2024 WildCard Weekend with Michael Wilbon - Football Is Sexy

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Wild Card Weekend is in the books and Oh my God, who do we
have here on the Football Is Sexy podcast?
My favorite. The man needs no introduction.
The legend, The goat of all sports, but especially football.

(00:20):
Michael Wilbon. Very nice.
Of you. I mean.
That's some introduction. Well, I.
Somebody who needs no introduction.
That's the hell of an. Introduction and no
introduction. But we have some newbies so we
will say you are a ESPN analyst,the NBA Countdown, and literally

(00:41):
my favorite show. You are the Co host of Pardon
the Interruption. I have been since its inception
and it just means we're old. Oh my God, no.
I've been watching you forever, I told Diana.
Couldn't believe it. Like, literally.
That is my go to. Thank you.
That is my go to. I love it, and I usually agree

(01:01):
with you that might be. That's.
That's scary, I know that. Might be.
But listen, we are so excited tohave you.
Thank you for following footballsexy on your social media.
Thank you for being here and letting the girls, Sonas and M
Shea talk. Wild Card Playoffs, NFL.

(01:23):
Let's get into it this. Is much better company than I'm
than I'm accustomed. To tell Tony we said hi, tell
Tony we said hi and if Tony ever, you know, can't make it.
If he wanders out of his house. If Tony wants to come on here
and try to, you know, outdo you today, I'd.
Fly him out if he wants to try. That fighting words.
Fighting words. Well, listen, there's so much we

(01:44):
could talk about, but I really think we need to kick it with
the Eagles. Yeah, we do.
The Eagles and Tampa Bay. What are your thoughts?
Were you able to watch the game?Cuz I know sometimes you're
flying. No, I was flying, but I was not
gonna miss that game. The Eagles were defeated, to
quote Troy Aikman. Troy, Troy summed up the game

(02:06):
with one sentence. Not the game, but the Eagles
predicament the situation where they are.
Yeah, when he just said they're a defeated team and they were
that way when they got here, right?
Wow. And so if you get on.
Jalen hurts His face. He just looked.
It did. He just looked like.
He did. How they were playing, I mean,
you could just see it literally on his face and it was he felt
their frustration, he felt theirsadness.

(02:28):
And it was just, it was this implosion, you know, You could
just kind of see it for it's like an inner from the inside
out that we're seeing something misaligned and it's just so
interesting. And we've been seeing it for
five games at least, The same I always and we were talking about
this on our podcast last week. I'm like, can I see a different
face from Jalen? And maybe it's just the

(02:48):
cameraman, but every time that they showed Jalen.
Just like you said, what they feel we should be for carbon for
a second, but it it reflects that team's lack of spirit.
They are dispirited, right? And so you know, sadly we're in
an era now where analytics rule and people get into the the

(03:10):
specifics without seeing the overarching issues that go on
with a player, with a team, witha coach, with a dynamic.
And they don't see that the Eagles issues are not schematic.
The Eagles are defeated. They're they're dispirited.
They are. Jalen Hurts his face.
They are that. Yep.
And so it doesn't matter the schemes, it doesn't matter the

(03:33):
person, the, the, the personnel groupings and the strategic
insurance and outs, they're they're dispirited.
They're out. And I can't imagine they're not
gonna make major changes. Right, right.
I mean, Nick Siriani. Yeah, I mean.
I was poo poo in the whole nick.Seriani could be fire thing.
It just sounds crazy that a teamcould be 10 and one and stumble

(03:54):
and then you fire a coach 11 months after his team was in the
Super Bowl, right? But.
But. Philadelphia is a impatient
place. Yep.
And the fan base is impatient. The owner, Jeffrey Lurie's
impatient. They're not the first team to
crash like this. The the the Patriots just did it
in 2019. Yeah, where they had a 10 and 1

(04:16):
or 11 and O start and loss in the first round of playoffs.
So it happens, but man. But.
But can we give a little credit to Tampa Bay?
Because Tampa Bay came into thisseason and said we want a top
ten quarterback at a discount price.
And did they get that with BakerMayfield?

(04:36):
No. Come on, yeah, no, I like his
answer. See, Top ten quarterback.
They got a guy who gave them everything he has, which is
enough. OK.
But. But if I'm making a trade today
for a quarterback who's available?
Am I picking up Baker Mayfield? No.
Baker Mayfield's been terrific. So there's there's two set

(04:58):
through. Career season.
It's a career season, but it's not a great career.
It's still not enough. No, no, It may be enough.
Like, so they're going to go into Detroit now.
Does that mean that I want BakerMayfield ahead of Jared Goff?
No, it doesn't. Baker Mayfield deserves nothing
but Flowers. Nothing but.

(05:19):
But it doesn't mean he's a greatquarterback.
Doesn't mean he's going to be a great quarterback going forward.
Like so. When Tampa Bay won a Super Bowl,
they had a quarterback who won aSuper Bowl and no one knows who
he is. Nobody know?
Who he is, 'cause he worked for the network for about 10 years,
but nobody knows that. And so he's had.
You can have a great season and it doesn't necessarily acquit
your career. But Baker Mayfield, to your

(05:41):
point, he's had. A hell, you don't even top ten
him. No.
Top 10 Baker Mayfield. Top 20.
I'm with you. Maybe not.
I'm with you. Maybe not.
He. He's.
He's. Bro, he had.
He has a Band-Aid. He had take the ankle.
Yes, yes, all true guts. There's nothing but praise.

(06:02):
It's like, take a bow, Baker Mayfield.
But am I? If I rank the quarterbacks
today, OK, Am I ranking him in my top 10?
Not close. No.
He may be in the top 20, but I'mnot even sure.
I just mean this season. Top ten this.
Season Baker. Baker is a Band-Aid We.
Can do 10 quarterbacks off top of our head.
You take you would take ahead ofBaker Mayfield.
Don't listen it. Yes you would.

(06:23):
Don't. Listen her, she's a Charger fan
right there wouldn't. You say you're a quarterback.
Oh, Herbert, the future. Absolutely.
Yeah, yeah, of course you would.You wouldn't you take CJ Stroud,
the rookie over Baker Miffer. Yes, you would.
Would there's there's a whole slew of quarterbacks.
Would you take Patrick Mahomes? Of course you would.
We got three just before we get to 1.
Sentence and a breath. I mean, and.

(06:45):
And it's not. It's just not that hard.
Who else in the past would you take?
Josh Allen? Yes.
Would you take the former MVP for the Ravens?
Lamar. Yes.
You're going to take Lamar. Would you now take Jordan Love?
Yes, you would take. Huh.
Well, who else? Who else is up there on the
board? Would you take?
Dak Prescott? Yes, you would, even though he
had that game. We're going to get there, so.

(07:06):
Where would you take Jalen Hurts?
Would you take? Even with.
Faces, even with his faces. Even with.
Right. Even with his faces, By the way,
I was on the podcast last week and I was on here saying I will
never. There's no way I'm going to go
for Baker Mayfield to make it tothe Guess what?
I changed my mind and I picked, so we have a pickums in in our
app and I pick the Tampa Bay Bucks because I last minute I'm

(07:29):
like they're going to beat the Eagles.
He's got guts. They're going to beat him, but I
like that he was. Rallying the wide receivers,
even after drop passes, saying Istill believe in you, you can do
this. Guy's like he kept the team
going. You know what won't matter is
any kind of ranking if he goes into Detroit and wins that game.
Oh. My goodness.
Ranking be damned. I mean, you know, do I think

(07:50):
they'll win that game? No, But I didn't think they'd
beat Philadelphia last night. Oh, see, I I made that choice
last minute. You know why?
You know why? Because I kept picking the
Eagles to the last few every week.
And I'm like, you know what theywhat did they say?
You are showing me who you are. When am I going to believe you
are showing me that you can't win a game?
Until last night when? It was when it was after the

(08:13):
second score. So it was 10.
Nothing. And then it went to what, 10-3?
And then when? When, When when the Eagles got
down to scores, I was just like this.
This is the same deal. We're not.
We're not moving off this and and part of the reason I picked
the Eagles is because I thought Baker Mayfield was too banged up

(08:34):
to be effective. You weren't worried about
Jalen's finger? Not as much, and he took the
glove off. Right, Yeah, right.
Which was kind of weird, they just.
It's just some. There's all kinds of little
stuff you can point to, but to me, the Eagles is big stuff when
they're dispirited. When they did not get in with
the push, the tush push, that was it.

(08:56):
Yeah, right. Was that it?
That was the. End of the Eagles, as in the
era. Because I right.
Personally, I hadn't seen the tush push fail.
I know there have been a couple times they've been stopped all
year, but I had not seen it live.
Yeah, and to be watching that moment live last night when
when? When Hertz gets stopped at the
one or inside the one. Yeah, that just summed it up.
It did summed it up right. That just summed the Todd.

(09:17):
Bowles in the defense, though. Yes, come on.
Absolutely. And to talk about the tush push
for just a second, I couldn't. You know, as a diner fan, I'm
like, we better be ready for that.
And I'm thinking, Kyle, you better have called every rugby
coach and figure out how to stopthis.
And my, you know, just looking at, I'm like, why don't we all
just drop to the ground and justget low?

(09:39):
Like, literally just flap And guess what they did.
That's exactly what happened. We should be coaching.
That's what I'm thinking. That's what I learned.
We should be coaching, I hope. It's.
Opening so it might be, it mightbe opening in Philly.
Right, exactly. Well, before we go on to the
next game, I feel like we shouldtalk about Kelsey because he

(10:00):
announced this morning he was retiring and Jason Kelsey.
Jason While I was flying. Jason Kelsey and Nelsey, Yes.
Breaking news, breaking news. He is retiring.
And I'm telling you, the social media we.
He looked like it last night, Speaking of looks on faces.
Right. Right.
I mean he. That look was reflective and

(10:21):
contemplative and like, OK, what's up with dude?
How? Much we're going to physically
take, right. He's been.
So he is he 401340. 38383813 seasons one Super Bowl.
Such a good guy and I we posted well, I posted about you know
what he did so much for the old line.
He brought sexy to the offensiveline, to the big guys.

(10:45):
He just brought a different, I think, vibe and energy to
football and so classy guy and I'm I'm happy for him.
After the game. Just a nice guy.
I've never met him but going. He's going straight to the Hall
of Fame. Oh, right.
Yeah, I mean, I I think there's probably millions of people out
there who think his brother apparently has brought sexy to
football because he's the one, He's the one with the he's the

(11:08):
one with the famous girlfriend. But good for Jason Kelsey.
Congratulations to him on a On aa Hall of Fame career.
Yes, amazing. Amazing.
But let's switch gears. Let's talk about, not for long,
the Steelers and the Bills game.Oh, OK, you were flying.
I was, I could, I I wouldn't know.
I was on air. I was on camera.

(11:29):
Oh, you are on camera. So once they switched that game
because of weather reasons to mid afternoon on a Monday, some
of us were out of it. It was.
You know, I and I, there are very few playoff games I've
missed in the last 15 years, almost none.
But because they're they're they're they're cleared out.

(11:50):
We're not opposite them. Well, there's sometimes
countdown could be opposite, butcountdown we're still watching.
We got a Bank of T VS on, but we're on the air yesterday, Tony
and I, and all of a sudden we'regoing.
We couldn't talk about that gamebecause it was ongoing and there
are probably dozens of people only watching us yesterday
against the NFL game. If you don't mind, I'd love to
ask you when you are watching games, I'm sure that you're

(12:13):
watching games from home your your phone.
Like, is it just like, are you usually watching in a specific
place? Are you taking notes or you just
kind of like, remember everything?
It's a great question. No phone.
I'm too old for that. I don't.
I don't watch games on devices device.
It's too small. That's what the damn T VS for,
right? I don't understand 2 generations

(12:33):
of people who want to watch things on something small.
I want a 900 inch television. Right.
So, no, I have a man cave in in each place that I call home with
three large flat screens in front of my face.
And I'm watching either in Bethesda, MD, suburban DC or

(12:56):
Scottsdale, AZ. So it's that's that's where I
spend Sunday now, after spendingSunday in press boxes at games
for 30 years for the last whatever since 2010.
What is that, 13? I'm in front of those TV's and
now with my my teenage son who were yelling and screaming at

(13:17):
each other during games. Highlight of my We Ain't Little
at Six One. Oh my gosh, she's 60.
Grew up, Yeah, He grew up. Am I?
Supposed to do that, he. Grew up, so we, you know that.
That's the thing. I try to, No matter where I am,
I try to be home on Sunday because I missed that.
I still do. You know, I didn't see my own

(13:38):
son on Christmas Day until he was seven years old.
Wow. So we're, you know, we're in
studios. We're at games.
Now, is he a Bears fan as well? Yes.
OK, well, you had to make sure, right?
No. No, what we Those are the games
he went to. Those are the games I took him
to. He got to an age where he gets
to pick games and he gets to pick a game every year or two
games, one Rd. one home, nice. And so he goes to the schedule

(14:01):
and picks his game. And so he, you know, I didn't
have to make sure, but I'm glad.I'm glad it worked out that way.
It wasn't a rival team. It was a bike.
He can't be a Packers fan. If he's a Packer fan, he's out
of inheritance, right? Here we go 100.
Percent ass is written out. I'm with.
You. I'm with you.
Well, there wasn't a lot to talkabout, would you guys say?

(14:22):
I mean, the Bills just overran this.
What happened? So give me some here's.
What? Happened.
Tell her. Rudolf and Pickens could not get
it together, OK. The Steelers have not won a
playoff game in, I think, their last four years.
Seven years, Yeah. Like, I don't know what to tell
you anymore. They just couldn't figure it
out. The Bills figured it out.
We're going to score quick. We're going to score fast.

(14:42):
And defensively, they were just on top of everything.
Josh Allen is an amazing quarterback.
He knows how to air that ball out.
With Madden curse. What do you want me to say,
right? The Steelers didn't show up, and
nobody thought the Steelers weregoing to show up well.
In their defense, they had MasonRudolph.
At. The backup quarterback,
everybody. 'S got a backup quarterback in

(15:03):
right now though. Yeah, but.
Point scoring was interesting. It was 14 in the first in the
first quarter by Buffalo, right?And after that it was the same,
it was 773377. So it was 1 early like you said
that first quarter made the difference?
The first quarter, the Bills scored two touchdowns within 3
minutes. Come on.
Like it was kind of like, oh, here we go.

(15:23):
See, that's all I knew was we were on camera and during a
commercial break, I just said toone of our producers, is there a
score in the Bills game? You have 14.
Nothing. Am I?
OK. Yeah, exactly.
Doesn't always hold up. It's certainly held up against
the Cowboys but it doesn't always hold up.
But but look, Buffalo is a team that people thought coming into
this season could be a threat inthe AFC.

(15:44):
Everybody said the AF CS loaded.Well.
The reason they said it's loadedis because the Kansas City,
because of the Ravens, because of the Bengals, who obviously
Speaking of backup quarterbacks,quarterback hurt because of
Buffalo. And so Buffalo is playing up to
that now at the right time. Doesn't matter that he didn't
play up to it in October. We're playing up to it now.
And I think we got to bring up, you know, I don't know if you

(16:06):
saw the press conference with Mike Tomlin.
I just. I heard about it.
I I I I was. He wasn't.
And then I was. Travelling he he just turned and
walked when somebody mentioned the last year's contract and and
for Mike who is unbelievably notjust poised but but engaged
during you know news conferencesof all kinds, he is you know my

(16:30):
my, my, my dear friend and coastTony Corners calls Tomlin
flamboyantly articulate and he'sjust that you know he's in
control of the language as few coaches in any sport have ever
been. Tomlin's that good and for him
to turn and walk? We just wonder what that's
about, so who knows The news. We were all waiting for Jerry

(16:52):
Jones to announce something. Maybe the Steelers announced
something? Right.
Well, I've said for a long time.As much as I love the Steelers,
they were my second team growingup because I couldn't watch the
49ers. It was before Cable.
You had like few you few options, right?
And so it was either. I was watching the Steelers.
You were not old enough to be pre cable.
Oh, I am. You are.

(17:14):
Sadly, I am. Oh my God, I remember laundry
Landry on the sidelines, just togive you an idea, but thank you.
I'll take that. But I've been saying I love
Mike, but I kept thinking like, yes, you're winning, coach, but
at what point do we want to bring?
And at what point do we say maybe we just need to change the

(17:35):
scenery, you know? I don't know.
What are your thoughts? On that, yeah.
I mean, Mike came in. He was like 30-4 years old when
he got the job and maybe he he might have gotten it earlier
than he thought he was going to arrive.
And I I don't. I I'm not in corner offices with
coaches like I used to be years and years ago.

(17:57):
Tom Landry. Wow.
So no, I'm old enough to go back, way back through all of
that. You look great.
Thank you. And so Tomlin, I don't know what
motivates Mike. It's interesting with the
Steelers, I mean, Chuck Nolan was there forever and left and
that was it. He left.
He didn't come back. There's none of that Bill Cower.
People thought he was going to come back after he went to

(18:17):
television. There's no coming back.
I ran into Bill once and he said, listen, I'm going to tell
you right now so you don't speculate every week.
I love my life. And he too had missed seeing a
family and got to see his girls and he said I'm not coming back
and he never did. And so now Mike has done this
for 17 years. I don't know sort of what

(18:37):
motivates him, but I it's going to be hard to go anywhere else.
In coach, the Steelers gave Mike, what do you want?
Gave him everything. What did he get?
Did he get to 2 Super Bowls? Did he go one in one in Super
Bowls? Yes, he won one, right.
And it's hard when you're part of the Stealer organization and
that ownership group, the family, not group the family, to

(19:00):
go and work for who? Who you going to go work for
sure, where you have that kind of feel right, that kind of go
to work. You know when, when Dan Rooney
was alive, there were times where I would stay at a certain
hotel and you walk to the game on Sunday, you walk to the to
the stadium and the owner, Dan Rooney's walking.
Wow. Wow.
And you're like, damn, what are you doing?
Because like, this is what I do.I walk walk to the games.

(19:22):
I love that. And so, so so Mike's been a part
of that now for 1617 years. Whatever it is, I I it's gonna
be hard. It's gonna.
Be hard. Well, judging from him walking
away after that question, I it it.
There's something there. Something there.
There's something. There's fire.
It's not just smoke, there's some.
Fire. Here Josh Allen also Speaking of
press conferences, what he said,he said that he was, he was glad

(19:45):
now that other teams were in theposition that they have been in
for so long, right? For the last seven weeks he said
that they have been performing in this do or die situation and
now it's equal. Now everyone's in that same
position. We're comfortable because we've
been uncomfortable for so long that he's.
Used to it. Loved that?
And I thought that was, you know, a great thing.

(20:06):
They ought to have that. They ought to feel really good
about what they've got this week.
Yes, I mean, they've lost the Chiefs there.
You know, Patrick Mahomes has never played in the playoff game
on the road, and so now the Bills getting this is going.
About it. This is going to be interesting.
Actually, that's a good segue. Dolphins Chiefs.
Last Bills chiefs. I'm sorry, Who?
I'm. Sorry.
Oh, you're going back going. Backwards.

(20:26):
Yeah, I was looking at the net. No, no, My bad.
Did you see the Dolphins versus the Chiefs?
Game There was no that that. That's one I got right.
I got some stuff terribly wrong this week, including the Eagles
picking the Eagles. But no, the Dolphins had no
chance. The Dolphins were not gonna go
into a place where it was -4 and-27 wind chill, because people,

(20:48):
look, I grew up in that. I understand having grown up in
Chicago what that is and when you you you're going to the dry
cleaners, you go to the PTA meeting, you go to work to your
start your car, it doesn't startbecause the the the lock is
frozen and you have to have something called lock fall,
which you guys would know about.I know about this stuff.

(21:09):
The Miami Dolphins don't know about it, right.
And so they're not used to even walking out in it.
So they they, I thought the Dolphins had and their their
numbers out there that talk about Tampa and the Dolphins,
those two franchises in particular.
I'm sure the host is Jacksonville, too.
They're O and whatever in history when the temperature was
below 40. Right, I 111, I 111 for the 11.

(21:30):
Yeah, right, right. They had no chance.
The Dolphins did not bring the heat to Kansas City.
No, no. But defense was like we're going
to play his own defense today and just shut out Tyree kill.
I mean they they they crushed itin my opinion and Tyreek became
a non factor which sucked. And Waddle didn't show up.

(21:52):
I mean, he had 9 yards because. They were frozen.
Yeah, exactly. This is, this is where I I
refuse to even buy schematic reasons being critical in that
that that that's a level. That's another spirit
competition. The Dolphins literally get off
the plane and they're like, theydon't want to say it publicly.

(22:14):
They're like, seriously, people live like this?
It hurts. It hurts.
It hurts. I was worried about Mike
McDaniels, glasses. I'm like, that's got to be.
The Andy Reard mustache. Yes, that walrus.
My poor coach. I love Andy Reid.
Everyone knows that. That mustache.
Was just frozen. That's what icicles.
When you grew up like that, the mucus in your nose freezes.

(22:37):
Not to be entirely gross, but that's that's what happens.
Wow. And so, yes, if you've got
facial hair, it will freeze. Wow.
The TNC knows about this. The Chiefs have at least one
game like that, and Andy had himin Philadelphia before he had
him. Yeah, in Kansas City, you have a
game like that every year. Well, we can't leave this game
without talking about. Melissa Can you stay in there?

(22:59):
And we got as our Taylor Swift correspondent.
Oh, OK, yes, I'm here. But you know.
Go. For it.
Well, I mean, can we talk about her?
Her outfit? That's what we're saying.
My. 49ers are now in the know with the Swifty.
Yes, yes. So you want to tell?
Her. Well, yeah.
Your girl. Your your your friend.

(23:21):
My friend she we don't have eachother's numbers, but her name is
Kristen Cusick. Kyle's.
Oh, OK. OK is an amazing amazing.
Designer. Designer doesn't have like a
line yet, but I was lucky enoughto get invited by shout out to
Nick from the 49ers and we went to the women of the Niners.

(23:44):
Like a month ago. A month ago and Kristen was
there and we had this whole like200 women and she gave a talk
and she showed all her designs. Amazing.
Well, guess who she designed a jacket for?
Yep, Fast forward. Not only to She started out with
Simon Simone Biles, Simone Biles, the gymnast who's married
to Jonathan Owens of the Green Bay Packers, and that started

(24:07):
this whole train. So then the next thing you know,
she's Taylor's walking through. And Brittany at home and.
Brittany Mahomes. And yes, and then OG and OG and.
It was just Michael. No, no, no, no.
Mike, come on. OK, good.
That's not. For not for Taylor Swift.
I want to know a man's opinion on Taylor Swift and the NFL.

(24:28):
On the wrong one. Why?
Because I'm old, Taylor Swift doesn't resonate with me.
I can. I I would.
I mean, talent resonates no matter what, right?
And she's obviously not just talented, but but brilliant in
terms of guiding her career. And what I do now is really try
to read pieces about Taylor Swift.

(24:48):
I I would not recognize. I don't know one Taylor Swift
song. I can't tell you one song
that's. OK, not at all.
That's OK. But is she a distraction?
To whom? As a player to Travis Kelsey, do
you think I mean? We're Patrick Mahomes is saying
she's part of the team. I don't know about that.
Look, players, people have to say publicly what fits, and
you're not going to say anythingpublicly that's going to rankle,

(25:11):
particularly this time of year. Yeah, beautiful women are a
distraction to us every day. Y'all are a distraction to me
right now. I.
Love it. So no, I'm that.
Let's be real. So if it OK so Taylor Swift may
be a distraction to the some of the other guys.
I doubt it in a way that somebody else's girlfriend

(25:32):
wouldn't normally be. OK, but we're distracted.
We we we live our lives. To be distracted, it's like
Giselle. Was Tom Brady, remember back
with back when that was a story and.
Yeah, come to the. Game.
So she's a supermodel and you know it.
He was still with Tom. Brady and and I think women are
paying more attention. Absolutely, absolutely.

(25:52):
We're we're paying attention to everybody's girl every day.
Yes. That's the truth.
Yes. And so if somebody comes in a
locker room or somebody comes ina, you know, workplace.
Yes. Yo, man.
OK, so don't think that we're not.
We're we're always paying attention.
Women are paying attention to who we're paying attention to
because of Taylor Swift. It could be if it was somebody

(26:14):
who is particularly sizzling, we're paying attention.
But you all aren't paying attention because you don't like
her or she has an attitude, whatever the case may be what
we're paying attention. So.
So, So the Taylor Swift dynamic is, is, is fascinating.
It is. It's God.
You brought up Giselle Bundchen.Yeah.

(26:36):
Who? You know, I don't.
There was not this sort of reaction because Giselle
Bundchen, while she is worldwide, right?
Different. But, but popular in her own
worldwide sense? Taylor Swift, Obviously,
there's. She transcends that.
Taylor Swift right now in the world so.
But I don't. I don't know.
Seriously, I don't know that I could, to save my own life, come

(27:01):
up with a Taylor Swift song. I'm pretty sure I could not.
We'll send you a playlist. Yeah, we'll send you a playlist.
Pharma, you know, shake it. Off.
Shake it off. OK.
There you go. I know what that is.
OK. I know what Shake.
It off. All right, so.
Taylor, there you go. Where to make?
Your. Swifty we wish.
We'll make him a Swifty before you leave.
But here's the thing. The good news is, and this was a

(27:23):
big controversy, even on our page, when we talk about Taylor,
we have all these people that love it and then all these
people that stop talking about Taylor.
But at the end of the day, she is bringing more fans to the
sport. They are new fans and we're here
for them, right? We're here to teach.
So we talk and teach football. Females in.
Football. You guys just are a perfect
conduit and a bridge for people and and look, football needs

(27:47):
this. Football is America's dominant
form of entertainment, but that's not worldwide.
And so people, Americans, erroneously think that when they
go somewhere else and what they have to realize if you're in
Australia, people call it American gridiron and they they

(28:08):
it's a it's a curiosity. And of course there are some
Australians who watch American football because they pick their
teams just like we pick up on onEuropean soccer, right.
And we have our favorite teams. Oh I I root for Arsenal.
I root for. But, you know we don't know.
And so you know when you're. I was in, I was speaking with a
young woman from China at the Olympics in 2012 and she's

(28:28):
talking about all these NBA and soccer players.
She knew. She knew them all.
She knew all of them. And I said, let me ask you
something. So if I say the name Tom Brady
to you, so this 2012, this is now where we're 12 years into
Tom Brady's career, right. Peek Brady.
Yeah, you'd already want. And she she the look on her face
was like, I don't. Know because.

(28:50):
American football is That's whatit is.
It's American football. It is not worldwide. 100%.
Taylor Swift lends an International credibility to it
that that I don't know who, I don't know that that Pro
Football has ever had a fan thathas that kind of worldwide

(29:13):
celebrity. Well, and by the way, Kristen
Jusick, shout out to Kristen by the way, just amazing.
I follow her of course, and she had 87,000 followers 3 days ago.
It is now up to 450,000. I mean literally in two days.
A jacket was tight and wait, I got no the Jackets.

(29:33):
Amazing. But how cute is this?
Kyle, who is a fullback for the 49ers, is literally the best
husband. In the world.
He is literally going to every social media thread and saying
my wife made that, my wife made that and tagging her.
So it's been a really cool thing.
And you know, let's go back to to the Chiefs for just a second.

(29:57):
That was the best game I've seenthem play in a while.
They have been winning, but would you agree they haven't
been killing it? Something has been amiss on the
Chiefs as well. Would you agree with that?
Yes, you don't want to get me started?
On that, yes, I do you. Don't because it's I, do I I've.
I've mentioned it on PTIA coupleof times.

(30:19):
The former Bears coach, who we just revolted against went back
to Kansas City where he was an assistant.
He came from Kansas City to the Bears.
He was dreadful after a great 12and four season with the Bears
and and dreadful after that. He, Andy Reid had him back and
he's a play caller. And so all of us, all of us in

(30:42):
Chicago think we know exactly what's wrong with Kansas City.
A guy that we had to stick with for two more years, dreadful
years, goes back to Kansas City and becomes the offensive
coordinator. I don't know if it's titles
coordinator, but he's he's he's play calling and are you looking
at that offense? How do you have that offense
with Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelsey and others?

(31:02):
Pacheco. Pacheco and and scored nineteen
points at home, 17 points at home.
So we think we know. OK.
What's wrong with Kansas City? Certainly the offense has been
broken. I don't think they proved
anything against the Dolphins. We talked about the Dolphins.
Nothing. Zero.
I want to see what happens in Buffalo this week.
Let's see what they're up. Oh, my God.

(31:23):
You know I'll be going for the bills.
Yes, I will be going for the bills because I'm a Niner fan.
I am so sick of Mahomes. I just can't.
Why are you sick of Mahomes? I.
Because I'm a Scorpio. You're a Scorpio?
Yes, I am. OK, when is your birthday?
November 2nd. As a matter of fact, you know
who else has that birthday? Jimmy G and Jordan Love.
Oh, wow. Interesting, right?
I know it's a weird fact, but asa Scorpio, I don't forget, and I

(31:46):
don't forget. We should have had that Super
Bowl ring. We should have had number six.
And the Chiefs took it. So I yeah, I'm not.
I'm not good with that. We do.
We do. Mahomes has never played a
postseason Rd. game. I I I think I'm excited to.
See what? The Bills can't wait, can't
wait. And we'll see if Miss Swift
shows up. But let's let's turn the page.

(32:08):
Can we talk about and let's talkabout the Packers and the
Cowboys. Oh my.
Michael Goodness, Michael, I need to know.
Have you checked in on your boy Skip and Jimmy Johnson?
Is she OK? Do we need to go do a a welfare
check? Yeah, I know.
Listen, I I don't get involved in that whole cowboy the the

(32:29):
the, you know, it's interesting the the the fascination with the
Cowboys is you know well chronicled and it's going
nowhere and it's a legitimate fascination.
I I tend to just pay no attention because I'm from an
NFC city where we have our own franchises that that's twice as

(32:49):
old as a Cowboys. Not nearly as successful in the
last 40-50 years as a Cowboys. And I'm talking about the Bears,
but I, like my energies are sapped by other stuff.
The Cowboy fascination to me part of it is it's it's
incredible because if you go as I have and covered the league
for more years than I'm willing to say out loud If you go to

(33:13):
every arena, you go to every city and the cowboy fans are
just people in that place that say I'm a cowboy fan and I think
they're by a large front runnerswho just show up at the arena
because they live there. So if you go to, if you go to
you go to Arizona for Cardinals game and the Packers are
playing. You see tags in the parking lot

(33:34):
with with Wisconsin and Illinoisand you need people go two
games. They go, they travel, they go to
games. That's their team.
They follow that. The Cowboys don't have that.
They have people who just live there.
Trust me, I live in Washington, which is the, you know, cowboy
hatred central for for decades. And you see all these cowboy

(33:54):
fans like, how is this? It's different.
They live there, right? They're just people who are
there. They haven't traveled anywhere.
They haven't. They don't travel.
They don't travel like Buffalo Bills.
Niners like Niners like Chiefs like Bears like Packers Bills,
the Bills, Cleveland Browns, fans who have nothing.
They travel. They they they pick up and go.

(34:15):
So the cowboy thing annoys me, but I I don't.
I don't indulge it. I'm the only I.
Love that you feel that way. It was, you know how I feel.
It was karma. Because I'm a Detroit fan and
I'm still bitter. I'm still bitter about the
Dallas Detroit game. So I saw that.
When I saw that, I was like, youknow what this is?
This is your karma, Dallas. This is your karma for that

(34:37):
dirty, raw and ending to the Detroit game that should never
have been. But Melissa, what was going on
with CD Lamb yesterday? He was sacking him look like
they had an issue and then you know Mike McCartney's talking to
him. CD Lamb looked like he went to
baskin-robbins and was just toldyour favorite flavor is
discontinued. He was just miserable.
He was pissed for why? Though he's a pretty composed

(35:01):
guy, I want to know the drama Michael it almost.
The drama is they're not any damn good when it comes to
postseason play. And you know again, some of this
is not strategic. What's up with their spirit?
What they're going to be able toput those guys back in the room
and say run it back? No, they're not.
I'm not ACD Lamb guy. His talent is undeniable, but I

(35:25):
don't. Talent is one of the most
overrated things in professionalsports.
What happened on Sunday, did that talent, was it able to
overcome the circumstance? No, it wasn't.
I love this. And So what is that?
What is what does this mean thatwhat it what was going on with
CD, Lamb and DAC you raised you.You ladies raise great questions
about that. So what's that dynamic?
Because we sense stuff. Well you can look speaking on

(35:48):
their faces. So.
So I turn that game on and it's I'm, I'm listening to it go 7
nothing. And then I I turn it on to watch
the next drive to go 14 and their faces are already salty
defeated OK So what is still cantalent overcome that does it it
it it often doesn't yeah. So, you know, I I don't, I

(36:12):
wonder about the Cowboys and what they're going to do.
Yes. Well, the rumor, the rumor is,
you know, Jerry Jones. And by the way, I give so much
poise to Jerry Jones in his interview afterward.
You know, the first question asked was like something.
And he was like, this is the most surprising loss I've ever
had. I don't know what to say.
And then the follow up was, where do you rank this on the
worst losses? And he could have easily said,

(36:32):
did you hear what I just said? But he was like, again, like
this is the worst loss I could ever experience.
And the rumor is they already put in a call to Bill Belichick.
Yeah. I'm sure he'll talk to Bill
Belichick, and it'll be fascinating if that hookup
happens. I if I'm Bill Belichick, do I
want to work for Jerry Jones? I don't know.
Well, Jerry Jones should fire himself as GM.

(36:53):
He just seriously stop. Isn't his son as GM as Steven?
Steven, I mean, but you know who's really running the show,
right? Bring professional football
people in. But talent's not the issue.
He does. He does their their talent
selection, their drafting has been fine.
It's that's that doesn't complete the equation when it
comes to winning. There are a lot of teams the
most talented teams often don't win.

(37:15):
They The NBA is the one sport where the most talented team
usually, not always usually wins.
That is often not the case. In Pro Football it is often not
the case. In the NHL.
It is often not the case in baseball.
It's going to be fascinating to watch the Dodgers.
Yes. And and what they've got with
Otani and all these signings. Does that mean they're going to
win? You know it's it's.

(37:38):
It's a team sport, that's the. Difference.
Other dynamics. And it's the grit, right?
And it's the grit. And that's what I was talking
about. And we talked about this during
the season is like going back toJalen Hurts.
I can't. I don't see you going to the
online and like, you know, tacking him up, I don't see you.
I don't even see you on a tablet.
I don't. I'd like to see you.

(37:59):
Oh, he's over there sort of by himself on the sideline?
Exactly. OK, so this is a great eye you
have. Thank you.
So the what I'd like to ask and and I'm I'm not going to be at a
game this weekend so I don't getto ask.
Well Philadelphia's out of the game this weekend either.
But. But but there's you know what's
interesting is in that dynamic. I know players I've had
defensive players tell me that they hate when the quarterback

(38:22):
goes and sits and sulks by himself.
But then there are other guys who they know the personality of
that player and they they're like, OK, he needs to get
himself together down there and then rejoin.
So what is the preferred sort ofdemeanor for the Eagles?
Does this have anything to do with what happened with them in
these last five out of six weeks?

(38:44):
I don't know the answer to that,but it is a totally legit
question, question, observation.And the rumors were, oh, you
probably know better than me, but have you heard that there's
questions about Jalen losing thelocker room a little bit where
he's too, he's too, too himself.This is.
What this is what you That's a question I'd like to know with

(39:05):
that. I don't know you're going to get
an on the record answer that is you know fully forthcoming but
you but even you know if you're working locker rooms like I did
forever you can get out. You can get an off the record
answer right. That can really give you some
sense of what a team feels abouta guy.
Yeah because a year ago I wouldn't have said any of this.
But now with what's gone on and the the inability to to to write

(39:27):
it. Yes.
You look to your leaders. You have to look to your
quarterback. And Russell Wilson had the same
talk about him, right? His was more open.
Yeah, I love that about. I mean yours.
Was more I mean. It was more open about him too.
I mean, the players who objected, Yeah, on.
Seattle and Marshawn Lynch, Yourtop running back didn't even

(39:48):
have your quarterback's number. That's weird, too.
That's. Very weird.
Yeah, so. That was Russell Russell's
situation was, you know, it justit seemed extreme, right?
But, but, but those dynamics, when they exist and include the
star quarterback. There could be something to
navigate. Yeah, I mean, let's look at
Jordan Love for a second here, right?

(40:09):
Youngest quarterback to win in aplayoff game.
Green Bay's coming in here playing with house money.
You know them. They're like, I'm a figure,
hopefully we win. We don't really know what's
happening. Yes.
And there is. He shows up, He's rallying his
team. I've heard nothing but great
things about him in the locker room.
And I think it's harder to be a young guy who's like talking to
a dude 10 years older than you and trying to amp him up.

(40:30):
It can be and and and obviously Love is following some big in
some big shoes some big footsteps with with this whole
Aaron Rodgers thing. Good for him.
I mean look it's hard for me to say good for him.
I hate the I hate the Packers that's my birthday hate the
Packers. But but Jordan love.
I mean if you're the Packers yougot to feel pretty good about

(40:50):
what you've done. Again, you know you went from
Farve to Rodgers, and you apparently have gone from Rogers
to the next star in Jordan Love.The way they develop Q BS needs
to be. Yeah, yeah.
The consistency of it is amazing.
So good for Jordan Love. Now I know you're not going to
be rooting for Jordan Love this weekend.
I know. No, I'm not.

(41:11):
And he's going to have. A defense after him.
I have to. I have to admit, watching that
game, I was Wow. Like, wow.
They looked ready and that was the one game I got wrong this
weekend. I did choose on my pickums.
I picked Dallas and then I was like, well, that that didn't go
well. You see Shannon Sharp just
laughing. He's just, he couldn't contain
himself. I don't think anybody thought

(41:33):
that was going to happen. I can't imagine I'm a money as.
A Niner fan, Michael. I was like, kind of like I
wanted them to lose because we never go for Dallas.
But then I wanted to beat them myself.
So it was like a little tough thing.
You know what? I.
Mean well especially Dallas had been so ordinary on the road
that you you'd want to get them you know the team's going to be
up for them. There's not going to be a let
down in the playoffs with a witha team as well coached as the

(41:55):
49ers in that market. Although, you know, I, I
remember going to a a a famous 49ers playoff game against the
Vikings that they did lose. In a situation like that where,
you know, it was Joe Montana andthe vaunted 49ers and they were
thought to be the they were the.Favorites.
Was it at Candlestick? It was AI was there I would.

(42:15):
Be like a infant. I would.
Be like I was young. You had to be carried in by he.
Knows what we. Like, no.
My dad had season tickets in section 35, row five, seat seven
and eight. I have the seats in my garage
and I was I was young. I was probably 7 or 8.
I know which game you're talkingabout because you know what?
One of the first memories, actually in football.

(42:36):
I was in the state. I was still young, so I didn't
really know what was going on, but I could feel the energy.
Next thing I know, I know this had to be in the game.
We I knew it was a playoff game.40 The section was crying.
It was I. It was a big deal.
I mean, the whole section was just like floored.

(42:58):
So I I'm almost positive the game you're talking about, I
just happened to be at that gameI happened to.
Cover it and and but the sort ofthe 49ers have had some
difficult playoff losses. I I do not expect this to be.
I I just think this week now becomes very chalky that the
Ravens, the 49ers, the Lions andthe Bills, even the Bills

(43:22):
playing the defending champs, I think they could all win
convincingly. Then then who's your Super Bowl
pick? Well, I, I said.
I said Ravens and 49ers going in, but I'm look, I'm looking at
the Lions. Oh, I mean, I have my own heart.
Here we go. And I hate them too, because

(43:42):
that's birth. That's a birthright.
I know it's fair. That's a Birthright thing.
But you know I did root for the I rooted for the Packers and the
Lions this weekend. That's in the lost way.
We won't get into but but but soso Lions having to go to the
49ers. I know.
I don't know. I mean, that's that's the game.
That's now the game I want to. See yes most.

(44:04):
Of all the ones that are possible out on the board, I
want to see lions. Thank you Absolutely same.
I think it was such a great game.
It would be so fun. And I as a Niner fan, obviously
I feel bad that we're going to beat them, but I'm OK with it,
but I'm OK with it. Wait, you're not from Detroit?
How are you a Lions fan? No.
OK, so I what you were saying earlier about how football is

(44:24):
such an American sport? So my dad's from Japan, born and
raised. My mom is from Puerto Rico, born
and raised here in California and had me but I have no like
familial background Like that pulls me in any One Direction.
I don't have a a story of my dadtook me to games or I grew up
watching this. My dad didn't grow up with
football. He he barely understands it.

(44:45):
He'll watch it with me and you know he'll do his best.
But to this day, it's something that he doesn't even culturally
really understand the significance of.
And so I I married into a 49er family and so I, through
marriage, became a a 49er. But just as I've kind of this
year, I fell in love with Dan Campbell watching Hard Knocks.

(45:05):
He just stole my heart. And after that I was like, I'm
rooting for the lion and what? He's got an Eminem tattoo on her
back too she hasn't talked aboutyet.
And a Jack Harlow tattoo on the other side.
Yeah, but no now. I mean, how exciting, right?
How could you? It's very exciting.
We're excited for them, right Detroit?
Yeah, it's. The city.

(45:27):
That is it. And I I just said this yesterday
to Tony and he said, well, how can you root for Detroit?
And I and I said, Tony, I'm not rooting for the Lions.
I'm rooting for Detroit. The city.
I know what Detroit has been through.
I, I, I'm a neighbor. When you grew up in Chicago, you
grew up in Milwaukee, you grew up in Indianapolis.
You're like cousins in the Midwest.
You know what the rest of the country thinks of you.

(45:47):
Your fly over territory in New York and LA aren't paying you
any attention. And so I I tend to root, except
when my friends are involved against all the teams that are
seen as glamour teams. But I know what Detroit's been
through. I've been I've spent time there.
I have family there and people have no idea if they haven't
spent any time in Detroit, how hard that has been since 19 the

(46:11):
1960s, and how hard it is to be a fan and call yourself a fan of
that team. Publicly.
Yeah, publicly, yes, right. Yes.
It's like the. Browsing.
Yeah, look at look at the other.Teams in Detroit.
And the Cleveland hasn't fallen upon as hard a time as Detroit.
But close, right? And And who are the two
franchises of the of the real franchise?

(46:33):
I'm not talking about Jacksonville and Houston.
Those are the other two. But of the two teams that have
been in the NFL the entire SuperBowl era, right?
Who are the two teams that have not been?
Yeah, the Browns and lines, right.
So good for you. That you?
Adopted them. And we got being a front runner,
very impressive and you? Coming from you very.

(46:54):
Impressive. And when you see the fans who
have had season tickets for 60? 66 years, that man.
And have and have tears in theireyes.
I'm with it, right? Well.
Listen, being a being a a Cubs fan, I, you know, completely
identify with that and understand what that is like.
That was 100 years nobody was alive that we knew.
We we had people crying, but they hadn't been at the last

(47:16):
game. And so my mom was 93 years old
and one of the things that she wanted to see before she died
stated was I want to see the Cubs win before I die.
And she did. But the Lions are now that
franchise that you know. Give them one like.
They're Detroit. It's not gonna you guys.
We can't we can't cause the Niners need #7.

(47:39):
But I'm happy. But the people of Detroit.
Need something? The Pistons are the worst team
in the NBA. The Red Wings in They're not.
They're in a playoff drought. The Tigers are in a drought.
Come on. I'm happy for Detroit, but their
train stops in Santa Clara. Oh boy.
Now we. I know I You gotta be real about
it, but I know you have to. Feel about a team in Santa

(48:00):
Clara, by the way, as opposed toCandlestick.
I will be honest with you. So my dad passed the year that
Candlestick. No thank you.
My dad passed the year that Candlestick was also demolished
And like, so it was like a end of an era.
And it took me two years. I just couldn't go to a game.
And then when I finally went to Levi, I love you 49ers.

(48:22):
And I'm gonna get in trouble forit.
It just it's different. It's not you'll, it'll never be
the same. And I will not lie to you when I
went to the game. If you sit on the wrong side,
there's. Sun flies.
Oh my God. You right, I'm like who designed
this but the? Stadium should be down where
Chase is and where the ballpark.But the baseball, it should be

(48:43):
right there in San Francisco. My one of my favorite.
Beautiful ballpark, but. But, Michael, don't you think we
should be on the sidelines of the Niners?
I mean, like, I think we should be on the sideline, like on.
The sideline. I do I need I just?
One game you would need someone pulling Monica back like a
coach. You know, they have the guys
that pull. Her back.
You, haven't you? So you've never been on a
sideline. Never, let me tell you, the most

(49:04):
overrated place you can ever be.Because you can't be.
You can't see a thing. Is that I agree and.
I'm small, you can't. You can't.
You don't. You don't want to be on a
sideline. It's just not worth it.
It's not like being courtside for basketball.
That's you want to be at a perchwhere you can look down on the
action and that I've been on thesideline.
I was. I'm gonna make you jealous now.
For a second, oh. Go ahead.

(49:26):
So I was standing in the feet, toes at the end zone.
Go ahead. When Steve Young Not Steve
Young. Was it Garcia or Young?
I guess it was Steve Young hit TO with that pass where he gets
crunched. I was.
Standing 2. Feet away from TOI could hear
the air come out of him. No way.

(49:46):
When he caught that pass and so.So there are times where being
down there, you can get a rise out of it, but you don't want
to. Be down there.
No. Well, you know, I know, I know
you have a show to do. But can we can we, can we ask
you a couple more things? Sure.
First of all, as a fan, because we know you're an amazing
broadcaster and you just no, really, truly.

(50:09):
But as a fan, what was like maybe one of your favorite
moments, whether it was part of the Bears or meeting somebody
like do you have like that one moment?
There's not one. I'm too old and I'm I'm lucky in
that. This career basically is a pass
behind the velvet rope. It's a pass behind the curtain.
You get to see how you know it'sit's it's they pull the curtain

(50:33):
back and you can step back thereand you get to see everything.
The good, the bad and the ugly. And there's a lot of good and
there's a lot of stuff that has changed.
Yeah. Changed my life.
The things that you see and haveaccess to and the people that
you have access to. One of my favorite people that
I've gotten to know in 43 years of doing this is Steve Young.

(50:55):
And so and there are other. There are a few other 49ers Guy
McIntyre there, there. There's several, actually.
It was a really fascinating group of people.
But yeah, they they, I covered Michael Jordan's whole career.
All of it. All of it.
Every game of every game. Oh my God.
When he came back, I got a satellite dish so I could see
every game that he went. Once he came back from
retirement. And so I got to see that stuff

(51:17):
up close. So when you get, when you get to
do that, it's like you can't. I can't.
I'm unable to sort of separate. Yeah, I was there when the Cubs.
I was there on the field in Cleveland when the Cubs won,
which I rooted for my whole lifeand hadn't seen.
So there's there's. A.
There's just so many. I mean some.
Involved My hometown team. Some don't, right?

(51:39):
The Olympics, I've seen moments that will bring you to your
knees, that will make you weep, weep.
They've all happened at the Olympics have had the most
emotional moments I've ever emotional, just pure emotion
that I've ever witnessed. So yeah, there's there's there's
a lot of stuff that you get to see if you've if you can be

(52:00):
behind the velvet rope. I can't imagine if we could.
Can we just be honest? Yeah.
On his shoulder, I can't even imagine.
Well, I know you have to go. But before we leave, we should
talk about one thing and that isthe Rams in the Detroit Lion
game. Pukanukua rookie.
I thought, he's going to be Rookie of the Year, yeah.
He has no shot. Oh.

(52:22):
But let's hear what? Michael who's gonna be CJ
Stroud? Yes.
It might be. Unanimous Do you?
Are you voting? But but.
But. Are you voting?
I don't vote anymore in any football.
So if I do go for basketball. Let me just tell you this
though. Poking the cool is amazing.
Amazing. He's a he's a great great
player. But CJ Stroud to come in and

(52:43):
play like he's played. I I sort of expect the voting to
be close to United. It'll look like the numbers will
be skewed and it won't reflect. This kid is great.
The school is great. Yeah, shut up, Shout out to get
you Cucamonga High School. CJ Stroud went to my high
school. And so, I mean, yeah, he played
for our high school and you put it to obviously Ohio State.

(53:05):
But it's just he's our little, our literal hometown hero.
I mean to see him and the adversity he went through and he
talks about living above a storage unit and Rancher
Cucamonga with his mom and his. Dad.
Not having a father figures AC. Two test.
Yes. So it's just, I'm like, yes, CJ.
Came in with a chips on his shoulder and said get off
that's. An amazing story.

(53:27):
Yeah. Yeah, we're so proud, seems.
Like a nice. Guy so humble and humility just
comes out if. Anybody except the Carolina
Panthers who seemed. To.
Have oh you know what that's what they got seem to have got
they passed on CJ Stroud and this is it's.
Not Bryce Young's fault. No, it's not.
No, it's not his fault. It's not his fault.
They they passed on him. It's the organization.
Really nice kid, Bryce Young is.We're talking about the young

(53:48):
kids, but what did you feel about Flacco coming off the
couch eating Doritos and now he's in the playoffs?
There was a cool that was a goodstory.
And I, you know, I live 40 minutes away from from
Baltimore. And you know, Flacco obviously
made his bones there and nobody thought we were going to see Joe
Flacco. I I'm, I'm going to be honest

(54:08):
with you. Like was it a year ago, whenever
he was with The Jets? Two, yeah, a couple years ago,
2008, Joe. Flacco still and leave and so
it's a it's a great story but you know I I I thought that you
know he was gonna turn into a pumpkin It's just it's.
You can't. Keep it going forever, right?
It was a great story. If he keeps, let me just say

(54:30):
this, if Joe Flacco had had had gotten them back, gotten that
team to a Super Bowl and again Cleveland.
I mean, they they haven't been. Their story is very similar to
Detroit. To me.
It will make him Hall of Fame worthy.
He's already won one, right? If he got to a second one, it'd
be sort of like Kurt Warner and he did not have the career Kurt
Warner had. But going to a Super Bowl with

(54:52):
that franchise coming off the bench, eating his Doritos on the
sofa to do it would have made him and I used to vote for Hall
of Fame. I do not anymore.
I I know I in that room I would have been saying.
What about what about Joe? Flacker, right?
Yeah. Seriously.
And you know another Scorpio moment He beat my Niners.
Remember the Harbaugh Bowl? Oh yes, yes, the brothers, yes.

(55:16):
Can I ask? One more thing about your bears.
What would you do with fields? What would you if you had the
power? The obsession of You know this
story. You know Chicago's an old sport
city. The the Bears are the flagship
franchise that you know, the 2ndfranchise I guess in the in the
history of the league, 100 yearsold and we debate everything,

(55:38):
but yet nothing has been as divisive.
As fields right? I mean.
Cubs, White Sox, Bears, Bulls, Blackhawks, everything.
You hear the fans and he's shouting.
At me we're we, we we're screaming.
So in a families yes. My brother and I shout at each
other on a group chat every day.Yep right.
And so all caps. All caps.
All caps. All the time.
So I want this to work with Justin Fields.

(56:02):
I want this to work with him. OK.
But here's the conflict I have OK.
So I wanted to work with Fields.I think he can.
I think coaching is the difference with what to make it
work with Justin Fields and I'm.I was for firing the Luke Getzi.
Sorry. So I thought that was a good
step in the right direction. We need the kind of offensive
coordinator that can pull out ofJustin Fields.
What I think is in there right now, if we don't draft Justin,

(56:24):
if we don't keep Justin Fields, we draft Caleb Williams.
Kayla Williams went to my son's high school.
His high school connection. Yeah, it's a there's something.
So I know Caleb Williams and hisdad.
Wow. I have, you know, been buddies
now for a few years. Wild.
I love his parents. And don't you live next door to
the president of the Bears or something like.

(56:45):
That we we're neighbors. You're neighbors.
We're neighbors. Can't you just go over there
and? No.
I fix. This go fix this, have not.
Make some cookies. Finished out, he's got.
Grilled a mistake. Hard.
The only thing is I just wanted to get it right.
But but the but the reason I said I want it to work with
Justin. Yeah.
I'm not gonna be angry if we have a kid I know from my son's

(57:09):
high school. I'm not gonna be angry about
that. A wonderful kid and a great.
Player, right. Yes, right.
But this is hard. I know this is hard.
These decisions are hard. Decisions And Chicago fans like
I would be afraid of upsetting the fans.
That's. How?
No, no, no, it's it's not. It's they'll they'll get behind
whatever it is with the Bears. But right now it's like, can we

(57:30):
can we can we get this done withJustin Fields and use those
picks to enhance what he's got? And I start over.
I'm I wasn't in favor of keepingIber Flues in in November, but
he sort of played his way into aBattlefield promotion in my
mind. OK, the defense.
Got better. The players talk about liking to
play for him. That's a huge deal.

(57:51):
And so huge deal. You know, some you've I've
learned being in locker rooms all my life.
Sometimes locker rooms evolve, sometimes they change, right?
Sometimes guys become convinced.Yeah, this dude.
Yeah, yeah, like the Raiders with AP.
Yeah, the Raiders with AP, baby.Love him.
I I gotta. Ask.
You gotta ask. You gotta let me ask one and it
has nothing to do with the wild card.

(58:12):
It is just about what the seasonstarted with and that is Aaron
Rodgers. I want to know what you think
The Jets are going to do with this man.
They're going to try to because they have a bad season anyway.
They're going to try to put him back out.
There. You think so?
Yeah, Yeah. You think he still has it?
No, that was my question. But they're.
Going to do it, they're. Going to put him back out there.
I I have. I have a I'm really torn and

(58:37):
confused with Aaron Rodgers, whoI got to know.
So I hate the Packers. That's worth restating, right?
Hate the Packers? We'll put that in big, bold
captions. Yeah, I got you, I got you.
We're going to make you a collaborator on our reels and
we'll make sure that that's on there.
Yeah, but I used I liked Aaron Rodgers.
Yeah, I liked Aaron Rodgers for a long time and now I don't know

(58:59):
what to make of. Him.
Exactly. We're all confused, yeah.
But they're not going to, they're going to let him.
They're going to let him start because they didn't.
They got what, 4 seconds of him this, this season.
So I think they're going to, they're going to, the fans want
to see him play at least. The best way to put it though.
But that is. About him.
About about who he is, About what he stands for or doesn't.

(59:20):
I really like him. The engaged, like if we used to.
He's a basketball fanatic and hegoes to basketball playoff
games. And either in Milwaukee or San
Francisco, I've sat and talked to Aaron to talk to you on the
golf course. And he's a really smart guy.
He's a really well, he's a literate, well travelled,
fascinating dude. And now this other guy has

(59:40):
emerged lately and I'm like, what's up?
What? What?
What is this, what does this mean and what what we to make of
him? So I don't know.
Ayahuasca and Ketamina wild hugs.
Now. OK, two more questions.
I promise. And then that's it.
I'll be. I gotta let you go.
Ready. No, we should.
We love you here. We could talk to you all day
long, but. Everyone's talking about the

(01:00:01):
MVP. If you had a vote this year,
this. Year who?
Would? Lamar.
Lamar. It wouldn't even be.
Over CMC. My fantasy quarterback.
Over. Over CMC Christian McCaffrey.
OK, he said. OK, wait.
And if Brock? Christian McCaffrey, don't he's.
OK. He's great.
No, no, Lamar. Lamar doesn't have Acmci.
Know. He has a lot of some good

(01:00:21):
players. But if so, OK, if you This guy
who said how I hope I'm attributing this correctly to
Troy Aikman. If you are a defensive
coordinator and you start to prepare for the 49ers, is
Christian McCaffrey the first person you're going to prepare
for? Maybe not May.
It's an ensemble, right? You've got all of it.

(01:00:43):
It's not the quarterback. It's not Brock Purdy either, but
but it's it's an ensemble. It's IU.
It's Debo. It's it's Christian McCaffrey.
Kittle. Kittle, right?
But if you're preparing for the Ravens, who Who's the first
person you're? Going to pay for Lamar, Lamar.
That's a great way to look at itand.
Quarterback, that is that. Is I stole it from.
I think it's from Troy. I love that.

(01:01:03):
I wish it was my original thought, but.
It was. And the last question, out of
the four games ahead of us, which one are you most excited
to see and why? And then we will let you go I
think. Niners, Packers.
Yes. Because I, you know, I'm an NFC
kid. I grew up in NFC City and I have

(01:01:25):
spent so many emotional moments with the Packers, wrestling with
the Packers and then the 49ers. I've spent more time covering
the 49ers than any team other than the Washington team when I
was doing that. But the 49ers?
Is that right? Is that, yeah, the 49ers.
I spent more time with the Niners and the Cowboys as a as a

(01:01:48):
sports writer, and I have a sense of the 49ers and what they
mean to San Francisco and how that plays out and what it feels
like on a Sunday. And the tailgating is not as
good as it was a Candlestick a. 100% It's not as right.
Amazing. It's not as good, but I I spent
time, I got to watch Joe Montanaand Steve Young and Jerry Rice
and and it affects how I feel about sports, right?

(01:02:10):
So to me, there's no football team out there today that is
close. Two 49ers.
The vintage Niners. I love it.
That's just my. That's high praise.
No, I'll take that personal opinion all day long and if you
had money on it, who is going to?
Raid. The Lombardi Who do you think

(01:02:31):
Ravens Niners? I my boys, I got it down to
Ravens Niners. I haven't gone further than I
haven't thought about it. I I think that great players
emerge and maybe it's Lamar Jackson's time.
Maybe. And maybe it's CMC's time.
The next year is pretty, gets a year older and is further from
the kind of young mistakes that he might make in a championship

(01:02:53):
game. So God help me if it's the
Packers. I mean, just throw myself onto.
You and me both. You and me both can.
Well, we we'll both be on the tracks.
Yeah, both be on. Track No, no won't.
Happen. Well, I think it's going to be
the Niners are. You like this about the
Warriors? I love the Warriors.
OK, All right, let's check it. That's she's a big Draymond
Green. I'm.
I'm all I'm. I'm a BAE Giants.
OK. Good for you Warriors Niners.

(01:03:14):
My dad would have it no other way.
Good for you and good for him. Yeah, and by the way, he is
smiling down, going, wow, I cannot believe you were talking.
He loves you by the way. So again from Sanaz and Shay,
Diana, we say thank you for being on Michael.
Freaking. Will bond What is Wednesday?

(01:03:35):
Yes. Will you come?
Back yes. We have it on films.
You said Yes. Yep.
Before it was just, I hadn't metyou ladies yet.
It's just I can't say no to Diana now.
I can't say no to any of the four of you, so.
Yeah, so there we have and we are here for you.
So if you ever need anything, the ice house, Johnny Bus we got

(01:03:56):
you. If you want tickets, we got you.
Thank you for making. Let's watch part in the
interruption. For everybody, make sure you go
watch part in the interruption and as always, keep it sexy.
And one time, can you just tell me, do you agree football is
sexy? You you ladies, are making it
that way. I didn't think of it that way
before, but I mean, I'm not going to sit on this set with

(01:04:18):
the four of you and think, no, that's not happening, so yes.
Yes. Yeah, you heard it here, guys.
You heard it 4. Guys, I'm going to say no
because it wouldn't be to me, but I'm not with four guys.
No, 3 girls, 3 girls and four with Diana so.
Beautiful, bright, insightful sports fanatic women.
That's that's like that's. Yeah, show on the Instagram, the

(01:04:40):
Instagram comment we got. Which one?
About about how women belong in the kitchen, I was.
Told that we were told to go back.
To the kitchen. Yeah.
Jokes on you, Sir. I have ATV in my kitchen.
Yes. And well, and if you saw me in
the kitchen, you'd you'd say go back to football.
So we're good again. As always, keep it sexy.
Thank you, Michael. Oh.

(01:05:02):
My gosh, that was fine.