Carmen Vitali & Tracy Sandler React To A Wild College Football Championship Weekend, Big Nerd Analytics, Teams With A Chance, And Much More!!

Carmen Vitali and Tracy Sandler react to College Football championship weekend, with Arizona State winning the Big 12 Championship among others. Carmen and Tracy also talk some big nerd analytics such as Greg Olsen explaining scenarios in a fun way. Plus, the ladies talk which teams still have a chance, make their NFL picks, and more!!

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
You're listening to Fox Sports radioIO Saturday.

Speaker 2 (00:05):
Welcome back in to Fox Football Saturday. I'm carniv itally.
I'm in for Alex Curry, who's on vacation. I have
forty nine ers. Beat reporter and the CEO of Fangirl
Sports Network, Tracy Sandler is here with me, and we
have such a great show for y'all.

Speaker 3 (00:18):
Hut Trace, Hello, congratulations, Gari.

Speaker 2 (00:21):
Oh my god. If you guys don't know, we're gonna
get to it. My Arizona State Sun Devils playoff bound
Big Twelve champions the first year in the conference. Tracy,
if you would have told me this at the beginning
of August, I probably would have smacked you in the mouth.

Speaker 4 (00:39):
First of all, I'm so glad I didn't bring it
up at the beginning of ougets because I would not
want that to happen.

Speaker 2 (00:44):
I would have laughed in your face. There's no way
I cannot believe it. We're gonna get to it. We
have so much stuff to get into today. We've got
technical producer Chris Burphfette with me. I've got Patrick's weeekup.
Producer Martin Weiss is at the news desk. We have
NFL playoff scenarios eating up. I've got a couple teams
that have already punched their ticket to you're gonna help

(01:05):
me figure out what's going forward or what you know,
what the forty nine Ers and the Chicago Bear should
do going forward if the Niners are still in it,
and we're gonna get real nerdy with some analytics conversation.

Speaker 3 (01:17):
Love it. I love everything you've just told me.

Speaker 2 (01:19):
I'm really excited. Guys. We are broadcasting live from the
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Speaker 4 (01:34):
Football fans be sure to tune into Fox Sports Radio
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Pacific for Countdown to Kickoff, presented by Bett MGM, Brian No,
Jeff Schwartz, and professional better Bill Krackenberger. Will have you
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Speaker 3 (01:52):
Listen to Countdown to kick.

Speaker 4 (01:54):
Listen to Countdown to Kickoff, presented by Bet MGM. Right
here on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio.

Speaker 2 (02:00):
Well done, well done. All right, I mentioned we're gonna
get nerdy, but before we do all that, I need
to get back to what you just congratulated me with.
Off the top of the show. It is championship weekend
in college football, so we've got a ton of stuff
going on. Namely, yes, the sun Devils just punched their
ticket to the playoff. They will given that they're a
conference champion. They will be one of the top seeds,

(02:23):
but that doesn't guarantee them a bye. However, the absolute
hurt and they just put on Iowa State. They had
the Cyclones in a blender they did.

Speaker 3 (02:32):
It was literally very ugly.

Speaker 2 (02:35):
They were going for style points, and they've been going
for style points all season long, which is why I
love Kenny Dillingham, their head coach so much. Like against
Arizona in the Territorial Cup rivalry, which is a huge rivalry,
oldest rivalry in college football with the trophy by the way,
they showed absolutely no mercy. They kept running up the score,
and to me, that's what college football is all about.

Speaker 3 (02:54):
Oh absolutely, So.

Speaker 2 (02:57):
I really think that they have a case. The team
that could get the buy over them is Boise State. Okay,
but Boise State had trouble with the number twenty five
team in the country last night.

Speaker 3 (03:08):
That's true.

Speaker 2 (03:09):
So I have to think that after that performance by
the ASU Sun Devils and Jerry World for the whole
nation to see the first game of this championship Saturday,
you can't. You can't deny them what is rightfully theirs.

Speaker 3 (03:22):
No, you cannot, and I am going to support you
in this.

Speaker 4 (03:24):
I do not want to deny them what is rightfully
theirs in the Brandon I Yuks versus the brock Berties, right,
Brandon I Yuk should not be denied the bye What
a fun.

Speaker 2 (03:33):
Little way for you to tie this into the forty
nine ers.

Speaker 3 (03:36):
Else, I am a professional.

Speaker 2 (03:39):
That's true. You are what real quick. Camp's Kataboom phenomenal
player deserves an invitation to New York for that Heisman ceremony,
deserves Heisman consideration. He won't win it because Ashton gent
exists and the things that you see campskattaboo Doo that
are so incredibly impressive, you're like, yeah, that's kind of
a normal day for Ashton Gent over at Boise But

(04:02):
that being said, there needs to be more respect put
on Camp'scataboo's name. He deserves Heisman consideration. Seven games with
multiple scores this year, including this last game in the
Big twelve Championship. Like, he's so much fun to watch.
He probably won't be more than like a third round
pick in the NFL draft, but good god, whatever fan
base gets him real.

Speaker 4 (04:22):
Excited for them, Can he get a Heisman for his name?
Because he has the best name in the Heisman by far.

Speaker 2 (04:27):
The thing that I keep saying about him too is
like I call him Scataboo. Yeah, because it's like the
Kanye West Monster song. But I don't know if like
the students currently rolled an ASU like know that reference.
I don't see it anywhere on social media. But my
biggest thing with this ASU team, and this is the
last thing I'll say. No, what I do want to
get trending is my fiance and I spoonerize everything. If

(04:50):
you know what spoonerizing is, you take the first sound
of each name or each part of the name, and
then they switch him. Okay, so instead of Kenny Dillingham,
it's Denny killing him. So Kenny be like switching around
to Denny. I want to get that going because he'd
be killing them killing him.

Speaker 3 (05:08):
That took me a minute.

Speaker 2 (05:09):
I know, I know, I had.

Speaker 3 (05:10):
Some time with them. My Michigan education needed to take
a minute with.

Speaker 2 (05:14):
My ASU education. Ireparing me better than a Michigan education.
I'm sorry that your Wolvergings are not part of this discussion,
but we do have I believe it. Just it's about
to kick off. Georgia and Texas are about to kick off.
That's going to be I don't totally trust Texas.

Speaker 5 (05:29):
Oh.

Speaker 4 (05:30):
I don't trust Texas either. And it's interesting because at
the beginning of the season, I was like, this is
the best team of college football. They're like the Michigan
of last year. They're just going to roll over teams.
I feel very differently now, so I don't totally trust Texas.
I'm I kind of think Georgia is going to win
this one.

Speaker 2 (05:42):
They I mean, they have the benefit of the pedigree
that they have, They've been in this before. This is
the situation that they were expected to be in, and
I just the SEC is just their conference right now.
I don't we'll see. Speaking of teams I don't trust,
I also don't trust Penn State.

Speaker 3 (05:56):
No, Oregon's gonna win that, like Oregon.

Speaker 2 (05:59):
Is the number one in the country, has not looked
like they've looked unstoppable. And then I think there was
this big It was overblown, clearly, But they're coming into
the Pac twelve. Can they stand up to the Big
ten competition? They have handedly handedly handled it.

Speaker 6 (06:15):
You know.

Speaker 4 (06:15):
It's so funny though, I still when you I was
like about to say, I know I should root for
the Big Ten, but I think Oregon is gonna win.

Speaker 3 (06:21):
But that's still rooty for the.

Speaker 4 (06:22):
Big to take me like two or three seasons to eternalize.

Speaker 2 (06:27):
I mean, they're so far away from everything we've known
about the Big Ten. Yeah, give it, Like geographically they're
so far away. But I do I trust Oregon a
little bit more. There, guys. It's a great day for football.
It's a great day to have a great day. But
I'm gonna want I want to bring this all back
into switching topics. I want to get a nerdy trace.

Speaker 3 (06:49):
I like it.

Speaker 2 (06:49):
Can we get nerdy.

Speaker 3 (06:50):
Let's be nerdy, both of glasses. I know we both
have our glasses on. Let's just be nerdy. I love it.

Speaker 2 (06:54):
Okay, So this week analytics has been in the spotlight.
This week, namely because of Fox announced broadcaster Extraordinariy greg Olsen.
Against the or in the Cardinals Vikings game last weekend,
he described the situation for the Cardinals who were up

(07:14):
or going up three, going to kick a field goal
to go up six, and why with you know, the
game clock winding down, I forgot how many seconds were left.
He described beautifully why that's not exactly what you want
to do, and the analytics will back you up in
saying you don't want to go up six, because then
that makes the other team becomes so aggressive that they

(07:38):
have nothing else to lose. They have to get the touchdown.
So you have now forced that backed them into a
corner that there's only one way out of, and teams
usually perform better rather than if you go for it,
you get a score, you get a touchdown, you've not
put the game away. He then kind of rose to

(07:58):
the King of the nerds, became the King of the Nerds,
and then he was on the NFL on Fox podcast,
who Dave Hellman, the host of that show, will be
coming on with us in about twenty minutes. He was
on the NFL on Fox podcast and he talked about
why analytics is such a huge thing for him.

Speaker 7 (08:16):
I spent probably way too much time of my day
thinking through these scenarios and reading studies and reports and
diving into the charts and the analytics. Like I know,
not everyone is as accepting and as you know, into
it as maybe I am, or you are, or those
of us. But the one thing I'll say, and I've
said I think I said this to last year on
one of our shows, It's here to stay, whether people

(08:37):
like it or not. This way of thinking that with
the margins in football becoming ever so small, and with
the team parody becoming that much closer, the difference between
winning the division and being the top of the draft pick,
when you add up those kids, you're talking ten to
fifteen twenty plays a season that are making the difference
between being fired and making the playoffs.

Speaker 2 (08:58):
I just can't.

Speaker 3 (09:00):
He's right, and he's so right.

Speaker 2 (09:02):
Like I don't know how you, uh, what does Kyle
Shanahan do? Like have you has he been asked just
kind of about his kind of strategy because I feel
like he is so innovative. The system that he helped
found basically is responsible for half the offenses in the league.
Right now what is his kind of view on it?

Speaker 4 (09:20):
Well, it's funny because as he was talking, I was like,
this could be a Kyle Shanahan press conference because he'll say,
like we are we were were three plays away from
being eight and three, you know, And so as he
was talking about this, I was like, God, this could
fully be a Kyle Shanahan a press conference without questions
about injuries, like one hundred percent. So he doesn't talk
as much about the analytics, but he always talks about

(09:43):
why did they do something and you know what? And
so it's like kind of what's the worder that I'm
looking for? He's intimating, Yeah, towards the analytics. I'm really
heaving trouble with words education he's intimating and so it
just reminded me that and he says it all the time.
It's like three one or two plays a game, and
it's so true. And I think Greg summed it up

(10:05):
beautifully and I would love to have Greg and Kyle
talk about it because I think it would be a
really cool That would.

Speaker 2 (10:09):
Be a really great conversation honestly, one of those like
sit downs before a game or whatever. Although I don't
know how much interested the forty nine ers. Greg's on
the second team now, so maybe he'll get some of
those games. I what's interesting to me too, there's two
sides of this, kind of like analytics, and I think
a lot of people canflate analytics with aggression, because then
you look at something like the Lions, and you look

(10:31):
at Dan Campbell, who is the football guy of football guys.
He sure is love, but he has this reputation then
for going for it on fourth down all the time,
like you know, f a punt, they're they're going to
go for it, sometimes on their own thirty yard line
in fact, and I think a lot of people kind
of conflate that with oh, well, there's analytics that will

(10:52):
say this, that and the other. But then he did
something in this last game on Thursday night against the
Green Bay Packers, towards the end of the game, where
you're on the twenty one yard line, you can absolutely
kick a field goal for sure, you're on it's fourth
down and one, And in fact, if you the probability
of getting the field goal was ninety one percent.

Speaker 3 (11:14):
Okay, that seems sorry.

Speaker 2 (11:15):
The probability of getting the first down if you went
for it was seventy percent, So the analytics will tell
you kick the field goal. Yeah, But then in like
an ultimate show of respect, I think for Jordan Love
and also just hey, this is our identity. This is
part of our identity. It's been part of our identity
for two seasons. They decide to go for it because

(11:38):
they do not want Jordan Love to get the ball back,
even without timeouts, to potentially go down the field and
tie it. So they go for it, and it sparked
like the most division I've seen on social media.

Speaker 4 (11:53):
I mean such division, and there's to say that's a
big statement and probably true because social media has a
lot of.

Speaker 3 (11:58):
Division in case anybody has no Yeah.

Speaker 2 (12:01):
Even on Blue Sky though I don't know if you
guys are on Blue Sky yet, but Blue Sky is
actually a much more constructive conversation on Blue Sky, And
even Blue Sky was like down the middle, back and forth,
like that was stupid. No, that was brilliant. No, that
was like it was so just torn apart at the seams,
which is crazy.

Speaker 4 (12:20):
Well, I first of all, I respected it, I really did. I.
When you say seventy percent, that's actually a higher likelihood
than I thought it would be. And in some ways
it feels like, I mean, obviously there's analytics and then
there's situations and you got to make the decision.

Speaker 3 (12:32):
That's why you're the head coach.

Speaker 4 (12:33):
But in some ways it also felt a little bit
like Dan Campbell making a statement, you're the best team
in football.

Speaker 3 (12:40):
You can't come at us. No matter what you do.
We're gonna We're gonna.

Speaker 4 (12:43):
They had what thirteen defensive guys on who are injured
right now. No matter what you do, we're going to
be able to overcome it. And so it felt like
on a Thursday night in front of everybody, it's the
only game anybody is watching, NFC North's matchup. I feel
like it was a little bit of that, but I
respect it. I mean, if you're aggressive aggressive now, you know,
in the NFC Championship game last year, there's a lot
of buss They got burned, They got burned.

Speaker 3 (13:05):
They got burned.

Speaker 4 (13:05):
How However, I think a lot about that, and I've
watched the past a number of times. The receiver dropped
a good pass and in that case, so that's like
that you can't control, right, And it was a forty
four yard field goal, which is not a chip shot,
So you know, you you weigh everything. So but I
think you know, there's analytics, and I do believe in
the analytics, and then you have your situation. We see

(13:27):
a lot in baseball, you see a lot with pitching changes.
But god, the Lions are fun.

Speaker 3 (13:31):
I love the Lions.

Speaker 2 (13:32):
They are fun. Somebody said on Twitter and I think
it was or on Blue Sky. I think it was
Robert Mays who just said, hey, uh, this is our
Dan Campbell is weighing things as what is the other
team scared? We're going to do right versus the analytics,
which I think is really interesting. But we are going
to take a break now. Coming up, we've got some
more discussion about who the best team in the AFC

(13:54):
is Bill's or Chiefs. Coming up, were listening to Fox
Sports Radio.

Speaker 1 (13:59):
Fox Sports Video has the best sports talk lineup in
the nation. Catch all of our shows at Foxsports Radio
dot com and within the iHeartRadio app. Search FSR to
listen live.

Speaker 2 (14:11):
It is December and we here at Fox Sports Radio
are in the spirit.

Speaker 3 (14:16):
We are. We're nothing if not festive.

Speaker 2 (14:18):
Karma vitally here in for Alex Curry. I've got Tracy
Sandler with me. We're coming to you live from the
tirak dot Com studios here in Los Angeles, California. It
was actually a little bit warmer today than I really
wanted it to be. Yeah, I'm wearing my ASU Bomber
jacket thinking I was like, oh, I need something. You know,
it's December. No, it's not not here in La Nobody got.

Speaker 8 (14:36):
That hit like yesterday.

Speaker 2 (14:38):
I don't like it, Okay, Chris, I.

Speaker 8 (14:40):
Don't like it.

Speaker 4 (14:41):
However, after being in Buffalo last weekend, I've decided that
I will not complain about the field.

Speaker 9 (14:46):
Okay, this is an excellent you know fair I just
came back from Detroit on Thursday.

Speaker 8 (14:50):
I was ready to gather the cold.

Speaker 2 (14:51):
This is an excellent segue, Tracy into We've got some
playoff teams that have already clinched their spot, the Chiefs
being two of them. Yep, that begs the question, because
I've been saying it all year. The Kansas City Chiefs
cannot be doubted in the big picture of things. They're
going for the three peat. Last year, with you know,

(15:14):
a supposed down year, they don't have receivers, their offense
doesn't look like it it usually does, and yet they
figure it out anyway. This season, they have been in
almost exclusively one score games. They've come out on the
right side of them almost every single time the.

Speaker 3 (15:30):
One or two play discussion we were having.

Speaker 2 (15:32):
The only team they've lost to, though, is the Buffalo Bills,
who look absolutely unstoppable. And the fact that I haven't
seen Sean McDermott in the top five Coach of the
Year odds is an absolute crime because this team, for
what they came into the season with, nobody is doing
more with less than Sean McDermott and Josh Allen, and

(15:55):
it's an incredible thing for them to look this dominant
at this point in the season. We're going Week fourteen
and you just got Matt Mulano back. It's it's just
kind of an incredible thing that on both sides of
the ball. I think that they're I say I say
this in a whisper, guys, I think that the Bills

(16:16):
are the better team in the AFC, the best team
in the AFC.

Speaker 4 (16:19):
Oh, I'll say it nice and loud, atually the best
team in the FC. A microcosm of that is a
play where your quarterback both throws a pass and catches
a touchdown back and get he doesn't.

Speaker 2 (16:31):
Get the catch when he gets to get a touchdown.

Speaker 4 (16:33):
The touchoup reception. But that pretty much to me like
sums it all up. When that stuff is happening, that's
like the play of the year, and that's the kind
of stuff we used to see for the Chiefs.

Speaker 3 (16:43):
Now I'm not I'm not doubting the Chiefs. The Chiefs are.

Speaker 4 (16:45):
Obviously has thrown and I think, yeah, I actually think
it's because I remember seeing the gazelle joke before before
this time, so I think that that's true. But the
Bills from my perspective, from what I've seen and I
watched them in person last week, they are dominant. They
are the best team in the AFC. The Chiefs have
Patrick Mahomes and he is obviously incredible. He figures out

(17:09):
ways to win. But it might be this might be
the Bill's time.

Speaker 2 (17:13):
I mean in the regular season it was, you know,
the Chiefs have kind of been the monkey on their back,
and they were able to get past them in the
regular season. Now they have to do that in the postseason.
In theory, in theory, but I mean again, both of
these teams have punched their playoff ticket. It's gonna happen.
I just I think there's just a difference here between

(17:35):
the team that you trust more to get to the
super Bowl versus who is the better team, because it
isn't always the best team it gets to the super Bowl.
In fact, I would say it's probably a toss up
usually if they really are the best team, unless you
just roll over everybody on your way there. But of
the two teams, it looks like the Bills are the
ones that are a little bit more equipped to do that.

(17:57):
I've got some fun speaking being nerdy, I've got some
fun stats for you. I don't think we're giving enough
credence to the Bill's offensive line in particular, Oh, for sure,
and their run scheme. I mean, you talk about Josh
Allen being mobile and being the guy that can scramble
and do all these crazy things. But what we don't
talk enough about, I think is James Cook and the

(18:17):
way that this has been a constant for them and
their offensive line in particular. So Bill's running backs have
been contacted behind the line of scrimmage on thirty six
point four percent of their carriers this season. That is
the fourth lowest rate in the league.

Speaker 3 (18:30):
Amazing.

Speaker 2 (18:30):
So these guys are getting a head start out of
the backfield for Buffalo, including James Cook, and that has
everything to do with the offensive line being as good
as they are and run blocking and then the scheme
itself just being able to produce over and over and
over again these positive plays. I can't say enough about

(18:53):
how much that matters, even when you have one of,
if not the best quarterback in the league, because I
think that Josh Allen absolutely has the MVP case. While
his stats, I think Lamar is gonna finish with better
stats this year, but Josh Allen, when you have to
take into consideration what he's working with versus what a
guy like Lamar is working with, or even Jared Goff

(19:13):
or any of the other you know, kind of contenders,
Josh Allen has averaged nineteen are yards per attempt across
forty passes after scrambling. That's amazing, Like, that's incredible.

Speaker 3 (19:26):
It's a it's crazy.

Speaker 2 (19:29):
It's exclusively after scrambling. But it's the most among the
twenty five quarterbacks with at least fifteen passes after scrambling.
Because not every quarterback does that, obviously, but to be
that aware and to be able to help out, I mean,
talk about helping out your offensive line, but to be
able to get your offense out of trouble and still

(19:49):
be accurate, still be productive again, still get those positive plays.
It's a testament to Josh, It's a testament to the coachings.
Like the coaches, I just I can't say enough about
the Buffalo Bills well.

Speaker 3 (20:00):
And I think the thing with offensive lines is they're
like the unsung heroes of an offense. No offense is
working perfectly. Their offensive line has to be good.

Speaker 4 (20:08):
They have to be doing their jobs, they have to
be doing it well. And I think you're right, this
Bill's offensive line is probably the unsung hero of the Bills.
But I think what I feel is different and what
felt different to me last week was I trust the
Bills in a way I don't think I have in
the past. You know, we've seen their team and then
we've they and it's like, I don't they just I
don't see them being able to like to go into

(20:28):
Kansas City and win the years past. This team feels
kind of like the Lions, like they just feel like
we are the best team. We know we are the
best team, and we're going to play like the best team.
And Kyle Shannon always says with the playoffs and Kyle
getting a lot of airtime today, Kyle Shannon always says
in the playoffs like, it's not necessarily the best team
that wins, it's the one who plays the best for

(20:49):
three and a half hours. So but with the Bills,
I think they're going to be both right, And this
is the first season where I really trust that and
really trust Josh Allen.

Speaker 3 (20:58):
He is so on his game right now. They are
going to be very very hard to beat.

Speaker 4 (21:03):
And this might be where you know, the clock runs
out on the Chiefs and it's just they don't have
enough to get there, even with Patrick Muhbell.

Speaker 2 (21:11):
That's the That's my other question. And the other side
of this equation is are we putting too much or
too little into the Chiefs wait for it reputation, Oh nice,
it's a Taylor Swift album, guys. But I, like, I
still have a lot of faith in the Chiefs to
ultimately pull this out because I'm not going to pretend
like last year did not happen.

Speaker 3 (21:30):
Well of course, and Patrick Mahomes is different.

Speaker 2 (21:33):
With Andy Reid and just kind of the innovation that
they have. Once it comes to the like they look
almost unrecognizable every year once playoff times come. Like agree
with that, there is a whole other playbook I feel
like for the Kansas City Chiefs probably is in the postseason. No,
I literally think there is. And it's like, this is
something that you can't plan for. Then it's not something

(21:54):
you have tape on because they are doing different things
once the postseason comes around. And that's what makes them
so incredibly dangerous when it comes to the playoffs and
why I'm just not going to count them out.

Speaker 4 (22:06):
I don't think you can count them out, but I
do think the Bills are the better team and I
trust them to be able to prove that playoff time.
You can never count out the Chiefs. As long as
they have Patrick Mahomes as their quarterback. You can never
count to the Chiefs. And it's no disrespect to Andrey
Reid because obviously he's a huge part of that. Patrick
Mahomes just he just figures it out. But I think
probably in general, but when we saw that play, that's

(22:27):
why I think that play to me makes me trust
them because it felt very Mahomes in. They're like the
play like shovels into a Mark Cooper it's not working.
He's like, weble to get a back, to get back
to me and I and the awareness to get over
the pilot like that.

Speaker 2 (22:40):
And how many times have we seen Javis Kelce like
pitch something after he's caught it. Just insane stuff. But
now it's time for an update. Break with Martin Weiss.

Speaker 10 (22:51):
At TG Championship game. Been trading punts and turnover so
far through the first quarter, no score between Georgia and Texas.

Speaker 8 (22:59):
Eight minutes left in the first quarter.

Speaker 10 (23:01):
Again, Georgia the fifth ranked team in the nation, Texas
the second ranked team in the nation. Carlin, I heard
you boove doubts, You'll do it here. Arizona State blew
out Iowa State forty five to nineteen. Camp scout of
both see hundred and seventy yards, two touchdowns on the ground, touchdown.

Speaker 8 (23:16):
Receiving as well.

Speaker 10 (23:17):
Sam Levin twelve or seventeen two hundred nineteen through the year,
three passing touchdowns. Sun Doubles win the Big Twelve championship
in their first year in the conference and are now
locked into a spot in the.

Speaker 8 (23:28):
College of Football playoffs.

Speaker 10 (23:29):
Ohio University beat Miami Ohio thirty eight to three to
win the MAC and Mike Gundy will remain the head
coach at Oklahoma State with a restructured contract. In men's
college basketball, we saw wins for a fifth rank in Marquette.
They beat eleventh three Wisconsin eighty eight to seventy four. Pittsburgh,
theineteenh three team in the nation, beat Virginia Tech sixty
four to fifty nine, and the twentieth ranth at North

(23:52):
Carolina tar Heels beat Georgia Tech sixty eight to sixty five.
Orlando Magic forward Fronz Wagner has torn his right o blea.
He's out in definitely. That's also the same injury that
forward Polo Bankero is suffering for the team.

Speaker 8 (24:06):
But again, right now, Texas with the.

Speaker 10 (24:08):
Ball throwing it, this's like a complee shit, what if
be a touchdown if you have caught the ball?

Speaker 8 (24:13):
There's a flag on the play.

Speaker 10 (24:14):
Six forty five left in the first quarter, no score
between Texas and Georgia and the SEC championship.

Speaker 8 (24:21):
Game being played at Atlanta.

Speaker 10 (24:23):
Back to you guys, who thanks Martin, Congratulations, thank you Er.

Speaker 2 (24:27):
I'm gonna milk this this whole show.

Speaker 8 (24:29):
Hey, Kenny Dillingham, Scatty they've been putting on a show.

Speaker 2 (24:32):
Call him Denny killing him because he killing him. I'm
gonna make this happen.

Speaker 3 (24:36):
You're gonna do it. You're gonna get someone.

Speaker 2 (24:38):
Who's gonna help me do that. We have the host
of the NFL on Fox podcast, the one that Greg
Olsen was actually talking to about all of those analytics
things that you heard at the top of the hour,
Dave Hellman. How you doing, Buden.

Speaker 11 (24:54):
I appreciate the plug of the NFL on Fox pot.

Speaker 2 (24:57):
That's good what we're here for. H you were the
other voice. I think you had a couple of little yeah,
uh huh like agreements with Greg Olsen during that conversation.
But peel back the curtain a little bit. Was that
kind of a planned segment?

Speaker 7 (25:13):
Did you?

Speaker 2 (25:13):
What did you ask him off the top to kind
of get him going, because that was quite the answer
from Greg about all the ADA legs and his beliefs.

Speaker 11 (25:21):
What's funny is I think it was a prolonged conversation
that went back to Sunday. Because I'm fortunate enough to
I get to talk to Greg multiple times a week,
so I talked to him right in the wake of
that Arizona Minnesota game, and we just sort of went
through the decision making process and then I think on Wednesday,
I just brought it up again and I was like, hey, man,

(25:42):
I just I want you to know how much I
appreciate you leading the way and putting a very visible
face on this conversation. And it's ironic. This is in
every layer of football. I mean, we saw it on
Thursday night with Dan Campbell going for that fourth down
tied against Green Bay. We're seeing the opposite of it

(26:02):
in this Georgia Texas game that's happening right now, where
Kirby Smart had force in a foot at midfield and
opted to punt, and wouldn't you know, Texas is driving
into Georgia territory as if nothing ever happened because Kirby Smart,
in my opinion, was a little too conservative. So it's
something that I feel passionately about. Obviously Greg Wilson does

(26:24):
as well, and you know, Greg is is way more
handsome and famous than I am, so I'm I'm really
happy that that he's able to sort of spearhead that
conversation for you know, not just football siccos, but anybody
that's happening. You know, anybody that happens to be watching
the Fox broadcast.

Speaker 3 (26:42):
It Carmen made him the King of the Nerds, as
you appointed him.

Speaker 11 (26:45):
I did, absolutely he is. He is the The nice
way to say it is like he's spearheading the aggressive
analytics conversation. But king of the Nerds sounds way better.

Speaker 5 (26:56):
It does.

Speaker 3 (26:56):
It sounds like a fun title. It totally is totally
using a crown.

Speaker 2 (27:01):
I know, well, you are as plugged in as anybody
to the college football landscape, even though that's not something
that you cover. Uh, if you would have told me
that your Louisiana State Tigers would not be in the
college football playoffs, my Arizona State sown devils would have been.

Speaker 11 (27:19):
That's such a nice thank you for that.

Speaker 2 (27:21):
You're so welcome again. I said I was gonna milk
that I was gonna milk this whole thing, uh throughout
the show, and so sorry you're my latest victim.

Speaker 3 (27:29):
And also sorry that we took Bryce Underwood.

Speaker 2 (27:32):
Oh that's right, yeah, Tracy watch Michigan. So this is
really like an anti LSU show right now. And for
it to be thank you for having me on, I
had you want to bully you.

Speaker 11 (27:42):
Basically that's it's it's okay. I'm you know what this is,
what the expanding college football Playoff is for, is we're
seeing all sorts of new teams and new faces gaining
national relevancy. And I sure would love to compare Kenny
Allingham's salary to Brian Kelly's. I'm sure it would be

(28:02):
very sobering for those of us that root for LSU.

Speaker 2 (28:06):
That's a that's such another conversation, like the last bastion
of the old school college football coaches are like on
their way out at this point. I mean, you had
Jim Harbaugh go to the league, Nick Saban's out, I
mean you have Kirby Smart, Dabos Sweeney. You and I
had this conversation this week, I think, Dave where we
were like, with all of the money that now has

(28:28):
to go towards the students, doesn't make sense really to
pay these exorbitant contracts to coaches when these guys can
the players can go as they please throughout the portal,
they can go where the money is. All that kind
of stuff.

Speaker 11 (28:44):
Yeah, I really we were talking about that. I mean,
it's Kirby and Dabbo. I guess you could drow Brian
Kelly in there just because he's been coaching in major
college football for such a long time. But even he's
in a new location trying to find his footing at LSU, Like,
there just aren't very many of those, you know, coaches
that are like synonymous with their program left and yeah,

(29:07):
like I'm I'm curious to see where it's heading because
with nil being such a big part of this and
the amount of player empowerment, Yeah, I'm not sure it's
worth it. And like, I mean, Georgia would be smart
to hold on to Kirby for as long as they can,
but other than that, I'm not sure it's worth it
to throw all of this money at a coach when

(29:30):
it's the players that matter. I mean, the talent has
always mattered, but keeping it all in one place is
harder than it's ever been before. And yeah, I think,
you know, I'd rather have a young guy with a
lot of enthusiasm and a small salary like Kenny Dillingham
than some of these you know, crazy coaching contracts. I'm
interested to see how that kind of ages here over

(29:52):
the next three or four years.

Speaker 4 (29:53):
Well, I think that's what is going to be really
interesting to see about nil and all of this, what
does it due to college football?

Speaker 3 (29:58):
How does it change it?

Speaker 4 (30:00):
I was teasing you about Bryce Underwood, but essentially a
very rich person woke up and said, I don't want
to be the worst team in football on Saturdays.

Speaker 3 (30:07):
Which, by the way, I agree with her.

Speaker 4 (30:09):
Super into it, and Bryce Underwood gets this insane amount
of money. It's just going to be interesting. How do
you think it is going to change college football? And
now do you think coaches are going to get a
little more leeway? Because if it's more about the players
and you're not paying coaches as much, you're not bringing
in these big names, our coaches going to get any
more leeway.

Speaker 11 (30:27):
I think so. And I think you're kind of seeing
that right Like I was kind of shocked. I was
shocked to realize this week that North Carolina is like
the best opening in the college football world this year,
and like, no disrespect to North Carolina, but they're not
exactly a football powerhouse. And like you know, I think
Purdue is open, but we're not seeing like these big

(30:49):
football factories fire their coaches. And I think a a
big part of it is because the big the expanded
playoff makes it easier to be relevant than it used
to be. But be you're you know, you're stuck with
like a forty fifty to sixty million dollar buyout if
you want to try to fire these guys. And I
don't think most school Like, I think most schools don't
want to do that on top of them having to

(31:10):
turn around and pay their roster however many million dollars
to play for him next year. So I do think
coaches are going to get more leeway. And I don't know,
it's such a weird time in college football. I just
I don't know where it goes. But I feel like
in twenty years, maybe even in ten years, we're going
to look back and be like, man, that was crazy.

(31:32):
Remember when there were like no rules and it was
just the wild West. So I don't know what regulations
are coming, but I don't think the sport can sustain
this much volatility for too much longer of a period
of time. I think some sort of regulation has to
be in the in the somewhat near future.

Speaker 3 (31:52):
Well, as long as we're talking weird in college football,
will Bill Belichick feed joining the ranks of college football
coaches next year?

Speaker 11 (32:00):
Speaking of North Carolina direct.

Speaker 3 (32:03):
That sparks the thought in my head.

Speaker 11 (32:05):
That would blow That would blow my mind, honestly, And
like people I know and trust have have reported that
maybe there's legitimate smoke to this, and maybe Bill Belichick
really would be interested in doing it and his son
Steve would come along with him. I think he's at
the University of Washington right now. It's just it's weird
to me, Like it's crazy. I mean, you know, Bill

(32:26):
Belichick is I don't know the number off the top
of my head, but like he's not far off of
Don Shula's all time wins record in the NFL. I
would imagine that that is at least somewhat important to him,
Like proving that he can win a Super Bowl without
Tom Brady is important to him. I don't know what
he gets out of diving into college football, and I

(32:46):
don't know why he would want to put in that
level of work. Again, we're it's harder than it's ever been.
You've got to recruit at a top level, and then
once you get these players, you have to continue recruiting
them because they can leave thirteen months after they agree
to come to your school. Like, I do not see
the appeal for a guy with his resume of diving

(33:08):
into this insane sport with these you know, just as
competitive as it's ever been. It sounds incredibly difficult, but hey,
I mean, more power to him if he wants to
give it a try, because it would definitely be an
interesting story.

Speaker 2 (33:21):
Well. As the host of the NFL on Fox podcast,
we know that you're great for all things NFL, but
I liked having the college football conversations with you, mostly
because you're just an unhinged LSU fan, and to me,
those conversations are more fun. So thank you Dave Hellman
for joining us today and giving us those that look
inside college football a little bit more. We'll talk to

(33:42):
you soon.

Speaker 11 (33:43):
Yeah, anytime, y'all appreciate it.

Speaker 2 (33:45):
All right, you guys coming up, we have the dudes
and the don'ts on at the other side of this break.
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 1 (33:53):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
the nation. Catch all of our shows at foxsports Radio
dot com and within the iHeart Radio app search FSR
to listen live.

Speaker 2 (34:04):
Who is this?

Speaker 1 (34:07):
See you?

Speaker 5 (34:08):
I was gonna say, Okay, Old Santa Claus.

Speaker 2 (34:11):
Wow, listen. My Christmas playlist is like two hundred and
something songs and I haven't heard this one.

Speaker 8 (34:17):
I'll send you the Spotify link.

Speaker 2 (34:19):
Excellent, excellent.

Speaker 3 (34:20):
I like this.

Speaker 2 (34:21):
I take Christmas music very very seriously.

Speaker 5 (34:24):
You should.

Speaker 2 (34:24):
I know it's 'tis the time of year, and tis
the time right now for the dues and the don'ts
of the week highlighting.

Speaker 1 (34:34):
I love that putting a spotlight on the don't the
subject brings me no joy.

Speaker 2 (34:38):
Don't do that, that's insane.

Speaker 1 (34:41):
It's time for the dues and the don'ts.

Speaker 2 (34:43):
In sports, Yeah, you can tell which which comments mine
on that little promo. I'm going to start with the
do and that is due. Give your all to your team,
like that well line and dance skipper in for the
injured Tailor Decker on Thursday night for the Lions against
the Green Bay Packers. Thrilling win, just absolute gritastic. I

(35:08):
just made up a word. I mean, I feel like
Dan Campbell would approve. Dan Campbell gets into the locker room,
he's fired up. He's in the middle, like in the
middle of his speech as he's yelling at his guys
about their resilience and all this other stuff, and he's like,
and you skip, keep doing what you're doing over there,
keep throwing up over there, whatever it is you're doing,
like and then the camera pans to Dan Skipper, who

(35:29):
is bent over a trash can, puking up his guts
because he left it all. He's like, wait to leave
it all out on the field. It was the most
football guy moment locker room. I'm telling you, I don't
know if there is another team that has been ever
been this likable in the it like that I can remember.
And if I'm forgetting somebody, let me know. But this

(35:51):
Lions teams so easy to love in so many ways
against you know, as long as you're not a division opponent,
I get that, But I just there's so much frickin fun.

Speaker 3 (36:00):
They're so fun. I'm totally a bandwagon Lions fan.

Speaker 5 (36:05):
This year.

Speaker 4 (36:05):
I'd like to see them go all the way. But
there's so much. There's such a great story that Jared
Golf of it All. It's just it's just and that
would be maybe the title of his memoir.

Speaker 2 (36:16):
All but I just Jared hyphen redf Jard go Yeah,
Red Golf of it All?

Speaker 3 (36:23):
So yeah, I love him really fun.

Speaker 2 (36:27):
Why have a do okay?

Speaker 4 (36:29):
Timothy shallow May was also just really fun to say. Yes,
it's fun to say so. Also, one due would be
to keep saying.

Speaker 3 (36:37):
It over and over. But he's it was the guest
picker a college game Day. Nailed it, his research nailed it.
I mean, this man is a professional. It was awesome.
So if you're gonna do it, if you're gonna be
a guest picker, then know what you're doing. I can
say do in this sense, he was the only.

Speaker 2 (36:52):
One that took Ohio over Miami about if he was.

Speaker 9 (36:55):
He also had the voice for it. Oh yeah, inflecting
down and just nailing the broadcaster voice like a young
Chris Collins.

Speaker 4 (37:03):
Work well, he's practicing for a role, but he is
doing just fantastically well.

Speaker 2 (37:07):
I mean he is. He is a phenomenal actor. But
like I just whether it was his PR team or
whoever it was, or if it's him, I just I
am choosing to believe that Timothy Shallome is just part
of the Sickos committee shout out Sickos committee. I am
just I choose to believe that he is of college
football or of a sports cicco.

Speaker 3 (37:26):
I'm into it. I totally am willing to believe it.

Speaker 2 (37:28):
I love it all right, I've got it. I've got
to don't speaking of like cross hobbies or like crossovers.

Speaker 3 (37:35):
Okay, you don't expect, Okay.

Speaker 2 (37:38):
Don't care what they think because Ram's defensive lineman. Kobe
Turner So good was what viral on social media. First
of all, he was on the Mass singer and his
rendition of Google Doll's iris was electric electric. But then
he goes viral on social media because he recorded himself
learning the choreography from Wicked the night before a game

(38:01):
in his hotel room. If you ever wonder what players
do in their hotel rooms before games, like, oh, they're
looking through their iPads, They're looking, they're going through plays,
they're meditating to do whatever. Kobe Turner is learning the
choreography arian A grand Day's choreography and Wicket And as
I just saw the movie last night, Oh.

Speaker 3 (38:16):
My god, it's so good. You see Wicked, that's ad
that is that is.

Speaker 2 (38:20):
Also a do clearly, but Kobe Turner in the spirit
and like his little his feet going and you're like, oh,
this is why you're like, you're just you're an athlete.
This is an athletic man that is doing the twinkle
toes in his hotel room learning the choreography. I'd love
to see it.

Speaker 3 (38:35):
I well, I love to see it as well. It
was so much fun and definitely see wicked.

Speaker 4 (38:39):
I have a don't I don't is and this is
probably because of what I deal with every single day,
But don't root for your coach to get fired when
you've been to two Super Bowls and multiple NFC Championship
games and they're having a bad season because everyone on
the planet on their team is injured and there's lack
of in So I would just say that this idea
that Kyle shanahany should be fired is ridiculous. And also

(39:01):
back to what we were saying in the college football
discussion or what we were heard about Ryan Day earlier.
Who's replacing Kyle Shannan, Who's replacing Kyle Shannon.

Speaker 3 (39:09):
So don't be that fan.

Speaker 2 (39:11):
Give it a beat. I think I think a lot
of people, like on the national level, that aren't as
plugged into the forty nine ers kind of ecosystem online
would be shocked to know how much of a contingent
there is to get Kyle Shanahan fired. It's huge, which
is ridiculous when you consider that there's also contingents of
fan bases across the league saying, yeah, fire him, will

(39:33):
take him. And I'm like, shouldn't that be your very
first inkling that maybe he shouldn't fire the guy if
the rest of the league is collamorating for him, or
at least the teams that need a head coach or
conceivably will need a head coach at the end of
this season. I think it's just kind of an insane.

Speaker 4 (39:50):
It's insane, it's absolut insane. And by see one more, Well,
he hasn't won the Big one. Guess what's real? Hard
to go to the Super Bowl? Only two teams go,
one team wins.

Speaker 2 (39:58):
A lot of people are unhappy. All right, coming up
an hour two, we have Adam Amen, We've got a
bunch more NFL conversation. We're gonna be with you for
another hour. Thanks for tuning in. We'll see you on
the other side. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Welcome
back for hour two in our Fox Sports Saturday show.

(40:21):
I am common vitally in for Alex Kurt who's on
vacation grinding in the studio with me. It's Tracy Sandler,
CEO of Fangirl Sports Network and forty nine Ers be reporter,
a lot of forty nine ers things to get to
in this hour two. We've got some playoffs to talk about,
because that's very relevant right now, and the infamous in
the Hunt graphic for a bunch of teams. At this point,

(40:47):
we're gonna have Adam Amen Fox play by play extraordinary,
Adam a Mean joining us in just about a half hour.
But first, Tracy, you're saying there's a chance there are
there are multiple teams that are kind of on the
bubble in the Hunt whatever you want to say, some
a little bit more likely than others, and I feel

(41:10):
like the more likely ones are the ones that we're
not totally sure about, that have a legitimate chance all
belong in the NFC. It feels like the AFC is
all but locked up at this point. But when you
look at the NFC playoff picture, teams like the Bucks
right now are not in it, but you think, all right,
are they? Like they're kind of trending the right direction

(41:30):
to make a push down the stretch here. I don't
know what to make of the NFC West. Nobody does,
which is why I'm really glad that you're here with
me between the Rams, the Cardinals, the Niners, and then
in the AFC that you do think maybe has a
shot here are the Indianapolis Colts. Of all teams, mm hmm,
if you can get a little bit more consistency out
of Anthony Richardson. But then I feel like there's those

(41:52):
teams kind of grouped at the top of truly being
in the hunt. And then you have like the Ellipses,
and then the Ellipses, and then like all the way
down teams that aren't quite out of it, but maybe
for all intents and purposes are the Miami Dolphins. Unfortunately,
this pains me to say the Cincinnati Bengals.

Speaker 3 (42:10):
It is unfortunate.

Speaker 2 (42:11):
I Tracy, I have not wanted to quit this team.

Speaker 3 (42:14):
I know I don't want to so much offense they
really are in. Joe Burrow is just it just breaks
my heart. Every postgame press conference. It's just he's just like,
it's not your fault, Joey.

Speaker 2 (42:24):
He's like, it's just it's did everything it could.

Speaker 3 (42:27):
My god, he did everything he could. It's just it's
just not there here.

Speaker 2 (42:32):
And then uh, not me relishing in the New York
New York Jets being all all the way down. Not
because I hate you Jets fans, I really feel badly
for feel bad for Jets fans.

Speaker 6 (42:43):
I do, I do.

Speaker 2 (42:44):
It's not it's not your fault.

Speaker 12 (42:47):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (42:48):
This is just something though that it's one of those
like confirmations of my suspicions and my theories that this
was not going to go well when you gave up
so much to go get Aaron Rodgers, you gave him
so much power to completely transform your organize and not
for the better, and then this is kind of you
reap what's sow in a lot of ways. And clearly
Aaron Rodgers is not the quarterback that he used to be.

(43:10):
I think we can definitively say that now because the
Jets didn't go on a run like they did a
couple of years ago when he was with the Green
Bay Packers still and they won four or five down
the stretch, and they just narrowly missed the playoffs because
of the Detroit Lions, like all that kind of stuff
that did not happen, that is not going to happen.
Things have absolutely blown up in New York. And I'm

(43:31):
sorry Jets fans, and I am.

Speaker 4 (43:34):
A Robert Solafan, and I think the firing was ridiculous.
Clearly he was not the problem, and I agree with you.

Speaker 3 (43:42):
I'm sorry Jets fans, but this does not it does
not pain me that the Jets are having the season.

Speaker 2 (43:47):
That I guess. It just doesn't pay me that Aaron Rodgers, it's.

Speaker 3 (43:49):
Really Aaron Rodgers because there are other people on that
team I really like.

Speaker 2 (43:52):
Right right exactly, but it's really Coo. I love Bracehall
is like one of my favorite young players, and they
just they haven't been able to utilize him. Correct. He
hasn't been happy with his touches, nor should he be
all that kind of stuff. But let's talk. Let's let's
talk the top of the order a little bit more.
Because a team that's very near and dear to my
heart is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And you taught we

(44:13):
talk a lot about trust this show. I feel like
and though the Bucks are at five hundred, I kind
of trust them down the stretch. I trust them to
kind of to win that division. I'm I'm I think
I'm out on the Atlanta Falcons. Oh very narrowly have
the lead in that division because they own the tie

(44:34):
breaker over the Buccaneers.

Speaker 1 (44:35):
But I don't.

Speaker 2 (44:37):
I do not trust that defense whatsoever. I don't trust
I was gonna say Kirk Cousins is not playing well.
They're not utilizing him in ways that he was utilized
so well in Minnesota, like particularly on play action. The
Atlanta Falcons run the play action at one of the
smallest rates in the league. Or it doesn't make a

(44:58):
whole lot of sense when that's something that kirk Cousins
is very good at and something that he excelled at
and that worked really well for him at his previous stop,
and you think that this is something that he still
should be able to do and can help him mitigate
the rush when you're talking about I mean, I do
think that Atlanta's offensive line is actually pretty good, but
not good enough for what how kirk Cousins is playing

(45:21):
right now.

Speaker 4 (45:21):
No, definitely not, And I think we're just The Atlanta
Falcons are generally just a mystery to me. I look
at them week after a week, What are you doing?
Do you Maybe they may not know what they're doing.
It does not feel like they do.

Speaker 2 (45:32):
I feel like I started asking myself that question in
the draft.

Speaker 3 (45:35):
Yeah, well that's maybe went out sign a.

Speaker 2 (45:37):
Few weeks before signing Kirk Cousins through one hundred million
dollars deal or a hundred million guaranteed, I should say.
And then they go with a top ten pick and
take another quarterback. We're all kind of left scratching our heads,
like this is either going to be brilliant or really weird,
and we're still kind of on the really weird part.

Speaker 4 (45:53):
We're definitely on the really weird part. I guess it
remains to be seen. But I don't trust them.

Speaker 3 (45:58):
I'm with you.

Speaker 4 (45:58):
I do trust the Bucks. I think it's a good
football team. I think Baker Mayfield is playing well. I
trust them down the stretch. I think they win that
division and make it steak on into the playoffs.

Speaker 2 (46:07):
I think so too. And I mean, you got Mike
Evans back now, and you're having like he needs to
average about one hundred yards almost one hundred yards a
game going forward if he's going to get to that
thousand yard mark for the eleventh straight season. I believe
the NFL record NBD, NBD. I could do a you know,
you know, there's like that meme like what could you
talk about for sixty minutes straight? What could you do

(46:29):
a Ted talk on without any prior preparation. Mine is
I could make Mike Evans Hall of Fame case right now,
and I could go on for about two hours as
to why that's the case and why it's ridiculous that
we aren't putting that respect on how good of a receiver,
great of a receiver. Mike Evans is elite player, elite human,

(46:51):
doesn't get their respect he deserves. But I do think
that the bucks that the defense hasn't been a sound
especially on the ground, and that kind of worries me.
But you've had a lot of a rotation, like injuries
up front. Both the to Ba and Klaijakanci are healthy.
Now you have some yah Yad Yabi is kind of
getting there. I just I have a lot of faith
in the offense though to score points with Baker Mayfield

(47:12):
come hell or high water. The NFC West, the NFC
West go Tracy.

Speaker 4 (47:19):
It's so funny because not that long ago the NFC
West was the strongest division in the NFL. Our four
NFC West team is going to go to the playoffs
this year. It's like, does any really do any.

Speaker 2 (47:29):
Does anybody want to go to play?

Speaker 4 (47:31):
Shouldn't they even be allowed to go in the playoffs.
It is just a little bit of a cluster and
it's it's a mess. I mean, right now it looks
like it will be the Seahawks to win the division,
and Seahawks and the Cardinals have a tough road ahead
of them to finish out the season. But you know,
the forty nine Ers are five and seven. It's certainly
not where anybody thought they would be. But just today

(47:54):
we knew it was happening. Jordan Mason went on Ir
George Odom, who was their special team's a, so to speak,
her that was not necessarily expected, and special teams has
been kind of a disaster for San Francisco. They will
have one massive special team's mistake a game, So you
have that for the game against the Bears tomorrow. Nick
Bosa's been downgraded out. Aaron Banks, We've talked a lot

(48:15):
about offensive lines. Aaron Banks is downgraded out, Trent Williams
is out. Just this forty nine Ers team is not
the forty nine Ers team that we've seen make runs
in the past.

Speaker 2 (48:25):
By the way, guys, Tracy got all of these roster
moves out in one of our last breaks. Yeah, and
there were more, but there were more, but like staying
on top of things while you're doing a radio show,
in commercial breaks, you're getting transactions out. It's just it
never stops, guys.

Speaker 4 (48:41):
It never does. It never ever stops. But I just
don't have the same faith in these particular four natters.
We've seen these teams in the past kind of go
on runs.

Speaker 3 (48:51):
This isn't that team. And it's been a very tough
year there. It's been a very tough year with injuries.

Speaker 4 (48:58):
It's been a very tough year of personal tragedy, and
people look at their schedule for the rest of the
season and think, like I see a lot of people
say this, like, oh whatever, it's the Bears, the Rams,
Miami Detroit. Well, no, everybody will say that's going to
be could be a mess and then away against the Cardinals.
But they've already lost the Rams, right, they've already lost
the Cardinals. I think the Bears are going to win

(49:19):
the game tomorrow. I think they're going to get that
little interim coach bumk that we talked about earlier. But
they think they're going to get that. And I think
traveling to Miami, I could see Miami definitely winning that game.
And I don't think that's like a I see people like, oh,
it's an easy with First of all, there's no such
thing in the NFL.

Speaker 3 (49:35):
But it's just it's not gonna be the Niners.

Speaker 2 (49:39):
So if it's not going to be the Niners, who
does that open the door for the Seahawks?

Speaker 3 (49:42):
Okay, I think it is going to be the Seahawks.

Speaker 2 (49:44):
I mean Gino Smith, while he needs to take care
of the football maybe a little bit more, is on
just an incredibly productive.

Speaker 4 (49:51):
Pace and they're finding ways to win, right, And this
is what we use. This is the difference I think
between good teams and bad teams. And with snatch victory
from the jaws of defeat or snatching defeat from the
jaws of victory. And the Seahawks are snatching victory the
jaws defeat. They're fighting ways to win, They're playing well.
Things are going.

Speaker 2 (50:09):
Their way, balls bouncing their way.

Speaker 5 (50:11):
It is the ball.

Speaker 3 (50:12):
Ball don't lie, and the ball does not want you to.

Speaker 2 (50:15):
Do you think they're the one then to get into
the playoffs from the NFC West or do you see
the Cards the Rams kind of making a push.

Speaker 3 (50:23):
I think the Cardinals could potentially make the Rams. I don't.
I don't think it's the Rams.

Speaker 4 (50:28):
But Thursday Night it's gonna be really I mean, it's
the four Nighters Rams. Thursday Night football is gonna be
kind of a It's gonna be an interesting game. I
don't if the Rams can win it, which I think
they can, then maybe they, you know, are able to
make a push. But I think Seahawks and then maybe
the Cards. But it may just be the Seahawks because
I just don't know that any of these teams can
make the wild card.

Speaker 2 (50:50):
Yeah, yeah, no, I mean it's gonna be tough in
the NFC. We talked about that, how it's a tough
it's a tough field, like the competition is really because
you're looking at maybe three teams from the nf North
making the playoffs and two of those have to be
wild cards, And.

Speaker 3 (51:04):
So is it really been a maybe? Like I think
three teams NFC North are going to make this four teams.

Speaker 2 (51:09):
All four teams have a positive point differential in the
NFC North, which is absolutely wild. I mean, the Bears
are all but out of the playoff picture, but they
still have a positive point differential. So you're looking at
the records here too, and The Bears are the only
team in the NFC North that are under five hundred,
and the Vikings and the Packers are well over five hundred,

(51:29):
so they've got good records. I knew going into the
season it was going to take twelve, thirteen, maybe fourteen
wins to win this division, and that's why the Lions
have punched a playoff ticket, but they have not locked
up the NFC North yet. We're broadcasting live from the
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Speaker 2 (52:17):
All right, we're going to take a quick break here
on the other side of it, We're going to be
talking a little bit more about where the San Francisco
forty nine Ers and the Chicago Bears go from here.
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. It is the most
wonderful time of year. Carmen Vitally in for Alex Curry
as host on Fox Sports Saturday or Fox Football Saturday.

(52:37):
I'm here with Tracy Sandler, forty nine Ers beat reporter
and CEO of Fangirl Sports Network. We're coming to you
live from the tirerac dot Com studios here in Los Angeles, California.

Speaker 4 (52:47):
And if you guys missed any of today's show, don't
you fret because our podcast will be going up shortly
after the show. Just sure, just search Fox Sports Radio
wherever you get your podcasts, and be sure to follow,
rate and review.

Speaker 3 (53:01):
Again.

Speaker 4 (53:01):
Just search search Fox Sports Radio wherever you get your podcasts,
and you'll see the show posted right after we get
off the air.

Speaker 2 (53:08):
Okay, so I'm really glad that Tracy is with me
today filling in because the team that I am most
familiar with and the team that you are most familiar
with are playing tomorrow. The Chicago Bears visit the San
Francisco forty nine Ers in Santa Clara. You're gonna be there.

Speaker 3 (53:25):
Yeah, Oh, I'll be there.

Speaker 2 (53:26):
Yeah, yeah, you just steered. You're all over the place.
It's wild. But this is kind of an opportunity to
have a larger conversation because this game did I said
this when I do a show with Trevor Sikamuf for
PFF and we preview every game every week, and I
said this on that show, where I was like, I really,

(53:48):
I'm having trouble boiling this game down to like certain
matchups or this that the other. I don't think that's
what matters. Because the Bears, while they're not technically eliminated
from the playoffs, don't have playoffs, especially coming out of
the NFC North, just there's too much competition. They have
to replay all of their division opponents. It's not gonna
be pretty down the stretch for the Chicago Bears with

(54:09):
an interim head coach, all of that kind of stuff.
And then you look at the Niners, who have been
decimated by injury. There's been so much turmoil this season,
both on and off the field. On a very serious note,
but it kind of just seems like the way that
Kyle ha Shanahan has talked about it too. While not
being We talked about this on your show this week.

(54:32):
While he hasn't resigned himself by any stretch of the imagination,
I think you use the word realist. He's being a
realist about their playoff chances and what they would have
to do down the stretch. Though they look to have
kind of an easier schedule, there are no gimmes in
the NFL, especially if other teams are fighting for playoff spots,
which the Miami Dolphins will be, you know, conceivably. Anyway,

(54:54):
this game kind of I think now comes down to,
all right, where do these teams go from here and
how can they start this week? And That's where I'm
kind of approaching this at Would you agree I.

Speaker 3 (55:05):
Would definitely agree with that.

Speaker 4 (55:07):
I think from the forty nine ers perspective, this now
becomes an opportunity for rookies and some second year guys
to show that they should be on this team next year.
Because for the forty nine ers there the four Nitans
are going to look very different next season. They're not
in a rebuild by any means, but there is going
to be quite a bit of retooling, and so this

(55:29):
is an opportunity I think with these games for these
guys to prove that they should be part of that retooling.
This rookie draft class has been really good and actually
I'm not sure where this team would be without them.

Speaker 3 (55:40):
But you know, some of the other younger.

Speaker 4 (55:41):
Guys, the second year guys, the third year guys, can
they show no, you should keep us around. We should
be part of your retooling process. So I think that
becomes important. I think it's an important five games for
Brock party. I think Brock has had a good season
and probably a better season that he's getting credit for.
That's some bad games, but they've all had some very
bad games. But he, I believe, has shown that he

(56:05):
is still their guy. He is going to be signing
a contract this offseason. In theory, he would be getting
the numbers that any other quarterback would get. He'll be
under contract one more year. I think he's going to
sign the contract. I think it's going to be a
big contract. He is their guy.

Speaker 3 (56:19):
They don't want to lose him. But I think these
five games, without.

Speaker 4 (56:22):
The supporting cast he's used to, rock Perty has to
continue to play well and show that, not necessarily to
prove to the forty nine ers and not that everybody
cares what people say outside the building, but I think
for the future of the organization, I think he has
to well so put that out there so that I
think is really the big thing for them and really

(56:45):
to not lose anybody further or for longer. I mean
I mentioned earlier nick Bosa has now been downgraded to out.
You know, if they lose tomorrow and the Seahawks win,
does the fort ninerds say, Okay, we're shutting down Nick
Bosa for the season, We're shutting down Trent Welliams for
the season. Like this is We're not going to put
people in a position that they potentially get very hurt

(57:05):
now they're missing time to start next season. So I
think this game for the forty nine ers is a
little make or break, even though technically if they lose
it they're not out of it. I think if they
lose and the Seahawks win tomorrow, they're basically out of it.

Speaker 2 (57:22):
Is Kyle Shanahan from an organizational perspective, in any danger
of losing history, absolutely not okay, all right, because that's
the one thing that's kind of a variable here where
you don't necessarily then have the luxury of shutting guys
down for the rest of the season. If you feel
like you're coaching for your job.

Speaker 3 (57:39):
Is not coaching for history?

Speaker 2 (57:40):
Okay, great, yeah, I mean that's absolutely the right answer.
But there is, like, as we talked about earlier, a
large contingent of forty nine er fans that don't know
how good they have it exactly, and a team that
definitely knows how good the forty nine ers have it
is the Chicago Bears, who interim coach Thomas Brown has
now been man three weeks ago. This man was the
passing game coordinator, not having regular meetings with Kayleb Williams,

(58:01):
didn't have his whole fingerprint on the offense whatsoever. And
now he has been elevated to offensive coordinator with the
firing of Shane Waldrin, and then now is in the
head chair with the firing of Maddie Refluce, the first
time the Chicago Bears have ever fired a coach in
the middle of the season. This concerns me in a
lot of ways, and it did as soon as they

(58:22):
named Thomas Brown the interim head coach, because I do
feel like in the three games since he took over
as offensive coordinator, Kayleb Williams has looked so much more decisive.
He's been given so much more information pre snap with
the uptick in motion that this offense has now incorporated
into the scheme while working within the constraints of the
existing playbook. That is something that Thomas Brown was able

(58:44):
to do so quickly and so beautifully and get this
team to being competent. Like, Yes, the bar is low
for the Chicago Bears right now, I understand that, but
to go from where they were where nothing looked easy
offensively for them under Shane waldron ten weeks the season
to having competent, decisive play from a rookie who yes,

(59:06):
still makes her ky mistakes and has made rooky mistakes
infamously in that game against the Lions where Kayleb Williams
did have the power to call the time out, but
he's not gonna do that. He took a sack before
that was the one thing he couldn't do. Yes, that
was all a very rookie moment for Kayleb Williams, but
it ultimately is up to the coach to save your
players from those situations, are from being put in those

(59:27):
situations which Matdieberflus failed to do over and over and
over again, which is why he's out. But now Thomas Brown,
after making the progress that he's made, now he is
tasked with all of the decisions and all of the
game management that comes with being a head coach, not
just an offensive play caller. Now Chris Betty, their wide
receivers coach, is now interim offensive coordinator and will be

(59:50):
taking on reportedly a larger role within this Bears offense.
But Thomas Brown is still calling plays. But then he's
also going to have to manage these in game situations,
these late game situations, because the Bears are good enough
to make a push at the end of games, They're
good enough to make it close. But the reason Matt

(01:00:12):
Abraflus was fired was because he was becoming a liability
because he couldn't make the right calls in these situations.
Now you're gonna spread a guy who's not used to
this magnitude of responsibility in Thomas Brown, have him have
to make all of these decisions. Is this really going
to work out? And I'm rooting for Thomas Brown. This

(01:00:32):
is an extended job interview for him, which I think
is one of the things that you need to look at,
you know, going down the stretch here. But at the
same time, you can coach yourself out of the job
by not really by not making the right decisions. Yet
the odds are stacked against you because you're not used
to doing any of this. Like I said, three weeks ago,
you were the pass game coordinator and didn't have any

(01:00:53):
decisions to make, and so how is that going to
affect things?

Speaker 6 (01:00:58):
This?

Speaker 2 (01:00:58):
You know, this happened to Thomas Brown last share with
Carolina Panthers. He took over from Frank Reich. He has
had head coaching like he's just kind of the last
two years, and he hasn't gotten a fair shake at either.
And things did not go well frankly in Carolina once
he took over. But I mean there were myriad issues
in Carolina from the top down clearly, and something that

(01:01:19):
Dave Canalis seems to have been able to write and
we're going to talk to Adam Imean about that very
shortly here. But I just think going forward with the
Chicago Bears, you need to see continued improvement and development
by Caleb Williams. You need to figure out again, like
you were saying about the Niners, who's staying on this
roster for the not it's not a it really is

(01:01:40):
a retol like it's a true retool, because they did
set this roster up beautifully and this will be one of,
if not the most coveted head coaching job vacancy or
head coaching vacancy in the league. But the Bears are
a very dysfunctional organization and that comes from the top.
That's not that has nothing to do with the head coach,

(01:02:00):
which is why you've now seen three coaches fired a
year after you've drafted a quarterback in the first round.
That's a sign of organizational dysfunction, absolutely, and you need
to figure out, all right, the hierarchy of all this
with your team president being over football and then Ryan
Poles and then doing this coaching search, and that all
needs to be streamlined, ironed out, figured out so by

(01:02:23):
the time you're actually able to start bringing in head
coaches for interviews, you have a plan to say this
is how it's going to work. I promise you it's
going to be different this time. We are our number
one priority is Caleb Williams and getting this offense back
on track. Can you do that? We're going to help
you here's the resources, YadA, YadA, YadA. So it's not
even quantifiable really on the field, but do you have

(01:02:45):
your guy in Caleb Williams. Caleb Williams, and I really
believe that they do. So at the end of the day,
that's all I really expected out of this season for
the Chicago Bears, and that's still very much on the table.

Speaker 4 (01:02:54):
And what other Niners thought is it's a big five
games for the defense. Yeah, for the defensive coordinator, because
although I do not think all of the issues are
Nick Sornson by any means, he might be coaching for
his job in the next five days, five weeks.

Speaker 2 (01:03:08):
We're gonna take a quick update break before getting to
out of a meme. Here's Martin wors Sorr.

Speaker 8 (01:03:13):
I hope I'm not updating for my job.

Speaker 2 (01:03:15):
It sure is.

Speaker 10 (01:03:16):
I mean, Lord, six to three. The score right now
between Georgia and Texas been a field goal fest. Obviously
no touchdowns scored thus far. But Texas doesn't ring.

Speaker 8 (01:03:25):
You know, it's in the SCC just means more, right defense, right, well.

Speaker 2 (01:03:30):
It certainly not. It doesn't mean as much as it
does in the Big twelve. Apparently, let's talk about it.
Talk about it, Martin.

Speaker 10 (01:03:36):
Arizona State blew out Iowa State forty five to nineteen
camps Kataboo one hundred and seventy yards on the ground,
two touchdowns, touchdown catches well Sam Levitt twelve for seventeen
two hund nineteen yards or three touchdowns. The Sun doubles
when the Big Twelve championship in their first year in
the conference, now locked into a spot in.

Speaker 8 (01:03:54):
The College Football Playoff.

Speaker 10 (01:03:55):
And it's just head coach Denny Killingham's second year. I
heard they call him that because he'd be killing him, you'd.

Speaker 6 (01:04:01):
Be killing Oh.

Speaker 2 (01:04:02):
Yes, we're gonna make this havon Martin. We're going to
make this happen.

Speaker 10 (01:04:05):
With the mintle left of the fourth quarter, Jackson State
leeds Southern forty one to thirteen in the SWACK Championship.
Ohio University beat Miami of Ohio thirty eight to three
to win the MAC Championship. Mike Gundy will remain the
head coach at Oklahoma State. He will have a restructured
contract in that job. Men's college basketball fifth rank Marquet
be the eleventh rank, Wisconsin eighty eight to seventy four.

(01:04:26):
Eighteenth rank with Pittsburgh beat Virginia Tech sixty four to
fifty nine, twentieth rank North Carolina over Georgia Tech sixty
eight to sixty five. Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner.

Speaker 8 (01:04:36):
Has torn his right obleak. He's out in definitely.

Speaker 10 (01:04:39):
It's the same injury that Paolo ban Caerro suffered for
the Magic earlier this season.

Speaker 8 (01:04:44):
The odds of that are slim. I'll just say that,
not slim.

Speaker 10 (01:04:48):
The new contract that Willie adamis just signed for the
San Francisco Giants seven years, one hundred and eighty two
million dollars. It's the largest contract in franchise history. That's
per Jeff Passion at ESPN, Carmen and Tracey, that was.

Speaker 2 (01:05:01):
A good transition. Martin, thank you you are Yeah, you
are coming up right now. We have play by play extraordinaiy.
He does NFL on Fox. He is the voice of
the Chicago Bulls. He does MLB on Fox. He's also

(01:05:21):
many don't know a DJ in his spare time because
he has that. Ladies and gentlemen, Adam Iman, how are you?

Speaker 7 (01:05:30):
Oh?

Speaker 11 (01:05:30):
Great to hear.

Speaker 6 (01:05:31):
I know you're in a very good mood because of
because of them devils. I know you're in a very
good mood today.

Speaker 2 (01:05:37):
The devil.

Speaker 6 (01:05:38):
Thank you, thank you, thank you very much for the intro,
and great to talk to you ladies.

Speaker 2 (01:05:43):
Adam, you have tomorrow you will be calling the Panthers
Eagles game. Am I correct in that, yes, ma'am uh
so we have listen. There are so many good things
to take from this game that I guess on the
surface probably doesn't look like it means a whole lot
because the Eagles are on a tear here, but the
margin for error in the NFC is so minimal that

(01:06:09):
while this may be like you'd think that the Panthers
are out matched and the Eagles or whatever, like, the
Eagles have to win this.

Speaker 6 (01:06:16):
They're in a position because of So we were going
over the schedule today, right they're playing for their final
five games at home, so their loan road game is
on the road at Washington, which is a quick trip.
You don't even have to get on a plane if
you don't want to. So if somehow they can get
the number one seed in the NFC, they may not
have to get on a plane until the Super Bowl

(01:06:36):
to New Orleans, which is insane to think about, but
that's that's the kind of what's at stake for this
group that's been really good on the ground. Jalen Hurts
has made a lot of adjustments. They've changed their offense
since they're bye week, they look very very sharp. But
you know, when you get games like this and you
go talk to coaches and players, a lot of the
times you hear them talk about, well, we have to be,

(01:06:58):
you know, our best version. We have to be the
best verson of ourselves. We're focused on what we're doing,
not necessarily what the other team is doing. That's typically
what you hear when you have kind of a matchup
like this where one team is clearly favored or maybe
you know is clearly more talented or is not a
better streak or whatever it may be. Like that's the
type of stuff that you hear. So watching Detroit on

(01:07:18):
Thursday night, really watching them over the last couple of
weeks with their close games and some of the flaws
that are starting to be exposed because of the lack
of health on the defensive side of the ball from them, Like,
I think these these are the things that you're talking about.
The margin for Ara is very very low, and the
Lions have learned that the Chiefs have been part of
that all season long, and sorry about that. We have

(01:07:38):
a very good musician. I'm walking by on the streets
of Philadelphia as we're doing this interview.

Speaker 11 (01:07:43):
I just really appreciated that.

Speaker 2 (01:07:44):
That was awesome, great song.

Speaker 6 (01:07:45):
But this is the margin for ERA that you're talking about.
And you don't want games like this when you are
a clear favorite, when you are probably superior talent wise,
to go by the wayside, because those are the losses
that haunt you when you are looking back and thinking,
we could have had the number one seed, we could
have bet a buye, we could have prevented ourselves from
having to go on the road too much, whatever it

(01:08:07):
may be. That's why the margin for AER in this
league is as slim as it is.

Speaker 3 (01:08:11):
Well, it's funny, Adam, as you were saying that, I
was going to ask you, is this one of those
trap games? Is this a dangerous game for Philadelphia?

Speaker 4 (01:08:19):
And is this somebody where Philadelphia fans should actually be
somewhat concerned because it's not that they're taking them lightly.

Speaker 5 (01:08:24):
But like you say, the.

Speaker 3 (01:08:25):
Marriage of error is so small.

Speaker 4 (01:08:29):
Are playing some good football right now. You were just
talking about David Canalis, what he's been able to do so.

Speaker 3 (01:08:34):
Is there a danger in that? And does it seem
that the Eagles are aware of that?

Speaker 6 (01:08:38):
You know what, I think the quote that probably sticks
out that speaks topectly your point, Tracy is Nick Serrani today,
when we chatted with him, said, this team is on
a four game win streak. In reference to the Panthers,
even though they've lost their last two games, they are
treating them as if they are street to Philadelphia.

Speaker 11 (01:08:55):
We gotta love it.

Speaker 6 (01:08:56):
Well, very real, Okay, but that is a very telling
statement when you hear a coach they after a team
has lost two games in a row. No, this team
is on a four game winning streak. That's how where
they're we're treating them.

Speaker 8 (01:09:10):
They can't.

Speaker 6 (01:09:11):
We just talked about the Chiefs. They got taken out
on the wire by Carolina. They probably should have beaten
the Bucks last week if not for some miscues on
the defensive end and obviously the you know, a drop
touchdown or a non touchdown called maybe let's put it
that way at the end of the first staff or
feel in last week like there were a couple of
plays that would have affected the outcome of that game.
A couple of missfield goals by Eddie Pinero, a couple

(01:09:32):
of misstackles on the defensive end. So that's the margin
for Ara that we're talking about. And that's why I
think the attitude for the for the Eagles this week
is as such to approach this game as if Caroline
has beaten these teams and is playing at a higher level.
And think you guys said they are. They have played
significantly better since Bryce Young got reinserted as the starting quarterback.

(01:09:55):
I think their scheme has been better, Toubuhobard has had
a great run, and Celand's making plays now that he's
healthy and back the last couple of games. So yes,
I do think the points you guys are making are
very appropriate, very ass and very pertinent to the game tomorrow.

Speaker 2 (01:10:07):
Let's talk about Bryce Young, because I think the turnaround
for him, you know, gets benched, comes back in after
getting to kind of observe this offense, I think, get
a little bit more trust in the offensive line seeing
the way that they held up for Andy Dalton all
this other stuff. So much of that though, is so unquantifiable.
So as someone who has talked to Bryce within either

(01:10:28):
yesterday or today, what's different about him than maybe earlier
in the season, or what are some of those like
maybe unquantifiable things that you're noticing and is it just confidence.

Speaker 11 (01:10:41):
I think it's a combination of a lot of those things.
I think now.

Speaker 6 (01:10:45):
I was kind of watching some games back when Dalton
was starting, and there were all these camera shots that
you consistently saw Bryce on the sidelines in Andy Dalton's
ear And we just got out of a meeting with
Dave Canalis and he I asked him, is that fairly
presentative of how he's been, you know, for the better
part of this season, for you know, when he first
got benched and then when Dalton was in his last

(01:11:08):
couple of starts, Like is that fair? And he said, yeah,
I think that's an accurate representation of how he's approached it.
He wasn't happy about the benching after two games, but
he went right back to work rather than pouting about it.
I think that speaks highly of a young man. And
my interactions with Bryce young have only led me to
believe that he's got a really good head on his shoulders,
and he's very mature and he I thought handled all

(01:11:30):
of this very well. And that combined with the sting
of getting benched when you have such high expectations for
yourself and a lot of expectations on you, combined with
the perspective that you gain when football is quote unquote
taken away from you, whether it's be a injury or
whether losing your starting job, whatever it may be. I

(01:11:51):
think all of those things have played a role in
Bryce being very appreciative, very studious about this game. And
I think when you get a little bit of confidence,
you win a couple of games in tight fashion. That's
why you can go out against Kansas City and throw
the ball, you know, for two hundred and seventy yards.

(01:12:12):
When you go on against Tampa Bay and you know
they feel comfortable throwing the ball forty six times last week.
You know, he's never thrown that many times in an
NFL game. So a lot of those things have led
to his confidence being very, you know, much more apparent,
and I think that breeds, you know, the play calling
as well. That leads to the type of play calling
they've had.

Speaker 11 (01:12:30):
It also helps that, like I said.

Speaker 6 (01:12:32):
Their run game has been very efficient for the most part.
So a lot of different things have contributed to the
things that you guys are.

Speaker 3 (01:12:37):
Talking about and we have Alabama quarterback versus Alabama quarterback tomorrow. Correct, Yeah,
is there.

Speaker 6 (01:12:42):
The nach time, the first time that these two guys
are actually going to meet in person? In fact, we
actually love that today. So they've they've spoken in the past.
They I think Jalen hurt said he had actually met
Bryce's family but hadn't met myself. So so this will
be the first time that the two actually get a
chance to meet in person. And while they didn't overlap

(01:13:04):
roster wise at Alabama, Bryce at one percent, Jalen Hurts
is part of the reason I went to Alabama because
of what he described as the Alabama quarterback culture. Obviously
very apparent. You just look back the last you know,
ten to fifteen years as the about a quarterbacks from
that school that have gone to the NFL, and they
did the last handful of drafts, and I think it's
pretty cool that those two guys are going to meet

(01:13:25):
for the very first time.

Speaker 2 (01:13:27):
Last thing I want to ask you, because I've kind
of I've talked a lot about this and talking about
the Lions more so, when you look at the NFC
and you look at the top teams in the NFC,
they have CEO head coaches. You have Dan Campbell and
then you have Nick Sirianni, and they are like, they
are the culture guys. They're the ones that bring everybody together.

(01:13:47):
And while the Lions have been kind of on an
upward trajectory for the last couple of years under Dan Campbell,
there were some real question marks about Nick Siriani and
the culture that was really in Philadelphia, Like at the
beginning of the season, it didn't seem like it was
going super well. What's changed there? And do you think
there's something too kind of having that culture guy, Especially

(01:14:08):
as our Chicago Bears Adam are embarking on a coaching search,
should they be looking for one of these culture guys
or still at a play caller.

Speaker 6 (01:14:18):
I think, you know, it's probably not enough evidence just
based off those two guys, but it is pretty good evidence.

Speaker 11 (01:14:23):
Like it's it's pretty good.

Speaker 6 (01:14:25):
It's the level of success, you know. I think being
a culture guy means being open to certain things and
certain ideas that may not come directly from you. I
think that's probably an important element to being successful because
everybody feels like they have some ownership. I think in
the Philadelphia Eagles case, they were two and two going

(01:14:46):
into that bye week. The offensive line, you know, in
particular Lane Johnson and Lane and Dickerson and you know,
Jordan Malatta.

Speaker 11 (01:14:54):
They go in for a meeting and.

Speaker 6 (01:14:55):
Talk about how they want to change the offense and
be a little bit more you know, more run heavy,
a little bit more play action heavy, things that they
just weren't doing very much of in the early part
of the season. And Derryanni was open to that. And
the fact is that Jalen Hurts was passing the ball
thirty times a game for the first month of the
season and he's and now he's passing the ball twenty

(01:15:16):
one times a game since.

Speaker 11 (01:15:17):
The bye week.

Speaker 6 (01:15:18):
And Barkley has you know, barked exactly. And but you know,
with that offensive line as highly touted as they are,
Barkley is having obviously an MVP caliber season, which is
not something you always get to say about running backs.
So being open to that, I think is part of
the culture that you might be talking about, you know,
being having a philosophy and leaning into it like they
have the last day games. I think the way that

(01:15:39):
Detroit has leaned into their fourth down philosophy, their addressive philosophy,
whether it's whether it's the right thing or the wrong thing,
or if you can't really determine if it's right or
wrong unless you're looking at the results. So I think
you have to be open to certain things, and I
give Nick a lot of credit being open to a change.
You know, that's that's not an easy thing for play
callers to always be. They don't want to give that

(01:16:01):
up or they don't want to be told what to
do necessarily. So I do think there is something to that.
But I feel like for me, culture means that everybody
feels like they have a say and has a hand
in the success and even the failure of a franchise
in an organization.

Speaker 2 (01:16:16):
Yeah, well, thank you so much for joining us from
the streets of Philadelphia, Adam so so much. Enjoy the
game tomorrow. You guys have been listening to Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 9 (01:16:29):
It was this or Trans Siberian Orchestra, which way we
wanted to go.

Speaker 2 (01:16:33):
Oh, honestly, Trans Siberian Orchestra is like a It's like
early in the show though, because that's gonna get me
like pumped up. This is a really good way to
kind of like ease out of our time because we
are approaching the end of our two Tracy has been
helping me out while Alex Curry is on vacation. This week,

(01:16:58):
we've got one thing left to do, Trace sure do,
and it's to make some picks.

Speaker 12 (01:17:02):
Producer Patrick, Hello, ladies, it is time for our picks
and all that stuff.

Speaker 5 (01:17:08):
And before we go, do you want to know your
results from last week?

Speaker 2 (01:17:11):
I don't know. I mean, I wish we picked against
the spread, Patrick, I would be going so much better
if we picked against the spread.

Speaker 5 (01:17:18):
I know, well, Alex won four and one, you went
three and two.

Speaker 2 (01:17:25):
You're still close.

Speaker 12 (01:17:26):
Now now I overthink everything. It's fine, it's fine. Well,
maybe this is the time where we can finally get
a leg up on her. Right, she's the fearless leader,
but the fearless leaders away. So you are now our
new fearless leader. Okay, So we're gonna go with our
first game, Carmen and Tracy. It is the Atlanta Falcons
and Kirk Cousins taking on my Minnesota Vikings. We have

(01:17:50):
point favorites at home. By the way, Alex took the Vikings.

Speaker 6 (01:17:53):
Ms.

Speaker 2 (01:17:53):
Fatali, who you taking? I'm also taking the Vikings. It's
at home. We talked earlier about not trusting the Atlantas.
I do not trust their defense. I do not trust
Kirk Cousins, especially running into this Brian Flora's defense that
I mean, there's so many things about his defense that
Kirk has just historically struggled with period, mostly all of

(01:18:14):
those moving parts in the secondary. So I just I
don't see this going well for Kirk.

Speaker 3 (01:18:20):
I'm picking the Vikings as well.

Speaker 5 (01:18:21):
Okay, let's go Vikings across the board. We're gonna go
number two real quick.

Speaker 9 (01:18:25):
Here.

Speaker 12 (01:18:25):
We got my Seattle Seahawks taking on the Arizona Cardinals
at home, who are two and a half point favorites.
Alex also took the Seahawks on this one. Carmen, you're
gonna follow her on this. No, I'm gonna go with
the Arizona Cardinals. They're at home. They've got a lot
to play for there.

Speaker 2 (01:18:42):
Listen. I'm left wanting with Marvin Harrison Junior this season,
but he was the top taken wide receiver in this
year's draft for a reason. Even if you were to
go back and do it again, I still don't think
anybody would is as good as Aslak Neighbors has done
in New York. I just I don't know. I think
the Cardinals are gonna have a little bit of a

(01:19:03):
chip on their shoulder. Tracy, I am going.

Speaker 3 (01:19:04):
With the Seahawks.

Speaker 4 (01:19:05):
As I said earlier, as we said, the ball is
bouncing their way. I am picking the Seattle Seahawks.

Speaker 2 (01:19:10):
All right, we'll go real quick.

Speaker 12 (01:19:11):
We've got the Bills on the road three three and
a half point favorites with the Rams. Alic shows the Bills, Carmen,
who you taken? I'm also taking the Bills. They look unstoppable.

Speaker 2 (01:19:18):
Josh Allen looks unstoppable, even after his acronym for his
fiance Hailey Steinfeld in her newsletter that just came out.
If you haven't seen it, go online and check it out.

Speaker 3 (01:19:28):
I'm taking the Bills, all right.

Speaker 5 (01:19:30):
Then we got we'll go real quick.

Speaker 12 (01:19:32):
Bears at Niners, who are favorites at home, Alex like
the Niners, Carmen, Tracy.

Speaker 2 (01:19:36):
Be going Niners. The Niners are so beat up. The
Bears have a lot to play for. The bump, the
head coaching bump, and I'm head coaching bump. I'm going Bears.

Speaker 3 (01:19:43):
I'm going Bears as well.

Speaker 12 (01:19:44):
Okay, final game, we got the Bengals at the Cowboys.
Bengals five and a half point favorites. Ali shows the Bengals.

Speaker 8 (01:19:50):
Where we going here?

Speaker 2 (01:19:51):
I'm also going the Bengals.

Speaker 3 (01:19:52):
Please God, Bengals, for the love of God, give Joey
Burrow this win bank.

Speaker 2 (01:19:56):
All right, thank you guys, start tuning in. I'm krme Tali.
That's Tracy Sam. Have a great weekend. Go Devils.