proc to me, Yeah, I mean it's gonna you
know it's gonna be one of those things where we're
gonna have to watch a lot in order to be
able to separate this tackle class, because I think there's
gonna be a lot of guys at the very top
of the draft and everybody's gonna be looking for that guy.
Speaker 3 (44:55):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (44:55):
Well look, man, this is always fun. I love our
body's breakdowns on Monday. Thanks for coming on ball next week.
Speaker 1 (45:00):
I let's do it, my buddy, Merry Christmas to you, Buck,
You too, man, My buddy got it.
Speaker 5 (45:10):
M hm
And now move the sticks with Daniel Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Welcome to move to six on Bucky Brooks and today
it's a solo mission, me and my guy Baldi's breakdowns.
Speaker 3 (00:12):
Brian Baldy to join.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
You mean to break down all the action from the weekend,
and Baldy, we got to start where I was at
Denver bronc ros Jacksonville Jaguars. You've been on record going
to Jacksonville being very impressed with the coaching staff and
those things.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
Just overview on what you saw when you popped in
the tape.
Speaker 4 (00:30):
Well, it was a rocky start, Bucky, A rocky start.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
I mean, this was a I mean, obviously they've got
a great defense, a great defense in front. They were
all over all over Trentford to start from the very
first play the game. I mean they hit him, and
they sacked him. They hit him early. That first quarter
is a little rough. But then I really thought like,
and you know, they lost they lost Makay, they lost
(00:56):
the right guard. You know early that gave Walker little
went in there. I thought, I thought a third and
ten scramble in that throw to Parker really really kind
of open things up for it. They they they eventually
got some kind of a rhythm to the offense, and
I thought that that was a big part of you know,
kind of success, but uh.
Speaker 4 (01:18):
It was it was not.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
It was not.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
It was a tough start. Let me just say that
just watching it, Bucky, Yeah, look tough start, Like Baldy
coming in. My biggest question going in was not only
the pass rush that the Denver Broncos. Obviously they on
pays for seventy sacks and they had a bunch of
sacks on Sunday, but with the Jaguars be able to
win on the outside, because the thing that makes the
Broncos so difficult is not only the pass rush, because
(01:41):
Vance is gonna bring pressure from everywhere, but they're so
sticky on the outside. They gonna match pass or ten
on your number one, and they're gonna deal you to
win with the twos and threes. And everyone likes to
pick on Ridley Moss, but he's been really, really good
in terms of he may give up penalties, but he
does a good job in coverage and Baldy the first quarter,
the first half, Brian Thomas Junior with null and void
(02:02):
with passive ten, but Riley Moss and all the other
guys McLean and uh they'd hit Millan, Milan. They had
so many guys locking up. It was tough leading for
the Jaguars. Talk about their one the challenge of dealing
with the Broncos secondary, and then what you saw from
Len Coyn and those guys.
Speaker 5 (02:22):
Making adjustments, well, you know, I mean they they you know,
they got the ball to Breton Strange, they got the
ball to Parker, They got the ball, you know, to
Etn for the fourth touchdown pass in the last two weeks, Bucky.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
So they found plays, they found you know, basic flat routes.
You know, they hit Parker on two third and three
third and fives. He turned one into a sixty yard game,
just flit Riley Moss and the safety on the outside,
and he was able to win.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
I thought that, you know.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
Jacoby Myers is a huge addition to this team, just being.
Speaker 4 (02:57):
Able to execute just simple things.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
He's like tossed crack where he's blocking two guys, blocking down,
blocking the outside defensive end and then going up to
Havana and getting that done.
Speaker 4 (03:08):
Just I thought the.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
Receivers between park and Jacobi a lot of tough catches
and Brenton Strange a lot of tough catches, but I thought,
as hard as like, you remember that the hit by PJ.
Speaker 4 (03:21):
Locke on you know, it was.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
Kind of a free shot and you just see, you know,
Trevor just getting bent backwards on a blind side, hitting
where he'd already relaxed and thought, okay, here it comes
to flag and he just you just see the toughness
of Trevor and the Trefler, the toughness of Trevor. I thought,
bucky really from that hit through the first quarter, in
that noise, in that atmosphere, to see him just sort
(03:44):
of survive in that first quarter, to be able to
get into a rhythm, I thought that was really really
key because they didn't they couldn't really run the ball
very well.
Speaker 4 (03:52):
It's a really good front.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
So it was really up to Trevor to just be
able to go through his progressions and get the ball
out of his hands quickly and accurately, you know for
some you know, I think he threw fromos three hundred yards,
but he really had to earn it in those throws.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
I thought, you know, buddy, so much is now going
to be made of Trevor Lawrence and you've dug in
because the last couple of weeks we've had conversations about
the Jacks. But I'll tell you this, since the Arizona
Cardinal game when he threw four interceptions, From that moment on,
even in that game, he's been a different guy. Liam
Cohn and let and Trevor had a one on one conversation.
We encouraged him to just let it rip, to let
(04:28):
it to let it go, to play freely, don't worry
about the mistakes, like be aggressive, not reckless, but just go.
And from that point on, he has been everything that
anyone could envision the number one overall pick being. You
had a chance to see him in training camp when
he was kind of still trying to figure it out.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
Aunte, What what do you see when you look at
number sixteen?
Speaker 1 (04:50):
Well, I mean, to your point, Bucky, from that Arizona game,
I mean, he's thrown twelve touchdowns own receptions last four weeks.
Speaker 4 (04:56):
Now they've won six in a row, so they're a
hot team.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
And to go in and down and being a team
that's one eleven in a row, I mean, he's the captain.
Speaker 4 (05:03):
Of the ship.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
But I thought, I feel like Liam does a great
job of empowering.
Speaker 4 (05:10):
And I think most coordinators try to do this. Okay,
this is your offense, this is what you see you do,
But I think he puts them in really good positions
to be successful. I mean even the touchdown to Parker
to get him on the board. I mean, Jakwan mcmillon's
all over, but he gives them a chance to make
to catch. You know, he's playing, Jaquan's playing blind.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
He's an excellent It's a slot fade, right, I mean
three receivers set slot.
Speaker 4 (05:36):
Fade out there.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
But I just felt like Trevor's giving the receivers a
chance to go make a play. And I think to
your point, you can being out there in training camp
and watching it work, and you've been around Liam a lot,
but if people haven't been around him the command that
he has, he's about as close to McVeigh as we've seen,
(06:00):
just his command of the offense, how he commands the team,
because it's way more than just the offense, how he
commands the team, even the little subtle thing bucket everybody's
playing up right now.
Speaker 4 (06:10):
You're just a small market team, you know.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
What I mean, Just like I mean, it's subtle you
still gotta go play, you still got to go execute.
But just his ability to take a little SoundBite like
that and to make it pretty big, especially after the victory.
Speaker 3 (06:26):
You see that he.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
Hears everything, he sees everything, and then he knows how
to kind of just like it, get it on the
rails for his whole team to play.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
Yeah, he definitely does that.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
He has them playing at a different level, playing edgy
and those things. But I'm gonna say this about the Broncos,
I think this may be the best thing to ever happen.
Speaker 3 (06:47):
I think the weight of having an.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
Extingished winning streak going into the playoffs can be difficult.
I think sometimes, whether it's a loss or whatever, you
kind of need that moment to reset, and a lot
of times you have to play attention best when they lose.
I'm gonna say this, bo Nicks is even better than
I ever could imagine, like watching him first at Auburn
then at Oregon, and it speaks to the maturity that
(07:12):
he has. It also speaks to what a coach can
do to slowly build a player up. Because I know
they lost and he had two turnovers and those things.
Speaker 3 (07:21):
But Baldy, my eyes told me that this is a.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
Really good Broncos team and he is going to be
a really really good quarterback in this league for a
long time.
Speaker 1 (07:31):
Well to your initial point, Bucky about this is not
a bad loss. Nobody wants to lose, but this at
the time of the year, right here at home, and
they got a short week coming up. Alex Singleton said it,
we've won eleven in a row. We've got twelve wins.
This is in the end of the world. Like, that's
a veteran player that's led that team in tackles a
number of years. Yet he's speaking up with a smile
(07:53):
on his face, going, look, we played it.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
You know.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
We hit that quarterback Trevor Lawrence. We sacked him seven times,
we hit him fourteen times. We did some good things.
This is far from over for us, and so I
think the reset button on a short week is is
probably not a bad thing. We've seen good teams lose
late in the season and it's probably the best thing
that could happen to him.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
Yeah, best thing. Last thing before we get off this game.
Speaker 4 (08:17):
RJ.
Speaker 3 (08:17):
Harvey is a huge problem for defenses. Man.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
This dude is really good running between the tackles with
Baldy out in space. You can see the eventual evolution
of this offense where they have Courtland a sudden.
Speaker 3 (08:30):
They have Marvin Men's But r J.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
Harvey is exactly what Sean Payton has always had, and
that is that X factor out of the backfield that
can create problems. He is not quite Alvin Kamara, but
you can see him playing that Alvin Kamara Darren Sproll's
role that Sean Payton has always had someone play out
of the backfield.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
Well, I mean, look, it took an unfortunate injury to JK. Dobbins,
you know, to get him into that role. You know,
I think that Jaliel is still going to get his
carries because he's still slippering and he's still.
Speaker 4 (09:00):
Got excellent vision.
Speaker 1 (09:02):
I've seen cracks, but he's always had He's always had
a committee at running back.
Speaker 4 (09:07):
He's always been able to rotate in on certain situations.
But RJ.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
It means a great rookie class of running backs across
the league, and RJ is one of those guys that
you know going forward, he's going to be a big
part of their postseason plans.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
Yeah, speaking of postseason, I guess we should make postseason
plans for the Pittsburgh steel is because somehow, some way,
no matter what I am telling you, man, Mike Tomlin,
is that that figure in horror movies that you just
can't kill. Somehow, the Steelers are sitting here with nine wins.
They get a big win on the road. I'm be
honest with you, body, I didn't think they could go
(09:44):
in Detroit and knock them off. You were there to
tell me how they got it done.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
Well, it's a ten to three game and the Steelers
weren't able to do anything on offense. And then with
twenty seconds ago and a half, Aaron Rodgers was looking
really just to get him into field goal range to
maybe kick a field goal, because their field goal kicker
was making him from sixty yards. Boswell's making him from
sixty plus a pre game, so I think they were
looking to get in the field goal range and he
(10:08):
didn't like his check down. He just cut it loose.
They had one on one on the outside between the
running back he Kenneth Gainwell and Alex Angeloni, and the
first thing you see is interference on Angeloni and the
flag comes out, but the play's not over. And then
the next thing you see is just maybe the catch
of the year by Gainwell, where he's on the ground
(10:32):
and he somehow traps the ball on his forearm and
then has the just the awareness, Bucky to squeeze it
right there, and then on top of that, to know
that Angeloni has rolled off him and hasn't touched him
to get up and go score, and nobody's really sure
what's happened. Even Aaron doesn't even know at that point
(10:52):
what happened. And so they get a forty five yard
touchdown on a hail mary throw. And we were reminded
by a lot of people in that building that it
was a ten year anniversary of Annon Rodgers thirty yell
married to Richard Rodgers to win the game ten years
ago in Detroit, And so it wasn't that throw, but
(11:13):
it was like this Gamewell could easily, if it's not
for Arny, it could easily be the MVP of the
offense for the Steelers. But what was really odd, Buck
was they scored three touchdowns in the game and all
of them were from forty five yards away. Gainwell was
forty five yards and then Jalen Warren on back to
back series went off left tackle, forty five yards on
(11:36):
a toss crack, and forty five yards off a weak
side slant forty five yards for a touchdown.
Speaker 4 (11:41):
So all three touchdowns were from forty five yards away.
Speaker 1 (11:45):
And so if you're looking for, you know, that voodoo
thing like like you can't defeat that, you know, whatever
that is, it's they had that going on now. A
couple of things. One they have started Dylan Cook, this
kid out of Montana Bucket.
Speaker 4 (12:02):
Two weeks in a row.
Speaker 1 (12:03):
He gave up a sack on kind of a late
sack to Hutch and other than that, he picks another
shutout out there.
Speaker 4 (12:12):
They've been trying to firm up the left tackle spot.
Speaker 1 (12:15):
Since I don't know, you know, Max, Max Starks forever, forever,
they've been drafting guys, you know, broughd.
Speaker 4 (12:21):
A Jones whatever. He looks like he's the guy. He's
always on his feed, Bucky. He's never on the ground.
He's good in the run game.
Speaker 1 (12:29):
He always does is dance in front of his guy
to protect the blind side of Aaron Rodgers. And for
three weeks in a row, Aaron Rodgers's not turn the
ball over. They dink and dunk. They take what you
give you, they get some they find some explosive plays.
It doesn't look pretty. You think to yourself, can they
win a game of the postseason if they get the postseason?
And you think, okay, they play without TJ. They play
(12:52):
without Nick Kirbig, that's the number one offense in football,
and you hold them, you know.
Speaker 4 (12:57):
Like they did, you know.
Speaker 1 (13:00):
To really two fourth quarter touchdowns by Jared Gott but
other than that, you know, they really squeezed him pretty good.
They've got a great special teams. I don't know, like
the team looks dangerous to me.
Speaker 2 (13:13):
Yeah, It's funny you talk about that defense because the
last time many people were tuned in, they looked terrible
on defense, given up big plays all over the place.
Speaker 3 (13:19):
They had done it.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
What have they done the last couple of weeks to
kind of fix the issue, because they's certainly not leaking
like they were leaking well as recent as a month ago.
Speaker 4 (13:29):
Well, you know, the.
Speaker 1 (13:30):
Leakage came in that lost to Buffalo where they ran
for two hundred and fifty yards at home.
Speaker 3 (13:35):
And since then, you.
Speaker 1 (13:36):
Know, they went on the road in Buffalo to Baltimore,
they won them. They beat Miami on Monday night and
then this game. So they won three in a row
since that schlacking by Buffalo where they just had the
ball run down their throats. Yesterday they squeezed Jamier Gibbs
and David Montgomery and they didn't get anything.
Speaker 3 (13:50):
Buck.
Speaker 1 (13:51):
Now Detroit had a center making his first start. The
first two centers were out. He struggled mightily. They put
a nose tackle on them all games, and he couldn't
handle Cano Betton or Cam Hayward. They had a backup
left guard in there for most of the day, like
they were shorthanded up front, and Jared Goff kind of
struggled in the run game, struggled, I thought, up until
(14:13):
those last two drives where they just dropped back and
through it and they got you know, pretty fortunate. Of course,
it came down to you know, this final play, Buck, Yeah.
I mean it's like a lot of these games that
we're gonna talk about all week came down to the
final play and you could call a Monra Saint Brown's
you know, passing interference against Jala Ramsey, and it was and.
Speaker 4 (14:32):
They threw two flags came out.
Speaker 1 (14:34):
But the way the play finished and the way that
you know, GoF took to you can't script this stuff
that's happening at the end of these games right now.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
Yeah, the lateral Amamra Saint Brown finds Jared Goff, flips
it to him, Jared Goff goes into the end zone.
It looked like there was pure chaos in the building
because the referee signaled touchdown and said touchdown. Oh, by
the way, there's offensive pass interference and they kind of
dropped the mic and so no one knows what's going on.
One of the crazier innings I've ever seen.
Speaker 4 (15:03):
Now there's no doubt and yeah, I mean it just came.
Speaker 1 (15:08):
It came down to the final twenty seconds of the game,
and we didn't like you know, Detroit things they scored,
and the Carl Cheffers who was the referee, bucky and
it took it took three minutes, four minutes before they
could get the ruling right because he initially came out
and said touchdown by the lines, which it was, except
(15:29):
it was nullified by the pass interference by So it
was very confusing to hear, you know, the final you know,
wording of that. They got it right, but it didn't
exactly come out right. A couple of things a couple
of things also about this Steelers offense.
Speaker 4 (15:45):
You know, they picked up Adam Feeling from.
Speaker 1 (15:48):
From you know, I mean, he's bounced from Carolina to Minnesota.
Now he's in he's in Pittsburgh. And I saw before
the game a little bit. He had four catches in
the game, but a lot of them were on third downs,
and you kind of get the feeling Aaron just needs
a trusted veteran, you know, on third downs to go
win a round, and he'll get you the ball. He'll
he'll you know, he'll flick it, he'll he'll have an
(16:10):
accurate throw. But a guy that he can really really
put his trust into. And so we don't know what's
gonna happen to DK Metcalf. That's another story, Buckey. I
guess we get into whatever DK did to a fan,
you know, on the side out there. I haven't heard
anything yet today. I haven't really been paying attention. But
they might play without DK four game or two.
Speaker 4 (16:32):
We'll see what happens.
Speaker 1 (16:33):
But Feeling's going a guy that I think they can
count on to step up right now. In addition to
both backs, Warren and Gainwell are guys that they really trust.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
You know, it's funny because in looking at the box
score and seeing the way the ball was distributed, you
can see Aaron going to his full Denk and dunk mode,
working inside out running backs, slot receivers, tied ends, and
then finding a couple of plays on the outside.
Speaker 3 (16:58):
Look.
Speaker 2 (16:58):
That can be very challenging for teams in the postseason,
just because when the pressure gets tight, he is so
good in those moments and trying to find the right one.
It'd be interesting to see how it plays out. They're
going from Aaron to his former team. Man, I'm at
dinner trying to watch the Chicago Green Bay game. It
seems like it's in the bag for the Gobay Packers,
(17:21):
and then all of a sudden have a the dessert
body and it's over.
Speaker 1 (17:25):
Well it's one point buckets, sixteen to six, okay, and
Chicago goes down and they kick the.
Speaker 4 (17:31):
Field goal to make it sixteen to nine.
Speaker 1 (17:33):
And then when two minutes ago they go on sidekick
and you know, Romeo Dops is on the hands team
like all receivers and tight ends.
Speaker 4 (17:40):
Yeah, and he takes his eyes off the ball.
Speaker 1 (17:43):
You know, they're split five to five, so five guys
on one side five or the other and the ball
gets kicked by Cairo Santos. He gets a little bit
of a bounce and Romeo takes his eyes off it
for one pre second. It bounces off his chests and
there's boswell, uh, I'm trying to think of anyways, it
(18:03):
gets recovered by Chicago and then next thing, you know,
I didn't know Jade Walker, I didn't know who he
was bucking. He catches like you know, you got a
two by two set down there, you know, inside the twenty,
and green Bay blows the coverage.
Speaker 4 (18:17):
Bucky Flynt blow the coverage.
Speaker 1 (18:20):
And they leave you know, Walker all alone in the
end zone for the touchdown to tie it up. And
so there you go. And then and then you know,
you got to remember the new overtime rules. You know,
here comes you know, green Bay right down the field,
and you know they score in overtime.
Speaker 4 (18:36):
It's I mean, it was.
Speaker 1 (18:38):
It was absolutely unbelievable the way that they know, the
way it played out to get in overtime like that.
Speaker 3 (18:44):
You know, and the poor green Bay Packers.
Speaker 2 (18:47):
And I know every team is dealing with injuries, but man,
you talk about being snake bit by the injury bug
and key moments. Jordan Love goes out when he's playing
fairly well, Malik Willis has to come in and kind
of finished.
Speaker 3 (18:57):
The deal out.
Speaker 2 (18:58):
They've lost their pass us, they lost to Craft, They've
lost so many guys along the way that look they're
punchless team. But even in saying that, I got to
give the Bears a lot of credit because this is
a new iteration of the Bears and the Ben Johnson.
They're a tough team. They play to the end. He
has found a way to generate offense in different ways
(19:19):
to make sure that they are able to put points
on the board. I can't stop raving about Ben Johnson
in the job that he did, because I'm be honest,
I was a little skeptical. The setup was so great
for him in Detroit, I wonder if he could replicate
it elsewhere. But he certainly has taken that blueprint and
put together into Winni City.
Speaker 1 (19:36):
He is He's an amazing coach and some of the
things he does Bucky like everybody runs feto rows, but
he will do things like just change the speed of
one of the receivers or make it look like the
receivers going to block the free safety to kind of
like just get some kind of.
Speaker 4 (19:54):
Interference and there's Dj Moore in the middle of the field.
Speaker 1 (19:57):
Like just the subtle little things he does to break
the pattern that everybody defends in this league is a
specialty of his. The way that for example, he probably
more than anybody else on third and three, plus he
runs the ball. He ran it with Kyle Managa on
third and three they picked up twelve. But most teams
third and three part during passing situation, they just don't trust,
(20:19):
especially against Packers, Wh's got a good defensive front, good
against the run, but Manangai goes and picks it up.
The use of like the entire league right now is
in thirteen personnel. They get into a thirteen personnel with
Derham smythe along with you know, Loveland and.
Speaker 3 (20:38):
Eighty five.
Speaker 1 (20:39):
Like they just they were able to do that as
well as anybody right now and just and then you know,
the touchdown throw to win the game by Calen probably
the best throw he has made to the biggest throw
that he has made to win that game on that night,
on a Saturday night there to win the game to
Dj Moore with Keishaw Nixon.
Speaker 4 (20:59):
All over all, they can't cover, can't cover any better.
Speaker 1 (21:02):
Buck and the throw and the catch by DJ, I
don't know DJ even knew, just help like he's just
doing a snow angel on the end zone, laying on his.
Speaker 3 (21:13):
Back, goone.
Speaker 1 (21:14):
I don't know how he actually controlled the ball into
the end zone right there to win that game.
Speaker 3 (21:20):
Yeah, it was an amazing throw.
Speaker 2 (21:22):
And it's the thing that really should excite Bears fans
from Kaylen Williams because we all can see the improvement,
even though it's not consistently reflected in the stat line.
Speaker 3 (21:32):
He is a different player than he was his rookie season.
Speaker 2 (21:35):
He is playing with more discipline and attention to detail
and those things. And as he grows or gains more
confidence in the system and what will.
Speaker 3 (21:44):
Open up for him, You'll see those numbers on the ubject.
Speaker 2 (21:47):
But I'm gonna tell you it's the running game that
is going to be the problem that people have to
deal with when they deal with the Bears in the postseason,
no question.
Speaker 1 (21:55):
And all those moves that they made from Drew Dollomon,
you know, to Toney to Jonah like those three guys,
and then to see Darnell Wright come on to go
to Ozzy and Trapillo, you know, a left tackle. After
going through Braxton Jones and going through benedictt and now
deciding on Trapillo. They've had three guys out there from
(22:16):
the beginning of the season, and it looks like they've
they've got their guy at left tackle. But their commitment
to the run game buck and the way that they
do it, I mean, you don't know who's going to
be in the backfield sometimes, but it is a true
one to two punch with DeAndre Swift and Kyle Manungai
and menung guy might be as difficult to tackle as
(22:36):
anybody in this league. Like his balance, his contact strength
is second to none in this league. And they and
then you know, and then if you have to add
on what kleeb can do, whether through scrambles or design runs,
like he's about as hard as any quarterback in this
league to get to the ground.
Speaker 4 (22:55):
So it is a form of commitment. But you know,
they lead the league in takeaways by a wide margin.
Speaker 1 (22:59):
Right now, they're over thirty came aways so far through
fifteen games.
Speaker 4 (23:04):
I don't know if that's gonna stop.
Speaker 1 (23:05):
You know, it could be you know, just recovering a fumble,
you know, between Milie Willis in the center, you know,
in a key spot in the game.
Speaker 4 (23:12):
But they got on it.
Speaker 1 (23:14):
It's a consistent thing week in week out to taking
the ball away.
Speaker 2 (23:19):
I'm gonna tell you this, man, like, it's amazing how
good Dennis Allen is as a coordinator when he's had
the struggles as a coach. But and you know this,
it's uncommon for a team that plays as much man
man as the Bears do to take the ball away
the way that they do it. Normally we play Manda Man,
you get breakups because eyes are not on the quarterback,
so you see it late.
Speaker 3 (23:36):
You reactions are late.
Speaker 2 (23:37):
But man, they are some turnover obsessed ball hawks that
find everybody. I mean, they just just get it. Because
I did a breakdown. I was looking at No Sean
right and what he's been able to do. And I
think about Al Harris and Al Harris working with him
first in Dallas but then in Chicago where this dude
is a legitimate. He's gonna be a big pay corner
(23:57):
when he is free agency in the spring.
Speaker 3 (24:00):
People gonna pay for that size and those balls.
Speaker 1 (24:02):
Well, it's interesting, Buck, because Jalen Johnson is back, but
he's flitting time with Tyreek Stevenson and Nashan is staying
at the right quarner like he he wirely piped everybody
that was Jalen Johnson and Jalen Johnson in Pro Bowl
corner in this league. But he's played so well, they're
just leaving.
Speaker 3 (24:18):
A be over there. Let's move to the sundate.
Speaker 2 (24:25):
That game the New England Patriots Baltimore ravens some people
in Baltimore saying it's the end of an era just
given what they're gonna have to do with free agents
and those things.
Speaker 3 (24:35):
But my Rabel and the Patriots find a way to
get it done on the road. Yeah, they did.
Speaker 4 (24:40):
And it's interesting.
Speaker 1 (24:41):
I just started the offense first because they've got they
got two tight ends that have traveled this league, Austin
Hooper Hunter Henry.
Speaker 4 (24:49):
But they got a real home there, you know, because
they you know, they run.
Speaker 1 (24:54):
Some of the things that they asked Drake made to
do are so basic, Buck, I mean, curl flat, you know,
you know, it gives a cover three divide with a
YY formation. Two tight ends, like some of these things
are just basic, basic completions. But they're drive starters, you know,
and they get chunks and then if you sprinkle in
what Diggs did yesterday to Baltimore, like Diggs had he
(25:18):
had a Digs type. He can still separate at the
top of his route. And it didn't matter if it
was Marlon Humphrey or whether it was Wiggins, like he's
gonna still you give that guy a chance to go win.
Speaker 4 (25:29):
He's continually he's gonna win. Buck, like it's who he is.
Speaker 1 (25:34):
And when they were down twenty four to thirteen, he
was getting kicked off, like we're gonna win this game,
and he kind of like helped put it in his hands.
Speaker 3 (25:43):
To do it.
Speaker 1 (25:44):
And it was, you know, the throw at twenty four
to thirteen, Buck, the throw to Kyle Williams, the rookie.
I went back and look, Buck, he's got seven catches
on the year, but three are touchdowns and the thirty
seven yard touchdown from Drake. And first of all, the
throw is amazing, but the coverage is amazing and Kyle Williams,
like the legs went dead, the concentration, the catch to
(26:08):
get it to twenty four to twenty.
Speaker 4 (26:09):
That was a huge part of that game.
Speaker 3 (26:12):
Yeah, a big part of it.
Speaker 2 (26:13):
And I say this, Mike Rabel has built this team
and the image of the Patriots teams that he played on.
They are a team that you look around and you're
trying to identify the star outside the quarterback. But they
have a bunch of really good players that play their role.
They make their plays when their numbers are called upon.
You talked about Stefan Diggs, who have some star power,
but man, you talk about a nondescript offense that's able
(26:35):
to get it done Keishan BUTI being able to make play.
I mean, they just have so many guys that they've
thrown together. And Josh McDaniels, I mean, you put him
in a Patriots uniform, you put him in that starter jacket,
whatever jacket he wears.
Speaker 3 (26:48):
The play calling is at a different level when he's
up in Foxboro.
Speaker 1 (26:52):
Well you think about it, Buck, I mean, there they
are in typical Josh McDaniels offset eye with Jack Westover,
you know, the fullback, and it's you know, it's twenty
four to twenty one, and here comes Ramandre Stevenson and
a little power and they you know, they just they
just opened up, you know, the Ravens defense. And there
goes Remandre out the back door and you know, Morgan
(27:15):
Moses is over there and I'll when you and like,
nobody's going to the Pro Bowl on that front. But
you know, you look at what Doug Marone has done.
Obviously you know Doug really well, but you know Doug's
in his role like he's probably if he has. Doug
what he really enjoyed always doing going way back to
is coming out of Georgia Tech and coming to the league.
(27:35):
He liked coaching the offensive line and so you know,
you're seeing these guys improve up front as an individually
and then as a group, and how they fit in
that run to give him the league in the fourth
quarter was an example of it right there.
Speaker 3 (27:51):
Yeah, they're good.
Speaker 2 (27:52):
And what I loved about what they did in the
offseason they would go and get a veteran Layden defense,
so now they can jump in and do some things.
They play hard if by they understand what their roles are,
they understand all the adjustments and those things. I can't
say enough about what they've done defensive because they just
find a way to just muck it up just enough,
just enough to make it miserable for you.
Speaker 3 (28:13):
Well, but to.
Speaker 1 (28:14):
Think about calevant H Klevon chasea and doesn't end of
that game like that guy. He's flourishing in this defense
opposite Harold Landry. Now they've had got keyon White out there.
They have different guys like Nope, Klebon, that's our guy.
And you know, I got to know him a little
bit of the Sex Summit this year, like coming out
(28:34):
of LSU. I know he was kind of a holly
thought of never really found a home. Never in a
couple of different spots he is. But you know, once
you find a home and you know they're counting on you,
then the effort, the talent, like for him to double
back and to really strip Zay Flowers in that spot,
Marcus Jones come up with the fumble to really close
(28:55):
that game out.
Speaker 4 (28:56):
That's a Mike Vrabel type play. That's effort. Get to ball.
Good things happen when you get to the ball, Like
that's a play.
Speaker 1 (29:03):
You can see Brabel putting that play, you know, on
a Monday, you know, clicker and going.
Speaker 4 (29:09):
This is how you win games, guys, how you win games?
Who's gonna do it next week? For us? And just
playing and play over and over again.
Speaker 2 (29:17):
I mean, look, it's something to watch and now on
the other side, I gotta say, man, it's probably one
of the bigger disappointments of the league to see the
Baltimore Ravens on the cusp of being eliminated.
Speaker 3 (29:28):
This is a team that many of us talked about.
Speaker 2 (29:30):
They may have the most talented roster and ball quarterback
has been a two time MVP all this other stuff.
Speaker 3 (29:36):
Why hasn't it worked in Baltimore, Body, I don't understand.
Speaker 4 (29:40):
Well, let me just back up what you just said, Buck.
Speaker 1 (29:44):
I went to the Ravens training camp twice this summer,
and both times I came away thinking, this is a
stacked roster like Lamar's coming off or could have easily
been an MVP season everything that he did, and you're thinking, Okay,
the coaching staff sables Zach Orrz in his second year,
you know, Kyle Hamilton coming back like, it looks stacked.
(30:07):
And then you know, defensively, they had a lot of injuries.
They kind of fell apart for a little while, but
they've regained their footing. But Lamarg isn't anywhere near what
we saw the last two years under Monkt. Like under Mounkin,
Todd has done a great job with him developing them
getting the explosive plays the run game, all the things
(30:28):
they did out of the run game with him and
Derrick Henry and whatever third down back they had.
Speaker 4 (30:33):
And I don't know why.
Speaker 1 (30:36):
Derrick Henry wasn't on the field in the fourth quarter
of that game after running for one hundred yards and
looking like Derrick Henry and there's Mike Rabols is probably salivating, going, man,
I had that guy.
Speaker 4 (30:46):
I know how good he is? Yeah, and how he because.
Speaker 1 (30:49):
That's when he goes to work Bucky in the fourth quarter,
after he's gotten twenty carries.
Speaker 4 (30:53):
That's his time.
Speaker 1 (30:55):
And for them in a close game, for them to
go away from Derrick Henry, that part of it is
like some coaching going on right there.
Speaker 2 (31:03):
Well now, only that you're playing with a backup quarterback
in Stupe Hunley. The fact that you don't close it
out with Derrick Henry, to me is it's crazy. And
I'll say this, and I do believe that Monken has
done a great job of evolving their offense in a
passing game. I feel like their running game, particularly when
you have Lamar Jackson, and what you could imagine them
(31:25):
doing with their old run game schemes with Derrick Henry
and Lamar Jackson alternating. You just would think that it
would be explosive and dynamic in those things, But now
you're dealing with, like going forward, a thirty two year
old running back and Derrick Henry, you're dealing with, let's
be honest and off injured Lamar Jackson lower body injuries.
Speaker 3 (31:46):
In those things, what's next for the Ravens? Like, what
does the next iteration of the Ravens look like?
Speaker 2 (31:53):
Because you're now dealing with older quarterback and an older
running back?
Speaker 4 (31:56):
Well, I mean, you know how many division titles do
they need?
Speaker 3 (32:00):
MVPs?
Speaker 1 (32:01):
And then you know postseason disappointment, like is this I mean,
is this an opportunity for Steve Pashatti to make changes
at the very top of this thing? Because this has
they have kept this thing together. They brought him Todd Munket.
That seemed like a good missing piece when they made
changes at the coordinator spot.
Speaker 4 (32:20):
But do you want to run this back again?
Speaker 1 (32:23):
Because Lamar Jackson my entary metric right now, Buck, he's
not running anywhere near.
Speaker 4 (32:27):
As fast as he used to run. Now, is that
just now? Maybe it is?
Speaker 1 (32:31):
He just needs an off season and press it up
and get healthy, and will we see that version of
him where he just makes everybody else look, you know,
like they're standing still. But there was a point in
the last two years prior to this year where there
was no defense that could stop Lamar Jackson until he
got to the postseason. Like you can try anything you
want to, you blitz him, okay, good luck. His ability
(32:53):
to extend plays, keep his eyes down the field, make
explosive throws, accurate throws on the run, whatever it was,
he did it all.
Speaker 4 (33:01):
And that's not the case this season.
Speaker 2 (33:03):
Even the play in which he got injured Baldy, that
is a routine play where we've seen Lamar Jackson get slippery, dive,
get out of it or whatever. It's the first time
that he looked clunky to me as a player. And
we've seen this with and I'm not saying that, like
I'm a believer in a player of his runnings out
being able to be successful, but we've seen this. He's
(33:25):
nearing what you close to year ten. We're getting up
there where it begins to fall off a cliff. If
it's going to fall off, I just wonder how they
can one pay him watch him age gracefully in an
offense to still maximize who he is with the pieces
around him.
Speaker 3 (33:45):
That look tough offseason for.
Speaker 2 (33:47):
The Baltimore Ravens ahead when it comes to decisions, decisions,
Tampa Bay, Carolina, the Carolina Panthers. My brother's heart is
fluttering because his Carolina Panthers are now.
Speaker 3 (34:00):
At the top of division. How are they getting the done? Man?
Speaker 2 (34:02):
Because I definitely didn't see this team as a team
as we go to the postseason.
Speaker 3 (34:06):
Well, a lot of First.
Speaker 4 (34:08):
Of all, defensively, they're very good, Bucky.
Speaker 1 (34:11):
I mean, Mike Jackson at corner last night or yesterday afternoon,
had a great day defending Mike Evans in the end
zone twice. Like he's got Mike Evans one on one
and it's almost.
Speaker 4 (34:21):
A layout for Baker to Mike Evans at the one
yard line.
Speaker 1 (34:25):
They had a goal line stand, you know early in
the game where they missed, you know, he defended Mike
Evans in the in the an zone, you know, and
they settled for three.
Speaker 4 (34:33):
That might have been the difference in the game.
Speaker 1 (34:34):
Right there, Abuka was outside of one catch was basically invisible.
This is a buccaneer team offense, at least, Bucky, where
you got everybody back. You got Evans, you got Godwin,
you got Bucky Irving, you got all your guys, Jayleen McMillan,
and you know they couldn't you know, they couldn't score
more than twenty points.
Speaker 4 (34:54):
So credit what they're doing defensively.
Speaker 1 (34:56):
Derek Brown had another unbelievable game, but it looks like
kind of you know. And then there was a miss
que late in the game between Baker Mike Evans and
you know the rookie ransom is the beneficiary of Evan's
going one way and Baker thinking he's going another way.
And he gets the interception to end the game right there.
And then you know Bryce like him and him and
(35:21):
t mac or a good combination the touchdown to t
mac and anzone like against Jamel Dean. It's a blitzeral.
You know that Todd Bowle is gonna come after you.
They do a decent job of slowing him down. They
throw it up there, he gets his touchdown. Third downs,
he's go to guy right there. This Jalen Coker keeps
coming on making key catches for him. They're not turning
(35:41):
the ball over like they've got their toughest opponent, Like
ast your brother, because I think this is the biggest
game with Seattle coming to down this weekend. Buck, Like,
this is the biggest game that's going to be played
in Charlotte in years, I don't know, like at least
the last five years.
Speaker 4 (35:58):
The biggest game that's going to be played with a
really good.
Speaker 1 (36:00):
Team coming to see him, We're going to find out,
you know, are they going to be if they win
the division? And I'm going to be there on Sunday
in Charlotte if they win the division? Are they going
to be a tough out? You know, should they get
you know, a playoff game at home there in Charlotte.
Speaker 3 (36:16):
Yeah, I'm gonna say this. I give Drew Canalis a
lot of credit.
Speaker 2 (36:19):
I feel like he's done a good job of being
forthright about his struggles as a head coach in terms
of learning and evolving on the job, training the job
that he's done with Bryce Young after making Bryce Young
earn the QB one spot, Like for the last year
or so, it's been really really good defensively, you talked
about how good they are, Yeah, they're will positioned to
do it. I think in anticipation of this matchup with
(36:42):
Tampa coming in, I keep looking for Tampa to hit
the switch.
Speaker 3 (36:47):
I just like with Todd Bowles and his.
Speaker 2 (36:49):
Defense and what they had available and Baker Mayfield coming
on the heels or whatever. I kept waiting for the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers to hit the switch. Here they are
hovering right at five hundred and it drives me absolutely crazy.
Speaker 1 (37:02):
No, no, it doesn't look anything like what we have
witnessed over the last four years with Todd Bowles and Baker,
who was coming off one of the great seasons in
the history of this game, when he threw for over
forty touchdowns and forty five hundred yards a year ago,
and it was one big comeback after another.
Speaker 4 (37:18):
I mean, Baker still getting some scrambles that are keeping
some drives alive.
Speaker 1 (37:21):
But I thought the Panthers had a bunch of third
down stops in the second half of that game to
force them to pump the ball away where they couldn't
really get into their playbook and get in to the weapons.
Speaker 3 (37:34):
That they have.
Speaker 1 (37:34):
Offensively, you saw some runs from Bucky or you saw
a big run from Rashad White.
Speaker 4 (37:40):
You saw pieces. They just couldn't sustain it. Bucky and
Credit because if you look at if you look.
Speaker 1 (37:47):
At Carolina's defense, whether it's Rose Boom or whether it's
Maoring or you know, you go through the list of
players on that a Sean Robinson like, it looks a
little bit.
Speaker 4 (37:59):
Like a you know, expansion team.
Speaker 1 (38:02):
You know, the guys from other teams, but they've done
a good job of molding those guys together.
Speaker 2 (38:11):
Last game, we got to talk about the Buffalo Bills
the Cleveland Browns.
Speaker 3 (38:15):
Buffalo find a way to get it done.
Speaker 2 (38:17):
With Josh Allen compromised with a little foot injury, they
still find a way to knock off the Browns.
Speaker 1 (38:22):
He threw it nineteen times, bucking through four hundred and
thirty yards.
Speaker 4 (38:25):
So it was time for James Cook.
Speaker 1 (38:27):
Like that offensive line is going to be a problem
for anybody in the postseason. I mean, I think you
can depend on James Cook right now. He's got over
fifteen hundred yards just rushing this year.
Speaker 3 (38:38):
Buck.
Speaker 1 (38:40):
He has been the bellcal that they wanted the offensive line.
He just knows how to, you know, continue to extend
drives right there. And that defense in Cleveland is good,
they're great, and to be able to pierce them for
one hundred and seventeen yards like he did getting the
average that he did, being able to sustain drives against
that deep defense like it was good. And then you
(39:03):
know the defense took the ball away from shed or
had the interception by by Poyer and by Jones, which
kind of slowed Cleveland.
Speaker 4 (39:10):
Down a little bit.
Speaker 1 (39:12):
It was it was a hard fought game, hard thought
they knew it was going to be going into Cleveland.
They're still playing hard for Jimmy Schwartz on that side
of the ball, and they just they were able to
eat out a win. But you look at say a
guy like you know, Gregory Rousseau yesterday, he had the
two and a half sacks, but he hits the door
seven times in that game, like they roughed him up
pretty good. And so I thought Buffalo's defense stepped up,
(39:34):
you know, in a game where they had to at
some point.
Speaker 2 (39:37):
Yeah, it's gonna be interesting for the Buffalo Bills in
the tournament because they arguably will have the best quarterback
in the tournament. But this might be the weakest version
of the Buffalo Bills they hit the postseason in the
last four or five years in terms of you know,
they have James Cook about Baldy. If we're being honest
about the number of blue chippers that they have on
the roster. They're not loaded with blue chip players, and
(39:58):
so for them to win, they have to bring their
a game each and every week because they can't just
out talent the teams that are going to be in there.
And if they want Josh Allen to get into the
phone booth, he can, but they can need a healthy
and spryan ready Josh Allen to be able to do
that for a three game run in the postseason to
get them to the super Bowl.
Speaker 1 (40:19):
Well, we know that they're going to be vulnerable to
anybody that can run the ball really well.
Speaker 4 (40:24):
And so it's been a weakness.
Speaker 3 (40:25):
It's there.
Speaker 1 (40:26):
It wasn't you know when Quinn Scheawn went down yesterday unfortunately.
And really the tackle play that Cleveland has right now,
I don't know what number offensive tackle they're on, but
it's it's deep.
Speaker 4 (40:37):
Down the roster.
Speaker 1 (40:38):
I mean, they weren't good enough, but in the postseason
they're going to see some teams, you know, that can
run the football, whether it's it's Jacksonville, whether it's Denver
right now, you know, competing over whether it's Houston, and
what they're doing right now with their rookie running back.
I mean, it's just there's some guys there that some
teams there that you know, can pound the football pretty good.
Speaker 2 (40:58):
Last day, I get a shuit overall. Take I've been
popping in and looking at Shad or what are you
seeing from him? Because there's a lot of noise around
how he's playing, But when you looked at him, where
would you say he is as a normal rookie quarterback
at this stage of his development.
Speaker 1 (41:14):
I think that you got to be happy the way
that he's you know, moving like him and Harold Fan
and have a good relationship. It's just all rookies. The
receiving corps isn't very good. Bucky like Jerry Judy didn't
very good right now and Levardaine and you go through
the guys that they have. I mean, the quarterback is
only going to be as good. Just think about Treadle
and the difference with Parker Washington and Jacoby Myers. In
(41:39):
the addition that Jacoby Myers has been and when they
got Brent Strange back healthy, like he needs pieces around him.
Speaker 4 (41:45):
I think he sees the field well. I think he
throws the deep ball well. I think he extends plays.
Speaker 3 (41:51):
You know he can.
Speaker 1 (41:52):
You know, he ran yesterday a bunch of times for
some first downs. I'm not disappointed in stud or now.
If you don't think he's the answer, Cleveland's probably gonna
have a whole bunch of changes. They might have that
get that opportunity right now. But I think these last
two games are still really important for s order just
to keep playing. Just to think that a month ago
he hadn't even gotten a practice, right you know, in
(42:14):
three months, and so it's on the job training right now.
And so But I don't think he's disappointing. Every time
they try to put the microphone in front of him
to disparage the coach, he never does it. He handles
himself well, because that's a big part of any quarterback
being able to handle the outside noise, the media, all
that kind of stuff. He handles all that stuff, you know,
like he's like like he went to school for.
Speaker 3 (42:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (42:37):
No, he's certainly done a good job when it comes
to that grand pages. You look around the league, all
these young quarterbacks are up and down. JJ McCarthy can't
finish games. You had Jackson Dart who didn't have a
great performance against the Minnesota Vikings.
Speaker 3 (42:48):
That's kind of part of what it is.
Speaker 2 (42:50):
And to be honest, Baldy, I looked at all these
college football games and we'll get to it on another episode.
But man, I don't know if that answer at quarterback
is coming into twenty twenty six class.
Speaker 3 (42:59):
I mean people talking about fandom.
Speaker 1 (43:02):
If you threw after what we see for the last month,
if we threw Tyler Shuck.
Speaker 3 (43:07):
Into this draft, oh, I mean, he's gonna be about
his age.
Speaker 1 (43:10):
I know his age, but that guy can flat out
play Bucky.
Speaker 2 (43:15):
He's gonna be at the top play. He's gonna be
at the top of the He's gonna be at the
top of the charts. And I think people have to
that that evaluation is that it's not just gonna be
twenty twenty twenty six class versus that, but it is
what do these look like versus Jackson Dark versus should
do or versus some of the young quarterbacks?
Speaker 3 (43:33):
Where would they slot up?
Speaker 2 (43:34):
And if we stack them all up, I don't know
if guys in the twenty twenty sixth class are.
Speaker 3 (43:39):
Gonna be at the top of the list. Just give
him without team.
Speaker 1 (43:42):
Yeah, but even but even like nobody wants to talk
about you know Cam, you know in Tennessee. But all
he does, I mean, first of all, he's got all
rookies around him, all right, not a very good offensive
line in certain spots, but like he's gonna take every
snap for him this year. And all he does is
(44:02):
is just compete like hell, and he's looking like there's
a guy that you can build with. And so all
of a sudden, you know some guys that maybe weren't
I don't know, Like if you put Cam back in here,
Cam warton this draft, like this is number one pick,
I think again, and Tyler Shutt might be right behind
him right now.
Speaker 2 (44:18):
Yeah, it's gonna be interesting. It's so fascinating. I can't
wait for us to finish and go through the postseason.
But you know, I love ten draft stuff with you,
especially when you look at these big guys, because watching
that Miami Texas game was a big, ugly game.
Speaker 3 (44:29):
I'm sure you got the pig and slop watching those
big guys play.
Speaker 1 (44:33):
Well, you know, Maredalad right now is like you know,
and then you know what Alabama's gonna have.
Speaker 4 (44:39):
You know, if they were left.
Speaker 1 (44:39):
Tad proc to me, Yeah, I mean it's gonna you
know it's gonna be one of those things where we're
gonna have to watch a lot in order to be
able to separate this tackle class, because I think there's
gonna be a lot of guys at the very top
of the draft and everybody's gonna be looking for that guy.
Speaker 3 (44:55):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (44:55):
Well look, man, this is always fun. I love our
body's breakdowns on Monday. Thanks for coming on ball next week.
Speaker 1 (45:00):
I let's do it, my buddy, Merry Christmas to you, Buck,
You too, man, My buddy got it.
Speaker 5 (45:10):
M hm
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