December 23, 2025 • 40 mins
Mike Harmon and Jared Smith (in for Jason Smith) open hour 3 discussing Trevor Lawrence's outstanding play as of late... Is the former "generational talent" finally fulfilling his potential? They also talk about Tua Tagovailoa's future, discussing where he could ultimately end up playing next year, and react to Alabama's win over Oklahoma, previewing their next-round matchup vs. Indiana.
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
You're listening to Fox Sports Where you go Radio Welcome
in second half of the show here on a holiday
holiday holiday Monday night. Thanks for being with us, being
part of the extended family. We appreciate each and every
one of you. However, you're listening to us as you're
on the highways and byways all our affiliates nationwide, thanks
to the pds that keep us floating to entertain and
(00:23):
inform you. Maybe in rage and engage and enrage along
the way at Swallendome at Jared Smith Bets as Jared
Smith is in for Jason Smith tonight. Always take us
with you on the iHeartRadio app twenty four to seven,
no matter where you are in the world, all the
goodness of Fox Sports Radio. Cause you know what all
you need to do, Jared, get yourself a couple of crans.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Just say to the kids, hey, I'm gonna borrow these,
or go get.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
Yourself a nice little box of eight eight krans, maybe
a couple of just different colored dry erace markers, whatever
it is. Make a little card and here's the link,
or here let me borrow your phone for two minutes
and put the iHeartRadio app down. It's like what else
did you get me from holidays? I can't get you
anything better. Twenty four to seven, Fox Sports Radio, all
the podcasts, all the different live stations and curated stations.
(01:12):
I listen to the Broadway Channel myself, so you know
you've got all of that.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
It's the gift that keeps on giving. It's like a
Jelly of the Month club.
Speaker 3 (01:20):
I love it.
Speaker 4 (01:21):
I mean listen, I'm on and all the time. I'm
always sharing with my friends and they ask me how
can I live? Because it when people say what do
you do for work? I have to I struggle with
that sometimes, like I'm like, I'm a high investment or
high volatility, short term risk, high volatility investor. I say
that sometimes as a joke. And then when I say
I'm a I'm a radio host or I'm like a broadcaster,
(01:44):
They're like, where can we listen to you? I heart app.
I show them to send them right the link.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
That's it, get in there and sell, sell, sell. The
other one I think would blow people's minds. It's like,
so you're a commodities trader, like in trading places.
Speaker 3 (01:56):
Yeah, that's a funny one too.
Speaker 4 (01:58):
The short term high risk volatility trader is a fun
one because it's like, you know, three hours in the
games and game's over, removing the next game.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
I work three hours, three hours at a time.
Speaker 3 (02:10):
Had I mean, listen, I'm a single guy living in Vegas.
Speaker 4 (02:12):
And when women ask me what I do for work
and I'm like, yeah, I sit around all day watch
sports and then talk about it through a microphone, they
think I'm like a child.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
So yeah, but then you asked them, a lot of
them might be telling you a tall tale as well.
Speaker 3 (02:24):
That's true most in Las Vegas.
Speaker 4 (02:28):
Yes, most women that I've met in town have very
unique It's a unique city to meet people in. Although
to be fair, I think it's a bad rap because
people think that it's all about you know, sin city
and already seen I've really become invested in like the
off strip nature and kind of relaxing. It's a very
(02:48):
The weather's fantastic in town too, Like, honestly, I love
the weather seventy degrees today.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
Still, regular folks that have to operate those casinos and
go back to their homes which are miles from the
strip in a whole other space, and they eat at
different places or whatever. Go figure, it's a whole other
get out of fantasy land. Yes, when you come to.
Speaker 4 (03:07):
Vegas for all those national people or for those people
listening around the country right now, when you come to Vegas,
you've been here a couple of times, you've done the strip,
rent a car, drive and see other things outside of
the strip. I promise you the strip is kind of
It's like Times Square right now. It's kind of tough,
it's overprised, it's crowded. But there's a lot more to
(03:27):
see in Vegas than just that.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
See right there, you were like who got the vig
on that one? Because you were like fifty to fifty
in terms of positivity and downplaying the city.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
So there you go.
Speaker 3 (03:38):
I mean, I love the strip too.
Speaker 4 (03:40):
It has its own, you know, qualities to it, but
I've become so enamored with the rest of the city.
It's really become home. And I'm an East Coast guy,
you know me, I'm an East Coast New Yorker. Like
I come out to Vegas. I've been here three years.
It feels like home. See there you go.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
Now there's your tourism postcard from Jared Smith at Jared Smith.
That's where you find it. It's hey, let's revisit Monday
night football. Let's do it by way of the tire
rack play of the day.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
Let's hear from the victors.
Speaker 4 (04:09):
Shannan used his challenge earlier, so they snapped the ball
on third down.
Speaker 3 (04:12):
Now he throws to the near pielin and it's cut
by McCaffrey. Touchdown, forty nine ers. Touchdown.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
There you go, forty eight twenty seven is your final?
That touchdown put the forty nine ers up forty one
twenty seven. Eventually you get the pick six to cap
the scoring. But on display there again. Rock Purdy was
absolutely brilliant over the course of the night, twenty five
to thirty four, two ninety five, five touchdowns, one pick.
(04:43):
For over forty years, Tyrak's been helping customers find the
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Speaker 2 (04:56):
The way tire buying should be.
Speaker 1 (04:58):
That truck is rolling on on beautiful tires tyrac tires.
Right now the San Francisco forty nine ers, two games left,
eleven and four, and suddenly it's the old objects in
the rear view mirror are closer than they appear, you know,
kind of like the Trannosaurus Rex running you down in
Jurassic Park.
Speaker 4 (05:18):
Crazy. Honestly, I think San Francisco is I'm curious what
that spread will be the last week of the year.
That's what I was thinking about during that last commercial
break right the games in Santa Clara.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
I don't know if San.
Speaker 4 (05:33):
Francisco will be a dog in that game, which I
think would be very telling. That game will be very telling. Now,
to be fair, we have to get through the Chicago
game first, and I think if the Niners beat the Bears,
I think their rating will increase enough to where they'll
probably be favored in that game against Seattle, which to
me likelihood trigger a lot of people wanting to bet
(05:55):
Seattle because I do think the defense for Seattle is
going to be really tough, and that's gonna be what
slows down the Niners. And maybe that's gonna be a
game where Sam Donald kind of reverts back to what
we saw earlier in the year, because let's be honest,
I mean, this dude's turned into a pumpkin over the
last few weeks, but they're still winning games and I
think that's the difference. Right, they lost the game to
the Rams. They won five straight three Fair Tennessee, Minnesota, Atlanta, Indy. Like,
(06:18):
I'm not gonna, I'm not gonna, you know, throw a
parade for Sam Donald for winning those five games. But
you gotta give him a lot of credit because they
showed a lot of resiliency last Thursday night. I think
they're gonna beat Carolina this week and then it'll set
up what will be and let's let's let's hope. I
hope the Niners. Also when I know you don't want
the Niners to win, but I just want the drama
(06:38):
of that last game because that'll be the game they flex,
right if it all comes push, there's no question about
that'll be the game they flex.
Speaker 5 (06:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
Forty established as a two and a half to three
point favorite off the Sunday night game on December twenty eighth.
So that's that's where we're at. As we said, the
over under sitting at it.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
Oh, that's the game this week.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
That's this week. No, No, we're not.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
We're talking about the Niners.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
Yeah, after they lose to the Bears, it all goes
to hell. What are you talking about?
Speaker 3 (07:05):
Is that your official production?
Speaker 1 (07:07):
After they they blow a game in the fourth quarter, Uh,
and the Bears come and snatch it from him. You know,
that's that's the way this has to work.
Speaker 4 (07:15):
When do you guys usually do your pit You do
them on Friday, usually Fridays. Yeah, I'll be here on
I'll be listening. I'll have an ear up. You better
be picking the Bears. And now you put your money
where you mount those up?
Speaker 2 (07:24):
I will yeah, I know, And there's no question about it.
Speaker 4 (07:27):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
No, Look, the Bears give up points, they give up yardage.
This week was an interesting game. We talked about it
from the Bear's side a little bit. Uh, And we'll
traverse down that highway a little bit more here right,
the win over the Packers. Malik will Is a decidedly
different quarterback than what you had for Jordan Love. So
change of game and and certainly for the Bears was uneven.
(07:49):
Malik Willis early on did whatever he wanted to do,
much more mobile, uh, tucking the ball and running uh
and then finding some open windows. Over the course of
the year, this team's lived and died with Al Harris
his defense, you know, defensive backs taking the ball away
and the run game. Obviously, Eric b enemy. On the
other side, I try to give love to these guys
because you know, we we get an amber with Ben
(08:11):
Johnson and he's the guy pulling the strings, no question
about it. But their assistant coaches have done a fantastic
job with their component parts and we've seen the evolution
of what Caleb Williams become. But you got thirty one
turnovers that you generated on the year. That's an inordinate number,
I mean against ten ten giveaways. So Caleb Williams and
(08:32):
I heard it was Ryan Leaf was on the national
radio call for the game against the pay Interesting.
Speaker 4 (08:39):
I didn't know he was doing that.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
Yeah. No, he's very good, very very good. Yeah that's great.
Speaker 4 (08:43):
I'm happy that he's found a second life.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
Yeah no, he's.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
Doing great on that And listening to a bit of
it while I was in the car in between, you know,
viewing experiences, and I thought Tom Brady brought tremendous energy
and excitement on Saturday Night for ass be.
Speaker 4 (08:58):
A really good broadcaster.
Speaker 1 (08:59):
He was jacked up for that game from pillar to post.
So the fact that you ended up getting an overtime
thriller for him, he got to be you know the
king of the world. But Leaf on the broadcast brought
up a point I've been trying to bring up all
year long, so I like to hear it echoed by
folks that have played this game at a high level.
So I could put that feather in my cap. Is
(09:20):
that for Caleb Williams, he's not turning the ball over.
We could talk about accuracy, but he's also not throwing
one and a half yard screenplasses like he was a
year ago. Right, they're pushing the ball down the field
a lot, which means you're gonna put the ball in
the harm's way at times. Well, he's been fortunate that
you haven't seen many of those. You did in the
(09:40):
first game against Green Bay and at a couple of
spots over the course of the year. But it also
means your completion percentage is gonna dip, right, to go
back to before Drew Brees and some of this evolution
of the offense, and you take what it is, right,
it's still a pass. It still counts as such and
towards your completion percentages, but it's a did a grandiose,
(10:01):
more enlightened and heightened version of a handoff in a
lot of cases, that helps accentuate your accuracy number right
from the outs from folks that aren't watching play to play.
So for Caleb Williams, the intermediate and long passes are
a bigger part of what they do, trying to take
that shot, trying to get that chunkyard. It's like we
were talking about a little bit before, which is going
(10:22):
to mean the difference between sixty two percent and fifty nine.
Speaker 4 (10:28):
He's thirty second in the league in one category, it's
completion rate over expected. What does that mean? I know
that's like one of those categories that people are like,
I don't understand what that means. It means you're expected
to complete a certain level and you are either above
or below that level. So Caleb Williams is a minus
seven point three percent completion rate over expected. So his
(10:49):
completion percentage is supposed to be about seven and a
half percent higher. It's in the high fifties. It should
be in the mid sixties. And that's based off of
To be fair, there's some subject I.
Speaker 1 (10:59):
Was going to say, there's a lot of subjectivity when
we starting with these guys. Yeah, but we always talk
about three to five percent being a margin of error. Well,
that's huge when we're talking about well that's more than
half in general.
Speaker 4 (11:12):
But he's also the number thirty two in the league
sure in that category. So even with there being some
margin of error, it is obvious that he is not
completing as many passes as he should. But then again,
I said this in the last hour, Ben Johnson, I
think is okay with that trade off, because what like
the alternative is Charlie Checkdown who completes everything within ten
(11:34):
yards of the line of scrimmage but can't push it
down the field. And if you ask Ben Johnson, Ben,
I'll give you a choice. You can take a guy
who's gonna complete seventy percent of his passes, but you're
never gonna complete anything longer than twenty or twenty five yards.
Or you could take to Caleb Williams, who's gonna be
a little bit inconsistent on the intermediate short stuff, but
then he's gonna throw an absolute dot to DJ Moore
with the game on the line in cold weather, in
(11:56):
single coverage off play action, and you and I think
Ben's gonna take the ladder.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
Yeah, because if you look at their shot chart, Jared,
a lot of it was five yards behind the line
of scrimmage, five yards in front a lot of a
lot of the let's you know, see, if we.
Speaker 4 (12:14):
Don't win games in the NFL with that style, you
win games in the NFL by generating expense.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
That we ended up as a defensive coordinator for part
of a year in Dallas.
Speaker 4 (12:24):
Yeah right. If if you if you end up completing
more deep passes than you do short and intermediate, you're
probably gonna win more games. And I think that's the
that's the toughest thing for an average Bears fan to
maybe grasp their head around because they're watching the game
and they're like, man, I can't believe they didn't complete
(12:45):
that six yard hook. You know, actually that was easy.
But that's okay, Like Ben Johnson's comfortable that. There are
two things that Ben Johnson is clearly comfortable with. There's
two things that Caleb again struggles with, the completion rate
and also the time to throw rate. But again that
is for gazing narrative to me, because in order to
generate explosives, you have to hold onto the ball and
let your receivers run down field. So Ben Johnson, again
(13:08):
it is like asymmetric risk. I'm comfortable with giving up
some of these short plays that Caleb's not gonna make.
And I'm comfortable with Caleb holding onto the ball and
being a guy who's a sitting duck in the pocket
because I know when push comes to show, he can
escape that pressure because he's very mobile. And the only
way that we can create the explosives that I feel
are necessary for us to win games is for us
(13:29):
to take these risks with Caleb holding onto it and
for him to be again a little bit greasy with
his short and intermediate throw. So I think he is
the perfect quarterback for what Ben is trying to accomplish,
and that, to me, is the reason why he took
this job. I remember when he turned down the Washington job.
It was two years ago, and I remember I was
doing a show that night and I went on the
air and I said, I have so much respect for
(13:51):
his emotional intelligence to say no to an NFL head
coaching job, which at the time was probably his dream,
Like it's probably his dream growing up to be an
NFL coach. He got an off from the commanders and
said no, and that was really close to getting across
the finish line. And I don't know how it all
went south, but at the final hour he said, no,
I'm not going to take the job. And I respected
the heck out of that decision, and I said, when
(14:12):
he finally does take a head coaching job, I'm going
to buy in on Ben Johnson because I know he
wouldn't take the job unless he felt like he could succeed,
and he felt like Kayleb Williams was his guy. And
it took a few weeks, but I think the fruit
is starting to bear.
Speaker 2 (14:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (14:29):
I think it's the curiosity between what you have with
Kevin Warren, who's doing a lot with this. Do they
go to Indiana, Do they go to Arrington Heights? Do
they eventually get their own stadium or some concessions at
the kiel if it gets them what they need to do.
I mean, like I hope to get back home at
some point, you know, for extended periods to watch a
(14:51):
lot of games in person. My brothers are certainly their
extended family friends, et cetera. But you know, the the
ultimate goal. It's kind of like we were talking about
with the USC and Notre Dame situation, is like what's
your ultimate goal?
Speaker 2 (15:05):
Right?
Speaker 1 (15:05):
And I understand it, and I appreciate the business side
of it, maybe a little differently than a lot of folks.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
And I don't just go.
Speaker 1 (15:13):
Full guts like no, they're Chicago team, Like they don't
own that field. Why do you think Soldier Field sucks
as a playing service because they don't control it. You
can have a monster truck rally on Friday night ahead
of a home game, high school football playoffs on the Friday,
and I'd walk upon on Saturday. I mean, all of
(15:34):
this happens every week every year, and they don't get it.
And when you sell out a bunch of concerts Taylor
Swift does five days on the Lakefront, guess what, they
don't get a dime. So when they look around and
they see La, they look at Dallas, they look at
these big events that can come through. Take it's the well,
(15:54):
we want to share that because.
Speaker 3 (15:56):
What do you get through?
Speaker 1 (15:57):
Right, But you get to reinvest in everything else, right.
It's part of the Dodgers conversation. Yes, they can go
and get the high price free agent. They've been creative
with contracts. They've already made all the money for show
A and Sasaki and Yamamoto already at this point, long
before it comes due, but it's also the you get
to invest in your minor leagues, in your facilities and
(16:20):
all the background stuff that makes you a better organization,
a better winning organization. And the Bears are looking around
recognizing that's the case.
Speaker 3 (16:29):
Right.
Speaker 1 (16:29):
Look at what they've done here in Los Angeles with
the way they've built so far. Whether you love the
stadium or not, it generates cash and it's trickled down
and they've reconstituted how they run that entire operation. Yeah,
I think you want some of that as opposed to
being seen as the poor mom and pop operation, which
(16:50):
is the way it's been run forever.
Speaker 4 (16:54):
So yeah, I don't see the big deal with moving
into a different state. That's one of those things that
people on the internet get upset about and then when
you actually realize the reason behind it, you're like, oh,
that makes sense. And like people get so mad about
change everyone And it goes back to the keyshot thing
right with the USC and Notre Dame. Everyone is mad
about change. The only thing inevitable in life people is changed,
(17:16):
So getting mad about it is silly. Things will inevitably change.
That is the only constant in life.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
Yeah, it comes back to this Jared, you know, there's
a lot of things that happened to us professionally, personally
day to day that you just throw your hands up.
There's nothing you can do, and you're mad as hell.
And if the Bears left Soldier Field, would a part
of me die a little bit? I'll tell you what
I cried the first time I saw that toilet bowl
on top of the old Soldier Field. So I get it,
(17:45):
I get it. I literally had to pull off of
Lake Shore Drive. I was so taken back, even though
I'd seen all the renderings of it. But it's the
idea of once it happens and you have to go
to the other facility, guess what, give me two and
tell me what the train schedule is. He's Jared Smith,
I'm Mike Carbon. It's Fox Sports Trader. Will continue this
as we roll on. Well, so I want to talk
(18:05):
about the upstart Jaguars in the AFC. Are you finally
buying into Trevor Lawrence? Has he finally become the quote
unquote generational man? We'll do that next. He's Jared in
for Jason. I'm buy Carbon and this is Fox Sports Radio.
Paully Fools go ahead with Tony Fosco. Yeah, as everybody knows,
we're the hosts of the award winning Polly and Tony
(18:27):
Fosco Show.
Speaker 2 (18:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (18:28):
But instead of us telling you how great we are,
here's how Dan Fatrick described us when he came on
our show.
Speaker 1 (18:34):
Quick, knowledgeable and funny, opinionated.
Speaker 7 (18:37):
What what are you doing?
Speaker 3 (18:38):
We were interrupting our promo.
Speaker 7 (18:40):
Yeah, he wasn't talking about you. You took those clips
totally of context.
Speaker 6 (18:44):
Oh yeah, well after this promo, I'm gonna take you
out and beat you.
Speaker 4 (18:48):
Let me put this into context.
Speaker 3 (18:50):
Shut up.
Speaker 2 (18:51):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (18:51):
Anyway, just listening to the Polly and Tony Fusco Show
on iHeartRadio, Apple podcasts oherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 7 (18:57):
Ye. 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 iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
The continued holiday holiday holiday stylings of Alex tyshirt on display.
Welcome back in Jason Smith Show with Me, Mike Harmon,
Jared Smith in for Jason tonight.
Speaker 3 (19:21):
Hey.
Speaker 1 (19:21):
Be sure to subscribe to the Fox Sports Radio YouTube channel.
Search Fox Sports Radio on YouTube. You'll see the best
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Speaker 2 (19:42):
We appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
Thanks for being part of our extended family here at
Fox Sports Radio. All right, Jared, No, we have the
curious case of what Liam Cohen has built in the
AFC side of the bracket when we look at the
Jacksonville Jaguars and the excellence of execution.
Speaker 2 (19:57):
That's right.
Speaker 1 (19:58):
I went full Bret the hit Man heart when talking
about what Trevor Lawrence in this offense with ETN Jacoby
Myers shows up. He's a blocker, he's a receiver. He's
there three weeks and they broke the bang for him.
So all of a sudden twenty five or more points
every game since their bye week, absolutely getting it done.
But there's a lot of handwringing when it comes to
(20:21):
Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars ever since Liam Cohen said Duval,
I don't think people are buying in.
Speaker 4 (20:29):
I think Jacksonville's a very well coached team. I don't
know how good they are. When push comes to shove,
we'll see. I think they kind of smacked around a
Denver team that was a little bit fraudulent and they
kind of you know, Denver's been right, Denver's been doing
this thing where they're losing the box score every week
but winning the game, and in this particular case it
(20:50):
was the opposite. They got a solid win in the
box score, like plus one point seven net yards were played,
plus six percent net success rate. The difference in this
game was they didn't do the little things well right.
They turned it over, they weren't great on third downs,
they only reached the red zone twice, and Jacksonville just
kind of bullied them a little bit. They kind of
pushed them around, kind of woke them up. We'll see
how Denver bounce is back. Right. We get that Chargers
(21:11):
game in a couple weeks. That's gonna be I think
to me, the game. You know that you get two
games in the West Week eight team Denver LA and
San Francisco Seattle. That might be division clinching games, which
is awesome that we'll get two of those. Perhaps we'll
see how things go this week. But the Jaguars kind
of have that swag right now, and I'm interested. I'll
(21:35):
be honest, I'm interested. I think you see the way
the standing shakeout, and we'll see who they play in
that first playoff game. I think it'll matter where the
game is, it'll matter if they're going to get home field,
you know, in the in the second round. I know
they'll get it for their first game. But if it
stands to be the same, like if the standing stayed
(21:57):
the same right now, and the Patriots do what they're
supposed to do, which is win the East, take care
of business against the Jets, and the Dolphins win the East,
and the Bills are that sixth seed and it's Jags
Bills in the first round. Oh man, that's a tough
that's a tough first game for Trevor Lawrence. I would
probably take the Bills in that spot. But if they
(22:19):
get the Chargers, We've seen that before, right.
Speaker 3 (22:22):
That was the epic that.
Speaker 2 (22:24):
Yeah they ran over them.
Speaker 4 (22:27):
Yeah so I and then the collapse in the playoffs
from a couple of years ago.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
Yeah, I've go back a couple of years and this
was revenge, or was supposed to be.
Speaker 4 (22:35):
I can see Jacksonville. I could see Jacksonville being very
formidable if that's the game. But against Buffalo, I think
I would lean Buffalo.
Speaker 2 (22:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (22:42):
I remember all of the talk leading up to week
eleven was all right, it's time for revenge, even though
it's you know, a couple of years removed, a lot
of players removed.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
That's fine. H Thirty five to six.
Speaker 1 (22:53):
And I was in the car going to one of
my daughter's soccer games and just listening to our friends
Daniel Jeremiah and Matt money Smith die a little bit
inside with each run because that one was that was
just a bludgeoning. I mean, Lawrence goes for a buck
fifty three, they put thirty five points up on the board.
He's been magnificent these last several weeks, during this win streak,
(23:16):
and you look at their win total overall, Jared and
I know, look, it's not a murderers row when you
look at Arizona, Tennessee these Colts. That was the beginning
of their slide, right, thirty six nineteen, that win the
Jets or the Jets, and then a win against Denver, which,
depending on what color your glasses are, you either love
the Broncos or you don't, but you go back to
(23:38):
early in the season, taking care of business against division
rival Houston. They beat this forty nine Ers squad back
in the day, twenty six twenty one Kansas City, back
when Kansas City still mattered thirty one to twenty eight win.
There So and Carolina back in the season, Oprah, who
would have thought Carolina all these weeks later would be
one of these teams we're going, Wow, all right, Let's
(23:59):
look at Rice Young again. Look look at what Dave
Canalis has been able to do. Let's look at McMillan
and Dowbell and Chewba Hubbard and just raise an eyebrow
towards what they've been able to do. But for Jacksonville,
it's just been an exciting run just to look. We
need quarterbacks, man, We need we need quarterbacks to be
good and to be sustainable. Whether Trevor Lawrence gets to
(24:22):
that point, I don't know. But we're up to thirty
five hundred passing yards, twenty six and eleven in terms
of those numbers. Rushing, he's got another seven touchdowns, not
turning the ball over at a high clip right at
eleven eleven interceptions. He has not lost a fumble yet
this year. So all of those things where he's just like,
all right, it's trending positively, and in an age where
(24:46):
Patrick Mahomes is hurt, Lamar Jackson's hurt. I mean, we
keep hearing the word contusion. Contusion. It sounds better than
Bruce right. It sounds far more serious as a medical
condition when you say contusion. But for some of our greats,
we forget that these guys are already eight to ten
years in all right, once upon a time, that's when
(25:07):
quarterbacks were finishing here. It's when they're first, you know,
hitting their primes in a lot of cases. But recognizing
that we're on a short list of guys that come
the start of a new year that we get excited
about and so at least for a couple of weeks,
maybe Jacksonville with the contract that's out there, Trevor Lawrence
often cited as one of those guys that demonstrated truly
(25:30):
a broken system that maybe he's pushing back a little
bit about their narrative. Again, the schedule is your friend,
but you can only beat who's on it.
Speaker 4 (25:38):
Well, I said this to Jason locking four in our
first hour Quarterbacks, and I'll expand on the point.
Speaker 3 (25:43):
Now.
Speaker 4 (25:43):
Quarterbacks have two windows. It's the first window when they
first get drafted and no one knows, they have no
tape on them, no one knows anything about their style
or anything, and they're on a rookie contract and you
get put into a good situation and a good system,
and all of a sudden, you flourish. We have seen
that multiple times, right. C. J. Strout's a good example
where it just you hit the ground running right away,
and then typically what happens is eventually that window closes,
(26:08):
and it usually happens around year three or four, when
the league's kind of caught up to your style and
the contract is coming. Well, we're past that point with
Trevor right, we're in year five now.
Speaker 3 (26:18):
So we've already breathed.
Speaker 4 (26:20):
Past that point. And now it's the second window. It's
the big contract window. This window is more about good
roster building and really good coaching because you don't have
the money to spend in all the other areas. However,
you're a smarter quarterback.
Speaker 3 (26:37):
You are.
Speaker 4 (26:37):
You've had multiple years in the league. You understand the system,
you understand how to play the position, you understand the
prep that goes along with it. You have to diet,
you have to make all of the things, all of
the sacrifices you have to make to get to the
next level. And if you are good enough and mentally
strong enough and you know discipline enough to reach that
second level, that second window, well, now the window reopens,
(27:01):
and especially if you're in a good situation with a
good coach, and I think Liam Cohen is certainly that
you've got a defense that's formidable. They bring Jakobe Meyers over,
I'd love that trade. He's been one of the best
receivers in the NFL since that trade. And now it's okay,
let's go play ball. And I don't know what the
ceiling just is yet. I think I need to see
a little bit more with Cohen, and I think i'd
(27:22):
love to see Travis Hunter become part of the mix too,
but unfortunately that didn't work out well this year with
the injury situation. But I'm not ready to give up
on Trevor Lawrence. I think we have a big problem
in our society where it is now now now, Now,
if someone has one bad year, you're done. It's over.
And maybe the NFL does stand for not for long,
But when you're getting paid this much money, you typically
(27:42):
get another chance. And maybe not if you're too a
but you typically get another chance. And Trevor's second chance.
Speaker 2 (27:48):
Right.
Speaker 4 (27:48):
You had to go through the over meyerstaff and just
like a lot of just good, like gross toxic situations
in Jacksonville. And now you've made it through that, You've
gained some wisdom from those situations, and now you've got
the right coach in place to actually tap into your
true potential. And I think, now this it's probably not
this year, right Mike, Like, I don't think anyone thinks
(28:09):
the Jaguars going to Super Bowl this year, but next year.
Now that you've set this foundation the year after that. Like,
now that you've put these bricks and you've laid this
foundation for building this house, I could see someone living
in the house eventually, but I think it's still in
the in the modeling phase, Like I just I don't
think it's ready to be moved into just yet. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (28:28):
I mean we've certainly seen former first round picks get
second tertiary shots in other spots. Famously, a lot of
former Jets that have gone on to prominence. Baker mate, Well,
you know what ex Jet now good is one of
the mantras.
Speaker 4 (28:44):
Zav d Arnold, that's the best one, right, Yeah, I
mean in geno, there's also the guys that have had
second chances with Jets. How about Vini testa Verdi throwback
there to my nine to my late nineties teams.
Speaker 2 (28:54):
You'll have to explain to our listeners who Vinny Testaverdi was.
Speaker 4 (28:57):
Yeah, that old enough.
Speaker 1 (28:59):
Wow, I mean that's a Jet generation ago at this
like literally a generation that's like about the release date
of any given Sunday.
Speaker 3 (29:06):
Yeah, RCT it actually might be the same. But that
was the guy that didn't have a ton of success, right.
Speaker 4 (29:11):
He was a good quarterback statistically with Cleveland, but didn't
have a lot of win law success when he came
to the Jets, and then all of a sudden he's
in the AC Championship game.
Speaker 2 (29:17):
There you go.
Speaker 1 (29:18):
As we look at the board right now, Rams at
plus four sixty Seahawks plus six point fifty Bills at
eight point fifty Eagles, nine hundred, Patriots one thousand, you
got to go down a ways before you find those Jaguars.
In terms of the current odds towards the Super Bowl,
they're still a twelve to one a little bit further down.
(29:39):
So they're behind Denver so in New England and Denver
are the team's closest to them, and.
Speaker 4 (29:45):
You would think they'd be in front of Denver, considering
they just went into Denver and beat them.
Speaker 1 (29:48):
Well, you know what, this is how we get our
Miami and Notre Dame debate into No, the odds market
is a funny game right into say.
Speaker 4 (29:57):
I've got a hot take on that debate.
Speaker 2 (29:58):
Oh, I have no doubt you know what that was
two weeks.
Speaker 4 (30:01):
Ago though, Yeah, I know it was a little bit
too far.
Speaker 2 (30:04):
Yeah, a little bit too far removed.
Speaker 1 (30:05):
But I'm sure you did a podcast on it at
Jared Smith Betts where you can find that, and you
can also find the podcast of the Countdown to Kickoff
show that he does with Brian no Notre Dame, South
Bend Guy and Rich Ornberger Penn State. So plenty on
the college world there, but we can have a little
bit more on the college football playoffs. Why because we're
(30:27):
down to the Elite eight. We've got the bracket challenge up.
We'll tell you about that as we continue, but first
let's kick it over to the news desk and our guy,
Steve de Seger. Who's gonna tell you all about the greatness.
Speaker 2 (30:38):
Of Rock Perty.
Speaker 5 (30:40):
Yeah, there is a lot to talk about and guys
in the NFL. This is the twentieth straight season where
at least one team with a new coach makes the
playoffs his first year. Because this Colts lost tonight puts
the Jaguars in the playoffs. Patriots won last night to
get into the postseason. The Bears this weekend clinched a
playoff spot. The Niners have won five in a row.
(31:01):
They wanted Indianapolis Tonight forty eight twenty seven. Brock Party
with five touchdown passes two hundred and ninety five yards
through the air. This is the most points scored by
San Francisco in any game in the last six years,
and Perty is the first Niners quarterback to throw for
five touchdowns in a game, regular season or playoffs since
Steve Young Super Bowl against the Chargers. He's the first
(31:23):
to do so in a regular season game since Joe
Montana nineteen ninety set the franchise record with six passing
tds at the Falcons. In fact, Party in his young career,
has already won twenty nine games as a starter, twenty
three of those twenty nine wins have been by double digits.
No other NFL quarterback has that many wins, and three
(31:43):
quarters of them or more by double digits. Philip Rivers
had two touchdown passes in the first half a late
pick six, as well two hundred and seventy seven yards.
Indy has lost six of its last seven games. Colts
have gone from eight to two to eight and seven.
They are in danger of missing the playoffs. Certainly, no
team since nineteen ninety five has missed the postseason after
(32:04):
starting eight and two or better. The NFL suspended Steelers
wide receiver dk Metcalf for the final two games of
the regular season. He will appeal after that confrontation with
a fan. Yesterday, Seahawks linebacker Derek Hall lost his appeal
of a one game suspension. Chargers linebacker Denzel Parriman was
suspended two games after another helmet to helmet hit. He
(32:24):
will appeal. The Colts lost not only clinched a playoff
spot for Jacksonville, it clinched one for the Chargers and
for the Buffalo Bills. The Bills expect quarterback Josh Allen
to play Sunday despite a foot injury. Ravens QB. Lamar
Jackson his day to day with a severely bruised back,
and the Kansas City Chiefs will have a new stadium
in twenty thirty one, just across the state line in Kansas.
(32:46):
In a bowl game in Boise today, Washington State defeated
Utah State thirty four to twenty one. Notre Dame will
play against BYU for the next two years instead of
playing USC in the NBA's late game, it's a final.
Detroit wins again one ten, one oh two at Portland.
The Pistons are twenty three and six, Oklahoma City twenty
six and three after beating Memphis one nineteen, one oh three.
(33:09):
Jay gilgis Alexander with thirty one points. It's his one
hundredth straight game with at least twenty Jaron Jackson of
the Grizzlies had eleven points today. He was named Western
Conference Player of the Week. The East Winter is Jalen
Brunson of the Knicks, wins earlier for Cleveland and Boston.
The Lakers Luka Donsich is out tomorrow with a Bruce
calf in the NHL victories for Tampa Bay and Philadelphia,
(33:32):
and in progress Blue Jackets lead with about a minute
to go in La three to one. Seattle ahead in
the final minute at Anaheim two to one. In college
basketball on FS one in Saint Louis, number twenty ranked
Illinois dominated Missouri ninety one to forty eight. And today
at San Diego State, the Aztec shot sixty percent from
the floor and whipped the Whittier Poets one twenty one,
(33:54):
two fifty nine. Whittier from Southern California, the alma mater
of Richard Nixon and Roger Lodge from the Angel Station
as well.
Speaker 1 (34:02):
Hey Roger Lodge, I used to watch him on what
was that the dating show?
Speaker 2 (34:06):
Yeah, yes, yeah, I know.
Speaker 1 (34:08):
There you go, crazy, We're in the lodge. Thanks Steve.
That's Steve to say that, baby smile.
Speaker 2 (34:13):
There you go.
Speaker 1 (34:14):
I appreciate you being with us Jason Smith Show with
me and Mike Harmon here from the Fox Sports Radio Studios.
You know, for over forty years, Tyrerack's been helping customers
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(34:35):
way tire buying should be. Coming up, we will look
at the college football bracket as we get ready for
playoff action and Jared's foaming at the mouth over Notre
Dame and Miami.
Speaker 2 (34:46):
Two cents from that coming up next here on Fox
Sports Radio.
Speaker 7 (34:51):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific.
Speaker 1 (34:59):
Welcome back Fox Sports Radio Jason Smith Show with Me,
Mike Carman, Jared Smith in for Jason at Jared Smith
Betts is where you find him. You hear him Saturday
mornings as part of Countdown to Kickoff, resented by bet
NGM alongside Brian No and Rich Ornberger here on Fox
Sports Radio. We appreciate you being with us, Appreciate you
(35:20):
hanging out with us tonight, Jared. So much going on
in the sporting universe. We'll circle back to the Monday
night football game in about ten minutes, but talk about
the bracket challenge that we've got up. Winner against the
hosts and other listeners can win one thousand dollars for
picking the best bracket. That's right, it's Fox Sports Radio
Dot iHeart dot com if you want to go and
(35:43):
get yourself entered and go make your picks. But it's
the curious time as we had the twelve team field
and there's still a lot of outrage and consternation, and
certainly Smith and I were watching it Friday night when
Oklahoma jumped out to a seventeen to nothing lead on Alabama.
I think Cold Takes could have funded themselves for a
(36:05):
year with the number of my tweets.
Speaker 4 (36:07):
And things that were going on games in the first half,
people stop.
Speaker 1 (36:11):
But that's exactly what was going on as we're watching it,
and I walked in and going I'm hoping it changes,
because at that point it was seventeen to nothing. We're
about twenty minutes from getting on air, Smith and I
and we're texting back and forth like, all right, that's
the lead.
Speaker 2 (36:27):
I hope we have something.
Speaker 1 (36:28):
And then obviously we get what was a thriller and
a thrilling comeback and Alabama takes care of business. Ty
Simpson in Company. It's convergence of events, that pick six,
that dropped punt, all of those things that play into it.
Before they get home Saturday, a little home home, the
Miami game that you could hear the crickets because not
(36:53):
a lot going on in that one, and certainly if
you were hoping for an offensive onslaught and that never came.
A and M was a team that you also had
some questions about if we're gonna do the NFL strength
of schedule thing, and certainly in the bracketology, it was
the same thing of what's the greatness of this squad?
(37:13):
And I know you can go into some advanced metrics,
but the eye test of who you played and when
and how and all those things. And then we get
that barn burner on Saturday and then two odd non
competitive games except when it came to the point spread.
Speaker 4 (37:29):
Yeah, So I'll start with Alabama. People were very upset
that they got in, and I understand that they should
have probably dropped the spot. Like that's the part that
people are upset about. And they're like, how come Bama's
the only team in next year is that has hasn't
dropped the spot after losing in the conference temap okay, fair,
(37:50):
they should have dropped a spot, but then they're tenth
and they're still in the field. So I don't understand
why that argument is. So Actually, I do understand because
it's Bama. But it's Bama' derangement syndrome is what it is.
And no one can look me in the eyes and
say they're not a top twelve team.
Speaker 3 (38:09):
They absolutely are.
Speaker 4 (38:09):
They were the number one seed in the toughest conference
in America. They are absolutely worthy of being in the playoff,
regardless of what the final score was against Georgia. And
that is the starting point. And then the BYU and
the Notre Dame people were upset, and I understand more so.
Speaker 3 (38:25):
Than Notre Dame people.
Speaker 4 (38:26):
I think the BYU people were just kind of happy
to be in the conversation, but the Notre Dame people
were obviously very upset. And then they opted out of
the Pop Darts Bowl, the Pop Darts Bowl of all things,
which is like the jewel of Bowl season.
Speaker 2 (38:37):
Nothing else. You get some pop darts and they got
a cool mascot.
Speaker 4 (38:40):
It's the jew It's like the best Bowl game outside
of the playoff, and like all of both seasons. But
they opted out of the Pop Darts Bowl. People are upset,
and I understand they're great. They got hoodwinked in, bamboozled
at the last moment. But the real problem is not
the committee chose Alabama instead of Notre Dame. The problem
(39:00):
is we have to take the twentieth and twenty fourth
ranked teams the Collachuwall playoff rankings, two Lane and JMU.
We're forced to take those teams instead of taking the
top twelve teams in the rankings BYU and Notre Dame.
It should have been BYU at Oregon, Notre Dame at
Ole Miss or flip it. I don't know how it
would have worked out, but it should have been BYU
and Notre Dame playing Oregon and Ole Miss on Saturday night.
(39:23):
That's what we should have gotten. And I know the
people are gonna push back.
Speaker 3 (39:26):
Well, it works for march madness.
Speaker 4 (39:28):
I know it's a different sport and there's sixty eight
teams in that field. It is a completely different set
of variables. Football and basketball is not the same. You
need like one hundred kids on a football program to win,
you need all this equipment and all this stuff. Basketball
it's five players. It's like a completely different argument. And
I think the real issue with the playoff, Mike, is
(39:49):
we're forced to take these G five auto bids and
it's throwing the math off for a team like BYU
and Notre Dame that really deserve to be in the field.
Speaker 2 (39:57):
Yeah, we'll see how the changes are effected.
Speaker 1 (39:59):
We already know about the Notre Dame clause, kind of
like the Santa clause. As we go through, let's get
back into Monday night football. He's Jared Olbike and this
is Fox Sports Radio.
You're listening to Fox Sports Where you go Radio Welcome
in second half of the show here on a holiday
holiday holiday Monday night. Thanks for being with us, being
part of the extended family. We appreciate each and every
one of you. However, you're listening to us as you're
on the highways and byways all our affiliates nationwide, thanks
to the pds that keep us floating to entertain and
(00:23):
inform you. Maybe in rage and engage and enrage along
the way at Swallendome at Jared Smith Bets as Jared
Smith is in for Jason Smith tonight. Always take us
with you on the iHeartRadio app twenty four to seven,
no matter where you are in the world, all the
goodness of Fox Sports Radio. Cause you know what all
you need to do, Jared, get yourself a couple of crans.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Just say to the kids, hey, I'm gonna borrow these,
or go get.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
Yourself a nice little box of eight eight krans, maybe
a couple of just different colored dry erace markers, whatever
it is. Make a little card and here's the link,
or here let me borrow your phone for two minutes
and put the iHeartRadio app down. It's like what else
did you get me from holidays? I can't get you
anything better. Twenty four to seven, Fox Sports Radio, all
the podcasts, all the different live stations and curated stations.
(01:12):
I listen to the Broadway Channel myself, so you know
you've got all of that.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
It's the gift that keeps on giving. It's like a
Jelly of the Month club.
Speaker 3 (01:20):
I love it.
Speaker 4 (01:21):
I mean listen, I'm on and all the time. I'm
always sharing with my friends and they ask me how
can I live? Because it when people say what do
you do for work? I have to I struggle with
that sometimes, like I'm like, I'm a high investment or
high volatility, short term risk, high volatility investor. I say
that sometimes as a joke. And then when I say
I'm a I'm a radio host or I'm like a broadcaster,
(01:44):
They're like, where can we listen to you? I heart app.
I show them to send them right the link.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
That's it, get in there and sell, sell, sell. The
other one I think would blow people's minds. It's like,
so you're a commodities trader, like in trading places.
Speaker 3 (01:56):
Yeah, that's a funny one too.
Speaker 4 (01:58):
The short term high risk volatility trader is a fun
one because it's like, you know, three hours in the
games and game's over, removing the next game.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
I work three hours, three hours at a time.
Speaker 3 (02:10):
Had I mean, listen, I'm a single guy living in Vegas.
Speaker 4 (02:12):
And when women ask me what I do for work
and I'm like, yeah, I sit around all day watch
sports and then talk about it through a microphone, they
think I'm like a child.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
So yeah, but then you asked them, a lot of
them might be telling you a tall tale as well.
Speaker 3 (02:24):
That's true most in Las Vegas.
Speaker 4 (02:28):
Yes, most women that I've met in town have very
unique It's a unique city to meet people in. Although
to be fair, I think it's a bad rap because
people think that it's all about you know, sin city
and already seen I've really become invested in like the
off strip nature and kind of relaxing. It's a very
(02:48):
The weather's fantastic in town too, Like, honestly, I love
the weather seventy degrees today.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
Still, regular folks that have to operate those casinos and
go back to their homes which are miles from the
strip in a whole other space, and they eat at
different places or whatever. Go figure, it's a whole other
get out of fantasy land. Yes, when you come to.
Speaker 4 (03:07):
Vegas for all those national people or for those people
listening around the country right now, when you come to Vegas,
you've been here a couple of times, you've done the strip,
rent a car, drive and see other things outside of
the strip. I promise you the strip is kind of
It's like Times Square right now. It's kind of tough,
it's overprised, it's crowded. But there's a lot more to
(03:27):
see in Vegas than just that.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
See right there, you were like who got the vig
on that one? Because you were like fifty to fifty
in terms of positivity and downplaying the city.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
So there you go.
Speaker 3 (03:38):
I mean, I love the strip too.
Speaker 4 (03:40):
It has its own, you know, qualities to it, but
I've become so enamored with the rest of the city.
It's really become home. And I'm an East Coast guy,
you know me, I'm an East Coast New Yorker. Like
I come out to Vegas. I've been here three years.
It feels like home. See there you go.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
Now there's your tourism postcard from Jared Smith at Jared Smith.
That's where you find it. It's hey, let's revisit Monday
night football. Let's do it by way of the tire
rack play of the day.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
Let's hear from the victors.
Speaker 4 (04:09):
Shannan used his challenge earlier, so they snapped the ball
on third down.
Speaker 3 (04:12):
Now he throws to the near pielin and it's cut
by McCaffrey. Touchdown, forty nine ers. Touchdown.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
There you go, forty eight twenty seven is your final?
That touchdown put the forty nine ers up forty one
twenty seven. Eventually you get the pick six to cap
the scoring. But on display there again. Rock Purdy was
absolutely brilliant over the course of the night, twenty five
to thirty four, two ninety five, five touchdowns, one pick.
(04:43):
For over forty years, Tyrak's been helping customers find the
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Speaker 2 (04:56):
The way tire buying should be.
Speaker 1 (04:58):
That truck is rolling on on beautiful tires tyrac tires.
Right now the San Francisco forty nine ers, two games left,
eleven and four, and suddenly it's the old objects in
the rear view mirror are closer than they appear, you know,
kind of like the Trannosaurus Rex running you down in
Jurassic Park.
Speaker 4 (05:18):
Crazy. Honestly, I think San Francisco is I'm curious what
that spread will be the last week of the year.
That's what I was thinking about during that last commercial
break right the games in Santa Clara.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
I don't know if San.
Speaker 4 (05:33):
Francisco will be a dog in that game, which I
think would be very telling. That game will be very telling. Now,
to be fair, we have to get through the Chicago
game first, and I think if the Niners beat the Bears,
I think their rating will increase enough to where they'll
probably be favored in that game against Seattle, which to
me likelihood trigger a lot of people wanting to bet
(05:55):
Seattle because I do think the defense for Seattle is
going to be really tough, and that's gonna be what
slows down the Niners. And maybe that's gonna be a
game where Sam Donald kind of reverts back to what
we saw earlier in the year, because let's be honest,
I mean, this dude's turned into a pumpkin over the
last few weeks, but they're still winning games and I
think that's the difference. Right, they lost the game to
the Rams. They won five straight three Fair Tennessee, Minnesota, Atlanta, Indy. Like,
(06:18):
I'm not gonna, I'm not gonna, you know, throw a
parade for Sam Donald for winning those five games. But
you gotta give him a lot of credit because they
showed a lot of resiliency last Thursday night. I think
they're gonna beat Carolina this week and then it'll set
up what will be and let's let's let's hope. I
hope the Niners. Also when I know you don't want
the Niners to win, but I just want the drama
(06:38):
of that last game because that'll be the game they flex,
right if it all comes push, there's no question about
that'll be the game they flex.
Speaker 5 (06:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
Forty established as a two and a half to three
point favorite off the Sunday night game on December twenty eighth.
So that's that's where we're at. As we said, the
over under sitting at it.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
Oh, that's the game this week.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
That's this week. No, No, we're not.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
We're talking about the Niners.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
Yeah, after they lose to the Bears, it all goes
to hell. What are you talking about?
Speaker 3 (07:05):
Is that your official production?
Speaker 1 (07:07):
After they they blow a game in the fourth quarter, Uh,
and the Bears come and snatch it from him. You know,
that's that's the way this has to work.
Speaker 4 (07:15):
When do you guys usually do your pit You do
them on Friday, usually Fridays. Yeah, I'll be here on
I'll be listening. I'll have an ear up. You better
be picking the Bears. And now you put your money
where you mount those up?
Speaker 2 (07:24):
I will yeah, I know, And there's no question about it.
Speaker 4 (07:27):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
No, Look, the Bears give up points, they give up yardage.
This week was an interesting game. We talked about it
from the Bear's side a little bit. Uh, And we'll
traverse down that highway a little bit more here right,
the win over the Packers. Malik will Is a decidedly
different quarterback than what you had for Jordan Love. So
change of game and and certainly for the Bears was uneven.
(07:49):
Malik Willis early on did whatever he wanted to do,
much more mobile, uh, tucking the ball and running uh
and then finding some open windows. Over the course of
the year, this team's lived and died with Al Harris
his defense, you know, defensive backs taking the ball away
and the run game. Obviously, Eric b enemy. On the
other side, I try to give love to these guys
because you know, we we get an amber with Ben
(08:11):
Johnson and he's the guy pulling the strings, no question
about it. But their assistant coaches have done a fantastic
job with their component parts and we've seen the evolution
of what Caleb Williams become. But you got thirty one
turnovers that you generated on the year. That's an inordinate number,
I mean against ten ten giveaways. So Caleb Williams and
(08:32):
I heard it was Ryan Leaf was on the national
radio call for the game against the pay Interesting.
Speaker 4 (08:39):
I didn't know he was doing that.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
Yeah. No, he's very good, very very good. Yeah that's great.
Speaker 4 (08:43):
I'm happy that he's found a second life.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
Yeah no, he's.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
Doing great on that And listening to a bit of
it while I was in the car in between, you know,
viewing experiences, and I thought Tom Brady brought tremendous energy
and excitement on Saturday Night for ass be.
Speaker 4 (08:58):
A really good broadcaster.
Speaker 1 (08:59):
He was jacked up for that game from pillar to post.
So the fact that you ended up getting an overtime
thriller for him, he got to be you know the
king of the world. But Leaf on the broadcast brought
up a point I've been trying to bring up all
year long, so I like to hear it echoed by
folks that have played this game at a high level.
So I could put that feather in my cap. Is
(09:20):
that for Caleb Williams, he's not turning the ball over.
We could talk about accuracy, but he's also not throwing
one and a half yard screenplasses like he was a
year ago. Right, they're pushing the ball down the field
a lot, which means you're gonna put the ball in
the harm's way at times. Well, he's been fortunate that
you haven't seen many of those. You did in the
(09:40):
first game against Green Bay and at a couple of
spots over the course of the year. But it also
means your completion percentage is gonna dip, right, to go
back to before Drew Brees and some of this evolution
of the offense, and you take what it is, right,
it's still a pass. It still counts as such and
towards your completion percentages, but it's a did a grandiose,
(10:01):
more enlightened and heightened version of a handoff in a
lot of cases, that helps accentuate your accuracy number right
from the outs from folks that aren't watching play to play.
So for Caleb Williams, the intermediate and long passes are
a bigger part of what they do, trying to take
that shot, trying to get that chunkyard. It's like we
were talking about a little bit before, which is going
(10:22):
to mean the difference between sixty two percent and fifty nine.
Speaker 4 (10:28):
He's thirty second in the league in one category, it's
completion rate over expected. What does that mean? I know
that's like one of those categories that people are like,
I don't understand what that means. It means you're expected
to complete a certain level and you are either above
or below that level. So Caleb Williams is a minus
seven point three percent completion rate over expected. So his
(10:49):
completion percentage is supposed to be about seven and a
half percent higher. It's in the high fifties. It should
be in the mid sixties. And that's based off of
To be fair, there's some subject I.
Speaker 1 (10:59):
Was going to say, there's a lot of subjectivity when
we starting with these guys. Yeah, but we always talk
about three to five percent being a margin of error. Well,
that's huge when we're talking about well that's more than
half in general.
Speaker 4 (11:12):
But he's also the number thirty two in the league
sure in that category. So even with there being some
margin of error, it is obvious that he is not
completing as many passes as he should. But then again,
I said this in the last hour, Ben Johnson, I
think is okay with that trade off, because what like
the alternative is Charlie Checkdown who completes everything within ten
(11:34):
yards of the line of scrimmage but can't push it
down the field. And if you ask Ben Johnson, Ben,
I'll give you a choice. You can take a guy
who's gonna complete seventy percent of his passes, but you're
never gonna complete anything longer than twenty or twenty five yards.
Or you could take to Caleb Williams, who's gonna be
a little bit inconsistent on the intermediate short stuff, but
then he's gonna throw an absolute dot to DJ Moore
with the game on the line in cold weather, in
(11:56):
single coverage off play action, and you and I think
Ben's gonna take the ladder.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
Yeah, because if you look at their shot chart, Jared,
a lot of it was five yards behind the line
of scrimmage, five yards in front a lot of a
lot of the let's you know, see, if we.
Speaker 4 (12:14):
Don't win games in the NFL with that style, you
win games in the NFL by generating expense.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
That we ended up as a defensive coordinator for part
of a year in Dallas.
Speaker 4 (12:24):
Yeah right. If if you if you end up completing
more deep passes than you do short and intermediate, you're
probably gonna win more games. And I think that's the
that's the toughest thing for an average Bears fan to
maybe grasp their head around because they're watching the game
and they're like, man, I can't believe they didn't complete
(12:45):
that six yard hook. You know, actually that was easy.
But that's okay, Like Ben Johnson's comfortable that. There are
two things that Ben Johnson is clearly comfortable with. There's
two things that Caleb again struggles with, the completion rate
and also the time to throw rate. But again that
is for gazing narrative to me, because in order to
generate explosives, you have to hold onto the ball and
let your receivers run down field. So Ben Johnson, again
(13:08):
it is like asymmetric risk. I'm comfortable with giving up
some of these short plays that Caleb's not gonna make.
And I'm comfortable with Caleb holding onto the ball and
being a guy who's a sitting duck in the pocket
because I know when push comes to show, he can
escape that pressure because he's very mobile. And the only
way that we can create the explosives that I feel
are necessary for us to win games is for us
(13:29):
to take these risks with Caleb holding onto it and
for him to be again a little bit greasy with
his short and intermediate throw. So I think he is
the perfect quarterback for what Ben is trying to accomplish,
and that, to me, is the reason why he took
this job. I remember when he turned down the Washington job.
It was two years ago, and I remember I was
doing a show that night and I went on the
air and I said, I have so much respect for
(13:51):
his emotional intelligence to say no to an NFL head
coaching job, which at the time was probably his dream,
Like it's probably his dream growing up to be an
NFL coach. He got an off from the commanders and
said no, and that was really close to getting across
the finish line. And I don't know how it all
went south, but at the final hour he said, no,
I'm not going to take the job. And I respected
the heck out of that decision, and I said, when
(14:12):
he finally does take a head coaching job, I'm going
to buy in on Ben Johnson because I know he
wouldn't take the job unless he felt like he could succeed,
and he felt like Kayleb Williams was his guy. And
it took a few weeks, but I think the fruit
is starting to bear.
Speaker 2 (14:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (14:29):
I think it's the curiosity between what you have with
Kevin Warren, who's doing a lot with this. Do they
go to Indiana, Do they go to Arrington Heights? Do
they eventually get their own stadium or some concessions at
the kiel if it gets them what they need to do.
I mean, like I hope to get back home at
some point, you know, for extended periods to watch a
(14:51):
lot of games in person. My brothers are certainly their
extended family friends, et cetera. But you know, the the
ultimate goal. It's kind of like we were talking about
with the USC and Notre Dame situation, is like what's
your ultimate goal?
Speaker 2 (15:05):
Right?
Speaker 1 (15:05):
And I understand it, and I appreciate the business side
of it, maybe a little differently than a lot of folks.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
And I don't just go.
Speaker 1 (15:13):
Full guts like no, they're Chicago team, Like they don't
own that field. Why do you think Soldier Field sucks
as a playing service because they don't control it. You
can have a monster truck rally on Friday night ahead
of a home game, high school football playoffs on the Friday,
and I'd walk upon on Saturday. I mean, all of
(15:34):
this happens every week every year, and they don't get it.
And when you sell out a bunch of concerts Taylor
Swift does five days on the Lakefront, guess what, they
don't get a dime. So when they look around and
they see La, they look at Dallas, they look at
these big events that can come through. Take it's the well,
(15:54):
we want to share that because.
Speaker 3 (15:56):
What do you get through?
Speaker 1 (15:57):
Right, But you get to reinvest in everything else, right.
It's part of the Dodgers conversation. Yes, they can go
and get the high price free agent. They've been creative
with contracts. They've already made all the money for show
A and Sasaki and Yamamoto already at this point, long
before it comes due, but it's also the you get
to invest in your minor leagues, in your facilities and
(16:20):
all the background stuff that makes you a better organization,
a better winning organization. And the Bears are looking around
recognizing that's the case.
Speaker 3 (16:29):
Right.
Speaker 1 (16:29):
Look at what they've done here in Los Angeles with
the way they've built so far. Whether you love the
stadium or not, it generates cash and it's trickled down
and they've reconstituted how they run that entire operation. Yeah,
I think you want some of that as opposed to
being seen as the poor mom and pop operation, which
(16:50):
is the way it's been run forever.
Speaker 4 (16:54):
So yeah, I don't see the big deal with moving
into a different state. That's one of those things that
people on the internet get upset about and then when
you actually realize the reason behind it, you're like, oh,
that makes sense. And like people get so mad about
change everyone And it goes back to the keyshot thing
right with the USC and Notre Dame. Everyone is mad
about change. The only thing inevitable in life people is changed,
(17:16):
So getting mad about it is silly. Things will inevitably change.
That is the only constant in life.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
Yeah, it comes back to this Jared, you know, there's
a lot of things that happened to us professionally, personally
day to day that you just throw your hands up.
There's nothing you can do, and you're mad as hell.
And if the Bears left Soldier Field, would a part
of me die a little bit? I'll tell you what
I cried the first time I saw that toilet bowl
on top of the old Soldier Field. So I get it,
(17:45):
I get it. I literally had to pull off of
Lake Shore Drive. I was so taken back, even though
I'd seen all the renderings of it. But it's the
idea of once it happens and you have to go
to the other facility, guess what, give me two and
tell me what the train schedule is. He's Jared Smith,
I'm Mike Carbon. It's Fox Sports Trader. Will continue this
as we roll on. Well, so I want to talk
(18:05):
about the upstart Jaguars in the AFC. Are you finally
buying into Trevor Lawrence? Has he finally become the quote
unquote generational man? We'll do that next. He's Jared in
for Jason. I'm buy Carbon and this is Fox Sports Radio.
Paully Fools go ahead with Tony Fosco. Yeah, as everybody knows,
we're the hosts of the award winning Polly and Tony
(18:27):
Fosco Show.
Speaker 2 (18:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (18:28):
But instead of us telling you how great we are,
here's how Dan Fatrick described us when he came on
our show.
Speaker 1 (18:34):
Quick, knowledgeable and funny, opinionated.
Speaker 7 (18:37):
What what are you doing?
Speaker 3 (18:38):
We were interrupting our promo.
Speaker 7 (18:40):
Yeah, he wasn't talking about you. You took those clips
totally of context.
Speaker 6 (18:44):
Oh yeah, well after this promo, I'm gonna take you
out and beat you.
Speaker 4 (18:48):
Let me put this into context.
Speaker 3 (18:50):
Shut up.
Speaker 2 (18:51):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (18:51):
Anyway, just listening to the Polly and Tony Fusco Show
on iHeartRadio, Apple podcasts oherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 7 (18:57):
Ye. 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 iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
The continued holiday holiday holiday stylings of Alex tyshirt on display.
Welcome back in Jason Smith Show with Me, Mike Harmon,
Jared Smith in for Jason tonight.
Speaker 3 (19:21):
Hey.
Speaker 1 (19:21):
Be sure to subscribe to the Fox Sports Radio YouTube channel.
Search Fox Sports Radio on YouTube. You'll see the best
videos for all our shows. Don't stop there, hit that
thumbs up icon, comment away, let us know whose takes
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Sports Radio on YouTube and subscribe today and as always
evangelized send to friends and family.
Speaker 2 (19:42):
We appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
Thanks for being part of our extended family here at
Fox Sports Radio. All right, Jared, No, we have the
curious case of what Liam Cohen has built in the
AFC side of the bracket when we look at the
Jacksonville Jaguars and the excellence of execution.
Speaker 2 (19:57):
That's right.
Speaker 1 (19:58):
I went full Bret the hit Man heart when talking
about what Trevor Lawrence in this offense with ETN Jacoby
Myers shows up. He's a blocker, he's a receiver. He's
there three weeks and they broke the bang for him.
So all of a sudden twenty five or more points
every game since their bye week, absolutely getting it done.
But there's a lot of handwringing when it comes to
(20:21):
Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars ever since Liam Cohen said Duval,
I don't think people are buying in.
Speaker 4 (20:29):
I think Jacksonville's a very well coached team. I don't
know how good they are. When push comes to shove,
we'll see. I think they kind of smacked around a
Denver team that was a little bit fraudulent and they
kind of you know, Denver's been right, Denver's been doing
this thing where they're losing the box score every week
but winning the game, and in this particular case it
(20:50):
was the opposite. They got a solid win in the
box score, like plus one point seven net yards were played,
plus six percent net success rate. The difference in this
game was they didn't do the little things well right.
They turned it over, they weren't great on third downs,
they only reached the red zone twice, and Jacksonville just
kind of bullied them a little bit. They kind of
pushed them around, kind of woke them up. We'll see
how Denver bounce is back. Right. We get that Chargers
(21:11):
game in a couple weeks. That's gonna be I think
to me, the game. You know that you get two
games in the West Week eight team Denver LA and
San Francisco Seattle. That might be division clinching games, which
is awesome that we'll get two of those. Perhaps we'll
see how things go this week. But the Jaguars kind
of have that swag right now, and I'm interested. I'll
(21:35):
be honest, I'm interested. I think you see the way
the standing shakeout, and we'll see who they play in
that first playoff game. I think it'll matter where the
game is, it'll matter if they're going to get home field,
you know, in the in the second round. I know
they'll get it for their first game. But if it
stands to be the same, like if the standing stayed
(21:57):
the same right now, and the Patriots do what they're
supposed to do, which is win the East, take care
of business against the Jets, and the Dolphins win the East,
and the Bills are that sixth seed and it's Jags
Bills in the first round. Oh man, that's a tough
that's a tough first game for Trevor Lawrence. I would
probably take the Bills in that spot. But if they
(22:19):
get the Chargers, We've seen that before, right.
Speaker 3 (22:22):
That was the epic that.
Speaker 2 (22:24):
Yeah they ran over them.
Speaker 4 (22:27):
Yeah so I and then the collapse in the playoffs
from a couple of years ago.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
Yeah, I've go back a couple of years and this
was revenge, or was supposed to be.
Speaker 4 (22:35):
I can see Jacksonville. I could see Jacksonville being very
formidable if that's the game. But against Buffalo, I think
I would lean Buffalo.
Speaker 2 (22:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (22:42):
I remember all of the talk leading up to week
eleven was all right, it's time for revenge, even though
it's you know, a couple of years removed, a lot
of players removed.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
That's fine. H Thirty five to six.
Speaker 1 (22:53):
And I was in the car going to one of
my daughter's soccer games and just listening to our friends
Daniel Jeremiah and Matt money Smith die a little bit
inside with each run because that one was that was
just a bludgeoning. I mean, Lawrence goes for a buck
fifty three, they put thirty five points up on the board.
He's been magnificent these last several weeks, during this win streak,
(23:16):
and you look at their win total overall, Jared and
I know, look, it's not a murderers row when you
look at Arizona, Tennessee these Colts. That was the beginning
of their slide, right, thirty six nineteen, that win the
Jets or the Jets, and then a win against Denver, which,
depending on what color your glasses are, you either love
the Broncos or you don't, but you go back to
(23:38):
early in the season, taking care of business against division
rival Houston. They beat this forty nine Ers squad back
in the day, twenty six twenty one Kansas City, back
when Kansas City still mattered thirty one to twenty eight win.
There So and Carolina back in the season, Oprah, who
would have thought Carolina all these weeks later would be
one of these teams we're going, Wow, all right, Let's
(23:59):
look at Rice Young again. Look look at what Dave
Canalis has been able to do. Let's look at McMillan
and Dowbell and Chewba Hubbard and just raise an eyebrow
towards what they've been able to do. But for Jacksonville,
it's just been an exciting run just to look. We
need quarterbacks, man, We need we need quarterbacks to be
good and to be sustainable. Whether Trevor Lawrence gets to
(24:22):
that point, I don't know. But we're up to thirty
five hundred passing yards, twenty six and eleven in terms
of those numbers. Rushing, he's got another seven touchdowns, not
turning the ball over at a high clip right at
eleven eleven interceptions. He has not lost a fumble yet
this year. So all of those things where he's just like,
all right, it's trending positively, and in an age where
(24:46):
Patrick Mahomes is hurt, Lamar Jackson's hurt. I mean, we
keep hearing the word contusion. Contusion. It sounds better than
Bruce right. It sounds far more serious as a medical
condition when you say contusion. But for some of our greats,
we forget that these guys are already eight to ten
years in all right, once upon a time, that's when
(25:07):
quarterbacks were finishing here. It's when they're first, you know,
hitting their primes in a lot of cases. But recognizing
that we're on a short list of guys that come
the start of a new year that we get excited
about and so at least for a couple of weeks,
maybe Jacksonville with the contract that's out there, Trevor Lawrence
often cited as one of those guys that demonstrated truly
(25:30):
a broken system that maybe he's pushing back a little
bit about their narrative. Again, the schedule is your friend,
but you can only beat who's on it.
Speaker 4 (25:38):
Well, I said this to Jason locking four in our
first hour Quarterbacks, and I'll expand on the point.
Speaker 3 (25:43):
Now.
Speaker 4 (25:43):
Quarterbacks have two windows. It's the first window when they
first get drafted and no one knows, they have no
tape on them, no one knows anything about their style
or anything, and they're on a rookie contract and you
get put into a good situation and a good system,
and all of a sudden, you flourish. We have seen
that multiple times, right. C. J. Strout's a good example
where it just you hit the ground running right away,
and then typically what happens is eventually that window closes,
(26:08):
and it usually happens around year three or four, when
the league's kind of caught up to your style and
the contract is coming. Well, we're past that point with
Trevor right, we're in year five now.
Speaker 3 (26:18):
So we've already breathed.
Speaker 4 (26:20):
Past that point. And now it's the second window. It's
the big contract window. This window is more about good
roster building and really good coaching because you don't have
the money to spend in all the other areas. However,
you're a smarter quarterback.
Speaker 3 (26:37):
You are.
Speaker 4 (26:37):
You've had multiple years in the league. You understand the system,
you understand how to play the position, you understand the
prep that goes along with it. You have to diet,
you have to make all of the things, all of
the sacrifices you have to make to get to the
next level. And if you are good enough and mentally
strong enough and you know discipline enough to reach that
second level, that second window, well, now the window reopens,
(27:01):
and especially if you're in a good situation with a
good coach, and I think Liam Cohen is certainly that
you've got a defense that's formidable. They bring Jakobe Meyers over,
I'd love that trade. He's been one of the best
receivers in the NFL since that trade. And now it's okay,
let's go play ball. And I don't know what the
ceiling just is yet. I think I need to see
a little bit more with Cohen, and I think i'd
(27:22):
love to see Travis Hunter become part of the mix too,
but unfortunately that didn't work out well this year with
the injury situation. But I'm not ready to give up
on Trevor Lawrence. I think we have a big problem
in our society where it is now now now, Now,
if someone has one bad year, you're done. It's over.
And maybe the NFL does stand for not for long,
But when you're getting paid this much money, you typically
(27:42):
get another chance. And maybe not if you're too a
but you typically get another chance. And Trevor's second chance.
Speaker 2 (27:48):
Right.
Speaker 4 (27:48):
You had to go through the over meyerstaff and just
like a lot of just good, like gross toxic situations
in Jacksonville. And now you've made it through that, You've
gained some wisdom from those situations, and now you've got
the right coach in place to actually tap into your
true potential. And I think, now this it's probably not
this year, right Mike, Like, I don't think anyone thinks
(28:09):
the Jaguars going to Super Bowl this year, but next year.
Now that you've set this foundation the year after that. Like,
now that you've put these bricks and you've laid this
foundation for building this house, I could see someone living
in the house eventually, but I think it's still in
the in the modeling phase, Like I just I don't
think it's ready to be moved into just yet. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (28:28):
I mean we've certainly seen former first round picks get
second tertiary shots in other spots. Famously, a lot of
former Jets that have gone on to prominence. Baker mate, Well,
you know what ex Jet now good is one of
the mantras.
Speaker 4 (28:44):
Zav d Arnold, that's the best one, right, Yeah, I
mean in geno, there's also the guys that have had
second chances with Jets. How about Vini testa Verdi throwback
there to my nine to my late nineties teams.
Speaker 2 (28:54):
You'll have to explain to our listeners who Vinny Testaverdi was.
Speaker 4 (28:57):
Yeah, that old enough.
Speaker 1 (28:59):
Wow, I mean that's a Jet generation ago at this
like literally a generation that's like about the release date
of any given Sunday.
Speaker 3 (29:06):
Yeah, RCT it actually might be the same. But that
was the guy that didn't have a ton of success, right.
Speaker 4 (29:11):
He was a good quarterback statistically with Cleveland, but didn't
have a lot of win law success when he came
to the Jets, and then all of a sudden he's
in the AC Championship game.
Speaker 2 (29:17):
There you go.
Speaker 1 (29:18):
As we look at the board right now, Rams at
plus four sixty Seahawks plus six point fifty Bills at
eight point fifty Eagles, nine hundred, Patriots one thousand, you
got to go down a ways before you find those Jaguars.
In terms of the current odds towards the Super Bowl,
they're still a twelve to one a little bit further down.
(29:39):
So they're behind Denver so in New England and Denver
are the team's closest to them, and.
Speaker 4 (29:45):
You would think they'd be in front of Denver, considering
they just went into Denver and beat them.
Speaker 1 (29:48):
Well, you know what, this is how we get our
Miami and Notre Dame debate into No, the odds market
is a funny game right into say.
Speaker 4 (29:57):
I've got a hot take on that debate.
Speaker 2 (29:58):
Oh, I have no doubt you know what that was
two weeks.
Speaker 4 (30:01):
Ago though, Yeah, I know it was a little bit
too far.
Speaker 2 (30:04):
Yeah, a little bit too far removed.
Speaker 1 (30:05):
But I'm sure you did a podcast on it at
Jared Smith Betts where you can find that, and you
can also find the podcast of the Countdown to Kickoff
show that he does with Brian no Notre Dame, South
Bend Guy and Rich Ornberger Penn State. So plenty on
the college world there, but we can have a little
bit more on the college football playoffs. Why because we're
(30:27):
down to the Elite eight. We've got the bracket challenge up.
We'll tell you about that as we continue, but first
let's kick it over to the news desk and our guy,
Steve de Seger. Who's gonna tell you all about the greatness.
Speaker 2 (30:38):
Of Rock Perty.
Speaker 5 (30:40):
Yeah, there is a lot to talk about and guys
in the NFL. This is the twentieth straight season where
at least one team with a new coach makes the
playoffs his first year. Because this Colts lost tonight puts
the Jaguars in the playoffs. Patriots won last night to
get into the postseason. The Bears this weekend clinched a
playoff spot. The Niners have won five in a row.
(31:01):
They wanted Indianapolis Tonight forty eight twenty seven. Brock Party
with five touchdown passes two hundred and ninety five yards
through the air. This is the most points scored by
San Francisco in any game in the last six years,
and Perty is the first Niners quarterback to throw for
five touchdowns in a game, regular season or playoffs since
Steve Young Super Bowl against the Chargers. He's the first
(31:23):
to do so in a regular season game since Joe
Montana nineteen ninety set the franchise record with six passing
tds at the Falcons. In fact, Party in his young career,
has already won twenty nine games as a starter, twenty
three of those twenty nine wins have been by double digits.
No other NFL quarterback has that many wins, and three
(31:43):
quarters of them or more by double digits. Philip Rivers
had two touchdown passes in the first half a late
pick six, as well two hundred and seventy seven yards.
Indy has lost six of its last seven games. Colts
have gone from eight to two to eight and seven.
They are in danger of missing the playoffs. Certainly, no
team since nineteen ninety five has missed the postseason after
(32:04):
starting eight and two or better. The NFL suspended Steelers
wide receiver dk Metcalf for the final two games of
the regular season. He will appeal after that confrontation with
a fan. Yesterday, Seahawks linebacker Derek Hall lost his appeal
of a one game suspension. Chargers linebacker Denzel Parriman was
suspended two games after another helmet to helmet hit. He
(32:24):
will appeal. The Colts lost not only clinched a playoff
spot for Jacksonville, it clinched one for the Chargers and
for the Buffalo Bills. The Bills expect quarterback Josh Allen
to play Sunday despite a foot injury. Ravens QB. Lamar
Jackson his day to day with a severely bruised back,
and the Kansas City Chiefs will have a new stadium
in twenty thirty one, just across the state line in Kansas.
(32:46):
In a bowl game in Boise today, Washington State defeated
Utah State thirty four to twenty one. Notre Dame will
play against BYU for the next two years instead of
playing USC in the NBA's late game, it's a final.
Detroit wins again one ten, one oh two at Portland.
The Pistons are twenty three and six, Oklahoma City twenty
six and three after beating Memphis one nineteen, one oh three.
(33:09):
Jay gilgis Alexander with thirty one points. It's his one
hundredth straight game with at least twenty Jaron Jackson of
the Grizzlies had eleven points today. He was named Western
Conference Player of the Week. The East Winter is Jalen
Brunson of the Knicks, wins earlier for Cleveland and Boston.
The Lakers Luka Donsich is out tomorrow with a Bruce
calf in the NHL victories for Tampa Bay and Philadelphia,
(33:32):
and in progress Blue Jackets lead with about a minute
to go in La three to one. Seattle ahead in
the final minute at Anaheim two to one. In college
basketball on FS one in Saint Louis, number twenty ranked
Illinois dominated Missouri ninety one to forty eight. And today
at San Diego State, the Aztec shot sixty percent from
the floor and whipped the Whittier Poets one twenty one,
(33:54):
two fifty nine. Whittier from Southern California, the alma mater
of Richard Nixon and Roger Lodge from the Angel Station
as well.
Speaker 1 (34:02):
Hey Roger Lodge, I used to watch him on what
was that the dating show?
Speaker 2 (34:06):
Yeah, yes, yeah, I know.
Speaker 1 (34:08):
There you go, crazy, We're in the lodge. Thanks Steve.
That's Steve to say that, baby smile.
Speaker 2 (34:13):
There you go.
Speaker 1 (34:14):
I appreciate you being with us Jason Smith Show with
me and Mike Harmon here from the Fox Sports Radio Studios.
You know, for over forty years, Tyrerack's been helping customers
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(34:35):
way tire buying should be. Coming up, we will look
at the college football bracket as we get ready for
playoff action and Jared's foaming at the mouth over Notre
Dame and Miami.
Speaker 2 (34:46):
Two cents from that coming up next here on Fox
Sports Radio.
Speaker 7 (34:51):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific.
Speaker 1 (34:59):
Welcome back Fox Sports Radio Jason Smith Show with Me,
Mike Carman, Jared Smith in for Jason at Jared Smith
Betts is where you find him. You hear him Saturday
mornings as part of Countdown to Kickoff, resented by bet
NGM alongside Brian No and Rich Ornberger here on Fox
Sports Radio. We appreciate you being with us, Appreciate you
(35:20):
hanging out with us tonight, Jared. So much going on
in the sporting universe. We'll circle back to the Monday
night football game in about ten minutes, but talk about
the bracket challenge that we've got up. Winner against the
hosts and other listeners can win one thousand dollars for
picking the best bracket. That's right, it's Fox Sports Radio
Dot iHeart dot com if you want to go and
(35:43):
get yourself entered and go make your picks. But it's
the curious time as we had the twelve team field
and there's still a lot of outrage and consternation, and
certainly Smith and I were watching it Friday night when
Oklahoma jumped out to a seventeen to nothing lead on Alabama.
I think Cold Takes could have funded themselves for a
(36:05):
year with the number of my tweets.
Speaker 4 (36:07):
And things that were going on games in the first half,
people stop.
Speaker 1 (36:11):
But that's exactly what was going on as we're watching it,
and I walked in and going I'm hoping it changes,
because at that point it was seventeen to nothing. We're
about twenty minutes from getting on air, Smith and I
and we're texting back and forth like, all right, that's
the lead.
Speaker 2 (36:27):
I hope we have something.
Speaker 1 (36:28):
And then obviously we get what was a thriller and
a thrilling comeback and Alabama takes care of business. Ty
Simpson in Company. It's convergence of events, that pick six,
that dropped punt, all of those things that play into it.
Before they get home Saturday, a little home home, the
Miami game that you could hear the crickets because not
(36:53):
a lot going on in that one, and certainly if
you were hoping for an offensive onslaught and that never came.
A and M was a team that you also had
some questions about if we're gonna do the NFL strength
of schedule thing, and certainly in the bracketology, it was
the same thing of what's the greatness of this squad?
(37:13):
And I know you can go into some advanced metrics,
but the eye test of who you played and when
and how and all those things. And then we get
that barn burner on Saturday and then two odd non
competitive games except when it came to the point spread.
Speaker 4 (37:29):
Yeah, So I'll start with Alabama. People were very upset
that they got in, and I understand that they should
have probably dropped the spot. Like that's the part that
people are upset about. And they're like, how come Bama's
the only team in next year is that has hasn't
dropped the spot after losing in the conference temap okay, fair,
(37:50):
they should have dropped a spot, but then they're tenth
and they're still in the field. So I don't understand
why that argument is. So Actually, I do understand because
it's Bama. But it's Bama' derangement syndrome is what it is.
And no one can look me in the eyes and
say they're not a top twelve team.
Speaker 3 (38:09):
They absolutely are.
Speaker 4 (38:09):
They were the number one seed in the toughest conference
in America. They are absolutely worthy of being in the playoff,
regardless of what the final score was against Georgia. And
that is the starting point. And then the BYU and
the Notre Dame people were upset, and I understand more so.
Speaker 3 (38:25):
Than Notre Dame people.
Speaker 4 (38:26):
I think the BYU people were just kind of happy
to be in the conversation, but the Notre Dame people
were obviously very upset. And then they opted out of
the Pop Darts Bowl, the Pop Darts Bowl of all things,
which is like the jewel of Bowl season.
Speaker 2 (38:37):
Nothing else. You get some pop darts and they got
a cool mascot.
Speaker 4 (38:40):
It's the jew It's like the best Bowl game outside
of the playoff, and like all of both seasons. But
they opted out of the Pop Darts Bowl. People are upset,
and I understand they're great. They got hoodwinked in, bamboozled
at the last moment. But the real problem is not
the committee chose Alabama instead of Notre Dame. The problem
(39:00):
is we have to take the twentieth and twenty fourth
ranked teams the Collachuwall playoff rankings, two Lane and JMU.
We're forced to take those teams instead of taking the
top twelve teams in the rankings BYU and Notre Dame.
It should have been BYU at Oregon, Notre Dame at
Ole Miss or flip it. I don't know how it
would have worked out, but it should have been BYU
and Notre Dame playing Oregon and Ole Miss on Saturday night.
(39:23):
That's what we should have gotten. And I know the
people are gonna push back.
Speaker 3 (39:26):
Well, it works for march madness.
Speaker 4 (39:28):
I know it's a different sport and there's sixty eight
teams in that field. It is a completely different set
of variables. Football and basketball is not the same. You
need like one hundred kids on a football program to win,
you need all this equipment and all this stuff. Basketball
it's five players. It's like a completely different argument. And
I think the real issue with the playoff, Mike, is
(39:49):
we're forced to take these G five auto bids and
it's throwing the math off for a team like BYU
and Notre Dame that really deserve to be in the field.
Speaker 2 (39:57):
Yeah, we'll see how the changes are effected.
Speaker 1 (39:59):
We already know about the Notre Dame clause, kind of
like the Santa clause. As we go through, let's get
back into Monday night football. He's Jared Olbike and this
is Fox Sports Radio.
Hosts And Creators
Jason Smith
Mike Harmon
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