Bernie Fratto discusses Damar Hamlin’s injury and previews NFL Week 18!

Bernie Fratto discusses the situation surrounding Damar Hamlin, the NFL’s response regarding scheduling and player health, plus gives you a full preview of NFL action in Week 18 and much more!

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Don't listen to Fox Sports, you know. Uh. We always
like to say, in a world of questions, we've got answers,
in a world of problems, we've got solutions. And on
that note, I'm Bernie Frattawer come to be alive from
the Las Vegas ti iraq dot com, A studios Tirac
dot com. We'll help you get there an unmatched selection,

(00:23):
fast free shipping, free road hazard protection, and over ten
thousand recommended installers Tirac dot com the way tire buying
should be. In about fifteen minutes, we dive right back
into the NFL Week eight teens Steve Physick the Physic
five as we get you ready for a very pivotal
Sunday heading into the playoffs, which looks to me to

(00:46):
be a pretty wide open tournament. We have a ton
of stuff to get to. We're gonna preview the College
Football National Championship Game TCU Georgia. We will revisit the
decision the NFL made, why they made it, the you know,
the factors they considered, and why it was the right decision,
a little perspective on Damarrow Hamlin, why it was not,

(01:09):
you know, unprecedented. We're gonna take a quick look back
at the NFL from week seventeen and what we learned
heading into this week. We've got a lot of gambling
and sports betting trends and things to know for the
final week, and uh, the NFL, the NFL coaching carousel
that's starting. I'm gonna get heavily into the gym harball thing.

(01:30):
I'll give you some details you probably don't know. A
couple of potential, you know, openings that there might be
now that we didn't know about before. We're gonna cover
it all. Notre Dame gets a new quarterback, Chris Beards
out of Texas. You gotta love Bobby Petrino or do you?
But I digress. Look, sports your entertainment. But they're more

(01:50):
than that. They're shared experience as such. You know, people
want to talk about them. You've come to the right place.
We've got a lot to talk about tonight. Welcome in
to the Bernie Final Show. We'll take you all the
way to three and Pacific six and Eastern. As they
say in Harold Statson, Minnesota, It's gonna be lit. Follow
me on Twitter at Bernie Fratto. A couple of pivotal

(02:12):
football games today in the National Football League Kansas City.
They confirmed that they will be the number one seed.
The road to the Super Bowl will go through Kansas City.
They'll get a bye, and unless you're named the Buffalo Bills,
you will be traveling to Kansas City. Should you play
them in the a f C Champions Game. Mean, while
the Raiders, Uh, not so much. We'll get to that Jacksonville.

(02:35):
They win the a f C South. Couple of good
games today sort of well maybe, Well let me begin
because I'm here in Las Vegas. I would like to
think the Las Vegas Raiders are participating in the NFL season.
Great way to close out the campaign. Clearly, Taskmaster Josh McDaniels,
he has his team. They were sharp, they were crisp man,

(02:55):
they were ready to play. All they did was line
up wrong, illegal form may ations, holding interceptions, fumbles, maddening penalties,
roughing the pastor, and hands of the face. And they
made up for it by abandoning basic fundamentals. Oh my goodness.
You talk about flat, you talk about un inspiring, you
talk about playing non smart football. Is a way to

(03:16):
end the season. Yeah, the Raiders went three for three.
Quite a parlay and they're lost to the Chiefs. Other
than Latin Mrs Lincoln, how was the play on a day?
This was a day If you watch the game, the
Chiefs literally played ring around the rosie in a red
stone huddle in the first half, and the Raiders had
no answer on either side of the ball. And so

(03:38):
there you have it. The season began with high expectations,
not by me. I told you I thought they'd go
eight nine or seven and ten. I was wrong six
and eleven. The Pythatrian theorem doesn't lie. This year the
Raiders were four and nine and one score games. Last
year they got away with it, outscored by sixty five points.
All right, I don't want to go back down that road.

(03:59):
Let's just put up their way. The Raiders are a
playoff team a year ago, a tenant seven, and then
they hire Josh McDaniels. They're bringing a new offensive scheme,
they bring in Davante Adams, and then they bench Derek Carr.
You talk about a roller coaster season. And by the way,
the Raiders sloppy play today and just complete lack of

(04:20):
details overshadowed eight for sixty on third down. They actually
they won the time of possession battle against Kansas City
by nine minutes, and he had one last passing yard.
But as Bill Belichick would say on THEE if you
watched the Derek Stid or look at that, is that

(04:41):
a Freddy and slip? I called him Derek stid him. Look,
Derek car is a good man. And I don't know
what's gonna happen next year. I I don't have moles
on Car like I have on Hardball and my Michigan stuff.
But Mike Guy tells me it's fifty. He's gonna retire.
We'll talk about that later show. I talked about it before.

(05:01):
Sixty three and seventy nine years, made a hundred and
thirty five million in his career. You don't need to
take up a collection played. He's a good, decent man.
But in high leverage moments, he's won one less playoff
game than Tim Tebow. So there you have it, Okay
that these are just facts, just the facts. Don't play
kill the messenger. Jared'stood him not. Derek made his second
career start today, and he was terriffic last week three

(05:24):
and passing yards three touchdowns against the top ranked defense
in the forty Well guess what. The Chiefs kind of
watched that film and they planned accordingly. And what did
Kansas City do? They harassed Jared stood him his passing
o bow got hit a lot, He was sacked five times.
They forced in two turnovers. Stidham will become a free agent.

(05:47):
He you can tell me. Maybe he'll be in the
mixed replace Derek Carr next season, but I clear clearly
he's not. He has a role in this league, but
I don't think it's as a starter for the Raiders,
all right, right out of the gate, you know, a
pivotal play. It happened so early for the Raiders they
probably wouldn't have mattered because there was a bunch of
ridiculous highlight reel catches and all kinds of crazy, crazy stuff.

(06:10):
And you know, look, the bottom line is, instead of
answering the Chief's initial touchdown draft with one of their own,
the Raiders had to settle for a fifty four yard
field goal. And from there you knew that was pretty
much gonna be all she wrote. Right, So I don't
need to harp on the Raiders anymore. What you see
is what you get, and onward and upward, and uh,

(06:34):
it's just incredibly disappointing way to end the season. Now
very disappointing for the Tennessee Titans as well. Oh boy,
tonight's game for the Tennessee Titans. And it's an organization
I respect a lot I respect Mike Grabel. Perfect microcosm.
The Titans led the Jaguars basically the entire game until

(06:56):
the end, and earlier in the game, Tennessee look uh,
they were competing, Josh Josh Dobbs was looked. They had
a seven team play drive, they took almost ten minutes,
and then they played. Tennessee played complimentary football. They forced
three straight three and ounce and all of a sudden,
there's a minutes left in the game and the Titans

(07:19):
got the ball. And it's not like they were moving
the ball down the field with the yards and chunk,
but they converted back to back third downs. They kept
the clock running, and they were just saying to themselves,
just run out the clock, don't let Jacksonville get the
ball back, and the Titans we'd get to the playoffs
and win the FC South. But nope, on third and
wasn't meant to be On third and six, Josh Dobbs

(07:43):
making only his second NFL start, he gets stripped on
a sack Josh Allen, not to Josh Allen for the
Buffalo Bills. Another Josh Allen. Why you mean there's more
than one Josh Allen in the world. Apparently there is.
He picks it up and runs the thirty seven yards
of the house, gives the ad Wars a lead, and
then Dobbs marched the Titans past the fifty yard line,

(08:04):
but turned the ball over on downs. Jacksonville holds. On
twenty sixteen, they clinched the a f C South. Now
back in week eleven, you you juxtaposed these two teams.
That's why the National National Football ITAE is still fascinating.
If you would have, you know, six seven weeks ago,
if you would have mentioned an an f C South

(08:24):
title for the Jaguars, you would have been first in
line for the front of the botomy. They were three
and seven. Meanwhile, the Titans for seven and three. They
had won six in or last seven. They looked poised
to win the division for the third year in a row.
But give it up to Doug Peterson, give it up
to Trevor Lawrence. They take over for the debacle that
Irwan Meyer left and tip of the cap for much
of the game, though it appeared the night wasn't gonna

(08:47):
go Jacksonvilles a way, and neither offense could do much.
The Titans led thirteen seven at the half. The opics
throws a touchdown passed to a guy. I's name, I
should not try to pronounce of guanquoa chick chickazemglanquo because
in tight is that. I don't know if that's a
night chart or what. But hell of a play. Give

(09:08):
the man credit in the team's trade field goals in
third quarter, but Jacksonville's offense continued to stall. But again,
it's all about playing complimentary football. The Jags defense started
the four series. Josh dobbson experience started to come into play,
and you got to give the Jacks credit as well.

(09:30):
Because Derrick Henry, who had the ball thirty times as
long as carry was fourteen yards, he only managed a
hundred nine yards. That's three and a half yards per carry.
Dobbs only had a hundred seventy nine yards through the year.
That doesn't, you know, equate to a lot of offense,
right Well, Trevor Lawrence Smiths done some throws too, but
when it mattered, he carried the offense. He also had

(09:51):
nineteen rushing yards completed, twelve and a touchdown. Again in
the high leverage moments, they came through. They did what
they needed to. They being the Jacksonville Jaguars, I don't
mean to be the master of the pronouns of market historians.
Get your pens and pencils out. At eleven eleven pm
Eastern Time on January seven, the Jacksonville Jaguars had done it.

(10:19):
They became a FC champions. Hey, football fans, be sure
to tune into Fox Sports Radio's Countdown to Kickoff, presented
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(10:40):
by bet MGM. Coming up. You know him, you love me?
Canley without him? Get your pens and pencils ready again,
already said that Department of Redundancy department. You're gonna be
drinking through a fire hose as we tackle Week eight
team and a couple of key betting issues on a
go forward basis that you want to know about. Yes,
it will be Steve Fresick and the Physic Five. I'm

(11:00):
Bernie Freddo come to your line from the Las Vegas
Tire Act dot Com studios the Fox Sports Radio So
keep it locked right here. You're listening to the Bernie
Fadder Show on Fox Sports Radio. Hey, it's Ben, host
of the Fifth Hour with Ben Mallor. Would mean a
lot to have you join us on our weekly auditory journey.
You're asking one in God's name is the Fifth Hour?
I'll tell you it's a spin off of the Ben

(11:21):
Maller Show. Could hit overnights on fs ARE. Why should
you listen? Picture if you will a world will we
chat with captains of industry in media, sports and more
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Let'sten to the Fifth Hour with Ben Mallow on the
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your podcast. Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk

(11:42):
lineup in the nation. Catch all of our shows at
Fox Sports Radio dot com and within the I Heart
Radio app. Search f s R to listen live. Hey,
it's Ben, host of the Fifth Hour with Ben Mallor
would mean a lot to have you join us on
our weekly auditory journey. You're asking one in God's name
is the Fifth Hour? I'll tell you it's a spin
off of the Ben Maller Show, Cold Hit overnights on

(12:05):
fs R. Why should you listen? Picture if you will
the world will? We chat with captains of industry in media,
sports and more every week explorer some amazing facts about
the human nature and more. Let's sen to the Fifth
Hour with Ben mallow or the I Heart Radio app,
Apple Podcast or wherever you get your podcast back on
the Bernie Fattis Show, Fox Sports Radio Company liar from
the entire act dot Com studios here in Las Vegas.

(12:28):
Take cap to three am Pacific, six ame Eastern, as
we had to do Week eighteen of the NFL. As
we continue and at this time every week, of course,
you're welcome to the Gentleman, the only two time winner
of the prestigious Hilton now Westgate Super Contest. You know
what me, love me, can't without him. Get your pens
and pencils ready. You're gonna be drinking through a fire hose.
It is time for the Phasic five. Well Fez, here

(12:50):
we go. Before we dive into our agenda, I just
want to revisit quickly. Last week I liked the Cults,
uh check that I like the Giants minus six over
the cold say one eight to ten. Why because I'm
a spot player as a professional better. Speak to the
folks about your philosophy of a spot player. Who is
a non professional better? But is a spot player? That's

(13:13):
a complicated question. I am. I think being a spot
player as a recreational better meaning don't bet very much.
It makes a whole lot of sense because most recreational
players aren't going to wind up winning in the long run,
especially if if, um, you know they're firing away across
the board. So your best chance of winning is waiting
for your very best situation on a game, and just um,

(13:35):
don't have the peanut butter approach, and about eight games
all the same, pick the one that you have, you
feel you have the biggest edge, and fireaway well. And
that the biggest edge is the operative word here, because
what I mean by spot is simply this. You could
put Indianapolis and the Giants on the field together any
one of eighteen weeks. But what's most likely to happened

(13:56):
this week and when I broke it down, that's why
I liked it. So just a thought. You're right, uh,
And I'm not a professional better, but I like to
think like one. We all have our different styles. Also, Fez,
I want to talk about something else. The two things
you're best at are getting you know, the best closing
line value and then of course getting the best of

(14:17):
the number. I believe this comes into play Sunday involving
the Detroit Lions are currently getting four and a half
in the packers. Now, we both know that if the
Seahawks win, the Lions are eliminated, but you're still gonna
get max effort because they want to spoil their own Rodgers.
They want to go above five hundred, etcetera, etcetera. But
either way, regardless of what happens, I believe that line

(14:38):
will run to at least six. So if you're going
to wait, check that. If you're going to bet the Lions, wait,
do you agree? You know? I don't, actually, I think
it does matter directually. I think you're correct, Detroit's gonna
bring it regardless, but I think the markets are not
going to view it this way. The markets are going
to view if if the Rams upset Seattle. The all

(15:00):
the steam arama you've been seeing on Green Bay, I
think we'll cease immediately, and you're gonna see that this
this five point spread is gonna come down to four.
I think people will bet the Lions, the professionals, knowing
that they're all in and they're playing for a playoff bid. Now,
I don't think it really matters that much because I
think the Lions are gonna approach the game under the
coach and play hard regardless of I would actually far

(15:23):
prefer Seattle smacks around the Rams and I get an
inflated line, they get the Lions plus six, which and
it will go to plus six after that happens. Well exactly,
That's what I'm saying. You would Why would you bet
the Lions now when you're gonna get a better line
tomorrow after the Seattle game. That's all it was, really
because if the Rams win, If the Rams win now,
they're going to be staring at three and a half, well, well,
you know what, let's hold that thought for just a second.

(15:45):
The National Football League is the one sport where public
money can equal professional money. And I believe the public
money and by and large would come in on the packards.
That's what you know. I'm I actually think the narrative
is so strong though on the Rams Seahawks. Ever, like
the national talking heads, everyone knows this what I'm saying,
and everyone listening tonight knows it too because they're hearing

(16:07):
us discuss it. So what's going to happen? As soon
as the as the Rams are wings and an upset
the Lions can make the playoffs, it will be all
over the airwaves and and and the public will bet
the Lions. I'm not so you know, the public sees
Aaron Rodgers just twenty eight and four Lambell Field in

(16:27):
in you know, in in in division games. After December one,
they're going to see. I want to see it actually happened,
to see what happens. Well, we're gonna, you know what,
We're gonna say this for next week too, because I
will tell you that I'm gonna wait till the touch
is six and I'm gonna fire on the Lions because
I think it's gonna be very competitive gain we shall see.
Let's move on. Week eighteen is its own animal Fez

(16:49):
And one of the things you have always talked about
the final week of the season, whether it's week eighteen,
seventeen or sixteen. We've been doing this for many years.
It's all about information on who's act should be playing.
To speak on that, Yeah, so power ratings, UM rating,
how good the teams are in many ways for most
of the game's complete and outter waste of time because

(17:10):
the information is more important. Example, over in the week
I favored the Giants against the Eagles. I thought the
Giants were gonna play hard um for a variety of reasons.
When they won the Super Bowl, they played hard um
against the sixteen Patriot team the final week of the season,
and then um just two years ago, the Eagles laid
down across the Giants a playoff bids. So it's always

(17:32):
set up the Giants organizationally should be bringing it. Well, Nope,
they're mailing it in and resting all their starters and
the lines heading to seventeen. So the bottom line is,
you got that information Friday afternoon, and he could have
laid fourteen with the Eagles and and frankly across the board.
There's been all kinds of games like that where it's
been huge line moves associated with stuff that you just

(17:55):
wouldn't have known. Look no further than the Jets Miami Dolphins.
Maybe you knew that Sky Thompson was going to go
for the Dolphins, so you would have bet the Jets.
I don't think you expected that. The corpse that is
Joe Flacco starting for the New York Guts' Super Bowl
where Joe. I do agree that Joe does have the
mobility of an upright vacuum cleaner, but he's still very

(18:18):
much a life as You also have a thought on
the Colts, who's surprisingly Yes, they're actually a short favored
minus two and a half against the Houston Texans. What
are your thoughts on the Colts? Hey, I get it,
the Colts aren't any better than the Texans. The Texans
are a little bit, probably the superior team right now. Irrelevant.
It's a must lose game for the Houston Texans, and

(18:39):
you can talk to me all you want about all
the Texans have played really well. They could have beaten
Kansas City, they could have been the Cowboys, says, have
you seen how well this team has played the last
five weeks? Irrelevant because they had a game and a
half lead over everyone else for the worst record. The NFL,
and then they they they they screwed up and actually
won a game. And then they realized, oh no, we

(19:00):
win one more game. We're not gonna get the number
one pick. We stunk all year and we're not gonna
get the number one pick. So they went out and
promptly got beat thirty three in the first half against
Jacksonville and the game was done though, And I think
Indianapolis will bring effort. I think Ellinger is playing for,
you know, a contract in the future in the league,
And yeah, you could argue the same thing. The Texans

(19:22):
quarterbacks are also the players will play hard. If I'm
the owner of the Texans, I am doing everything humanly
possible to tell my coaching staff we are going to
evaluate talent tomorrow today and there is no way I
want us to win this game. Now, I get it.
Miami got fined and they had the whole nightmare situation
by offering to incented the coach by a hundred thousand,

(19:43):
potentially allegedly to lose. Well, okay, don't get caught doing it,
don't send emails, but Houston's gonna try to lose this game.
Say it's one of the things you're really good At
is doing this sort of daisy chain linkage between games
and outcomes and outcome and correlating uh situations. You've got

(20:04):
one Sunday involving the Cincinnati money line to the Chargers
and basically whether or not what might happen if Baltimore
loses your game? Break that down for the folks. Yeah,
so Baltimore is in a battle with the Chargers for
the number five seed right now. Now, Baltimore can win
the division also, but that's irrelevant. Well, they can win
the coin toss for who's going to host the game? Again, irrelevant,

(20:27):
all we're gonna need to talk talk about Baltimore Chargers.
So the Chargers have to be concerned that if Baltimore wins,
they have to win because they will need the game
to get the number five seed. And you want the
five seed because you get to play a much easier
foe in the first round. However, if Baltimore should lose
this game, the Chargers clinch the five seed. If that happens,

(20:48):
the Chargers, who are top heavy team with Austin Ekeler,
with Williams, with Keenan Allen, and of course with Herbert Um,
they will be playing there's the spare Chargers and that's
a terrible team without them. So the right way to
play this is to do a two team parlay. Play
the Bengals on the money line. It's I know, it's pricey,
like three eight by the Bengals to win, because if

(21:11):
the Bengals to win, then the Charger line is gonna
go up five points. Denver is gonna close like a
seven point favorite. So you parlay since you to win
the game to Denver. It doesn't matter if you take
Denver on the money line or Denver minus three other ones. Fine,
so since the money line to Denver fays. I love
it when you're on, even though I just wish I
could get you over the shyness. You went off on

(21:32):
the Vikings last week and beat them like a rented mule.
Oh my god. People were coming after me on Twitter.
They wanted to murder me. They thought it was me.
I didn't I didn't really care. The point of the
matter is you've been very vocal about the Vikings. The
Vikings visit the Bears on Sunday. You have some thoughts
about that game in that line as well. Yeah, and
by the way, I had the Vikings stink. Theyre an

(21:54):
average team. And anyone that wants to like beat their
chest in Twitter and say I don't know what I'm
talking about. You know, I've said, if you want to
bet the Vikings next year to go over nine wins, uh,
let me know. I'll take the Vikings under nine wins.
Still waiting, still waiting for any of these Viking you know,
um fans to think that they're Super Bowl contenders to
take me up on this. Oh, they're gonna they're good

(22:16):
this year and not next year. Yeah, you know what,
most really good teams, Uh, they're going to be good
teams the next year. The Vikings are no good. However,
this is a case where I said that Houston was
in the must lose situation. Well, the Bears are also
in a must lose situation because it's certainly possible that
Houston could somehow, well they're not gonna win, but somehow
the Colts could lose that game, and then the Bears

(22:36):
would get the number one picks. Of the Bears are
in no position to win. What do you do in
that situation, Well, Tanka palooza NBA style. You start Peter
Minute quarterback. And so now we have a situation where
the Bears are tanking the game. But you know what,
the Bears are content with losing the game and a
competitive game they just can't win, and the Vikings just

(22:57):
want to win and get out of Dodge. It's unclear
whether they really want the two or the three seed
because they loved to play the New York Giants who
or the sixth seed, meaning the three seed might be
better even than the two seed. It's unclear. Bottom line
is the Vikings should roll in the first half and
then should be um. Very little should go on in
the second half, and that's reflected in the first half line.

(23:18):
The Vikings are laying six and a half in the
first half, Bernie, and they're laying seven for the game.
So that's all you need to show you The Bears
are not going to do anything probably in the first
half of the Vikings are just going to get out
healthy in the second half, says. We will continue with
a lightning round game by game breakdown of Sunday's contests,

(23:39):
and of course physics best bet at the end. But
first let's go to our guy Kevin Wytt with the latest. Hey, Bernie,
we had some a f or excuse me Saturday night
NFL Action. The a f C South has been clinched
the jackson vart The Jacksonville Jaguars have wanted coming back
to beat the Titans twenty to sixteen on a fumble

(24:00):
return for a touchdown with less than three minutes to go.
The Jaguards are now ninety eight have won five games
in a row. Tennessee has lost seven straight to end
the season, including five in a row since it's fired
their general manager John Robinson. The Chiefs improved a fourteen
and three clinch the number one seed in the a
f C with a victory at Las Vegas. If Buffalo

(24:21):
were to beat the Patriots tomorrow, then a potential Buffalo
Kansas City matchup in the a f C title game
would be at a neutral site. However, if it's the
Chiefs against any other team, the a f C Championship
would be in Kansas City. ESPN is reporting that Sean
mcveigh's future with the ramsas head coach is in limbo.
Sources told them that Nick Weigh will take some time
after Sunday's regular season finale against the Seahawks to determine

(24:44):
whether or not he will return in Tree. He has
been previously tied to various jobs in TV broadcasting. The
Saints gave the Broncos permission to interview coach Sean Payton.
He is still under contract with New Orleans, so a
team would have to would have to offer compensation to
the Saints in order to acquire Peyton. Eagles quarterback Jalen
Hurtch has been dealing with a shoulder injury, is expected

(25:05):
to play Tomorrow's finale against the Giants. Philadelphia can clinch
the NFC's top seed and a first round by with
a win. New York Post reporting that the Giants, seed
at six, will start quarterback Davis Webb on Sunday, resting
quarterback Daniel Jones and running back say Kwon Barley Barkley.
TCUs star running back Kendre Miller says he has a

(25:25):
sprained m c L is questionable for Monday's National championship
game against number one Georgia. In college basketball, Washington State
one at fifth rank, Arizona sixty one well Number seven
Alabama dominated Kentucky seventy eight to fifty two. Illinois, which
was oh and three in the Big Ten, defeated number
four team Wisconsin. See number sixteen Duke won sixty five

(25:46):
sixty four at Boston College and number twenty five Iowa
State sac a late three pointer to win at six
sixty seven at number seven team TCU Kansas State winners
ninety seven, ninety five and overtime at Baylor. This update
brought to you by Discover. We could talk about complicated
other banks make it to redeem credit card rewards, or
we could talk about how we discover you can redeem
your rewards for cash in any amount at any time.

(26:07):
I mean talk about amazing learn more discovered dot com
slash redeemed rewards terms apply. Back to you, Bernie. All right,
thanks Kevin, all right, back to Steve Fazic and the
physics five FeAs. Let's start out. Let's shuffle to Buffalo.
This is a big game, the Patriots catching seven and
a half at Buffalo, Bill Belichick fifteen and seven straight up,

(26:28):
sixteen and six against the number and the final game
in the regular season. By the way, Buffalo only six
and sixteen against the number, is a divisional favorite of
seven or more points. Here's the bottom line. If the
Patriots win, they need no help. With the Patriots win
there in the playoffs, how do you see this game?
So seven hal points favorite, ultramotivated, all the good news

(26:50):
with the thank goodness there looks like their safety is
gonna be okay for for the Bill's health wise going forward.
Great teasers, So a tease Buffalo and the six point
teaser can't aim more than one miss. It's gotta be
a six point teaser miss one twenty Bills. We bring
them down from seven half to one and a half,
what do we tease them with? Well, you could certainly
tease them a lot of good options. Dallas is a

(27:11):
good one, Cleveland is a good one. You can play
six half point teaser, get the Bengals down to two
and a half. But the Bills teaser looks really good
to me. Jet's visit the Dolphins. Dolphins laying three and
a half. The Dolphins also have a window to the
playoffs if they win and New England loses. Interestingly enough,
Miami has a terrible trend again working against him. No

(27:33):
NFL team has ever made the playoffs after going oh
and four in December. Who do you like in this game?
No one? No one will will score in this game, Bernie.
It is going to be scoreless at the end of
the first quarter, at the end of the half, and
at the end of the game. It's going to be
a zero zero tie. Um I like the other so

(27:53):
under under thirty seven and a half with two terrible
quarterbacks and um a motivated Miami d fence here um
under in a warm day in South Beast, seventy three
degrees good good cough as that you know, the winshiew
factor will be seventy three degrees. All right. The third
FC teams still alive for a playoff, uh birth the

(28:15):
Pittsburgh Steelers. If they win and both New England and
Miami lose, the Steelers are in be that as a
main Steelers laying two and a half against a moribund
Cleveland team. Why does this game look too easy? Mike
tom in nineteen and five straight up eighteen and six
against the spread out home in which let me forget

(28:37):
the trends. Who do you like pittsburgher Cleveland? This is
a game that I just see being close. So if
you're going to back the Browns back to Browns and
teasers and get them up to eight and a half,
all Pittsburgh has done in the past six weeks with
what back is shut down opponents. But Cleveland's gonna bring
it against their division rival and Pittsburgh's gonna have trouble

(28:58):
getting um margin, I would I would never bet Cleveland
plus two and a half. But you know it doesn't
feel like Pittsburgh's gonna win by three, four or six. Bernie, Yeah,
I listen. Whenever it looks too easy, it usually is.
This looks like a ten point Pittsburgh win. But then
you get two divisional teams on the field. They all
got scholarships, they all play in the NFL. Right, this

(29:21):
is one of those games where the where the Joe's
look at this and got's too easy? Right? And the
books okay, when the balls in the year, I bet
you bet you the books you're gonna need Cleveland. Is
that fair? Now that's an interesting question. Um, I don't know.
You know, it's always an interesting animal when the line
is like two point six five, all right, because most

(29:41):
of the books are dealing to and half if they so,
they're gonna get liability on the Steelers at that number.
But as soon as they go to three, and this
has already happened this week, This is how pros bet
Cleveland plus two an a screw you what do you
talk about? Of course not Cleveland plus three, you know,
and then that sounds ridiculous. But to put thing some perspective,
Pittsburgh will win this game by three exactly almost ten

(30:03):
percent of the time. It's that important. So no pro
is gonna bet Cleveland plus two and a half, No
pro that I respect, not a one. So all the
pressure some the line has to go to three because
there's no there's not gonna be a dollar of sharp
money but on Cleveland at two and a half, um
and so and then, but that's as soon as the Hittory.
There will be a tsunami of money in Cleveland, you

(30:24):
see it. So it's going to keep bouncing back and forth.
All right, let's flip to the NFC, the Seahawks hosting
the Rams laying six. We all know the situation. Seahawks
have to win and I hope the Packers lose. But
those six points look juicy to me, Fez, I have
not fired on the Rams your thoughts, but but I'm
I'm looking that way. They do look juicy. The Seahawks

(30:47):
stink um. They're not much better than the Rams. The
Rams do have a capable quarterback. I mean there's no
edge at quarterback the way that um um you know
has been playing for Seattle. And at running back acres
there's no idea running backcause the Rams acre is playing
out of his mind. There's certainly no edge of coaching
all over. You could say McVeigh is distracted with all

(31:09):
of his new job offers um and as a Super
Bowl champions, you've got to feel probably have some pride
in the last game of the year. I would lean
Rams plus six, all right, So who will be watching
that game? Of course the Lions very much. Let's flip
to the Lions packers. We've talked about it already. Would
you take the points? Would you lay the points where

(31:30):
you're gonna sit this one out? I'm gonna take the Lions, um,
but I need six. I need six at a minimum,
and I do think I only get it if Seattle
UM wins the game. Of Seattle wins the game, I
think this line easily goes to six. And I won't
touch the lines until like three minutes before kickoff because
the Sunday Nights standalone game, and then the sentiment will

(31:51):
be all the Lions have just been eliminated and I
might even get a six and a half on this
game time. I think you're gonna get it, says, I
really believe you're gonna get six and a half. I do,
so let's regard all what what's the West side story? Boy? Boy,
be cool, boy, just be cool? Wait? Wait, well you
just met a girl named Maria? Is what you're telling me? Right? Um?
Tonight tonight to get plus seven? We oh, we needed

(32:15):
to dog. We gotta good act here, Fez, hang On,
I got a call coming in. It's Simon call. He
wants to talk to you after the show. All right, Fez,
the NFC by technically is still up for grabs, and
all the Eagles have to do is win, Right, they
don't have to win. If they lose and both the
Niners and the Cowboys lose, well, the Eagles have the

(32:38):
NFC by. I don't think they're going to screw this up.
The question is do they cover that big number. I
have no idea how many Giants are gonna sit. It
all comes down. Obviously, the Eagles could rest Jalen Arts
in the second if he might not even play. But
if I don't know who's going to play for the Giants,
I can't even see how I can possibly make a
number of steam points in a divisional team. I don't know, man,

(33:02):
I think I don't know. Okay, fair enough, and you
forget the sixteen, it's going to seventheen, I will bowl
prediction that's going to seven teen. I don't think the
number is gonna come into play. This feels like a
typical ten to thirteen point, you know, whenever you see
one of these goofies. Now, the Niners, if they win
versus Arizona and Philly loses, they're in Okay. How do
you feel about the Niners game Sunday? I mean they're

(33:24):
they're laying fourteen. Forgive me for interrupting, but look some
of these side games that no one's really looking at,
there's oftentimes money to be made. I think you can
lay the first half on the Niners. They should kick
some serious but they're laying eight. So nothing wrong with
Niners first half minus eight, and then they see the
alf I'm scoring. The Eagles are up twenty, and they're
up fourteen, and they're like, did they even win the

(33:45):
second half? Did they even play their starters the second half?
You see where I'm going, So I could seem if
you're going to back San Francisco, I think you want
to go ahead and get at it in the first half,
says The thing people most probably wait for is your
best bet. I think you've got a teaser to talk
about in one particular team in mine you want to

(34:05):
talk about so once good and fire a and that. Yes,
I'll go ahead and I'll tease um. I'll tease the
Buffalo Bills. I think they're my favorite one and I've got,
you know, several options that keep going back and forth.
I'm sorry, Brine, I don't know if this matches my notes,
but let's tease Buffalo to Dallas six point NFL teaser
best bet? That is your best bet? And now I

(34:26):
find that interesting, fist. I'll tell you why. I'll tell
you why because Buffalo is lanes seven and a half
and that kind of breaks one of your rules, doesn't it. No,
I got I'm teasing through the three to seven corridor.
I'm going from seven and a half down to one
and a half, and that's the home team on top
of it. You're right, I am breaking one rule. I'm
teasing a road favorite in Dallas that does break one
of my rules. But I think there'll be as many

(34:48):
Cowboy fans in Washington. Washington has no real home field,
so I don't perceive that to be a true UM
road game, if you will. And further, I think Cowboys
are gonna close seven, and they're they're sept my seven
right now, so I'm teasing the seven. I think it's
going to go higher tomorrow alright, and closing fans before
we have you on next week to preview the playoffs

(35:08):
and great, I love the triple header stuff. Next Sunday
says you made a comment we talked earlier in the week,
and this is sort of a sad time of year
for a lot of folks in Vegas. Football contest come
to an end. You kind of compared it to a
poker tournament. Yeah, so in the main event, they say
the saddest day of a poker player's life for over
the years when he gets knocked out of the main event,

(35:28):
because you see all the final table and those nine
dudes that are so happy, while there's six thousand others
that are unhappy. UM and specifically there's fifty players that
don't even get any money back and they're really unhappy.
And that's what happens with all these terms. Look at
the Circus Survivor, Bernie, there's uh three guys competing for
six million dollars while there's six thousand people that all

(35:51):
anti the thousand each that got nothing. And it's the pressing.
I mean, I've won my share of contests. I've won
five of them over my lifetime. And at the end
of the year, when you don't have any contest titles
and you're not in the money on these contests and
you've entered in all these different contests, it's um, it's
it's financially depressing and and and it's kind of it's
kind of tough. You know. It's like being an m

(36:13):
Felt team that's been eliminated from the playoffs. You're putting
in your picks in these contests each and every week
knowing that you're not going to get there and you're
not even gonna get into the money. It's hard, fast,
good stuff, Good luck Sunday. We'll talk next week, buddy.
Thank you, Bernie. Take care of the physic and the
Physics five the only two time win or the Hilton
the now Westgate Super Contest coming up. Must win does

(36:36):
not mean must bet. I'll explain why we k e
teen and gave you the data as to why you
gotta be careful. Just because the team must win doesn't
mean you should back them. On Bernie Fratto will come
to your life from Las Vegas tire Act dot Com studios.
Keep you locked you're listening to the Bernie Fratto Show
on Fox Sports Radio. Back on the Bernie Fratto Show
covered your life from Las Vegas. Tireract dot Com studios

(36:56):
here in Las Vegas take you up to three and
Pacific six and of Eastern ton of stuff to get
to top of the hour. I will unpack and dissect
and share with you the latest on Gim Harbaugh. I
hear people around the country on various platforms try to
talk about this subject. There Most of the time, their

(37:17):
narrative is merely theoretical. I'm going to give you the
straight scoop on what's going on there and uh and
and what's likely to happen here in the next few weeks. Uh. Look,
I talked about this uh a minute ago, and I
talked about it last night. We get to week eight teen.
What do you hear? Teams must win? Right, the Seahawks

(37:39):
must win the Dolphins must win, the Steelers must win.
Both the Packers and Detroit must win. So you've got
a situation where, uh, you've got always teams that must win, right,
What doesn't mean you must bet on them. Remember in
the National Football League, thirty one of the thirty two
teams over the course of the season will lose the
game they must win. Get my drift. And it turns

(38:01):
out that in the final week of the regular season,
a team that must win to get into the playoffs,
since they're only sixteen and twenty six against the spread,
that's thirty eight percent. And of those forty two games,
thirteen of them are twenty nine of them lost out right.
And by the way, if you are involved in a
game where the team who must win is laying more

(38:23):
than a field goal, those teams only cover thirty one
percent of the time. So if you're bet in the
Seahawks and laying the six, the odds are against you.
The Seahawks may win, but the odds tell you they're
probably not going to cover. They might, they might not.
The Dolphins must win, The Jets might be of value.
The Steelers must win. You heard fat, That's gonna be

(38:45):
a close game. I can't take the two and a
half the Steelers are laying, but I'm not laying it either.
Packers now they're currently laying four and a half five
against Detroit. I believe that line of run to six
six and a half. Both teams must win, so that
situation that situation, although if the Seahawks win, the Lions
will be eliminated, the Lions would be of value there,

(39:07):
so again, must win does not mean must bet. History
shows us that over history, teams that have been eliminated
fair quite well against the spread and straight up against
teams who must win in that final week to get
into the playoffs. Coming up, we dive heavily into the
Gym Harbaugh situation. People have asked about these potential in fractions.

(39:30):
People have asked about us, some motivations. Will you be
back next year? I'll address all of it. Keep it
locked right here. This is the Bernie Fratto Show on
Fox Sports Radio. Fox Sports Radio has the best sports
talk lineup in the nation. Catch all of our shows
at Fox sports Radio dot com and within the I
Heart Radio app search f s R to listen live. Hey,

(39:52):
it's Ben, host of the Fifth Hour with Ben Mallory.
Would mean a lot to have you join us on
our weekly auditory journey Dressed one in God's Name is
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(40:14):
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We'll take you up to three and Pacific six am
Eastern ton of stuff to get to. We are broadcasting
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(40:37):
unmatched selection, fast free shipping for your own hazard protection
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way till you're buying should be. Let's talk Jim Harbaugh.
And there is so much to unconnack here and so
many layers to this. I'm going to simply start with
the latest because just a couple of days after they

(40:59):
got beat I t c U. Don't tell me TCU
is not the better team. If that was the case,
how come Donovan Mitchell was caught from behind? How come
we only rushed for towards sixty five yards and the
remaining twenty two carriers I called Michigan was only two
for fifteen on third down? Couldn't score from side to two? Yeah,
I got, I got two pick six as I get it.
Maybe tc used defensive backs are a little faster than

(41:21):
the ones in Illinois. Maybe they close on the play,
jumped the route, execute, take it to the house. You lost.
Still the great year for Michigan. Great two years from Michigan.
Now they're facing allegations of n c A violations. According
to multiple media reports, there are level two violations and
there's one level one violation. Level two violations are basically

(41:42):
very very minor, all right. Uh, Michigan allegedly met with
some recruits during the COVID nineteen dead period. That's a
no no. They watched them players work on a video,
apparently allegedly had too many coaches on a recruiting trip,
and then all this one. Oh boy, there was evidence
alleged evidence by the n c A that found out

(42:03):
that Jim Harball lied about having bought a hamburger for
recruits at a restaurant, nor word if there was anything
to drink with that or the head burger head cheese
on it. We'll have to get our crack staff on that.
But Level one is a little bit more serious, and
that may relate to Harbaugh handled the investigation when he
answered the question about the hamburgers. Okay, the level one

(42:23):
allegation is at hardball mislead in see investigators because he
was confronted about questions about the level two allegations, and
then therefore the level one allegation was potentially levied because
they didn't like his answers. What does this have to
do with anything? I don't think much. I don't think
there's any correlation or any nexus behind whether or not

(42:44):
these infractions have any life to them or any you know,
meaning to them or significance, and whether or not Harbaugh
stays or goes. You have to know this about Jim
Harbaugh and enslaves me when people say, oh, he's just
playing that game again and he wants to get more money.
Hardball is not driven by money. You're sure he wants
to make money like anybody else. Harball wants to win

(43:06):
a super Bowl. Jim Harball believes, and he said it
many times as he approaches his sixtieth birthday or young
sixty by the way, not there yet, but he's almost there.
He said many times that he believes the most coveted
trophy in sports is the super Bowl. He got the
Niners to the Super Bowl in and they played the
Baltimore Ravens and lost to his brother John Harball. That

(43:28):
eats at him. And it would have looked regardless of
whether or not it was his brother or someone else,
could have been a Gibbern for that matter, it would
have eaten at Hardball. Harball wants to win a super Bowl.
You cannot win his Super Bowl in Ann Harbor. Jim
harborw I believe, wanted to be paid like a Super

(43:48):
Bowl coach and got into some beefs with Trent Balky,
his boss back on the summer, which he later denied
was written about in The Athletic I Think by Jason
cole Mimals told me, why if they don't raise him
to six and a half million, it'll be his last
year in San Francisco, and it was even though everybody
denied it. And on December ten, Jim Harbaugh took the

(44:09):
party but the press conference and got the job at
Michigan and has completely resurrected that program. And to do
you know, significant national prominence, but you can't win a
super Bowl in ann Arbor. Jim harball stock is as
high as it's been in years. And you hear teams
mentioned like Denver. I don't know if he has any

(44:30):
interested in Denver or to what degree they have interested
in him. I don't think Sean Payton's gonna take that job.
Just an opinion, but I don't think Hardball has any
history with the uh, with the Walton family, the new
owners of the Broncos anywhere, or George Payton, and don't
it doesn't feel like a fit to me. Uh. I
do know that he talked to Carolina, That's what's been reported,

(44:52):
and I believe it. I don't know where that goes.
A lot of it's gonna depend on them offer a
lot of it's gonna depend on the amount of ConTroll
he gets and his staff, and there are multiple moving parts.
The two teams that are most intriguing to me, you
really can't throw out the Miami Dolphins, even though I
hate to talk this way, because they have a coach,
Mike McDaniel a pretty good job. Last five weeks have

(45:15):
been a debacle, though. Should Miami lose tomorrow and they
fall out in up eight and nine, who knows what
Steven Ross is gonna do. Stephen Ross, you know the Dolphins,
very eccentric guy, a benefactor to the University of Michigan
and Michigan lum to the tune of a hundred million dollars.
I believe he would have hired Harbaugh had not the
alum said you leave him alone. He's ours will disown

(45:37):
you do not hire Jim Harbaugh, and he didn't. The
Dolphins are always going to potentially be in play because
of that connection. But the one team, and I've been
talking about this ad nauseum. If you listen to my show,
if you listen to the other shows, when I sat
in with and did Ben Maller's show, when I jumped
in with Dan Byer, great show he does on Sunday afternoons. Uh,

(45:59):
you know, when I was in with Mike Harmon. I've
mentioned multiple times that since Jim or say, the owner
of the Colts let Frank Wright go back in November
and brought in uh, Jeff Saturday. He went always believe
was gonna be nothing more than the nine week Conciguliari.
I'm not so sure he even wanted that job. He's

(46:20):
here to babysit. We'll see. He may get some token
in of you who care. I don't think he wants it.
This is the this is the job to watch, and
I'll tell you why. And I believe within the next
few weeks Jim Harball will be offered the Colts job
and he may you know, jimmercy can do whatever the
hell he wants. He may even offer Hardball the you know,

(46:42):
more money than anybody else is making. Bill Belichick makes
twelve million, Sean McVeigh makes fifteen million. Uh, Frank rank
was making nine. Then it will come down to control
and multiple other factors. Okay, So why do I say this?
First of all, these gentlemen, Jim Racy and Jim Harball,
they have a relationship that goes back to the mid eighties.
Or loves Hardball. He nicknamed him Captain Comeback. Why. He

(47:05):
was a quarterback for the Colts for four years and
he was a competitor, won some games, and Orsay liked him,
like the cut of his jib. Jim Harball. Look at
the stadium there in Indianapolis. He is in the Ring
of honor. When Chuck Pagana was fired as the head
coach of the Colts back in ten in a straw
poll in Indianapolis of the fans said they wanted Jim Harbaugh.

(47:29):
Stay tuned. I think that job makes the most sense.
Remember Indianapolis last year, it was one game from the
playoffs and they pooped the bed week seventeen, Week eighteen
against the Jacksonville Jaguars. They were close. They're not that
far away that I know. They've gotta get a quarterback.
They gotta fill in some they gotta back fill in

(47:50):
some some pieces parts not as far away as you think.
And whether or not he could Jim Harball would win
a Super Bowl in Indianapolis, Well, of course that would
remain to be seen. But you can't win one an
ann arbor. And remember back last March nine, before Jim Harbaugh,
at the time fifty eight years old, signed the new deal,
the extension at Michigan, he told his boss, who happens

(48:13):
to be a former teammate, the athletic director Ward Manual.
They both played together at Michigan under Bush Beckler. Hardball
said he would not revisit the possibilities of coaching in
the NFL. Again, Sure that statement has all the credibility
of a dermatologist with ACTI. Hardball is gonna do what
Hardball wants to do. And I know he lives next
door to his dad and Ann Arbor. I heard all
the speeches, and it's not a it's not a he's

(48:35):
going to the NFL. I'm just telling you that, like
much like Mike Tomlin shut it down. He could shut
it down, but he does. And he said, who knows
what the future holds. You know what the future holds.
You can do whatever you want, Hardball. You can do
literally whatever you want. So last March, when Jim Harbaugh
signed the five year extension thirty six point seven million,

(48:58):
here's here's one of the things is it really catches
my eye. The buyout this year is only three million.
So if Jim Harball left after this year, the buyouts
nothing three million? Why would they agree to that? Why
would they do that? And that the buyout drops incrementally
every year in the next four years, bottoming out at

(49:22):
seven and fifty thousand. Now, if you don't think that's significant,
look at look at Jim jimbo Fisher's buy out. There's
a big difference, isn't there? Now? No one knows what's
the future holes when it comes to Jim Harball unless
it's Jim Harbor. One of the things that could kai
bosh Hardball going back to the NFL. I'm told and

(49:44):
I got damn good malls and ann Arbor and Grand
Rappens all around the state I lived in their seventeen
years I worked in that market. I still talk to.
These guys, are great guys, a couple of them I've
had on my show. Hardball is a little torn this year.
It's got a hell of football team. They beat Ohio
stay back to back years. They went back to back
Big Ten championships. They're bringing back a terrific quarterback, a

(50:06):
lot of a lot of offensive talent. Defense. Um not
sure if Blake core I'm gonna start running back, is
gonna jump to the NFL or not. But regardless, you
know Michigan and he has an outstanding recruiting class coming in.
So if there's anything that might put the brakes or
pump the brakes on Hardball leaving now is the fact

(50:27):
that he feels, when most of us feel, Hardball may
have his best team ever next year. So that could
be a bit of a show stopper. But you don't know,
You don't know what Denver is gonna offer if they
have a meeting in the minds. Again, Mimi's got a coach.
So I don't like to speak ill like this, but
Stephen Ross can do what he wants. David Tepper, apparently

(50:50):
the Carolina Panthers has already talked to Jim Harbaugh and
Moles tell me that Hardball is listening. He's he's listening.
You don't think anybody's denied that, and then a core
you got the Colts again. Let's let's, you know, recap.
The infractions that you're hearing about are inconsequential as it
pertains to whether or not Hardball would leave or go.

(51:12):
This is not a situation where Pete Carroll got the
hell out of Dodge back in two thousand seven or
whatever it was, And you know damn well he did,
and I'm not picking on him for it. Yeah, we
get it. This is nowhere near any of that does
not rise to that level, not even one iota. This
is just you know, gris for the mill in. The

(51:32):
school is behind Jim Harball, so that will have nothing
to do with anything whether he stays or goes. The
infractions are inconsequential. Hardball wants to win a Super Bowl badly.
You can't win that nan arbor, and the window is
gonna eventually close. Hardball stock has never been higher. Harball

(51:53):
not particularly in love or enamored with the current state
of college football, not particularly in love or enamored with
the n i L situation, with the transfer portal situation.
He's dealing with it. He's maneuvering it just like most folks.
But I don't really think he's the type of guy
that is enamored with what's really going on. Hardball is

(52:13):
an interesting guy and what his life has been really successful.
One of the favorite Hardball stories to me is he
had a real slow star at University of Michigan right
he enrolled there and as a freshman never played. The
sophomore barely played, and he likes to tell the story

(52:34):
having to do with the spring after his sophomore year.
He was walking across campus and out of the corner
of his eye and his peripheral vision, he saw his
head coach Bo Schanbeckler. He didn't want to talk to him.
He just kept walking and all of a a sudden, here's hey, Jenny,
coach Bowl and the next thing, you know, was right
on him, staring him up and down, sizing him up.
He says, how are you doing, Jimmy hitting the class?

(52:55):
Says yeah, yeah, coach heading a class. Good. How's everything
going good? Coach? What are you weighing now, Jimmy two
oh seven? Coach good? He goes, jim let me tell
you something. You may be the greatest recruit I've ever
had at the University of Michigan. Pause, or you might
be the biggest mistake I've ever made. Coach Bold and

(53:18):
tucked his head, walked away. And that was it, Hardball said.
He went back to his his dorm room or whatever,
laying on his bed and said what was that about?
And it really toyed with his mind for good two
or three months, until finally, when practice started in late
July and early August, he realized what Coach Bowl was
telling him, that it was up to him. It was

(53:40):
going to be up to him. To determine what his
future is going to be. You went to work the
rest of his history. Hard Ball started his junior senior
year they beat Ohio State. He was drafted, played fifteen
sixteen years in the NFL, went out to coach at
San Diego, stand for the Niners and Michigan. He has
had success everywhere he's been. He's a discipline guy, as
a quirky guy, but he's a successful guy. He told

(54:02):
that story to Kaide McNamara and J. J. McCarthy. When
he was deciding the quarterback battle back in August, everybody
picked on him like he didn't know what he was doing.
He should make up his mind. He knew what he
was doing. Hardball does know what he's doing. He's very calculating.
That's why there are a lot of moving parts and
for people to automatically assume he's just playing a game

(54:23):
so we can get more money. You don't know what
you're talking about. So a lot of the comments you
hear about Harball or theoretical. Now, what do I think
is gonna happen the next few weeks. I think it's
fifty right down the middle whether he stays or goes.
I think he will go if he gets the offer
he wants, with the organization he wants and the control
he wants and his staff and all those things that
come along with it. Do I think he go? Yes?

(54:46):
But we're not there yet. So you have to again
tread a little lightly when it comes to making predictions
about Harball when you really don't understand the dynamic and
what are the factors he's going to consider when he
makes these decisions, because it's not anywhere near as as
cut and dried as people think. However, this is going

(55:09):
to be fun to watch because look, let's face it,
Jim Harbaugh, he's like a walking side show, right, he
just is, and every year he would. My favorite thing
is not only the people speculating that, the people on
air speculating about what's what and who might do what
and just sort of contemplating and giving their theoretical speeches
having to do with nothing. The other part of the

(55:31):
folks in ann Arbor who don't want them to go,
who lose their mind on Twitter and they you know,
they want to shoot you down that the Hardball would
ever even consider going. Look, I will tell you this, man,
if the Minnesota Vikings and that whole interview last year
in mid February and recruiting. He was a complete figaze.
He was a little bit of a middle finger back
to Michigan. I don't think Hardball was too happy that

(55:53):
he got his pay basically cut in half, and I
think it's all since been restored, etcetera, etcetera. But he
would have taken that the Vikings had zero interest, and
I think Hardball was a little bit fought by that.
That's why he made the statement when he got back.
But here we are. It's that time of year, you know,
death taxes and whether or not Jim Harball will State
University of Michigan keep it locked right here on this show,

(56:14):
because I promise you the malls I have and the
throughput I have to ann Arbor and folks I know,
and people in the state of Michigan having worked on
that market, good people who I trust, who haven't been wrong,
they will keep me posted on Jim Harball speaking and
keeping you posted. All right, let's talk about and I'll
tell what I'm gonna at the bottom of the hour.

(56:35):
What I'm gonna do is talk about I'm gonna revisit
why the bills Bengal game was not resumed, and how
the playoff alterations are going to occur when I have
to do with seating and such coin flip games. I'm
gonna break it all down. But coming up. Listen, there
are still multiple teams in the n f C and
the NFC vying for the seventh seed. There are remaining

(56:57):
teams that are looking for that final playoff birth. I'll
tell you what they have to do on Sunday to
get their ticket. Punch to the dance. I realized that
mixed my metaphor there, that's a that's a March Badness tournament.
But you get my drift. Follow along. I'm Bernie Frado
or come to your line from the Las Vegas Fox
Sports Radio tirerac dot Com studios. Keep it locked right here,

(57:18):
don't go away listening to the Bernie Fratto Show on
Fox Sports Radio. Yeah back on the Bernie Fratto Show.
Come to you live from the tire Act dot Com
studios here in Las Vegas. Take after three and Pacific
six and Eastern. Lot of stuff to get to, including
the Dance Sensation sweep in the nation in the final hour.
What kind of brand new fool are you? And what

(57:41):
my name of course Christoper FETs World of Soccer to
close the show. Always launch of good stuff there. But
we are just hours away, nine and a half hours
away from the resumption of week eighteen. It all gets
settled by this time tomorrow night. You will know who's
in the playoffs. You will know who's playing when and where.

(58:02):
And there are six games next weekend doublehead or Saturday
TripleHead or Sunday and then of course the Monday night game.
So who, what, when, where and why? What do they
have to do to close the deal because it's not
quite decided yet will in the a f C. If
you are a Patriots fan, good luck or check that
good for you, because all you've got to do is

(58:25):
just win, baby. The Patriots win, they are in They
currently have the number seven SEA, but they have to
win to hold onto it. They are in Buffalo. The
Miami Dolphins still alive. They have to win as well,
but the Dolphins not only have to win, that has
to be coupled with the loss by the Patriots for

(58:45):
the Dolphins to get into the dance. And then, of
course the Pittsburgh Steelers. They've never had a losing season
under Mike Tomlin and If Pittsburgh beats Cleveland Sunday, they'll
finish nine and eight. Will they get a shot to
participate bait in the playoff tournament only if New England
and Miami loss again. Steelers have to win in the

(59:06):
eighty They're hoping that the Patriots and the Dolphins both
lose as well. So the Patriots just when you're in,
Dolphins win, New England loses, Dolphins are in. Steelers win,
both New England and Miami lose, they're in flip to
the NFC, which to me is a little bit more intriguing.
I'll tell you why. Because the Seahawks they play one.
They kick off Pacific time against the Rams divisional game,

(59:30):
Hawks lane six points. I think that's gonna be a
very entertaining game. Sational Football League, all kinds of storylines there.
Gino Smith, Pete Carroll waved goodbye to Russell Wilson. Wilson
on the outside looking in, but it's actually Gino Smith.
They write me off, but I ain't. Right back, look
at this final game of the season. The Seahawks win

(59:54):
and they're in, or are they, because then you're gonna
have to flip to the game. That's flexed to five
fIF Pacific eight fifteen Eastern. That's the Lions and Packers.
So if the Seahawks were to lose, then when the
Lions and Packers play Sunday Night, it's win or take all.

(01:00:15):
Whoever wins that game advances to the playoffs. What a
what a great story for the Lions. Now, if the
Seahawks win, they're not dead. They need the Packers to lose.
So that game between the Lions and Packers still have
significance because if the Lions win, even though they're eliminated,
they're nine and eight first time they're over five. And oh,

(01:00:38):
by the way, they would spoil Aaron Rodgers party. And
what's the group think echo Chamber doing? Again, we'll lose
Aaron Rodgers loves scheme in the field, And I don't
think so. But who the hell knows? Right? But do
I think so? No? I don't. I don't think so.
Packers just win, baby. Rogers is twenty eight four and

(01:01:00):
home in regular season games in December and January, So
if you're a Packers fan, you could just win. So
if you follow that Seahawks win, then you watch the
Sunday night game with your fingers crossed. If you're a
Seahawks fan, Packers lose, Seahawks are in if the by
the way, if again at both the Packers and Seahawks win,
the Packers would advance because they have the tiebreaker over

(01:01:22):
the Seahawks. Okay, but the minute the Seahawks lose or
it's checked that the way out, the Seahawks win, the
Lions are eliminated. So the Lions have to win and
they help the Seahawks lose as well. I'm repeating myself
now okay, real quickly. Uh, the NFC buy is not
decided yet. The Eagles, he's gotta beat the Giants. But
even if they don't, Dallas or San Francisco loses, the

(01:01:42):
Eagles will be the buy Week one and the you know,
number one seed Niners still not dead. They'd have to
win versus Arizona and watch Philly lose. Wouldn't bet on
Philly losing against the Giants. Cowboys don't that not dead
either for the number one seed, but they'd have to
win at Washington, and they'd have to have both the
forty Niners and Eagles lose in the FC by virtue

(01:02:04):
of winning. Today, Kansas City has locked up the number
one seed in the a f C. They will get
a buy and they will play home at home the
rest of the year, with the exception of if they
play Buffalo that will be at a neutral site game.
So as you watch these games Sunday, you have a
little bit of perspective as to what's what in this significance.

(01:02:26):
By the way, a Better at Caesar's Sports winning and
put down three thousand on the Saints to beat the
Panthers minus three, two seventy five on the Chiefs, minus
nine over the Raiders, that's already cashed. The Bengals minus
seven over the rare Ravens, that's got blowt written all
over it. Two grand, and the Colts minus two and

(01:02:47):
a half over the Texas. If this Better at Caesars
goes four, and oh guess what, that's a cool one
million dollars to start off your new year. Not bad
work if you can get it coming up as promised,
we talked about the old Bengals game while it's not resumed,
the playoff alterations and give you a little perspective on
how these things have happened before and what the league's

(01:03:08):
reasoning was. But first, let's go back to our guy
Kevin Wire with the least Hey Bernard. We had another
playoff spot locked down in the a f C on Saturday,
as the Jacksonville Jaguars winning the division in the a
f C South, coming back to beat the Titans twenties sixteen.
Jacksonville returned a fumble for a touchdown with less than
three minutes to go. The Jaguars are now nine and

(01:03:30):
eight and have won five in a row to end
the regular season. Tennessee has lost seventh straight to finish
out the string, and that's five after they fired their
general manager, John Robinson. The Chiefs, they're now fourteen and
three after they clinched They clinched the number one seed
after they beat the Las Vegas Raiders thirty one thirteen.
If Buffalo beats the Patriots tomorrow, it'll be a potential

(01:03:51):
Buffalo Kansas City matchup in the a f C title
game would be at a neutral site. However, if it's
the Chiefs against any other team, the n f C
Championship would be in Kansas City. ESPN is reporting that
Sean mcveigh's future with the Rams is head coaches in Limbo.
Sources told them that McVeigh will take some time after
Sunday's regular season finale against the Seahawks to determine whether

(01:04:12):
or not he will return in He has been previously
tied to various jobs in TV broadcasting. Eagles quarterback Jalen
Hurts is expected to play Tomorrow's finale against the Giants.
He has been dealing with a shoulder injury. Philadelphia can
clinch the NFC's top seed and the first round by
that comes with it with a win tomorrow. The Giants,
seated six, will start a quarterback Davis web on Sunday,

(01:04:33):
resting quarterback Daniel Jones and running back se Kwon Barkley.
TCU start running back Kendre Miller says he has has
his spring MCL and it is questionable for Monday's National
Championship game against top ranked Georgia. NBA scores the Lakers
make it five wins in a row with a one
win over the King's Lebron James at thirty seven points

(01:04:53):
for l A a a certain They now find themselves tied
for the final play in spot and just a game
and a half out of a guaranteed playoffs spot. Warriors
dropped their second straight home game as they followed the
Magic one fifteen one on one Boston Celtics victorious at
San Antonio one sixteen the Bulls meet the Jazz. Eighteen
College basketball, Washington State beat number five Arizona sixty one.

(01:05:16):
Seventh ranked Alabama dominated Kentucky seven eight to fifty two. Illinois,
who was over three to begin Big Ten play, defeated
number four teen Wisconsin seventy nine sixty nine, Number sixteen
Duke sixty five sixty four winners over Boston College, Number
twenty five. Iowa State taken late three pointer to win
at sixty nine sixty seven at number seventeen TCU, Kansas

(01:05:37):
State nine five winners in overtime against Baylor. Back to you, Bernie,
all right, thanks, Kevin um alright. So the biggest story
of the week, of course was Damar Hamlin and i'
we re visit that one final time before the show
is over, just some perspective. But the byproduct of that
was that the Bills Bengal game I will not be resumed.

(01:05:59):
Of course, it's canceled, and I think the NFL made
the right decision. Logistically, They really couldn't schedule that in
a way that wouldn't have caused major issues. I think, uh,
could you really ask psychologically for those players to get
together back on the field after what they had witnessed
it would I think it's a little too much to ask.

(01:06:20):
And the truth of the matter is, while any final
decision that had been rendered, and I thought the NFL
was at least decisive and concise in their explanation, they
may not make everybody happy, but the truth of the
matter is, uh, no matter what decision was going to
be made, there were gonna be some folks that that
would be a little myth. But a situation got a
little clear today. The Chiefs when they finished the season

(01:06:41):
fourteen and three, the Chiefs are the number one seed,
and uh, the you know. I'm gonna get to the
rest of that in just a second, but before people
lose their mind too much. In terms of the decision
that was made during the season, several games were rescheduled
in the National Football League because of the COVID and
team pandemic. All Right, the league also postponed every week

(01:07:03):
to NFL game back in two thousand one, after the
nine eleven attacks, they were postponed for eleven days. The
games were replayed on what would have been the season's
wildcard round, and the playoffs were pushed back a week.
Back in seven I talked about this ye other night.
The league played a fifteen game season because there was

(01:07:25):
a player strike and the NFL p A went on strike,
and there were three games that were when one weekends
game was canceled and there were three weeks of replacement teams.
And boy what I've told that story in the past.
It's a it's a classic. So there are instances were
a schedule has been altered, changed, maneuvered after the season

(01:07:46):
had already started, and I know they had talked about
some things like, well, why don't we give the NFC
a week off, then the FC a week off, and
then we use that bye week it's typically reserved for
the week between the Super Bowl and that, you know,
the f C NFC championship games. Now, that wouldn't have
worked because first of all, the NFC, uh, the NFC

(01:08:08):
number one seed, would have found themselves not playing a
game for three straight weeks. And then you would have
a situation where the NFC would have had no week
off heading into the Super Bowl, but the FC team
would have. So look here, this was the National Football
league's reasoning, and I you know, whether you agree with
or not, at at least it feels sound. See by

(01:08:30):
not playing the Buffalo Cincinnati game to a final conclusion, well,
it's gonna have no effect on any of these teams
qualifying for the postseason. Okay, no club would would qualify
for the postseason and no club would be eliminated based
on the outcome of that game. So we're not talking
about playoffers. We're just talking about seeding number two. It

(01:08:51):
would have required if they would have tried to play
the game, resume the game Buffalo Cincinnati, it definitely would
have required postponing the start of the playoffs for at
least one week or probably one week. That would have
affected all four teen teams that were eligible for postseason play.
They couldn't rationalize that. The final reason making the decision,

(01:09:14):
and this is where I command the NFL. Making the
decision prior to Week eighteen is consistent with the NFL
and their competitive principles and what it does that enables
all clubs heading into this final week and to know
what the playoff possibilities were prior to play in the
final week in the regular season games. So there's only

(01:09:36):
three scenarios. Buffalo and Kansas City both win, are both tie,
Buffalo play Sunday, Kansas City has already won, then a
Buffalo Casey championship game would be a neutral site. Scenario
two is debt that would have required both Buffalo and
Casey to both lose and Baltimore win. That would have
required Buffalo and Kansas City played in a neutral site

(01:09:57):
to be determined. The third scenario buff along Kansas City
both losing. Cincinnati wins again either Buffalo and or Cincinnati,
they play Kansas City, the championship game would be a
neutral site. Two of those three scenarios are already done.
As far as the coin flip game, as long as
Cincinnati does not lose to Baltimore Sunday, there will be
no coin flip game meaning coin flip meaning where would

(01:10:22):
it because those two teams would be playing in the
wild Card Then okay, if Baltimore would have beat Cincinnati,
they flip a coin, Baltimore would have beaten Cincinnati twice
since then they would have had the better record by
virtue of percentage, which did make Zach Taylor happy. But
Cincinnati still controls their faith. They're at home they're nine
point favored against Baltimore against the backup quarterback. You get

(01:10:44):
the drift alright. People in bagging on Roger Goodell. Where
is he? I've got some quotes from Roger Goodell, and
whether you like him or not, at least he stepped up.
There's what he said. He said quote. This is Roger Goodell.
I'm quoting him. Quote. This has been a very difficult week.
We continue to focus on the recovery of Damar Hamlin,

(01:11:05):
and we are encouraged by the improvements in his condition,
as well as the tremendous outpouring of support and care
for DeMar and his family from across the country. We're
also incredibly appreciative of the amazing work of the medical personnel,
and we commend each and every one of them. As
we considered the football schedule, our principles have been to

(01:11:28):
limit disruption across the league and minimize competitive inequities. Goodell
went on to say, quote, I recognize that there is
no perfect solution. The proposal we are asking the ownership
to consider, which they already have done and they already
voted for thumbs up. Address the most significant, potential equitable

(01:11:51):
issues that were created again, this is a goodell quote
by the difficult but necessary decision not to play the
game under these extra mary circumstances. The NFL, as you,
I'm sure no by now, it's hypersensitive to not doing
the wrong thing after having whiffed on some major issues
over the past. One most notable, and this is important,

(01:12:15):
John F. Kennedy, our president, was assassinated November twenty nine.
Two days later under the decree of Pete Roselle, who
was the commissioner at the time, he said, let's play.
The NFL played two days later full slate. For the
rest of his life. Pete Roselle a dignified man, a

(01:12:37):
man who presided over the merger the FL and NFL,
helped to create the Super Bowl, got in the NFL
and some of its biggest growth areas in the sixties.
I have been told by multiple people that Pete Roselle
he absolutely regretted that decision for the rest of his life.
So did the NFL do the right thing? Yes? I

(01:13:00):
think they did. Coming up some knickknacks as we wrap
up the week, the first week of the new year,
and oh, by the way, some historical perspective on the
Texas Christian horn Frogs in terms of their long odds,
where they were at the beginning of the season, and
how that actually compares to other great championship teams in

(01:13:22):
the NBA, NHL, college basketball, et cetera. I'll give you
some perspective. It's a I won't say it's a miracle.
Miracles happen every day, especially in the world of sports,
but I will say it's this. It's an incredible accomplishment
that TCU is even in this game Monday night. And
make no mistake, I think they're going to compete on
Bernie Frider will come to you live from the Las

(01:13:43):
Vegas tire Act dot Com studios. Keep me locked you
listening to the Bernie Frido Show on Fox Sports Radio.
You're back guy on the Bernie Friddo Show, Fox Sports Radio.
Coming You're live from the tire acta dot Com studios
here in Las Vegas, Nevada. Coming up top of the hour,
I give a final perspective on Damarrow Hamlin, the historical

(01:14:04):
backdrop and why it was not unprecedented and at the
end of the day, thank god, the NFL Circle three.
We have the advancements, the awareness and the preparedness to
save this young man's life. It was not unprecedented. These
players that we love to watch ten ft tall, that
planned fields of dreams larger than life. Well, they're human

(01:14:27):
and sometimes blessed, sometimes cursed. And I will dive into
that top of the hour. Georgia Monday is laying twelve
and a half against TCU. It's the biggest college football
line in the championship game since the BCS Championship at
two thousand three the Fiesta Bowl, when the Miami Hurricanes

(01:14:48):
were twelve point favorites of Ohio State. And I would
remind you that Ohio State won that night to twenty four,
a game I will never forget. I know there was
a controversial pass interference play in the end zone, but
be then as it managed the sixty minute game and
the Buckeyes won outright as twelve point underdogs. It's gonna

(01:15:09):
be fun. TCU began the year this is These are
I'm gonna give you the biggest preseason long shots in
various sports in the last twenty five years. Uh. Before
the season began, of course, TCU was five and seven
last year. Uh, their quarterback hadn't even won the job.
They had a brand new first year coach. TC was

(01:15:31):
two hundred to one to win the championship this year.
It's simply unprecedented. To give that some perspective. The biggest
NBA oats Again, these are the biggest long shot in
terms of the preseason before the season starts, to win
the championship. In the National Basketball Association, we go back
to the Golden State Warriors, Steph Curry and company. They

(01:15:54):
were to one to win their first championship. Those are
pretty long odds, but not two hundred one. How About
in the National Hockey League, let's go back to two
thousand and six to Carolina Panthers. They were checked out
to Carolina Hurricanes, the Panthers of the obviously the football team.
They were sixty two one to win the Stanley Cup
of the National Hockey League. Aaron Torres Yukon Husky is

(01:16:18):
back in before the season started. They were sixty five
to one to win it all, but they did it.
Let's go back to Scott Shapiro, our boss, our leader.
He's Minnesota Twins led by the great Jack Morris. They
played an epic game, uh, who can forget the game

(01:16:40):
against the Braves. That extra innings game anyway, before the
season started, the Minnesota Twins were eighty to one to
win to win it all. And then, of course, the
only team has come close, and this is twenty three
years ago, the team has come close preseason in terms
of these kinds of long odds having to do with
winning a championship and what the odds were prior to

(01:17:02):
the season started. The Louis Rams, led by Kurt Warner,
the Great Kurt Warner, hundred and fifty one to win
the National Championship and they did it. So you have
a TCU. Can they close the deal Monday? They can.
I'm not predicting it, but I'm not predicting a blowout either.

(01:17:23):
I watched this team and their team speed and defy
the odds all year. They've what They've now beaten six
ranked teams this year. No one else has done that,
including Georgia. By the way, mattress Mac, he's at it again.
The Furniture Mobile placed a million and a half dollar
bet money line bet on TCU to beat Georgia, and
Monday Night's college football game and the National Championship Game,

(01:17:45):
f TCU manages to take down Georgia. The Mattress came
will go to bed Monday night with a cool five
point five million member. He just want a bunch, Mattress
mac just want a bunch on the World Series recently
a couple of quickies by the way, that we're gonna
get into this in the coming weeks the transfer portal.

(01:18:05):
Notre Dame's got a star quarterback. Uh. Sam Hartman, the
all time leading passer the a SEC, is committed to
the Fighting Irish Wednesday. He's the best quarterback in Wake
Forest history. He's the top available transfer and the poor rankings.
It's hard to overstate how important Sam Hartman is gonna
be for Notre Dame and their rise as they continue

(01:18:28):
to bill be, you know, built back into a national park.
By the way, next season Notre Dame gets to play
Ohio State, Clemson, and USC. You think they can use
Sam Hartman. Yeah, is the all time leading pastor in
the a SEC. And I am told he wants to
improve his NFL stock because you know, he's only six
ft tall and the scouts say he's not big enough.

(01:18:49):
That always irks me. Sizes the least important factor in
all of sports. Trust me. Maybe I'll talk about that
in future shows. But I look for Sam Hartman to
do great things. He had that medical Man the earlier
in the year still had a great season. Interesting. Sam
Hartman heads to Notre Dame. Coming up our final perspective
on demorrow, Hamlin. This is Bernie Fratto. Keep it locked.

(01:19:09):
Fox Sports Radio. Fox Sports Radio has the best sports
talk lineup in the nation. Catch all of our shows
at Fox sports Radio dot com and within the I
Heart Radio app search f s R to listen live.
Hey you heard the man. That Bernie Fratto show keeps
rolling right along. We are broadcasting live from the tire
act dot Com studios here in Las Vegas. Tire act

(01:19:31):
dot Com. We'll hope you get there and unmatched selection,
fast free shipping for your rowin hanswerd protection and over
ten thou recommended installers tiract dot com the way tire
buying should be. You know. Uh. The great columnist for
the Los Angeles Times no longer with this perhaps the

(01:19:54):
greatest column sports column writer of all time, Jim Murray.
Once I had a saying that I've never been unhappy
at the press box. Well, I'm guessing if he'd been
in the press box Monday night after observing Damar Hamlin
and watching him collapse. He would have been unhappy. And
I was trying to trying to get my mind around

(01:20:15):
what was happening. And I watched the replay three or
four times and it appeared. I tweeted out that he
had taken a blunt forced trauma to his upper chest.
And my good buddy, uh, texted me, Doug. He played
high school football together, the doctor. He's a brilliant guy.
He uh. He lives in southern California. Still, he texted me.

(01:20:36):
He said, Hey, I'm gonna greet him. This is pretty
cool stuff that this is medical stuff. This is me talking,
this is him talking. He said, he Bernie, from what
I saw, here's my guess. I thought i'd share it
with you. He is he what commodio called cortis is
what he called it. He says he's suffering from commodio cortis.

(01:20:58):
It's a phenomenon which is a sudden blunt impact of
the chest that may result in death in the absence
of cardiac damage. The sudden distortion of the heart muscle
results in ventricular lower heart chamber fibrillation, out of control
beating due to a loss of her than which in
turn causes the failure of oxygen aated blood to be

(01:21:19):
pumped throughout the body, causing sudden cardiac arrest and an
otherwise structurally normal heart That articulates what I think happened
to Tomar Hamlin when DeMar Hamlin collapsed on the field
Monday night after what we saw was the blunt force
blow to the chess cavity. Was not a dirty NFL play,

(01:21:40):
which is a typical play. There was nothing descript about
it other than the result. The one lingering remembrance I
will have were the traumatized reactions of the TV studio
crew that was all of a sudden, They're suddenly forced
to try to add some texture to this event, and
it was a horrifying visual because millions of Americans witness

(01:22:00):
did and they needed to know that what are we
looking at here? Will tell us what's happening? Give it,
give this some perspective, give this some context. And I
think the crew was too traumatized to talk about it.
One recurring statement that just kept coming out of their
mouth was, this is unprecedented, This is unprecedented, This is unprecedented,

(01:22:21):
when unfortunately it was not unprecedented. During football or in
fact multiple other sports. In fact, even in hockey. St.
Louis Blues player back was against the Red Wings and
I was in Michigan to I remember this. Took a
slapshot to the chest right above the heart. His name
is Chris Pronger. Miraculously he was lucky. Not only did
he not need CPR. He played two days later Yearie Fisher,

(01:22:46):
a player for the Red Wings, which is simply sitting
on the bench that same year, had a heart attack
right on the bench. Collapsed. It was the scariest thing.
It was unreal, almost identical to Damar Hamlin, only it
wasn't because of a hit. He just sat on the bench.
Ury Fisher was never cleared to play again. Christian ericson

(01:23:08):
famous soccer player and Cincinnati. Two years ago, when Denmark
was playing I think it was in the European Championship
there playing Finland. He collapsed on the field and doctors
later revealed how incredibly close he came to dying, and
the Maddox worked on him feverishly. They gave him chest compressions.
His teammates were crying same situation. They formed a circle

(01:23:29):
around him to shield a scene from public view. They
had a defibrillator. They had to restart his heart. The
game was delayed, delayed ninety minutes. Interestingly enough, they resumed
play now Ericson recovered and he even played in the
World Cup this past year two years later. Now, if
you heard me on with Aaron and Jason Martin earlier

(01:23:51):
Saturday night, So here's the situation that I think it
was most relatable to me. On March four, happened to
be in a basketball game in the West Coast Conference
between Loyal and Merrymount, the high flying Lions who got
to the Sweet sixty year the Elite eight that year

(01:24:12):
before losing a U and l V and their star
player Hank Gathers, collapsed on the court and died. He
went up for dunk, turned to get back on defense
and fell face force for face first forward and he
died right on the court. It was unreal. It was
a Sunday night. We'll never forget. You can't un see

(01:24:33):
these things, even though it was thirty two years ago,
almost thirty three years ago, less than three months earlier.
We come to find out Hank Gathers had collapsed during
another game and in practice, and subsequent tests revealed he
had a hard rhythmia, which is an irregular heartbeat, and
he was given medication and the docias the eventually lowered

(01:24:53):
the dosage because he's gonna be getting better. And oh,
by the way, he was clear to play. No one
did anything wrong, But we didn't know as much now
as we knew then, or check that, we don't know
as much of them as we know now. And there
wasn't even a defribulator on the court that night, if
you can imagine. So after Hank Gathers collapsed, he basically
died two hours later, and in another freek injury. The

(01:25:16):
Minnesota north Stars back in n had a player named
Bill Masterton who slammed his head on the ice long
before they wore helmets. There was a pool of blood.
The game was stopped matter you know. And by the way,
they resumed playing. Now, they didn't resume playing in the
Loyal Merrymoont game, but they was a game against Portland.
But in the in the Minnesota north Stars game they did.

(01:25:37):
And this poor gentleman, Bill Masterton, died a few days
later from from the head trauma. But the event, I
think that's gonna be forever etched in my memory. Uh,
and even many Americans, certainly around the National Football League,
who have reflected on this as recently as last week.

(01:25:58):
Took place back in October and nineteen seven, anyone in
a game between the Detroit Lions and the Chicago Barras
played at the Old Tiger Stadium, and in the fourth quarter,
with just a couple of minutes going to the game,
the Lions were trailing three and a and a receiver
by the name of Chuck Hughes caught a pass and
went back to the huddle. And on the next play

(01:26:18):
a pass was thrown to a different player, and as
Chuck Hughes was running back to the huddle, just jogging
back to the huddle, you you don't stop and think
about these things. And again there's actually there's a little
over a minute left showing on the clock. He just
simply dropped to the turf, clutching his heart, clutching his
chest around the twenty yard line. Dick Buckets saw him convulsing,

(01:26:40):
and you know, frantically, you know, motioned to the to
the medical staff to get out there and help. And
they tried. Both teams had doctors and trainers along with
a physician who happened to be attending the game. They
tried to save him. An ambulance came on the field.
This is one of the other things that really shocked me.
Didn't night one of the I'm not going to mention

(01:27:01):
his name, but one of the show hosts that I've
never seen an ambulance on the field. Come on, man,
come on. And there was an ambulance in Detroit, just
sven when Reggie White went down. Hid ambulance on the
field of my high school games a couple of times.
But the bottom line is I digress, But the bottom
line is this that they tried to save Chuck Hughes.

(01:27:24):
They got him back to the hospital. Four hours later
he died eight years old. Now here's another side note
to that game. They ended up finishing the game in
the final two minutes. The crowd was stunned, the players
were stunned, and the Lions could hardly concentrate until they
got word of hused condition, and they didn't until four
hours after the game, but then ward had broken that

(01:27:45):
he had died. Here's an interesting sidelighte about Chuck Hughes,
again wide receiver Detroit Lions, who collapsed on the field
and died had a heart attack. It turns out there
was a there was a post mortum examination, and it
turns out that Chuck Hughes was suffering from a very
advanced coronary artery blockage almost and apparently I had family

(01:28:09):
history of heart disease, and so the cause of the
death was the cause of his death was coronary thrombosis,
which basically caused you know the medical term as mile
cardio lvarication that cuts off the blood flow to the heart.
And when Chuck Hughes was buried at his funeral, all

(01:28:30):
forty of his Lions teammates attend of the funeral, including
coach Joe Schmidt. He was the head coach at the time.
He never got over that. I was talking about a
radio partner, Mark Wilson, Emmy Award winning Mark Wilson, about
this incident the other day. He knew Joe Schmidt. We
worked in Detroit together Lions Prempost and an event is

(01:28:53):
latest two thousand six or two thousand seven, which is
a good thirty six years later, coach Joe Schmidt told Mark,
I never ever ever got over that Chuck Hughes had
a wife and a young son of a year and
a half and the widows. She as his widow. She
filed a twenty million dollar lawsuit against Henry for a

(01:29:13):
hospital for not diagnosing the condition because he had been
hospitalized after complaining at chest pains. Apparently at some point
earlier they didn't diagnose it properly. The lawsuit was settled
out of court two and a half years later. I
don't know how much money, but one of my takeaways
Monday was I was really surprised that so many folks
merely repeated with the Monday Night crew had said that

(01:29:35):
this event was unprecedented, not unprecedented. The visual was so upsetting.
I think if you, if you put it in your
mind and think about it, it's so I'm setting, it's
so stressful that I understand. I'll give him a hall pass.
I understand the effect it must have had when you're
behind a live microphone and all of a sudden people

(01:29:56):
want answers. You don't readily have. My only experience I
have even remotely you. It was there during the Palace
of Mouse of the Palace and November at Auburn Hills,
and we were we had about ten fifty minutes left
on the show and we're trying to process what was happening.
What's trying to do is draw perspective. Okay, but here's
the deal. One of my closing thoughts on this situation

(01:30:17):
is simply this, Look, we don't have royalty in this country.
Our athletes and are entertainers. Well, they are, in fact
our royalty. And as you watch them, they appear to
be ten feet tall. They're larger than life. Heros. Yes,
they plan fields of dreams, but in the end they
are human. In the end, many times they're just like

(01:30:38):
the rest of us, sometimes blessed, sometimes cursed. And the
key takeaway is, thanks to the advancements, thanks to the awareness,
thanks to the preparedness by everybody involved, this is going
to have a happy ending. This is going to have
a happy ending. How about how about the toy drive

(01:31:01):
organization that DeMar Hamlin created while he was still in
college called Chasing Ms. His goal was to raise well
by Monday night, when most of us had gone to bed,
that had gone, that had increased to about seven thousand dollars.
And I think somewhere now it's maybe in the area
of seven or eight million dollars. So tell me this

(01:31:21):
isn't gonna have a happy ending. And that's why I
give the NFL credit. I think they did the best
they could. I think they made the right decisions and
have passed this prologue. Look, there have been many times
where the NFL has stumbled. You know it. I'm not
you know. I can start to list the litany from
Ray Rice all the way up. But I think one

(01:31:43):
of the key here is that will certainly be always
recognized in the annals of NFL history and infamy. On
November are President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. At the time,
the commissioner of the nash Football League was Pete Roselle,
a very dignified man. He presided over the merger of

(01:32:05):
the a f L and NFL. He presided over the
great tremendous growth and in television, the popularity of television
in the sixties heading into the seventies, and of course
the Super Bowl, the creation of the Super Bowl. But
two days after Kennedy was assassinated in the commissioner Pete
Roselle decreed that the games would go on, and NFL

(01:32:28):
games were played two days after. For the rest of
his life, it was reported that Pete Roselle absolutely regretted
that decision for the rest of his life. The NFL
doesn't want to make those kind of mistakes again. We've
come a long way. Whether it's Chris Prawn or Yuri Fisher,

(01:32:49):
Bill Masterton, Chris Ericson, Hank Gathers or Chuck Hughes. Some
of these situations it costs in their life, and others
they never played again. Others got a way scott free
and we're lucky. And in each case the league's had
decisions to make as to whether the games were continue.
So in the heated battle, I think this will go

(01:33:10):
down as one of the shining moments. The NFL did
a good job, and yes, I realized that perhaps it
may turn the playoffs slightly topsy tury. If there's a
coin flip or a team who may have expected to
play the championship game in the a f C at
their home field that might not be able to because
of the situation, well you know it. You play the

(01:33:31):
hand your Dalton. Life life goes on, and thank god,
life goes on. For DeMar Hamblin. By all accounts, it appears,
barring something crazy and forore seen that none of us
can visualize right now, it appears that this will very
much be a happy ending for DeMar Hamlin and the
Buffalo Bills. And by the way, tip of the cap,
huge tip of the cap to that medical staff that

(01:33:53):
saved his life. It's my understanding they're going to be
recognized and celebrated at halftime at the game between Buffalo
and New England on Sunday coming up. We're bringing the crew.
Let's get their thoughts. It's been a very eventful week
in the National Football League. How do they feel about
the game being canceled and not resumed? How do they
feel about a potential coin flip? What if it was

(01:34:15):
their team? How do they feel about a team fourteen
and three but may not be able to play the
a f C Championship game at home because of the
circumstances surrounding this past week. Hey, football fans, be sure
to tune into Fox Sports Radio's Countdown the Kickoff, presented
by bet MGM, every Saturday and Sunday morning three hours
before kickoff. Tune in Saturday morning at nine am Eastern

(01:34:36):
and Sunday morning at tennim Eastern as we take your
live all the way to kick Off on Fox Sports
Radio and the I Heart Radio app presented by bet
MGM I Bernie Fratti or come to your line from
Las Vegas tire Ract dot Com Studio. Stick and stay.
You're listening to the Bernie Fratto Show on Fox Sports Radio.
Back on the Bernie Faddle Show Comedy Live. The tire

(01:34:57):
Act dot Com Studio is here in Las Vegas, Fox
or its radio take up to three and Pacific six
am Eastern. We're talking about the highly eventful week, uh,
the NFL experience beginning with Monday Night football, the game
being halted then canceled. Now, Uh, some new decisions have

(01:35:17):
been decreed. Basically, it's not all around the possibility of
Baltimore wins and Cincinnati Sunday. There could be a coin
flip determining where the wild card game will be played,
and the Kansas City Chiefs will host the a f
C Championship game and they will be the number one
seed in lessons against the Buffalo Bills. He's are all
a byproduct's bringing the crew. Uh let's start with you, Uh, Brandon, Uh,

(01:35:42):
when you saw what happened Monday that I'm assuming you're watching,
what's the first thing going through your mind? Well, as
a Bills fan. Uh, yeah, it was. It was pretty wild.
I it was actually the first game my dad and
I were able to watch together this season. So actually
drove down to Vine and you know, he drove up
from San Diego and we met halfway and we went

(01:36:04):
to a buffalo while the wings and of course it
was you know, scary. I saw him go down, um,
and you know, you just think it's kind of a
head injury at that point. And then as things were
persisting and Joe Buck announced that they were performing CPR
for many minutes, it was pretty frightening sty pretty frightening side.

(01:36:26):
And as someone who you know, who has our condition himself,
you know, he's just your heart just goes out to
to tomorrow Hamlin hopefully everything, Uh, everything is good. Everything
sounds good so far. The fact that he has a
neurological function is great. Um. So, I mean, as far
as the scheduling goes, I think the NFL did the

(01:36:47):
right thing by canceling the game because I mean there
was really no way either team could kind of continue
under those circumstances. And props to the Bengals for really
kind of like you know, working with the Bills and
uh and you know, kind of understanding the magnitude of
the situation and being flexible. My art does go out

(01:37:10):
to kind of the Bengals, though, because they weren't kind
of screwed in this uh, in this new playoff format.
Apparently they can correct me if I'm wrong, Bernie. They
were crowned ANFC North champions, yet they might not be
able to host a home playoff game for some weird
circumstance if they lose to the Ravens, which doesn't make
sense to me. I mean, why would you crown them

(01:37:31):
an f C West champions at that point, you think?
I mean, the NFL really probably should have held off
on that and said maybe this Sunday's game is kind
of a do or die for either team in terms
of like the a f C North. Um. So yeah,
I mean, the NFL did the best that they could. Obviously,
It's it's never it was never going to be a

(01:37:53):
perfect scenario. Um, there was going to be one team
that kind of got the short end of the stick,
and unfortunately that was the Bengals. And it's just kind
of hard to see because they really did everything the
right way. Um and as a Bill saying, it sucks
to lose that first overall seed. Um, so hopefully the
Chiefs losing the first round. So I'm gonna come back

(01:38:17):
to that, because running back Joe Mixon wasn't real happy,
and the Bengals, none of them are, he said, So
we're not following the rules. No Moore, Well, here's he's
not wrong, because here's the deal. Under under Section G,
they're canceled. The Competitive Policy for canceled games, it says, quote,

(01:38:39):
if a game is canceled, a team standing in it's
a division or its conference qualification as a wild card
in the playoffs for position in playoff seating shall be
determined on the basis of its final record. When necessary,
playoff tiebreakers shall be calculated according to the per game
average for all teams, which pachically means winning percentage. So
here's the problem the Ravens. If they win Sunday, they

(01:39:03):
will have beaten the Bengals twice, but the Bengals will
have had a better percentage record, and so they would,
by that rule advance. However, Roger Goodell doesn't want to
do that because he even though Cincinnati would have a
wired higher winning percentage, it was for a sixteen game
schedule versus a seventeen game schedule, and he doesn't want

(01:39:27):
to have a situation where teams that would have had
an opportunity, you know, maybe since the Annybody lost that
game even though they were looking good, they don't think
it's fair to Baltimore. This is where the messy bar
comes in. Set that aside for just a second, Uh, Kevin,
what were your thoughts when you saw what happened Monday night? Well,
much like Brandon, at first I thought it was head injury.

(01:39:50):
It was until that we saw and of course the replay,
which I only had. I could only watch it once
because it was just it was so scary to see
that unfold. And when he saw it was just a
hit to the chest best and then Joe buck mentioning
that they did CPR. That's how you knew this This
was a different situation than we had seen in the past.
And Uh, I was someone who had both Joe Burrow

(01:40:11):
and Jamaar chase and fantasy for the championship, and even
then I knew it was just like like part of
my gut was like, oh, sure, I hope I could
get played, but my heart, deep down no, like this
is a human being whose life is on the line
right now, we're not sure if he's gonna make it
or not. And I just couldn't imagine being a player
on the field in that moment having to question whether

(01:40:34):
or not your teammate or even the player on the
other sideline was gonna make it that night. And there
was just no way that they could continue that. And
the fact that I think it took as long as
it did for the league to say that, I think
was a bit troubling, although I do think ultimately they
did make the right decision. But I just could not
imagine being a player on that field that night with

(01:40:57):
what happened and having to see someone have cp are
done to them, have a defaberlator come out to get
their pulse. It is violent and that you know, the
player shielded that, but it's I have had friends that
are working law enforcement and and you know, um, medical
emergencies and when you put the what are they called
plates you put on over the heart? Yeah, what are

(01:41:18):
those there's a name for. I'm not sure, but you
know exactly. Okay, So it is very very violent and
unsettling to watch. Yeah, they if I made sorry interjected
just a second, Uh, Yeah, the the ESPN broadcasters were
saying that they had alternate angles kind of I guess
an overhead shot of the camera, and you could see
their faces when they went to the studio like they

(01:41:39):
had seen some stuff that the TV broadcast or the
people at home did not see. Um. So it's pretty
obvious that it was a it was a serious, serious,
serious situation. Good job, guys, excellent. I final thought, just
the business aspect of this that the NFL and making

(01:41:59):
the decision that upset Joe Nexton and Zach Taylor, and
then understandably so in terms of the competitive and equity
regarding the playoffs scenario, the statement that the NFL you know,
issued was simply this that quote, the f C Championship
Game will be played at a neutral site if the
participating teams played an unequal number of games and both

(01:42:23):
could have been the number one seed and hosted the game.
Had all a f C clubs played a full seventeen
game regular season, those two teams only involved Buffalo and Cincinnati.
So if something crazy were to have would have happened
today where Kansas City would have lost, it would have
been Moot or Buffalo. You guys, get the pictures. So

(01:42:46):
let's it's got to play out. There was going to
be a loosen to this. Uh, no matter how you
slice it. I know fantasy owners. Full disclosure. I had
a live bet on the Cincinnati Bengals last night that
night and they were cruising. I didn't I couldn't care less.
I couldn't even think about that after what I saw
had happened. And again, we are so fortunate in so

(01:43:09):
many ways. I will tell you, hey, God forbid, it's
something really happened horrible. I think. I don't know how
the NFL could have played their full slate this weekend
and good conscience after some of the things we've We've
talked about it earlier, but but beyond that, let's deal
with it here and now. By all accounts tomorrow, Handling
seems to be recovering nicely, and this is trending towards

(01:43:30):
a very positive story. And uh that as we continue
our thoughts and prayers with him and his family and
the entire Buffalo Bills organization. Coming up. We talked about
coaches earlier in the show. I talked about Jim Harbaugh.
It's not too soon. It's not too soon to talk
about the coaching carousel in I've got some options. I've

(01:43:54):
got some observations. Of course, after Monday rolls around. We've
already been are already three openings, and I've asked you
they were keen. I don't think they're gonna be anywhere
near that this time, but I do think there's gonna
be more on top of the three we've already seen.
I'll give you some thoughts I have on who might
fill some of those rules. But first let's go back
to our guy, Kevin Wyret with the latest. Yeah, still

(01:44:15):
a lot of seating can be determined in the a
f C on Sunday, But on Saturday we did see
a playoff spot get locked up in the a f
C side of things that Jacksonville Jaguars won the a
f C South as they came from behind to meet
the Tennessee Titans sixteen, Jacksonville returning a fumble for a
touchdown with less than three minutes remaining. The Jaguars have

(01:44:37):
won five in a row to end the regular season
there now nine in eight. Tennessee has lost seventh straight
to finish out the string. They've lost five in a
row since they fired their general manager John Robinson. The
Chiefs have proved a fourteen and three. They have clinched
the top spot in the a f C after beating
the Las Vegas Raiders thirty one to thirteen Saturday afternoon.

(01:44:58):
If the Bills meet the Patriots on Sunday, than a
potential Buffalo Kansas City matchup in the a f C
title game would be at a neutral site. However, if
it's the Chiefs against anyone else, the NFC Championship game
would be held in Kansas City. ESPN is reporting that
Sean mcveigh's future with the ramsas head coach is in limbo.
Sources told them that McVeigh will take some time after

(01:45:20):
Sunday's regular season finale against the Seahawks to determine whether
or not he will return next season. He has been
previously linked to various jobs in TV broadcasting. The Saints
gave the Broncos permission to interview coach Sean Payton. He
is still technically under contract with the Saints, so any
team who would want to hire him would have to

(01:45:41):
offer New Orleans compensation in return. Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts
he's been dealing with a shoulder injury However, he is
expected to play Tomorrow's finale or Sunday's finale against the Giants.
Philadelphia can clinch the NFC's top seed and a first
round by with a win the Giants, who are the
sixth seed. They're locked into the sixth Sea will start
quarterback Davis Webb on Sunday, arresting Daniel Jones and running

(01:46:04):
back se Kwon Barkley. Tc you star running back Kendre
Miller says he has a sprained m c L. He
is questionable for Monday's National Championship game against top rank Georgia.
In the NBA, the Lakers, they've done won five games
in a row as they beat the Sacramento Kings one
thirty four Lebron James thirty seven points as l A

(01:46:25):
now finds himself they're tied for the final play and spot.
They're just a game and a half out of a
guaranteed playoff spot. The Warriors, they've dropped their second straight
home game to fall the seventeen and four at the
Chase Center. They lose to the Magic one fifteen to
one oh one. Boston Seltic victorious at San Antonio won
sixteen is Jason Tatum throw down thirty four points. Bulls

(01:46:45):
beat the Jazz one eighteen, Zach Lavine thirty six points
to Marta Rosen had thirty five college basketball Big Day
featuring a lot of ranked teams. Washington State up set
number five, ARO Zone six one, Number seven Alabama dominated
Kentucky seven eight to fifty two. Illinois was off to
an oh and three star in Big Ten play, but

(01:47:06):
they topple number four team Wisconsin sevente number six Duke
Escapes against Boston College sixty five to sixty four. Number
twenty five Iowa State in the Big twelve, second late
three pointer to win sixty seven and number seventeen TCU
Kansas State nine overtime thriller they win it against Baylor.

(01:47:26):
Back to you, Bernie, all right, thanks Kevin. I'm glad
you mentioned uh Sean Payton because when you uh look
at a guy like Sean Payton and Kyle Shanahan, they
were both hired back in twenty seventeen. Uh that became
sort of this new gold standard that all the organizations
tried to It's a copycat league, right, and those two

(01:47:48):
guys are hired. In twenty seventeen, there were six new
coaches hired that year. Four of the six were under
the age of forty five, and four of the six
were first timers. Right Shanahan and McVeigh they both came
from the offensive side of the football. They've both been
to a Super Bowl in Phase one one. The other
two Vance Joseph and Sean McDermott, they came from the

(01:48:09):
defensive side. So as you start the handicap and look
ahead to who may or may not be hired here
in the next few weeks. There have been five coaching
cycles since that great you know seventeen hiring cycle brought
us Sean McVeigh and and Kyle Shannian. Since then, there

(01:48:30):
have been thirty seven head coaches that have been hired
towallow them under forty five years old, twelve of them
first time NFL coaches. Now that number goes to fifteen
if you count Matt Rule, Joe Judge, and Cliff Kingsbury,
who were also in that age grow age group, but
they had offensive backgrounds in the NFL level, and Rule
and Judge were both coaches. Kingsbury was actually a player.

(01:48:51):
He had a cup of coffee with the forty niners. Then,
of course you had Adam Gaze. He was also in
that age range. He had a offensive background as well,
but during that group, only five defensive coaches in that
age range got their first shot. So why am I
bringing all this up? Because all of a sudden, now

(01:49:13):
you look at this year and might dependulum swing differently
to where age may not matter as much and experience
may not matter as much. Okay, Monday, you're gonna start
to see the names. The pool of names come out. Right.
There are a bunch of offensive coaches, but they're not
as prevalent as defensive coaches. This year. You've got some

(01:49:35):
good offensive coordinators Shane Stetchen in Philadelphia, Ken Dorsey in Buffalo.
Cincinnati's got Brian callahanll out the job Ben Johnson has
done in Detroit incredible, right, But now you but you've
got a ton of capable Kennedy's on the defensive side
of the ball, Damko Ryan's Deared Mayo Dan Quinn uh

(01:49:55):
Philly has a defensive coordinator Jonathan gannon lou and a
Rummel at Cincinnati got a ton of run last year
for getting to the Super Bowl, and you didn't hear
much about him afterward, but he elected to stay. I
think Brian Flores could be in the mix. He did
a great job. I think in Miami, Aaron Glenn of Detroit.
But here's where it gets interesting, Okay, because for instance,

(01:50:18):
the Panther Saints game, probably a lot a lot of
people are really watching that game tomorrow. But it's important,
especially if you pay attention to coaching, because Carolina who
has an interim coach, Steve Wilkes, who's done a very
admirable job. He kept a team in the playoff mix
until last week. And uh, you know, here's a guy
he only had one year's shot in Arizona. And when

(01:50:40):
you look at at what Wilkes has done, I mean,
they lose their quarterback. They lose Christian McCaffrey. They went
to Seattle and pushed him around the field. Seattle's planning
for a playoff berth tomorrow. They knocked Detroit silly. Their
physical they have an attitude. The locker room was behind
Wilkes and he's reworked as coaching staff and that now something.

(01:51:00):
Caroline has this hardass side entity, which is good. They're
they're they're a punishing team with a good run game.
And if Wilke stays you know what they're you know
what their identity is gonna be. However, we all know
that Jim Harball has been talked to you by the coach.
So what happens there? And how about how about the Saints?

(01:51:21):
I mean, it's it's it seems likely that Dennis Allen
might not be there next year. We'll see. But I
will say this, there's talk that Sean Payton could return
to UH New Orleans and would he bring Tom Brady
with him? Okay, this is a real lex factor. Sean
Payton is still basically that the Saints still own the
rights to him, and it's a geographical situation that's in

(01:51:44):
plays quarterbacks. It's money and it's geography. Now, Sean Payton
doesn't have to take any job that opens up the
checks those boxes, right, Indianapolis is open. I don't think
Sean Payton goes there. The Broncos they could, you know,
they're owned by Walmart people. They could give Sean Payton
anything he wants. Does he want to hitch his wagon
to Russell Wilson? By the way, what happens to Cliff

(01:52:06):
Kingsbury in Arizona. I don't think him and Karla Murray
are getting along so great. There's a wild card also
for Peyton, possibly Miami. I'm not so sure I believe that.
Then you know what happens if the Dallas Cowboys spit
the bit and Jerry Jones ecadeally did enough of Mike
McCarthy and he goes after Sean Payton and even Brandon Staley.
They should be He should be safe, and so should

(01:52:28):
Mike McCarthy. But you just you just never know. Again.
One of the other big wild cards is Jim Mercy.
I talked about this earlier on the show where he
goes as Anybody's guests. I am telling you Hardball is
a name to watch. I told you all the reasons
why earlier in the show. Um, look, it gets interesting

(01:52:48):
because the Nashville Football League truly is not for long.
Take love E Smith, right, what he's been in Houston
one year. There's a lot of internal questions on his
viability going into three, even though I think he's met
with kl McNair and he didn't have a lot of
you know, he's just really competed well this year even
though they having one, right, there are no moral victories.

(01:53:11):
And then of course Tampa Bay could be a potential surprise.
Where do they do? Uh just Todd bowlser right, it's
just so interesting. Last year there were ten, there were
ten opening so far there's already three. Right. We know
Denver's looking for a coach. You know Carolina is looking
for a coach. We know Indianapolis. And you know, whether
or not what you know, whatever you want to call
it Black Monday or whatever, you know what's coming and

(01:53:33):
always happens. And it's just amazing. We got a hell
of a forty eight hours ahead of us. You've got
a great slate of NFL games on Sunday, you got
the National Championship game on Monday between TCU and Georgia.
And then, of course, what have you got after that? Well,
you've got you know, the coaching carousel. Who's gonna get hired?
How many will be ex coaches? How many will be

(01:53:54):
first time coaches? Will they be defensive coaches, mind defensive
minding coaches? Will they be offense of money to coaches?
Will they be young guns? You know they've been coaches
his youngest thirty three hired. Will they be under forty five?
Which has been the trend they've been trying to copy
the Sean McVeigh and uh, Kyle Shanahan mold for quite
a while, but it doesn't always work. By the way,

(01:54:15):
Matt Lafleur has done a good job in Green Baby
doesn't want a Super Bowl, which I'll tell you what.
Let's not buried the lead here when I coming up.
Let's let's go ahead and bring Brandon and Kevin back
in one one last time because they're they're in Los
Angeles and maybe they know a little bit more about
what's going on with the Sean mcveigy thing. Let's dive
into that quickly, because I know there were rumors. I
said it with Dan Bayer a couple of times and

(01:54:35):
four times in the last six weeks, and we had
Adam kaplan on and uh, you know it had come up.
It's not all in remo possibility that Sean McVeigh moves on.
Let's talk to the guys about that. I Bernie Fretta
Where Company Live from Las Vegas, tire Act dot Com Studios.
Keep it locked right here. You're listening to the Bernie
Fraudo Show on Fox Sports Radio. All right back on
the Bernie Fatto Show. Company to Live from the tire

(01:54:57):
Act dot Com studios here in Las Vegas. Let's go
back around the room quickly, guys. Uh. In Kevin's update,
and I've heard this throughout the day, Sean McVeigh is
really considering whether or not he's going to return, and
we come to find out off the field he lost
his grandfather earlier this year, and his wife is is

(01:55:18):
a descendant of Ukraine who they've been under siege there
all other things. I don't think he's having fun, Kevin.
Do you think he stays or goals? Uh? That's at
this point. I can't really give you a straight answer
on that, because a couple of weeks ago to said
no way he's coming back. He has too much pride
to allow himself to walk away with such a disappointing season.

(01:55:39):
But with everything that's been discussed, the stresses of coaching,
the money that comes with working in TV, I mean
Troy Aikman, Tony Romo, they make what seventeen eighteen million
a year, that's more than you make in coaching, the
fact that his wife is from Ukraine, and dealing with
all the stuff that's going on there in the stress
that comes from that end of it, just wanting to

(01:56:02):
move on and live a kind of a quiet or
more peaceful life is something I can I can understand
why that's appealing to him, and I think there's more
of a chance that he leaves now than maybe he
did a few weeks ago. Well, if you read the reports, boy,
it sure is looking like it's trending because well they're smoked.

(01:56:23):
It's fire, Brandon, what are your thoughts. I mean, there's
been a series of events. I look at this guy
at thirty six, he's not having fun anymore. He just
it's pretty clear he's not. Yeah, I'll agree with Kevin.
I can't really, um, I can't really uh, you know,
make a make a clear decision on what I think
is going to happen. I think it's pretty fifty at

(01:56:45):
this point. Um. However, I remember watching a while back
there was a I think it was on Hard Knocks
the year the Rams were on, and they did like
you know they do, like a feature on you know,
players and coaches, and this o Sean mcveigh's feature, and
it was I mean, this guy was waking up at
like three in the morning to go into work and

(01:57:06):
he was there pretty much all day. So I think
it I think you I think like you said, where
they're smoke, there is fire. I think the job is
kind of just taking a toll on him, and you know,
he's kind of just thought, Okay, well I'm thirty, I'm
in my mid to late thirties. Now, okay, I can
take a couple of years off, spend time with the family,

(01:57:28):
you know, be with my wife, and then you know,
he has the possibility, he has the resume to where
he could come back and coach in his forties or
you know, maybe take a coordinator position and work his
way back up. Um. So, yeah, I agree with Kevin
on it's not really clear what he's gonna do. Yeah,
it's it's it's unknowable. I think we're right in fifty

(01:57:51):
fifty because it's look, you can't definitive place coming back,
and he can't definitously he's not coming back. All I
know is it. And one of the things I I
read that caught my attention is just because he leaves
doesn't mean he would take a broadcasting job. So we
wouldn't just leave because he could be a broadcaster. He

(01:58:12):
would leave because he wants to regroup. He wants to
just you know, settle down and process all the things
that have taken place in his life. Should the Rams
lose Sunday they finished five and twelve, that would be
very disappointing. I don't think he wants to end his
career the way, but to your point, you know there'd
be opportunities years down the road when he recharges batteries.

(01:58:32):
He other great coaches quit early. John Madden quitted, like
what age forty? Is something along those lines after ten years?
So we shall see. It's a fluid situation coming up.
The dance sensation sweep of the nation. What kind of
brand new flo you keep it locked? Bernie Fraddle Show.
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
the nation. Catch all of our shows at Fox sports

(01:58:52):
Radio dot com and within the I Heart Radio app
search f s R to listen live. Well you heard
the man that Bernie Fradder Show keeps rolling right along.
My name is Bernie Fratto. We are broadcasting live from
the Tirac dot Com studios here in Las Vegas. Tirac
dot com will help you get there and that match selection,

(01:59:13):
fast free shipping for your own hazard protection, and over
ten recommended installers. Tirac dot com. The Way Tire buying
should be it's that time you wait every week it's
here and yes, what do we have? We have a
situation where the dance and session. What kind of brand

(01:59:35):
new fool are you? And you know, every week in
the world and across this great land, people do crazy
things that cause you to scratch your head. Sometimes they're nefarious,
sometimes they're innocent, usually stupid, sometimes very dangerous in breaking
the law. So let's go to West Virginia and let's

(01:59:57):
meet Ramsey Bursts. She's a former Miss Kentucky who has
gone to be a middle school teacher in West Virginia,
which I just said, that's the Department of Redundancy department.
She was arrested this past week, charged with sending topos
photos of herself to a former student who's not fifteen
years old. According to the criminal plaint, Ramsey Burst, you

(02:00:18):
snapchat send the young man images of quote her nude breast,
chest area. Now. When she was confronted by a police,
Miss burs years old, reportedly confessed to sitting the child
four naked photos during the past several months, and the
investigation began when the boy's mother contacted cops and reported

(02:00:39):
that her son had received quote inappropriate photos on his
phone that were sent to him by birth who was
a teacher at a middle school in cross Lands, West Virginia,
near Charleston. Now the recipient of the images, he had
attended that middle school from sixth to eighth grade, during
which Miss Burs was a teacher during that time. Are

(02:01:02):
you kidding me? After everything we know you do that?
I guess his ads new dimension to the old school
standby we used to call show and tell Miss Verse,
what kind of brand new fool are you? Let's go
to Brandon truf al Right, Bernie, this story has got
ties to your city, Las Vegas. But we're actually gonna

(02:01:25):
be going to Mexico. Uh. This was on New Year's Eve,
and I don't know if you saw the video floating
around Twitter, but Dana White uh was videotaped in Mexico
having an altercation with his wife, and during the altercation, uh,
the two exchange slaps. Obviously, Dana slapped her pretty hard

(02:01:50):
and he's been getting a lot of heat for it. Now.
Obviously you never condone doing that to anybody, let alone
a woman. However, this was kind of like the perfect
time because Dana White was actually supposed to premiere on
TBS this coming week a Power Slap League. Yes, this

(02:02:14):
is league where people just slap each other. It's basically
slap boxing, but a lot more, you know, intense televised. Well,
because of the altercation and because you know, Dana White
is a human blue or whale, uh, the network TBS
has completely wiped the Power Slap League from its programming schedule.

(02:02:41):
It was expected to launch on January eleven, which I
believe would have been this coming Wednesday. So the new organization, uh,
it was started by the UFC and Dana White put
out a statement. I'm one of the guys. You've heard
you say for years there's never an excuse for a
guy to put his hands on a woman, and now

(02:03:02):
here I am on TMZ talking about it. My wife
and I have been married for almost thirty years. We've
known each other since we were twelve years old. We've
obbly obviously been through some blank together. We've got three kids,
and this is one of those situations that's horrible. I'm embarrassed,
but it's also one of those situations that right now
we're more concerned about our kids. The statement goes on,

(02:03:23):
but I don't think I want to read any more
of it, but I just think it's hilarious. The bitter
irony of like the week this guy's league it's supposed to,
you know, drop the worst possible thing he could do,
hits TMZ and Twitter and just completely puts the kai
bosh on the whole thing. Craziness. No, I'm very familiar

(02:03:45):
with that story. It's obviously big news here in in
Las Vegas. Alright, onward and upward, Kevin Wyrett, What have
you got for us this weekend? With this one? We
go to Florida and in this instance, two people of
Florida arrested after one of them made a nine one
one call to get help with moving their belongings from
my home they were burglarizing. Deputies responded to a home

(02:04:10):
Saturday after a nine one one call was made, but
nobody spoke depu While talking to the deputies, like female
suspect told them that she had called nine one one
for the purpose of having law enforcement helped them move
their belongings from the home they were burglarizing. They also
wanted to get a right to the airport so they
could spend the weekend in New York. What kind of

(02:04:30):
fool are you? Wow? All right, there you have it,
another rousing edition of What kind of brand new fool
are You? Only a hundred and sixty seven hours and
fifty minutes for America to see the resumption next week.
Every every day, every week, every month, across this great land,
around the world, people do things that leave you scratching

(02:04:51):
your head and asking you what kind of brand new
fool are you? Which leads us to our second favorite bit,
something we lovingly refer to as what my name? You're ready, guys?
All right? Last week I'm famous? Now, last week I
placed the first ever legal sports bet in the state
of Ohio. True story, Brandon truthful? What my name? Who

(02:05:15):
is Pete Rose? Sloan? Brought out of the game. There's
there's some irony that maybe not a whole hell of
a lot of irony, but no better person to do it, honestly? Yeah,
why not? All right? Last month I became the first

(02:05:36):
NFL player since two thousand five to run for a touchdown,
throw for a touchdown, and catch a touchdown pass in
the same game. Kevin Wire What my name? He did
it against the Rams. As I recall Christ McCaffrey, look
at you guys, look at that. Just showing off now, alright,

(02:05:58):
moving right along, staying in the National Football League. I'm
a famous Pittsburgh Steeler legend. And in two thousand and
five I ran for governor of Pennsylvania and lost Brandon
Truth of what my name? Um, I guess I'll just
throw off Franco Harris. Not a bad guest. It was
not Franco Harris, got ar rest his soul. All right.

(02:06:21):
I'm a Pittsburgh Steeler legend. And in two thousand five
I ran for governor of the state of Pennsylvania and
lost Kevin Wiert. What my name, I'm just completely guessing
Jerome bettis okay, not a bad guess. Also, it was
actually Linn Swann Lyn Swan, former USC Trojan Lin Swann. Alright,
I'm a famous boxer, and yeah, I'm still alive. But

(02:06:43):
on this day in a radio station in Mexico City
erroneously reported I died in a car accident Brandon Trufa
with my name um Oscar de la Hoya. You guys
are good. I love the names. No, not him now him. Uh.
I'm a famous boxer and yes I'm still alive. But

(02:07:04):
on this day in radio station in Mexico in Metro
City erroneously reported I died in a car accident. Kevin Wyrett,
What my name? Imad Ali? Not a bad guess, but
it wasn't him, but I bet. But actually, remember I said,
he's still alive. I'll tell you what. I'll tell you what.
I'll give you guys a clue. He lives in Vegas.
I'm a famous boxer and I'm still alive. But on

(02:07:26):
the Stay in N radio station in Mexico City erroneously
reported I died in a car accident. Brandon Truth of
what my name? Mike Tyson? Bam, you guys are three
for four? All right to have I'll have a little
fun couple more now. I bring this up because the
Niners when their seventh game in a row was last week.

(02:07:49):
But in is head coach of the Forts, we won
eleven games in a row, Kevin Wyrett? What my name?
That one? I completely blanket on this one, alright, no
problem in head coach of thet who won eleven games

(02:08:11):
in a row? Uh, Brandon True for what my name?
I'm blanket on this one too, but I'll throw out
a name, um Hi, Jim Fossil. I love Jim Fossil.
He lived here in Vegas. He just passed away not
too long ago. As well. You've got some good names.
It's not him, he's actually Steve Mariucci. Steve Mariuchi, the

(02:08:32):
right Steve Mary. You see him now in the NFL network.
Great guy. All right, last one? This is this. This
might be my favorite question in a while. This might
be a question that I really uh will like. I
played on the two thousand four US basketball team in Greece,
the Olympic team. When asked if I went to the

(02:08:55):
parthon On, I said, I don't remember. We went to
a lot of bars. Kevin wiret what my name? Guests
saying lamar odom not bad, but I don't think he
played on the Olympic basketball team. All right, See if
Brandon can get the last one here. In two thousand four,
I played on the US Olympic basketball team in Greece.

(02:09:17):
When asked if I went to the Parthenon, I said,
I don't remember. We went to a lot of bars.
Brandon True for what my name, I'm gonna throw out
Shaquille O'Neal. You're gonna throw in shaquila. Now you got it.
Great job, tonight, guys, you got Pete Rose, Christian McCaffrey,
Mike Tyson, Steve Marriucci. Well know you didn't get married.

(02:09:39):
You got Shaquila Neil. But but but the not bad,
not bad, a good affort. Another rousing addition. By the way,
that year in San Francisco was Mooch's first year. They
went thirteen and three overall. They lost to the Green
Bay Packers. Didn't you go on to coach the Lions? Bernie?
He did? He did? I knew him. We yes. He
used to have a bat ball tournament and we did

(02:10:00):
radio shows. He he was with the Lions from oh
three to oh five. Matt Millen unceremoniously fired and Rob
Parker will remember this. We did a postgame show at
at a at a restaurant. You bring us up to Rob.
We did postgame show that's after the Thanksgiving game at
Fishbones restaurant remote in downtown Detroit. Did a remote, but

(02:10:22):
we did the post game and guess who had dinner
with us at night. Stephen A Smith he named dropped much.
Bernie Robert remember this though, because he came and broke
the news. Because when you wake up tomorrow, Muccia be fired.
Matt Millan fired him because Muccia wanted Jeff Carcia as
his quarterback and Met Millan wanted Joey Harrington. Rob Robert,
remember that next time you see him in the hallway. Alright,
good stuff, guys, All right, coming up Monday night, we

(02:10:44):
gotta get to it my thoughts, my analysis, my predictions,
my overall view, and the Los Angeles round. Here's Kevin
Waking in a playoff spot getting sealed up on Saturday
as the Jacksonville Jaguars winning the a f C South
beating the Tennants. Alright, guys, moving along real quickly. I

(02:11:07):
will uh talk about the National Championship game on Monday
TCU and Georgia and give my thoughts and some key
storylines surrounding that game that I find very fascinating. I'm
Bernie fraderware coming to you live from the Las Vegas
tire Act dot Com Studios. Keep it locked it listening
to the Bernie Frader Show on Fox Sports Radio. All right,

(02:11:28):
back on the Bernie Fradder Show, Fox Sports Radio. Coming
to you live from the Tire Act dot Com Studios.
Take up to three and Pacific six a m. Eastern.
Coming up bottom of the hour after Kevin's Day, Chris
Perfect's World of Soccer got a great game set Monday night.
TCU and Georgia TCU two one odds before the season
to win the championship. To put that in perspective, the

(02:11:50):
Golden State Warriors or one the Carolina Hurricanes in the
National Hockey League before they won the Stanley Cup and
one O six we're sixty two one Aaron trus Yukon
Husky were sixty five to one before they wanted all
that season. The Minnesota Twins one. Who can forget that

(02:12:11):
great series against the Braves. They were eighty one that year,
led by Jack Morris and of course Kurt Warner's Louis
Rams and improbable run. They were a hundred and fifty one.
But the TCU Horn Fox two hundred to one before
the season. Now, who have I bet? I bet the
Georgia team total over a thirty seven and a half.

(02:12:33):
They're going to get their points. Both teams are gonna
get their points. I think the key matchup, though very
clearly to me, is going to be TCU's offensive line
versus George's defensive line. If tc is gonna have any
chance of an upset here, although I think the game
is gonna be closer than people are saying. They're gonna
have to win the battle in the trenches to get
Max Dug in time to make some plays and establish

(02:12:56):
your running game. O. How State found ways to make
some big plays in the passing game against Georgia, and
TCU has the ability to do that. But PC you
can't just simply be one dimensional. They're gonna have to
be able to run the ball and open up passing lanes.
Georgia did enter Saturday Night with one of the top
rushing defenses in the country last Saturday Night is what
I'm talking about. But TCU is one of the best

(02:13:18):
wide receivers in the country, and Quentin Johnston sift. Johnson
is a guy who creates matchup problems for any defense,
and he's Max dugg Its top target. He can rack
up yards after they catch like nobody's business. He had
a hundred and sixty three yards against Michigan. He enters
a national title game with about eleven yards this year,

(02:13:39):
nine ball, six touchdowns, very impressive numbers. He missed two
games with a high ankle injury. All right, what he
does is allow TCU to stretch the field. And by
the way, some of his best performances came against some
of the toughest competition this year. And he's big in
big games. Of course, who's Georgie's big player defensive Accael

(02:14:00):
Jalen Carter. He's an animal, he's crazy, He's crazy good.
He'll be one of the top draft choices. Uh. And
he's the type of guy that reeks having no look.
George's given up seventy one and over almost eleven yards
in the last two games. If you're gonna tell me
they're unbeatable, I'm not buying it. Already told you earlier
in the in the show. Uh. Miami was a twelve

(02:14:23):
point favorite over Ohio State in two thousand three in
the Fiesta Bowl, while State won that game. So would
it shocked me if TCU beats him? No, everybody thinks
I'm nuts. It's gonna be a blalled hell. Don't need
to play the game. The talent disparity is so great.
Why show up? Come on, man, have you watched TCU play.
They told me the same thing against Michigan. Michigan had
not seen that kind of team speed on either side

(02:14:45):
of the ball. Don't tell me they had Why it
was Michigan to a fifteen on third downs, couldn't score
in the red zone, couldn't score inside the two said
the way they had lucky and two pick six is no.
Maybe TCUs defensive backs are fast and athletic. They read J. J.
McCarthy eyes, they jumped the routes, they made the play.
You got it, and they put a fifty one points
thirty seven on offense. Michigan put up when I get it,

(02:15:07):
Michigan people complaining about the non call. That's what they do. Okay,
come on, give TCU some credit. The minute that Donovan
Edwards was caught from behind to start the game, I
said they're gonna win, and I'm not joking. The second
play of the game, Roman Wilson catches the pass in
the flat, tries to turn the corner head to the cone. No,
he would have done that against Illinois or Maryland or

(02:15:29):
Michigan State. Didn't do it against TCU. By the way,
no one caught TCU from behind the entire game. So
give tesc TCU a hell of a lot of credit.
They flustered Michigan. How did Michigan look on that Philly special?
Why would hardball run that They said they were gonna
big the big ten to the big twelve, just knocked
their butt off the ball fire off, knock him in
the nuts and went on the line of scrimmage. Well

(02:15:52):
that Michigan ran that play they run. There was like
the fourth play inside the three yard line and it failed.
Why would you resort to trickery if you were gonna
win in the game of the trenches? And I thought
Sunny Dikes is brilliant and that three three five defense
because they were fast, they were athletic, they had great
gap integrity. Two players to watch, you know me. I

(02:16:12):
love the stories, I love the back stories. I love
the storylines. Max Duggan, TCS quarterback, just does not know
how to lose, doesn't. Well, neither does Stethon Benn And
I'm gonna get to that in a minute. But the
two is yog These two quarterbacks, as Yogi Berrat would say,
have different similarities. Max Dugan began the season as TC's
back up. Now he's headed of the National Championship Game.

(02:16:34):
You know, by the way, Max Duggan was the Heisman
runner up. Now it's a very improbable story, as is
the story of the entire team. I said there were
two under one first year coach Sonny Dikes five and
seven last year. But this team has a will to win,
and Duggan led the Big twelve in passing yards, passing touchdowns.
He's been one of the toughest players in the country

(02:16:55):
to defend because he just has this incredible will. He's
one of the toughest players the country to defend because
he has a combined ability to run and throw the
deep ball through any ball, and make great decisions with
the ball in his handual keep plays alive with his legs.
He's a true dual threat. He threw a seventy six

(02:17:15):
yard touchdown past to Quentin Johnson against Michigan. That was
the longest reception Michigan has allowed in five years. Max
Duggan enters the game, he's only throwing four interceptions. He
did throw two against Michigan, but hey, that's another thing. TC,
you turned the ball over three times two found the
way to win. Michigan couldn't overcome those things. Max Duggan

(02:17:37):
is a great story. So is Stetson Bennett, who still
never seems to get a hell of a lot of respect.
The guy was a walk on back in seventeen years old.
He's allering to many NFL quarterbacks, but he goes from
walk on to the National Championship MVP last year. His
story has been a well documented the story still continue.

(02:18:00):
He was a Heisman Trophy finalist. He's got an opportunity
to do something very few humans have ever done, and
that's one a second straight National championship. Bennett's got a
twenty eight and three record as a starter, and he's
got a little bit of an edge now and experience
against Dugan because he's been in this situation before last
year in the National Championship game against Alabama. Bennet's got

(02:18:24):
a hell of a lot of poise, He's got a
lot of confidence. Clearly, he's been critical to Georgia's success.
And here's the thing, here's where the story angle enters.
He has been fueled very much by the naysayers throughout
his entire career, and they're still there. This is a
guy who set the school record for completions in a season.

(02:18:47):
He's also run for seven touchdowns and he doesn't really
have anything to prove in my eyes, but he still
believes he has things to prove. I don't think he'll
be drafted. He may not be drafted, but at the
same time, I do think he's gonna end up in
somebody's camp. And listen, the numbers take you to Georgia.

(02:19:07):
I get that there's a reason they're they're they're they're
they're favored by twelve points. Power ratings are very important
in football. But you know what coaching manners to me too.
Sunny Dikes has a little magic dust. There's something about
this guy's down to earth. He's kind of unassuming, but
he's managed to take TCU and catapult them him among

(02:19:28):
the stars. Okay, this team wasn't even ranked during the
preseason and they're in the National Championship Game. And if
you look at what they did this year and they
beat six ranked teams, they earned it. By the way,
you cannot have this narrative without talking about Kirby Smart.
He's been at Georgia seven years now. Georgia has basically

(02:19:48):
become the next Alabama. He's Kirby Smart by the way,
three and oh in in football and CFP semifinals. And
he won his eightieth game last Saturday. That's incredible. And
seven years you win eighty games in seven years. He's
got a resume that will blow you away. This is
the SEC just strolls right in. Wins five SEC titles

(02:20:09):
and two SEC championships in his first seven years. When
the national championship that last year poised to potentially repeat
it Monday night, and no one was bigger than last
year's game against Alabama because that got Georgia its first
national title since ninety and by the way, it shifted
the balance of power in the SEC. Remember remember now,
Kirby Smart spent nine seasons at Alabama as Nick Sabans

(02:20:34):
defensive coordinator before he got to Georgia, and he took
Saban's championship blueprint. Now you have, basically, Georgia is the
new Alabama. He's got the culture, he's got the top
recruiting classes, and he's got the talent on the field.
There's no question he's gonna be a hell of a
game Monday night. I think it's gonna be inside the
twelve points again. All I bet where the over and

(02:20:56):
Georgia's team points of thirty seven and a half. Can't
wait to watch that game Monday night. TCU and Georgia,
of course, we got a wonderful NFL slate here it
kicks off at about seven a half hour. But before
we get to any of that, in a minute, we're
gonna bring up to date and Chris Poer Freensworld of Soccer.
But first let's go back to Kevin Wire and the
latest NFL action on Saturday, as the Jacksonville Jaguars sealing

(02:21:19):
up another spot in the NFL playoffs by winning the
an f C South as they came from behind to
beat the Tennessee Titans sixteen, recovering a fumble for a
touchdown with under three minutes ago. Jaguars finished the season
nine in eight. Can believe it in after all the
terminal they had last year at the end of the
season winning five games in a row. Tennessee finished their

(02:21:41):
season losing seventh straight and have lost five in the
row since firing their GM John Robinson. The Chiefs, they
now moved to fourteen and three, sealed up the number
one seed in the a f C as they beat
the Las Vegas Raiders thirty one, the third team. Now,
if the Bills were to beat the Patriots tomorrow, then
a potential matchup between the Bills and the Kansas City
Chiefs would be at a neutral site. However, if it's

(02:22:03):
the Chiefs against anyone else, the ANFC Championship would be
held in Kansas City. ESPN reporting Sean mcveigh's future with
the ramsas head coach in Limbo, sources saying that McVeigh
will take some time after Sunday's regular season finale he
gets the Seahawks to determine whether or not he's gonna
return next year. He has previously been tied to various

(02:22:23):
jobs in a TV broadcasting. The Saints gave the Bronco's
permission to interview head coach Sean Payton. He is still
technically under contract with New Orleans, so anyone who would
want to hire them as a coach would need to
have to offer them some sort of compensation for his services.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts he's been dealing with a shoulder injury. However,

(02:22:44):
he is expected to play tomorrow against the Giants. Philadelphia
can clinch the NFC's top seed and a first round
by with a win over New York. The Giants, on
the other hand, they're locked into the six seats, so
they're just gonna wrest their starters David's Webb not playing
tomorrow or Davis Webb will play tomorrow. Daniel Jones not playing,

(02:23:04):
as well as running back sa Kwon Barkley. TCU star
running back Hendre Miller says he is a springt m
c L. He is questionable for Monday's National Championship game
against Georgia. NBA scores from Saturday night. The Lakers on
a hot streak. They've made it five in a row
as they beat the Kings one six one thirty four
Lebron James thirty seven points. L A tied for the

(02:23:26):
final play and small. They're just a game and a
half out of the six spot, which would be a
guaranteed playoff spot. Warriors dropped their second straight home game
as they lose to the Magic one fifteen one oh
one the Boston Celtics. They beat the San Antonio Spurs sixteen,
Jayson Tatum throwing down thirty four points. Bowls beat the
Jazz one to one. Eighteen and a busy day of

(02:23:49):
college basketball on Saturday. Couple of upsets. First in the
pack twelve, number five Arizona falling to Washington State sixty one.
In the SEC number seven Alabama roll Old to a
big win over Kentucky seventy eight to fifty two. Illinois
had their struggles in the Big Ten. They were over
three to begin their conference season. However, they take down

(02:24:10):
number fourteen Wisconsin seventy nine to sixty nine. Number sixteen
Duke in a surprisingly tough matchup with Boston College, but
they escape sixty five to sixty four. Iowa State second
late three point or to win at seven at number
seventeen TCU, and Kansas State wins a ninety five a
thrilling overtime against Baylor. Back to you, Bernie, alright, Kevin

(02:24:32):
Quick shout out to a Twitter Eloy Darted, the biggest
Chiefs fan list of the Mississippi said, Hey, Bernie, great
show is always prey. Remind everyone that losing Tyreek didn't
hurt the Chiefs. If anything, they got better numbers. Don't
a lie Mahomes MVP. Funny how everyone had been finishing last.
L o l uh. He's not wrong. Not everybody had
him finishing last, but a lot of people did, including

(02:24:53):
people on this network. And I stuck by the Chiefs,
I said back in August, as long as you give
me Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes and that kind of continuity.
Compare him to Denver with the new staff, the Raiders
with the new staff, you get the drift. Che's fourteen
and three and frankly, I think they're going to the
super Bowl this we'll visit that later and I'll tell

(02:25:13):
you why later. But why not blurt it out all right?
Coming up this time every week. The World Cup maybe over,
but the world of soccer continues. Keep it locked right
here as we listen to Chris poher Fett's World of Soccer,
the greatest goals, the thrilling finishes, the international druma, It's

(02:25:43):
all here in this report from the World of Soccer.
We we have to start in the United States, and
it is the kind of story that has come out
that has shaken the United States national team to its core.
Someone Riley say that this is proof that the United
States is becoming a soccer country, partly because of the

(02:26:05):
dysfunction and kind of weird drama happening. Well, others would
say this feels like a national stage version of the
kind of drama that happens in youth soccer. And we're
talking about Greg Burrholter, the coach of the last World Cup,
who issued a statement on Tuesday, written by himself and
his wife, Rosalind. It detailed a domestic violence dispute that

(02:26:31):
happened about thirty one years ago. So Greg was dating Rosalind.
They were in the the University of North Carolina. They
were students together. Uh during an argument, he kicked her legs.
But the reason this came out, the reason they issued
a statement together. During the World Cup, United States Soccer
was contacted by an individual and according to Greg quote,

(02:26:54):
they had information about me that would take me down
in an effort to levery something very personal from long
ago to bring about the end of my relationship with
US Soccer. This was basically what Greg is describing as
straight up blackmail. Someone was trying to blackmail the coach
of the US men's national team to quit. Well, we

(02:27:16):
found out on a Wednesday that individual happens to be
Danielle Raina, the mother of Giovanni Reina, who is the
very young United States star who during the World Cup
did not see a lot of playing time seven minutes
against England and forty five against Netherlands in the round

(02:27:37):
of sixteen. And it wasn't just Geo's mother too. It
was his father, Claudia Raina, who also sent multiple multiple
messages to the US men's general manager Brian McBride during
the World Cup, in which he was sharing frustrations about
Geo's experience, and on a statement he said quote while

(02:27:58):
in Qatar, I shared my frustrates about my son's World
Cup experience with a number of close friends. However, at
no time did I threaten anyone, nor would I ever
do so. Those are the kind of words said by
someone who might have threatened someone at some point. Danielle
rain Now of course, also denies that she did not
attempt to blackmail Greg Burr Halter and that she did

(02:28:20):
not ask for Greg to be fired and she did
not make any threats. Now, however, the reverberations are on
full swing. The Halter is on a leave, the US
Federation has hired a law firm, and then on Wednesday,
US Soccer announced that the assistant coach, Anthony Hudson, would
lead the team during a January camp in California while

(02:28:41):
the investigation was ongoing into ber Halters past. It's important
to note that in the past incident, the authorities were
never involved and Greg went through counseling afterwards, so that
this puts the US team in a very unclear situation
about their future. And Bernie we talked prior in in

(02:29:03):
months past if there was a future where Greg bur
Halter and Jia Reina could exist together on the same
US men's national team. I don't think that time exists anymore.
I just I don't. And if you're wondering which side
is poised to really win out in this conflict between
the Reinas and burr Halter, just know this. On Saturday,

(02:29:24):
we had a report that Zenadine Saddan was report who
has been looking for a job coaching a national team.
He was really hoping to coach France, but they have
retained their coach for He reportedly turned down the US
men's national team approaching him to coach the United States.
Sudan reportedly also turned down earlier back in December, jobs

(02:29:47):
for Portugal and Brazil. He was really dialed in to
coach France. But the fact of the United States is
even speaking with Sudan right now indicates that bar Halter's
job is far from secure moving towards twenty twenty six,
and he could be gone regardless of how the investigation goes.
This is something to really keep an eye on, and
it's it's a drama of the highest level in a

(02:30:11):
country for a team that just got off its biggest spotlight. Well,
we'll keep an eye on this now, Bernie. The next
big story I've got from you, we turn our attention
to England, where the f A Cup is going on.
For those unfamiliar with the f A Cup, it's one
of the tournaments in the British in in the English
football system where everyone is invited top to bottom, every

(02:30:33):
club is invited in a massive knockout round like March
Madness on steroids. And we've talked previously about Wrexham, the
Welsh club featured, you know, in the FX documentary Welcome
to Wrexham. They were bought by Rob mcleahaney and Ryan Reynolds.
And this is some bait here for season two of
Welcome to Wrexham because Wrexham. Yes that Wrexham, in the

(02:30:55):
third round of the f A Cup scored the biggest
victory in their club's history re by knocking out Coventry City.
Now to put this into perspective, Wrexham is in the
National League, which is the fifth tier of English soccer.
It's way down there. Coventry City is in the e
f L Championship, which is the tier directly below the

(02:31:18):
Premier League. It's an unbelievable upset and look for look
for that next season of Welcome to Wrexham, because I
think that we're going to get some fun stuff. Apparently
Mechlhenny was tweeting out that apparently the feat at ESPN
plus went down during all this. It's an unbelievable It's
an unbelievable result four three Wrexham. This is really like

(02:31:40):
an n I A school knocking off. I don't know,
maybe like St Mary's. Moreover, it's just great bait for
a show that I have been very entertained with and
I think really captures kind of the heart and soul
of this sport at the lower levels where it's still important.
It's not just the big players out there, is the
small guys. People have so much passion for them. The

(02:32:00):
other match I want to hone in on from the
f A Cup was between Manchester United and Everton, two
Premier League teams who met this week as well, and
Manchester United handled Everton very very cleanly. Final score three
one and largely done on the foot of Marcus Rashford,
the English football or the native son of Manchester himself,

(02:32:22):
who at one point lost his starting place at Manchester
United last season. And if there is anyone who is
going to be the icon of Manchester United moving forward
as the club moves away from Christiana Ronaldo who has
gone to Saudi Arabia, as man You moves on under
the new manager Eric ten Hogg, it will come from

(02:32:44):
Marcus Rashford, who completely has turned around a dark spot
of his career. A lot of his defensive actions have
been reduced this season. He's taking more of an attacking
role down the middle, He's being more of a source
of goals and it's really it's a spark of hope
that Manchester United needs now. Maybe not so much in

(02:33:04):
the f A Cup, but they're going to need it
here as the Premier League campaign continues. Right now they
hold the fourth spot, tied with Newcastle United at fourth
on the table. There there in the midst of a
scrum with about three or four teams all here at
the start of the of the Premier League reset to
make the Champions League, which would be a great turnaround
for their fortunes. It's been a minute since Manu has

(02:33:25):
been back on the map. We'll have more breaking down menu,
and I also want to talk about Everton next week
as well as they move into the relegation zone again.
We're gonna get into kind of the fates of a
lot of these Premier League clubs as we continue here
in the new year. On the World of Soccer. Holy cow,
zen Adine Sedan turning down the US men's soccer team

(02:33:46):
to be our head coach a legend the French national team.
Of course. I saw him playing the two thousand six
World Cup. I think you got just qualified for headbutting
a guy. Um, this is interesting. I would just say
one quick takeaway from that that leads me to believe
that the US is very serious about competing for an

(02:34:06):
actual title. This is actually a good sign if it's
true that they offered him the position. And remember, World
of Soccer, Yes, it's our check that the h do
you do? World Cup is four years away, of course,
but it's coming to North America and there'll be about
fifteen twenty venues in the United States, Mexico and Canada

(02:34:26):
in two thousand. Alright, coming up, we wrap up the show.
I will give you one last once over on what
the final playoff contenders have to do to capture that birth.
And remember, just because the team must win doesn't mean
there I must bet. I'm Bernie Fadderwood, come to your
life from the Las Vegas Fox Sports Radio Studios the
tire Act dot Com Studios to keep it locked. You're

(02:34:48):
listening to the Bernie fadder Show on Fox Sports Radio.
We're back on the Bernie fadder Show, come to you
live from the Las Vegas tire Act dot Com Studios.
Before I go any further, I want to thank my
broadcast team back in Los Angeles. They've been with me
since eleven pm Pacific on Saturday night. That would be
Kevin Wyrett on the updates, Mark Ramsey turning all the

(02:35:11):
dials keeping us glued together, and of course Brandon Truffah,
thanks so much for your help and expertise. Could not
do the show without the teamwork. Um all right, Speaking
to teamwork, there are multiple teams still alive for remaining
NFL Playoff perths, so listen up your favorite team. By

(02:35:33):
the way, must win does not mean must bet. Teams
that need to win the final week of the regular
season get into the playoffs. What that basically means is
teams who have been eliminated who play teams who must
win to get in the playoffs. The teams who have
been eliminated already, they cover the spread sixty three percent
of the time, and if they're getting more than a

(02:35:54):
field goal, they cover the spread of the time. The
Seahawks while they're laying six against the m So you
look at the Rams, you might take a look at
the Dolphins, or check that the Jets, and certainly Detroit.
I think if Seattle wins, which eliminates Detroit, you're gonna
get max effort out of Detroit. Anyway, It's gonna be
a great game Sunday night. Patriots win. Just win, baby.

(02:36:14):
You're in Dolphins, you want to get in. You gotta win,
and you gotta hope New England loses. Steelers, you gotta win,
and you gotta hope both in New England and Miami
both lose. So there is one remaining spot in the FC,
the Pats, Dolphins, and Steelers vying for it. The Patriots
hold their own fate and the NFC. You just heard me,

(02:36:35):
the Seahawks gotta win. They playe Pacific. That game kicks
off here, well, you know, less than twelve hours. Uh,
they play Shots, play the Ramps. If they win, they're
in unless the Packers win. So the Seahawks need to
win and they need the Green Bay Packers to lose.
The Packers play the Lions. The game got flexed to

(02:36:57):
Sunday night lambeau Field. She's gonna be a doozy because
even if the Seahawks win, which would eliminate the Lions,
the Lions want to be nine and eight, not eight
and nine. They love nothing better than to to spoil
Aaron Rodgers uh season this year. So Seahawks win and
you're in unless the Packers win. So the Seahawks need
to win. In the Packers need to lose, Lions need

(02:37:18):
to win, and in the Seahawks to lose, Packers they
hold their faith. Who to thunk it? Just win baby.
Aaron Rodgers is twenty eight four at home in regular
season games in December or January. So you've got three
teams lying for that last slot in the NFC, the Seahawks,
Lions and Packers. You've got three teams lying for that
final spot in the a f C. The Patriots Dolphins

(02:37:41):
and Steelers. It's relatively moot. If both the Patriots and
the Packers win, it's gonna be a lot of fun
to watch. It's amazing we're already into Week eight. Team
playoffs start next weekend. Doubleheader on Saturday, triple header on Sunday,
and Monday Night Football. Monday Night play off game. That's

(02:38:01):
gonna do it for this week's edition of The Bernie
Friday Show. Back on these airways next week at Friday.
Stay tuned up next Andy Furman