January 7, 2026 • 43 mins
Bobby Bones and Matt Cassel recap their holidays that saw Matt returning with a beard after a ski trip and Bobby spending time in NYC. Previewing this weekend's games, why are Bobby and Matt on different sides of 49ers/Eagles? How will the Steelers hold up against the Texans defense? The Rams visit the Panthers.
Matt questions the Eagles decision to rest their starters against the Commanders. Bobby wonders why no one is talking about an Eagles repeat. Has the opportunity to win the Super Bowl ever been more open to every playoff team? Matt explains how teams scout for potential opponents through the postseason. The Ravens are making changes, but Matt doesn't think Lamar Jackson should be one of those changes.
Bobby updates his NFL Power Rankings before we look at the best head coaching jobs available. Looking ahead to Wild Card Weekend, what do you expect from the 3rd matchup between the Packers and Bears? The Bills are headed to the Jaguars, who have won 8 straight.
Watch for another episode this week with 2x Super Bowl Champion Logan Ryan!
Lots to Say with Bobby Bones and Matt Cassel is part of the NFL Podcast Network
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
Lots to Say with Bobby Bones and Matt Castle is
a production of the NFL and iHeart Podcasts.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
We Got Lots to save.
Speaker 3 (00:15):
We got lost, just save.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
What a begger here?
Speaker 1 (00:21):
And we hope you say because we got lost, just say, yeah,
we got lost.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Just say here's Bobby.
Speaker 3 (00:32):
That all right.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
Welcome to the first episode of the year, my newly
bearded mountain man. Thank you, co host Matt Castle. I'm
Bobby Bones. How was the holiday? Would you guys do?
Speaker 3 (00:43):
It was great.
Speaker 4 (00:43):
We got out of town after Christmas. The day after Christmas,
we went up to Montana. Oh see, you did it
here first. We did it here first, because you know,
travel and presence and all that with kids, it's a
little much. So we went literally the morning after Christmas
and went up to Montana. We've got a place up there,
and it was spectacular. It snowed the day, full white,
(01:07):
full white blizzard style. And where are places? It sits
up on the plateau, backs up to the Bitterroot National Force.
Speaker 3 (01:13):
So we did that.
Speaker 4 (01:14):
We went skiing for a day, which look I like
to ski and I've only done it, I promise you
once before this, and I had a blast.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
But it was like one hill very easy.
Speaker 4 (01:25):
There wasn't a lot of snow up where we went before.
And then we went to this hill in Montana and
I get this. We get a lesson from the instructor.
We go out there and my wife, who's actually the skier,
she didn't ski because she had a lower back thing
going on. So I'm out there with five kids. We're
trying to go down these bunny hills kind of relearn
(01:45):
the mechanics of how you ski. And I'm fine with that,
but my daughter gets down to the bottom of the hill,
my youngest daughter, and she's like, Dad, I'm over it.
Like take me up the mom So you got to
grab the rope on the side. It pulls you up
the bunny hill. So we get up there. I gotta
kind of get her out of her skis. I'm tripping
all over the place. Take her over to my wife finally,
But then by the time I get back, they've already
done a few runs and the guy was like, Hey,
(02:06):
let's let's go hit the slope. So I think they're ready,
and I was like, dude, there's no chance I'm ready
at all. Like I just learned how to pizza again.
But the other caveat to that was the simple fact
that I'm a forty three year old male and they
don't give me poles because I'm a beginner. They want
you to learn how to balance and do all that.
So I literally have my hands out in front of
(02:26):
me as if I have poles, and I'm like trying
to ski and I'm going down. I get off the
lift the first time, totally ate. It just felt like
such a little kid. It was brutal and it was
zero de grease, but it was a great time. When
you fall and you're an adult, that's a different fall.
Oh it was hard. It was hard right on the
hip and then my my hip flexer started cramping and
(02:48):
I was like, you guys, go ahead, and he's like, no,
We're gonna wait for you. I was like, I don't
think that's a good idea.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
But then you wonder, too, after you've fallen as an adult,
if anything is hurt, because you might get up and
go I think I'm okay. But you're an adult, so
you have adult thoughts and you think, is it just
my adrenaline that says I'm okay? Am I going to
realize that I've torn something? Once I get back to
the cabin.
Speaker 4 (03:08):
Yeah, And that was the issue too, was because you
get locked into these ski boots and the only way
you're you're like stuck in this position going in and
like my knees were hurting. I'm going, I'm not that
good to be going down real hills like I need
when I say bunny slope, just give me something like
that where I can just kind of learn go this
way and that way. I mean, this one hill look
(03:29):
like treacherous to me. It was a double black diamond.
I'm sure it was like the most novice hill. And
then you got to cut across and then they had
these these lanes that you're skiing on that are twelve
to fifteen feet across and if you look down, it's
straight down and I'm like, I'm gonna die out here.
This would be one way to go out on the
ski hill in Montana. On my second time skiing, just
(03:51):
can't do it, but nonetheless got through skiing.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
That was awesome. Four wheeling.
Speaker 4 (03:56):
Went to some really nice dinners, had a fireworks show
at the top of the mountain with the whole family,
and it was a great way because you get to
unplug and you just spend family time.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
How about your Well, I've never been skiing, but Double
Black Diamond sounds it was funny, even though I don't
understand it.
Speaker 4 (04:10):
Double Black Diamond, I guess from what they say, is
the most difficult ski slope that you can go down,
and so you only go on it if maybe you're
professional or you've got a death wish or anything like that.
The first time I went, well, maybe it was the
third time I went snowboarding when I was younger, going
down this trail and I think I'm on a bunny slope,
and then all of a sudden it gets narrower, narrower, narrower,
(04:32):
and then all of a sudden, I stop and I
look down and it's straight down. It's got molguls, and
it's like a shoot that you're supposed to draw. You
see those guys on those videos, And I was like,
there's nobody else around. I'm like, what am I supposed
to look over? It, says Double Black Diamond. I go,
I gotta get down somewhere. And you know, I've watched
enough of those cool videos where I'm like, okay, I'll
just jump do this. So I jump once, jump twice,
(04:53):
catch the front edge, go right out into powder. I'm
up to almost my waist and powder. I can't get out.
I can't dig myself out. I'm trying to. I'm there
for like thirty minutes of my quicksand oh, it was
the worst ever. So I'm sitting there, I wonder if
they're going to come rescue me, and then they're like
and because my board was stuck, and so now now
I've got my gloves off trying to get the bindings off.
(05:13):
Can't get the bindings off, so I'm digging out. I'm
literally digging a hole in the snow. I crawled back
out onto the slope and go down on my stomach
like this just over these moguls. And it was the
worst experience. I show up forty minutes later and my
family's like.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
Where were you. I was like, I was dying in
the woods. You guys didn't come. You were doing double
black diamonds. That's what I hear. I mean, it was
the worst ever. So that's what a double black diamond is. Now.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
The joke still hit. Even though I didn't know what
it was, it still hit.
Speaker 3 (05:40):
That was good. Yeah, thanks appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
That we went to Oklahoma. In Arkansas, we stayed at
our place in Arkansas. Don't be enthusiastic about it when
you say it, though, we went to Oklahoma. In Arkansas,
it was a normal Christmas. It wasn't Montana in the
winter snowing. We have a house in Faevo, and everybody came,
and then we went to Oklahoma and we came home
for a few days, and then my wife's birthdays, went
to New York for a few days after. As you
(06:02):
guys went in after Christmas, we went in the day
after New Year. Smart, Yeah, because we didn't want to.
Speaker 3 (06:07):
Deal with that.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
And we were going in while everybody was coming out,
so even the hotel was nobody.
Speaker 3 (06:12):
There, so smart. Yeah, it was nice. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
So and then back at it, watched all the games.
My wife's one pregnant, but super cool like that. Yeah,
there's an understanding. Now, does she like sports? Does she
watch sports?
Speaker 3 (06:25):
Within me?
Speaker 1 (06:25):
She comes from a massive sports family. She's obviously not
in a team she doesn't care about, and her job
isn't to watch sports, so there's a level difference in us, right,
But she is a diehard Sooners fan and she probably
watches forty thunder game a year. She doesn't watch any
of the West coast.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
Really.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
Yeah, she watches most Thunder games. I guess they play
oraty game. Her dad watches every Thunder game. Oh so
they're diehard thunderstands diehard. Yeah that's cool. So, yes, she
played sports, is an athlete when she wants to be,
and follows sports mediumly if it's her team, got it.
Speaker 3 (07:01):
So that's what's up. Okay, that's what's up.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
It's you can preview time presented by Draft Kings, from
first touchdown score to anytime TD props or thrill of
live in game betting. Every snap is loaded with opportunity.
Let's preview three specific games. Pick your winner. Forty nine
Ers at the Eagles. Matt cast will go, this is
a this is going to be a great game.
Speaker 4 (07:19):
I feel like this is going to be one of
those games that people tune into because forty nine ers.
I think they always have a great plan going into
these playoff games. I believe in Kyle Shanahan, but they've
had so many injuries. I have to go with the
Philadelphia Leagles really in this one at home. They're well rested.
Even though that's one of my topics of conversation. If
(07:40):
we talk about it. But they're well rested, and I
just think that that defense for Philadelphia will keep them
in the game and hopefully their offense can figure it out.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
I'm going to forty nine ers and it's a bit
like what you're saying, but you're looking at the forty
nine ers have a really good offense and no defense.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
No, they've got a good defense. No, they're all hurt.
Still have a decent defa.
Speaker 1 (08:04):
They played their they're the fourth and fifth dB last week.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
They have nobody. Yeah, they're on their fourth middle linebacker.
That's my point.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
How good are you going to be when you're playing
your third and fourth and fifth string guys.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
Well, they're pretty good because you picked them. I did.
I did pick them.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
I think they have a great offense playing a really
great defense. I think that will be the interesting Universus unit.
Speaker 4 (08:26):
It'll be interesting because even going back to a week
ago when they played Seattle, I thought Seattle did a
tremendous job defensively and shut down that offensive unit that
have been so explosive, so good and consistent throughout the year.
I believe that that works in favor to the Philadelphia
Eagles because they will watch that film and understand what
did they take away, how did they do it? And
(08:47):
that might be an advantage for Philadelphia going into this game.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
Texans at Steelers, I'll go first. I think the Texas
defense is just so good. I think they're the second
best defense in the NFL. I think that unit probably
wins that game. And the Steelers they already got kissed
by an Angel.
Speaker 4 (09:00):
They did get kissed by an Angel. I do think
they get some help back DK Metcalf's coming back this week.
Watt came back last week, so they they're definitely elevated
unit than what they were just even a week ago.
But at the same time, I agree with you, I'm
gonna go with Houston. I think that defense is relentless,
especially pass rush, and where Aaron Rodgers has struggled this year,
(09:20):
it's when they haven't been able to protect him consistently.
And with this front that they have, for Houston to
be able to get after Aaron Rodgers is going to
be the key for them.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
I thought the Rams at the Panthers, that's kind of it.
Speaker 3 (09:33):
It's an exhibition game, right.
Speaker 4 (09:35):
I don't know if it's that because the Panthers beat
him during the regular season in a critical game, and
Panthers are one of those sneaky teams that everybody's count
them out, and it's it's one of those games that
you go, Okay, they're at home. If they play, if
they play well, who knows. But I'm still going with
the Rams, especially because I believe DeVante Adams is going
(09:55):
to be back. They're going to have the full arsenal
of their weapons, and Matt Stafford probably will be the
MVP this year.
Speaker 1 (10:02):
I'm going with the Rams exhibition game. I like the Panthers.
I keep pounding, wasn't that your team, that's your team,
that's your team. But I have to be non biased here,
and I think the Panthers goal in games like this
is to trap the other team in a real sloppy game.
You have to because they're not just going to play.
(10:24):
So it's not going to get one touchdown after the other,
both side bounce, bounce.
Speaker 4 (10:27):
I don't feel like it's going to come down to
just one play. It's going to be the Panthers being
able to get some turnovers, you know, create turnovers. It's
going to be a big explosive play where maybe the
Rams blew a coverage or something like that because if
you look at it on paper, you say the Rams
should dominate this game based on personnel and coaching. But
(10:47):
at the same time, the Panthers have proven, whether it's
been Green Bay, whether it was the Rams, that they
can beat quality teams, that they just got muddy it up.
Speaker 3 (10:55):
Muddy it up, muddy up. That's a football term. If
I've ever kid.
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Speaker 3 (12:03):
You have a Matt camouflage.
Speaker 4 (12:07):
Van.
Speaker 3 (12:07):
It's right out there in the spinner van. I saw it.
It's massive. Oh yeah, it's cool. The color is twelve passenger.
Twelve passenger. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
You don't often drive that over here?
Speaker 3 (12:15):
No, I don't.
Speaker 4 (12:16):
It's because my truck all of a sudden it started
doing this thing where we're driving down the street and
it'll shut off. The engine stops, the acceleration won't go.
You have to all of a sudden pull off to
the side, put it in park, put it back, and
then all of a sudden it turns right back on.
You're okay, And then more and more it'll just shut off.
(12:37):
And I thought it might be a little scary.
Speaker 3 (12:40):
So much about cars.
Speaker 4 (12:41):
I don't know much about cars, but I know if
you're driving forty miles an hour and you come to
a stop, or if you're accelerating and the car shuts
off in traffic, it's usually not a good thing. I
have no idea, So I had a tow truck come over,
pick that thing up today, take it over to go serviced.
And I decided to drive my sprinter van. And I
like the sprin Van, the easiest car to drive ever.
Speaker 1 (13:01):
I've spent some time before my band got a bus.
We were in Spriner vans.
Speaker 3 (13:05):
We drove luxury spinner van, though yours was not. At
first it was a car.
Speaker 1 (13:10):
We went car normal van, sprinter van buzz, but yours
is cool in the color school.
Speaker 3 (13:15):
Did you guys paint it that green? We got it wrapped.
We got it wrapped. It needed a facelift.
Speaker 4 (13:18):
It was like all black, fading a little bit, and
I was like, what's all this thing off?
Speaker 3 (13:23):
Do you guys see it?
Speaker 1 (13:24):
No, I got to see it. I didn't know who
was outside.
Speaker 3 (13:27):
It is a delivery guy.
Speaker 1 (13:28):
It looked like a really cool delivery guy who was driving,
because I thought it was camouflage at first, because it's
kind of like got two shot.
Speaker 3 (13:34):
I'm not I'm not met that man like yet.
Speaker 1 (13:37):
And then but it was parked here at the house
where Matt normally parks, and I was like, oh, yeah,
he does have five kids. Maybe that's his ride. It's
it's the coolest sprinter van I've ever seen.
Speaker 4 (13:47):
Well, the reason we did it originally was because you
have five kids in an escalade. Their seven seats, So
if my wife and the kids are going somewhere, you've
got that. But if they ever wanted to bring a
friend or something like, they got over to the house
and we had no room. So I was like, let's
get a sprinter van. So we got yet you're legit
twelve person sprinter van. But he's got bench seating so
(14:07):
then the kids can all spread out so there's not
fighting when we go somewhere all together.
Speaker 3 (14:11):
And it's great on long road trips. I mean, it's
a yes, yes for me. Is it a tank like
the park?
Speaker 4 (14:18):
No, it's dude, it is a baby. It drives like
one of Bobby's Bentley's. Okay, that's how smooth this thing is. Okay, Okay,
let's go back and forth. But you're on today, buddy,
You're funny today.
Speaker 3 (14:34):
It's the beard. It's like Samson and strength. Wow, look
at you. You want to go first, give me some times.
You always give me some first, But I'll take it.
Speaker 4 (14:44):
I don't understand why the Philadelphia Eagles sat their starters
in the last week of the season, knowing that there
was potential. I know that there was maybe small potential,
but they could have been the two seed, which potentially
gives you another home game, which is a huge advantage
in the playoffs when you're playing at home versus on
the road first quality opponents. And so that was very confusing,
(15:07):
especially because it was right for the taking after Chicago
loss to the Lions, which you knew was going to
be a battle because Chicago wanted to win that game.
But the Lions are a good football team, so there
was a possibility. But they sat their starters, and I
just don't know why they would do that, unless maybe
they were content with being the third seed. But at
the same time, it made no sense to me. I
think that that was a bad decision by coach ARIANI yeah,
(15:30):
I said it. Yeah, that's your boy. Yeah, and he
has my boy guest and he's still my boy. He
understands it. But yeah, it was confusing to me. Maybe
they want to play the Packers. Is that something? If
you're the two, you'd play the seven. Do you think
it was possibly they'd rather play the forty nine ers?
Did you think that far ahead. I think the forty
nine ers is probably a better football.
Speaker 3 (15:50):
I think so too. I'm just trying to figure it
out when you.
Speaker 4 (15:52):
See see, I just don't I don't think that you
look at it like that if you have the opportunity
to be the two seed, But then why that's my.
Speaker 3 (15:59):
Exactly and I don't think that that has been answered.
Maybe he just it was health. It was all health.
Speaker 4 (16:04):
It might have been health, just like we're going to
be as healthy as we can going in this playoff run.
We know we'll have at least one playoff game and
then we're going to go on the road. But at
the same time, to me, the more that you can
be at home and take take advantage of that is
just a huge asset for your team going into the playoffs.
Speaker 1 (16:22):
Maybe you knew that you were going to play at
home for possibly well at least the first round, maybe
the second round.
Speaker 3 (16:27):
But health greater sign. Yeah, seed, that has to be
what it came down to.
Speaker 1 (16:33):
Well, I made a list of things that aren't being
discussed at all, and one of them is the Eagles
repeating nobody's talking about nobody's talking about it. They're in
the playoffs, They're in the playoffs, and it's really not
something that I'm hearing anyone talk about or address if
it's any podcast I listen to our shows I watch.
No one's going we think the Eagles can repeat? Yeah,
and that is so rare for a champion to return,
(16:54):
make it to the playoffs again, and people not make
that one of the big stories.
Speaker 4 (16:58):
Yeah, and it's because of the narrative all throughout the
course of the season. The offense, they don't have an identity.
They're going up and down, there's struggles, there's conflict in
the locker room. When are they going to get aj
Brown involved? Because this defense has been elite all year long.
They Sakuon Barkley didn't have the same stats he had
last year. They had injuries on the offensive line, so
(17:19):
those question marks are there, There's no doubt about it.
But this is a team that is battle tested. They
did it last year and all they have to do
is get a little momentum roll and this is a
dangerous team that undoubtedly could be back in the Super
Bowl this year.
Speaker 1 (17:35):
I tried a tested team that's made it to the
Super Bowl and won a Super Bowl.
Speaker 4 (17:40):
Right, and the Super Bowl that they lost was an
incredible game.
Speaker 1 (17:44):
Yeah, I'll go with how this is a truly historic
postseason field because there are no Chiefs and no Ravens
and I'm not going to say no Bengals because they
haven't made it last couple of years. But it's pretty crazy.
It's the first time since twenty fourteen that there are
no Chiefs and no Ravens, and no Patrick Mahomes and
no Tom Brady and no Peyton Man, no Matt Castle.
(18:08):
That's been way longer. But it really makes this Super
Bowl feel open.
Speaker 3 (18:13):
It does.
Speaker 4 (18:14):
It feels like an open field, and I believe that's
the parody of the NFL in general. But even when
you look at this field and we discussed it probably
a few episodes back, you didn't feel like there was
one significantly dominant team in this year this year's AFC
or NFC.
Speaker 3 (18:31):
Because either one, you're right, you just don't feel like.
Speaker 4 (18:34):
Hey, this is the team that you have to beat
in order to get there, because if we can't get
past this, they're going back to the Super Bowl. Like
the Chiefs have been to what this is the first
time since twenty twenty one that they won't be in
the Super Bowl. This year because they're not didn't make
the playoffs. But you just don't feel that this year
there's a lot of parody and you feel like there's
going to be a lot of games that you're going
(18:55):
to have some upsets with lower seeds over higher seeds,
potentially because there's some levity to this group.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
I think there are dominant plays units, but there aren't
dominant teams. If you're like quarterbacks, you gotta go Josh Allen, right,
then a one quarterback you also, I mean you gotta
go to Philadelphia. You probably got to go to the
Packers a bit. Jordan Love Still Stafford for sure, the Rams.
I think defensively, you look at the Broncos probably won
(19:24):
Texas at two. Seattle's got a good defense, yep, Like
there are really great defenses. You can go to prolific offenses,
but there really isn't a all the way through team
that you expect to beat dominant and there's not a
team to beat. I don't think in either the AFC
or the NFC right And I.
Speaker 4 (19:40):
Do believe this year more so than the years in
the past, that number one seed for both Seattle and
then also for Denver is huge because of the home
field advantage because of the extra week of rest that
they get before they start this playoff run. They've got
to win two games to get to the super Bowl
versus three games to get to the super Bowl.
Speaker 3 (20:00):
That means something.
Speaker 4 (20:01):
And I've been on the New England Patriots in two
thousand and seven when we had that buy and it's refreshing.
Speaker 3 (20:07):
Your body gets healthier.
Speaker 4 (20:08):
But you also have another week of preparation where you
can reevaluate yourself where do we have to go and
get started on that game plan a lot earlier than
what you would in a shortened week or a normal week.
Speaker 3 (20:19):
Do you prepare for both teams?
Speaker 4 (20:21):
They do an advanced scouting, So what they'll usually do is, okay,
we're one of two opponents, so they'll start advanced scouting
the week prior to that, and they'll start putting together reports.
And then as soon as that game ends, it could
be the Saturday game, it could be the Sunday game.
You're going to start getting material and the coaches are
already a step ahead. They might be working on potential
run game thoughts, potential pass game thoughts for both, So
(20:44):
the coaches are working harder than the players are that
first week because we're really it's a little bit more
low key. They're trying to protect the players, but you're
getting out there getting reps, running our basic fundamental plays
that we have that will be universal in every game plan.
But because we're in New England and a lot of
teams do this, we're a game plan team. So it's
based on, Hey, the defensive unit, there are four to
(21:06):
three defense. They like to play man demand. We're going
to create a game plan to beat that. The primary
coverages that you're going to get, But the other team
might be a three to four defense, so the run
scheme is going to be different, the protection schemes are
going to be different. So there's always these things that
you navigate. The game plan will never be the same
week to week.
Speaker 1 (21:23):
But if you're by and it could be one to
two teams, I can understand doing what you do and
making sure you stay sharp, But are you preparing against
both or are you not wanting to have any sort
of mental mix ups? So you just let that lie.
Speaker 3 (21:38):
In, Yeah, you let it lie as a player.
Speaker 4 (21:40):
They're not trying to overwhelm you with Hey, we're going
to put together two game plans. We're learning about this
and that, because that's that that would be obnoxious for
a player, and I think it would quite overwhelm you.
Speaker 3 (21:49):
I guarantee you could do it.
Speaker 1 (21:50):
Yeah, like week fourteen, give me everybody we might play
and I'll start right now.
Speaker 3 (21:54):
The next five weeks. I want, let's go practice against
them all to the super Bowl. That's right, all right?
What I got.
Speaker 4 (22:00):
There's all this discussion right now about the Ravens potentially
moving on from Lamar Jackson. I think that would be
absolutely nuts to move on from Lamar Jackson or trade
Lamar Jackson, because I know he's had some injuries, and
I know he's maybe getting a little bit older, but
the guy is so dynamic and so special, and I
(22:21):
think that there's been a number of reasons why they
struggled this year, but I don't think he's the primary reason.
And I just I think you set yourself back if
you trade somebody like Lamar Jackson, even though you could
get three potential first rounder, I don't know what he'd
go for in the market.
Speaker 1 (22:38):
I hate to be Devil's advocate or play the devil.
What's that term? Let me be let me let me
play devil's advocate. Yeah, yeah, whatever, people say, let's play,
let's play in the devils, because I agree with you. Quarterbacks,
even if you get a top fifteen first round quarterback,
they're still fifty percent, like, you don't know if you're
going to get a good quarterback, right, But I'll play
(23:01):
devil's advocate. As you guys say in the Biz. Bill
Belichick once said, you want to get rid of somebody
a year before they go bad, not a year after.
And Lamar is so mobile. Yes, that's not going to last. Now,
it'll last for another year or two for sure, but
(23:21):
you're not going to be thirty five years old playing
that same style that makes him so successful.
Speaker 3 (23:28):
He throws the ball wonderfully.
Speaker 1 (23:29):
I'm not taking anything away, but he also is so
mobile that it opens up a lot of throwing lanes.
Speaker 3 (23:36):
Yep.
Speaker 1 (23:38):
Playing devil's advocate, as you guys say in the biz
and the biz. If you can get two or three
first round picks and you can cut them, or you
can move on a year early instead of a year late,
why would you not at least look at it.
Speaker 3 (23:56):
But how old is Lamar? Thirty? Yeah, twenty eight.
Speaker 4 (24:01):
Yeah, he came in the league when he's like nineteen
years old, So he's got some time here. He's twenty eight.
He we're away, we're further away from two. Even then,
how many thirty two year old do you see? But
running for By the way, I agree with you, I'm
just as a say, twenty eight year old. It has
Lamar Jackson's skill set. What thirty year old is going
to have Lamar Jackson. He's a freak of nature. He's
a generational talent. And all I'm saying is when you
(24:24):
talk about moving on from Lamar Jackson, that means you're
changing your whole identity.
Speaker 1 (24:29):
You're twenty nine tomorrow. What's so when this air is
he's twenty nine.
Speaker 4 (24:33):
No, he's not twenty nine, he's twenty eight as I'm
talking now, when this air is twenty nine? Yeah, maybe
maybe maybe tomorrow. I agree, quarterbacks are so hard to get.
But they're so hard to get. But you're talking about
changing your eye to the offensive identity, how you call
the game is now you have to look at your
offensive coordinator.
Speaker 3 (24:47):
Does he fit what we want to do?
Speaker 4 (24:49):
Potentially if we draft this young guy coming in and
it's just going to look completely different, and what he does,
he makes defenses play eleven on eleven football because of
his ability to run the ball.
Speaker 3 (25:00):
And I understand what you're saying, as you know, being
the Devil's advocate, I'm not saying it as many as.
Speaker 4 (25:05):
The yes you're saying, like he is susceptible to injury,
especially the older he gets, because he he is a guy,
and he's gonna he's gonna move flower as he gets older. Yeah,
so he'll run a four to three instead of a
four to two. But what I'm saying is this guy's special,
and I believe that he's coming into his primary. He's
already won two MVPs. I mean, the guy's in the
(25:25):
prime limit of his career. They've got to get He's
got to stay healthy, There's no doubt about that. And
there's ways to call a game to not put him
at harm In harm was a way, so to speak.
Speaker 1 (25:35):
But you're not gonna allow him to do what he
does best if he's not in harm's way.
Speaker 3 (25:39):
I don't know. He threw some bombs the other night, yeah, game,
which was pretty sweet.
Speaker 1 (25:43):
He isn't what's he done in the playoffs. By the way,
I'm a fan, Don't don't make me be Devil's advocate.
Speaker 3 (25:48):
I'm done. I know, I'm done advocating as satan. I
know what you're saying about playoffs.
Speaker 4 (25:51):
But we could make the same case for Josh Allen,
right he kind of but kind of yes, it's only
kind of no, not the same.
Speaker 1 (26:00):
Really, Josh Allen's had more success than Lamar Jackson has. Okay,
even this year he made it. Lamar, that's true, but
I'm not. That's the devil talking. I'm done the devil.
I'm done as the devil.
Speaker 3 (26:10):
Put the angel on your shoulder, Sweety, do you want
the power ranking? Are the Chiefs in there?
Speaker 1 (26:32):
They just missed Chiefs, the six Cowboys, the seven?
Speaker 3 (26:36):
I can't wait. Who do you think? My Number one
is Seattle. We'll get to it.
Speaker 1 (26:40):
Number one Seattle Seahawks. Had they not beat San Francisco,
I don't know, they'd been number one, but that's the
name of the game.
Speaker 3 (26:47):
Win the games.
Speaker 1 (26:48):
And they beat San Francisco pretty.
Speaker 3 (26:50):
Pretty, pretty handily.
Speaker 1 (26:51):
Yeah, yeah, so, and they got the one seed, and
you just have a it's a free week.
Speaker 4 (26:56):
They can run the ball, they can play defense. Sam
Darnold's getting it done with his arms, his legs. They've
got good skill on the outside Jack's and Smith and
Jigba dude.
Speaker 3 (27:07):
That dude is a stud.
Speaker 1 (27:08):
I will say that I think this is the weakest
number one in the history of the power rankings at
the first week of the playoffs because I don't think
Seattle is the team to beat. I think they have
an advantage because the don't have to play a week
one game.
Speaker 4 (27:20):
I do think that they're a team to beat. And
the reason I say that they played in the toughest division.
Speaker 3 (27:23):
You just said there was not a team to beat,
so you can't change it. Well I can't. I'm playing
Devil's avage. Okay, got it, go ahead and playing Devil's advocate.
But I'd say take my pitch fork.
Speaker 4 (27:30):
They've earned it because they played in the toughest division
in football rams forty nine ers. I know Arizona is
Arizona right now, but week in and week out they
proved it.
Speaker 3 (27:42):
They've won fourteen games there. They deserve to be the
number one seed. I agree with you, they deserve to
be the number one seed.
Speaker 1 (27:48):
I don't think they're the quote team to beat, though,
because I don't think there is one.
Speaker 3 (27:52):
But I hear you, I'm not. Now we both agreed
with that. And number two.
Speaker 1 (27:57):
You can't deny it. It's Denver knew it. Yeah, you can't.
They are the number one seed. They get a free week.
Defense is in my number one in the NFL lights out,
the number one defense in the NFL. You know me,
I'm not a big second year quarterback.
Speaker 3 (28:13):
Guy, but you got it. You gotta take your hats.
He tipped your hat to him. I'm tipping. Just the tip.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
Yeah, just the tip. Okay, yeah, only the tip. Number
three Jacksonbolle Jaguars.
Speaker 3 (28:28):
I like it. I like it.
Speaker 1 (28:30):
I'm falling in line with that. They don't get any respect.
They don't get any respect. The defense takes the ball away,
stop the run. Trevor Lawrence coming into it. Pretty balanced
they are. They run the ball really well. I don't
think they're the best at anything, but they're good at
both things.
Speaker 4 (28:46):
You know who's really helped them is Jacobe Myers coming
in when they made that trade. He became a security
blanket for Trevor Lawrence, and their offense has taken off
since he's coming in. So that trade, just when you
look at it surface level, you're like, okay, not a
not a big move. But then all of a sudden
you start to watch the production and how it's gone
up since he's arrived in that building, and I'll say
(29:09):
he's been a key player for this team to continue
to reach new heights.
Speaker 1 (29:13):
Sign a new deal too, right, didn't he come in
and yeah?
Speaker 3 (29:15):
Sign? And he benefited from the Travis Hunter injury, Yes
he did.
Speaker 1 (29:19):
They needed a they don't even have Travis. He was
I know, and he was the weapon.
Speaker 3 (29:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (29:24):
Next up at number four, Los Angeles Rams. Yes, yes,
like that. I thought you would have had those two switch,
but I'm with you. Yeah, the Rams, the recent Rams, yeah,
have not been super impressive, but they haven't had Dante Adams.
Speaker 3 (29:41):
I know.
Speaker 4 (29:41):
It's like a cheat code too. You put Puka Nakua
and DeVante Adams on the same field. Who are you
going to cover? Who you're trying to well? Number one,
I'm starting with Pooka. I'm gonna try to take him
over the.
Speaker 1 (29:50):
Red zone that they would just go to DeVante. It's
just a touchdown guy.
Speaker 4 (29:53):
Yeah, because you have to pick your poison because they've
got good tight ends. Then you got two freaks on
the outside you can run the football. I mean it's
really defense. It's really difficult for a defense to cipher. Okay,
how are we going to attack this offensive unit with
all these different weapons?
Speaker 3 (30:10):
Number five, the New England Patriots. Number five New England Patriots.
Speaker 1 (30:13):
I think a lot of people would have them a
little higher.
Speaker 3 (30:15):
Yeah, I think they would. But how high are you
gonna have them? At three?
Speaker 1 (30:19):
And that's the highest You'll probably have them at three.
You can't put them over Denver?
Speaker 3 (30:24):
No, Denver's two. Yeah, so three.
Speaker 4 (30:26):
I would have probably put them at three over the Rams.
Over the Rams. Well, you put Jacksonville above the Rams.
I would have put Jacksonville at five.
Speaker 1 (30:34):
I talking about me, I would have put Jacksonville. I'll
put Jacksonvill at three because it's like I wrote for
the little Guy. Yeah, you're cam Little Arkansas that we're
the Panthers. Seventy four.
Speaker 4 (30:46):
I keep pounding though n C double A records seventy four,
seventy four.
Speaker 3 (30:51):
All right, last one, what do you have.
Speaker 4 (30:52):
The head coaching jobs? I think it's going to be
an interesting cycle this go around. You've got Brown's Cardinals, Giants, Falcons, Titans, Raiders,
and you look at some of these different teas. I
believe Giants probably are the best put together team and
roster right now for a coach to come into their
(31:14):
defensive front. I mean, Brian burn said sixteen and a
half sacks, Abdul Carter started to come on. They still
have Thibodeau, They've got studs across the board and you
can build around that. But then you look at the
offense side of the ball. Jackson Dart, as long as
he stays out of the blue tent, Yeah, he's gonna
learn how to protect himself. I feel confident about that.
But he showed enough this year with limited personnel around
(31:38):
him that he can get it done and make plays continuously.
So I'm I'm high on him. I think Scataboo's got
to come back. Malik Neighbors obviously is a true number
one wide receiver, and they have a left tackle and
Andrew Thomas that is a lockdown left tackle. So there's
a lot of pieces to work with from an organizational standpoint.
Falcons is another team that you look at.
Speaker 1 (31:59):
I would love to go coach the Falcons.
Speaker 3 (32:01):
I mean Jon Robinson. They just don't have a first
round pick other than that there loaded yeah, I mean
Jon Robinson, Drake London.
Speaker 4 (32:07):
They've got a good offensive line, a lot of young
talent on the defensive side of the ball, and I'd
say the Giants first, but Falcon second, just because there's
a lot of uncertainty at the quarterback position. Michael Pennix,
while I like him a lot, he's injured a lot
and that dates back to his time when he was
even Indiana, Indiana, Washington. And now he's got the ACL
(32:30):
he's got to come up with that and I trust
that Kirk Cousin can go out there and get it done.
But I don't know if that's the same stability that
you have with a young second year quarterback in Jackson Dark.
Speaker 1 (32:43):
It's crazy Penix played for Indiana because that's when they sucked.
Speaker 4 (32:46):
Yeah, that's when they actually that was the COVID year,
and that's when he put himself on the map, I think,
and they ended up winning. I don't know the North
or the South Division, just because it was shortened and
they didn't have to play certain teams because I don't
know if Michigan played that year or something like that,
but he.
Speaker 1 (33:01):
Bawled out playing Devil's Advocate. I don't remember that year.
Speaker 3 (33:06):
Maybe it wasn't.
Speaker 1 (33:07):
I went to a COVID football game to watch Arkansas
play Tennessee.
Speaker 3 (33:12):
Oh, because you're a big booster. You were the only
person in the stands.
Speaker 1 (33:15):
There weren't many people there, and they piped in noise.
It was all piped in noise. Was that the weirdest experience?
Speaker 3 (33:20):
It was weird.
Speaker 4 (33:21):
See I never played during COVID and so but when
you'd watch it, I was so all of a sudden,
you start to look at the stadium and you know,
I remember they used to put the fake cutouts up there, but.
Speaker 1 (33:33):
Even fans, fans, yeah, Baseball did that a lot behind
the play.
Speaker 3 (33:37):
It was crazy.
Speaker 4 (33:38):
But even talking to these guys, they're like, it's the
weirdest thing. You come in the stadium and it's like
pregame music and stuff like that, but then they put
in fake crowd noise. But you can hear everything the
defense is saying and adjustments and what you're doing at
the line of scrimmage because there's just there's nobody in
the stands. And they said there was no like major
momentum swings because yes, you're making a play, but you're
(33:58):
not doing it in front of people. It's like you're
scrimmaging out there in the backyard.
Speaker 3 (34:02):
It was like reck blag football. How much a menim
are you gonna get? Yeah, exactly, It's wild.
Speaker 1 (34:21):
My final is the Packers. They're zero and four in
their last four games.
Speaker 3 (34:26):
Yeah, they're limping into the playoffs.
Speaker 1 (34:28):
Like they became the fourth team in NFL history to
make the playoffs after losing their final four games. Interesting
and on the flip side, you almost look at the
Buccaneers and go they they didn't make it because they
lost all their final games. Yeah, they won their final
game obviously, but man, I think there were six and
one to start.
Speaker 3 (34:45):
Yeah, they were rolling.
Speaker 4 (34:46):
Remember when we were early in the season, we're pounding
our chests at least I was.
Speaker 3 (34:49):
You might have been playing Devil's Advocate, but I like
to play Devil's Out.
Speaker 4 (34:52):
But Baker MVP like three or four games in a row,
giving the ball with less than two minutes, he comes back.
Speaker 3 (34:59):
You know what The other trippy part about that?
Speaker 4 (35:00):
I was thinking about that the other day watching it
was Atlanta was playing who New Orleans? New Orleans and
the fates of both Tampa Bay and the Panthers. They're
sitting at home watching that game against four division opponents,
cheering for one or the other team because that dictated
their future. It's wild to think about that and be
(35:21):
so helpless because you can't do anything about it.
Speaker 1 (35:23):
At that point, you're at the Bucks won the rain
game the day before, right, but because they had blown
all those games late, right, they were completely out. But
you got to look back at Atlanta beating the Rams.
Had they not beat the Rams, right, they wouldn't have
even been in the mix. He'd play Devil's advocate. But yeah,
the entire division was doing something. That's something watching waiting, Uh,
(35:45):
just looking at the bracket on Saturday. The Rams are
going to Carolina. I think we both feel like the
Rams gonna win that. I feel pretty confident about that.
Packers at the Bears, I think that's such an intriguing matchup.
Third time around, Packers, like we just said, are limping
in the playoffs. Chicago though the both both of those
(36:05):
games that they had were great games and recent too.
By the way, recent Chicago was driving late in that game.
Caleb overthrew the ball in the first matchup to end
the game for an interception. But then the second game
that they had, they they score touchdown, getting on side kick,
score another touchdown, go to ot throw the bomb for
a touchdown. So these are two opponents that know each
(36:27):
other really well. It's going to be in Chicago, which
I don't know how much that matters, because they're both understand.
Speaker 4 (36:33):
What it's cold, it's going to be cold, both teams
playing cold weather environments. I just think it'll be an
interesting cat and mouse game between these two coaches because
fundamentally they know what their schemes like, what type of defenses,
where their weaknesses are, and mikeeh Parsons not being out
there is a huge factor in this game for Green Bay.
(36:55):
If the Bears lose, is this season still a success
for them because they weren't expected They.
Speaker 3 (37:01):
Weren't expected to right.
Speaker 4 (37:03):
They come off what a four win season last year
I believe it was, and Ben Johnson comes in as
a first year head coach with a second year quarterback,
and you start to see the development of this team
and who they're going to be, and they start to
build that identity. They invested in that offensive line. Last year,
you saw them run the ball consistently. Caleb Williams has
(37:24):
gotten better now, I still think there's parts of his
game that he needs to continue to work at, which
is really just like it's the checkdown balls, it's the
easy ones that he misses sometimes because the home run
potential is there every single game. The guy is special
and it has unique physical qualities. But overall to go
out and win games in the manner in which they
(37:46):
did mentally tough football team and started to follow their
head coach, and the coach has done a tremendous job.
Speaker 3 (37:53):
Do you feel like Kayleb Williams is one of yours
at USC? Yeah? Yes, you won a Heisman Trophy there.
Speaker 1 (37:59):
Just asking no reason to come at me with that
sort of tone. He's a Trojan through and through. But
he didn't start there, that's true.
Speaker 3 (38:06):
But we're on the nil area, no, I know.
Speaker 4 (38:08):
Also, the kids on USC right now did not start there,
most of the kids everywhere everywhere.
Speaker 3 (38:12):
I know. Yeah, he did play two year or so too. Yeah,
so he won that.
Speaker 1 (38:16):
I just wonder if you have like an association with
him as being like one of the USC guys.
Speaker 3 (38:21):
Yes, I do.
Speaker 4 (38:22):
I mean, I totally understand the point that people make. Well,
he started at Oklahoma and followed Lincoln Riley there, but
with the rules being what if he was there for
one year on a Heisman trophy and then went somewhere
else because he's collecting money. I don't know if I'd
have the same feeling about it. But because he finished
his career and then went into the NFL as a trojan.
Speaker 1 (38:42):
You know what, It'll be crazy when someone wins the
Heisman and then transfers out that hasn't happened.
Speaker 3 (38:47):
That will happen. It will happen. That will be crazy. Yeah,
it will be crazy.
Speaker 1 (38:53):
Someone is offers them more money, so they're gonna jump. Oh,
we're gonna give you ten million dollars to come play
for us. Okay, I'll come Bills at Jaguars. Another fascinating matchup.
Take your poison. We you know, flirted with this a
little bit, but pick a person. I'm gonna go with Jacksonville.
Speaker 3 (39:10):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (39:10):
Yeah, I'm gonna go with Jacksonville at home. I think
that they're riding up the hot streak right now. What
if they won eight straight, something like nine nine straight.
Trevor Lawrence is operating at a really high level.
Speaker 3 (39:22):
They won nine straight.
Speaker 1 (39:23):
If they were a higher profile team, this would be
the story nine straight. This is just also a story. Yeah,
But because they're Jacksonville.
Speaker 4 (39:31):
Yeah, and I like Liam Combe, but I also think defensively,
they're playing good defense. They're stopping to run their number
one rush defense in the league. And you know, for Buffalo,
they've got to take some pressure off of Josh Allen.
They can't put it all on his lap, which they
probably will end up doing anyway. And if they can't
get that run game going with Cook and they do
get that, then they're gonna have potential to get after
Josh Allen and see what happens.
Speaker 3 (39:53):
See if they can contain him. It was eight by
the way, eight see see I gotta do my research.
Speaker 1 (40:01):
I'll go with the best player on the field.
Speaker 3 (40:03):
Yep. I agree with Josh Allen.
Speaker 4 (40:04):
Now you can't or you just I agree with your
thought I agree with your thought process.
Speaker 1 (40:08):
You're right every point because you're just jumping on every
I like it.
Speaker 3 (40:11):
Yeah, I'm just agree like your thought process. Yep, yep,
I agree with that thought process.
Speaker 1 (40:15):
I just if it's closed in my mind, I go
with the best player on the field. Yeah, I think
it's Josh Allen.
Speaker 3 (40:20):
Man. If Buffalo doesn't win this game.
Speaker 4 (40:22):
Yeah, it's interesting because I do believe that there's a
lot of messaging and all this stuff about Sean McDermott, like,
is it's something if they fail this year? Is he
a guy that's potentially on the cusp. I don't believe
that they're going to make a change with Sean McDermott.
I think he's a hell of a football coach. But
(40:45):
at some point, especially like you've already mentioned, with no
Patrick Mahomes and no Lamar Jackson and no Joe Burrow,
you've got to be able to advance deep in the playoffs,
and hopefully this would be the year for them.
Speaker 1 (40:59):
Niners at the Eagles, I'm gonna take the Niners.
Speaker 3 (41:01):
Are gonna take the Eagles. I think we've discussed this,
and you know my feeling on it.
Speaker 1 (41:06):
Chargers at Patriots.
Speaker 4 (41:09):
I believe the Patriots are going to get it done.
I know that rabel is a defense that is going
to be try to create pressure up front, and when
you look at Justin Herbert, I think he's been sacked
like fifty four times this season.
Speaker 3 (41:26):
He's been banged up a little bit.
Speaker 4 (41:27):
Now, they do have some wide receivers that can be explosive,
But I believe in the defensive unit for the Patriots,
and I just think Drake May's shown consistently throughout the
season that he can get it.
Speaker 3 (41:40):
Done at a really really high level, MVP type level.
Speaker 1 (41:43):
I hope for your sake, both of you guys have
say the Patriots win.
Speaker 3 (41:46):
They should win. Thank you.
Speaker 1 (41:47):
Yeah, two Patriots fans on the show.
Speaker 3 (41:49):
I'm a Patriots fan for sure. Texans at Steelers, Well,
you didn't say who you're going for? Oh, go with Patriots?
Why not? Okay?
Speaker 1 (41:56):
Cool, best player on the field. I think the Patriots
are better than the Charger. So I'm not going to
do that where I did that with Buffalo and Jackson
Bot that I was pretty close, Like get that, I
would have to really weigh and then just point and guess.
Speaker 3 (42:09):
So, but I'm going to go with Patriots.
Speaker 1 (42:11):
Okay, all right, Texas and Steelers.
Speaker 3 (42:15):
I gotta go with the Texans. That defensive unit is
just dirty. Yeah they are, all right, that's it. We
did it. We did it.
Speaker 1 (42:24):
We two games Saturday, one game Monday. The Monday is Yeah.
It feels almost disadvantagey for that Monday game.
Speaker 4 (42:35):
Yeah, because how do they do they guarantee schedule them
the late night game Sunday like they've.
Speaker 3 (42:41):
I don't know how. It depends who it is.
Speaker 4 (42:43):
Yeah, it's interesting because I think that would be a
clear disadvantage if you have a shortened week and you've
got to.
Speaker 1 (42:50):
Play Devil's Advocate still longer until you have to play
on Monday, so you can rush your players even more.
Speaker 3 (42:56):
Oh so they're both fresh until they're not hate to
be Devil's Advocate. But I didn't even know what the
word was at first. I couldn't find it in my
that's it.
Speaker 1 (43:07):
Thank you, guys. We'll have another episode soon with Logan Ryan,
who won two Super Bowls with Patriots, friend of mine,
played with Matt best.
Speaker 3 (43:17):
Friend of yours. You guys worked out together and played pickaball.
We did all that.
Speaker 1 (43:21):
But he'll be on so be looking out for that
episode very soon, maybe even the same day.
Speaker 3 (43:26):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (43:26):
That's Matt Castle. Let's kick off, Kevin. That's Brandon and Ram,
Bobby Bones. We've had lots to say. Have a good
NFL weekend, everybody. We'll see you guys next week. Lots
to say with Bobby Bones and Matt Castle is a
production of the NFL and iHeart Podcasts. For more podcasts
from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever
(43:49):
you get your podcasts,
Lots to Say with Bobby Bones and Matt Castle is
a production of the NFL and iHeart Podcasts.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
We Got Lots to save.
Speaker 3 (00:15):
We got lost, just save.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
What a begger here?
Speaker 1 (00:21):
And we hope you say because we got lost, just say, yeah,
we got lost.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Just say here's Bobby.
Speaker 3 (00:32):
That all right.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
Welcome to the first episode of the year, my newly
bearded mountain man. Thank you, co host Matt Castle. I'm
Bobby Bones. How was the holiday? Would you guys do?
Speaker 3 (00:43):
It was great.
Speaker 4 (00:43):
We got out of town after Christmas. The day after Christmas,
we went up to Montana. Oh see, you did it
here first. We did it here first, because you know,
travel and presence and all that with kids, it's a
little much. So we went literally the morning after Christmas
and went up to Montana. We've got a place up there,
and it was spectacular. It snowed the day, full white,
(01:07):
full white blizzard style. And where are places? It sits
up on the plateau, backs up to the Bitterroot National Force.
Speaker 3 (01:13):
So we did that.
Speaker 4 (01:14):
We went skiing for a day, which look I like
to ski and I've only done it, I promise you
once before this, and I had a blast.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
But it was like one hill very easy.
Speaker 4 (01:25):
There wasn't a lot of snow up where we went before.
And then we went to this hill in Montana and
I get this. We get a lesson from the instructor.
We go out there and my wife, who's actually the skier,
she didn't ski because she had a lower back thing
going on. So I'm out there with five kids. We're
trying to go down these bunny hills kind of relearn
(01:45):
the mechanics of how you ski. And I'm fine with that,
but my daughter gets down to the bottom of the hill,
my youngest daughter, and she's like, Dad, I'm over it.
Like take me up the mom So you got to
grab the rope on the side. It pulls you up
the bunny hill. So we get up there. I gotta
kind of get her out of her skis. I'm tripping
all over the place. Take her over to my wife finally,
But then by the time I get back, they've already
done a few runs and the guy was like, Hey,
(02:06):
let's let's go hit the slope. So I think they're ready,
and I was like, dude, there's no chance I'm ready
at all. Like I just learned how to pizza again.
But the other caveat to that was the simple fact
that I'm a forty three year old male and they
don't give me poles because I'm a beginner. They want
you to learn how to balance and do all that.
So I literally have my hands out in front of
(02:26):
me as if I have poles, and I'm like trying
to ski and I'm going down. I get off the
lift the first time, totally ate. It just felt like
such a little kid. It was brutal and it was
zero de grease, but it was a great time. When
you fall and you're an adult, that's a different fall.
Oh it was hard. It was hard right on the
hip and then my my hip flexer started cramping and
(02:48):
I was like, you guys, go ahead, and he's like, no,
We're gonna wait for you. I was like, I don't
think that's a good idea.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
But then you wonder, too, after you've fallen as an adult,
if anything is hurt, because you might get up and
go I think I'm okay. But you're an adult, so
you have adult thoughts and you think, is it just
my adrenaline that says I'm okay? Am I going to
realize that I've torn something? Once I get back to
the cabin.
Speaker 4 (03:08):
Yeah, And that was the issue too, was because you
get locked into these ski boots and the only way
you're you're like stuck in this position going in and
like my knees were hurting. I'm going, I'm not that
good to be going down real hills like I need
when I say bunny slope, just give me something like
that where I can just kind of learn go this
way and that way. I mean, this one hill look
(03:29):
like treacherous to me. It was a double black diamond.
I'm sure it was like the most novice hill. And
then you got to cut across and then they had
these these lanes that you're skiing on that are twelve
to fifteen feet across and if you look down, it's
straight down and I'm like, I'm gonna die out here.
This would be one way to go out on the
ski hill in Montana. On my second time skiing, just
(03:51):
can't do it, but nonetheless got through skiing.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
That was awesome. Four wheeling.
Speaker 4 (03:56):
Went to some really nice dinners, had a fireworks show
at the top of the mountain with the whole family,
and it was a great way because you get to
unplug and you just spend family time.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
How about your Well, I've never been skiing, but Double
Black Diamond sounds it was funny, even though I don't
understand it.
Speaker 4 (04:10):
Double Black Diamond, I guess from what they say, is
the most difficult ski slope that you can go down,
and so you only go on it if maybe you're
professional or you've got a death wish or anything like that.
The first time I went, well, maybe it was the
third time I went snowboarding when I was younger, going
down this trail and I think I'm on a bunny slope,
and then all of a sudden it gets narrower, narrower, narrower,
(04:32):
and then all of a sudden, I stop and I
look down and it's straight down. It's got molguls, and
it's like a shoot that you're supposed to draw. You
see those guys on those videos, And I was like,
there's nobody else around. I'm like, what am I supposed
to look over? It, says Double Black Diamond. I go,
I gotta get down somewhere. And you know, I've watched
enough of those cool videos where I'm like, okay, I'll
just jump do this. So I jump once, jump twice,
(04:53):
catch the front edge, go right out into powder. I'm
up to almost my waist and powder. I can't get out.
I can't dig myself out. I'm trying to. I'm there
for like thirty minutes of my quicksand oh, it was
the worst ever. So I'm sitting there, I wonder if
they're going to come rescue me, and then they're like
and because my board was stuck, and so now now
I've got my gloves off trying to get the bindings off.
(05:13):
Can't get the bindings off, so I'm digging out. I'm
literally digging a hole in the snow. I crawled back
out onto the slope and go down on my stomach
like this just over these moguls. And it was the
worst experience. I show up forty minutes later and my
family's like.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
Where were you. I was like, I was dying in
the woods. You guys didn't come. You were doing double
black diamonds. That's what I hear. I mean, it was
the worst ever. So that's what a double black diamond is. Now.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
The joke still hit. Even though I didn't know what
it was, it still hit.
Speaker 3 (05:40):
That was good. Yeah, thanks appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
That we went to Oklahoma. In Arkansas, we stayed at
our place in Arkansas. Don't be enthusiastic about it when
you say it, though, we went to Oklahoma. In Arkansas,
it was a normal Christmas. It wasn't Montana in the
winter snowing. We have a house in Faevo, and everybody came,
and then we went to Oklahoma and we came home
for a few days, and then my wife's birthdays, went
to New York for a few days after. As you
(06:02):
guys went in after Christmas, we went in the day
after New Year. Smart, Yeah, because we didn't want to.
Speaker 3 (06:07):
Deal with that.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
And we were going in while everybody was coming out,
so even the hotel was nobody.
Speaker 3 (06:12):
There, so smart. Yeah, it was nice. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
So and then back at it, watched all the games.
My wife's one pregnant, but super cool like that. Yeah,
there's an understanding. Now, does she like sports? Does she
watch sports?
Speaker 3 (06:25):
Within me?
Speaker 1 (06:25):
She comes from a massive sports family. She's obviously not
in a team she doesn't care about, and her job
isn't to watch sports, so there's a level difference in us, right,
But she is a diehard Sooners fan and she probably
watches forty thunder game a year. She doesn't watch any
of the West coast.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
Really.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
Yeah, she watches most Thunder games. I guess they play
oraty game. Her dad watches every Thunder game. Oh so
they're diehard thunderstands diehard. Yeah that's cool. So, yes, she
played sports, is an athlete when she wants to be,
and follows sports mediumly if it's her team, got it.
Speaker 3 (07:01):
So that's what's up. Okay, that's what's up.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
It's you can preview time presented by Draft Kings, from
first touchdown score to anytime TD props or thrill of
live in game betting. Every snap is loaded with opportunity.
Let's preview three specific games. Pick your winner. Forty nine
Ers at the Eagles. Matt cast will go, this is
a this is going to be a great game.
Speaker 4 (07:19):
I feel like this is going to be one of
those games that people tune into because forty nine ers.
I think they always have a great plan going into
these playoff games. I believe in Kyle Shanahan, but they've
had so many injuries. I have to go with the
Philadelphia Leagles really in this one at home. They're well rested.
Even though that's one of my topics of conversation. If
(07:40):
we talk about it. But they're well rested, and I
just think that that defense for Philadelphia will keep them
in the game and hopefully their offense can figure it out.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
I'm going to forty nine ers and it's a bit
like what you're saying, but you're looking at the forty
nine ers have a really good offense and no defense.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
No, they've got a good defense. No, they're all hurt.
Still have a decent defa.
Speaker 1 (08:04):
They played their they're the fourth and fifth dB last week.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
They have nobody. Yeah, they're on their fourth middle linebacker.
That's my point.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
How good are you going to be when you're playing
your third and fourth and fifth string guys.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
Well, they're pretty good because you picked them. I did.
I did pick them.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
I think they have a great offense playing a really
great defense. I think that will be the interesting Universus unit.
Speaker 4 (08:26):
It'll be interesting because even going back to a week
ago when they played Seattle, I thought Seattle did a
tremendous job defensively and shut down that offensive unit that
have been so explosive, so good and consistent throughout the year.
I believe that that works in favor to the Philadelphia
Eagles because they will watch that film and understand what
did they take away, how did they do it? And
(08:47):
that might be an advantage for Philadelphia going into this game.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
Texans at Steelers, I'll go first. I think the Texas
defense is just so good. I think they're the second
best defense in the NFL. I think that unit probably
wins that game. And the Steelers they already got kissed
by an Angel.
Speaker 4 (09:00):
They did get kissed by an Angel. I do think
they get some help back DK Metcalf's coming back this week.
Watt came back last week, so they they're definitely elevated
unit than what they were just even a week ago.
But at the same time, I agree with you, I'm
gonna go with Houston. I think that defense is relentless,
especially pass rush, and where Aaron Rodgers has struggled this year,
(09:20):
it's when they haven't been able to protect him consistently.
And with this front that they have, for Houston to
be able to get after Aaron Rodgers is going to
be the key for them.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
I thought the Rams at the Panthers, that's kind of it.
Speaker 3 (09:33):
It's an exhibition game, right.
Speaker 4 (09:35):
I don't know if it's that because the Panthers beat
him during the regular season in a critical game, and
Panthers are one of those sneaky teams that everybody's count
them out, and it's it's one of those games that
you go, Okay, they're at home. If they play, if
they play well, who knows. But I'm still going with
the Rams, especially because I believe DeVante Adams is going
(09:55):
to be back. They're going to have the full arsenal
of their weapons, and Matt Stafford probably will be the
MVP this year.
Speaker 1 (10:02):
I'm going with the Rams exhibition game. I like the Panthers.
I keep pounding, wasn't that your team, that's your team,
that's your team. But I have to be non biased here,
and I think the Panthers goal in games like this
is to trap the other team in a real sloppy game.
You have to because they're not just going to play.
(10:24):
So it's not going to get one touchdown after the other,
both side bounce, bounce.
Speaker 4 (10:27):
I don't feel like it's going to come down to
just one play. It's going to be the Panthers being
able to get some turnovers, you know, create turnovers. It's
going to be a big explosive play where maybe the
Rams blew a coverage or something like that because if
you look at it on paper, you say the Rams
should dominate this game based on personnel and coaching. But
(10:47):
at the same time, the Panthers have proven, whether it's
been Green Bay, whether it was the Rams, that they
can beat quality teams, that they just got muddy it up.
Speaker 3 (10:55):
Muddy it up, muddy up. That's a football term. If
I've ever kid.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
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Speaker 3 (12:03):
You have a Matt camouflage.
Speaker 4 (12:07):
Van.
Speaker 3 (12:07):
It's right out there in the spinner van. I saw it.
It's massive. Oh yeah, it's cool. The color is twelve passenger.
Twelve passenger. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
You don't often drive that over here?
Speaker 3 (12:15):
No, I don't.
Speaker 4 (12:16):
It's because my truck all of a sudden it started
doing this thing where we're driving down the street and
it'll shut off. The engine stops, the acceleration won't go.
You have to all of a sudden pull off to
the side, put it in park, put it back, and
then all of a sudden it turns right back on.
You're okay, And then more and more it'll just shut off.
(12:37):
And I thought it might be a little scary.
Speaker 3 (12:40):
So much about cars.
Speaker 4 (12:41):
I don't know much about cars, but I know if
you're driving forty miles an hour and you come to
a stop, or if you're accelerating and the car shuts
off in traffic, it's usually not a good thing. I
have no idea, So I had a tow truck come over,
pick that thing up today, take it over to go serviced.
And I decided to drive my sprinter van. And I
like the sprin Van, the easiest car to drive ever.
Speaker 1 (13:01):
I've spent some time before my band got a bus.
We were in Spriner vans.
Speaker 3 (13:05):
We drove luxury spinner van, though yours was not. At
first it was a car.
Speaker 1 (13:10):
We went car normal van, sprinter van buzz, but yours
is cool in the color school.
Speaker 3 (13:15):
Did you guys paint it that green? We got it wrapped.
We got it wrapped. It needed a facelift.
Speaker 4 (13:18):
It was like all black, fading a little bit, and
I was like, what's all this thing off?
Speaker 3 (13:23):
Do you guys see it?
Speaker 1 (13:24):
No, I got to see it. I didn't know who
was outside.
Speaker 3 (13:27):
It is a delivery guy.
Speaker 1 (13:28):
It looked like a really cool delivery guy who was driving,
because I thought it was camouflage at first, because it's
kind of like got two shot.
Speaker 3 (13:34):
I'm not I'm not met that man like yet.
Speaker 1 (13:37):
And then but it was parked here at the house
where Matt normally parks, and I was like, oh, yeah,
he does have five kids. Maybe that's his ride. It's
it's the coolest sprinter van I've ever seen.
Speaker 4 (13:47):
Well, the reason we did it originally was because you
have five kids in an escalade. Their seven seats, So
if my wife and the kids are going somewhere, you've
got that. But if they ever wanted to bring a
friend or something like, they got over to the house
and we had no room. So I was like, let's
get a sprinter van. So we got yet you're legit
twelve person sprinter van. But he's got bench seating so
(14:07):
then the kids can all spread out so there's not
fighting when we go somewhere all together.
Speaker 3 (14:11):
And it's great on long road trips. I mean, it's
a yes, yes for me. Is it a tank like
the park?
Speaker 4 (14:18):
No, it's dude, it is a baby. It drives like
one of Bobby's Bentley's. Okay, that's how smooth this thing is. Okay, Okay,
let's go back and forth. But you're on today, buddy,
You're funny today.
Speaker 3 (14:34):
It's the beard. It's like Samson and strength. Wow, look
at you. You want to go first, give me some times.
You always give me some first, But I'll take it.
Speaker 4 (14:44):
I don't understand why the Philadelphia Eagles sat their starters
in the last week of the season, knowing that there
was potential. I know that there was maybe small potential,
but they could have been the two seed, which potentially
gives you another home game, which is a huge advantage
in the playoffs when you're playing at home versus on
the road first quality opponents. And so that was very confusing,
(15:07):
especially because it was right for the taking after Chicago
loss to the Lions, which you knew was going to
be a battle because Chicago wanted to win that game.
But the Lions are a good football team, so there
was a possibility. But they sat their starters, and I
just don't know why they would do that, unless maybe
they were content with being the third seed. But at
the same time, it made no sense to me. I
think that that was a bad decision by coach ARIANI yeah,
(15:30):
I said it. Yeah, that's your boy. Yeah, and he
has my boy guest and he's still my boy. He
understands it. But yeah, it was confusing to me. Maybe
they want to play the Packers. Is that something? If
you're the two, you'd play the seven. Do you think
it was possibly they'd rather play the forty nine ers?
Did you think that far ahead. I think the forty
nine ers is probably a better football.
Speaker 3 (15:50):
I think so too. I'm just trying to figure it
out when you.
Speaker 4 (15:52):
See see, I just don't I don't think that you
look at it like that if you have the opportunity
to be the two seed, But then why that's my.
Speaker 3 (15:59):
Exactly and I don't think that that has been answered.
Maybe he just it was health. It was all health.
Speaker 4 (16:04):
It might have been health, just like we're going to
be as healthy as we can going in this playoff run.
We know we'll have at least one playoff game and
then we're going to go on the road. But at
the same time, to me, the more that you can
be at home and take take advantage of that is
just a huge asset for your team going into the playoffs.
Speaker 1 (16:22):
Maybe you knew that you were going to play at
home for possibly well at least the first round, maybe
the second round.
Speaker 3 (16:27):
But health greater sign. Yeah, seed, that has to be
what it came down to.
Speaker 1 (16:33):
Well, I made a list of things that aren't being
discussed at all, and one of them is the Eagles
repeating nobody's talking about nobody's talking about it. They're in
the playoffs, They're in the playoffs, and it's really not
something that I'm hearing anyone talk about or address if
it's any podcast I listen to our shows I watch.
No one's going we think the Eagles can repeat? Yeah,
and that is so rare for a champion to return,
(16:54):
make it to the playoffs again, and people not make
that one of the big stories.
Speaker 4 (16:58):
Yeah, and it's because of the narrative all throughout the
course of the season. The offense, they don't have an identity.
They're going up and down, there's struggles, there's conflict in
the locker room. When are they going to get aj
Brown involved? Because this defense has been elite all year long.
They Sakuon Barkley didn't have the same stats he had
last year. They had injuries on the offensive line, so
(17:19):
those question marks are there, There's no doubt about it.
But this is a team that is battle tested. They
did it last year and all they have to do
is get a little momentum roll and this is a
dangerous team that undoubtedly could be back in the Super
Bowl this year.
Speaker 1 (17:35):
I tried a tested team that's made it to the
Super Bowl and won a Super Bowl.
Speaker 4 (17:40):
Right, and the Super Bowl that they lost was an
incredible game.
Speaker 1 (17:44):
Yeah, I'll go with how this is a truly historic
postseason field because there are no Chiefs and no Ravens
and I'm not going to say no Bengals because they
haven't made it last couple of years. But it's pretty crazy.
It's the first time since twenty fourteen that there are
no Chiefs and no Ravens, and no Patrick Mahomes and
no Tom Brady and no Peyton Man, no Matt Castle.
(18:08):
That's been way longer. But it really makes this Super
Bowl feel open.
Speaker 3 (18:13):
It does.
Speaker 4 (18:14):
It feels like an open field, and I believe that's
the parody of the NFL in general. But even when
you look at this field and we discussed it probably
a few episodes back, you didn't feel like there was
one significantly dominant team in this year this year's AFC
or NFC.
Speaker 3 (18:31):
Because either one, you're right, you just don't feel like.
Speaker 4 (18:34):
Hey, this is the team that you have to beat
in order to get there, because if we can't get
past this, they're going back to the Super Bowl. Like
the Chiefs have been to what this is the first
time since twenty twenty one that they won't be in
the Super Bowl. This year because they're not didn't make
the playoffs. But you just don't feel that this year
there's a lot of parody and you feel like there's
going to be a lot of games that you're going
(18:55):
to have some upsets with lower seeds over higher seeds,
potentially because there's some levity to this group.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
I think there are dominant plays units, but there aren't
dominant teams. If you're like quarterbacks, you gotta go Josh Allen, right,
then a one quarterback you also, I mean you gotta
go to Philadelphia. You probably got to go to the
Packers a bit. Jordan Love Still Stafford for sure, the Rams.
I think defensively, you look at the Broncos probably won
(19:24):
Texas at two. Seattle's got a good defense, yep, Like
there are really great defenses. You can go to prolific offenses,
but there really isn't a all the way through team
that you expect to beat dominant and there's not a
team to beat. I don't think in either the AFC
or the NFC right And I.
Speaker 4 (19:40):
Do believe this year more so than the years in
the past, that number one seed for both Seattle and
then also for Denver is huge because of the home
field advantage because of the extra week of rest that
they get before they start this playoff run. They've got
to win two games to get to the super Bowl
versus three games to get to the super Bowl.
Speaker 3 (20:00):
That means something.
Speaker 4 (20:01):
And I've been on the New England Patriots in two
thousand and seven when we had that buy and it's refreshing.
Speaker 3 (20:07):
Your body gets healthier.
Speaker 4 (20:08):
But you also have another week of preparation where you
can reevaluate yourself where do we have to go and
get started on that game plan a lot earlier than
what you would in a shortened week or a normal week.
Speaker 3 (20:19):
Do you prepare for both teams?
Speaker 4 (20:21):
They do an advanced scouting, So what they'll usually do is, okay,
we're one of two opponents, so they'll start advanced scouting
the week prior to that, and they'll start putting together reports.
And then as soon as that game ends, it could
be the Saturday game, it could be the Sunday game.
You're going to start getting material and the coaches are
already a step ahead. They might be working on potential
run game thoughts, potential pass game thoughts for both, So
(20:44):
the coaches are working harder than the players are that
first week because we're really it's a little bit more
low key. They're trying to protect the players, but you're
getting out there getting reps, running our basic fundamental plays
that we have that will be universal in every game plan.
But because we're in New England and a lot of
teams do this, we're a game plan team. So it's
based on, Hey, the defensive unit, there are four to
(21:06):
three defense. They like to play man demand. We're going
to create a game plan to beat that. The primary
coverages that you're going to get, But the other team
might be a three to four defense, so the run
scheme is going to be different, the protection schemes are
going to be different. So there's always these things that
you navigate. The game plan will never be the same
week to week.
Speaker 1 (21:23):
But if you're by and it could be one to
two teams, I can understand doing what you do and
making sure you stay sharp, But are you preparing against
both or are you not wanting to have any sort
of mental mix ups? So you just let that lie.
Speaker 3 (21:38):
In, Yeah, you let it lie as a player.
Speaker 4 (21:40):
They're not trying to overwhelm you with Hey, we're going
to put together two game plans. We're learning about this
and that, because that's that that would be obnoxious for
a player, and I think it would quite overwhelm you.
Speaker 3 (21:49):
I guarantee you could do it.
Speaker 1 (21:50):
Yeah, like week fourteen, give me everybody we might play
and I'll start right now.
Speaker 3 (21:54):
The next five weeks. I want, let's go practice against
them all to the super Bowl. That's right, all right?
What I got.
Speaker 4 (22:00):
There's all this discussion right now about the Ravens potentially
moving on from Lamar Jackson. I think that would be
absolutely nuts to move on from Lamar Jackson or trade
Lamar Jackson, because I know he's had some injuries, and
I know he's maybe getting a little bit older, but
the guy is so dynamic and so special, and I
(22:21):
think that there's been a number of reasons why they
struggled this year, but I don't think he's the primary reason.
And I just I think you set yourself back if
you trade somebody like Lamar Jackson, even though you could
get three potential first rounder, I don't know what he'd
go for in the market.
Speaker 1 (22:38):
I hate to be Devil's advocate or play the devil.
What's that term? Let me be let me let me
play devil's advocate. Yeah, yeah, whatever, people say, let's play,
let's play in the devils, because I agree with you. Quarterbacks,
even if you get a top fifteen first round quarterback,
they're still fifty percent, like, you don't know if you're
going to get a good quarterback, right, But I'll play
(23:01):
devil's advocate. As you guys say in the Biz. Bill
Belichick once said, you want to get rid of somebody
a year before they go bad, not a year after.
And Lamar is so mobile. Yes, that's not going to last. Now,
it'll last for another year or two for sure, but
(23:21):
you're not going to be thirty five years old playing
that same style that makes him so successful.
Speaker 3 (23:28):
He throws the ball wonderfully.
Speaker 1 (23:29):
I'm not taking anything away, but he also is so
mobile that it opens up a lot of throwing lanes.
Speaker 3 (23:36):
Yep.
Speaker 1 (23:38):
Playing devil's advocate, as you guys say in the biz
and the biz. If you can get two or three
first round picks and you can cut them, or you
can move on a year early instead of a year late,
why would you not at least look at it.
Speaker 3 (23:56):
But how old is Lamar? Thirty? Yeah, twenty eight.
Speaker 4 (24:01):
Yeah, he came in the league when he's like nineteen
years old, So he's got some time here. He's twenty eight.
He we're away, we're further away from two. Even then,
how many thirty two year old do you see? But
running for By the way, I agree with you, I'm
just as a say, twenty eight year old. It has
Lamar Jackson's skill set. What thirty year old is going
to have Lamar Jackson. He's a freak of nature. He's
a generational talent. And all I'm saying is when you
(24:24):
talk about moving on from Lamar Jackson, that means you're
changing your whole identity.
Speaker 1 (24:29):
You're twenty nine tomorrow. What's so when this air is
he's twenty nine.
Speaker 4 (24:33):
No, he's not twenty nine, he's twenty eight as I'm
talking now, when this air is twenty nine? Yeah, maybe
maybe maybe tomorrow. I agree, quarterbacks are so hard to get.
But they're so hard to get. But you're talking about
changing your eye to the offensive identity, how you call
the game is now you have to look at your
offensive coordinator.
Speaker 3 (24:47):
Does he fit what we want to do?
Speaker 4 (24:49):
Potentially if we draft this young guy coming in and
it's just going to look completely different, and what he does,
he makes defenses play eleven on eleven football because of
his ability to run the ball.
Speaker 3 (25:00):
And I understand what you're saying, as you know, being
the Devil's advocate, I'm not saying it as many as.
Speaker 4 (25:05):
The yes you're saying, like he is susceptible to injury,
especially the older he gets, because he he is a guy,
and he's gonna he's gonna move flower as he gets older. Yeah,
so he'll run a four to three instead of a
four to two. But what I'm saying is this guy's special,
and I believe that he's coming into his primary. He's
already won two MVPs. I mean, the guy's in the
(25:25):
prime limit of his career. They've got to get He's
got to stay healthy, There's no doubt about that. And
there's ways to call a game to not put him
at harm In harm was a way, so to speak.
Speaker 1 (25:35):
But you're not gonna allow him to do what he
does best if he's not in harm's way.
Speaker 3 (25:39):
I don't know. He threw some bombs the other night, yeah, game,
which was pretty sweet.
Speaker 1 (25:43):
He isn't what's he done in the playoffs. By the way,
I'm a fan, Don't don't make me be Devil's advocate.
Speaker 3 (25:48):
I'm done. I know, I'm done advocating as satan. I
know what you're saying about playoffs.
Speaker 4 (25:51):
But we could make the same case for Josh Allen,
right he kind of but kind of yes, it's only
kind of no, not the same.
Speaker 1 (26:00):
Really, Josh Allen's had more success than Lamar Jackson has. Okay,
even this year he made it. Lamar, that's true, but
I'm not. That's the devil talking. I'm done the devil.
I'm done as the devil.
Speaker 3 (26:10):
Put the angel on your shoulder, Sweety, do you want
the power ranking? Are the Chiefs in there?
Speaker 1 (26:32):
They just missed Chiefs, the six Cowboys, the seven?
Speaker 3 (26:36):
I can't wait. Who do you think? My Number one
is Seattle. We'll get to it.
Speaker 1 (26:40):
Number one Seattle Seahawks. Had they not beat San Francisco,
I don't know, they'd been number one, but that's the
name of the game.
Speaker 3 (26:47):
Win the games.
Speaker 1 (26:48):
And they beat San Francisco pretty.
Speaker 3 (26:50):
Pretty, pretty handily.
Speaker 1 (26:51):
Yeah, yeah, so, and they got the one seed, and
you just have a it's a free week.
Speaker 4 (26:56):
They can run the ball, they can play defense. Sam
Darnold's getting it done with his arms, his legs. They've
got good skill on the outside Jack's and Smith and
Jigba dude.
Speaker 3 (27:07):
That dude is a stud.
Speaker 1 (27:08):
I will say that I think this is the weakest
number one in the history of the power rankings at
the first week of the playoffs because I don't think
Seattle is the team to beat. I think they have
an advantage because the don't have to play a week
one game.
Speaker 4 (27:20):
I do think that they're a team to beat. And
the reason I say that they played in the toughest division.
Speaker 3 (27:23):
You just said there was not a team to beat,
so you can't change it. Well I can't. I'm playing
Devil's avage. Okay, got it, go ahead and playing Devil's advocate.
But I'd say take my pitch fork.
Speaker 4 (27:30):
They've earned it because they played in the toughest division
in football rams forty nine ers. I know Arizona is
Arizona right now, but week in and week out they
proved it.
Speaker 3 (27:42):
They've won fourteen games there. They deserve to be the
number one seed. I agree with you, they deserve to
be the number one seed.
Speaker 1 (27:48):
I don't think they're the quote team to beat, though,
because I don't think there is one.
Speaker 3 (27:52):
But I hear you, I'm not. Now we both agreed
with that. And number two.
Speaker 1 (27:57):
You can't deny it. It's Denver knew it. Yeah, you can't.
They are the number one seed. They get a free week.
Defense is in my number one in the NFL lights out,
the number one defense in the NFL. You know me,
I'm not a big second year quarterback.
Speaker 3 (28:13):
Guy, but you got it. You gotta take your hats.
He tipped your hat to him. I'm tipping. Just the tip.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
Yeah, just the tip. Okay, yeah, only the tip. Number
three Jacksonbolle Jaguars.
Speaker 3 (28:28):
I like it. I like it.
Speaker 1 (28:30):
I'm falling in line with that. They don't get any respect.
They don't get any respect. The defense takes the ball away,
stop the run. Trevor Lawrence coming into it. Pretty balanced
they are. They run the ball really well. I don't
think they're the best at anything, but they're good at
both things.
Speaker 4 (28:46):
You know who's really helped them is Jacobe Myers coming
in when they made that trade. He became a security
blanket for Trevor Lawrence, and their offense has taken off
since he's coming in. So that trade, just when you
look at it surface level, you're like, okay, not a
not a big move. But then all of a sudden
you start to watch the production and how it's gone
up since he's arrived in that building, and I'll say
(29:09):
he's been a key player for this team to continue
to reach new heights.
Speaker 1 (29:13):
Sign a new deal too, right, didn't he come in
and yeah?
Speaker 3 (29:15):
Sign? And he benefited from the Travis Hunter injury, Yes
he did.
Speaker 1 (29:19):
They needed a they don't even have Travis. He was
I know, and he was the weapon.
Speaker 3 (29:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (29:24):
Next up at number four, Los Angeles Rams. Yes, yes,
like that. I thought you would have had those two switch,
but I'm with you. Yeah, the Rams, the recent Rams, yeah,
have not been super impressive, but they haven't had Dante Adams.
Speaker 3 (29:41):
I know.
Speaker 4 (29:41):
It's like a cheat code too. You put Puka Nakua
and DeVante Adams on the same field. Who are you
going to cover? Who you're trying to well? Number one,
I'm starting with Pooka. I'm gonna try to take him
over the.
Speaker 1 (29:50):
Red zone that they would just go to DeVante. It's
just a touchdown guy.
Speaker 4 (29:53):
Yeah, because you have to pick your poison because they've
got good tight ends. Then you got two freaks on
the outside you can run the football. I mean it's
really defense. It's really difficult for a defense to cipher. Okay,
how are we going to attack this offensive unit with
all these different weapons?
Speaker 3 (30:10):
Number five, the New England Patriots. Number five New England Patriots.
Speaker 1 (30:13):
I think a lot of people would have them a
little higher.
Speaker 3 (30:15):
Yeah, I think they would. But how high are you
gonna have them? At three?
Speaker 1 (30:19):
And that's the highest You'll probably have them at three.
You can't put them over Denver?
Speaker 3 (30:24):
No, Denver's two. Yeah, so three.
Speaker 4 (30:26):
I would have probably put them at three over the Rams.
Over the Rams. Well, you put Jacksonville above the Rams.
I would have put Jacksonville at five.
Speaker 1 (30:34):
I talking about me, I would have put Jacksonville. I'll
put Jacksonvill at three because it's like I wrote for
the little Guy. Yeah, you're cam Little Arkansas that we're
the Panthers. Seventy four.
Speaker 4 (30:46):
I keep pounding though n C double A records seventy four,
seventy four.
Speaker 3 (30:51):
All right, last one, what do you have.
Speaker 4 (30:52):
The head coaching jobs? I think it's going to be
an interesting cycle this go around. You've got Brown's Cardinals, Giants, Falcons, Titans, Raiders,
and you look at some of these different teas. I
believe Giants probably are the best put together team and
roster right now for a coach to come into their
(31:14):
defensive front. I mean, Brian burn said sixteen and a
half sacks, Abdul Carter started to come on. They still
have Thibodeau, They've got studs across the board and you
can build around that. But then you look at the
offense side of the ball. Jackson Dart, as long as
he stays out of the blue tent, Yeah, he's gonna
learn how to protect himself. I feel confident about that.
But he showed enough this year with limited personnel around
(31:38):
him that he can get it done and make plays continuously.
So I'm I'm high on him. I think Scataboo's got
to come back. Malik Neighbors obviously is a true number
one wide receiver, and they have a left tackle and
Andrew Thomas that is a lockdown left tackle. So there's
a lot of pieces to work with from an organizational standpoint.
Falcons is another team that you look at.
Speaker 1 (31:59):
I would love to go coach the Falcons.
Speaker 3 (32:01):
I mean Jon Robinson. They just don't have a first
round pick other than that there loaded yeah, I mean
Jon Robinson, Drake London.
Speaker 4 (32:07):
They've got a good offensive line, a lot of young
talent on the defensive side of the ball, and I'd
say the Giants first, but Falcon second, just because there's
a lot of uncertainty at the quarterback position. Michael Pennix,
while I like him a lot, he's injured a lot
and that dates back to his time when he was
even Indiana, Indiana, Washington. And now he's got the ACL
(32:30):
he's got to come up with that and I trust
that Kirk Cousin can go out there and get it done.
But I don't know if that's the same stability that
you have with a young second year quarterback in Jackson Dark.
Speaker 1 (32:43):
It's crazy Penix played for Indiana because that's when they sucked.
Speaker 4 (32:46):
Yeah, that's when they actually that was the COVID year,
and that's when he put himself on the map, I think,
and they ended up winning. I don't know the North
or the South Division, just because it was shortened and
they didn't have to play certain teams because I don't
know if Michigan played that year or something like that,
but he.
Speaker 1 (33:01):
Bawled out playing Devil's Advocate. I don't remember that year.
Speaker 3 (33:06):
Maybe it wasn't.
Speaker 1 (33:07):
I went to a COVID football game to watch Arkansas
play Tennessee.
Speaker 3 (33:12):
Oh, because you're a big booster. You were the only
person in the stands.
Speaker 1 (33:15):
There weren't many people there, and they piped in noise.
It was all piped in noise. Was that the weirdest experience?
Speaker 3 (33:20):
It was weird.
Speaker 4 (33:21):
See I never played during COVID and so but when
you'd watch it, I was so all of a sudden,
you start to look at the stadium and you know,
I remember they used to put the fake cutouts up there, but.
Speaker 1 (33:33):
Even fans, fans, yeah, Baseball did that a lot behind
the play.
Speaker 3 (33:37):
It was crazy.
Speaker 4 (33:38):
But even talking to these guys, they're like, it's the
weirdest thing. You come in the stadium and it's like
pregame music and stuff like that, but then they put
in fake crowd noise. But you can hear everything the
defense is saying and adjustments and what you're doing at
the line of scrimmage because there's just there's nobody in
the stands. And they said there was no like major
momentum swings because yes, you're making a play, but you're
(33:58):
not doing it in front of people. It's like you're
scrimmaging out there in the backyard.
Speaker 3 (34:02):
It was like reck blag football. How much a menim
are you gonna get? Yeah, exactly, It's wild.
Speaker 1 (34:21):
My final is the Packers. They're zero and four in
their last four games.
Speaker 3 (34:26):
Yeah, they're limping into the playoffs.
Speaker 1 (34:28):
Like they became the fourth team in NFL history to
make the playoffs after losing their final four games. Interesting
and on the flip side, you almost look at the
Buccaneers and go they they didn't make it because they
lost all their final games. Yeah, they won their final
game obviously, but man, I think there were six and
one to start.
Speaker 3 (34:45):
Yeah, they were rolling.
Speaker 4 (34:46):
Remember when we were early in the season, we're pounding
our chests at least I was.
Speaker 3 (34:49):
You might have been playing Devil's Advocate, but I like
to play Devil's Out.
Speaker 4 (34:52):
But Baker MVP like three or four games in a row,
giving the ball with less than two minutes, he comes back.
Speaker 3 (34:59):
You know what The other trippy part about that?
Speaker 4 (35:00):
I was thinking about that the other day watching it
was Atlanta was playing who New Orleans? New Orleans and
the fates of both Tampa Bay and the Panthers. They're
sitting at home watching that game against four division opponents,
cheering for one or the other team because that dictated
their future. It's wild to think about that and be
(35:21):
so helpless because you can't do anything about it.
Speaker 1 (35:23):
At that point, you're at the Bucks won the rain
game the day before, right, but because they had blown
all those games late, right, they were completely out. But
you got to look back at Atlanta beating the Rams.
Had they not beat the Rams, right, they wouldn't have
even been in the mix. He'd play Devil's advocate. But yeah,
the entire division was doing something. That's something watching waiting, Uh,
(35:45):
just looking at the bracket on Saturday. The Rams are
going to Carolina. I think we both feel like the
Rams gonna win that. I feel pretty confident about that.
Packers at the Bears, I think that's such an intriguing matchup.
Third time around, Packers, like we just said, are limping
in the playoffs. Chicago though the both both of those
(36:05):
games that they had were great games and recent too.
By the way, recent Chicago was driving late in that game.
Caleb overthrew the ball in the first matchup to end
the game for an interception. But then the second game
that they had, they they score touchdown, getting on side kick,
score another touchdown, go to ot throw the bomb for
a touchdown. So these are two opponents that know each
(36:27):
other really well. It's going to be in Chicago, which
I don't know how much that matters, because they're both understand.
Speaker 4 (36:33):
What it's cold, it's going to be cold, both teams
playing cold weather environments. I just think it'll be an
interesting cat and mouse game between these two coaches because
fundamentally they know what their schemes like, what type of defenses,
where their weaknesses are, and mikeeh Parsons not being out
there is a huge factor in this game for Green Bay.
(36:55):
If the Bears lose, is this season still a success
for them because they weren't expected They.
Speaker 3 (37:01):
Weren't expected to right.
Speaker 4 (37:03):
They come off what a four win season last year
I believe it was, and Ben Johnson comes in as
a first year head coach with a second year quarterback,
and you start to see the development of this team
and who they're going to be, and they start to
build that identity. They invested in that offensive line. Last year,
you saw them run the ball consistently. Caleb Williams has
(37:24):
gotten better now, I still think there's parts of his
game that he needs to continue to work at, which
is really just like it's the checkdown balls, it's the
easy ones that he misses sometimes because the home run
potential is there every single game. The guy is special
and it has unique physical qualities. But overall to go
out and win games in the manner in which they
(37:46):
did mentally tough football team and started to follow their
head coach, and the coach has done a tremendous job.
Speaker 3 (37:53):
Do you feel like Kayleb Williams is one of yours
at USC? Yeah? Yes, you won a Heisman Trophy there.
Speaker 1 (37:59):
Just asking no reason to come at me with that
sort of tone. He's a Trojan through and through. But
he didn't start there, that's true.
Speaker 3 (38:06):
But we're on the nil area, no, I know.
Speaker 4 (38:08):
Also, the kids on USC right now did not start there,
most of the kids everywhere everywhere.
Speaker 3 (38:12):
I know. Yeah, he did play two year or so too. Yeah,
so he won that.
Speaker 1 (38:16):
I just wonder if you have like an association with
him as being like one of the USC guys.
Speaker 3 (38:21):
Yes, I do.
Speaker 4 (38:22):
I mean, I totally understand the point that people make. Well,
he started at Oklahoma and followed Lincoln Riley there, but
with the rules being what if he was there for
one year on a Heisman trophy and then went somewhere
else because he's collecting money. I don't know if I'd
have the same feeling about it. But because he finished
his career and then went into the NFL as a trojan.
Speaker 1 (38:42):
You know what, It'll be crazy when someone wins the
Heisman and then transfers out that hasn't happened.
Speaker 3 (38:47):
That will happen. It will happen. That will be crazy. Yeah,
it will be crazy.
Speaker 1 (38:53):
Someone is offers them more money, so they're gonna jump. Oh,
we're gonna give you ten million dollars to come play
for us. Okay, I'll come Bills at Jaguars. Another fascinating matchup.
Take your poison. We you know, flirted with this a
little bit, but pick a person. I'm gonna go with Jacksonville.
Speaker 3 (39:10):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (39:10):
Yeah, I'm gonna go with Jacksonville at home. I think
that they're riding up the hot streak right now. What
if they won eight straight, something like nine nine straight.
Trevor Lawrence is operating at a really high level.
Speaker 3 (39:22):
They won nine straight.
Speaker 1 (39:23):
If they were a higher profile team, this would be
the story nine straight. This is just also a story. Yeah,
But because they're Jacksonville.
Speaker 4 (39:31):
Yeah, and I like Liam Combe, but I also think defensively,
they're playing good defense. They're stopping to run their number
one rush defense in the league. And you know, for Buffalo,
they've got to take some pressure off of Josh Allen.
They can't put it all on his lap, which they
probably will end up doing anyway. And if they can't
get that run game going with Cook and they do
get that, then they're gonna have potential to get after
Josh Allen and see what happens.
Speaker 3 (39:53):
See if they can contain him. It was eight by
the way, eight see see I gotta do my research.
Speaker 1 (40:01):
I'll go with the best player on the field.
Speaker 3 (40:03):
Yep. I agree with Josh Allen.
Speaker 4 (40:04):
Now you can't or you just I agree with your
thought I agree with your thought process.
Speaker 1 (40:08):
You're right every point because you're just jumping on every
I like it.
Speaker 3 (40:11):
Yeah, I'm just agree like your thought process. Yep, yep,
I agree with that thought process.
Speaker 1 (40:15):
I just if it's closed in my mind, I go
with the best player on the field. Yeah, I think
it's Josh Allen.
Speaker 3 (40:20):
Man. If Buffalo doesn't win this game.
Speaker 4 (40:22):
Yeah, it's interesting because I do believe that there's a
lot of messaging and all this stuff about Sean McDermott, like,
is it's something if they fail this year? Is he
a guy that's potentially on the cusp. I don't believe
that they're going to make a change with Sean McDermott.
I think he's a hell of a football coach. But
(40:45):
at some point, especially like you've already mentioned, with no
Patrick Mahomes and no Lamar Jackson and no Joe Burrow,
you've got to be able to advance deep in the playoffs,
and hopefully this would be the year for them.
Speaker 1 (40:59):
Niners at the Eagles, I'm gonna take the Niners.
Speaker 3 (41:01):
Are gonna take the Eagles. I think we've discussed this,
and you know my feeling on it.
Speaker 1 (41:06):
Chargers at Patriots.
Speaker 4 (41:09):
I believe the Patriots are going to get it done.
I know that rabel is a defense that is going
to be try to create pressure up front, and when
you look at Justin Herbert, I think he's been sacked
like fifty four times this season.
Speaker 3 (41:26):
He's been banged up a little bit.
Speaker 4 (41:27):
Now, they do have some wide receivers that can be explosive,
But I believe in the defensive unit for the Patriots,
and I just think Drake May's shown consistently throughout the
season that he can get it.
Speaker 3 (41:40):
Done at a really really high level, MVP type level.
Speaker 1 (41:43):
I hope for your sake, both of you guys have
say the Patriots win.
Speaker 3 (41:46):
They should win. Thank you.
Speaker 1 (41:47):
Yeah, two Patriots fans on the show.
Speaker 3 (41:49):
I'm a Patriots fan for sure. Texans at Steelers, Well,
you didn't say who you're going for? Oh, go with Patriots?
Why not? Okay?
Speaker 1 (41:56):
Cool, best player on the field. I think the Patriots
are better than the Charger. So I'm not going to
do that where I did that with Buffalo and Jackson
Bot that I was pretty close, Like get that, I
would have to really weigh and then just point and guess.
Speaker 3 (42:09):
So, but I'm going to go with Patriots.
Speaker 1 (42:11):
Okay, all right, Texas and Steelers.
Speaker 3 (42:15):
I gotta go with the Texans. That defensive unit is
just dirty. Yeah they are, all right, that's it. We
did it. We did it.
Speaker 1 (42:24):
We two games Saturday, one game Monday. The Monday is Yeah.
It feels almost disadvantagey for that Monday game.
Speaker 4 (42:35):
Yeah, because how do they do they guarantee schedule them
the late night game Sunday like they've.
Speaker 3 (42:41):
I don't know how. It depends who it is.
Speaker 4 (42:43):
Yeah, it's interesting because I think that would be a
clear disadvantage if you have a shortened week and you've
got to.
Speaker 1 (42:50):
Play Devil's Advocate still longer until you have to play
on Monday, so you can rush your players even more.
Speaker 3 (42:56):
Oh so they're both fresh until they're not hate to
be Devil's Advocate. But I didn't even know what the
word was at first. I couldn't find it in my
that's it.
Speaker 1 (43:07):
Thank you, guys. We'll have another episode soon with Logan Ryan,
who won two Super Bowls with Patriots, friend of mine,
played with Matt best.
Speaker 3 (43:17):
Friend of yours. You guys worked out together and played pickaball.
We did all that.
Speaker 1 (43:21):
But he'll be on so be looking out for that
episode very soon, maybe even the same day.
Speaker 3 (43:26):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (43:26):
That's Matt Castle. Let's kick off, Kevin. That's Brandon and Ram,
Bobby Bones. We've had lots to say. Have a good
NFL weekend, everybody. We'll see you guys next week. Lots
to say with Bobby Bones and Matt Castle is a
production of the NFL and iHeart Podcasts. For more podcasts
from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever
(43:49):
you get your podcasts,
Hosts And Creators
Bobby Bones
Amy Brown
Lunchbox
Eddie Garcia
Morgan Huelsman
Raymundo
Mike D
Abby Anderson
Scuba Steve
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