December 30, 2022 • 36 mins
Mike Harmon and Bernie Fratto (in for Jason Smith) discuss Broncos players coming to the defense of QB Russell Wilson. Jerry Jeudy defended Russ, and says that he’s a believer that Wilson could bounce back next year, and rekindle his play in Seattle. Plus, the guys react to the end of the Thursday Night Football game and much more!
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to The Jason Smith Show with Mike
Harmen podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weeknight
ten pm to two a m Eastern seven to eleven
pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. Find your local station
for The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon at Fox
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(00:23):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Hey, welcome in. It's
our two of the program. Yeah, it goes by so
fast and net live for the tire Act dot Com
studios Mike Harman alongside Bernie Prattle and for Jason Smith.
Jason will be back on Monday. We will celebrate that
January second day with you. Well, Monday night football recap,
(00:44):
some Bowl games and playoff games and week seventeen and
we'll have we'll have the airing of the grievances of
all the guys. Who did you wrong in your Fantasy finals? Yeah,
there's no question there'll be a lot of that going on. Uh,
the failures lining up because some of the team based
on circumstance, will it's lining up for you just long
before the game's even kick off. But you know what,
(01:06):
you love the name so much and you're so tapped
into them Davante Adams, that you'll play them anyway and
watch things strong a. It's Bernie Frattle at Bertie Frittle
where you find them on Twitter. You hear him here
Fox Sports Radio Friday Night follows our show starting at
eleven pm Pacific time, and then the same time Saturday
night as well, and then Sunday. I believe you're doing
(01:28):
the two to five Pacific slot alongside the Empire from
what right here ye looking forward to it. Had the
good fortune of doing that several times in the past
few weeks, and it's a lot of fun, a little
bit of Red Zone radio. As we flowed through five ten,
remaining here at third and ten coming up Cowboys now
with lead over the Titans. So feeling a little more comfortable,
(01:49):
maybe maybe maybe if you bet them. We're broadcasting live
from the tire act dot Com studios tire act dot Com.
We'll help you get there on unmatched selection, fast free shipping,
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be Bernie the Tease At the end of last hour,
(02:10):
I steal liberally from the songbook of Taylor Swift uh
and talking about rooting for the anti here. And I
think that's where we're at for at least some of
us here in the media world and in the NFL fandom,
in wondering aloud, can Aaron Rodgers actually lead the Packers
into the playoffs? Because, let's face it, the world's more
(02:32):
interesting when a guy like Aaron Rodgers, who made a
lot of enemies the last couple of years, he did
his sojourn with Miles Teller into some woods and and
jungles and whatever else, the ayahuasca and everything else, and
and you can go through all the permutations. People have
a liking problem with him, and that they don't uh,
and and all of those things. Who the guy is,
(02:56):
the threats of retirement, wanting out, all of those rumors,
whispers injecture. All he's done is go and play for
an exorbitant amount of money. Hey, take what you can
earn uh. And now they move forward, And with a
team that had been left for dead, well two weeks left,
it will take some extra things and and a little
bit of help. But you're in a situation whereby you've
(03:19):
got a couple of home dates against division foes, and
I can get into the whole thing of division foes
and scheduling, damn buyer, And I did that a little
bit on the I Watch Reflex podcast. Uh this week, Bernie,
Indianapolis had five of their seven division games in the
first seven weeks of the season. Tell me how that
makes any sense. But when we look at it, you've
got two games against divisional foes, Kirk Cousins. Everybody keeps
(03:43):
waiting for the other shoe to drop. And then the
Detroit Lions. And while many monologues and soliloquies have been
made by all of us about the Detroit Lions through
the years, Bernie, uh So, all of a sudden, you've
got a puncher's chance and a guy that, let's face it,
it's always good to have a team that has its big,
built in fan base. The love and hate watching is
(04:05):
a very real thing right now. The Cowboys. There's a
lot of folks that have no vested interest in this
game other than they love the NFL and they want
bad things to happen to the Cowboys. Well, first of all,
a lot to unpack, but I got the goods for
you here. Big fellas. So um, look, as far as
the NFL playoff picture, particularly NFC, which is not decided.
(04:28):
When it comes to the Packers, I've got a blank
space and I'll write their name. So here's wait, here's
where they need to win twice. They need Detroit at
Minnesota and these two games and they're both at home
against hothouse teams going on the road. But then they
need some help obviously, right, But all they need is
for the Washington Commanders to lose one game or the
(04:50):
Giants New York Giants to lose both of their remaining games.
The Giants play the Colton Eagles and the Commanders play
the Browns and Cowboys. So if the Packers take care
of business, it would seem to me and according to
the odds, their chances to make the playoffs. But in
Vegas there there two to one. I think they're gonna
do it. Mike, Yeah, I think the door opened. And
(05:12):
especially when you start adding Washington and the Giants into
the mix. And uh, do the Giants lose twice? Probably
that maybe maybe not eight six and one on the year,
but you've got the command or seven seven one. Turning
to Carson Wentz, which is kind of a curiosity to me.
It's like, here's the we We've scored nineteen points a
game all year, and we've had this guy that has
(05:34):
been waiting in the wings, and suddenly he's gonna be
the savior. Really that that that's the magical elixir. Uh
for Ron Rivera and company, but for the Packers. You know,
one thing lamentably right. One of the things I'll raise
my hand and say I got horribly wrong was I
was expecting that defense to have some teeth and for
(05:55):
much of the season, they don't get me started. Please, Well,
you know what I'll I'm the guy that will raise
his hand and tell you what I get stuff wrong.
A lot of hosts won't. But but but think about it.
About it. First of all, the Packers under the season
with seven first round picks on defense. The problem is
their defensive coordinator, Joel Berry, looks like a drunk trend
across the Nicey Street. I've got history with Joe Perry.
(06:18):
Remember the two thousand and eight Detroit Lions and went
o In sixteen I covered that team. Who was their
defensive coordinator, Joe Berry. But he had a lot of
years to learn. Bernie, you know Leon Spinks had a
lot of years to pass his driving test and how
did that work out. I would just say this, you
are not wrong in terms of their personnel and in
terms of what was perceived to be. They just have
(06:40):
run the wrong scheme. Be that as it may. As
long as the Packers, I think the Commanders will lose
to the Cowboys. I don't know about the Browns. The
Browns are a mess, and you're right. I think the
Giants will at least split one of the last two
games against the Colton Eagles. But the real Keys, I
think the Packers will win their last two in Lambeau.
So this is yet to be decided, and I think
it may makes the playoffs all that much more interesting. Mike.
(07:02):
If Aaron Rodgers is there, I really do it's you know, listen,
the opposite of love is not hate, it's indifferent. So
people will root for or against him. It's like the Raiders,
It's like the New York Yankees, it's like the Dallas Cowboys.
We don't have royalty in this country. Are athletes and
our entertainers. They are our royalty. So just ask yourself,
when the playoffs start, do you want to see Aaron
Rodgers in there. Do you want to see a Carson
(07:24):
Wentz right, you want to see the big names? Yeah?
I think I'll extend it because it's another team with
the large fan base, and we obliquely touched on it yesterday,
but more and more press conferences where another day closer.
I want to get into the hard bass situation. And
we can do either high hardball with storylines as we go.
But we're talking about the ravens Lamar Jackson, and I've
(07:46):
got the timeline from reporters who have assembled quotes uh
of coach Hardba relating to Lamar Jackson, availability at practice, injury,
et cetera. And then and it gets kind of interesting
because let's just say, word economy is at play here
unlike us on the radio, and we wax poetically and
loquaciously uh for four hours a night every night here
(08:09):
on Fox Sports Radio. But the point is, Mike Tomlin
in his press conference, I thought said something really really,
really great and and that relates back to us as
fans consumers of the product, et cetera. Like anybody on
talk radio and sports television that tells you they're not
a fan is lying through their teeth they're rooting for
(08:32):
something somebody somewhere, and if they're only interested in the
gaming portion, then I get it. They're rooting for upcomes
and and sides. I get that. But we all started
because we love the sports UH and sports teams that
we were growing up. The Pittsburgh Steelers one of the
greatest fan bases ever. I had the good fortune of
being able to go to the Super Bowl when the
(08:54):
Steelers and Packers collided, no real dog in the fight.
I've made friends going to Latre Rogue for years as
part of training camp tours when I lived on the
East Coast, had some great interactions with coach Tomlin and
the staff there. We had a bunch of Northwestern people
that handled a lot of media stuff, so we talked
about Northwestern, our experiences there, whatever. But they were always
(09:15):
very affable UH AND and hooked you up to get
accessibility to the players some of the uh coutrements that
go there. They had a dorm you could stay in
if you were doing a multi day visit. Kind of cool.
You'd eat in the same mess hall as the players.
But he brought it down to this Bernie of getting
flexed into the Sunday night game means you're still playing
(09:38):
for something, right. It still means that this game matters.
And there's a lot of people that look at it
because on the surface, Ravens with Tyler Huntley going up
against Kenny Pickett a f C North battle, you look
at it. Where's the sex appeal? Right? This isn't the
hard hitting Ravens of years past. Lamar Jackson's not gonna
go all of those things. The star power isn't necessarily
(10:02):
there except for the longevity of these squads, and they're
they're big fan bases, but it is still to that
point of you you're tapping into that NFL culture and
teams that do have that bit of following. Right, any
time Pittsburgh schedule comes out, what's the first thing you
have websites crashing trying to figure out accommodations and flights.
(10:25):
And I don't mean that glibly. Uh is glibly a word?
As we talked about the snaffoos people have gone on.
You know, I had to undergo here. Wherever you may
be listening, we appreciate you giving us your time. If
you're stuck in an airport or on the road, be patient.
You'll get there. I know it sucks, Okay, just it'll happen.
But but we know when the Steelers are on the
(10:46):
road there on the road and their fans are come
into town. And and I think from Mike Tomlin at
this point to have the Steelers again long shots and
and things that need to fall into place, but still
being viable not only for the five season but potentially
for a playoff birth, it's it's just good for football. Well,
first of all, you you mentioned the the greatness of
(11:10):
the Steeler backers and the you know, the dedication of
their fan bease. I covered Super Bowl forty Detroit two
thousand six Steelers. It was basically it was basically a
Steeler's home game, honest to god, and it was an
amazing turnout. So they travel well. Baltimore clinched a playoff
berth last week. They beat Atlanta seventeen to nine. They
(11:32):
looked really, uh less than stellar. Let's say Pittsburgh can
win that game. Pittsburgh's currently holding down the number eleventh slot.
They're one of four SC teams that are right, and
it just seems like the stars are aligning. They were
all set to retire Franco Harris's jersey. He passed. Kenny
Pickett was barking out Franco. Franco and his cadence. They
(11:55):
beat the Raiders and dramatic fashion, didn't look good doing it.
They get, you know, they got. Look as long as t. J.
Watt is healthy. The Steelers, I mean they were two
and six at the bye week and three and seven
on Thanksgiving, all of a sudden other seven and eight
and they're alive. So this game is extremely meaningful. And
if you're Baltimore, you don't want to hit into the
playoffs with a loss, and you don't want to beat
(12:16):
Pittsburgh East. What was the old you know, adage, Mike
for a decade or so when these these two teams
played and this when it was the Ray Lewis Hears, etcetera.
It was always a field goal game. It's it's still
a hotly contested situation. And now you realize that Lamar Jackson,
he's missed ten practices in a row, is availabilities very
much in question. But Tyler Huntley, even though you know
(12:38):
they don't draw pictures in the scorebook when it comes
to wins and ask college is tom any He is
two and one, and so this will be a very
much of this is a will be a watched game
with a national perspective and playoff implications on the line.
That's about as good as you can ask for me.
And that's the thing, right with all of these games,
you're you're hoping there's something valuable to you as a
(12:59):
fan and as a viewing audience, and certainly for us
in sports talk radio and television. You know you're finding
your angles with with Cowboys and Titans. Titans are playing
for next week, but the Cowboys, there's still a lot
of folks, all right, you're eleven and four. I don't care, yawn,
show me when you show me when it matters. Minnesota
(13:20):
a lot of one win games, right, that was what
the Raiders were last year. Everybody, I'll try to do
what they did. They got into the playoffs. Sometimes that
goes the other way, and but the karma went a
dent with the Raiders lost all of those now and
gave up big leads, and we've we've really hammered that
over the time here this last six seven weeks. But
all of those games went to Minnesota, who under Mike
(13:42):
Zimmer couldn't win Layton games. Right, That was the entire
thing that submarine there one season is they couldn't finish
games and gave up in one score games. They were atrocious,
So it's just gone the other way. The van flow
of the NFL responded, Hey, a couple of quick things
to piggyback on what you just said. First of all,
(14:03):
even if these two teams were four and twelve Sunday night,
people don't really truly understand the power of the NFL
when it comes to sports betting. Christmas Day, there were
five NBA games, there were three NFL games. The NFL
wagering attracted five times as much money in three games
as the cumulative effect of five NBA games. That's the
(14:25):
power of the National Football League. And it's not just
the game and the outcome and the totals. There's profits
and all sorts of things, uh in between. To your
point about the Raiders last year and the Vikings this
year and last year, and of course some of those
last minute Zimmer losses were chip shot field goals that
went awry, you know, insert your own joke. Now, the
(14:46):
bottom line is this, what goes up must come down,
and in the National Football League, the Vikings have to
five the odds they've had a game and they turned
the ball over four times in one six percent chance
of doing that. In history of the National Football League,
there are eleven and oh and one score games. But
when you contextualize that, Mike, their points per game uh
differential this year is slim and and and for that
(15:07):
to happen, and to be outyarded by the tune of
about sixty eight yards per game, that equates to really
not an eleven and three team or a twelve and
three team. It's more like a seven and six team.
So when they get to the playoffs, I refuse. I
know our guy, Adam Caplan, I love Adam. He called
him frauds. I think he did. I don't want to
misquote him. Bottom line is, I'll never call a twelve
and three team a fraud. What I will say is
(15:29):
this that when you get on the field in a
playoff game where it's winner go home, and those peccadillas
show up against a team that can play in all
three phases that's in the playoffs for a reason, your
weaknesses have a tendency to be exposed. So the Vikings
fans should be concerned. He's Bernie Pratt in for Jason
Smith on Mike Carmon. Here the Jason Smith Show with
(15:49):
Mike Harmen Company from the tire Act dot Com Studio.
And coming up, we finally have a defense of a
much maligned quarterback. Where the hell's it been all this time?
We'll get into that next. Hey, this is Jason McIntyre.
Join me every weekday morning on my podcast, Straight Fired
with Jason McIntyre. This isn't your typical sports pod pushing
(16:10):
the same tired narratives down your throat every day. Straight
Fire gives you honest opinions on all the biggest sports headlines,
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and all the best guests. Do yourself a favor and
listen to Straight Fire with Jason McIntyre on the I
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(16:34):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Odd Couple
with Chris Broussard and Rob Parker weekdays at seven pm
Eastern four pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the
I Heart Radio app. Hey, welcome back in Fox Sports
Radio Jason Smith Show with me Mike Harmon. Note Jason
Smith tonight He'll be back on Monday, We'll do a
lot of tales of the debauchery of New Year's Eve,
(16:58):
unless there's not because I got a five am show
to do uh in the morning, that that won't work.
Or maybe I'll just stay up all night. Who knows.
So you know, turn back the clock and try to
be young again and just put a helmet cam on,
like I'm Al Franken in the mobile mobile units. I'm
down on their looks like something's going on here. Wait
they're shooting at Yeah, long before politics, when he was
(17:21):
just a comedian named Al Franken. Oh my god, that's
one Saturday Night Live was Saturday Night Live. But all
those years ago the irreverence and chaos and yes it
was a drug deal gone awry where they were suddenly
shooting at Al Franken mobile one Mann unit uh walking
her out with a dish on his head, uh and
a microphone. So good times by him. Cowboys win. Uh
(17:46):
if you're on the cowboys side and you got it
earlier in the week before, everyone to play. Right there
you go. Our guy Bobo is on the board. He's
he was sweating it out for a little bit earlier.
You're you're getting a little salty there, Bobo, I get
through to Pig that weren't necessary. There you go. See
there there's your and and we're not playing good, especially
(18:08):
when we like kicked the ball. We punted it off
and towards the end, and we could have had the
ball back, but they called interference. Hit him. He didn't
hit him like his leg. Did he touch him? I
mean he didn't touch him, he touched him. No, we
want to leave that alone. You know, in an hour
and a half, we can come back to that one, Bobo,
(18:30):
once we hit uh what we call safe harbor in
radio terms, Bobo and Brandon making us sound so pretty
steep to say around the updates. We'll to hear from
him in a couple of minutes, Bernie Fratto at Bernie Fratto,
where you find him, find me over at Swollen Dome.
Team we'll get back into the playoff picture, the Cowboys
expectations and all that fun and excitement here in in
(18:53):
in a few minutes. But Bernie, finally, a couple of
people stood up on behalf of Russell Wilson, something you
and I and the sports watching world have waited for forever.
Outside of his wife and maybe some of his brand partner.
A hell even they took his sandwich off the menu
pretty early in the season. No, Finally, his receivers Jerry
(19:14):
Judy and kJ Handler Bolt said hey, hey, hey, that's
my quarterback. They didn't do a tearful Terrell Owens kind
of thing, Owens being in the news earlier in the
week they couldn't agree on money. Uh, forty nine year
old Tarrell Owens and the Cowboys. That's kind of funny.
But tweeting and tweeting from Jerry Judy, uh quote, I
never had a teammate who motivated me more. Hamdler tweeted
(19:37):
three goes above and beyond to do whatever it takes
to win for the team. Uh, Judy continues, media is
trying to make it seem like something it ain't. You
don't know what's going on in the locker room. I'm
tired of reading things about my boy making it seem like, oh,
he's not a good teammate, unnecessary stuff that's not true.
Here's the problem. Well, he may be getting along with
(19:58):
folks and and potence or those receivers who recognize Now.
After Nathaniel Hackett was dumped earlier in the week, Russell
Wilson's not going anywhere, so you need to make nice
with the quarterback who has two hundred plus million dollars
still left on his contract if you want to be
the guys there Courtland Sutton a guy showing visibly his frustration.
(20:20):
We did have it with Handler a little bit earlier
in the year, remember in the end zone when he
did a little pouty jump upping down like he was
a three year old get something to me? Now? Well,
sometimes you gotta do that, uh, and sometimes it works
to your advantage. Sometimes not now here publicly backing his quarterback.
As we get to week seventeen, Bernie, uh, let's let's
(20:41):
not let's not bury the lead there. It's week seventeen.
In the NFL Penner, the CEO said that the new
coach will report to him instead of George Payton, so
we can all say, hey, dead man walking there in
the GM role unless things really change, and I'm sure
there'll be some other decision makers that come in or
whatever's left of their draft picks and talent evaluation coming
(21:04):
into twenty three. But just kind of curious because we've
had so much smoke that I thought it was the
towering Inferno seventies movie movie of the week. Well, you
know what, I was a year old. I remember it
all right. So it's the the idea watching all those
old movies with my dad when they were on in
(21:25):
rerun hip hop. But the the idea just being that
in week seventeen, these guys finally pipe up and I
joked with Buyer, who's a Seahawks fan, you you'll work
with him again on Sunday Red Zone Radio two to
five pm Pacific time. Um that we've really kind of
had a town hall meeting right where everybody gets a
chance to go to the podium and speak, Uh, we
(21:46):
have any more new business. Hi, we need a stop
sign on eighth and Ardmore. We've had a couple of
near misses while walking the dog. Uh, we'd really appreciate it,
and the next person would come up. The Seahawks former
former teammates of Russell Wilson, it seems like they've been
in those meetings where the next person waiting to take
(22:06):
their shots at Russell Wilson has been there on podcasts,
on radio spots, on on social media platforms. So while
I appreciate the efforts of Jerry Judy and kJ Hamler. Uh,
that's more of the I'm looking out from my own
interests as a member of the Denver Broncos, and so
all right, there's a bit of a power vacuum in
terms of coaching, front office and everything else. So the
(22:28):
only guy I really need to go smoochy, smoochy and
and and kiss up to, right, no, how is Russell Wilson.
So that's the timing of this just made me laugh
given all of the other stuff that's been out there
in the media. You know, the Union had the draft
day scenario Bocalahan and only half the team go into
his birthday party. I mean everything was there. That's a
(22:50):
heck of a reference. You pancake eating, That's right. I
can love me some some pancakes. By the way, Well,
no sparkle syrup from my Arnie Spaniard that we might
need a new traffic lad on wave Land and Addison too,
or maybe Russian division while we're at it down hall meeting. Yeah, look,
I'm glad that I have not bashed Russell Wilson all year.
(23:11):
I'll tell you why, because it's it's low hanging fruit.
I think to a degree he's a victim of his
own success. He was supposed to single handily lift the
Broncos back into the postseason. He's twenty nine ranked quarterback.
And you know, no one likes the phony, and I
guess that that's sort of the prevailing narrative among the
group think echo chamber that you know, you can tell
(23:33):
this guy is just blowing smoke because every time he
moves his lips it just sounds so disingenuous. But people
have been picking on Russell Wilson all year, earlier in
the year, and I just say I was country when
country wasn't cool. I was doing that before the band
wagon loaded up, Bernie. I didn't think this was going
to work before the year, and didn't you're you're a
hip hipster and you may have enjoyed towering in frontal one,
(23:54):
but you're a learning man. I tell me his young
whipper snappers. Listen. I wasn't alive for the War of
eighteen twe but I've read a book there, fella, so
feel free to pick up a book. All right. Back
to Russell Wilson. As you know, when these guys talk,
it's a it's a there's always an agenda. And it's
my understanding because I've done my best not to pay
attention to the story. I get a migraine headache when
(24:16):
I watched things like this. Apparently Shannon Sharp went off
on Russell Wilson because he's gonna I guess he's got
an office in the stadium. Yeah, office and a couple
of parking spots like whoop the damn? What does the
old saying? Uh, no one ever lied on their deathbed
and said I wish I'd spent more time in the office.
Russell Wilson will probably the worst first guy to say that,
and Shannon Sharpe will be the first guy to call
(24:36):
him out, and then Jerry Judy and kJ Hamler will
defend him. What are we talking about here? I mean,
this is just a bunch of stupid craziness because Russell Wilson,
I believe, is a victim of his own success in
the past, and so it's easy, low hanging fruit, and
he's been an easy target all year. Yeah. I think
there's there's a couple of things, like going back to
the finishing of things in Seattle. I didn't think he
(25:00):
was the same players and not don't to grudge any
man who gets his money, man woman, whatever, you do
for a living, Get every dime you can right while
you can. So when anybody bemoans contracts, the only thing
I'll ever do is if we break it down in
terms of what it means. What are the opportunity costs
of the next move? Right? If it's gonna preclude you
from going into free agency because you internally and we
(25:24):
all know, salary caps are kind of a joke, right,
we can dance with those move money around. I mean,
you've watched the Rams do it, and we'll see how
many more teams kind of adopt what what they've gone
and done, right, But when when we look at it
in terms of contracts, go get your funny money? So
did I? Did I think he's at this stage of
his career? Am I? Am? I signing up for a
(25:44):
mid thirties quarterback looked like he was showing signs of
decline and uh, coming into a new system, coach that
you're you're wondering if it's gonna work, because on paper
it looked okay, right, Javante Williams. You bring back Melvin
Gore and of course he for out how to hold
onto the football. You had to bring in Rossberg in
week three, because you've mismanaged so many time and down
(26:07):
in distance opportunities. And this is this is where I
was critical of Russ right off the jump, because immediately
everybody put it on Hackett. You got a veteran quarterback.
You brought in a guy, and you paid him that
money for a reason. It's kind of like why I
went after Aaron Rodgers in the same vein before it
became in vogue to do do so, and it and
it had nothing to do with any of his views
(26:29):
about the COVID world and what we've done the last
couple of years. I don't care. It was more the
you acquiesced on the field to say, all right, we're
not gonna do this. We're not gonna I'm not gonna
change the play. I'm not gonna fight with you about
play calling. I'm gonna allow you to bring the kicker out,
kick a field goal and then let Tom Brady have
the football back. That was my problem with Aaron Rodgers. Likewise,
(26:50):
in that season opening game against Seattle where you've got
Russell Wilson, this is the guy you brought in, and
you make the decisions you do, you lose track of
how to run the clock, and then you hire Rossberg.
What's Rossberg do? His first act was I'm the captain now,
and he fired a bunch of guys. Was the management
He roound up to it in a press conference, Bernie said, yep,
(27:12):
special Team's corner, my guy. That's the guy I fired. Uh.
It's like saying, all right, I'm in charge here, which
is kind of an interesting cause concept right week seventeen,
coming in going look, I'm changing things up, I am
spinning things around. But for Russell Wilson, he came in
and obviously it didn't work and it became in vogue.
And he's always been a guy that has been polarizing
(27:33):
from the personality side, you know, confusing to some off
putting to others. I in the end, be who you're
gonna be, and we'll make our comments and kind of shrug.
Maybe it's the lifestyle, but from all reports he's a
good guy, just a bit weird and that's fine, right,
good family man, whatever, whatever. Like all, we all have
(27:56):
personalities that we're not everybody's cup of tea. As radio host,
as people in our personal lives. People come and go.
Everybody's got their good, the bad, the ugly, that runs
through it with Russell Wilson just looking as a quarterback. Yeah,
it started to come over the top. And I think
for Aaron Rodgers, everything was clouded by people and they're
(28:17):
getting up in their fields about his off field rather
than what was going on in between the white lines
with the Green Bay Packers. And I know history repeating
of itself of starting to talk about retirement and all
the reports of he thought he wants out and everything else.
I get I get it. That gets grading and tiring
at everything else. The fact that Davante Adams decided he'd
(28:38):
rather go to Vegas. He made a decision. That's fine.
You got young receivers. He still had a defense that
on paper look good. The two proud attack in the
run game look like it should have at least been
a recipe for an easier road towards the playoffs, as
opposed to something you and I talked about last week,
where they still may find themselves in the tournament and
(28:58):
if they get there, I don't know. It's the NFC.
There's a lot of question marks with all your front
running squads. So the potential is there for some chaos
with Russell Wilson and the Denver Broncos. Now you gotta
try to I'll ask you this question, just point blank, Bernie, like,
do you give him any any say? And who comes
in to coach him? Because I got two hundred million
dollars that's wrapped up in him. No. But I'm glad
(29:20):
you brought up Nathaniel Hackett. And first of all, I
do agree. Let's be fair. Russell Wilson, I think, by
all accounts, is a solid citizen. You're not gonna see
him on episode eighty seven of Cops in Denver anytime soon.
He's a solid citizen. I'm glad you mentioned Nathaniel Hackett.
By the way, Hackett had to beat out ken candidates
to get that job. Who were these guys? Who are
these people? As Jerry Seinfeld would say, you gotta screw
(29:42):
up really bad to get fired before your first year,
and it's happened five times since nineteen seventy. I mean,
you joined the Cup, the likes of Bobby Petrino and
and and Urban Meyer for crying outloud, Steve Wilkes, who
kind of got screwed because they wanted the new guy.
This he finished the season. I mean, these guys, but
I digress agin. Hackett kind of started slow and then faded.
(30:03):
You cannot unsee what happened in week one against the
aforementioned Seattle Seahawks when they mismanaged the clock and they
bring him Brandon McManus and he misses the sixty four
yard or then what afterward? He says, well, we got
to go ahead, to uh to go for it, the
go ahead. You're the head coach, you hidiot? Who'd you
call here, Bob Barker? Are you kidding me? Didn't forget
(30:26):
to have your pet Spain or neuter? Thank you very much.
Then I'm glad you brought young man. Let's go. He
just had his birthday a couple of days ago. There
you go, Yeah, and the price is still right. You
want part of me and you got all of me,
so we two. You're right that hi are the legendary
that is known as the legend that is known as
(30:46):
Jerry Rossberg to quote help with game management. All that
showed me it was another sign that Hackett was in
over his head. That's it. In week three, you had
already thrown out the white flags and you needed some help.
That's Bernie Frotta on my car when we continue in Denver.
More on Hackett, Wilson and what's next for the Denver
(31:06):
brack Goes as we talk on Fox Sports Radio. Be
sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith Show
with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven pm
Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the I Heart Radio app. Hey,
welcome back in It's Fox Sports Radio Jason Smith Show
with Me Mike Carmen live for the tire Act dot
Com Studios. Bernie Fratto in for Jason Smith tonight, Yes,
(31:31):
tomorrow night, as we're talking about in the hallways, will
be blessed once again with the presence of the great
Ernie span your stinking genius, and then we will serve
up the massive audience that we build up to Bernie Fratto.
That's it, you guys leading to me. Bernie Fratto Show
starts at eleven You get what four hours of goodness
(31:54):
Friday in the Saturday, three Saturday in the Sunday or
reversed leven pm Pacific to who am heading into you.
I'll get smarter. I'll read the schedule beyond scene. You
know that greatness. Just to see my name in print
as I do each and every week as we still
(32:15):
got more games going on, we still have a Bowl
game in full effect, but we're talking about Denver Broncos.
And now I raise it up to this because I
asked you the question of do you give Russell Wilson
any input on the new coach? And part of me
is like, all right, I gotta try to make the
best of the next couple of years. So what I
would rather not do is do the you know, round peg,
(32:37):
square hole. You know, let's just leather, rinse and repeat
the chaos that you saw this year. And I understand
the reticence to not have him be involved, just saying, hey,
we need to do what's best for the organization and
he needs the fall in line. So somewhere between the
two they have to mix. But the big question is
what coach other than a first timer coordinator looking for
(32:59):
that first opportunity, goes and fits the bill there, right,
because they're only thirties two jobs. It's something I know
you're you're in. Uh, you kind of break this along
the same lines I do. I think of ay, when
it's all said and done, that's it. You're trying to
get to the pinnacle of your profession and they're only
thirty two of these jobs, so you hold on for
dear life, and even if it's not ideal, you have
(33:21):
no guarantee that it's coming again, right, And that's in
everything you do, any job you're doing across the country,
you have to try to figure out what the play
is long term, short term and where opportunities and extensions.
You know, the old Yogi Barraw who you referenced earlier.
You know, when you see a fork in the road,
take it or or does that get capped off to
(33:44):
where that opportunity or opportunities of that nature are never
there again. So for the Broncos, you do a talent,
you have a good defense returning. You have a couple
of skill position players. Will get Javonte Williams back, so
we'll see what kind of uh speed explosiveness he has
coming off his injury. You still have a couple of receivers.
(34:05):
Tim Patrick will come back off injury a loss that
I thought was actually kind of big. I thought he
would have been a nice possession guy for them, but
that's he never saw the field with them this year.
So that's fine. But as a coach, you know, as
we do the old coaching carousel. I think it would
be very curious to see what names emerged to go
work with Russell Wilson. Well, you bring up a good point.
(34:28):
So you have two choices. You're either gonna get a
first time or who's probably somebody's assistant or you know
a guy who's been a head coach before. I think
there're only three assistance right now you talk to I
think you take a real hard look at Eric the enemy.
He's been in your division now for almost a decade.
In the road to the super Bowl, in the FC
goes through Kansas City, I think Damiko Ryan's the forty
(34:50):
Honors DC is gonna get some run. Uh. There's just
a couple of names right there. Maybe Brian Callahan, he's
the offensive coordinator for Joe Burrow. There's some thoughts, or
do you go back into the old rehabs, the Dan Quinn's,
the Sean Payton's, maybe a Leslie Frasier. If Steve Wilkes
doesn't latch on Carolina, maybe you take a look at him.
If he doesn't have to keep that job, that would
(35:10):
be that would be a mistake. Any I don't care
how brilliant businessman Tepper is he'd be an idiot not
to keep that guy around with the job he's done
with lesser talent and literal trading off two of your
best pieces. When I saw the physical attitude that Carolina
displayed at Seattle and then again versus Detroit last week,
they're playing hard for this guy. Now, I think you
(35:31):
can throw out the name Jim Harball. Harball will not
go to Denver. However, you watch Jim or say the
Colts is gonna make his significant play at Harbor in January.
He might quarterback for him too. Well. He did back
in the Indiot they called him captain. Come back and
when and when you know Chuck Pagana was fired in seventeen,
they had a straw pole in in Indianapolis. The people
(35:54):
wanted Jim Harball. They wanted him there. You don't want
to talk about a guy who's reputation change. I always said, hey,
you gotta love that you're a nine or ten win
team and recognize who you are. And now aren't you
glad you didn't run them out of town? Michigan fans. Hey,
Coming up next, we'll go to the other Hardball and
questions of what all is going on in Baltimore with
(36:14):
their quarterback tight lips, missed practices, but evidently perfect attendance
in his rehab assignments. He's Bernie Frito in for Jason Smith.
I'm Mike Harmon as we come to you Alive from
the Tire Act dot Com, Fox Sports Radio Studios
Thanks for listening to The Jason Smith Show with Mike
Harmen podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weeknight
ten pm to two a m Eastern seven to eleven
pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. Find your local station
for The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon at Fox
Sports Radio dot com, or stream us live every night
on the I Heart Radio app by searching fs R.
(00:23):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Hey, welcome in. It's
our two of the program. Yeah, it goes by so
fast and net live for the tire Act dot Com
studios Mike Harman alongside Bernie Prattle and for Jason Smith.
Jason will be back on Monday. We will celebrate that
January second day with you. Well, Monday night football recap,
(00:44):
some Bowl games and playoff games and week seventeen and
we'll have we'll have the airing of the grievances of
all the guys. Who did you wrong in your Fantasy finals? Yeah,
there's no question there'll be a lot of that going on. Uh,
the failures lining up because some of the team based
on circumstance, will it's lining up for you just long
before the game's even kick off. But you know what,
(01:06):
you love the name so much and you're so tapped
into them Davante Adams, that you'll play them anyway and
watch things strong a. It's Bernie Frattle at Bertie Frittle
where you find them on Twitter. You hear him here
Fox Sports Radio Friday Night follows our show starting at
eleven pm Pacific time, and then the same time Saturday
night as well, and then Sunday. I believe you're doing
(01:28):
the two to five Pacific slot alongside the Empire from
what right here ye looking forward to it. Had the
good fortune of doing that several times in the past
few weeks, and it's a lot of fun, a little
bit of Red Zone radio. As we flowed through five ten,
remaining here at third and ten coming up Cowboys now
with lead over the Titans. So feeling a little more comfortable,
(01:49):
maybe maybe maybe if you bet them. We're broadcasting live
from the tire act dot Com studios tire act dot Com.
We'll help you get there on unmatched selection, fast free shipping,
free road hazard protect and and over ten thousand recommended
installers tire act dot com. The way tire buying should
be Bernie the Tease At the end of last hour,
(02:10):
I steal liberally from the songbook of Taylor Swift uh
and talking about rooting for the anti here. And I
think that's where we're at for at least some of
us here in the media world and in the NFL fandom,
in wondering aloud, can Aaron Rodgers actually lead the Packers
into the playoffs? Because, let's face it, the world's more
(02:32):
interesting when a guy like Aaron Rodgers, who made a
lot of enemies the last couple of years, he did
his sojourn with Miles Teller into some woods and and
jungles and whatever else, the ayahuasca and everything else, and
and you can go through all the permutations. People have
a liking problem with him, and that they don't uh,
and and all of those things. Who the guy is,
(02:56):
the threats of retirement, wanting out, all of those rumors,
whispers injecture. All he's done is go and play for
an exorbitant amount of money. Hey, take what you can
earn uh. And now they move forward, And with a
team that had been left for dead, well two weeks left,
it will take some extra things and and a little
bit of help. But you're in a situation whereby you've
(03:19):
got a couple of home dates against division foes, and
I can get into the whole thing of division foes
and scheduling, damn buyer, And I did that a little
bit on the I Watch Reflex podcast. Uh this week, Bernie,
Indianapolis had five of their seven division games in the
first seven weeks of the season. Tell me how that
makes any sense. But when we look at it, you've
got two games against divisional foes, Kirk Cousins. Everybody keeps
(03:43):
waiting for the other shoe to drop. And then the
Detroit Lions. And while many monologues and soliloquies have been
made by all of us about the Detroit Lions through
the years, Bernie, uh So, all of a sudden, you've
got a puncher's chance and a guy that, let's face it,
it's always good to have a team that has its big,
built in fan base. The love and hate watching is
(04:05):
a very real thing right now. The Cowboys. There's a
lot of folks that have no vested interest in this
game other than they love the NFL and they want
bad things to happen to the Cowboys. Well, first of all,
a lot to unpack, but I got the goods for
you here. Big fellas. So um, look, as far as
the NFL playoff picture, particularly NFC, which is not decided.
(04:28):
When it comes to the Packers, I've got a blank
space and I'll write their name. So here's wait, here's
where they need to win twice. They need Detroit at
Minnesota and these two games and they're both at home
against hothouse teams going on the road. But then they
need some help obviously, right, But all they need is
for the Washington Commanders to lose one game or the
(04:50):
Giants New York Giants to lose both of their remaining games.
The Giants play the Colton Eagles and the Commanders play
the Browns and Cowboys. So if the Packers take care
of business, it would seem to me and according to
the odds, their chances to make the playoffs. But in
Vegas there there two to one. I think they're gonna
do it. Mike, Yeah, I think the door opened. And
(05:12):
especially when you start adding Washington and the Giants into
the mix. And uh, do the Giants lose twice? Probably
that maybe maybe not eight six and one on the year,
but you've got the command or seven seven one. Turning
to Carson Wentz, which is kind of a curiosity to me.
It's like, here's the we We've scored nineteen points a
game all year, and we've had this guy that has
(05:34):
been waiting in the wings, and suddenly he's gonna be
the savior. Really that that that's the magical elixir. Uh
for Ron Rivera and company, but for the Packers. You know,
one thing lamentably right. One of the things I'll raise
my hand and say I got horribly wrong was I
was expecting that defense to have some teeth and for
(05:55):
much of the season, they don't get me started. Please, Well,
you know what I'll I'm the guy that will raise
his hand and tell you what I get stuff wrong.
A lot of hosts won't. But but but think about it.
About it. First of all, the Packers under the season
with seven first round picks on defense. The problem is
their defensive coordinator, Joel Berry, looks like a drunk trend
across the Nicey Street. I've got history with Joe Perry.
(06:18):
Remember the two thousand and eight Detroit Lions and went
o In sixteen I covered that team. Who was their
defensive coordinator, Joe Berry. But he had a lot of
years to learn. Bernie, you know Leon Spinks had a
lot of years to pass his driving test and how
did that work out. I would just say this, you
are not wrong in terms of their personnel and in
terms of what was perceived to be. They just have
(06:40):
run the wrong scheme. Be that as it may. As
long as the Packers, I think the Commanders will lose
to the Cowboys. I don't know about the Browns. The
Browns are a mess, and you're right. I think the
Giants will at least split one of the last two
games against the Colton Eagles. But the real Keys, I
think the Packers will win their last two in Lambeau.
So this is yet to be decided, and I think
it may makes the playoffs all that much more interesting. Mike.
(07:02):
If Aaron Rodgers is there, I really do it's you know, listen,
the opposite of love is not hate, it's indifferent. So
people will root for or against him. It's like the Raiders,
It's like the New York Yankees, it's like the Dallas Cowboys.
We don't have royalty in this country. Are athletes and
our entertainers. They are our royalty. So just ask yourself,
when the playoffs start, do you want to see Aaron
Rodgers in there. Do you want to see a Carson
(07:24):
Wentz right, you want to see the big names? Yeah?
I think I'll extend it because it's another team with
the large fan base, and we obliquely touched on it yesterday,
but more and more press conferences where another day closer.
I want to get into the hard bass situation. And
we can do either high hardball with storylines as we go.
But we're talking about the ravens Lamar Jackson, and I've
(07:46):
got the timeline from reporters who have assembled quotes uh
of coach Hardba relating to Lamar Jackson, availability at practice, injury,
et cetera. And then and it gets kind of interesting
because let's just say, word economy is at play here
unlike us on the radio, and we wax poetically and
loquaciously uh for four hours a night every night here
(08:09):
on Fox Sports Radio. But the point is, Mike Tomlin
in his press conference, I thought said something really really,
really great and and that relates back to us as
fans consumers of the product, et cetera. Like anybody on
talk radio and sports television that tells you they're not
a fan is lying through their teeth they're rooting for
(08:32):
something somebody somewhere, and if they're only interested in the
gaming portion, then I get it. They're rooting for upcomes
and and sides. I get that. But we all started
because we love the sports UH and sports teams that
we were growing up. The Pittsburgh Steelers one of the
greatest fan bases ever. I had the good fortune of
being able to go to the Super Bowl when the
(08:54):
Steelers and Packers collided, no real dog in the fight.
I've made friends going to Latre Rogue for years as
part of training camp tours when I lived on the
East Coast, had some great interactions with coach Tomlin and
the staff there. We had a bunch of Northwestern people
that handled a lot of media stuff, so we talked
about Northwestern, our experiences there, whatever. But they were always
(09:15):
very affable UH AND and hooked you up to get
accessibility to the players some of the uh coutrements that
go there. They had a dorm you could stay in
if you were doing a multi day visit. Kind of cool.
You'd eat in the same mess hall as the players.
But he brought it down to this Bernie of getting
flexed into the Sunday night game means you're still playing
(09:38):
for something, right. It still means that this game matters.
And there's a lot of people that look at it
because on the surface, Ravens with Tyler Huntley going up
against Kenny Pickett a f C North battle, you look
at it. Where's the sex appeal? Right? This isn't the
hard hitting Ravens of years past. Lamar Jackson's not gonna
go all of those things. The star power isn't necessarily
(10:02):
there except for the longevity of these squads, and they're
they're big fan bases, but it is still to that
point of you you're tapping into that NFL culture and
teams that do have that bit of following. Right, any
time Pittsburgh schedule comes out, what's the first thing you
have websites crashing trying to figure out accommodations and flights.
(10:25):
And I don't mean that glibly. Uh is glibly a word?
As we talked about the snaffoos people have gone on.
You know, I had to undergo here. Wherever you may
be listening, we appreciate you giving us your time. If
you're stuck in an airport or on the road, be patient.
You'll get there. I know it sucks, Okay, just it'll happen.
But but we know when the Steelers are on the
(10:46):
road there on the road and their fans are come
into town. And and I think from Mike Tomlin at
this point to have the Steelers again long shots and
and things that need to fall into place, but still
being viable not only for the five season but potentially
for a playoff birth, it's it's just good for football. Well,
first of all, you you mentioned the the greatness of
(11:10):
the Steeler backers and the you know, the dedication of
their fan bease. I covered Super Bowl forty Detroit two
thousand six Steelers. It was basically it was basically a
Steeler's home game, honest to god, and it was an
amazing turnout. So they travel well. Baltimore clinched a playoff
berth last week. They beat Atlanta seventeen to nine. They
(11:32):
looked really, uh less than stellar. Let's say Pittsburgh can
win that game. Pittsburgh's currently holding down the number eleventh slot.
They're one of four SC teams that are right, and
it just seems like the stars are aligning. They were
all set to retire Franco Harris's jersey. He passed. Kenny
Pickett was barking out Franco. Franco and his cadence. They
(11:55):
beat the Raiders and dramatic fashion, didn't look good doing it.
They get, you know, they got. Look as long as t. J.
Watt is healthy. The Steelers, I mean they were two
and six at the bye week and three and seven
on Thanksgiving, all of a sudden other seven and eight
and they're alive. So this game is extremely meaningful. And
if you're Baltimore, you don't want to hit into the
playoffs with a loss, and you don't want to beat
(12:16):
Pittsburgh East. What was the old you know, adage, Mike
for a decade or so when these these two teams
played and this when it was the Ray Lewis Hears, etcetera.
It was always a field goal game. It's it's still
a hotly contested situation. And now you realize that Lamar Jackson,
he's missed ten practices in a row, is availabilities very
much in question. But Tyler Huntley, even though you know
(12:38):
they don't draw pictures in the scorebook when it comes
to wins and ask college is tom any He is
two and one, and so this will be a very
much of this is a will be a watched game
with a national perspective and playoff implications on the line.
That's about as good as you can ask for me.
And that's the thing, right with all of these games,
you're you're hoping there's something valuable to you as a
(12:59):
fan and as a viewing audience, and certainly for us
in sports talk radio and television. You know you're finding
your angles with with Cowboys and Titans. Titans are playing
for next week, but the Cowboys, there's still a lot
of folks, all right, you're eleven and four. I don't care, yawn,
show me when you show me when it matters. Minnesota
(13:20):
a lot of one win games, right, that was what
the Raiders were last year. Everybody, I'll try to do
what they did. They got into the playoffs. Sometimes that
goes the other way, and but the karma went a
dent with the Raiders lost all of those now and
gave up big leads, and we've we've really hammered that
over the time here this last six seven weeks. But
all of those games went to Minnesota, who under Mike
(13:42):
Zimmer couldn't win Layton games. Right, That was the entire
thing that submarine there one season is they couldn't finish
games and gave up in one score games. They were atrocious,
So it's just gone the other way. The van flow
of the NFL responded, Hey, a couple of quick things
to piggyback on what you just said. First of all,
(14:03):
even if these two teams were four and twelve Sunday night,
people don't really truly understand the power of the NFL
when it comes to sports betting. Christmas Day, there were
five NBA games, there were three NFL games. The NFL
wagering attracted five times as much money in three games
as the cumulative effect of five NBA games. That's the
(14:25):
power of the National Football League. And it's not just
the game and the outcome and the totals. There's profits
and all sorts of things, uh in between. To your
point about the Raiders last year and the Vikings this
year and last year, and of course some of those
last minute Zimmer losses were chip shot field goals that
went awry, you know, insert your own joke. Now, the
(14:46):
bottom line is this, what goes up must come down,
and in the National Football League, the Vikings have to
five the odds they've had a game and they turned
the ball over four times in one six percent chance
of doing that. In history of the National Football League,
there are eleven and oh and one score games. But
when you contextualize that, Mike, their points per game uh
differential this year is slim and and and for that
(15:07):
to happen, and to be outyarded by the tune of
about sixty eight yards per game, that equates to really
not an eleven and three team or a twelve and
three team. It's more like a seven and six team.
So when they get to the playoffs, I refuse. I
know our guy, Adam Caplan, I love Adam. He called
him frauds. I think he did. I don't want to
misquote him. Bottom line is, I'll never call a twelve
and three team a fraud. What I will say is
(15:29):
this that when you get on the field in a
playoff game where it's winner go home, and those peccadillas
show up against a team that can play in all
three phases that's in the playoffs for a reason, your
weaknesses have a tendency to be exposed. So the Vikings
fans should be concerned. He's Bernie Pratt in for Jason
Smith on Mike Carmon. Here the Jason Smith Show with
(15:49):
Mike Harmen Company from the tire Act dot Com Studio.
And coming up, we finally have a defense of a
much maligned quarterback. Where the hell's it been all this time?
We'll get into that next. Hey, this is Jason McIntyre.
Join me every weekday morning on my podcast, Straight Fired
with Jason McIntyre. This isn't your typical sports pod pushing
(16:10):
the same tired narratives down your throat every day. Straight
Fire gives you honest opinions on all the biggest sports headlines,
accurate stats to help you win big at the sports book,
and all the best guests. Do yourself a favor and
listen to Straight Fire with Jason McIntyre on the I
Heart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts.
(16:34):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Odd Couple
with Chris Broussard and Rob Parker weekdays at seven pm
Eastern four pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the
I Heart Radio app. Hey, welcome back in Fox Sports
Radio Jason Smith Show with me Mike Harmon. Note Jason
Smith tonight He'll be back on Monday, We'll do a
lot of tales of the debauchery of New Year's Eve,
(16:58):
unless there's not because I got a five am show
to do uh in the morning, that that won't work.
Or maybe I'll just stay up all night. Who knows.
So you know, turn back the clock and try to
be young again and just put a helmet cam on,
like I'm Al Franken in the mobile mobile units. I'm
down on their looks like something's going on here. Wait
they're shooting at Yeah, long before politics, when he was
(17:21):
just a comedian named Al Franken. Oh my god, that's
one Saturday Night Live was Saturday Night Live. But all
those years ago the irreverence and chaos and yes it
was a drug deal gone awry where they were suddenly
shooting at Al Franken mobile one Mann unit uh walking
her out with a dish on his head, uh and
a microphone. So good times by him. Cowboys win. Uh
(17:46):
if you're on the cowboys side and you got it
earlier in the week before, everyone to play. Right there
you go. Our guy Bobo is on the board. He's
he was sweating it out for a little bit earlier.
You're you're getting a little salty there, Bobo, I get
through to Pig that weren't necessary. There you go. See
there there's your and and we're not playing good, especially
(18:08):
when we like kicked the ball. We punted it off
and towards the end, and we could have had the
ball back, but they called interference. Hit him. He didn't
hit him like his leg. Did he touch him? I
mean he didn't touch him, he touched him. No, we
want to leave that alone. You know, in an hour
and a half, we can come back to that one, Bobo,
(18:30):
once we hit uh what we call safe harbor in
radio terms, Bobo and Brandon making us sound so pretty
steep to say around the updates. We'll to hear from
him in a couple of minutes, Bernie Fratto at Bernie Fratto,
where you find him, find me over at Swollen Dome.
Team we'll get back into the playoff picture, the Cowboys
expectations and all that fun and excitement here in in
(18:53):
in a few minutes. But Bernie, finally, a couple of
people stood up on behalf of Russell Wilson, something you
and I and the sports watching world have waited for forever.
Outside of his wife and maybe some of his brand partner.
A hell even they took his sandwich off the menu
pretty early in the season. No, Finally, his receivers Jerry
(19:14):
Judy and kJ Handler Bolt said hey, hey, hey, that's
my quarterback. They didn't do a tearful Terrell Owens kind
of thing, Owens being in the news earlier in the
week they couldn't agree on money. Uh, forty nine year
old Tarrell Owens and the Cowboys. That's kind of funny.
But tweeting and tweeting from Jerry Judy, uh quote, I
never had a teammate who motivated me more. Hamdler tweeted
(19:37):
three goes above and beyond to do whatever it takes
to win for the team. Uh, Judy continues, media is
trying to make it seem like something it ain't. You
don't know what's going on in the locker room. I'm
tired of reading things about my boy making it seem like, oh,
he's not a good teammate, unnecessary stuff that's not true.
Here's the problem. Well, he may be getting along with
(19:58):
folks and and potence or those receivers who recognize Now.
After Nathaniel Hackett was dumped earlier in the week, Russell
Wilson's not going anywhere, so you need to make nice
with the quarterback who has two hundred plus million dollars
still left on his contract if you want to be
the guys there Courtland Sutton a guy showing visibly his frustration.
(20:20):
We did have it with Handler a little bit earlier
in the year, remember in the end zone when he
did a little pouty jump upping down like he was
a three year old get something to me? Now? Well,
sometimes you gotta do that, uh, and sometimes it works
to your advantage. Sometimes not now here publicly backing his quarterback.
As we get to week seventeen, Bernie, uh, let's let's
(20:41):
not let's not bury the lead there. It's week seventeen.
In the NFL Penner, the CEO said that the new
coach will report to him instead of George Payton, so
we can all say, hey, dead man walking there in
the GM role unless things really change, and I'm sure
there'll be some other decision makers that come in or
whatever's left of their draft picks and talent evaluation coming
(21:04):
into twenty three. But just kind of curious because we've
had so much smoke that I thought it was the
towering Inferno seventies movie movie of the week. Well, you
know what, I was a year old. I remember it
all right. So it's the the idea watching all those
old movies with my dad when they were on in
(21:25):
rerun hip hop. But the the idea just being that
in week seventeen, these guys finally pipe up and I
joked with Buyer, who's a Seahawks fan, you you'll work
with him again on Sunday Red Zone Radio two to
five pm Pacific time. Um that we've really kind of
had a town hall meeting right where everybody gets a
chance to go to the podium and speak, Uh, we
(21:46):
have any more new business. Hi, we need a stop
sign on eighth and Ardmore. We've had a couple of
near misses while walking the dog. Uh, we'd really appreciate it,
and the next person would come up. The Seahawks former
former teammates of Russell Wilson, it seems like they've been
in those meetings where the next person waiting to take
(22:06):
their shots at Russell Wilson has been there on podcasts,
on radio spots, on on social media platforms. So while
I appreciate the efforts of Jerry Judy and kJ Hamler. Uh,
that's more of the I'm looking out from my own
interests as a member of the Denver Broncos, and so
all right, there's a bit of a power vacuum in
terms of coaching, front office and everything else. So the
(22:28):
only guy I really need to go smoochy, smoochy and
and and kiss up to, right, no, how is Russell Wilson.
So that's the timing of this just made me laugh
given all of the other stuff that's been out there
in the media. You know, the Union had the draft
day scenario Bocalahan and only half the team go into
his birthday party. I mean everything was there. That's a
(22:50):
heck of a reference. You pancake eating, That's right. I
can love me some some pancakes. By the way, Well,
no sparkle syrup from my Arnie Spaniard that we might
need a new traffic lad on wave Land and Addison too,
or maybe Russian division while we're at it down hall meeting. Yeah, look,
I'm glad that I have not bashed Russell Wilson all year.
(23:11):
I'll tell you why, because it's it's low hanging fruit.
I think to a degree he's a victim of his
own success. He was supposed to single handily lift the
Broncos back into the postseason. He's twenty nine ranked quarterback.
And you know, no one likes the phony, and I
guess that that's sort of the prevailing narrative among the
group think echo chamber that you know, you can tell
(23:33):
this guy is just blowing smoke because every time he
moves his lips it just sounds so disingenuous. But people
have been picking on Russell Wilson all year, earlier in
the year, and I just say I was country when
country wasn't cool. I was doing that before the band
wagon loaded up, Bernie. I didn't think this was going
to work before the year, and didn't you're you're a
hip hipster and you may have enjoyed towering in frontal one,
(23:54):
but you're a learning man. I tell me his young
whipper snappers. Listen. I wasn't alive for the War of
eighteen twe but I've read a book there, fella, so
feel free to pick up a book. All right. Back
to Russell Wilson. As you know, when these guys talk,
it's a it's a there's always an agenda. And it's
my understanding because I've done my best not to pay
attention to the story. I get a migraine headache when
(24:16):
I watched things like this. Apparently Shannon Sharp went off
on Russell Wilson because he's gonna I guess he's got
an office in the stadium. Yeah, office and a couple
of parking spots like whoop the damn? What does the
old saying? Uh, no one ever lied on their deathbed
and said I wish I'd spent more time in the office.
Russell Wilson will probably the worst first guy to say that,
and Shannon Sharpe will be the first guy to call
(24:36):
him out, and then Jerry Judy and kJ Hamler will
defend him. What are we talking about here? I mean,
this is just a bunch of stupid craziness because Russell Wilson,
I believe, is a victim of his own success in
the past, and so it's easy, low hanging fruit, and
he's been an easy target all year. Yeah. I think
there's there's a couple of things, like going back to
the finishing of things in Seattle. I didn't think he
(25:00):
was the same players and not don't to grudge any
man who gets his money, man woman, whatever, you do
for a living, Get every dime you can right while
you can. So when anybody bemoans contracts, the only thing
I'll ever do is if we break it down in
terms of what it means. What are the opportunity costs
of the next move? Right? If it's gonna preclude you
from going into free agency because you internally and we
(25:24):
all know, salary caps are kind of a joke, right,
we can dance with those move money around. I mean,
you've watched the Rams do it, and we'll see how
many more teams kind of adopt what what they've gone
and done, right, But when when we look at it
in terms of contracts, go get your funny money? So
did I? Did I think he's at this stage of
his career? Am I? Am? I signing up for a
(25:44):
mid thirties quarterback looked like he was showing signs of
decline and uh, coming into a new system, coach that
you're you're wondering if it's gonna work, because on paper
it looked okay, right, Javante Williams. You bring back Melvin
Gore and of course he for out how to hold
onto the football. You had to bring in Rossberg in
week three, because you've mismanaged so many time and down
(26:07):
in distance opportunities. And this is this is where I
was critical of Russ right off the jump, because immediately
everybody put it on Hackett. You got a veteran quarterback.
You brought in a guy, and you paid him that
money for a reason. It's kind of like why I
went after Aaron Rodgers in the same vein before it
became in vogue to do do so, and it and
it had nothing to do with any of his views
(26:29):
about the COVID world and what we've done the last
couple of years. I don't care. It was more the
you acquiesced on the field to say, all right, we're
not gonna do this. We're not gonna I'm not gonna
change the play. I'm not gonna fight with you about
play calling. I'm gonna allow you to bring the kicker out,
kick a field goal and then let Tom Brady have
the football back. That was my problem with Aaron Rodgers. Likewise,
(26:50):
in that season opening game against Seattle where you've got
Russell Wilson, this is the guy you brought in, and
you make the decisions you do, you lose track of
how to run the clock, and then you hire Rossberg.
What's Rossberg do? His first act was I'm the captain now,
and he fired a bunch of guys. Was the management
He roound up to it in a press conference, Bernie said, yep,
(27:12):
special Team's corner, my guy. That's the guy I fired. Uh.
It's like saying, all right, I'm in charge here, which
is kind of an interesting cause concept right week seventeen,
coming in going look, I'm changing things up, I am
spinning things around. But for Russell Wilson, he came in
and obviously it didn't work and it became in vogue.
And he's always been a guy that has been polarizing
(27:33):
from the personality side, you know, confusing to some off
putting to others. I in the end, be who you're
gonna be, and we'll make our comments and kind of shrug.
Maybe it's the lifestyle, but from all reports he's a
good guy, just a bit weird and that's fine, right,
good family man, whatever, whatever. Like all, we all have
(27:56):
personalities that we're not everybody's cup of tea. As radio host,
as people in our personal lives. People come and go.
Everybody's got their good, the bad, the ugly, that runs
through it with Russell Wilson just looking as a quarterback. Yeah,
it started to come over the top. And I think
for Aaron Rodgers, everything was clouded by people and they're
(28:17):
getting up in their fields about his off field rather
than what was going on in between the white lines
with the Green Bay Packers. And I know history repeating
of itself of starting to talk about retirement and all
the reports of he thought he wants out and everything else.
I get I get it. That gets grading and tiring
at everything else. The fact that Davante Adams decided he'd
(28:38):
rather go to Vegas. He made a decision. That's fine.
You got young receivers. He still had a defense that
on paper look good. The two proud attack in the
run game look like it should have at least been
a recipe for an easier road towards the playoffs, as
opposed to something you and I talked about last week,
where they still may find themselves in the tournament and
(28:58):
if they get there, I don't know. It's the NFC.
There's a lot of question marks with all your front
running squads. So the potential is there for some chaos
with Russell Wilson and the Denver Broncos. Now you gotta
try to I'll ask you this question, just point blank, Bernie, like,
do you give him any any say? And who comes
in to coach him? Because I got two hundred million
dollars that's wrapped up in him. No. But I'm glad
(29:20):
you brought up Nathaniel Hackett. And first of all, I
do agree. Let's be fair. Russell Wilson, I think, by
all accounts, is a solid citizen. You're not gonna see
him on episode eighty seven of Cops in Denver anytime soon.
He's a solid citizen. I'm glad you mentioned Nathaniel Hackett.
By the way, Hackett had to beat out ken candidates
to get that job. Who were these guys? Who are
these people? As Jerry Seinfeld would say, you gotta screw
(29:42):
up really bad to get fired before your first year,
and it's happened five times since nineteen seventy. I mean,
you joined the Cup, the likes of Bobby Petrino and
and and Urban Meyer for crying outloud, Steve Wilkes, who
kind of got screwed because they wanted the new guy.
This he finished the season. I mean, these guys, but
I digress agin. Hackett kind of started slow and then faded.
(30:03):
You cannot unsee what happened in week one against the
aforementioned Seattle Seahawks when they mismanaged the clock and they
bring him Brandon McManus and he misses the sixty four
yard or then what afterward? He says, well, we got
to go ahead, to uh to go for it, the
go ahead. You're the head coach, you hidiot? Who'd you
call here, Bob Barker? Are you kidding me? Didn't forget
(30:26):
to have your pet Spain or neuter? Thank you very much.
Then I'm glad you brought young man. Let's go. He
just had his birthday a couple of days ago. There
you go, Yeah, and the price is still right. You
want part of me and you got all of me,
so we two. You're right that hi are the legendary
that is known as the legend that is known as
(30:46):
Jerry Rossberg to quote help with game management. All that
showed me it was another sign that Hackett was in
over his head. That's it. In week three, you had
already thrown out the white flags and you needed some help.
That's Bernie Frotta on my car when we continue in Denver.
More on Hackett, Wilson and what's next for the Denver
(31:06):
brack Goes as we talk on Fox Sports Radio. Be
sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith Show
with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven pm
Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the I Heart Radio app. Hey,
welcome back in It's Fox Sports Radio Jason Smith Show
with Me Mike Carmen live for the tire Act dot
Com Studios. Bernie Fratto in for Jason Smith tonight, Yes,
(31:31):
tomorrow night, as we're talking about in the hallways, will
be blessed once again with the presence of the great
Ernie span your stinking genius, and then we will serve
up the massive audience that we build up to Bernie Fratto.
That's it, you guys leading to me. Bernie Fratto Show
starts at eleven You get what four hours of goodness
(31:54):
Friday in the Saturday, three Saturday in the Sunday or
reversed leven pm Pacific to who am heading into you.
I'll get smarter. I'll read the schedule beyond scene. You
know that greatness. Just to see my name in print
as I do each and every week as we still
(32:15):
got more games going on, we still have a Bowl
game in full effect, but we're talking about Denver Broncos.
And now I raise it up to this because I
asked you the question of do you give Russell Wilson
any input on the new coach? And part of me
is like, all right, I gotta try to make the
best of the next couple of years. So what I
would rather not do is do the you know, round peg,
(32:37):
square hole. You know, let's just leather, rinse and repeat
the chaos that you saw this year. And I understand
the reticence to not have him be involved, just saying, hey,
we need to do what's best for the organization and
he needs the fall in line. So somewhere between the
two they have to mix. But the big question is
what coach other than a first timer coordinator looking for
(32:59):
that first opportunity, goes and fits the bill there, right,
because they're only thirties two jobs. It's something I know
you're you're in. Uh, you kind of break this along
the same lines I do. I think of ay, when
it's all said and done, that's it. You're trying to
get to the pinnacle of your profession and they're only
thirty two of these jobs, so you hold on for
dear life, and even if it's not ideal, you have
(33:21):
no guarantee that it's coming again, right, And that's in
everything you do, any job you're doing across the country,
you have to try to figure out what the play
is long term, short term and where opportunities and extensions.
You know, the old Yogi Barraw who you referenced earlier.
You know, when you see a fork in the road,
take it or or does that get capped off to
(33:44):
where that opportunity or opportunities of that nature are never
there again. So for the Broncos, you do a talent,
you have a good defense returning. You have a couple
of skill position players. Will get Javonte Williams back, so
we'll see what kind of uh speed explosiveness he has
coming off his injury. You still have a couple of receivers.
(34:05):
Tim Patrick will come back off injury a loss that
I thought was actually kind of big. I thought he
would have been a nice possession guy for them, but
that's he never saw the field with them this year.
So that's fine. But as a coach, you know, as
we do the old coaching carousel. I think it would
be very curious to see what names emerged to go
work with Russell Wilson. Well, you bring up a good point.
(34:28):
So you have two choices. You're either gonna get a
first time or who's probably somebody's assistant or you know
a guy who's been a head coach before. I think
there're only three assistance right now you talk to I
think you take a real hard look at Eric the enemy.
He's been in your division now for almost a decade.
In the road to the super Bowl, in the FC
goes through Kansas City, I think Damiko Ryan's the forty
(34:50):
Honors DC is gonna get some run. Uh. There's just
a couple of names right there. Maybe Brian Callahan, he's
the offensive coordinator for Joe Burrow. There's some thoughts, or
do you go back into the old rehabs, the Dan Quinn's,
the Sean Payton's, maybe a Leslie Frasier. If Steve Wilkes
doesn't latch on Carolina, maybe you take a look at him.
If he doesn't have to keep that job, that would
(35:10):
be that would be a mistake. Any I don't care
how brilliant businessman Tepper is he'd be an idiot not
to keep that guy around with the job he's done
with lesser talent and literal trading off two of your
best pieces. When I saw the physical attitude that Carolina
displayed at Seattle and then again versus Detroit last week,
they're playing hard for this guy. Now, I think you
(35:31):
can throw out the name Jim Harball. Harball will not
go to Denver. However, you watch Jim or say the
Colts is gonna make his significant play at Harbor in January.
He might quarterback for him too. Well. He did back
in the Indiot they called him captain. Come back and
when and when you know Chuck Pagana was fired in seventeen,
they had a straw pole in in Indianapolis. The people
(35:54):
wanted Jim Harball. They wanted him there. You don't want
to talk about a guy who's reputation change. I always said, hey,
you gotta love that you're a nine or ten win
team and recognize who you are. And now aren't you
glad you didn't run them out of town? Michigan fans. Hey,
Coming up next, we'll go to the other Hardball and
questions of what all is going on in Baltimore with
(36:14):
their quarterback tight lips, missed practices, but evidently perfect attendance
in his rehab assignments. He's Bernie Frito in for Jason Smith.
I'm Mike Harmon as we come to you Alive from
the Tire Act dot Com, Fox Sports Radio Studios
Hosts And Creators
Jason Smith
Mike Harmon
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