Steve Hartman & Geoff Schwartz Tailgate Live for the Big Game

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Uh, leaving the drain
once again on a spectacular Saturday. Not just centers any Saturday.
It is the day before Super Bowl fifty six. Steve
Harpin Jeff Schwartz were at the tailgate tour here at
Third and Broadway in Santa Monica, the largest tailgate in

(00:21):
Los Angeles for this Super Bowl, and we cannot wait
for the big game tomorrow. Jeff, how that you know?
A little wind just suddenly burst up here. Now, normally
we're in the cup for our Fox Sports Radio studios,
or we're coast to coast many times with you and
your Carolina home. But here we are together. It's about
eighty five degrees here and cooking in Santa Monica, spectacular

(00:44):
weather is getting ready for kickoff tomorrow. Jeff. The best
part about this is we're covered from the suns. That's
that's a bonus. And then the breeze blows in here,
so it's absolutely beautiful. It is absolutely gorgeous out here.
By the way, Jeff, families here. I was talking to
your mom. You know what he said to me. She
pointed to your father and said, can you believe the
two of us created that not to mention your brother

(01:07):
and sort of blew me away. Uh yes, yeah, I
don't want to think about that often, but yeah, that's
how it happens. It's great to see your family got here,
your uncle, the whole shebang, and uh, you know, it's
it's interesting listening to everyone's perspective on the Super Bowl
coming up. We were I was on with Richard Hornberg.

(01:28):
Of course we do. Are Hartbin a rich old show
out of San Diego Monday through Friday. We're at a
radio row Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. I'll be honest with you,
we didn't do a whole lot of breaking down on
this game, And at least from my perspective, part of
it is, Jeff, when I look at these two teams
and I know, and we just heard Joy Taylor and
she's picking the Bengals. There are a lot of people

(01:49):
picking the Bengals right now. But if you take a
step back and you look at these two rosters and
you're trying to be objective, and I know there's a
lot of Bengals fans out there. I see a Rams
fan out there right now next to Raiders fan apparently,
uh interesting, but on paper, at least. The Rams have
so many advantages against the Bengals. First off, it seems

(02:12):
like some of the Rams strengths play to not only
the Bengals strength, but also the Bengals weaknesses. I'm you know,
we're gonna talk plenty about this game, but I mean,
my my first thought is unless the Rams absolutely melt down,
I don't see how they lose this game. Go back
to last year, right, So, the Chief's offensive line got

(02:33):
really beat up in the playoffs and they entered the
Super Bowl last year against Tampa Bay. Everyone said, hey, guys,
the Chief's offensive line is gonna matter if the Chiefs
loses because their offensive line can't block anyone. And for
this week, the Bengals offensive lines are worse than the
Chiefs had last year with a bunch of starters, and
everyone's like, yeah, it doesn't matter. Because of Joe Burrow.
The Rams are better on the offensive line, the defensive line,

(02:53):
the defense as a whole, the past defense. They have
Cooper cup who's the best wide receiver in all the NFL.
Massed half has been better than Joe Burrow in the playoffs.
So far, He's exceeded my expectations for how good I
thought he could win the postseason. A coaching staff that
was here a couple of years ago, and I said,
we learned from over preparing against the Patriots, and everyone's like,

(03:13):
well they have Joe Burrow. I get the Joe Burrow,
and I play with quarterbacks like Eli Manning, who was
like this where that the they're they're so confident that you,
as the team, become confident no matter what happens, we're
gonna win this game. But you're not win this game
if you get hit sixteen times. Look the Raiders, Tians
and Chiefs, who the Bengals have all beaten. They could

(03:36):
rush the passer and had no past defense behind that.
The Rams have a past defense. Well they they have
a past defense, including probably the best cover guy in
the league in Jaalen Ramsey. You know, but here's the
thing about the Bengals in this postseason run. They've won
three games, They've scored five touchdowns, they have twelve fields.
McPherson has been a perfect twelve for twelve. The rookie

(03:56):
has been spectacular for this game. In fact, so Ba,
we're asking me after the f C Championship Game, could
a kicker win the m V p Award in a
Super Bowl, and I said, yeah, the final scores something
like that. But the fact is, in three playoff games,
the Bengals have only gotten the end zone five times.
I think I think a couple of those against Kansas

(04:18):
City were off turnovers, right, and so uh that that's Look,
it's okay to admit that luck is part of this, right,
even when I go back to write the Patriots de
Ford's off sides otherwise that games over, they go to overtime,
beat Kansas City, beat the Rams. The following seas in
Kansas City is gonna be the three seed. The Dolphins
go into New England and beat New England. In weeks seventeen,

(04:39):
Chiefs now two seed, get a buy and then Tennessee
beats both the Baltimore and New England and the Chiefs
face of five or six seed in the Titans go
back to last right, Chief's offense a line so beat
up for Tamma Bay Brady for those three interceptions and
check game and wins that almost never happens. Right, And
look at the Bengals this year, the way their ability
to force They forced three and overs one each game

(05:02):
under a minute left or in overtime. Tom Brady has
played forty seven playoff games. That's happened twice in his career.
So three straight weeks of interceptions right three show weeks
of not scoring touchdowns a poor red zone success. Joe
Burrow has been hit over four He's been pressured over
forty times in three games. All right, So here's the
thing about Joe Burrow. Because I know Bengal fans are saying,

(05:22):
you know, you're not giving our guy enough credit. I'll
give you a lot of credit right now. With Joe Burrow.
He led the entire NFL in three categories, and none
of them seemed connected. He led the league in yards
per attempt, meaning he's throwing the ball down the fields.
Rarely does a guy lead the league in yards per
attempt and completion percentage. The other category led the league

(05:45):
in was being sacked. That's also another category. We don't
see a guy leading a league of being sacked and
leading league in completion percentage. So on the surface, I
look at that and what I say is a he's
amazingly resilient. There's nothing that's going to somehow diminish his
confidence in his ability to get the job done. Now,
he only plays one side of the football and there

(06:07):
are other X factors, but I will recognize based on
those three numbers and again just the eyeball test that yes,
there's something very special about Joe Burrow. So the reason
I think Joe Burrow throws for a lot of yards
in this game, I think his totals to seventy five
somewhere around there depends what what what book? You know
fox BET's two seventi five and a half is because
of the sacks. So hence Tennessee a couple of weekends

(06:29):
ago he was sack nine times, they scored nineteen points yards.
The reason why is when you get sack, you go
backwards right to make up the difference you got throw
the ball, so there's more opportunity to get a lot
of yards. And that's why I think the the you know,
the yards pertempt how you know if you get behind
the sticks, which they work, because he got sacked so much,
he makes that up obviously in a lot of deep passes.
The thing that Burrow has done best again to this

(06:50):
is what he's done is he he has made his
team believe and it's it's very important in these moments,
right because they have been the underdog now in two
straight playoff games and now a third one this weekend,
they're down twenty one or three in Kansas City, and
they had they didn't quit right. There was nothing that
they did and said, you know what, working win this game.
Because when you have a quarterback like Burrow, you always
think you can win. And that's so important. Better than

(07:12):
his stats and better than his calm play and his
is the is the belief that we're all gonna play faster,
we're all gonna play without fear, because he can win
the game. For at any point. If if you're on
defense right and you have a quarterback, it's not very good.
You might not take those chances. You might play a
little more conservative. But but you're the Bengals defense man.

(07:33):
If we're got a touchdown, guess what Joe will save
us the next jobs like that. That, that confidence, in
my opinion, is what he has done more anything else
for this team. Well, last Saturday, when we were talking
about the a f C Championship game for the previous week,
everyone was still shaking their head, like what happened? What
happened to Patrick go Holmes. We've never seen a quarterback
of that caliber and that magnitude of a game, pull

(07:55):
a Jacklin, hide the ways and so and you saw
and you told me it. You know, he saw something.
There were open receivers, especially that last drive, and he
just did not pull the trigger. But how much credit
should the Bengals defense get? How much credit should the
Bengals coaches get for making certain adjustments because as we
went to halftime in that game, there was no indication

(08:16):
that there was gonna be some miracle comeback by the Bengals.
But obviously they did things to get Mahomes off his game.
So where did that come from? I mean, where where
do you step back and say, look, I gotta get
the Bengals some credit there. Well, they obviously get credit
for for changing what wasn't working right because in the
first half, the Chiefs had every yard possible but one
three hundred yards more three yards at halftime I think

(08:38):
it's actually something like that, and they switched to a
defense where they dropped in the coverage. They started doubling
Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelsey and other guys beat them,
and again there were still guys open and patches didn't
didn't play well. I think Pat loses confidence sometimes when
his guys don't do what they're supposed to do, and
I think at times he needs to tell him, hey,
do your job. Like I'm doing my job, you do
your job. I think sometimes he tries to do too

(08:59):
much because of that, he's not doesn't trust certain guys.
And you mentioned on the two players before then a
regulation and the field goal Hardmare was open, and I
wonder if he thought to himself, it's a tight window thrill.
If he drops this ball, the clock stops, that allows
the Bengals to to move down the field possibly tie
the game. I'm not gonna throw it to Hardman. He'
dropped the ball too many times this season, and I
wonder if that plays into into what Pat I was thinking.

(09:19):
But there were places to be made, and the thing
the Chiefs did not do again, which I don't think
Sean mcveigh's gonna have this problem, is they just didn't
run the ball in the second half. You have a
six yards to carry him in the second half. I
think it's actually almost sven yards to carry and McVeigh
is not gonna do that. I actually both teams try
to run the football in this game and That's the
huge difference is read kind of goes back to to

(09:40):
pass the ball and things aren't well, I think that
they will start to run the ball if things don't
go well for the Rams in this game. But um, really,
you know, this game comes down to if the Bengals
defense can force Stafford and making mistakes, and he's prone
to make mistakes, then this game can be close. If
they don't do that, it's gonna be a long well,

(10:00):
I agree to me. This entire game is on Matthew Stafford.
If Matthew Stafford plays like he has throughout these playoffs
and he got away with a couple, let's face one
very big one against the forty Niners that could have
changed the whole dynamic of the Super Bowl. Could have
been uh the third time in their history the Bengals
that faced the forty Niners in a Super Bowl. But

(10:22):
he got away with one. But if he plays a
relatively clean game and doesn't make any of the ghastly
mistakes we have seen them make on occasion, yeah, the
Rams are gonna be hard to beat. All right, Once again,
we are at the tailgate tour at Third and Broadway
in gorgeous Santa Monica. The sun is out, we got

(10:43):
a breeze out here. This is the largest tailgate in
Los Angeles for the Super Bowl. A lot of Bengals
fans are heard out here early on Ryans Fans route
now rolling through Over the week, I was in uh downtown,
are at the convention Center. I know you've been broadcasting
well of the week. We're gonna share some of the
experiences that we've had during the week leading up to

(11:04):
the Super Bowl and how, if anything, it may have
strengthened our resolved as far as our predictions on the
Super Bowl. All coming up next. Fox Sports Radio has
the best sports talk lineup in the nation. Catch all
of our shows at Fox Sports Radio dot com and
within the I Heart Radio app search f s R

(11:24):
to listen live. Hey, what's up everybody? It's me three
time Pro bowler Lavarrington and I couldn't be more excited
to announce a new podcast called Up on Game. What
is Up on Game? You asked, along with my fellow
pro bowler t J. Hudgman's otta and Super Bowl champion.
That's right, Plexico Birds. You can only name a show

(11:45):
with that type of talent on it. Up on Game
We're going to be sharing our real life experiences loaded
with teachable moments. Listen to up on Game with Me,
LaVar Arrington, t J. Hudgman's Otta and Plexico Birds on
I Heart Radio, app, Apple Podcast or wherever you get
your podcast from. Steve Harman and Jeff Schwartz. Fox Sports

(12:12):
Radio wants to send you to the Disneyland Resort where
you can enjoy the Disney California Adventure Food and Wine Festival.
Always a great time out there, and come on down
join us here the Tailgate Tour at Third and Broadway
in Santa Monica for your chance to win. All right, so, Jeff,
you and I are leaning rams in this game. I'm

(12:34):
picking you are pent Rams. I'm sort of a hundred
percent with you, maybe with you, but maybe this guy
could convince us otherwise. He, of course, is Fox Sports
Radio Zone and a Cincinnati icon. Andy Ferman is joining
us right now. Andy, how are you today? How are you? Liz?
Harman and Schwz feels like a law firm, It really does, Eddie.

(12:59):
I don't know you expected having fellow Bengals football. I
take from the beginning, uh to see this day as
soon as it happened once they drafted Joe Burrow coming
off a two and fourteen season. But here they are
Super Bowl fifties six, and a lot of people are
jumping on the Bengals bandwagon. They are convinced that Joe

(13:19):
Burrow is the second coming up. Tom Brady, are you
as enthusiastic maybe a little more cautious? What's your mindset
going into this game tomorrow? I think Jeff Schwarzer noticed
more than anybody else. I mean, last year they were
four eleven and one, just coming off a year that
they were in two games. So for them to make
it to the Super Bowl, to me is like a
minor miracle. But now people are saying, you know it's

(13:41):
gonna be nixt five tenure. No, it doesn't work that way.
You gotta catch lightning on the bottle, which they did
all of a sudden. Now these guys are gonna get
big heads, they're gonna go for the big money. They'll
be free agency, they'll be injuries. So enjoy it now.
Enjoy when you can, because look, it took thirty three
freaking years to get here, so it may not happen again.
A realistic take from a Bengals fan, I would have

(14:05):
Joe Burrow a little bit more because to me, it's
not even what he does as far as this play.
I mean, the obviously is, but the confidence with with
which he brings to the entire team. Have you noticed
that as a Bengals fan as well, it does feel
like this team just always feels they can win because
of nine. There's a there's a fine line between confidence
and cockiness. And I looked at Boomer size and we
were fitally close when he played here. He was cocky

(14:27):
and he did produce. But this guy is a cool,
confident kind of guy, and it really is not cockiness.
So I think there's a difference. I think he takes
it into the huddle and he's a leader, and he's
a truly there's some guys are born leaders, they really are.
Some guys aren't. And this guy is a leader, and
these guys followed him, they certainly do. Well. Here's the thing,
and he you mentioned thirty three years since their last
Super Bowl appearance, they hadn't won a playoff game. In

(14:49):
thirty one years, they had never won a road playoff game,
and they did it back to back weeks. So is
there a sense in Cincinnati of a team of death
sin here right out when things are happening that have
never happened in a franchise more way back in nineteen.
Is there that sense that this is our year of
destiny right now? Well, certainly it's the Chinese Year of

(15:12):
the Tigers, So I think things are pretty good. They
really are. But I will tell you this much, not
only is it a year of destiny. This past Monday
evening at Paul Brown Stadium, they had a rally. They
had a PEP rally. Thirty thousand freaking people in the
Paul attended this event, and that was on TVs on
the ESPN two, I believe it was. But they kind
of went back and forth to California for the l

(15:32):
A one Atlas rally was in a high school stadium
and I look like homemade fireworks. It really did. I
mean it was a big deal here. This city is
going nuts. I wish you could see if the airport
is entirely orange and black. Downtown everything's orange and black.
Everybody's walking around, who they? Who they? They got the
route plan for the parade on Wednesday already. It's really

(15:53):
I've never seen anything that could galvanize the city as
much as a pro sports team, and they love their Bengals.
But the funny thing is you it's a bed wagon.
I mean, these are the same people two years ago
said don't never go to a game again this season.
Tickets Now you can't get a freaking ticket. So the
Bengals have been talked about for forever, if not you know,
putting enough investment to scouts and and free ages and whatnot.

(16:15):
But this past off seam and they signed a bunch
of guys have been very helpful for this this run run,
and they probably don't make the run unless they spend
that money. Do you think they spent that money this
offseason because of Burrow. They felt like they probably had
a quarterback that he could get them to the Promised Land.
It was time to to go all in while he's
on his workie contract. I'm not so certain Burrow had
to deal on the defensive side of the ball, but

(16:37):
I certainly think he had it with Jamaar Chase. They
played at LSU, and I think that he basically whispered
in someone's here and said let's get it done. But
I look, Mike Brown basically is president of this ball
club in general manager, eighties six years of age. I
couldn't be happy for the man. Really. I hope he
gets a ring. But more than that, I think he
does not really get involved with the day to day
as much as he used to. And I think right now,
the younger said the younger people that Troy Blackburn's of

(16:59):
the world, the Duke opens of the world. I think
then they can do decisions right now, and these are
the decisions that have any One of the biggest ones
was Trey Hendricks. And this guy really has done a
yeoman's job on defense. And I don't think the defense
gets enough credit. It's old Joe Burrow, Joe Burrow, but
this defense, what they did they made Patrick Mahomes last
week really and truly look brutal. Yeah. And by the way,

(17:21):
and I got an update here. I was just checking
this out. So right now as we are talking, Andy Ferman,
it is thirty one degrees in Cincinnati. Right now, it
is eighty five degrees Andy in Santa Monica. Eighty five
degrees in Santa Monica. We see these Bengal fans and
they're just like, are we in another universe? Like what

(17:43):
is going on? Even for us out here? And on
the West coast, this is unseasonably warm, but it just
so happened to coincide with this Super Bowl week. But
you know, getting back to this, on paper, perhaps the
biggest mismatch we've ever seen in a Super Bowl game.
I'm talking about that Engles offensive line versus that defensive
front of the Rams, led by the unblockable Aaron Donald.

(18:07):
What's the game plan here? I mean, how how when
nobody else can do it? An offensive line? They had
their quarterback sacked more than any other quarterback in the
league this year and had nine stacks in a playoff
game against Tennessee. How are they gonna hold off that
Rams defensive front. Well, certainly that offensive line has a
lot of a lot of defensive linements like Pro bowlers
in the playoffs really really have. And certainly you look

(18:30):
at that Tennessee game when Bora was sacked, not He's
got to get rid of the ball quickly. That's one
thing he's got to do. And certainly what we've seen
hurting for the Cincinnati Bengals is the run game. Joe
Mitxen has not been able to do what he could
do because then an offensive line. But if he gets
rid of the ball early. But I will say this,
I mean you're looking at like the troika of Aaron Donald,
Von Miller and Lennon Floyd. Aaron Donald, in my heart

(18:52):
of hearts, he's the best player in pro football, not
not defensively offensive, he is the best player in pro football.
And it's gonna be ahead of a job off for
them to keep him out. Let's talk about that defense
a little bit more because it is hard to pinpoint.
I think one exact thing they do well, right, and
I played well this postseason. What would you say as
a as a Bengals fans and who watches every snap

(19:12):
of his team? What do what? What? What does the
Bengals defense do well? I think the secondary is pretty good.
I think the pass rushes is somewhat weak, but Trey
Hendrickson puts a lot of pressure there. Sam Harbard on
the on the left side is pretty good pool player.
But you know, they're jelling. They're not great players, but
they've jelling and they learned to play together. You know,
Eli Apple has been playing a little better of late.

(19:34):
You know, I had some my doubts with this guy
at corner. We'll see what happens now. Von Bell tremendous
play against Kansas City with Jesse Bates. Jesse Bates was
rated by PFF earlier in the season one of the
top safeties in the league. He didn't have a great season,
but in the playoffs has come alive again. So we'll
see what happens. But Bates and Bell, those two guys
can get it done at safety, all right. I need

(19:55):
you to be honest with me, Andy, When the Bengals
draft and McPherson in the fifth round, were you one
of the overwhelming majority screaming like what are you doing?
Why are you wasting a draft pick on a kicker?
Were you one of those guys? I was one of
the loudest. Are you kidding? I mean I thought it
was nuts. But someone somewhere new and this guy. I

(20:17):
told that Dave Lappin. We had Dave Lapham on two
weeks ago, and Dave Laptin said that in high school,
this kid kicked the seven of the audit in high
school and he's got a brother that's kicking in college
right now. The guy is amazing and really and truly,
you know, much of the success this year is on
his shoulders. Oh, no doubt in fact, we were talking
about the fact that in this postseason and the three wins,

(20:39):
the Bengals have only scored five touchdowns. They got twelve
field goals from McPherson, a perfect twelve for twelve, and
it's it's interesting because Burrow has that star quality that
everyone links themselves too. But the reality is they've only
gotten in the end zone five times in three playoff games. Addie, Yeah,
but you talk about an offensive may get within fifty yards,

(21:01):
he's gonna score. That's just the way it is. How
how do you think the Rams see me the Bengals
should go about disrupting Stafford? I think I think Steve
and I both feel like that's the key this game,
right the Bengals can can make Stafford play a Stafford game.
We've seen him do that quite often this year. That
that's the way they win this game. You know, it's
funny with Stafford sometimes you don't know what you have.

(21:22):
He's got some great receivers, has no doubt about that,
but he could be flustered. He can't be flustered. And
he had something like seventeen picks this year as well,
So you know, you gotta hope and if you're a
Rams fand you gotta hope that he plays a Stafford
type game. But I will tell you this much. I
think there's a lot more pressure on the Rams and
the Bengals. And you know, people are telling me the
Bengals are playing the house money. You know what, though
you got a casino and you lose a grand with

(21:43):
house money, you're still losing a grand. There's no doubt
about that. But I do agree to some extent to
play with house money because there's a lot to lose
with Matthew Stafford. Because people are gonna say, oh, he
lost the Super Bowl. Here's the guy. Yeah, he put
up a lot of yards in Detroit, but he can't
win the big one. He's the Clayton case Shore at
the end of a show of the NFL. And Hey,
I'm gonna say something. You and I have known each

(22:04):
other a long time. I never thought i'd be sitting
here the day before a Super Bowl talking about the
Bengals in the Super Bowl. Just be honestly, and I
never thought that you and I would be sitting here
talking about the Bengals getting ready for a Super Bowl.
I never thought i'd see the Bengals and the Super
Bowl till I died. Really, I never thought I did.
And I remember they went in Miami, they went to Detroit. Uh,
it's an amazing year. And it's a wonderful year. As

(22:25):
I said early on, you're gonna catch in the bottle.
May never happen again. The stars were aligned in the
right place. They really were. And you know, I'm not
saying they got lucky. They deserved to be where they're at,
but no one expected. I think Vegas has them to
win like six games as the Jesus thought in Yeah,
it's been America, but maybe they got one more miracle
and him and he, it's always great to catch up.
You had me on your show. That's the miracle. Andy.

(22:48):
We've done shows together. You've been on the show, but
not under these circumstances. All right, Man, love you, thanks
so much, Thank you very much, Thank you very much.
The Great d Ferman, a Cincinnati icon, part of the
Fox Sports radio family. All right, let's find out what's
trending right now as we turn it over to oh Man,

(23:08):
that's well versed and where we are right now this
tailgate tour Ralph Irvan. As we are out here in
beautiful Santa Monica, eighty five degrees, Ralph, It is unbelievable, absolutely,
although I don't think it as well versed as you
or or or Jeff for that matter. No, well, you know,
Jeff's got the whole shorts. They're all here, they're all here. Yeah,
Steve practically lived there, you know, in the dark ages,

(23:30):
back in legends, way back. That's thirty years right at
the other end, down at third in Arizona, on the
other end of this promenade, did my daily show out there.
We don't cover, by the way, had the worst, the
worst farmer's tan of any human being on the planet.
What's happening out there, Ralph, Well, we've got a whole
lot of college basketball going on right now. On the hardwood.

(23:53):
It is number of six Houston hosting Memphis. At the half,
the Cougars with the thirty one lead over the Tigers,
one thirteen to play in the first half. Number seventeen
Michigan State leading Indiana thirty four. Number five Kentucky at
twenty to sixteen lead over Florida, two to play in
the first half, eight thirty two to play in the

(24:14):
first half. TCU leading Number nine Texas Tech thirty to eighteen,
and they're finally underway, more Head State with a thirteen
of five lead over number twenty three Murray State. Guys,
that game was delayed because they couldn't turn the lights
back on after the pregame introductions. Yeah, that's that's kind
of you, you host in top twenty five team at

(24:36):
Morehead State. Yeah, we'll just leave the lights off and
let them cool down a little bit. Uh. Major League
Baseball players in the and the owners meeting today just
under an hour in Tampa, Florida. No deal coming away
from it. In fact, the players coming away rather unimpressed
with what the owners had to present. So expect a
delayed Spring training likely it delayed opening Day, and for

(25:00):
the third straight year, probably a compressed Major League Baseball schedule.
Well anyone notice, Well, yeah, once you get to April,
probably right now. Not during March Madness though, no, no, no,
no May. They will be like oh March Madness ends
were before. So you know, people, people forget after the

(25:21):
shutdown in ninety four the postseason, they missed the first
eight teen games of the following year. They didn't get
started till late April the following If we missed games.
Do we do we allow do we allow juicing back
in the game? Is that has that we get fans
back to? Have you noticed they're not gonna be testing
anymore for steps till the new CBA begins, and I
think I think they're gonna come back. So if any
baseball player tries that for it, that would be one

(25:43):
way to get they have a lockdown for a while. I, Ralph,
thank you very much. Yes, Just how about the fact
that with all that labor strife and and everything that
went on on the other day, the Major League Baseball
slid in Oh, by the way, d H in the
National League going, yes, that just kind of slid that
in under the radar. Well, we knew that was gonna happen,
and I'm old school. I held on for a while,

(26:05):
but even I flipped on that one and said, fine,
let's have the universal DH to makes sense, all right, Rolph,
thanks so much. We'll check in with you a little
bit later on. Once again, we're at the tailgate tour
at Third and Broadway in Santa Monica, the largest tailgate
in Los Angeles for the Super Bowl. Now, Jeff and
I have been out and about over the last several
days leading to us meeting up here this beautiful site

(26:27):
day before Super Bowl. So, Jeff, you came in on Tuesday.
Came in Tuesday. Yeah, I had a nice dinner down
in Venice, and I been at Radio Road Wednesday, Thursday,
yesterday and a little relaxed day. That The thing that
it's been surprising to me but really is actually not
is that you know, when you go to other Super
Bowl cities, and you've been to plenty of them, when
you land, there's like a big like welcome to super
Bowl city. This is we have a great and there's

(26:49):
like liaisons to like ferry you around to a certain places,
your rental car place and your baggage claim. In l
A had none of that outside of outside of this
location at the she Promenade and a little bit of
Convention Center and the J W. Marriott in l A Live,
you would have no ideas both happening Los Angeles. Well.
And and let's go back Kevin dem Off, the CEO

(27:10):
of the Rams, after the forty Niner fans outnumbered the
Rams fans again in that NFC Championship game, he was
very honest, and I thought it was it was very
honest of him. He wasn't trying to put a spin
on it. He said, understand this, while Los Angeles was
that without the NFL for twenty years plus, and Jeff

(27:31):
I was here broadcasting all twenty of those years. I
was on the air when the Raiders and Rams left
town after the season. I was here when the Rams
came back. And in all those years of doing sports
talk radio in Los Angeles, in southern California, the number
of unsolicited phone calls I got from listeners saying, hey, Hartman,

(27:51):
when are we going to get the NFL back? Would
be zero. I never know one. When the Rams of
Raiders left, imagine losing two teams simultaneously. It was barely
a blip on the radar. So you have a whole
generation twenty years as a whole generation that was without
the NFL. And you know, again, what Demof said was,

(28:13):
we are now starting to bring people to the Rams games.
But it's not them, it's the kids. So we're still
another generation away from actually building an absolute fan base.
Got Bandwagon fans just as they had, you know, three
years ago, when they're in Super Bowl, a few Bandwagon
fans because they're in the super Bowl. It's the same

(28:35):
thing going on. Now there's a little more buzz for
the Rams, but it hasn't taken even close to taking
over this city. So I live in Charlotte, North Carolina,
and the Panthers are good example for what what Kevin
is talking about, right, because the Panthers came in and
the first generation of people that brought the bosses and
tickets were fans of the Cowboys, the Washington Commanders, I

(28:57):
don't with the Buffalo Bills, the Steelers, and so they
would buy the Boston tickets because they want to support
the local team, and whenever their team would come into town,
they take off their jersey, put on the Steelers jersey
and root for the Steelers. And it's their kids that
are sort of my age now thirty five, that have
Boston and tickets their Panthers fans. And so it's it's
the younger generation of Rams fans who will grow up

(29:18):
to hopefully I don't can afford tickets, it's so fine,
but they'll be the they'll be the Rams fans as
long as obviously the Rams assume they're gonna stay for
a while. Now, the problem is, you know, like the
Chargers are, they're just out of luck there, there's no
they will never be as good. I mean, Herbert, we
both saw Herbert Radio Row. That kid is put together better.

(29:39):
I think even like you talk about a quarterback, I
want this in a quarterback, and Herbert just blows that
out of the water. I mean it's but nonetheless, the
Charges will never have fans and you know, I mean
they're gonna be the Clippers to the Lakers. I mean
that's that is always gonna be the way. They'll have
their own individual fan base. My youngest son, he's twenty three,
so the lifelong Charges fans to a Chargers fan. But yeah,

(29:59):
they're always be second, second fiddle in the city to
the Rams. Um. The thing about the Rams in general, uh,
is that this is a team right now that has
been all in a lot of people have talked about
the different path that these two organizations have taken to
get into the super Bowl. The Bengals are built on
the fact they've been really bad and they had really

(30:20):
high draft picks, and to their credit, they made some
really good selections with the Jamaar Chases, the Joe Burrows
of the world. The Rams from day one after their
initial season, which was a catastrophe. They hired Sean McVeigh,
great higher, but they have made a decision and actually
go back the year before when they traded the bank
to move up to the number one overall pick to

(30:42):
get Jerry Goff. So they've had the mindset that we
need to get going immediately. We gotta get this thing rolling,
and they are rolling if you look at what they've
done over these last five seasons, their second super Bowl trip,
for playoff appearances in the last five years. They're doing
their part. But now you've still gonna have to do
this for many years ahead. And now the latest story

(31:05):
that may have been concerned of the RAMS is the
future of Sean McVeigh. Sean McVeigh right now, and I
think you and I are in agreement. If he wins
this super Bowl. It's more than just the fact, well
he's won the super Bowls at the top of the mountain.
But when you look at what this guy has done
in five years, taken over an organization that before he

(31:25):
got here, ten straight losing seasons, thirteen straight years without
a winning record, He's had a winning record five straight seasons.
He will have won a super Bowl if he wins
tomorrow and he's thirty six years old and he was
hinting Jeff, then maybe could you say, can anybody break
what belichecked in as far as win? And you say, well, wait,

(31:46):
Sean McVeigh. Could He's only thirty when he started. If
this guy coaches till he's sixty, he seems to be
already dismissing that idea. Yeah, the report was flowed out
to say that he would consider moving away from football
on the broad a role after the season. He didn't
say whether they win or lose this game, he would
he would want to do that. Um, it feels like
agent posting for to get a new contract. I think

(32:09):
if they would be greted broadcasting. Maybe he wants to
do Jon Gruden route, but he you know, he doesn't
want or lost this game yet would if he loses
his game? Why would he retire if you win? I
guess maybe going on top of with Durty seven, he's
not He's not leaving the NFL, right, Remember also, guy
they just elected a Hall of Fame? Did it take
for Mail? He walked away from the Eagles job. He
was gone for fifteen years on the broadcast food all

(32:32):
those years returned to coach the Rams. Two years later
there's the Super Bowl, went to the Chiefs, the guys
in the Hall of Fame. I mean, he wouldn't make
more money broadcasting and coaching, I would imagine um, And
maybe that's what he wants to do do. Part of it
is he's getting married. They wants to start a family
and move away from football. Like the hours obviously grinding football,
they can exhaust people, and I think it's all in

(32:53):
mindset can be exhausting even further because there's no really
looking to the future right Like, if you're the Bengals
right now, you lose this game, Okay, Well we have
Joe Burrow, Jamar Chase, Jonah Williams, we added some free
agents for the next couple of years, we have a
ton of cap space, we can draft some more good players,
and there's a future. Okay. We have two, three, four
obviously with Burrow, fifteen years with Joe Burrow. So there's
there's If you're if you're Zach Taylor, for example, you said, look, man,

(33:15):
we have so many years of this. If you're Sean McVey, right,
you traded for Matt Stafford, you you have Andrew Worth,
who you brought in front the Bengal. Surprisingly enough, he's
probably on this is the last game this weekend and
left tackle. You obviously traded for O'Dell, who's a free agent,
probably not back next season. You traded for von Miller,
probably not back next season. You obviously have Donald still there,
you have Leonard Floyd, you have like you have your
all in now. You don't have draft picks to rebuild

(33:37):
your team if you don't win this season. And I
could see that being very um kind of just weighing
on him throughout each day as he prepares, like, we
have to win this game because we've put all this
into this one season. Um. But again, to walk away
after this year would seem tough, especially if they if
they win, Stan Croc is gonna be like, what, what
do you want? How much money would you like to coach?

(33:57):
I'm a little surprise right now. His current deal runs
to twenty three. A couple of years ago, let's face it,
he less need a little bit, you know. After a
bad Super Bowl loss, missing the playoffs, there were a
little few questions, and then last year maybe didn't go
as well as they hope. Those are out the window.
If if and that's a big if if they win
the Super Bowl tomorrow. So we've also agreed the fact

(34:20):
that if there's one person that will probably have the
greatest impact on the outcome of tomorrow's game, it's Rams
quarterback Matthew Stafford. We'll talk about Stafford's mindset, coming off
twelve years in Detroit, a magical, running the postseason with
the Rams. Is he ready for the biggest moment of

(34:40):
his career. We'll talk about that coming up next. Steve Harvey, Yeah,
swarts Hey. Fox Sports Radio wants to send you to
the Disneyland Resort where you can enjoy the Disney California Adventure,
food and wine festivals. Sounds great, by the way, come
on down here to the Tailgate Tour Third and Broadway

(35:01):
in Santa Monica for your chance to win. A lot
of people stopping them by waving and you know, pointing.
That's what happens you you're on a stage. They're not
exactly sure why you're here, although we have a lot
of advertising going on right now as far as why
we're here. And uh, hold on a second, here, hold on,

(35:22):
he suddenly grabbed the wrong headset. That's okay, Jack, Very
quiet um, people, I was texting my wife that people
kee thinking it's like what the zoo, right, people just
walked by, take a picture of moving along, figure out
later who we are. Yeah, that just said and they wave.
They don't know why they're waving, but we're waving back
at him. So we're like having a great time out here.

(35:43):
By the way, last night I was out at Universal Studios.
They actually had a media party, a Super Bowl party.
Now I've been in Universal Studios many times over the years,
but this was different because they essentially had this three
hour window between eight and eleven PM where we had
ole access to the whole place. I mean rides that
will you would normally have like a three hour wait.

(36:06):
There was no wait, and free food and drink anywhere
you want. You want a glass of wine, you want
to bear, you want food, sit down, dinner, jump off.
It was like a dreamline. They had the party away
from where all the media was staying. Yeah, it was
a Universal down there, all the way from West So, yeah,
the media party. I went to a bowling party. Lass.
It's it's interially these two Bowl parties, different people. So

(36:29):
like this party, there was there were four NFL players there.
I saw a couple of guys that I that I knew. Um,
then the Lakers were involved in so so Byron Scott
was there. Um there was also Rip Hamilton's was there.
Paul Pierce was there. There's another time. He must have
been like seven seven, don't know. He wasn't a current
player obviously because he'd be playing right now. Um, Mike
Tyson was there, Dave Winfields just like a random and

(36:51):
where Geron was there. I talked to edwar He recruited
me woman, Yes, he recruited me to USC and we
talked a little bit about that. Um and then so yeah,
it was just a it's always fun these parties, just
you know, you just never know who shows up. But
it was good time. I went to bed, my wife
went to a concert. Um. Yeah, so it's a it's

(37:13):
a if you want to have fun this week, you can. Now.
Obviously in Los Angeles things are very spread out, so
you know there's parties all over the place, and and
you have to navigate and know you're gonna sit in
traffic as you as you do that. But there's there's
fun to be had before the game on Sunday that
the game itself sometimes feels like for us, especially like
the afterthought, like we like, we'll get to it tomorrow.

(37:34):
At some point, you have to get there first. Well,
it's been an interesting week out here. But you know,
mentioning Matthew Stafford when he got off the field, you
remember they had the whole scene at the NFC Championship
game or his wife jumped into his arms and he
was embracing his wife. And even after that, he just
seemed to be in a daze, like he was sort
of taken it in, like, is this actually happening after

(37:55):
twelve years in Detroit and purgatory, that I am now
to be quarterback in a team and the Super Bowl.
You know, I get the sense that there's an advantage
for the Bengals. It's just the idea that no one
in the world expected to be there. You know, a
little bit of that inexperience could actually help them in
the game. For Matthew Stafford, though, the spotlights on him,

(38:17):
and we said this before, I know we're in lockstep here. Look,
if this guy plays a decent game, if he doesn't
just melt down, the Rams should win this game. Um,
are you confident that's gonna happen? No? Um? Not uh,
you know, he he came into the end of the season.
He threw eight interceptions the last four games. Yes, Rams

(38:37):
had won the three of the four lost the Niners
obviously in Week eighteen that comes in the playoffs. Arizona
was a pretty you know, pretty simplified day for him.
And it was thirteen seventeen. There wasn't much to do.
They ran the ball well, they played good defense. Goes
to Tampa Bay and he was great in that game, right,
he was. And the turnovers were not his fault, right,
I mean, there was a fumble snap that wasn't his fault.
There was a couple of fumbles by cam Akers. Um.

(38:58):
He played a relatively clean game. And then we you know,
the Niners game and he threw one reception, there was
a tip ball that he threw, the arm punt that
was dropped. But for the most part he has played
very well. Now I will say this bec he's the
best in the NFL. When someone blitzes him, right, when
they bring an extra rusher, Um, he's not very good
when you drop eight in the coverage like the Bengals
into the Chiefs, when he has to sit and think,

(39:20):
and he's a very good instinctive player, but when he
has to sit and think about what's happening, a lot
of these guys are that way, right. Um So one
of the Bangles just said, hey, well man, we're gonna
run back the same sort of game play. We're gonna
make you beat us down the field, and we're gonna
force Sean McVeigh to call run plays. And those are
typically less effective plays than passes. Right, If you average
five yards a run and seven or eight yards of pass,

(39:41):
the passing you make, you make more yards that way.
So I'm curious how the Bengals play this, But yeah,
Stafford just plays. If he's twenty two of thirty for
two eight five yards and three touchdowns one exception, they
win that game by two touchdowns probably well. And obviously
he's been more effected in the postseason with the return
of Cam Acres. It's not like Acres put up huge numbers,
but just his presence in that backfield and that running game.

(40:04):
And as you said, going back to the Chief's loss
of the Bengals, for whatever reason they abandoned the running game,
I can't image what every reason that's just did not
make sense of exactly why he would have been a
running game. I don't think Sean McVeigh is gonna make
that same mistake. All right, we're gonna have much more
on Super Bowl fifty six. Again. We are down here

(40:25):
at the tailgate tour at Third and Broadway in Santa Monica.
Coming down a chance to win uh tickets for the
Disneyland resort if you come on down and join us
out here, Steve Arbin and Jeff Schwartz. Um, we're getting
a feeling that tomorrow is going to be the kind
of day that is going to probably, I don't know,

(40:46):
exceed expectations or is it gonna come short of expectations?
Keep it right here, this is Fox Sports Radio. I
don't know where you're listening to us right now. If
you're standing here in Santa Monica, you're just basking in
the glory of an eighty five degree day in Monica,
then tell you. I mean, you're like thinging is this

(41:06):
southern California All the time? I've actually looked at the
weather report. Tuesday is supposed to be a high of
sixty three in the rain. Um, it just so happened
this warm front descended upon us the exact week leading
up to the Super Bowl, so fans from everywhere. Can
you imagine these fans it sits down. We talked to
Andy Ferman. It's thirty one degrees right now in Cincinnati,

(41:28):
which is pretty much a norm at this time of
the year. I don't know where it is back in
your home back in Carolina right now, but I'm gonna
guess it's not eighty five. It's sunny like Santa Monica. No,
this is definitely spoiling a lot of fans that are
out here right now. The breeze is fabulous. Um yeah,
I think it's And I told you anytime that the
hottest Super Bowl ever would be in Los Angeles, which
it will be tomorrow. Hotes super Bowl kick off now

(41:49):
again like three and I stead of being at six thirty,
you know, in Tampa Bay or some other warm water place.
But I mean it's gonna be hot. Remember this is
not a dome, right, so it's open. Actually it's a
stadium with just a roof on top of it. Doesn't
even close the stadium. So it was a lightning delay
this year when Rams and you know, the first time

(42:09):
I went to Sofi Stadium was earlier this year where
that Chiefs Chargers Thursday night game, the one that Chiefs
one and overtime charges blew that game, and I'm sitting
there and there it was. That was when we had
a deep It was freezing, right, It was like freezing
for l a. I I say, but it was. It was,
you know, like upper forties and you know it's cold outside.

(42:29):
I got a code on and everything else, and you
sit down to your seats, it's like, damn this it's
the same weather inside. So it's not a dome. It
is a stadium that has a roof on it. It's
gonna be a spectacular setting for the super Bowl. One
of the dynamics, by the way, speaking of Sofi Stadium,
that I really haven't figured out how exactly they've done it, Jeff.

(42:50):
But the acoustics in there are amazing. The crowd noise
is deafening. Now. The Rams were victimized by this in
those games against the forty niners, But even the game
I went to, which was more Cheese fans than Chargers fans,
I was just amazed at how loud that cavernous stadium is.

(43:14):
It's surprising because it's not fully domed in right now.
It is set in the ground, which shouldn't matter very
much as well, but just the way it set up
that allows to be letting out tomorrow. Though it's not
gonna be a Rams home game, no um and anything,
it will be we know a lot of things obviously
or corporate tickets, especially most down in the Lower Bowl.
But when I went to the Super Bowl now back
Chiefs and in four Niners, it was loud, there were

(43:37):
a lot of fans for both teams that in Miami,
obviously it's much smaller stadium, it felt like a great atmosphere.
I would expect there to be a lot of Bengals
fans tomorrow, like I think they're gonna either. Rams are
gonna have to, as usual, prepare for a silent cadence
at their at their home stadium. Will be a lot
of Bengals fans tomorrow, regardless of the outcome of tomorrow's game.
I don't think any person that made the trip out

(43:57):
from Cincinnati to Los Angeles we disappointed is disappointed. I mean,
has been like a dream week leading up to Super
Bowl fifties six. You know, I was just you know,
thinking of all these years that I've covered Super Bowls.
Jeff and I go back. I always like to say
that radio row started with me. Uh back in nine
down in Tampa, Florida. The game between the Giants and

(44:19):
the Bills known for two things, Scott Norwood missing the
field goal and Whitney Houston's halftime singing of the national anthem.
But Mike and Mad Doc, the legends from de Wie
Fan radio were there for the Giants obviously being in
the Super Bowl, and uh, I don't know why. In
the early days of six ninety we had sort of
launched all sports radio in southern California. We decided to

(44:41):
make the trip and we're just figuring, like, is there
another radio show here? Well, we know this Mike and
the Bad Doug will be there, so we tried to
figure out where are they right there? Well, there's a
set up in some hotel in Tampa. So we found
out where they were and we just set up a
table next to them, figuring, well, if they get any guests,
maybe we could look on. And that was the beginning.
My buddy Chris Russo and I always kid that was

(45:02):
the beginning of radio row. But when you think about
this Super Bowl and just the Super Bowl in general,
Jeff and the magnitude of this event. The the NFL
has had another couple of tough weeks. The Brian Flores
situation suddenly arose, all kinds of accusations, all the coaching vacancies.
I want to get to that in a moment here
and Washington. But exactly so, we thought that that story

(45:27):
was over. It's not now. The watching commanders and despite
all of that, Despite and I don't know if you
got to see Goodell's press conference on it was unbelievable.
He was such a master at deflecting everything. I mean,
they were coming after him with a vengeance, with direct
questions about minority hirings in this league. A guy that

(45:51):
I know very well, Phil Schuman, who actually has worked
here as a newscaster sportscaster for years in Los Angeles,
thought he had him. I know, Phil, right, He says,
you know, Commissioner, you act like this is something new.
You've been on the job for fifteen years. And you
could see like he thought he really got him. And
and Goodell's responses, you know, we gotta do a better job,

(46:14):
all right, next question there and that was it. Um.
But this league is so resilient now, It is such
a monstrosity. It is so indestructible. I can't imagine what
kind of numbers the Super Bowl is gonna put up. Um,
the Pro Bowl got six point seven million viewers. Yes,
and it was nothing more than two hand touch football game.

(46:35):
By the way we looked it up, that was the
same radiance that one of the NBA Finals games got
and World Series. So the World Series and the NBA
Finals are in that seven and eight million reigns. Six
points seven million for a touch football game. I love football,
It's my life. I not watch game. Well. I was
on the air with rich arn't Berger who was so

(46:56):
horrified because we were two hours into our show and
the first no one actually went to the ground. Yeah,
they just like they would basically wrap up somebody. It
looks it looked like practice. So in practice when you
can't hit him, when there's different tempos of practice. But
what does this tell you? All the players set a
lot of them and said like, look, because look we
heard d Santa had a tweet. There's plenty of older

(47:19):
players who don't like it. We we interviewed some everybody
a row that that that talked about there, they're just
like for the Pro Bowl in the way it's played now.
But players like, look, I have Frightnancy in a month.
If I get hurt in this game, I'm not getting
Paion Fred just why But then you can do just
like seven on seven five football and just be done
with Well. I mean they said before the game, as

(47:39):
long as the game is profitable, we're going to continue
on with the Pro Bowl. And it makes money obviously.
Um So the tempo of that game was like one
notch below how you hit in practice, when when you
don't hit in practice you go up to something. It was.
It was bad. Um but yeah, yeah, if people are
gonna watch it at six points a million different watch,

(48:01):
I'm going to keep doing it the way it's done
until look, fear like this. Kansas City had six players
in that game. Do any of them wanted to go
after they blew that game? Wanted to go to Orlando?
No Vegas Vegas this year and playing the Pro Bowl. No,
it was Vegas Alvin Camaro, which is they had. I
know Vegas is becoming, Vegas is becoming, but you know

(48:22):
what the commissioner was asked about that, are you concerned
about all the things that have been happening in Vegas
over the last years, the Raider players and the Alba
Cambaro situation. He dismissed it. He goes, no, this is
why god gets paid so much money. He would not
understand this. They get upset when when Goodell or when
the NFL doesn't answer the question the way they wanted to.
But that's why he's paid, right, he he gets paid
by the owners to be the mouthpiece. And you often

(48:44):
have you ever noticed too, how how different an NFL
statement can be. Then a statement that that that that
Cadell puts out right the NFL for blind Forrest right
the day that Brian Forres also came out in the
NFL is like this is without merits. And then five
days later Goodell puts out a statement saying, we need
to do better, we need to hire better. And there's
always a different tone between your Dell and the owners,
and that's why they pay him forty million dollars a year.

(49:06):
Is now everyone's talking to good not to the owners.
I've watched a lot of good Dell over the years, Jeff,
he has never been better than this. This was he
was an absolutely on fire and in fact something guy
some Boston guys who deflate gated at him again, what
has happened with all the evidence It's disappeared? And he said,
like you, I guess it disappeared. I said, like that,

(49:28):
that's the beginning. Was was such ps I goad, I
guess there's a book out that explains heal that ended
up being what it was. It was. It was guy.
I thought, you know, maybe i'll I'll get Goodell from
the side he was ready to get. Yeah, you know,
I haven't really thought about deflate gate in a while.
I have no idea what happened to that stuff, but yeah,
you know, I tape disappeared. Hearing sure every owner was

(49:49):
very happy with his performance out there no question about that. UM.
I do want to ask you, though, about all the
coaching vacancies that were phil nine for nine. Uh, it's
far minority hirings to concern. UM. You know what, we
got to two out of nine, and but there were,
though minority candidates hired in the general manager space. UM,

(50:12):
some assistant general manager space as well, some some some
pro personnel. UM. I don't have the tweet pulled up,
but I saw someone tweet out Since Brian Floor's lawsuit,
there was a there was a long list of minority
cancer were hired in those kind of executive positions. Um
outside that put an end to the Floora's lawsuit. Well,
we talked about this when the Floor's lawsuit came down.

(50:33):
And I don't think he's gonna win the lawsuits, but
it brings it like if you went to get settled
out winning the lawsuit, like going to court and winning it.
I don't think that's gonna happen. But it's obviously brought
more attention to the NFL hiring practices. It's made the
NFL have to answer questions. It's made ownership have to
think about, hey, are we gonna hire? What can we
gonna hire now? Because time of the Texans right, they

(50:53):
hired love You Smith that it makes no sense either
today to hire him. He's been a coach twice. He
was sense in Chicago for a little bit. It wasn't
very sensible in Tampa Bay. They want to hire Josh McCown,
who would never coach any level his entire life besides
Myers Park High School quarterback. Where where did that even
come from? Because again, like you said, he's never coached
a day. Uh. The Lovey Smith hiring is gonna be

(51:15):
interesting moving on, because he had success. You look at
his nine years in Chicago, he actually had more success
than failure there. He was a disaster in Tampa. He
was a bigger disaster in Illinois. I mean they thought, hey,
we're gonna get Lovey Smith. He's gonna turn around this program.
We're gonna be a force in the Big ten. It
was a catastrophe. It's I don't know if that was

(51:37):
a reactionary higher by the Texans. It may have been.
How about the assistant with the forty Niners that got
the Dolphins job? Who again when he announced it, indeed
he was a biracial people are like you are. Yeah,
it's the picture went out Anthony Hawkins in the picture. Yeah,
and he had to explain at the press conference. UM,

(51:58):
which is unfortunately has to go that direct action. But
by the way, we don't know, we have no idea
who actually his father is, nor do we even have
a name of his father that I did not. I
did not follow it to to that. Yeah, I mean
they were sort of curious about it. But there's a
picture of his parents wedding. I believe that was making
its way through social media. UM, and the Niners get

(52:18):
three with two compics for that exactly, so they get
two third round compensatory picks because he got hired by
the Dolphins. So Peter King I think had the best
so far, the best I've seen um as explaining maybe
how to fix this issue. And we we we we mentioned, oh,
well it's up to ownership. Yeah, in the end it is,

(52:41):
but there's not many there's not many openings for ownership, right.
There's one in Denver right now. So adding minority owners
is great in theory, but there's not many opportunities for that, right. Um.
But Peter King said, look, we know that there's so
many offensive coaches hired, right and Pete the focus. Six
of the nine coaches were offensive coaches. Did you have
to have a minority the minority, Um, you know, uh,

(53:03):
coach touching the quarterback, whether it's the head coach or
obviously already hired but o c quarterback coach or an
analyst with the quarterback, say learned, I guess that the
there's a bigger pool of office coaches to hire from all. Right, now,
Antonio Brown says he wants to own the Broncos. Let's
clarify how this works. As far as ownership and having, uh,

(53:25):
the expected price tag on the Broncos is gonna be
a record four billion dollars. You have to control thirty
percent of the ownership to sort of be the controlling guy.
That would be about one point three billion dollars. So
if you don't have one point three billion dollars in
your bank account, you are not going to be the
controlling owner of the Denver Broncos franchise. And I fairly

(53:48):
star in the NFL wants cash to there's no Frank
McCoy right, there's noan We want to see your bank ayeah,
so we want you know, David Tepper, who was hing
the owner in Carolina. I mean guys with eleven billion
dollars liquidated two by the Panthers. So um yeah, yeah,
that's what it is. You know, if you if you
have a bigger pool of knatha the offensive side that

(54:09):
are minority coaches that I think you'd have, I think
hiring practice might change a little bit. That's the best
explation I've seen so far to make a change. All right.
On the other side, I want to do this with
Jeff because no one is better at it, and that
is prop bets. I know you've been I want to
get into some of these prop bets. I know you've
been doing a lot of studying on this, Jeff, but

(54:30):
we know there's a lot of listeners out there that saying,
I want to have some fun you norm normally, I'm
not a big gambler, but I like to have some
fun when it comes to the super Bowl and our
Super Bowl parties. So once again, as we're broadcasting out
here at the Tailgate Tour at Third and Broadway in
Santa Monica, here a great venue for our show today,
we will give you Jeff schwartz best prop bets for

(54:54):
the super Bowl coming up next. Steve Hartman and Have Schwartz.
Once again, Fox Sports Radio wants to send you to
your happiest place on Earth at the Disneyland Resort. Enjoy
the limited time Disney California Adventure, Food and Wine Festival,
Explore a Galaxy far far Away at Star Wars Galaxy's Edge,

(55:17):
and go on Save the Day missions at Avengers Campus.
And come on down here to the Tailgate Tour at
Third and Broadway in Santa Monica for your chance to win.
All Right, super Bowl is much more than just a game.
In fact, I've said this, Jeff, I've actually attended, like
been at four Super Bowls, uh, and I haven't been

(55:39):
to one since the forty Niners blew out the Chargers.
I've always looked back on those four Super Bowls as
four games I missed. I mean, I was at the game,
but it's there's so much more to the Super Bowl
than just the game. But now because of the access
to highlights, so soon after the game, like I was

(56:00):
in Miami for Niners and Chiefs, and as soon as
the game was over, the next morning, I woke up
and just watched the game again. Like everything I miss
I just watched it again. Do you still enjoy going
to a game? Depends. I like going my kids because
my kids m going, but I would not go by myself.
Like I'm gonna be going to being a u c
l A guy. Your parents are u c l A people,

(56:22):
You're a u c l A guy at heart. I know,
um we're I'm going to take my son to a
u c l A basketball game this Thursday. Now that's
a game I'm gonna enjoy because obviously I have a
rooting interest. I'm gonna be into the game and everything else.
But I mean when I went to the Super I
sort of had a rooting interest in that Charger game,
but it got away from him so quick. That's done
with I just I think about I like going to

(56:44):
games where I'm rooting for the team, like Giants baseball family.
I've never been a Lakers game sample Center. I believe
it or not. It gets crypto now you've never been.
I was went to games as at the form um
as a kid. I like going to Oregan football games,
but yeah, I've only been with my son as I left. Right,
Oregon opens up in Atlanta against Georgia Labor Day weekend,

(57:05):
I will be at that game. Um So some games
like going to NFL games, not so much Super Bowl though.
Was It's just such a like because I was with
the chief's friends and family. I went on a bus
and like there was you know, it was easier than
just taking myself to the game. When it gets better, right,
I remember in I took my boys to the s
c u c l A game Rose Bowl. U c

(57:26):
l A won that game, then of course they blew
him out. The year Origron was let go as the
interim coachee. See him and at that stage. I think
my boys are like fourteen fifteen sixties. You get to
that stage and then it really gets good. I just
took my son to see the Lakers when they came
to Charlotte. He's seven and a half. But unfortunately Lebron
and A D did not play. So we got there.

(57:50):
My son was like, where's the where's the guy you
told me about? I was like, he's not playing, so
where's the other one? He's also not playing? All right,
so we all have fun as far as Super Bowls
are concerned. And and we're having fun waving to the crowd.
Have you noticed that? Like again, it's like it's like
we're the zoo animals. Yes, no idea, what's happening? A
lot of beautiful names. Names like there's no names. You

(58:12):
don't really know who we are talking here on the stage.
So all right, let's get to these prop bets. I
want to sort of disperse these over the course of
the next hour and a half. I don't want to
give everyone away. Um, but that's part of the fun
of Super Bowls. By the way, we were talking about
Quickie Mickey, Um, the one that's singing the national anthem
gitan Yeah, it's gonna go I heard the over under

(58:35):
now is lower to one thirty five. You're going to
go over on that because the quickest ever was Billy
Joel back in two thousand and seven. He did in
ninety seconds minute thirty She's had a couple under one
thirty five. Um, this is the this is her first

(58:56):
big like stage like this, right, I think we're gonna
have she has going under that you mentioned I think
a minute a minute thirty one for her two anthems
and Alicia Keys who did No, No, No No, remember two.
You have to make sure that where you wage on
this prop the what the house rules say, right, Remember
we had it with Gladys Night a few years ago,
did the double Brave. And it depends on where the

(59:17):
first Brave or second Brave do you hold it out?
Like what what you know? Does the start? Does the
music start and then you start writing the music starts
or does she start fifteen seconds? It's from when she
starts singing, voice stops working. It depends. It depends, though
some of them will say when the Brave is finished,
the first Brave is done. If you do a second one,
then that I would also take. I will also take.

(59:39):
I'm not sure what sports books give this to you.
But the next episode I would I would believe was
the first song at halftime. Really, there's no way they're
having a Super Bowl halftime show in l A with
Drey and Snoop and they're not going to be first.
How is this halftime show gonna work? I don't know,
but find out a part of the time it is.

(01:00:01):
It's Dre, Snoop, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, and Mary Jr. To
be fantastic. I don't know how to work. I have
like twelve minutes to get it done. I don't know
that this half show, but they're gonna work together. But
by the time you get the stage set up and
like you know, super All halftime is much longer than
normal halftime. It's the nive time fifteen minutes normally. Um.
But the time they get like set up and ready
to go, I think, I say, next episode, I would

(01:00:22):
imagine it'll be the first song. So that is that
is your prediction for that? All right? Now, what I
want to get to obviously, let's do real props. Give
me one quick one that will check in with Ralph here.
But give me give me one right off the top
right now in game prop that you really like, So
I won't give you my favorite one, then I'll spend
more time on that one. Um I mentioned earlier. I
like Joe Burrow to go over his passing number. I

(01:00:44):
don't think the Bengals gonna score a lot of points.
But the reason why I think he goes over is
because of the Rams defensive line. So if you are
continually backed up right, you run the ball in first
and ten, you lose three yards. Now second and thirteen, Well,
Burrow's gonna make that distance up now to get a
first down. We saw in the Titans game he sacked
nine times. Yards the more you go back you have

(01:01:05):
to make that up to get that first down. So
there's more opportunity for him to get those hidden yards
every time he gets sacked. Obviously on third down, if
he gets sacked, you don't get those yards. That number
it's to seventy five and a half the number number. Yeah,
but I think that's I think that's the way he
gets to because I think the I think they're behind
and he's gonna have to throw to get back in
the game, and there's opportunities in the Rams defense to

(01:01:26):
talk about another problem. I like, for one of his
wide receivers, where there are those yards to be had.
But I'm telling you, if he that's that little, that
little seven eight yards he tries to make up every
time he gets sacked is a part of the reason
why he fee for so many against Tennessee. Um, they
can't win this game. In my opinion, the Bengals with
Joe Mixon being like a thirty rush guy, like it
has to be for Joe Burrow to get it done.

(01:01:47):
So I think Burrow over his passing totals my one
of the ones. I'm I'm wagering, all right, so we
have over on the anthem. We have over on Joe
Burrow's passing yards. Next episode, first song, Next episode, first song.
They have to I'm sure, all right, we're gonna get
more profits from a guy that he's a little obsessed,
at least in my opinion. Okay, he's just a little nervous.
I know, I'm obsessed with really meaningless stats. But Jeff,

(01:02:10):
Jeff takes in another mile on certain things. Let's right
now find out what's trending as we welcome back the
One the Only Mr Ralph Van Ralph so the first
words of the Super Bowl halftime show, according to Jeff
schwords will be one, two, three, into the four Snoop
Doggy Dog and Dr Dre. Yeah so yeah, so Dre

(01:02:31):
Dre Dre first words. He's the favorite right now. And
saw his next episode. It's coming down everyone. I think
everyone sort of that's figured out. That's what's happening. Did
you see the stage? Who are all set up? Except
Eminem talking about the halftime show? And Ray was in
the middle. Let's put it that way. I like he
seemed to be like the main guy. Yea, he should be.
He is the main guy. He is. He's worth over

(01:02:51):
a billion dollars Broncos have he wanted to if he
wants to. Not a bad investment. By the way, anything
else happening beside Super Bowl? Rolph? Well, yeah, the Super
Bowl is going on. The Major League Baseball in the
players Union meeting just under an hour today total meeting time.
Players Union not too impressed with what came in the

(01:03:12):
one hundred thirty page owners proposal. Amongst the things that
were listed there where the number of times players could
be sent up and down through the majors. The the
owners were willing to cat that at five players want four.
It's just everything is not the way the players want
right now. A lot of college basketball they're going on.
And we start in Houston where Memphis leads the number

(01:03:36):
of six Cougars three one tend to play in the
second half, seven to play in the second half, and
number seven team Michigan State one lead over Indiana even
fifty five to play in the second half. And number
five Kentucky forty two lead over Florida fourteen forty two
to play in the second and it is now number

(01:03:57):
nine Texas Tech with a fifty two forty four lead
over Kee see you at the half. Number eight teen
Markette trailing big at Butler the Bulldogs of the forty
two seven advantage. And it's all tied up at Morehead
State as number twenty three Murray State on the road
as a locked up at thirty three ten to play

(01:04:17):
in the second half. As we sent it back to
the third stream Fromenade in Southern California, the home of
the Super Bowl, it's Steve Hartman and Jeff Schwartz on
Fox Sports Radio. Hi, ralfle thank you as always and
as you mentor at the tailgate tour at Third and
Broadway in Santa Monica, the largest tailgate in Los Angeles
for the Super Bowl. Now, we've had a lot of trapping.

(01:04:37):
And by the way, there seems to have been a
a sudden re emergence of Bengals fans suddenly showing up
everywhere here, Jeff, A lot of Bengals fans out here today,
enjoying the weather out here. Uh, I mean, aren't you
a little warm? I mean, this is not thirty one
degrees like it isn't Cincinnati. We just checked the weather.
Sweat shirts and jeans on. Yeah, so I've got the

(01:04:58):
shorts on. But I mean, seriously, you a T shirt weather,
that's where you gotta go right now. Thirty one degrees
we just checked. That's the current temperature in Cincinnati. Eighty
five here in Santa Monica. Well, enjoy it out there,
by the way. One thing about doing shows over the
years on location, uh, and this this group has been
pretty good. Uh, you know, taking pictures with us in

(01:05:19):
the background everything else. What always gets to me is
when people like approach you, like you'll be on the
radio talking and then someone tries to engage in conversation
with you and you're looking at like I'm on the radio.
I mean, I really can't put the headset. I would
love to talk to you right now, but you know
how it is. And uh, but this group has been
really good so far. West again the breezes. This is

(01:05:44):
why you would move and move back home right, like
the weather is just well, we're close to the beach
here in Santa Monica, right down the road. I drove
up the coast actually from where I live, came out
off Lost virgin Is where Pepperdine University is, then came
up the coach, Jeff. And there's a lot of people
on the beaches today taking it all. This should be,

(01:06:06):
it should be it's beach weather Man. And I mean,
do you mean Carolina. It took me an hour ago,
twelve miles yesterday, so otherwise I might move back here.
And I thought the real estate prices for two square
foot house, I mean two squarefoot houses, yeah, And I
was like, yeah, I'm not coming back here, so I'd

(01:06:27):
love telling me about it. If they want to pay
more money, I'm open to it, I guess yes. And
how would your wife feel about that? I mean she
didn't joined her week out here. She's definitely joined her
we got here. I think she would be open to it, yeah,
and possibly and feel that breeze right now. Man, Oh yeah,
this is absolute paradise. All right. So we're excited about

(01:06:50):
the game tomorrow, but we're talking to Jeff about proper bets,
uh that you might want to gauge in and have
some fun as far as your Super Bowl parties are concerned.
We've all ready covered the first song that will be
sung at the halftime show. We talked about the over
despite Quickie Mickey guid and doing the national anthem. You're

(01:07:10):
saying over one five other way to put that number
of perspective. Last year the number was one. Uh. This
year it's at one thirty five because she's had a
couple of half time shows where she's gone under that number.
You're saying, play over and he went over. I'm passing
the arts for Joe Burrow around two seventy five. So
you're again, it's not. It's not because I think he's

(01:07:31):
gonna have this incredible I think they're gonna be sacks
so much he has to make up the number. It
makes sense. You think they're gonna be trailing, then obviously
they're gonna have to put up some passes, certainly in
the second half. Alright, what's your next h prop bet
for the game? I like Tyler Boyd to go over
his passing total. I think it's forty and a half.
He's he's very hit or missed. The last month he's

(01:07:51):
been under this previous month, he was over this by
a lot like nine in the yards here here's why.
So the Rams past defense, we've talked about it very good.
We know Jalen Ramsey. Obviously we can't talk about Eric Weddle,
by the way in the second air. So what he's
doing is unbelievable. Um So, the ram struggled on one
part of the field, the short intermediate passing area, kind

(01:08:12):
of the middle of the field. There toying at the NFL.
In that number in the NFL since Week seven of
a quarterback to wide receiver connection and that's short intermediate.
The field completion percentage, yards per attempt at passer rating
is Joe Burrow to Tyler Boyd. It's a great connection
they have. And with with Uzamba is gonna play. But
we'll see how healthy he is this weekend and really
tomorrow now when he plays. I think the Rams are

(01:08:34):
obviously gonna focus a lot of their attention on on Chase, right,
and I would I would suggest to them, I know
they're listening now to what my game plan would be. Um,
if if your defense, which it isn't, isn't a defense
where you take Ramsey and he follows someone the entire game, right,
we don't expect he wants to, But I would say,
play your defense. If that's not your defense, don't change
for this game. But look, they're gonna find ways to

(01:08:55):
roll safety over. It's the chief State right that Jamaar
Chase didn't have this amazing game the second Chiefs game, right,
Chase suddenly gets out of control and then they're like,
all right, we got a lot of possible Yeah, but
he's still gonna have reps against Ramsey as well. It's
not like they won't have them. So there needs to
be other options. So Higgins obviously can be one of
those options. But I think Boyd is that guy in
the middle of the field they target a lot the
numbers fourty and a half because the last four games

(01:09:18):
he hasn't been that guy. It's been Higgins. It's been
chasing Higgins, and it was Alma really and it was
almost out. Um. Again, he's very hit or miss, Like
I said, he's either over over eighty yards, over ninety
yards or he is he is. That's just that's a
hot guy's wearing like sweat. His parents are must be
sweating a lot up in there. Um. And he's just
been he's been under the last four weeks, and then

(01:09:39):
again before that, he was over, very very over before
before that. So I just think that's that's probably why
a lot of focus. And look here's the reason why
everyone again you mentioned the problem market. I know he's been,
he's been walking around the entire time. He's gonna talk
about warm, just just sweating the entire time. How about
to sweating there, buddy? Yes or no? Bad? Yeah, I

(01:10:00):
can't imagine, sorry, buddy. Um, so are you capturing all
this Ryan, by the way, our producer on side here. Yes, everyone,
everyone is gonna bet the chase over, right, the Higgins
over and there's there's a good possibility for boys to
go over. That's my second. All right, So you like
boyd over. You got a lot of overs here. Uh yeah,
I have some under. I like the game to go under.

(01:10:22):
I mean we're talking about like myself right now. The
line is over. Under a half came down. It did
come down dramatically, at least initially steadied out about forty
eight and a half. So you think about that, right.
So I was hearing, like earlier Joey Taylor, who's all
in on the Bengals twenty four, Well, that would be

(01:10:42):
an over. She had her brother, the Hall of Famer
Jason Taylor on. He also liked the Bengals. But one
which is an under um it is this game gonna
be right on that number. Here's the thing. Look the
way this goes over as the Rams, by the way
scoring a bunch of points. The I my offensive line

(01:11:03):
heart cannot imagine a game where the Bengals offensive line,
as bad as they are, is gonna play well. If
they don't play well, which they haven't been, the Bengals
fans say, well, we've dealt with this all season long,
but you haven't played the past defense like the Rams
all season and you haven't played a team that has
Aaron Donald and Von Miller and Leonard Floyd. Right, you
played Chris Jones, Jeffrey Simmons, Max Crosby in the playoffs,

(01:11:23):
but you haven't played Aaron Donald Leonard Floyd and Von Miller,
who's playing like his something. He's playing so long now
because there's no attention to him. He's by himself. All
attentions to Donald, who's still is Reckord shop. I think
Donald m v P plus six d sprinkle time of
the money. It's probably gonna win that one, but it's
kind of fun to root for. I think also safety
can come a kids for safety plus seven fifty. It's

(01:11:47):
interesting so um heckerd. We know Raham's punter is very good.
He could easily pin the Bengals inside the five Aaron
Donald safety run play, pass play, in all the in
all the ways you think, okay, safety can happen. It's like, oh,
that makes sense right now. The number is not as
great has been in previous years because I think people

(01:12:08):
are thinking like that as well. But there's a good
case where Matt Gay struggled lately. The Rams kicker. Hey,
we're not gonna attempt a fifty seven yeards field goal.
We're gonna pin them deep into the five yard line,
and we have an opportunity with all the guys we
have to get a safety. All right. There's a couple
of profits I have in mind and I've been I'm watching.
Let me get your thoughts on this um total number

(01:12:31):
of two point conversion attempts attempts and half, like a
half oh half? Do you believe that there actually will
be a not a not a successful two attempt? I
think that's a safe play rights reduced on the over though,
do you know I'm not quite sure what it is.
But when I saw a half meaning either you think

(01:12:53):
there's going to be one where there's not going to
be one in this game, I gotta believe that we're
gonna see at least one two point conversion attempt in
this game. It depends what you're laying on that bet. Like,
if it's a minus one ten, great, but if it's
your minus one thirty, you can't. That's a bad bet.
All right, So that's a bad But how about this
one Joe Burrow rushing yards in this game? Something like that?

(01:13:17):
And I would my my tendency is I think I
think the Bengals what they're gonna do, Jeff here, as
far as again trying to keep this defensive line of
the Rams, honest, I could easily see a quarterback draw.
We're gonna see screen passes to mix and there's gonna
be a few ways they're gonna try to get rid
of the ball quick to try to you know, you know,
somehow keep them from pinning back their ears and just

(01:13:39):
barreling in on Burrow. One way to do that, because
we know he can run the football quarterback draw a
couple of design actual quarterback runs in that game. Well,
it'll only be a draw. He's not he's not. They're
not running. They don't there's almost no r p o
s And they don't want to play like that. Could
you know? Nine or ten? Yeah? I could? And and
we saw his big rushes were against Kansas City, were
against kind of two man coms, right that everyone runs

(01:14:01):
everyone off, right, you don't see? Yeah, I mean I could,
you know. I think I think the idea is more
that he gains rushes rushing yards via just scrambling right,
Like there's a draw to me, seems tough when you
do you want him to take a hit, Like I
just basically saying he's getting hit on this play, right, Well,
the guy that could be hitting him is one of

(01:14:22):
the big stories of this game, and that is Eric
Weddle of the Rams. This guy was out of football
for two years now he's gonna be calling the defensive
signals for the Rams in the Super Bowl. Jeff wants
to weigh in on an amazing story revolving around Super
Bowl fifty six coming up next. Steve Harbin and Jeff

(01:14:48):
Schwartz were at the Tailgate Tour, the largest outdoor tailgate
in Los Angeles for the Super Bowl. Down here on
the corner Third Street and a Broadway and the promenade
right by Halt, which is a new cafe serving some
of the most unique and refreshing coffees and cocktails in
Santa Monica. Listen up here, Jeff. They're also hosting a

(01:15:09):
Super Bowl viewing party on Sunday, twenty five bucks. All
you can eat, sliders, fries, tacos. Come on down check
us that. We'll be here until four pm. All you
can eat. Uh, I'm sure you could do some damage
on that one. Yeah. Back in the day, it wasn't pretty.
I can't do that now. It's just some things were

(01:15:29):
like if you have that meal now, it takes like
seven days to work off. It just don't work it
really well. Then you get to my stage and you've
got to be very careful. Um, all right, let's talk
about one of the amazing stories in this matchup between
the Rams and the Bengals, and that is the presence
of Eric Weddle. Um. I've known of Eric Weddle for
a long time, dating back to his Chargers days. I

(01:15:52):
know he was not happy the way it ended with
the Chargers. He ended up with the Ravens for a
couple of years and they came to the Ram. Played
one season, didn't go particularly well and he called it
a career. So he was on the sidelines in He
was on the sidelines for all of one and then
the Ramps had injuries in their secondary and they gave

(01:16:16):
him a call. And you know, he had stayed in
reasonable shape and he thought, what the heck, let me
let me go out there. I don't know how much
I can play. In the NFC Championship game, he played
every defensive down. I know you had a chance to
talk to him and let the team and tackles in
that game. And now the Rams have said he will

(01:16:38):
actually be calling on the field defensive signals for this
Rams defense. I know you had a chance to catch
up with What do you what do you make of
this story? Well, what's what's interesting about his story is
that he is actually on practice squad each week and
they call him up before every game. So in theory,
like the Bengals could like be like, hey, you want
to come play for us, We'll pay you an X

(01:16:58):
amount of money. Right, He's it is the playoffs, so
you can't you can't actually do that in the playoffs.
In the regular season, he could have just been like,
we'll play you more money and come come play for us.
And he's actually making half the money too. He brought
it up on our show on Monday Patrol Show that
he actually even really getting paid to do this. He's
just doing it. So the things that I found so
interesting about this where I said, like, look, Eric, did
did you you know we all work out? We're done playing,

(01:17:20):
but did you did you work out to play football?
Goes Now I just stay, you know, stay in general shape.
They called me, and I was like, all right, cool,
and my wife and kids were cool with it. They
needed help, so I came down and you know, the
first game, he actually played a pretty clean game. He
didn't really touch anyone, and we joked about that. In
his first game, he just kind of stayed out of
the way. But he was on the field for a
good amount of snaps. I think for him what's impressive

(01:17:41):
is is his body being able to withstand it. I
was terrified he would get hurt in the first game,
and he mentioned we talked to him Monday that you know,
just for him, it's the rehab and recovery in seven
kind of just being able to get back on the
field after these three games. And it's hard enough when
you played all season, uh, to be able to come
back and play each week, especially as the week gets long.
Now he didn't play it all this season comes in

(01:18:03):
and then but this is not like you're playing the
Jets in Week sixteen. This is these are three playoff
games and now he is being trusted obviously to be
the play caller for defense. Um pre remarkable what he's done.
And I do wonder though, if the Bengels say, hey, look,
we're gonna try to attack him, because we saw he
a little bit issues against when that was the Niners.

(01:18:23):
Now he blew one coverage, he said, But I wonder
if they try to attack him, saying, hey man, this
guy can't keep up. He's only been doing this for
a month now. Well, I mean, you mentioned physical conditioning.
I mean there's one thing to stay in shape, and
then there's football shape and and always going back to
my experience working in the NFL for the Raiders million
years ago, what's the Monday after the games seeing these

(01:18:44):
guys literally dragged their bodies into the facilities and get
checked over whatever, and of course watching a little film
and everything. Then they get tuesdays off and then back
in those days fullpad practices. You know, Wednesday, I thought,
I know I'm old enough where we did. We did
full pads on Wednesday. I mean, so I don't I
am watching them over the course of a whole season,

(01:19:07):
week after week. I I don't know how you do it.
I mean, how do you feel the money after you now?
What did admit that he was He's he's yeah, he's
feeling it. Um. The thing is, the older you get,
the less you sleep after games because your body is
just almost shocked. Like you just remember the older I got.
I just laying back after game, especially night games, you
just like wired still. You just can't settle down a

(01:19:29):
day game. You know, you play one o'clock, you get home.
If you're you'll play at home, you get home by
five thirty, You have dinner, you relaxed, you go to
sleep for those night games. Man, I mean you get home.
If you're on the road, you'll get home till till
the wee hours of the morning. Even if you're at home,
you get home about one o'clock and you have to
eat a little bit and relax. And it's three o'clock

(01:19:49):
already you're just laying there like after a game. Yeah,
I mean you just like you just trying to get
the facility. It doesn't hurt you're feeling, you know. You
just the older you get again, the more you realize
what you have to do. Like when I was younger,
you're fine, really you don't really, but the old Yeah,
the older you get, the more you and you have
to you have your routine. I'm sure we don't has

(01:20:09):
his routine. Remember, guys now do more preab than when
you were with the Raiders. The guys are they're doing
more before they get me, and they weren't heading out
the stick and Stein and elsa Gono heavy beers after
every practice. That's not what I'll mention too. How cleanse
be eating to be in shape. We're gonna have much
more our coverage of Super Bowl fifty six continues keep

(01:20:32):
it right here on Fox Sports Radio. Oh what a
day it has been. And yes we are about twenty
four hours away up kickoff between the Rams and the
Bengals super Bowl fifty six. We're here at the tailgate
tour at Third and Broadway in beautiful Santa Man against

(01:20:54):
the largest tailgate in Los Angeles for Super Bowl fifty six.
A lot of things happening this week in the NFL,
as always as we get ready for the Super Bowl.
One of the big announcements this week, Jeff was the
Pro Football Hall of Fame class of two. A couple
of things about this class. No quarterbacks, no running backs,

(01:21:16):
no wide receivers. We had two defensive lineman. He got
a linebacker, he got a safety, and he got an
offensive lineman. By the way, speaking of that offensive lineman,
I had to sit down with Tony Vaselli that day.
I already knew that he was getting in. He already knew.
He also did know we we had to start to
keep it hush hush. A giant man, by the way,

(01:21:37):
six seven three pounds, one of the absolute dominant offensive tackles.
He's still twenty years after he played his last game,
still considered the prototype. But what did you make of
this Hall of Fame class? And included Packers safety Leroy Butler,
the late great Sam Mills of course played with the
Saints and the Panthers, uh Briant Young fourteen years defense

(01:22:00):
subtackle with the forty nine curse, Richard Seymour, a longtime
Patriot and Raider. What do you think of that Hall
of Fame class and the fact that not exactly the
glamour names so we normally associate with the Hall of
Fame because because you DeMarcus Ware who definitely his first
ballot worthy to not make it, Devin Hester did not
make it as well. I'm sure the other ones that

(01:22:21):
I'm leaving out that I thought would make it in
their first ballot. It did feel like, and these players
are all worthy of the Hall of Fame, but feel
like they were kind of getting rid of the backlog,
right like they knew that house clean. And I saw
people get upset about, Oh this point, Devin Devin Hester
is not in. He'll be in next year. I get
it first of all Hall of Famer. It means a lot,
It's very important, It's it's a distinction that not a
lot of players have. But he'll be in, so we'll
DeMarcus ware, right. I mean if you look at some

(01:22:43):
of the names that like Jared Allen who didn't make it,
they're gonna be in, but he might have a problem.
Dwight Freemy is now eligible. Here's the problem. People always think, Wow,
that's a lot of people going to Hall of Fame class.
Do you realize how many people play football? You have
twenty two players on the field at all times, and
when you think about proportionally, it's such a select group

(01:23:07):
to get to the promise. You know when when you
see baseball have one person going the Hall of Fame
in the NFL is five. You look at all you know,
the basic the football Hall of Fame and think, but
basically in baseball you're a hitter. Your picture, maybe have
a It's it's a lot of lots about because Basselli,
I followed obviously his path here and you know he
had a shorting career because of injury. Um, you know,

(01:23:27):
it looks very close to how Terrell Davis got in, right, Carol,
Davis had three great years and one of those years
m v P. I mean like he was off the
Player of the Year two thousand yards, also two times
Super Bowl champ exactly. But here's about Tony Bassell. It's
really interesting. He was First Team All Pro three years
or left tackle. During that time he was an all
first Team All Pro. I had a four other Hall

(01:23:49):
of famers. Yes, this is when Hoggin, Rope, Jones, and
uh and Pace. So if your first Team All Pro,
by the way, all three of those years he had
the most vote of any of the offensive and some
of those guys were young, right, there was younger years
of those players, but they were also second team All
Pros and the Fallow. So but if you're the first
team All Pro ahead of four other Hall of Famers,

(01:24:11):
you're probably pretty good at football. And most people that
have covered Tony and Washington play in his and his
peers say he's a Hall of Famer, and obviously his
career got cut short because of longevity. I like this
because I made the argument that we focus too much
on longevity when it comes to NFL players and not
about really how good they are. There's a lot of
examples coming up. Frank Gore will be one of them,
right right. He has played a long time. He deserves

(01:24:34):
the benefit of the doubt for playing on he will
be in the Hall of Fame. But Tony was first
team All Pro three straight years. Frank Gore has been
on one All proteins entire career. Like Tony BESSELLI was
a better football player. He was one of those prime examples.
He played fourteen years of the forty Niners, UH super
Bowl champions of rookie in the season, and they started
every game from day one. Fact, started all two day

(01:24:55):
games of his NFL career as a forty Niner. But
he only made All Pro once. But you know, fourteen years,
I don't know. It's interesting talking to you. And let's
say rich Armburger, another former NFL offensive lineman, because his
attitude about Hall of Fame is that longevity is underplay.
That if you really have a long career, I mean,
for instance, Andrew Witters, I mean but you, I mean

(01:25:17):
a guy like Andrew Witword, by the way, got the
prestigious Walter Payton Man of the Year. The fact that
and I talked to Tony Basell about Whitworth uh and
the idea of a forty year old plane tackle and
starting in a Super Bowl. But here's the thing, here's
the thing I go, I go back to this this
argument I make. It's like, it's not in my pay
it's not Hall of longevity, it's hall of Are you

(01:25:38):
the best player? Right? And so witworth Is is a
fantastic football player. Uh, he's played a lot of snaps.
He's very good at football. But if you look at
his career, how often was he in the top three
of offensive tackles? On top of my head, I mean,
Joe Thomas has been playing this time, Trent Williams been
playing by the way to Thomas is on the Smith

(01:26:02):
has been playing during the time, Jason pier has been
playing during this time, My brother Lane Johnson. I mean,
like all these guys that are gonna be you know,
my brother, you probably be play long enough. Uh, definitely,
U are having people soliciting their business as we're talking. Um.
So again, it's nothing to diminish Andrew with his career.

(01:26:23):
He's a fabulous career. But again it's it is it
hall of very good for very long? Or is it
the best players to ever play the game? You and
I are lock staff. I mean, if I were in
charge of any of these sports hall of Fames, the
actual number of people in the Hall of Fame would
be diminished greatly if you weren't the absolute best, absolute best,

(01:26:44):
or in the top two or three of what you did,
whether it was a hitter or a score in basketball,
or any position player in the NFL, if you weren't
at that level at some point of your career, I
don't care how long you played. I'm sorry. You're the
Hall of the very Good and the Hall of Fame.
And by the way, I've been hearing this argument for
this one. So I've been hearing people actually go on

(01:27:08):
various venues saying that if Matthew Stafford wins this Super Bowl,
he's a Hall of Famer because he's compiled some big
career numbers. Figured that he plays another three or four years,
he'll be at the same level stat wise a guy
like Matt Ryan or a Philip Rivers. But he would
have won a Super Bowl. And I'm like, this guy

(01:27:29):
has made one Pro Bowl in his entire career. Uh
not this year, by the way, Um, So this is
the longevity question, right, because especially with quarterbacks, the longer
and the more these quarterbacks play, and they're playing longer now,
and the inflated passing numbers are gonna lead to Matt
Stafford eventually being the all time leader in passing yards,
but that that's that's a real possibility. But I mean,

(01:27:51):
you've got Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady. I mean, come on again,
is it again? Is a hall of playing a very
long time and putting up a lot of passing numbers?
Or is it just being the best football player? Right?
And to me it's been the best. And that's the
way I would look at the Hall of Fame. I
think we're we agree. And I didn't play, I mean
play eight years. It was like I played twenty years.
I get how hard it is to play a one

(01:28:12):
time in the NFL, but that doesn't again that to
me a lot of and I was one who was unlucky.
I was hurt so much. I look at in longevity
is almost luck. Like I did nothing less than anyone
else did to prepare and I got hurt all the time.
And so to me, it's less about obviously to me,
about like something something, it's just good fortune. It's not
like I wish. I wish that I didn't break my

(01:28:35):
legs so many times, but nothing to do how much
I've trained, It's always amazing to me, Anthony Muonios, who
is arguably one to three on the all time less
of offensive tackles at USC, had nothing but injuries. He
was constantly hurt at USC. He was drafted third overall
because of his figure physical prowess by the Bengals. He
like never missed the game and once he got to
the Pro. So you're right, a little luck uh like there?

(01:28:58):
I I don't know again when I and we talked
about the Hall of Fame and you know, congratulating these guys.
By the way, did you you went up against Richard Seymour?
Did you not? You never got a chance to go
against Seymour? I mean I was we put the because
he was with the Raiders at the end. I was
mostly in the NFC, so I didn't play. I didn't
play NFC teams very off. You played four year? Um no,

(01:29:18):
we played the Raiders. What do you he retire? So
he played until Yeah, I was on the Chiefs and
the third team. Yeah I missed him. Yeah, twelve I
think was his last year. I think I think I
played the Raiders once in the first five years of
my career. Yet team was his last year. That was
I never again when New England gave up on him.
Right here was one of the best defense, like three

(01:29:39):
straight years first team All Pro in New England. He
started to tell a little bit of wear and tear
and that was classic of They got rid of him,
the whole famer. He had some good years with the Raiders,
but you know, not as the Hall of Famers. I've
played against Julius Peppers, which I played in practice for
two years then he um. I did never play Donald

(01:30:00):
thankfully bad for me and Dominins, who probably probably won't
make the Hall of Fame Hall of very good play
against him. Kevin Williams I don't, probably not for the Vikings. Again,
very good, but not like um. Kevin Williams to me
is one of those guys that because he's he's at
the name. I don't know what it is about Kevin Williams,
but if you look at his accolades, yeah, he's pretty

(01:30:21):
good player. Williams wall right. It was him and um
Pat Williams in Minnesota. He was really good. He did
just double hand swipe before that was kind of popular.
Did you see Dwight Freeney, Um? Not. When I was
at tackle, I was a guard and we played them. Um, No,
Mathis was there and pretty had left. Um, but those
interior defensive alignment, the guys you wrestled with all the time.

(01:30:43):
But I had to play other guys. I mean I
played he LOODI who will be who should be in
the Hall of Fame. I'm not sure he will be.
And then obviously, you know we played Ray Lewis and
other defensive players with Patrick Willis that were just the
top of their game for so many years. Willis is
again not in I I know we had a shortened career,
but they was the best middle line. He was. I
mean he was eight years in the least, seven Pro Bowls,

(01:31:04):
five times All Pro. Thomas another guy that got bypassed.
That's the thing about about this again, I think that
you know, people look at longevity again. I mean maybe
I'm jad because of all the injuries I had, but
I look at it as like a luck thing rather
than a skill thing. Um. And and there is some again,
playing fifteen years at a high level or playing ten years.
I mean, you know, ten years and five old pros

(01:31:25):
or fifteen years and four all pros. What's a better career? Yeah, exactly. Uh.
And I mentioned that at the BESSELI that I don't
care how long you played, you dominated, and you should
have been the Hall of Fame earlier. But now he's
a Hall of Famer. And the other side. We're gonna
add another voice to our breakdown of Super Bowl fifty
six are Fox Sports Radio. NFL insider Adam Kaplan will

(01:31:46):
join us. Coming up next, Steve Harbin at Jeff Schwartz.
We're talking about different, uh levels of fatherhood. You still
got used to have the little ones miner in their toys.
Now was next level? Jeff, you got a daughter, That's
all I can tell you. Yeah, she's she's five and
a half and seven and a half, and I can

(01:32:08):
already see you know, my daughter asked UH the other
day to take a picture with peace symbols in the
duck face. By the way, Fox Sports Radio wants to
send you to a Disneyland resort where you can enjoy
the Disney California Adventure Food and Wine Festival. Coming down
here to the tailgate tour at Third and Broadway in
Santa Monica for your chance to win. We'll join us

(01:32:31):
right now. Is he graciously does every single week, but
this week a little different because he's been everywhere this week.
You see him this week and radio? Where you were
out there to or no? Because I'm always I was
out there between six and nine am. Fox Sports Radio
insider Adam Kaplan, Now you did not see me anywhere.
I was there hanging out with Orangeburger, Rich and I
do in our week show. Uh six to nine am.

(01:32:53):
You weren't out there nearly that early, right, Adam? Yeah, No,
I was not. Guys, gonna be with you. I don't
know how this happened. I have to be playing at
the Bengal players wives and family and all the cheers
here in Los Angeles. Don't ask me how that happened.
But I am well, very good. All right. So we're

(01:33:14):
breaking down this game right now, and I'm gonna tell
you where Jeff and I are sort of sitting at
this point. Is I mean, if you if you really
step back and take all the emotions aside. The only
way I see the Rams losing this game, and I
think Jeff will say the same thing, is if and
it's not impossible that Stafford has some kind of meltdown,

(01:33:34):
which we have seen on occasion, because man for man,
the Rams, they just have better players in the Bengals. Yeah, Steve,
I would say that talking to the the ex players this
week on radio road, that's what they all thought, that
the Rams clearly have the better roster. Doesn't even win,
but they have the better roster, they've got more experience,

(01:33:55):
and they should win. But I think they'll are a lesson.
Just because Joe Barbers down eighteen points doesn't mean to
Camp bring them back. And that's that's something I'll consider
looking at as this game progresses TOMORROWFI if the Rams
do get a big lead, don't count out those Bengals.
Maybe it's because we like rooting for underdogs, but it
just seems very odd the vibe this week where it

(01:34:17):
feels like the Things have already won this thing, right,
We're talking dynasty already. Some people are Joe Burrow is
the next Tom Brady. It just seems like a lot
doesn't Adam jeff Well. It just seems like the media,
a lot of people try to they want a big picture. Okay,
who are these and what's this team going to be

(01:34:38):
in the lore of Super Bowl winners? And could they
be a dynasty? Ms are a now team? You know,
they've given away so many future Forum picks They're not
an old team though, other than Obvioustely the great Andrew
Worth left tackle with forty years old. Uh, they don't
have a lot of room here, had a lot of
players just kind of like winning with what they have.
I remember talking to later who practice with them, Um,

(01:35:00):
they're doing training camp. They felt the same way that
there were twenty two men starting unit, not a lot
of depth in their team. It's gotten why they've got here,
really good starting unit unit, There's no question about it.
There's one matchup in this game, at least on paper,
is one of the greatest mismatches in the history of
the Super Bowl, and that is that Bengals offensive line

(01:35:21):
against that defensive front of the Rams, led by of course,
the immortal Aaron Donald, not to mention a suddenly rejuvenated
Von Miller getting one on one blocking and doing a
lot of damage out there. What do you think offensively,
the strategy is going to be too a somehow neutralized

(01:35:42):
as best they can that defensive front of the Ramps. Yeah,
and they're gonna have to get rid of the ball
quickly now, there's no question about. In fact, if you
remember in the Titans game where they gave up nine sacks.
I'm sure you saw c j Us, who will play
by the way, I believe with his sprase and sales frame.
You saw him get involved quite a bit over the

(01:36:02):
middle of Tyler Boyd and they're just gonna have to
dump it off to Joe Mix and something like that
because it's gonna be bad in that game. In fact,
the same five out of the nine sacks came in
came on from the interior. That to me, is absolutely
different to this matchup and why I'm leaving to the Rams.
One thing I don't think it's been talked about enough

(01:36:23):
this week is lost the Rams faced in the Super
Bowl to New England Because after that game, Sean McVeigh
midte I overprepared, right, I spent too much time basically
worrying about everything that Belichick could do to us and
didn't kind of focus on what we could do and
and the changes we can make to prepare for that game.
How did that that change the way the Rams prepare
for this game, knowing that they over prepared just four

(01:36:44):
years ago for the in the same spot, Yeah, you
would think they would learn. I've talked to coaches coach
in the Super Bowl. They kind of learned from the
first time and make some subtle adjustments you can't you know.
And by the way that I believe they're staying in
the same hotel if they staying in during the regular season,
which is interesting job here the playing in their home stadium.
By the way you met you, McBath. I know some

(01:37:05):
coaches who felt that he's so overwired that something that
because all right, are we losing Adam. Guys, all right,
we're going to try to reconnect Adam. I want to
air exactly what he has to say right there that
is underdiscussed in this game, because you know, he came
into that New England game and I just the offense

(01:37:27):
look paralyzed, right. New England came out and ran, you
know six. You kind of had a six one defense
to take away the outside zone. They had no answers
and an answer for taking with a run game is
Matt Stafford. That's why they winning. God, Matt Stafford. That's
the difference between him and Jared Golf is that. And
there are times, obviously I joked about calling Matt Stafford
Matt Golf just because the numbers look very similar, at
least the advanced stats do but in the end, he

(01:37:47):
has an elite arm that the golf just doesn't have. Well,
and you know I've been saying this when you look
at their journey to the NFL. Matthew Stafford was the
number one overall pick in the draft, drafted by a
Runnell loser, the Detroit Lions. All right, let's get back Adam.
You were talking. We lost you, and we want to
hear the rest of what you have to say. Yeah,

(01:38:08):
just talk Sean Day and how how sort of you
Jeff asked a question about over repairing. I'm just talking
more about the future as a coach, about how it
hearty coaches, and how he needs to take time away
from the game from people to work with him before.
It's something to keep keep looking at over over time
because we see obviously he's gonna do me. All right,

(01:38:31):
Well we're having we're having a little problems there without
and obviously it's I can't Well, we'll do our best
to try to hook up in a better spot with him.
But I want to bring up this point here, Jeff,
about the career paths of Matthew Stafford and Joe Burrow.
Because Stafford was drafted by a perennial loser the Lions,
and he never want to playoff game in twelve years
as a starter. Joe Burrow was also then around. We're

(01:38:52):
on overall pick with a perennial loser the Cincinnati Bengals,
and he's in the super Bowl in his second year.
So what what is the difference between a Joe Burrow
and Matthew Stafford. Both had the physical tools, but one
guy has had, you know, in two years, this kind
of success whereas the other guy, and by the way,
both gifted with outstanding young wide receivers, whether it was

(01:39:12):
Calvin Johnson or Jamaar Chase. What's the difference. I'm glad
you mentioned Calvin Johnson. It's one of the biggest things
that that misconception about mass after time in Detroit, always here,
he'd have any weapons. He a Hall of Fame wide receiver,
was the best receiver in the league, and you know,
weapons except the Hall of Famer that he has um
look to be fair, the Bengals, though, we're winners with

(01:39:33):
Dalton like and then he went a Super Bowl, but
they were competitive each year, so there was a little
bit of success they had before Burrow got there. But yeah,
I mean they were you know, they were two and
fourteen the year before, and then they won four games
when he was heard. Do you see a dynamic difference
of personality factor? What is it? I think it goes
back to what I mentioned earlier in the show that
I mentioned a lot this week, is there is a

(01:39:55):
called coolness factor whatever you want to whatever term you
want to use for, but there's a conf that's that
Joe Burrow has that exudes through the team, and no
matter of the situation, they always feel like he can
do it because he has for the most part. Right
he he won a national jump in college. He's won
every big game I think he's playing the NFL so far,
including the three playoff games this season. And again it's

(01:40:16):
not the three playoff games weren't because of Joe Burrow.
They were because of the entire team playing well right
and and the defensive His confidence, his berbato, his cockets,
swag whatever it basically carries over from the team. And
when you play out with a quarterback like I played
with Eli late in his career after the Super Bowls,

(01:40:38):
but there was still some of that sense where no
matter what happened in the game, Eli would make your
right in the end, and I think it's what Tom Brady.
The best thing tom Brady does. Obviously he's very good,
but the stuff like he goes to Tampa Bay all
of a sudden there like we can win any game
he wants because of Tom Brady. And when you're down
twenty one three in the road in Kansas City, you
think to yourself, there's no way we're gonna win that game.
But they never panicked at all, and I think that

(01:40:59):
stems from Joe brew. All right, let's get back to Adam.
We want a clear signal, and now we got it, Adam,
continue your conversation about Sean McVeigh. Yeah, thanks, guys. Yeah,
just on McVeigh. The issue has been talking to people
to work with him. He's a little bit tightly wound
over time. In the following years, he's got to find
a way to sort of wind down and get away

(01:41:19):
a little bit, because you worry that about burnout and
that that's kind of what I was leaning toward, because
we still having with Sean Payne, who was obviously older,
has been through a lot more than Sean McVeigh has
been in terms of his career. But this one thing
to take a look at that was not really discussed
a lot this week. People always asked, what are some
things that were on your radar this week. It's just
talking to people who have worked with McVeigh know him
say that they do worry about how long he will coach.

(01:41:42):
That's just just even to keep an eye on over
the months and years as he coaches. Well, let's get
back to the urgency for the rams um. They're all in.
You know, they made all their deals and they've goutted
their drafts over the last several years to win. Right now,
I'm a big fan of winning now. But what is
this rams Lot roster gonna look like next year? Yeah,
they'll be okay, they're not other than Andrew Whitworth, the

(01:42:04):
four year four year old left tackle. They're not super old. Yes,
you do work about them not having a lot of
first rump picks in future years. They just don't have any.
But as the Raiders told me when they practice with them,
this is a two man roster, twenty two man starting
unit that's maybe one of the best the National Football League.
They could certainly go far with it. We'll get Robert
Woods back, one of their starting receivers, films a c

(01:42:25):
L injury. They feel pretty good about it. The thing
that they've done, which is also another thing that people
have to take a look at. They've done a phenomenal
job of signing underrated free agents and also late round
draft picks because they've had to. That's the kudos to
their their personnel department. That's that's something they're going to
have to continue to do a good job of. I'm
glad you mentioned the personel department because Carson Palmer went

(01:42:45):
on the radio this weekend in Radio Row and said,
basically he doesn't trust the Bengals to improve this team
this off season. Right that it obviously worked, right, we
we we don't spend a lot of money scouting department,
and so therefore we're gonna keep doing what we're doing now.
They did spend some money freedom see this past year.
Is that is that Carson Palmer just being a little
bit better about the way things were down since then?
Or is there a concern you think that they just

(01:43:07):
won't do enough to uh to surround Burrow with with
with the people needed to make this a thing, uh
that he goes longer than a year. Well, I will
say this though. When I started coming league in ninety nine.
In two thousand, they had the smallest they had and
they still do. They had the small scouting department because
they didn't have any scouts. The coaches were responsible were
doing their scouting. That's a true story. Now in recent

(01:43:29):
years they've they've added scouts. Um, They've got the great
Duke Cobin uh Bill Tilbanson who does a really good job. Um.
It is a concern, but I have to say this though.
You look at what they've done a free agency Larry
Ogunjoba broke his foot unfortunately, who did well before he
got hurt. Trey Henderson has had a great season and
people were really wondering about him. Was he a flash

(01:43:50):
in the pan after the one big year with the Saints.
He has not been. He's been terrific. The free agent
was Chitto Woozy's the starting corner has done a nice job.
Even even Eli Apple and they're not very good. But look,
this is a guy that was taken off the scrap heap.
And Trey Flowers, by the way, is there They're tight
end matchup is a tall safety who the Seahawks did one.

(01:44:11):
But you've just here's the point though, you do worry
about smaller scouting departments because that means that they're not
spending enough resources, and you do sometimes you don't draft
well enough. They've had some I would say, mixed results
from people value of the roster over the years, but
they have not gotten Joe Burrow wrong. That's for sure,
all right. So bottom line in this game tomorrow, Adam,

(01:44:32):
And one thing again, I think we'll all agree on
if this is a one score game halfway through the
fourth quarter, I would bet against Joe Burrow. Maybe there
is something about this guy that can take him over
the top. But do you think we're actually going to
be there? Do you see this as a one score
game midway through the fourth quarter? I see it a

(01:44:52):
little bit like this Kansas City game. Not they're gonna
be down three, but where where the Bengals will make
it close in the end. That's kind of the way
I see it. I could see the Rams getting a
decent leader. And by the way, I don't know that
home field is gonna matter all that much. I what
home field? There's just no home field this game exactly right,
five and three. I mean, they may be playing at home,
but I don't I don't know how, although I talked

(01:45:13):
to people who have gone, they said it's very loud
in there. I still believe the Rams will win it
twice seven to twenty three. There it is Adam Caplin
after three attempts, Adam loud and clear. We always appreciate
to enjoy the rest of your Super Bowl week. Adam there.
He is our Fox Sports Radio insider Adam Kaplan. All right,
let's find out what's trending right now as we welcome

(01:45:33):
back Ralphvin. By the way, I said that on the
WI loud speakers here Ralph and everyone just looked at like,
it's Ralph here, and We're like, no, he's not here,
but he's on the air. He's on the air. Yes
they heard that. Name's magic. I think that Jeff exposed

(01:45:58):
one of the foolish narratives comparing uh the Bengals and
the Lions. The Bengals have have now had three quarterbacks
whin you know, go to the playoffs in a row
with Carson Palmer and and and Dalton. Yeah, and Detroit
hasn't had a quarterback winning the postseason since How do
you how do you feel Kramer is the only guy

(01:46:20):
to win a playoff game for the Lions since they
won their last NFL championship in nineteen fifty seven. How
do y'all feel about the Detroit Rams shirts being sold
in Detroit? Yes? Or no? That's a hard pass, right,
It's a very hard path. And it is funny when
people talk about the sad fans in St. Louis. Um.
I was at a Super Bowl party with one Steve

(01:46:42):
Hartman in early two thousand when there was a Rams
Super Bowl that I have to share that moment. So
when the Rams beat the Titans to win the Super Bowl,
we're doing a viewing party in Orange County. Remember they
had only been gone five years, and all these Ram
fans are all excited and everything else. And Georgia Frontier,

(01:47:02):
the owner, gets her hands on the trophy. First thing
out of her mouth was it just goes to show
we made the right move coming to St. Louis And
this place went dead silent, And I got on the
mike I said, I told you remember the silence, Ralphie.
It was unbelievable. Yeah, it reminded me from that time

(01:47:23):
that I, you know, you Deny, I do all the
work on this show. But anyways, we go back. One
game going on right now in the NBA, seven or
seven to play in the third quarter. The Knicks with
a sixty nine fifty six lead over the Portland Trailblazers,
already three knicks and double figures led by Kemba Walker
with nineteen sixteen for Julius Randall. Quentin Grinds has a

(01:47:44):
dozen on the college hardwood. Well, it's been a furious
comeback for number eighteen Marquette, but right now they are
down three seventy nine with nine point one seconds left
to play. They're facing off against Butler in Indianapolis. Number
seven Duke of lead over Boston College eleven and a
half to play in the second half. In that contest.

(01:48:04):
Number four Arizona trailing at Washington, the Huskies with the
lead eight and a half to play in the first half,
seven and one to play in the first half. Michigan
leading Number sixteen Ohio State sixteen to fourteen. Finals in
wins for number nine Texas Tech over TCU eight two
six nine, Number five Kentucky over Florida fifty seven, and

(01:48:28):
we will send it back. It is a Fox Sports Saturday.
Steve Hartman, Jeff Swartz getting it ready for the Super
Bowl in southern California. Hi r alpl as always great
job and once again we're here at the tailgate tour
at Third at Broadway in Santa Monica, the largest tailgate
in Los Angeles for the super Bowl. All Right, I

(01:48:50):
need to find out, Jeff uh any more profits we'll
get to obviously we'll have our final predictions on a
score for tomorrow's game. But give the short set up
for the super Bowl tomorrow, it's what is on town game.
I think I'm going to a friend's house the first time.
I haven't either, I haven't been home for Super Bowl

(01:49:12):
in a long time. But I'm I just like I
haven't been able to see everyone I need to see,
and that there's be a lot of people. There's one house.
So I'm gonna go down in Manhattan Beach and do
that because I'm I was thought I had to be
at Fox. I will, but we're doing our show earlier tomorrow.
We're gonna hit uh Fox bet Live and kind of
go over all the props again. I mean the thing
about super Bowls you can get, you kind of can overdo.
I think a lot of the you know, the analysis

(01:49:33):
of the game, Um, and we're kind of been keeping
it steady. So yeah, I'm gonna go. I'm gonna go
watching the house. Um you know, the Chiefs aren't in
it this year. It's a two straight years of like
high stress Super Bowls. It would be nice to sit
and watch this game. I haven't wagered much on the game.
I have a couple of props. I told you guys,
I like, Um, I was waiting to take Rams money line,

(01:49:54):
but it keeps, it keeps fluctuating over the place. I think.
I think I've been seeing tweets with the Rams money
line has been taking some some more action today. Um,
I just think again, I have to think it matters
that you who the better team blocking, tackling is well,
it's interesting on the line on this game. So it
opened at three and a half, pretty quickly went to
four and a half, and then it dropped back down
to four. So it seems to have settled in one

(01:50:15):
thing about this game. Though. There's no edge in this
game right because everyone is wagering on this game. I
think the way to do this if you if you
like the Bengals in this game, take them straight up.
Don't take them to cover because most teams underdogs just
went straight up or don't cover. That's kind of that.
That's a super Bowl in essence, and really there haven't been.
There hasn't been a close game. Now. I mean there
was an overtime Patriots, uh faculty, but that was the

(01:50:37):
end up being a six point Wait, that was a push.
There hasn't been a close Super Bowl since. When was
the last one within was within three points? Was it? Well? Yeah,
the Eagles and the Patriots. It was when it was
eight points though we was eight year that was Atlanta
and U it was six point six point, yeah, so
I think it was. I think it was it was

(01:50:58):
Seahawks Patriots. Was the game where the I think was
the last? Like bowls? Interesting, they're actually not without this
four they've been above the four point spread, all right.
I know I really date myself every once in a while.
But the first time I actually laid some serious money
on a on a Super Bowl with Super Bowl sixteen,
by the way, the Bengals first Super Bowl against the

(01:51:19):
forty Niners, Joe Montana's first game. But the reason I
mentioned that game so we're in Vegas. There was only
one place then to actually wager on sports. It was
at the start us even the Olympiad at Caesar's had
Noman yet and the line dropped from the forty niners
at a point and a half, which is what we
got taking the Niners to pick them in like an hour.

(01:51:42):
Like you talked about a late rush on money filed
in on the Bengals in the last second, which obviously
made me a little nervous. Could you see that could
there be a late run on one of these teams? Well,
you're not. I don't. I don't have I don't have
those self services. I don't even figure out what what
then is that? Now? Um, there's not So you're not.

(01:52:02):
Four is probably what it's gonna end up. Because if
you have, if you want the Bengals, you've already gotten
a chance to have the best number four and a half.
So and obviously if you're the Rams, you want them
a three and a half. I think if this line
gets below four, the Rams money comes pouring in. Right,
if this line goes up to four and a half,
the Bengals money comes pouring in. I think they want
to keep it as best as possible at four. Obviously
at the idea of obviously the sports book is to

(01:52:25):
not have liability too much on either side. Sports books
want the Rams in this game. They have a lot
of Bengals liability because everyone is wagering on the Bengals.
That's actually I feel much better about taking the Rams
for that reason as well. Everyone is on the Bengals.
Covering this game. Again, most super Bowls, if you like
the underdog, take them out right. And then again, if
you have the favorite, I would just money line them.

(01:52:46):
But a lot of these two rules have not been
by The final score has not been terribly close. Again,
the overtime game ended up being um ended up being Yeah,
so the four and yeah, so it's still for right now.
I don't think it's gonna again. I don't think it's
gonna end up chain very much. Aaron Donald, by the way,
is MVP plus four yesterday, So that's that's there's money
on on Donald coming on that. All right, Well, we're

(01:53:07):
gonna make our final predictions, final score, who will be
the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player? And then any less
I can prop bets that might enhance your Super Bowl experience.
Coming up next, Steve Hartman and Jeff Schwartz hanging out
today here the beautiful tailgate tour Third and Broadway and

(01:53:31):
Santa Maya. It has lived up to the hype. It's
the largest tailgate in l A for the Super Bowl.
We are the last of the show's for Fox Sports
Radio that will be on this location. Uh could this
have worked out any better for us? This tarp has
been great. Yeah, and the breeze has been innoculate. It's
been an amazing experience out here. I want to thank

(01:53:55):
our crew today though. Iowa Sam, who should be out here,
but he's not. Yeah, I know what just slacking right? Uh,
But somebody has to push buttons back there. Yea, somebody
has to push the buttons. Ralph Urban, of course, he's
got a lot of fans out here in Santa Monica.
They just clapped again for Ralph. Danny g Are a
brilliant producer who is already predicting that the Raiders will

(01:54:18):
also be hosting a Super Bowl in two years, when
Vegas will be the UH site for Super Bowl fifty eight.
You're pretty confident about that, Danny. For sure, we'll all
be out there speeding a hundred eight miles in our cars.
We'll be getting into a lot of trouble like everyone else.
And of course Ryan hanging out here. Jeff on one
of those scooters. I saw that video Jeff bro I

(01:54:40):
was scooting. I screwed her through a part of downtown
l A that I probably shouldn't have been in a
Thursday night at about about not try to get me
on one of those scooters. I will not go on those.
I looked it up the part of town I was in. Um, yeah,
I should have avoided that part of downtown l A.
I was the only person. I was the only person
in that part. There was no car, there's no pedestrians

(01:55:00):
as me just scoot ring. I mean, someone try to
get me. I cannot do the actually much. It's much
easier to think I'm a large gentleman. I know you are,
and I went in my foot flaps for one of
the rides. You can do it, I just I can
do it. But I envisioned trouble. Ryan, you been out
here all day? I take I have. Yeah, it's been
a lot of fun. I hope everybody that's walked by

(01:55:22):
has seen me sitting here with my computer open and thought, oh,
he's doing he's working. Actually it's not. Actually it's a
it's a prop. It's not actually a real computer. So
fake computer there and it's it's a prop and it
has nothing on it at all. I got to drink
a couple of beers with Ryan yesterday on Radio Road.
Ryan all of beers or did you lose camp? Well,

(01:55:44):
Ryan had a couple of beers. I had a soda. Yeah,
that's there's beer radio Road. No. At a restaurant, and
it was like there was no food or radio was ships.
There were first ships here. There wasn't There wasn't. There
wasn't like a v I P Green room area for talent. Yeah,

(01:56:06):
and there was no food in that room. Now there
was a coffee, coffee, soda. There was a soda machine
where you get free soda. Yea, it was I was
normally the food is pretty good at the radio roads.
Well maybe next year in Arizona or the year after
in Vegas. I'm sure if we have passed this COVID
situation by the time we get to Vegas, we're gonna

(01:56:26):
have a blast. All right, Jeff, We've covered a lot
of ground here today. We've been talking about this game
for a couple of weeks, and here we are. We
are twenty four hours away from kickoff. Of Super Bowl
fifty six between the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals.
So give me a final score and a prediction on
who will be the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player. Well,

(01:56:49):
start the season, you couldn't have convinced that the Bengals
would be here, and you couldn't convinced me that Masstafford
will be a Super Bowl champion. But here we are. Um,
the Rams win this game, uh twenties seven thirteen. I look, um,
it has to matter. You can't block the best defensi
line of football we saw last year. And foolishly I
was one of these people say, hey, look man, the

(01:57:11):
Chief's offensive line, they'll be fine. Pat Mahomes will do enough.
Come on like you. They're not gonna run the football.
Or if you came with the football and you can't
put up Joe Burrow, you can get lucky. I mean,
you can make plays. And now if they didn't get
Kansas City, But again it comes down to Stafford. Man,
Stafford doesn't lose the game for the Rams. You're gonna
win this game going away. Um, And I think there's

(01:57:31):
something to to the Bengals being here by and there
is a value to this, But just not screwing up. Right.
They have not messed up in three games. The other
teams are messed up, but I think the Rams are
too good for that to happen again. Things have faced
one defense and top ten and the entire season they
have blown out in that game. They're now facing the
other team in the top ten on defense. I think
it's gonna be a tough game for them, and they're

(01:57:52):
and the m v P is gonna be it's They're
gonna give it to Stafford, is my guests, um, because
if Cup has a big game, we're gonna point to
a staff like he's the feel good story of this,
all right, So I'm gonna give you a feel good
story that it's not Matthew Stafford for m v P.
I like your fourteen points spread. I do think it'll
be near that forty eight and a half. I got
thirty one seventeen Ramps over the Bengals and out of

(01:58:16):
left field as Super Bowl m v P. Odell Beckham Jr.
I mean, I think Cooper Cup obviously is Cooper Cup. Uh,
He's gonna get some numbers. But somehow, some way, this
whole Beckham situation with the Ramps is gonna culminate with
him being named the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl

(01:58:37):
fifty six. I like O'Dell, who's my teammate in New York. Um,
I uh, you think about that though? Is again like
it has to be O'Dell running cats, right, because I
think they're gonna definitely lean towards Stafford as much as
possible if he has big, big numbers. So Adell is
gonna have to have, you know, a lot of running cats, right.
I mean, that's I think what it comes down to,

(01:59:00):
because otherwise they're gonna give it the Staffords a feel
good story, which is why I never would have thought
he'd he'd be in the spot. But um, you can't.
I come back to this man. So there's a checklist
rams better, boom boom, boom, boom boom. And it's like
Joe Burrow. I don't think that's nothing super Bowl. It's
the X factor. And I do say this, if this
game is a one score game in the fourth quarter,

(01:59:21):
probably win. I will not beat against Joe Burrow as
far as that is concerned. I probably might. I might
add some Bengals money line at that point in the game.
Your family is anxious to reunite with their something. I
can see that he They've been very very patient. Uh,
enjoy Super Bowl Sunday. Everybody, remember, for all your coverage,

(01:59:41):
there's no place to be other than right here. Fox
Sports Radio,

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