Tough Cover Show: WAKE UP THE ECHOES, NOTRE DAME! - 01/11/25 - The Tough Cover

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
If you can wager on it, We're talking about it.
It's the Gambler, the Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 2 (00:07):
The Gambler.

Speaker 3 (00:10):
Fox Sports Radio in Philly is the Gambler, The Gambler,
Philly's home for all things sports gambling.

Speaker 4 (00:19):
Right down the language that everybody here can.

Speaker 5 (00:23):
Easily understand.

Speaker 1 (00:29):
To get ready for the day's action, from the sides
to the totals and everything in between. Nobody does it
better than the tough cover with Mark Henry right here.

Speaker 6 (00:40):
I'm the Gambler, Salitude, Cannedy, the Colt Semi Contain the Cult,

(01:17):
Sennutain the Cult.

Speaker 7 (01:20):
Say hello and welcome to the Cover Radio Show.

Speaker 5 (01:28):
It's January eleventh, twenty twenty five, and we're waking up
the echoes, as they say in South Bend, Indiana. We've
got in the studio in for my guys, Sean Bernard
on the ones and two stam Ostro. You can follow
hat Sam. How we doing.

Speaker 8 (01:47):
I'm doing great. I'm doing great. You guys can hear me.
All is good, all good, everything sounds great.

Speaker 2 (01:53):
Love to hear it.

Speaker 5 (01:53):
Love on my right is a guy who's been on
the Notre Dame ride with me the whole way. Urcaney
had to have him on. We've been we've been riding
together on this whole fight in Irish season. Had to
have one, and we've got a wild Card weekend the
preview as well, so I had to get Luke Arcadey on. Luke.

Speaker 2 (02:14):
How we doing, Oh, we're doing great.

Speaker 9 (02:16):
You texted me the other night and you asked me
to come on, and I felt like I had no choice,
so I had to make I.

Speaker 2 (02:21):
Had to rearrange plans a little bit, but we're good.

Speaker 5 (02:24):
That's always what we want our guests to feel that
they don't have any other choice that come on there
they're legally obligated to correct. But we've got a lot
to talk about. Obviously, there's apparently a basketball organization in
Philadelphia that plays games. Apparently I don't know. I don't.
I don't I would be unaware of the results of

(02:45):
those organizations games, so I don't think we'll get too
much into that. I do have a big, big Phillies
topic in question for our Phillies insider here, Luke Rcaney.
That quite confusing news that came out yesterday, so we're
gonna get into that as well. Obviously, wild Card weekend
is upon us one of if not the best football

(03:08):
weekends of the year. I think it's top three. We
can maybe debate that out a little bit. Six games,
we're all gonna fill out a bracket and say and
see who has the best bracket at the end here.
But like I said, like I opened off the show,
we have to get it started. I know it's been
two days. We could talk about last night's game as well,
but Notre Dame winning a game that for my entire lifetime,

(03:31):
they lose. They lose that game when it's a close game,
in a big spot and an excruciating pain. I thought.
Sean McDonough by the way, I think he's been fantastic
in this playoff. He's been on every Notre Dame game
as the play by play game. I think he's been
on a few others as well. But he had a call.
I think it was when it was twenty four to
twenty four before before Notre Dame punted, before Penn State

(03:56):
through the interception at the end and fourth quarter it
was tied, and he I think it was minute warning
and he announced one of these teams is having the
biggest win of the of their last decade, going to
the National championship, the other will be an excruciating loser.
It's like, yeah, that was a great call, because that's
exactly what happened. Whoever won that game was gonna feel
like they moved mountains and changed the label of their

(04:18):
program of the last you know, ten twenty years, and
whoever lost felt stuck in the quicksand felt stuck in
the mud. And for the Penn State fans out there
listening today, and I'm gonna turn it over to you
guys in the second. But if you didn't do it
when you had SMU and Boise State to get to

(04:39):
the final four, good night and good luck, You're never
gonna do it. So I'll turn it over to you guys.
Any sam first and any reactions from Notre Dame Penn State.

Speaker 7 (04:51):
Let me just say, Mark, I don't think they're giving
you enough credit for your role in that win. Like
we got, the news of the day is not Notre
Dame and it's not Oh State. It's that Mark is
clean shaved and he deserves credit for his role at
halftime getting that go tee out shaving, changing the vibes.

Speaker 8 (05:10):
Mark, you need more credit. Give yourself some credit here
for this one.

Speaker 5 (05:14):
Yeah, I was worried. Is that a panic move? I
didn't want to. I didn't want to show or show
Penn State that I was panicking, But if you looked
at my timeline, I absolutely was. So I went ahead.
Luke said do it for content. I was like, all right,
I gotta do it, gotta get rid of it. I thought,
going full mustache. She didn't have enough time, too much
hair on, there was hacking away. So I ended up

(05:35):
having to go for go tee during the game. Maybe
we'll shave it back. We got like twelve days. I'll
have a bit of a beer back by then have
to shave it back into a go tee for the championship.

Speaker 3 (05:43):
Man.

Speaker 7 (05:43):
Yeah, look on the game, I mean you kind of
said it, but when you talked about Sean's call, whichever
team was going to lose that game, it was going
to be an excruciating loss. And it feels even worse
for Penn State because when you have a path versus
SMU at home Boise State and a Notre Dame game
that was really a toss up, like based on that spread,
it was really a toss up of a game, and

(06:04):
you can't even get to the championship there. If not now,
when And the answer to when is probably never, Like
it's never gonna happen, like Penn State's probably not gonna
have as easy as a path as they had this
year to the championship. Another time where James Franklin comes
up short and I don't even think it was his fault,
Like I don't even think James Franklin, they were prepared.

Speaker 8 (06:23):
I thought he coached. He coached a pretty good game.

Speaker 7 (06:26):
But he's won and fifteen against top five opponents now
and last time he won a game against a top
five team in the country was twenty sixteen. Like I said,
it's probably not gonna happen. And look, both those quarterbacks
wanted to lose the game. Riley Leonard and Drew Aller
are both trying to lose that game. Are you gonna
defend Riley Leonard right now?

Speaker 5 (06:43):
Yeah? I am. Riley Leonard had like double the amount
of passing yards.

Speaker 8 (06:46):
That he played well better, he played better.

Speaker 7 (06:49):
I wouldn't say well, he played better than Drew Aller,
but he's still threw two costly which should have been
costly picks.

Speaker 5 (06:55):
The first one was it was third and fifteen, so
it was a twenty five yard pick. I don't want
to pull out the people trying to make the Josh
Allen MVP case on the arm punts, but I did think,
you know, you could make a bit of a case
that it's an arm pun. It was thirty and fifteen.
I'm happy they took the chance down the field. The
other one's bad. But if you look at that play,
that's an incredible play for what it was. I mean,
that's I don't know if I don't even know if

(07:17):
that's a dumb throw against like most defensive ends. That
guy vaulted up draft boards last night. I forget it,
denied Dennis Sutton or something somethinglike that. It's like a
three name guy, but yeah, he really I will defend Riley.
I think Riley made a lot more plays in the
passing game than anybody thought he was going to make.
So I think you if you told me before the

(07:37):
game he had a first quarter pick and then maybe
even a fourth quarter pick, but he's gonna throw for
two hundred and fifty or whatever it ended up being
two hundred and thirty yards, I would have taken that
for sure. So I thought Aler was the guy who
everybody told me was going to stretch the field, and
everybody told me was this NFL guy? And I thought
Riley not only out ran him obviously, but out threw

(07:58):
him in.

Speaker 7 (07:59):
The game, Yeah, real quick, just to just to wrap
up the quarterback conversation.

Speaker 8 (08:02):
And then then Luke, you can go.

Speaker 7 (08:05):
I'm right there with you, because part of my handicap
is in this game was that Penn State had the
quarterback advantage. I thought Drew Aaler was playing really good football,
and I was a hater coming into this year.

Speaker 8 (08:14):
I didn't was not a fan of Drew Aler's.

Speaker 7 (08:16):
I thought he'd been playing really good, mostly turnover free football.
And he only is a creditor for one pick in
that game, but he could have had two or three.

Speaker 8 (08:24):
Like that that pass.

Speaker 7 (08:25):
Interference call where he throw it into quadruple coverage, just
an inexcusable throw. And and you're right, like, no one
really expected Ryan Leonard to outplay Drew Aalery, but he did,
and that's what happened. Of course, Drewler's late game pick
was was the deciding factor.

Speaker 5 (08:39):
Luke, this would not have been a happy show if
we were coming on after that pass interference deciding the game.
This show the haters and the haters and sickos, as
Big Cat would say, would have loved to hear my
thoughts if that, if that all decided the game. But Luke,
give me your take.

Speaker 9 (08:57):
Yeah one on the past interference, I think it's a
I think it's a tough It's an easy call to
make for the ref because of the rule. But I
don't like the rule. Like I don't think that ball
was any what catchable for Warren. I think that he's
throwing it into quadruple coverage down in the left side
of the end zone like that that corner is making

(09:21):
a deflection play, like he's not his intentions there are
not to run in at Warren. When that ball was
underthrown by three yards. He was basically forced. He was
forced into Tyler Warren. But I think, like if you
would have told me at halftime that Notre Dame loses

(09:42):
this game, I would have said, Okay, it's a tough loss.

Speaker 2 (09:46):
But I still think, like it wouldn't have been.

Speaker 5 (09:49):
A horrible, horrible loss for Notre Dame. I think that
was a horrible loss for Penn State.

Speaker 2 (09:56):
You're up ten.

Speaker 9 (09:58):
I think you, like we said, I think going in
the game, I don't love Drew Aller before the game,
but I think we kind of assumed that they did
have the advantage. I think we knew how the Notre
Dame o line was at the time. One guy was
already out, and I mean they were just getting they
were getting shredded all night. And the fact that Penn
State they just they just continued to make mistakes. And

(10:20):
I think all week, like everyone on the station, like
nobody thought this was going to be a blowout. Everybody
knew this game was going to be close, and so
many people across like you know, the national media and
the local media. All they were saying all week was
it's going to come down to a turnover. It's it's
it's going to come down to a mistake. And it
was the Notre Dame defense that forced turnovers all year,

(10:41):
and it was I really liked what Riley Leonards showed
on the last drive, and it wasn't a lot Like
he didn't do a lot that he threw what one pass.
I love that that one on third down. That was
an incredible play call to get the first down. But
he he had the ball in his hands right like balls,
he had the ball in his hands, he he got

(11:03):
the yards that Notre Dame needed, because that that easily
could have turned into just Notre Dame running the ball and.

Speaker 2 (11:11):
Walking themselves into a.

Speaker 9 (11:12):
Fourth down on the forty yard line, and that could
have been some like fifty eight yard field goal. But
I thought that last drive they played perfectly. I think
it it also sets you know, it sets Notre Dame
up for the future because I think a lot of
people went into that game, like now seeing how these
guys play for Marcus Freeman, and we talked about this

(11:34):
mark like it doesn't matter who their opponent is right now,
like these guys are just going to war for Marcus
Freeman every game. So I think it sets it sets
Notre Dame up nice for the future. I think this
line for the National Championship is too big. I get
Ohio State's really good. I still think it's too big

(11:55):
for a championship game, but yeah.

Speaker 5 (11:59):
It's it's a scary opponent, it is. I will say
they didn't look as much of a rolling ball at
Chainsaws last night. You know, they looked at least somewhat
maybe you could play with them. I mean, note, if
you're just doing the transitive property, which is dangerous in
college football. Texas lost to Georgia twice, and one of

(12:19):
those games, Gunner Stockton played at least half of and
then the overtime of and still beat Texas. Notre Dame
beat Georgia pretty handily, so and Texas kept it close
with Ohio State until Jack Sawyer ripped the ball out
of quin you weres hands at the end of the game.
But it's I'm talking myself into it being a game.
I'm sure by game time I'll talk myself into them

(12:42):
having a chance. But honestly, the season's a success no
matter what happens in that game. You make it to
the National Championship. You win three games to get here,
the first twelve team playoff. I don't care what happens
in the national Championship. The biggest winner of the National
Championship besides me maybe Ryan Day of just saving his

(13:02):
own butt, is Marcus Freeman. I mean, this guy seems
to have arrived on a national scale as kind of
one of the coaches of college football, which I think
there was a bit of a void. You look at
how many guys top guys and not just college football,
college basketball, in college sports in general, programs and top
teams were kind of defined year after year by the coach.

(13:24):
And you think of saving, you think of coach k
Jay Wright. You think of other guys that Mac Brown's
now gone, but I'm blanking on some other football names.
Jim Harball off to the NFL, Urban Meyer not coaching anymore.
So you think about those big names. It did feel
a bit of You looked across the twelve team playoff,
who were like the star coaches coming in, It's like, oh, well,

(13:46):
Kirby's won a title. I guess he's the only He's
the little only coach in college football who holds a
national championship ring right now. So that's kind of the
interesting storyline. Who steps up into that void? And I
think Marcus Freeman has been home one of those top
top guys, and yeah, it's I will say James Franklin.
I don't think he outright lost them the game, but

(14:08):
I do think something that's not getting enough credit is
you go right down the field on your first drive,
you get to the one yard line. On second in goal,
you lose two yards and fourth and goal at the
three in a zero zero game, you take a field goal.
I think the difference between three and seven ended up
mattering quite a lot in that game, and I said

(14:29):
at the time, I think they just absolutely saved us.
If we went down seven to nothing, I would have
been pretty scared. You're down fourteen nothing instead of ten
to nothing. I think that's a lot different of a game,
and obviously the scoreboard agrees. I thought that was a
brutal call by James.

Speaker 7 (14:43):
Yeah, I'm right with you on that, but I also
want to hear your guys' thoughts about how they finished
the game, because a lot of people are killing Franklin
for putting the ball in Drew Aller's hand. I'm never
I mean, hindsight's hindsight is obviously twenty twenty. So like
you look back and say, okay, they probably should have
kneel just running out whatever to go to go overtime.
I don't have a problem with them putting the ball
and Drew Alier saying Greg Macker on the broadcast with

(15:05):
an all time broadcaster's jinx right as they're going into
the dry He's like, He's like, Drew Aller never puts
the ball in harms way, he doesn't throw interceptions, and like,
right there, I was thinking like he's kind of right.

Speaker 8 (15:16):
But like he's about to throw a pick.

Speaker 7 (15:18):
But I don't have a problem with it because Drew
Aller he didn't play well that game, but he had
been playing pretty well up until like, over his last
nine games before that one, he only had three picks.
He really isn't a guy who turns the ball over
like that, and he was putting the ball in harms
way that game, but he hadn't been for most of
the season. So I have a problem going out, like,
all right, let's try to win this game. Let's let
Drew Aller make plays. Obviously, looking back, didn't work out

(15:39):
that way. He'd made an awful decision, but people were
killing Franklin for that.

Speaker 8 (15:43):
I didn't think that was a bad decision.

Speaker 4 (15:45):
But yeah, I don't either.

Speaker 2 (15:46):
I don't either.

Speaker 9 (15:47):
I think that's a situation in like we know, the
difference in what forty eight seconds from NFL to college,
like forty eight seconds in this sport is way more.

Speaker 2 (16:00):
Than it is in the NFL.

Speaker 9 (16:02):
Like, I think there's absolutely like you should go for
it there. I mean, it's it's the college football semi final,
and you're not gonna like run the ball and punt
it back with like you're gonna go for it, should
you have maybe thrown the ball to Warren on the
sideline or or or sort of run the ball like outside? Yeah,

(16:24):
but like I don't think you throw a twenty yard
crosser out over the middle in a double coverage like that.

Speaker 2 (16:29):
That's the issue. I don't I don't disagree with them
going for the field goal there at all.

Speaker 9 (16:35):
I think you have to, Like I don't like if
you go three and out there you give Notre Dame
the ball back with ten seconds left, and obviously that's
that's not a lot of time, but that that's like
you don't want Notre Dame to have any chance.

Speaker 2 (16:48):
And and if if, if.

Speaker 9 (16:49):
You're sending the ball down the field, that's fine, but
not a not a twenty yard slant in the double
coverage across the middle with forty seconds left, when all
you have to do, literally the only thing you have to.

Speaker 5 (17:01):
Do is not turn the ball over there.

Speaker 3 (17:04):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (17:04):
I think it's one of those damned if you do,
damned if you don't. Type things like if he ran
the clock out, I think people would be calling him
some names that we can't say on the radio. And
I and I think if he you know, if obviously
you go down the field and you get a field goal,
you're a genius. But I do think it's fair to criticize,
like Luke said, the decision to go across the middle,

(17:27):
and is that on al or is that on Franklin.
That's kind of up for debate. I guess you could
say it's on Alor even if it's the third if
it's a third read or fourth read, it's on Aler.
I saw someone on ESPN saying it was the third
read of the on the play, So you can't really
blame Franklin, But then you you probably shouldn't even be
giving him those options.

Speaker 9 (17:45):
If you're getting to the third read on your play
in that situation, I don't like, you shouldn't be throwing
the ball. I like, if your first read is not
open and then your second read is not open, you've
ran what eight seconds off the like you It's just
it's it's a it's a horrendous pass, like all you
had to do. Once again, it's just not turn the

(18:07):
ball over, like yeah, and you now you're in overtime
and at the time, I mean, with how Leonard just
threw the pick I like, I would probably like Penn
State's offense better in that overtime, Like I think Penn
State was set up to win that overtime more than
Notre Dame was at the time. And like I I

(18:29):
just it. I mean, that kid's gotta be hurting because
that is like legitimately the one thing that you cannot do.

Speaker 8 (18:36):
It's the whole off season to think about it. He's
coming back big time.

Speaker 5 (18:40):
He was terrible. I mean, he was beyond terrible in
that game. And I had a lot that I handicapped
wrong about the game. Like I thought Notre Dame's rushing
attack would be a lot more dangerous. I didn't think
Penn State would run for over two hundred yards in
the game against a really good run defense. So there
was a lot I didn't handicap right. And even Riley,
I will say I was I was saying I thought
Riley would throw more than people thought, and I get

(19:01):
like one hundred and fifty one hundred eighty yards way
out shut, way out shine to that even missing a
drive in terms of his passing yards. But the thing
that I got right and the reason that I loved
the matchup for Notre Dame was because I do think
even though I think they're the number two pass defense
in the country, I think you've seen in games against USC,
even a little bit against an m a couple of

(19:22):
games even in the middle of the year, that you
can get Notre Dame deep. They're really aggressive, they pressure you,
they blitz you. USC Jade and Mayava was really able
to take advantage of that with some blue chip receivers
at USC. I'm a little bit afraid of playing the
most blue chip of all the blue chip receivers I've
ever seen in my life in Jeremiah Smith, and what

(19:43):
Ohio State is going to do to that. I think
it's not a good matchup, even Texas, and I know
people don't like quin you or especially after last night,
I think Texas would have been a tough matchup with
Isaiah Bond and if Golden's good to go, I think
they have some dangerous guys on the outside as well,
so I I think it would have been a bad
matchup for either of those matchups for Notre Dame. But

(20:04):
the reason I love the Penn State matchup was because
I did not think they had the receivers to take
advantage of being able to beat them deep. Zero catches
for the wide receivers.

Speaker 9 (20:13):
Obviously they didn't because they didn't have a single catch.
And I said Jansen said yesterday to Jansen and he
was like, yeah, that's all Alur. I was like, it is,
but it isn't like the fact, like I don't care.

Speaker 2 (20:25):
What the quarterback did.

Speaker 9 (20:26):
You don't see zero receptions for zero yards in football
by a single wide receiver like ever, Like that's not
something that that's not something that happens every week. Like
like you can take the worst quarterback in college football
and he'll still find his number one receiver for thirty yards,
Like zero catches for zero that like that's that's absurd stuff.

(20:47):
And listen, if they can, if they can play like that,
Like that's why I keep saying, like I didn't think
if you get the Ohio State of last night, I
don't think Notre Dame's out of it. Like I don't
think Ohio State looked anywhere close to what they look
like the last two playoff games. And I mean, they
were dominating the first two playoff games, but they that

(21:09):
was not the case last night.

Speaker 7 (21:11):
They still they still have covered every single number and
just to get to I guess if you're going to
look ahead to the National Championship, like they've covered every
single number. Even if Texas game is closer than the
final score indicated, they still have covered every number pretty dominantly.
And that's exactly one of my biggest handicaps in the
game where I first came out like this is a
huge number, Like this doesn't feel like it should be

(21:32):
like that. But Ohio State has that explosive playability through
the pass game that Notre Dame is going to be
incredibly vulnerable. And when you talk about Penn State doesn't
have those those deep receivers and weapons, I'm with you,
And that's a lot on James Franklin, Like when was
last time Penn State has recruited like really elite wide
receivers like Johan Dotson. Maybe I'm missing someone, but like

(21:52):
they get tight ends like Tyler Warren's obviously going to
be a top ten pick, but they don't really recruit
these high end blue chip receivers. Ohio State though, and
they're gonna they're gonna take advantage of that against Notre
Dame secondary. So that's why it's like, if you have
that explosive playability is nine and a half really that
many points.

Speaker 8 (22:08):
I mean, it feels like a lot, but it might
not be.

Speaker 5 (22:12):
I definitely wouldn't lay the nine and a half, but
I'm also not running to cover Tibet than nine and
a half for for Notre Dame. I do think Notre
Dame the way that they played ball control offense, and
I think you get a better rushing attack from Notre
Dame that you got from Texas in that game. Lexus
ran for two yards per carry in that game, and
that's been a theme for Texas every time they've played
a big game. You look at the two Georgia games,
you look at the Arizona State game, you look at

(22:33):
this game. They just they haven't been able to run
the ball against actual opponents. I know Notre Dame didn't
run the ball too well against against Penn State last night,
I or two nights ago. I would say that the
passing attack made up for that. I do think they'll
run the ball better against the Against Ohio State. I
think Penn State has been a better run defense most
of the year than Ohio State has. Ohio State probably

(22:54):
a definitely a better pass defense, just to be frank there,
but I do think the way that they'll be able
to run the ball and control the ball. I think
nine and a half is a lot of points. But
I also totally understand why the spread is what it is.
I thought six seemed late against Texas, to be honest,
the way we were talking about the game, I was
kind of shocked that wasn't more. It's kind of why
I was thinking, maybe I bet Texas I ended up

(23:14):
laying off. But that's let's let's we're gonna get back
to that at some point in the show. And I
know Beef's coming on at noon as well. I'm sure
we'll talk a little college with him too. Maybe we'll
focus a little bit more on that Ohio State Texas
game from last night.

Speaker 2 (23:27):
Let's talk a.

Speaker 5 (23:27):
Little bit before we get to the NFL. Just a
couple of minutes on Jeff Hoffman signing with Toronto three years,
thirty three million, and the news comes out. Obviously we're
all kind of reacting to that when it comes out,
what the heck? You know, how do we not beat
that offer? And then it comes out that Baltimore had
a three year, forty million dollar offer that he failed,
I guess failed two physicals because of his right shoulder

(23:49):
on Luke, what are you what are you hearing about
this and kind of what's your take on it.

Speaker 9 (23:53):
Yeah, so there was a deal with the Orioles, like
you said, three years, forty million, and then yeah, it
was revealed that he failed two physicals his his throwing shoulder.
I don't know what's what that's about. And I mean
it it says a lot that if if the Phillies

(24:13):
aren't gonna re sign him, they're not going to resign
him if he's not.

Speaker 2 (24:17):
Healthy, especially his throwing shoulder.

Speaker 9 (24:20):
Yeah, I mean losing them stinks, but I mean you
can't sign a guy that's not healthy. It could just
be a right now thing, and I mean he could
be ready for the season, but I don't think Toronto
would have signed him if they didn't think he was
ready for the season. But yeah, it's weird. I not

(24:42):
something I expected. That was very random because it didn't
seem like anything when the season was still going on.

Speaker 2 (24:50):
But yeah, I.

Speaker 9 (24:51):
Still think the Phillies need one more I I I
really want one more bullpen arm that there. There's still
a lot of names out there. It's it's now sort
of just a matter of how far they want to
go over that fourth tax because they're they're basically over
it now.

Speaker 2 (25:09):
So if you sign a reliever to.

Speaker 9 (25:11):
A twelve million dollar deal for twenty twenty five, you're
basically paying like twenty five and a half million.

Speaker 5 (25:17):
That's that's really what it's at.

Speaker 9 (25:19):
It's one hundred and ten percent tax for every dollar
you go over. So it's it's gonna start getting steep
in their pockets. But if they want to win, they
gotta pay the money. I think we've seen with the Dodgers,
like if you spend the money and you win the championship,
you instantly make the money back, like they are in

(25:39):
the green already from the Otani contract. Like the second
you win a World Series, all that money that you
spent and the tax you went over and the money
you're throwing to these guys, all that debt goes away
because of the amount of money you make from winning
a championship. But bottom line is, I still think the
Phillies need need one more. But I do like the

(26:00):
deal for Toronto. They finally landed some sort of free
agent because they've been in on it's it's been the
case for Toronto, they've been in on every single guy
I think this offseason and they haven't landed a single one.

Speaker 5 (26:11):
Would you attach a top prosps not a top not
like obviously we're not talking Painter Miller or whoever, whoever
you want to say is top guys after that Crawford,
Would you attach a nice prospect to Taiwan Walker at
this point? Yeah, I think that's what.

Speaker 9 (26:27):
I think you have to if and I don't think
that deal is going to come on the table which sticks.
If if that was any sort of option, I think
they they run to the counter and they signed the
contract as soon as they can. It's it's a sort
of thing where like you're not going to use them
like that.

Speaker 2 (26:45):
That's that's what it's really about.

Speaker 9 (26:47):
Like you have six starters that are already better than him,
and one of them hasn't even pitched in the pros yet,
and and you already basically know that he's already better
than Walker. Yeah, it's like it's it's gotten to the
point where you have to do anything you can to
get off of it. And if they do, they're gonna

(27:08):
be eating some sort of money. But it's it's better
than having a guy signed for eighteen million when he's
not going to pitch for you.

Speaker 8 (27:15):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (27:16):
Yeah, we'll talk more about some Philly stuff throughout the
off season. I will just uh won one MLB take
I'll throw out there before we move on to the
NFL because we got to get to wild Card weekend.
But uh, just one baseball take. Everyone's talking about the
Dodgers spending money, everybody's talking about the Mets spending money,
the Yankee spending money. The Braves are just gonna slide

(27:36):
right back in with and Strider.

Speaker 2 (27:38):
We talked about this.

Speaker 5 (27:39):
They're gonna win the World Series.

Speaker 8 (27:41):
To win that at least right now, who's the favorite
to win that? At least?

Speaker 5 (27:44):
That is it the Braves?

Speaker 2 (27:46):
It's I think it's the Braves.

Speaker 5 (27:48):
I think they're probably probably recon neck there and the
odds and then Phillies are third but not too far behind.

Speaker 9 (27:55):
Division winner n L least Braves plus one forty five,
Mets plus one eight and were plus two hundred.

Speaker 7 (28:02):
So yeah, I mean value on the value on the
Phillies alrightcouraging that was not encouraging.

Speaker 9 (28:11):
Yeah, Mark, I I completely agree with you there. I
think the Braves being a team that was still in
the hunt to make the playoffs last year with a
month and a half mist of of Matt Olson and
a full year with Noah Kunya and a full year
with Strider and injuries to their bullpen and injuries to

(28:32):
their rotation and more injuries. They lost Azzie Albis for
two months, they lost Austin Riley for like a month
and a half. To still be the favorite after finishing
third in in your division? Is that's pretty telling to
me if I had to lay, if if I had
to lay a number on the division, it would probably

(28:54):
definitely be the brain.

Speaker 5 (28:56):
When the Mets literally went to the NLCS and signed
Juan Soto.

Speaker 9 (29:00):
Like, make you all that, and the Phillies win their
first division title in thirteen years, and like the fact
that the Braves are still the favorite is just inevitable.

Speaker 5 (29:11):
They found Lopez, they found Schwellenbach, Like, fine, four more
guys this year, Yeah, they'll find more. It's absurd. I
hate the Braise so much, But let's talk NFL. Let's all,
we're all gonna do brackets. Maybe I'll sam I'll have
you fill out the bracket in the second part of
the hour and in the in the first part of
the second hour with Beef as well. Let's go through
it with Luke here and just go game by game

(29:33):
and we could talk a little spread as well, but
we'll go quickly through them Chargers Texans. It's really the
only side I have all week. I love the Chargers,
absolutely love the Chargers, which is so funny. And I
think I've been radicalized the other way almost like I
was the anti Herbert guy forever and I was like,
you guys are crazy putting in with Josh Allen and

(29:55):
Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson. And I still feel that way,
Like I still one hundred percent I feel that way.
But the people like Sean Bernard, my co hosts on
this show, have almost made me turn like babyface on
Justin Herbert because he tries to tell me that like
Gino Smith's better and that Justin Herbert's like the twenty
second best quarterback in the NFL, and I'm like, well,

(30:16):
you're going too far the other way now, so I
have to be like, I have to find common ground.
He's probably like the seventh best quarterback in the NFL.
Like I think I would take like jal En or
Jordan Love over them. Besides the accept the top four
that's it though, Like those are the only guys I
would take him. And if you want to say you
take Herbert over love or Hurts whatever, I disagree, but

(30:36):
it's fine. So that's my little preamble there. I'm pretty
sure you guys will both be on the Chargers. I'm
pretty sure you guys are both Herbert guys.

Speaker 9 (30:44):
Yeah, I'm pretty that's probably my favorite play of the day.
Mark We've sent for two months that whoever whoever Houston
plays in the first round, we're gonna fade him.

Speaker 2 (30:57):
It's just like I think, I think Houston's cooked. I
think CJ.

Speaker 9 (31:02):
Shrouds had a really bad year and I don't see
it getting better against a young Chargers team with a
new coach. I get it it is in Houston, but
I just I don't see it. I think the Chargers
have the chance to I think this one they could
win by ten if, like if if their offense plays

(31:23):
how they've played the last few weeks. I mean they're
averaging like thirty seven a game the last three games.
I was looking at the Chargers team total, I believe
twenty and a half is sitting around like even money.
And I saw twenty three and a half at like
plus one twenty earlier in the week.

Speaker 5 (31:40):
I do like that, but.

Speaker 2 (31:41):
As far as the game, I like Chargers minus three.
I don't. I just think Houston's cooked.

Speaker 7 (31:47):
I actually haven't played this yet, and the part of
the reason is because, like the Texans, they stink. I mean,
they're one to five against playoff teams. They haven't been
anyone good all season, and they're just They've been a
disaster all year and see this as a disappointing year.

Speaker 8 (32:01):
Obviously, the two top.

Speaker 7 (32:02):
Weapons went down, so it's not all on him, but
everyone and their mother is on the charges in this game.

Speaker 5 (32:08):
I mean, Texans love. I feel like I've seen a
lot of people saying that and then taking the Texans.

Speaker 7 (32:15):
But like, yes, because it's the contrarian take. But there's
just like a part of me that feels like everyone's
just penciling in the Chargers and their offense has been
really good, but those last two games of the year
were against the Raiders and Patriots. I'm not really putting,
and they put up like thirty four against the Broncos
week before that, so so I'm not putting, which is
a good defense obviously, but I'm not putting that much
stock in the recent charges offense.

Speaker 8 (32:36):
This is a huge game for Justin Herbert.

Speaker 7 (32:38):
I mean the conversation, I mean, Sean's going to take
a massive victory lap if he somehow loses this game.

Speaker 5 (32:44):
But the conversation, Justin Herbert, lose me this five unit
bet today, but don't this course will not be favorable.

Speaker 7 (32:53):
And he should take a victory lap because it'll kind
of come I feel like it will come down to
Justin Herbert. I think it's gonna be closer than people think.
Obviously spreads two and a half three, But I still
like there's a part of me that I haven't touched yet,
because there's a part of me that feels like Texans
at home, like every no one believes in them. It
feels like there's a part of me that they could
still win this game at least cover where the Chargers

(33:14):
Justin Herbert as a clutch late drive and the Chargers
are trailing by one or two and they kick a
field goal for the wins. So there's a part of
me that feels like the Chargers could win and still
not Cover. So right now I'm staying away. We'll see
what happens in the next five hours if I pull
the trigger on something. But I'm not really convinced on
either side. Who are you picking for the bracket, I'll take.

Speaker 8 (33:33):
The charges for the bracket.

Speaker 5 (33:36):
For the bracket, I'll take the Chargers.

Speaker 8 (33:40):
I'm not putting my money up.

Speaker 5 (33:41):
You're gonna hear me on all these all these NFC
games that aren't the Eagles, even the Eagles to a
certain degree, I'm not convicted on any of them. On
any of them, I think there's a lot of flip
a coin. The Chargers just happened to be the coin
I'm confident in this weekend, So a game that's not
a flip of the coin. Steelers at raven Ravens minus
nine and a half. The one thing I'll say is

(34:03):
the Steelers did do a really good job defensively against
Cincy last week. For a while there, the defense just
didn't look at all like it had looked in the
first half of the year. I will say, if you're
a Steelers fan looking for some level of optimism, and
everyone's going to tell you the Lamar Steelers stats and
how Lamar stinks against the Steelers, he just kicked your
butt on National TV. I wouldn't necessarily I wouldn't necessarily

(34:26):
rest my hat on that. I would rest my hat
on the defense. Finally, kind of looking like it solves
some problems against the Bengals. Say what you want about
the Bengals, that offense has been a lead all year,
so it looks like they found their way even though
they lost the game. A little bit. I have some
concerns about the offense. If Justin Fields was starting this game,
I'd actually be interested in maybe hearing a Steelers upset case,

(34:46):
kind of similar to Notre Dame. You run the ball,
you keep it on the ground, you don't turn the
ball over, you play good defense, and you hope that
you know the other team makes a mistake. A little bit.
With Russell Wilson, what you've seen over this last month
or from him after this hot start that he had.
Their EPA per play with him as a starter is negative.
Their EPA per play with Justin Fields as a starter

(35:08):
was positive. And Justin Fields was four and two as
a starter.

Speaker 7 (35:11):
Smaller sample size, but it's still it's still somewhat of
a decent sam.

Speaker 5 (35:16):
For sure, small sample size, and Russ is six and
four as a starter, so are six and five. I
apologize bad math on my part. Wasn't a math major
six and five as a starter for Russ so uh I.
I do think that if they were gonna like pull
fields in in the second quarter of the game, that
would actually scare me if I was a Ravens fan.
But Ravens should win this game.

Speaker 9 (35:36):
Yeah, I like I like the Ravens. I think nose
is big. I'm interested to see what they can do
with Bateman. I think it's gonna be very Andrews likely
heavy today. I think it's gonna be a lot of
yards for tight ends, a lot of Derrick Henry. The
issue is the Steelers can't let the Ravens get rolling,

(35:58):
like the defense has to come out for shot of
the game and go three and out. Like if the
Ravens come out, they go up seven oh ten oh
games over games over Ravens cover. But yeah, I would
probably lean on the game, I'd probably lean Ravens, but
as far as the bracket, I would most certainly lean
the Ravens.

Speaker 7 (36:14):
Yeah, I was gonna say Steelers are my favorite play
of the day, plus the points, and obviously in the bracket,
I'm not gonna take the Steelers.

Speaker 8 (36:23):
I'll take the Ravens, but plus the points I forgot.

Speaker 5 (36:25):
You're a Lamar hater, not a hater.

Speaker 7 (36:28):
Josh Allen's not a hater. He won't win, he won't
win the MVP, but he should be the m v P.
I knew that would trigger you to It's not a Lamar,
it's not. It's nothing to do with Lamar. Honestly, I
think the Steelers demise has been greatly exaggerated, like they
they've lost the last four games, But when you look

(36:49):
at that three game stretch, it was against the Eagles,
the Chiefs, and the Ravens, and that was an eleven
days That was that weird stretch. So you're playing three
of the best teams in the league and you're doing
it with an span of eleven days.

Speaker 8 (37:00):
That's like an impossible stretch.

Speaker 7 (37:02):
So the Steelers, it's not some late season collapse that
the Steelers have gone on and there's still a good team.
And of course they lost the Bengals last week of
the season. Like you said, their defense looked better, but
again that was a red hot Bengals team and a
desperate Bengals team, So this wasn't like a bad Bengals
team that lost to So it was really it wasn't
a late season collapse for the Steelers. They're a good
team who played a lot of great teams with a

(37:22):
brutal schedule and a tough stretch. So I don't I
still trust this Steelers defense and I trust Mike Tomlin.
I don't really put too much stock I'm not a
Lamar Jackson hater. Let's say that I don't put too
much stock in the truth. I wouldn't say that either.
Somewhere in the middle. Somewhere in the middle falter. I'm like,

(37:42):
the one in four record in the last five games
doesn't really matter to me that much. I don't think
like Mike Tomlin is gonna is gonna shut down Lamar Jackson.

Speaker 5 (37:49):
He does.

Speaker 7 (37:49):
It is the one team in the NFL. He's more
picks against that then touchdowns thrown against. But it doesn't
really matter. I think Lamar Jackson is still gonna have
a day. I just I just trust the Steelers defense
and running game, and trust Mike Tomlin's a put a
good enough game plan together where it's not like a
late season collapse. It's zero zero going into the playoffs,
and I think they're gonna cover this number.

Speaker 8 (38:07):
They're not gonna win, but they'll cover the number.

Speaker 5 (38:10):
Uh, real quick on this one. Does anyone have a
bet on Broncos Bills?

Speaker 2 (38:15):
Yeah, I think it's the Bills.

Speaker 5 (38:18):
You're laying the points.

Speaker 2 (38:19):
I think it's the Bills.

Speaker 9 (38:20):
I think this is one where I think people are
gonna try and get cute with it and say the
b Knicks thing and say how the Broncos defense has
been playing, And then I think it's just gonna be
Josh Allen going out for a wildcard weekend and just
putting up maybe forty, maybe thirty. Like I, I think

(38:41):
there's potential of it being a pretty good game. But
if if I had to lean away, it's it's it's
definitely the Bills.

Speaker 2 (38:48):
Real quick has.

Speaker 9 (38:49):
Wildcard weekend always put the three AFC teams first. I
just noticed that it's all AFC games and then all
NFC games.

Speaker 5 (38:57):
Can they usually do that? They did it last year.
I don't know if they did it previously to that
they did it last year. It is. I kind of
like it because I like the teams together a little bit.
There's not a huge rest disadvantage, so.

Speaker 7 (39:09):
I do like that A little bit, and it pretty
much guarantees that next week the AFC would be playing
on Saturday, and then if to be on Sunday, right, yeah.

Speaker 5 (39:16):
Yes, yeah, I think that's how they I think that's
why they do that. I'm not betting this game. Outside
of Josh Allen touchdown, I will be on Josh. I
think it's minus one twenty. I got it at six
of the last seven, seven to the last eleven. They're
tush push merchants now too, but they count for Josh Allen, Yeah,
they count. They count as rushing touchdowns. Josh Allen willed
it in himself, but Jalen, you know he's an evil,

(39:38):
evil tush push merchant. The four to thirty game Eagles.
I've said this time and time again. I think Green
Bay is the scariest opponent in the NFC for the Eagles.
I think if you win this game, you're going to
the super Bowl. I truly believe that. It scares me
more than going to Detroit. Scares me, more than hosting Tampa,

(39:58):
scares me more than hosting Soda whoever you want to
throw at me. Green Bay is the only team in
the top five in offensive and defensive dboa and I
know that Luke's gonna tell me how they lost to
every good team. The difference between the Packers and what
we just brought up with the Steelers, And I think
some of your points they were valid. I'm certainly not
laying on it and a half points with the Ravens,
So I certainly see your point with the Steelers not collapsing,

(40:21):
just playing a brutal schedule. The difference is, you look
at all those Packers games against good teams. They lost
by a field goal or a touchdown, and they kept
it close with every single team, whereas the Steelers made
you feel like they never had a chance five minutes in.
That's a little bit of the difference. I'm looking at
the Packers and everybody's pointing at them and saying, oh,
you lost every good team you played, And I'm kind

(40:41):
of looking at it and be like, well, they only
lost to the best teams they played, Like, look at
the rest of their kind of schedule. The Packers scare
the craft out of me. If the Packers beat the Eagles,
I think they're going to go to the super Bowl
as the seventh seed. I really do think that, And
I know people think I'm gassing at the Packers. They've
said that all year long. I think that it is
a travesty that this is the seventh seed that the

(41:03):
Eagles have to play. Let's go back to the two buys,
the top two seeds getting buys. I'm sick of this.
This is what the Commanders are the sixth seed and
the Rams are the four and we're sitting here having
to play Matt Lafleur and Jordan Love. It scares me.
But Eagles eleven to zero when Jalen Lane and aj
all play and finish the game, averaging twenty nine points
per game in those games. I'm just repeating that stat

(41:25):
to myself in the shower to give myself confidence and
not to like curl up in a ball.

Speaker 3 (41:30):
Yeah.

Speaker 9 (41:30):
I think the Eagles are just really It's it's pretty
simple for me. I think the Eagles are just really,
really good and dominant when everybody's healthy and they have
all twenty two harders tomorrow, they don't have a single
guy on the injury report tomorrow. That matters in this
football game. I think getting a home game obviously most
likely a few home games. I just I it feels

(41:54):
like maybe a bigger ish line for a really good
seventh seed. But I also think the line is showing
respect to how good the Eagles are. I think all
of us have watched every single Eagles game this year,
and and if they're healthy, they just dominate. They they
they win, They win games against teams like the Ravens.

(42:16):
They go out to LA and they beat the crap
out of the Rams, like they just beat good teams.
So yeah, I mean I like the Eagles five and
a half. I most certainly liked them in the bracket.
I think this game has a bit of some over
potential as well.

Speaker 2 (42:32):
It's at forty five and a half right now. As
long as that win. I don't know what it's looking like.

Speaker 9 (42:37):
It's it's been really windy around here in the last
few days, but yeah, I would lay the Eagles five
and a half. I if the Eagles play how they should,
I think they can win by two touchdowns.

Speaker 7 (42:50):
The Eagles like are gonna win and win win handily.
I was with you, Mark, Mark, I was with you
in the beginning. I was like, please give me the Commanders,
please give me one Washington.

Speaker 8 (43:00):
I do not want to play the Packers.

Speaker 7 (43:01):
And then Christian Watson goes out Jordan loves Jordan loves
elbow hand thing like that's kind of.

Speaker 8 (43:07):
A big deal.

Speaker 7 (43:08):
I mean, it's on it, it's on his throwing arm.
That's not like that's a big deal. They're gonna get
pressure and put pressure on Jordan Love. And I said
this on Sean's show the other day. The last quarterback
to play a playoff game at the Link also left
with some elbow concerns, mister brock Purty. So I'm just
saying they're gonna put some pressure on Jordan Love and
on that elbow. That's a real thing. Look, the Eagles
are just through the physically dominant team. Like Luke just said,

(43:31):
We've watched them every single game. They've been the tougher,
more physically dominant team for sixty minutes every single game
since the bye, every single.

Speaker 8 (43:39):
One, and when they're completely healthy.

Speaker 7 (43:40):
I don't even count the Washington game really because Jalen
goes out. But they've been the physically more dominant team
every game. That's what they're gonna happen. They're gonna lean
on their offensive line, lean on running the football, and
I just don't I think they're gonna the Packers' defensive
line is gonna be worn out. Like the part of
what makes the Eagles defense so elite. It's not that
they're they have good defensive personnel, for sure, but it's

(44:01):
really not on the field that much. Because the Eagles
have number one time possession in the entire NFL. They
just run the ball through Jailen and Saquon and I
expect Jalen to have a pretty big running day too.
Lean on that offensive line, control possession, control the clock,
and don't even give that many opportunities to the opponent.
And I think that's exactly what's gonna happen. We're gonna
have eight nine to ten minute possessions and we're gonna

(44:22):
go down the field, score score points. It might not
happen in the first quarter, but it's gonna be enough
where we control get seven points through eight minute possessions,
nine minute possessions, and our defense is so well rested
that they can play at high level and get off
the field and third down, and that's what's gonna happen.
The Packers really don't scare scare me as much as
I thought when this matchup came out, and I.

Speaker 5 (44:41):
Gotta we gotta take a break in a minute so
I gotta get Luke out of here. I kept him
way too long. I apologize to Luke. But what i've
what I will say, and what I don't want people
to take what I'm saying as disrespectful to the Eagles.
I think the Eagles are the best team in the NFC.
I think they're probably the second best team in the NFL.
I think you could argue that Ravens of the Bills
over them, but I'd put them as the second best

(45:02):
team in the NFL. I would be saying this about
any team that had to play Green Bay. I think
Green Bay is like the fifth or sixth best team
in the NFL. I truly do think that they are.
So that's really what it's coming down to. And I
think that three and a half point spread is more
telling of what it opened at than the five and
a half points that it's gotten bet up to. That's
what the people like the Eagles. The odds makers thought

(45:26):
this was a pretty close game, and that's I think
this is going to be a war. I think it's
going to be Eagles win on a field goal. Hopefully
Jake Elliott has a little Mitch Jeter in him again.

Speaker 8 (45:37):
If it comes down to a field goal.

Speaker 2 (45:39):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (45:39):
I think the Packers have had issues kicking field goals
as well, though I think they're on like their third
kicker of the year, so maybe that's maybe that's something
to watch the kicking game here in Eagles Packers. But
real quick, because these are coin flips to me, and
we got to take a long break. But I don't
know what to do with either of these games with
commi's or Vikings rams. I've talked myself into Commies and Rams,

(46:06):
which would mean Washington plays Detroit and we get the Rams.
I don't know if that's because I want to avoid Tampa.
I'm talking myself into Washington winning because I think they're
gonna unleash Jayden as a runner. That's the one thing
that I do think. I don't think Tampa's going to
be able to handle h Where are you guys at
on either are you confident either of those games or

(46:28):
they both flip the coins? To you guys?

Speaker 9 (46:30):
Yeah, this the first one is kind of a coin flip,
Washington Tampa Bay. I was I was leaning over in
points all week but highest over under the weekend. I
think the common bet I feel like I've seen it
is is a lot a lot on the over and
on the over wow, while I keep yeah, that's probably

(46:53):
where where I was leaning as well. If I had
to take a side, I'd probably go Tampa. I don't
love the three, but I like Tampa. I think I've
said all week, I think this is probably gonna.

Speaker 4 (47:10):
Be the best game of the weekend.

Speaker 9 (47:12):
I think it has the chance to be a really,
really good football game. I would probably lean Tampa, but
I would not be surprised in the slightest if Washington
did win that game. As far as the Vikings Rams,
I like the Rams. I liked the Rams all week.
I watched that Vikings Lions game on Sunday night, and

(47:35):
Sam Darnold looked like an incompetent quarterback for four quarters.

Speaker 2 (47:39):
He he missed like three or four touchdowns.

Speaker 9 (47:43):
I just I think this Rams if if the Rams
offense goes how they can go. I think the Rams
can put up points and I think they can win.

Speaker 2 (47:52):
I really like the plus three. I would by time.

Speaker 9 (47:56):
The games here if I still feel this good, I
would probably look at the plus ones four as well.

Speaker 7 (48:01):
Sham, I yeah, the first game Commander's Bucks complete toss up.
I think I'm gonna take the over with you on
that just feel like not not the best defenses, There's
gonna be a lot of points, especially Baker Mayfield. I
do trust them in the playoffs more than Jaydon Daniels,
who obviously we haven't seen, so I'd lean the Bucks
a little bit, but I'm gonna take the over there.
And then for Vikings Rams, I'm going with the Vikings.

(48:22):
I think feel like a lot of people have switched
up on the Vikings and I think they're a really
overrated fourteen win team. Don't get me wrong, They're not
as talented as as the record says, but I think
after watching that Sunday night game with the Lions just
dominate them, and like Luke said, Sam Donald was Horrible's
worst game of the season by far, a lot of
people have kind of completely bailed on the Vikings ship,
and I'm.

Speaker 8 (48:42):
Not there yet.

Speaker 7 (48:42):
Like I think the Rams are a good team, but
I still think there's gonna be opportunity for Sam Donald
to have a bounce back game. And I don't think
moving it to Glendale really Arizona really impacts either team
that much. I'm not really factoring that in, but it's
a thought in my mind. I like the Vikings in
that game minus three.

Speaker 5 (49:00):
That's fair. No, I think it's a total total toss
up Luke sixty seconds or less. Let's rapid fire Eagles
Bucks in the second round, Eagles Lions, Rams in the
second round Lions, and then in the AFC you've got
Chiefs Chargers in the second Chiefs by a lot. And
then the matchup of the year, Uh the end, the

(49:22):
real MVP in Baltimore goes to Buffalo to beat the
team he beat thirty five to ten earlier on in
the year, Ravens Bills.

Speaker 2 (49:29):
And the Reels win. Bills win thirty eight to thirty.

Speaker 8 (49:33):
Five, because because Alan, because the potential.

Speaker 5 (49:37):
Would be one of the best games. Baltimore is going
to be a game of the year for me next
week as long as we have a relatively.

Speaker 9 (49:46):
Relative but that that is a game where I wouldn't
carry their way. I would absolutely hammer down on the over,
but I would say I would say Bill's thirty eight.

Speaker 7 (49:59):
Ravens, that's like a Jokic and beat ever played in
the finals a couple of years ago. That's what this Ravens,
this Ravens Bills matchup is with Alan and Lamoar.

Speaker 5 (50:08):
It's like, uh, I'm trying to even think it's Lebron
d Rose a little bit in that in that era
when d Rose won the m v p uh. And
then you have Eagles Lions.

Speaker 9 (50:19):
Eagles in probably the best Eagles game I'll ever watch.

Speaker 8 (50:23):
I didn't like that hesitation.

Speaker 5 (50:25):
Yeah, I didn't like the hesitation either.

Speaker 2 (50:27):
That was that was not as much hesitation as you
thought there was.

Speaker 5 (50:32):
Chiefs Bills, Chiefs.

Speaker 2 (50:35):
I refuse.

Speaker 9 (50:36):
I refuse to bet against the Chiefs in an AFC
championship Chiefs.

Speaker 5 (50:40):
And then who wins the Super Bowl? Eagles, We've got
the same I've got a different year.

Speaker 9 (50:47):
I refuse, and and and you're gonna have people that
are gonna come out and say this is Lamar's year,
and and this is the Bills year. And I'm not
gonna be the guy that's going to tell you it's
a lock. But I'm gonna be the guy that tells
you there's Probabill be about a ninety percent chance at
whatever quarterback you like to beat Mahomes, he's probably not
going to beat him.

Speaker 5 (51:06):
My guarantee before we take a break and go to
the second hour, it is not Josh Allen's year. It's
not Josh Allen's you that defense gave up forty four
to the Rams.

Speaker 2 (51:18):
Does that mean?

Speaker 8 (51:19):
Wait, my Super Bowl? Mark?

Speaker 5 (51:22):
What's up?

Speaker 9 (51:23):
Does that mean as far as getting to the Super
getting or beating Lamark?

Speaker 5 (51:27):
Okay, getting there?

Speaker 9 (51:28):
Yeah?

Speaker 7 (51:28):
I don't think that's a good tease, because wait till
you hear my Super Bowl Mark.

Speaker 5 (51:33):
I know everyone's picking the Bills. The Bills are the
most popular. They might be favored over the Chiefs. Am
I wrong?

Speaker 2 (51:38):
And yeah?

Speaker 8 (51:40):
At home real quick?

Speaker 5 (51:42):
No, no, no, I'm saying the future market, so I know
the Lions are first. I thought the Bills and Chiefs
were like neck and neck.

Speaker 8 (51:50):
It's hard to believe because the chief says the easier.

Speaker 9 (51:52):
Packer Bowl is Lions plus two ninety five is the favorite.
The Chiefs are plus three fifty, Ravens plus five fifty,
Bills six fifty, and the Eagles are seven to one.
And the next scene is the Vikings at fifteen to one.

Speaker 5 (52:06):
What's what's the Eagles number? There?

Speaker 2 (52:08):
Eagles is seven one, which is so disrespectful.

Speaker 5 (52:11):
By the way, that probably means they're plus three fifty
plus four hundred to win the NFC if they beat
the Packers and that number is above plus two hundred,
I will be placing a nuke on the Eagles to
win the NFC going into the second round.

Speaker 2 (52:24):
That was for that was for the Super Bowl.

Speaker 5 (52:27):
No, I know, I was guessing. I cut it in half.

Speaker 9 (52:29):
Probably around three fifty to Eagles are plus three to
twenty right now to win the NFC.

Speaker 5 (52:34):
Yeah, I bet that probably goes to two hundred if
they win the game. Luke, you were too kind. Gave
us the whole hour. Awesome, awesome stuff, all things MLB.
Go and follow Luke. Hopefully we have some Phillies hot
stove news coming down the pike. Here.

Speaker 4 (52:48):
I'm getting bored, I hope.

Speaker 2 (52:49):
So I'm getting real bored the last few weeks.

Speaker 5 (52:51):
You and Paul George. Not sure if you saw that.
Paul George is bored. Paul George and lucarkany basketball again,
that's you do it for the first hour. Second hour,
we got we got our guy Beef coming in to
talk all things NFL talk, all things Ohio State, Texas,
and all things college football champion back after this on
Fox Sports, A game.

Speaker 1 (53:13):
Spreads totals and all the prop that's his a Queens.
It's the Gambler. If you can wager on it, we're
talking about it. It's the Gambler.

Speaker 3 (53:22):
Fox Sports Radio The Gambler. Fox Sports Radio in Philly
is the Gambler. The Gambler, Philly's home for all things sports.

Speaker 1 (53:35):
Gambler.

Speaker 5 (53:46):
Welcome back to the Tough Cover Radio Show right here
on Fox Sports. The Gambler streaming on iHeartRadio as well
as Twitter and YouTube. And we've got maybe our most
frequent guest here on the Tough Cover Radio Show. We've
got my Beef, Ryan Coyle or at Ryan Coyle thirty
five on Twitter is where you can follow him and
check out all this stuff, including his stuff at Beef

(54:09):
up Front. Beef, how are you doing, fellas.

Speaker 10 (54:11):
It's been a real fun start to this weekend Thursday Friday.

Speaker 4 (54:15):
I think the game's delivered.

Speaker 10 (54:17):
And you know, hopefully these next three days deliver as well.

Speaker 4 (54:20):
Looking forward to another great day of football.

Speaker 7 (54:22):
Head I got beef with beef real quick for taking
taking against betting against my turps last night.

Speaker 8 (54:28):
He was all over U c l.

Speaker 2 (54:29):
A, Oh yeah what happened?

Speaker 7 (54:32):
Maryland won and covered easily because mccrona got thrown out.

Speaker 10 (54:36):
Whoa it was a system play. It was a bounce back,
and it failed miserably.

Speaker 7 (54:42):
Maybe call your kid's delusional isn't the best idea. In
twenty twenty five, the mick u c l A.

Speaker 5 (54:48):
Run seems to be It seems to be souring a
bit right. They had a rough year last year once
all the guys left. But yeah, wow, that's surprising to see.
Marilynd Willard's got him going, right. Are they on the
they're on the bubble.

Speaker 7 (54:59):
Yeah, the I mean they had a tough West Coast
road tip against Washington Oregon, two losses, but UCLA was
the first ranked win so twenty on Ken Palm, we'll
see they should be in the tournament.

Speaker 5 (55:07):
Funny, that's pretty high.

Speaker 2 (55:09):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (55:10):
That kind of just dipping my toe in a little bit.
So I'm here and there looking at Ken Pom, kind
of seeing where I can pick my spots. I have
a couple today. I'll just fire off and I'll ask
just a college basketball question to beef. To start off,
I've got the over in San Francisco Santa Clara. Last
time they played this year, it was like ninety six
to eighty something, and you look at them, they're both

(55:31):
like way over teams. It's one fifty one and a half,
so it's pretty high. They're both pretty fast paced teams,
so I like that over one of the teams had
like a twenty point score. The other team had like
four guys in double figures, so a little bit different
paths to scoring. I love Bama. I'm on Bama minus
three at A and M. I think that's like a
Final four team as sears. And I think Grant Nelson's

(55:52):
just a winner every time I watch them. He makes
big plays in big games. So I really like Bama
minus at three and I like, yeah, and plus five
and a half. I'm seeing six now, so you could
probably get a better number than I got. So Indiana
plus five and a half at Iowa. I think Indiana
is really good. They seem to put it together a
bit here late. They pummeled USC beat Penn State in

(56:14):
the Palestra as a seven and a half point Doug
handled Rutgers pretty easily at home, so I think Indiana's
kind of turning the corner. Anything catching your eye today, Beef.

Speaker 10 (56:25):
Fading mcclay's cyclones, Texas Tech minus two and a half
at home, or excuse me, I was stay opened up
as a one point favorite. That one got all the
way up to three today. I'm in favor of Texas Tech.

Speaker 4 (56:37):
So just one of those conference games, number three team
on the road.

Speaker 10 (56:42):
It's just kind of one of those college basketball spots
that we seem to see time and time again early,
similar to like Villanova the other night against Yukon.

Speaker 7 (56:50):
Sam anything for you today, Yeah, a couple first of
them on that Texas Tech play too. You guys, you
and mcla inspired me to go to go look at
that and it's, like you said, it's kind of one
of those Nova games where line tells you what to
play place in Iowa States.

Speaker 8 (57:03):
Iowa State's really good.

Speaker 7 (57:04):
But Texas Tech kind of feels like at home, I'm
going to.

Speaker 8 (57:06):
Get that win. I'm on Arkansas plus five against Florida.

Speaker 7 (57:09):
I'm just taking SEC home dogs, like the SEC is
so deep. And Florida compete against Kentucky a week from
two a week ago that was on the road too.
They hung up one hundred on Kentucky on the road,
and I love this Florida team. And then Florida beat
the number one team in the country in Tennessee. But
Arkansas either owing to in the SEC. Yeah, but Arkansas's

(57:30):
owned to an SEC. It's a really desperate spot for them.
They're at home, and then last one Villanova plus six
and a half Villa Tho, who's playing really good basketball.

Speaker 8 (57:36):
They're at Saint John's.

Speaker 7 (57:38):
I believe it's at MSG actually, but it's against Saint John's.
And I love, I love Villanova in the spot they're playing.
They're playing top twenty basketball in the nation. Eric Dixon's
leading the score, leading the nation in scoring, and Woga
Poplar has been awesome too.

Speaker 5 (57:51):
Love Woga Poplar. If I had to ask you guys
one thing for the casual college basketball fan that they're
not and obviously everyone knows Cooper Flas, Johnny Broome, Duke
Auburn top two probably I would say I think those
are the top two. But outside of those teams and
those top top guys, what's something that the casual college
football or college basketball fan needs to know about this

(58:14):
upcoming next couple months.

Speaker 10 (58:17):
I see the SEC's depth, like there's a legit chance
you get like ten to eleven twelve teams from the
SEC to go to the tournament. Every single night in
that conference is going to be a war like LSU
South Carolina Vandy, those are probably like your bottom feeders,
Miszoo maybe in that mix, but like none of those
games are going to be easy this year. That that

(58:37):
conference is deep from top to bottom, anybody can win
on any given nights. So it's been pretty crazy how
SEC obviously has been the football power forever, but it
looks like they're becoming the best basketball.

Speaker 4 (58:49):
Conference as well.

Speaker 8 (58:50):
I was going to say the exact same thing.

Speaker 7 (58:52):
The SEC is the deepest conference we might ever see
in this sport. They should have twelve teams. I believe
on most bracketologies they have twelve teams in the right now.
The record for most teams ever to make the NCAA
Tournament from a single conference is eleven from the Big
East back in twenty eleven. I think the SEC is
legitimately going to break that this year. And I'm right
there with Beef that this is the deepest team. I

(59:14):
just I'm taking home dogs whenever I can. I'm really
just home teams because it's so hard to win on
the road in college basketball, but especially the SEC.

Speaker 4 (59:21):
Am.

Speaker 5 (59:21):
I I can't believe this turned into a college basketball weekend.
But am I crazy for looking at I already mentioned
Bama sixteen to one. I think is a pretty good
price on Bama to win the title. I like that.
I think I'm probably gonna lock that in today and
another one. I'm definitely gonna lock in to day Illinoy
at thirty to one. I think, what's the guy's name?
Is it Casparists or what's the last Dracocis or something

(59:45):
like that. Yeah, that guy's a beast. Tell me why
that guy's not Luka donc I mean I watched you
watched the highlights for that guy, and it's unbelievable. He
looks like one of the best players in the country.
I feel like no one's talking about him. And every
time I watch Illinois they just blow the doors off
somewhe Yeah, it feels like so I think Illinois thirty
to one is worth a sniff, and then one last
one because I just I feel like you have to

(01:00:06):
bring it up. I know they just lost to Nova
is Yukon twenty five to one at a point where
it's getting disrespectful to early or is this team just
they don't have it. They don't have it.

Speaker 10 (01:00:17):
I don't see it this year, But like, at the
same time, you get them into a tournament. He's shown
the ability to roll through that tournament twice now, but
I just don't see it with them this year. They're
also dealing with some injuries right now, Caravan missing those
free Thursday the other night.

Speaker 4 (01:00:31):
He hasn't had a great season.

Speaker 10 (01:00:32):
At all either, So this isn't This is kind of
reminds me of Georgia and football. It's like, it's not you,
You're Georgia of the old, like it's a watered down
kind of version.

Speaker 4 (01:00:42):
I think the same thing with Yukon. But it's just
so no one's ever done it three in a row,
and that's that I go.

Speaker 7 (01:00:48):
I go kind of back to that three in a
row is impossible, and I just I can't see it.
I can't see it happening, especially because this is the
worst team of those three that Yukon's had, And so
I don't really want to go.

Speaker 8 (01:00:59):
I know you want to get back in the wild card.

Speaker 7 (01:01:00):
We can stuff, but I will just tell you I
have a futures on Illinois and Michigan, not to win
the whole thing, but to win the Big Ten. And
I think those are two best teams in the Big
They've been incredible.

Speaker 5 (01:01:10):
Dusty May yeah, yeah, the guys a stud Let's get
over to wild card weekend. I know, I let the
college basketball sickos lose off the off leish for a
little bit. Let's let's you got to get beef bracket here,
So we're gonna go rapid fire with beef. If you
got spread plays, drop them in as we go. But
let's just go out right through the whole bracket here

(01:01:32):
in the NFL playoffs. And we're gonna start off with
your boy who I'm laying I'm laying a lot of
units on today, justin Herbert Chargers at Texans. I imagine
you're going with your guy here.

Speaker 4 (01:01:44):
Yeah, I am.

Speaker 10 (01:01:44):
And I just want to like dispel like one thing,
it's like everyone was writing off the Chargers at the
end of the year, like understandably so, and now that
they made the playoffs and people are like, oh, it's fine,
Like that's a.

Speaker 4 (01:01:57):
Great season, that's a successful season.

Speaker 10 (01:01:58):
Like I hate that narrative, like you went eleven and six,
your favorite you should win this game. If you don't
win this game, that's a failure. And obviously it was
great for them to make the playoffs. And what I
think is definitely a bottom half of the league talent
roster wise. But you should win this game. You should
win this spot, and if you lose as a favorite
in this one, that is an indictment on Herbert for sure.

(01:02:21):
I think they really open up the passing game though
the past few weeks. I think it's four five straight
games he's thrown at least two touchdowns. Quick Johnson has
came to life. Lad has been awesome all year. But
I like the Chargers in the spot to move on.
I'm not gonna lay the points just because at the
end of the day, I just want them to win
and move home.

Speaker 5 (01:02:38):
I got it at two and a half. Three, I
would still lay it, but I would not be as comfortable.
I would probably even pay a little bit to get
to that half point. In the playoffs, I think I'm
a little more willing to buy that half point from three.
But and then for the next game at night, I
know you're taking the points with the Steelers. Do you
think they're a live dog in the game.

Speaker 10 (01:02:58):
I don't think they're gonna win. I just I think
it's it's just history. It's just I've seen this before.
I think I saw it too. Tomlin against Divisional opponents
in the playoff is ten and two and nobody, nobody
knows they're each other each other's teams as good as
these two. And I said it will be the year
three thousand and raven Steelers will be twenty to seventeen.

(01:03:18):
There's gonna need to be a couple of funky things
like a block, pont a strip sack, something like that
to really turn the tide, because that Steelers offense over
since that Eagles game pretty much has been abysmal. I
think it just finds a way to be close, though,
but it's never really in doubt that the Ravens are
over in that one.

Speaker 5 (01:03:35):
And then we got Denver at Buffalo kicking off Sunday.
Where are you at on that one in terms of
spread play?

Speaker 10 (01:03:42):
Like I like that the Bills to win that one comfortably,
I'd say like thirty one seventeen somewhere in that ballpark.
Bronco's kind of in the same ship as the Chargers,
where not many people were expecting this from them, And
I think for the Broncos at least it's more of
a successful season even if they wind up losing this
game because they're a big dog in this spot.

Speaker 4 (01:04:02):
But I like the Bills when comfortably. I think it's
just a talent mismatch.

Speaker 10 (01:04:05):
But tem Payton has proven to have some success against
the Bills in the past with Josh Allen, so it
wouldn't surprise me if it's closed. But I think at
the end of the day, it's going to be like
a two touchdown victory Packers Eagles.

Speaker 5 (01:04:18):
Are you kind of with me where you're picking the
Eagles and you're nervous you think it's gonna be a
close game. Are you with kind of the rest of
the Gambler crew that you think they're going to win
this one handily.

Speaker 10 (01:04:28):
I think at the end it'll be comfortable, but I
think the first half is going to be a sweat though.
The one thing that is making me nervous about this
game it's I think a few points to one Achilles
heel for this Eagles team throughout the year once they
got passed like the Jalen turnover, it's been the slow
starts in the first quarter.

Speaker 4 (01:04:44):
You look at that Packers Cowboys game last year.

Speaker 10 (01:04:46):
That game was twenty one to nothing in a blink
of an eye, Like, you don't want to get behind
on this team early, so that worries me a little bit.

Speaker 4 (01:04:53):
The Packers, I think are kind of coming in here
playing with house money.

Speaker 10 (01:04:56):
But I think at the end of the day, the
Eagles do what they do and dominate throughout the second half.

Speaker 4 (01:05:00):
I'm gonna go to twenty seven to seventeen. I'm not
gonna bet the spread.

Speaker 10 (01:05:03):
I have the I had them with Ohio State at
plus one oh five on the money line always.

Speaker 5 (01:05:08):
I always loved doing those. I probably it would have
been nice. I was looking at something to do with
like Baltimore Buffalo, I couldn't find the third thing to
kind of throw with it. Ohio State probably would have
been what it would have been a good call there.
I'll say this, and I know Sam's probably laying the
points over there. That's Sika. I think you need help
if you're laying the points with the Eagles and you're
an Eagles fan this weekend, just just to enjoy the game.

Speaker 7 (01:05:30):
Try I'm laying the points in every single playoff game, Mark,
I don't care.

Speaker 8 (01:05:34):
I don't care what the points in every Eagles playoff game.

Speaker 5 (01:05:38):
I don't want to be thinking about the margins, but
just I really don't need.

Speaker 7 (01:05:42):
When you outline it, I really don't need a financial
investment when I have such an emotional investment in attached.

Speaker 8 (01:05:48):
So you're really right, like it's stupid, but I'm doing it.

Speaker 5 (01:05:51):
I did a Notre Dame Georgia. I didn't bet on it.
I was like, I'm just I'm not confident. I'm just
gonna with Penn State. I was so confident that I
ended up betting the six unit, which it's so funny.
The game I wasn't confident and they won handily. The
game that I was confident in was an absolute sweat
of all sweats. But let's get to the two games
that I think are gonna be sweats here, because I

(01:06:12):
have no idea which way to go on either of them.
Maybe Beef can sway me Commy's Bucks. This is especially
the one. The other one, I think I know where
I'm headed. But this is the one. You could lay
out every outcome in this game, I'll buy it. I
understand if the Commis win comfortably and Tampa is a
fraud all along. Maybe it's a close game. Commies win
close game, Baker wins. Maybe the Bucks blow them out

(01:06:34):
and we make fun of Washington for having one win
since in the playoffs, since nine to eleven. But what
how does this play out for you? Washington Tampa Tampa
a three point favorite.

Speaker 10 (01:06:45):
I think the talk around this game is shootout. Obviously
a high score and a fair A lot of people
like the over. If you believe in the over for
this one, here's my stat Washington this year seven to
zero when they score thirty or more, Tampa Bay zero
to four when they allow thirty or more. So I
think if you like a shootout, it kind of favors
the Commanders in that spot.

Speaker 4 (01:07:04):
So I like them plus a three. I think they're
going to win the football game and move on as well.
Other than the Eagles game, this is the one I'm
kind of looking forward to the most. We'll see what
condition we're in to remember this game.

Speaker 10 (01:07:16):
Probably have a few beverages during the Eagles tomorrow, but
looking forward to that.

Speaker 8 (01:07:20):
Eagles lose, I'm not watching it. I'll tell you that
I'm not watching this. If the Eagles lose, yeah, early night, don.

Speaker 5 (01:07:26):
I will say I've got eight bets on wild Card weekend.
I've already given out. I've given out the Chargers, given
out Josh Allen obviously, Jalen Hurts. I don't even know
if I mentioned that, But that's a given. Four of
them come in this game. Four of my eight bets
are in this game. Give me Mike Evans touchdown six
of the last ten he scored. That's only a one
unit play. But why not Jaydeen Daniels over forty five?

(01:07:48):
I think it's actually I think I got it at
forty six and a half. I think that's up to
like forty eight and a half, forty nine and a half.
I would still take it wherever it's at. If it's
under fifty, I think Jayden and Daniels fifty plus rushing yards.
I think he's done that in ten or eleven of
the games he's played this year, And if you look
at the games he's didn't that middle stretch of the
year where he had the rib injuries and against US,
like the first time he played US, he only had

(01:08:09):
thirty rushing yards, didn't really look to run. I think
now is the time, even if they were saving him
a bit and not running them, you run them now.
Now that you got to this moment, this is where
you kind of unleash him. I'm going with the over.
Not a confident play, but I do think you look
at both Both defenses have really struggled as of late
that you look at the just the total staff for

(01:08:30):
the last six of cash. In terms of the over
for Washington, the last four games have all cashed for
Tampa to the over. Not I don't love the play
since it's you know, up there at fifty, but I
am sprinkling on that. My favorite play on the game.
Jalen McMillan had stand up Jalen McMillan touchdown. I got
it at plus one eighty five. I don't know where
it's at now, but five straight games he scored a
touchdown seven total in that stretch. Love Jalen McMillan to

(01:08:53):
score a touchdown in that game. But so you're going
with the Commies. I lean that way too. It's what
I'm picking for our little bracket thing we're doing on
the show here. But it's the game. It scares me
more than any other. I have no idea which way
this one goes the next one, just as much of
a flip of a coin. I'm talking myself into the
Rams all week, a little by little. So I'm going

(01:09:14):
with the Rams, not confidently, but Rams vikings in Arizona,
where you going.

Speaker 10 (01:09:18):
Yeah, it's funny because when you think of the Rams
and McVeigh usually think of offense. Before last week when
they sat everyone against the Seahawks. The Rams held their
last three opponents to under ten points. Like the defense
has been falling out, and but when you look at
the Vikings last week, it wasn't a good performance by Donald.
I've always been a Sam Donald skeptic. But they had
the looks. They had the looks, they just didn't execute.

(01:09:40):
And you got to think that they hit a couple
of these layups this time Stafford, and that offense hasn't
been playing that well recently. This game is probably the
one I'm most confused on. Don't have a real confidence,
But I'm gonna go with the Vikings. They just throughout
the year, they've had a track record of winning and
I'm going to battle them in a kind of a
bounce back spot.

Speaker 3 (01:10:00):
Here.

Speaker 5 (01:10:00):
The one thing I'll say about the Vikings in that game,
and this goes against me picking the Rams. People are
loving to kind of crap on the Vikings. They were
in the red zone like seven times. Yeah, they have
all the lungs, they moved the ball, they ran for
six point three yards per carry, you know, justin Jefferson
just didn't probably get enough looks. But a couple bad throws,
a drop or two here and there, they moved the

(01:10:23):
ball like. It's not like they got dominated on the
kind of stat sheet there. I think a lot of
people are just not converting anything at all there. So
I think it's fair to kind of look at that
game and maybe say people are overreacting to it. So
that would line you up for if we're running by
the second round, Chiefs Chargers, which I think we all
have in the second round, where would you Where do

(01:10:43):
you go there?

Speaker 4 (01:10:44):
Yeah, I'll go with the Chiefs obviously at home there.

Speaker 10 (01:10:47):
I do think the way that the Chargers have been
playing though, that could be a ball game, But I
do I probably say Chiefs, what five and a half?

Speaker 4 (01:10:55):
Six and a half in that spot?

Speaker 10 (01:10:57):
Yeah, I mean, I'm not playing against Mahomes at home
in the playoffs.

Speaker 5 (01:11:01):
I agree with that. Ravens Bills, which will be the
game of the year.

Speaker 4 (01:11:04):
Yeah, that'll be an awesome one.

Speaker 10 (01:11:06):
I'm gonna go with the Bills just because the home
field advantage there.

Speaker 4 (01:11:11):
The Bills are kind of in that.

Speaker 10 (01:11:13):
What I was saying about the Chargers at the beginning,
like the Bills weren't expected to do much this year,
but like, all right, screw that, we're here, Like that
was kind of a roster flip that they had to
go into this like next era.

Speaker 4 (01:11:24):
They dumped a bunch of contracts and whatnot. But you're
here now, like no excuses.

Speaker 10 (01:11:29):
Josh Allen deserves as much kind of criticism as Lamar
does in terms of the playoffs and not being able
to get past my homes.

Speaker 4 (01:11:35):
But I'm gonna go with the home team in the
spot with the Bills.

Speaker 5 (01:11:38):
Yeah, I'm alone. I'm on an island there on Baltimore Island.
And then in the NFC, you've got that would line
up Washington to go to Detroit.

Speaker 4 (01:11:48):
Yeah, I'm gonna go with the Lions there at home.

Speaker 10 (01:11:51):
Just feels like we're we're on a collision courts for
Philadelphia Detroit, and.

Speaker 5 (01:11:55):
Then yeah, goes over Vikings. Obviously the Chiefs Bills. You
already kind of gave it away not picking against the
Chiefs in the AFC playoffs.

Speaker 3 (01:12:03):
Nah.

Speaker 10 (01:12:03):
Yeah, I'm going with the Chiefs there until proven otherwise.
It's kind of back to the Patriots and Brady. Why
pick against him at.

Speaker 5 (01:12:11):
This rate and is it a rematch.

Speaker 10 (01:12:13):
I do have a rematch. I think top to bottom,
the Eagles are the best team. And it's probably South biased,
obviously coming from Philadelphia, but I think when healthy, you
said it earlier this week, eleven and zero, when those guys,
when those three all play, I think they're the most
and physical team in the league, and that would be
an awesome game. That game at four field. Probably a

(01:12:34):
few heart attacks in that one. But I do have
the Eagles coming to the Super Bowl.

Speaker 5 (01:12:38):
Yeah. I don't think enough it's being paid to that.
I feel like I tweeted out every day or every
other day, and no one really cares about it. But
the fact that they're eleven and zero when Jalen, Lane
and aj all finished the game, and they averaged twenty
nine points per game in those games in an eleven
game stretch, I feel like when the I remember when
McCaffrey played for the Niners and it was like, oh,

(01:12:59):
they're ten years Haffrey. That was a big thing. But
no one wants to do this. You look at the
Eagles are twelve year Lane.

Speaker 4 (01:13:07):
No, yeah did he missed?

Speaker 5 (01:13:09):
Yeah he missed the uh the Saints game or not?
The same the game before the Saints games, he missed
the Yeah, I think he went out in the New
Orleans game or no, I'm getting my my NFC South
teams mixed up. He went out against Atlanta and then
didn't play the the Bucks game and then came back
from New World.

Speaker 8 (01:13:28):
Is there any concern about AJ's health, Yeah, engineered.

Speaker 5 (01:13:32):
Out of nowhere. I'm not a doctor, so I don't know.
But if he's not healthy and not you know, a J. Brown,
then yeah, there's a concern for me.

Speaker 7 (01:13:42):
Yeah, I'm not I'm with I'm with you where it's like,
with a J. Brown in the lineup, this is the
best team of football. It's not even close. And it's
funny because they don't even like rely on him that
much as much as they had in previous years, but
he just the threat of him is what makes them
so elite and the completely changes the entire all and
some dynamic. So I'm with you that if AJ is out,

(01:14:03):
like I'm I'd start getting concerned about maybe even the Packers.
He's not gonna be out, but even as we go through,
if something happens to him, God forbid, against the Lions,
that I would be a little concerned.

Speaker 8 (01:14:12):
Because he is.

Speaker 7 (01:14:13):
We talk about m vps of this team, Jalen obviously one,
let's not confuse it. Saquon offensive line like AJ is
right there. As with these m vps of this.

Speaker 5 (01:14:20):
Team, AJ is more valuable to the team than There's
a reason he makes triple the amount that that's.

Speaker 7 (01:14:30):
Because wide receivers are typically are typically more valuable just
because the running back market.

Speaker 5 (01:14:36):
But it is the best running back in football. He's
probably the fourth most valuable player on the offense.

Speaker 7 (01:14:43):
I'd put Lane above him, and then i'd put I
think I put Saquon above AJ. I know what the
records are, but like I get, I'm with you. Where
the offensive line is is is the best offensive line
in football, and that's what makes Saquon go. But he's
also the best running back in football. And like he
gets he's I get, no, he's getting four like four
yards per carreb before he's even touched, some ridiculous number
like that. But he's also making so many plays once

(01:15:05):
he is touching, and he gets that extra three four
yards that puts you in these third, third and shorts,
fourth and shorts, Like I know.

Speaker 5 (01:15:11):
How good is when when AJ wasn't out there. Say
that again, how the offense looked with when AJ wasn't
out there.

Speaker 8 (01:15:19):
I'll say it was a different offense because I was
pre Buy.

Speaker 5 (01:15:22):
It was terrible.

Speaker 2 (01:15:22):
It was bad.

Speaker 8 (01:15:23):
It was also pre By. They weren't running the ball
as much in those two games pre By.

Speaker 5 (01:15:28):
I think it's obvious to me that Saquon's like far
and away for it, and then Jalen. It's not about
Jalen being like the best quarterback ever, just innate nature
of the course.

Speaker 8 (01:15:37):
Yeah, he's the most valuable that that conversations Dune.

Speaker 5 (01:15:39):
Yeah, that's just how it works. But yeah, I mean
I think you can make a case Lane and Aj
are just as valuable as Jalen. But I would say
Jalen's the most valuable guy on the team. For me,
it's those three guys. You take any of those three
guys away, I think green Bay beats us. Same with
Ion was out for the game, I'd probably lean green
Bay as well. It's if you take Aj away, I
think it's absolutely one hundred thousand percent of concern. So yeah,

(01:16:04):
I definitely think it's I agree I have Chiefs Eagles
as well. I am very worried about what the outcome
of that game would be just just to be quite
honest with you, But that's gonna do it for our
for our segment with Beef, we picked our brackets. Here,
I got a little college basketball.

Speaker 4 (01:16:22):
You never had to pick much champion.

Speaker 5 (01:16:24):
Oh wow, I thought you did. I thay you picked
the Eagles. Cheez Eagles. What's the super We were actually
gonna get a quick banger there.

Speaker 4 (01:16:30):
Yeah, I want to thank you. Iris.

Speaker 10 (01:16:33):
The other night, I hit them live a couple of
times and I rolled that money over to plus seven
hundred for the Eagles to win the Super Bowl. So
how pretty large, pretty large wager for that. Probably shouldn't
have bet on them for this weekend because I'm already
invested with that ticket, but uh yeah, plus seven hundred
I think is disrespectful. Knock on board that everyone stays
healthy and we don't have any These injuries aren't lingering.

(01:16:55):
But to have all twenty two guys ready and available
for tomorrow, it is obviously huge. Excited to get it
going and hopefully a very fun month ahead.

Speaker 5 (01:17:04):
Love it, Love it, Beef. Who's the pick? Who's winning
the Super Bowl? Eagles plus seven locket out.

Speaker 7 (01:17:11):
Put your money right your mouth does anyone with the
station not going to pick the Eagles?

Speaker 5 (01:17:15):
What's up?

Speaker 7 (01:17:15):
Is anyone at the station not going to pick the Eagles?
Mark Mike, Okay, that's a tease.

Speaker 5 (01:17:20):
I think they're going to do it again. I hate
myself for it, but I do think that's what's gonna happen.
I think we're gonna lose. Like, what's what was the score?
Thirty eight thirty five? Yep, run it back thirty eight
thirty five.

Speaker 8 (01:17:30):
You imagine that would be a hard break.

Speaker 5 (01:17:33):
I can. I can. That's the sad part. But Beef,
I'm sure we're gonna have you on plenty during this
Eagles playoff run. Hopefully, hopefully this Eagles playoff run. Let's
hope there is an Eagles playoff run. I'm scared. You know,
if you're scared, get a dog. My dog's not here
right now, but I do have a dog. Beef, thanks
so much for coming on, man, Thanks for believing in

(01:17:53):
Notre Dame the whole year, so since the NIU game.
Beef people thought they were going to make the playoffs
when I thought they were going to go six and
six this year. So Beef believed all year long.

Speaker 4 (01:18:04):
All right, boys, I'll talk to you go birds.

Speaker 5 (01:18:06):
Follow him at Ryan Coyle thirty five. Check out everything
he's doing at Beef up Front. That's gonna do it
for the first half of the second hour. Here, we're
gonna come back and Sam is gonna run through his bracket.
I think I've pretty much given my fix, but I'll
run through mine for for a final time as well
and do a rundown of the picks for the whole
weekend back after this on Fox Sports. The game spreads.

Speaker 1 (01:18:29):
Totals and all the prop that's his a tweens. It's
the gamblers.

Speaker 5 (01:19:07):
Let's go probably like what but it's Eagles time, it's
postseason time. If they don't know what, they better get
knowing it, because they better be hearing a lot of
those chants coming from this apartment where I probably be
watching most of those games. So obviously, big big playoff game,
big playoff weekend here in Eagles Country.

Speaker 8 (01:19:31):
Mark before we get into the playoffs. I gotta ask.

Speaker 7 (01:19:33):
I just saw I was just scrolling Twitter and I
just saw your tweet. Someone said happy New Year's Tea
on January eleventh. Today, that's jail worthy started.

Speaker 5 (01:19:42):
I went to the gas station, ran into maybe grab
some products and only eighteen year olds by Happy New Year,
and I'm.

Speaker 8 (01:19:51):
Like, happy New Year, stop me in.

Speaker 5 (01:19:55):
My tracks, Like I didn't even I just looked.

Speaker 8 (01:19:58):
At you do the David like, eh, it's a little late.

Speaker 9 (01:20:02):
I just.

Speaker 5 (01:20:04):
Didn't one of those. Yeah, the curve music was definitely
playing in my head. I think Larry says this January
seventh is the last day, and honestly.

Speaker 8 (01:20:12):
That seems I'd say, like January fourth.

Speaker 5 (01:20:15):
Yeah, I agree. I agree. It's like a three to
four day thing.

Speaker 4 (01:20:18):
It's a joke.

Speaker 5 (01:20:19):
But we got let's run down my picks real fast.
I just tweeted out my picks for the day, which
I gave out earlier. I have the Charges Mix two
and a half my biggest pick of the day. I've
got a couple of basketball plays over one fifty one
and a half. San Francisco Santa Clara at seven o'clock,
Indiana plus five and a half at Iowa at eight o'clock,
and Alabama minus three at Texas A and M for

(01:20:42):
one unit at eight o'clock as well. For the weekend. Obviously,
Chargers just a couple of stats on that Herbert seven
and one against the spread as a road favorite usually
kind of takes care of business when he's supposed to
on the road. CJ. Strata has started four games versus defense,
allowing under eighteen points per game, LA best point defense
in the NFL, and Houston has averaged just fourteen points

(01:21:04):
per game in those four matchups, going oh to four
in those four games. Both the Texansan Chargers playing on
short rest here going from Sunday to Saturday under Demico
Ryans Texans have played five games on short rest. They
are zero to five straight up in that spot this season,
one in four against the spread. That's the most straight
up losses without a win for a head coach this

(01:21:25):
year on short rest. And on the other side, the
Chargers and Justin Herbert, or the Chargers and Jim Harball
and Justin Herbert, I guess you could say as well
are three and oh straight up and against the spread
this year on short rest. So just a little rest
stats there for the LA Chargers like them to get
the job done today at four thirty at one o'clock
on Sunday, skipping the Ravens Steelers game from a betting standpoint,

(01:21:47):
Josh Allen touchdown six to last seven seven of the
last eleven, fifteen, last year, twelve, this year. That's a
two unit play there for me at minus one twenty
four to twenty five. Jalen Hurts touchdown, that's a six
to seven unit banger for me, minus one oh five
ten to fifteen games this series. Scored eleven games last year,
twelve and twenty twenty two. Three out of the last
four playoff games he's scored, and he has five total

(01:22:09):
rush touchdowns in those four playoff games. So give me,
Give me all the Jail and Hurts touch and rushing
touchdown props that you can give me. Sunday Night Football
got four of them. Mike Evans touchdown. I think it's
plus one oh five six to the last ten he scored.
Jellen McMillan touchdown plus one eighty five five straight games.
He's scored Jaydon Daniels over forty seven and a half
rush yards. I would go any number up to fifty

(01:22:32):
there over fifty in Commander's bucks. Those are the four
plays for Sunday Night Football, then Monday Night Football. I
deleted the Viking or the Rams off my card. I
am not gonna bet a side, but I've got the
over here for just a one unit small play on
the over at forty seven. I know the Rams defenses
looked good to close the year, and I know the

(01:22:52):
Vikings offense didn't look great in that Lions game in
the red zone. But I think that there's probably some
positive regression coming for the Vikings offense. To look at
the four previous games to that forty two, thirty, twenty
seven to twenty seven, I think you probably see them
in the mid to mid to high twenties. And I
do think the Rams keep it close, if not win
the game. I think their offensive struggles probably a little

(01:23:12):
overstated as well, probably just kind of playing ball control
football a little bit there. So give me, give me
a high scoring game, give me an over on Monday
and football. Well, let's get back to the bracket here
for SAMs. Tam gave us his first round picks. He
has the Texans or did you go Texans or Chargers
in that spot?

Speaker 8 (01:23:28):
Chargers Chargers, Chargers.

Speaker 5 (01:23:30):
So you got the Chargers over the Texans, the Ravens
over the Steelers, Bills over Broncos, Eagles over Packers, the
Bucks over the Commanders, and the Vikings over the Rams.
So let's match up what that will look like in
the second round. You got Chiefs Chargers in the second round.
How are we feeling about that?

Speaker 8 (01:23:45):
Yeah, give me the Chiefs easy.

Speaker 7 (01:23:47):
I think it'll be more competitive if that number is
gets up to like a touchdown. I think I would
take the Charges with the points. But I think the
Chiefs win the game, and.

Speaker 5 (01:23:54):
Then the other AFC matchup would be Ravens Bills. I
had an idea where.

Speaker 7 (01:23:58):
You're going there, give me the Bills, man, give me
the Bills. I'm all in on the Bills this year.
And I thought this before, and of course I've been heartbroken.
Josh Allen's playing the best football of his career.

Speaker 8 (01:24:07):
He just is.

Speaker 7 (01:24:07):
And Josh Allen playoff thing isn't a concern to me
at all. It's just not like he's performed against Yeah,
it's not right.

Speaker 5 (01:24:16):
It's not well. The way we disagree is the Lamar thing.

Speaker 8 (01:24:19):
Well, we can get to that.

Speaker 7 (01:24:21):
But I'm just saying, like Josh Allen has performed against
the Chiefs, it's never really been his fault while they lose.

Speaker 8 (01:24:26):
It's just Mahomes has been a little bit better.

Speaker 7 (01:24:27):
I just I think Josh Allen and I trust James Cook,
like you can rely on on that running game. It's
not like it's just Josh Allen does have a ton
of weapons on the outside, but you can rely on
James Cook and that running game. I think this is
the year the Bills get it done. Bill's defense isn't good.
I mean it's probably average or top like twelve scoring defense,
So they're not horrible. It's probably more around average in

(01:24:49):
terms of the of the yard yards per game they
give up. I still think that they can put together.
I thinky can put together enough stops, timely stops against
the Ravens where Josh Allen will take care of business.
He's the best quarterback in that game, and the Bills
are gonna win. I think it's Josh Allen's fifth best year,
the fifth best year.

Speaker 5 (01:25:10):
He's had more passing yards the last four years. He's
had a higher completion percentage the last four years.

Speaker 7 (01:25:17):
Statistically. Yes, here's why I say here's why. I'll say
it's his best year. He's done more with less this year.

Speaker 2 (01:25:23):
I and the two Seeds.

Speaker 5 (01:25:27):
I think the narrative that the Bills have some bad.

Speaker 8 (01:25:30):
Roster is no one's saying bad.

Speaker 7 (01:25:34):
It's it's not good, though Josh Allen elevates that roster
more than almost any other quarterback does there is other
than Mahomes.

Speaker 5 (01:25:41):
I don't think that there's any difference between the Baltimore
and Buffalo rosters at all.

Speaker 8 (01:25:45):
Besides have the best rushing attack in the entire NFL.

Speaker 5 (01:25:49):
James Cook had like fifteen hundred yards.

Speaker 8 (01:25:51):
This year, like a thousand. He had like a thousand
yards this season.

Speaker 5 (01:25:53):
Really, yes, because I know that Buffalo finished top five
in rushing efficiency.

Speaker 8 (01:25:57):
Let's look at let's look at James Cook's stats.

Speaker 5 (01:25:59):
I don't have that wasn't that wasn't a stack quoting.
I don't know where he's at. He had a great year.
He was a top ten Fantasy.

Speaker 7 (01:26:05):
He had a thousand yards rushing, one thousand and nine
a thousand and nine yards.

Speaker 8 (01:26:10):
He was good this year.

Speaker 7 (01:26:11):
Okay, but you're gonna compare rush, but you're gonna compare
the Ravens rushing attack, which a lot is lamar.

Speaker 8 (01:26:17):
I'll give you that.

Speaker 7 (01:26:17):
But Derrick Henry is much better player than James Cook,
and they've better off Bills.

Speaker 5 (01:26:23):
The Bills spend a whole lot more on the offensive
line than the Ravens do.

Speaker 7 (01:26:26):
The Bill does that, always does that always lead to
the who's the better offensive line, who's the better rushing tech?

Speaker 5 (01:26:33):
They both graded out in the top five.

Speaker 8 (01:26:35):
Yeah, they're both lines.

Speaker 7 (01:26:37):
But I just think that the Ravens rushing attack is
so much you can rely on that so much more
than the Bills can. And that's and that helps Lamore.
I just I think it's a better rush attack. And
that's like how many you said the rosters better? The
Ravens had nine Pro Bowlers, Bills have two.

Speaker 5 (01:26:54):
Okay, why was the Bill's defense way better than the
Ravens all year long?

Speaker 8 (01:26:58):
I don't. Yeah, And I'm not saying I'm saying more.

Speaker 5 (01:27:00):
With like Josh Allen Baltimore.

Speaker 7 (01:27:03):
Yeah, I trust the defense. Like I said, it's the
top twelve is scoring defense. I just think that Josh
Allen has done more with less offensively and and and
that's that's that's why I'm giving him the It's.

Speaker 5 (01:27:15):
The only difference is Henry to Cook.

Speaker 7 (01:27:18):
I mean, what about what about the receiver? Say Flowers
is better than anyone the Bill's dov on.

Speaker 5 (01:27:22):
Ninety Say Flowers. Jay Flowers to me is a Lamar
Jackson creation. I don't think Zay Flowers is this special
receiver I think if he was on most teams, I
think he'd be like the twenty eighth best receiver, and
instead he's like what eighteenth or nineteenth, Like He's not
like a top fifteen receiver or anything. I don't And
by the way, I don't think I think Khalil Shakier
is really good.

Speaker 7 (01:27:41):
I was gonna say, I think if you think Lamar Jacks,
if you think Zay Flowers, Lamar Jackson, I guess I
was gonna say that flop.

Speaker 5 (01:27:49):
I think if you flop shakiir in Flowers, I think
they'd be doing what they're doing. Like I think Shakier
would do what Flowers is doing in Baltimore. I think
Flowers would do it.

Speaker 8 (01:27:57):
So what about the tight end combination of Likely and Andrews.

Speaker 5 (01:28:00):
I think Mark Andrews. I think you've seen every time
he went out that their offense gets like better. I
think Mark andrew I think.

Speaker 8 (01:28:06):
Between Likely and Andrews, you want to say combination.

Speaker 5 (01:28:08):
Sure, I think Kakaid's pretty darn talents. This goes the
first round pick obviously, and they have knocks as well,
who's pretty good in the red zone. So I don't
think that the difference is and I think the Bills
are lines better. I think the Bills defenses was better
all year. The thing I'll say and why I'm so
confident in Baltimore to win that game. You look at
why the Ravens defense was so bad to start the year.
For ten weeks they were playing Kyle Hamilton had over

(01:28:31):
half of the snaps at linebacker. It made no sense,
Ay the best free safety in football, he was playing
like fifteen snaps a game at inside linebacker and like
fifteen to twenty at outside linebacker, and like fifteen at
free safety. Since they've moved him to full time free
safety in Week eleven, they've actually been the number one
pass defense there in terms of dropback EPA, in terms

(01:28:52):
of their defense, I think that was a huge, huge change.
I think now you can say the defenses are the same,
but they were terrible for ten weeks. You look at
the five losses for Lamar and I think the only
reason Josh Allen has the MVP case that he does
is the fact that they're the two seed in Baltimore's
the three. The five losses are by twenty two points
and Justin Tucker missed twenty two points of kicks in

(01:29:12):
those five games. I don't think Lamar is any sort
of the reason they lost any of those games. If
you look at all five of them.

Speaker 8 (01:29:20):
Yeah, I wouldn't disagree with that at all. I'm not.

Speaker 7 (01:29:22):
I don't even like think it's it's the wins, Like
I think that that's kind of a stupid, stupid point
just to say, like, Okay, they have a couple more wins,
but they are the two seas. It's just that they
were so successful and like we just were arguing about
that Josh Allen and that Bill's offense did more with less,
in my opinion, than than Lamar Jackson did, and that
that's why I'd give it to him, And that's why,
And then that's why I had That's not why. But

(01:29:43):
there's other reasons, the Bill's defense being one of them
why I think the Bills are going to beat the
Ravens in that divisional round.

Speaker 5 (01:29:50):
Just if we're saying I think if we're ranking weapons,
take running back out of it.

Speaker 8 (01:29:53):
If you're looking all running pretty important.

Speaker 5 (01:29:56):
No, that's fine. I don't think that the difference between
I think if you put James Cook on Baltimore, I
think he probably have like sixteen seventeen hundred yards, and
if you put Derek Henry on Buffalo, I think he
probably have like twelve hundred or thirteen hundred yards. I
don't think if you put him on Buffalo, he'd have
nineteen hundred.

Speaker 8 (01:30:09):
And I think Derrek Henry is a better back more.
He's a better back.

Speaker 5 (01:30:13):
Yeah, he's definitely better. I think James Cook's a top
ten back in football. So if we're saying the difference
between the second best back and the tenth best back, yeah,
but I think you look at if we were ranking
all thirty two receiver tight end groups, I don't think
the Ravens are in the top fifteen of that. Just
to be honest, who's our number two receiver Bateman?

Speaker 8 (01:30:33):
Yeah, I guess we're bout I've been.

Speaker 5 (01:30:36):
Complaining about the Ravens. The reason that I find such
an issue with it because I've been complaining about the
Ravens lack of caring about their weapons in terms of
the receivers forever. And I think there's still weak at receiver,
even with Flowers out there.

Speaker 7 (01:30:50):
To be honest, yeah, I think you're down playing Zay
Flowers a little bit. I think he's really good.

Speaker 8 (01:30:54):
I just he's not. I mean he's not like some
top receiver in the league.

Speaker 7 (01:30:57):
I think he's he can be when you're an accurate
pastor like Lamar Jackson, he can be a wide receiver.

Speaker 9 (01:31:03):
One.

Speaker 5 (01:31:04):
I think so much about wide receivers and where we
rank them comes down to where they land.

Speaker 8 (01:31:09):
Of course, yeah, situations everything, yeah.

Speaker 5 (01:31:11):
Yeah, especially with the top top guys. But and then
that that leaves your NFC. So you've got you got
Chiefs Bills in the AFC, and in the NFC, you're
gonna have Lions Vikings in the Yeah, Lions Vikings in
the second round there where you.

Speaker 8 (01:31:26):
Go, yeah, give me the Lions in that one.

Speaker 7 (01:31:27):
I mean, we just it's it's really hard to make
the Vikings based off what we saw last tun at Night,
and I think that game would be a lot closer.
Darnold will have a better game, but it's hard. It's
hard to go against the Lions.

Speaker 5 (01:31:37):
And then Eagles Bucks in the second round.

Speaker 7 (01:31:39):
Birds, baby, And can I say something? Can I ask you?
Are you worried about the Bucks?

Speaker 5 (01:31:44):
Relatively? I would say I'd much rather play Rams or
Vikings than the Bucks.

Speaker 8 (01:31:50):
I disagree, I disagree.

Speaker 7 (01:31:52):
I think I think there's a lot of worry about
the Bucks in the city. But like you have to
kind of wrap around the context every time I'm the Eagles.

Speaker 2 (01:32:00):
Have played with the Bucks.

Speaker 8 (01:32:01):
Like, let's go back to like twenty twenty one.

Speaker 7 (01:32:03):
Okay, Brady's on that team, right, Yeah, Brady's on that team.
The Eagles never shot they were the worst.

Speaker 5 (01:32:09):
Team that game.

Speaker 7 (01:32:10):
Yeah, yeah, So then and then let's go to last
season when they lost to the The Eagles would have
lost to a pee wee football team in the playoffs
last year, or a high school football And now I'm
probably a pee wee football team because we're gonna lose
to literally anybody. It didn't that it was the Bucks,
and that game was also on the road, so that
that didn't mean anything to me. And then this this
season when the Bucks just kill them, that's right before

(01:32:31):
there bye. It's not the same defense at all, before
Cooper Degen was in that starting lineup, not even close
to the same defense. They weren't the same rushing attack,
relying on the rush as much.

Speaker 8 (01:32:39):
And that was also on the road. That was in
Tampa Bay. The Tampa Bay would now have to come
in to Philadelphia and win a playoff game.

Speaker 7 (01:32:46):
This team is so much better than they were every
other time they've played the Bucks the last few years.

Speaker 8 (01:32:51):
I'm not worried about the Bucks at all. I'd love
to see the Bucks.

Speaker 5 (01:32:53):
It's absolutely fair. That's absolutely fair, and I think the
biggest thing you could say is they've never played AJ
Brown as an Eagle.

Speaker 7 (01:32:59):
Great point exactly.

Speaker 5 (01:33:01):
Two years in a row. They actually two years in
a row. Did Wayne play the first round playoff game
last year?

Speaker 8 (01:33:06):
I think I can't remember.

Speaker 5 (01:33:08):
I think we missed some time a little last year
as well. I thought I could be wrong he might
have played that. I could be wrong there. Obviously AJ
did miss that game. AJ and Lane both missed that
game this year. So you could point at those games
and say, you know, we didn't have our best players.
That's totally fair, and I think that's that's one hundred
a fair reason to say that. I do think there's
something of the fact that Jalen struggles with the blitz

(01:33:30):
and that Todd Bowles loves the blitz, and it seems
like when they go up against Tampa, for whatever reason,
the offensive play calling is not geared towards the blitz
at all. Obviously, no AJ makes that look tougher and
look more more errant. But I hopefully they would have
a better plan for the blitz. Kellen Moore better play caller,
I think than we've had either.

Speaker 2 (01:33:51):
Yeah.

Speaker 7 (01:33:51):
I think that's a lot on pass protection, like I Yeah,
and it's pretty much all on pass accent. And again,
like like the last two times they've played each other,
it's a different team. When you have to worry about
the run even more now than you did the first
time the Bucks and the Eagles played, your blitz factor
is a little different.

Speaker 5 (01:34:07):
I'm pretty sure they're not very good against the run
Tampa day, so I think Saequon would probably do pretty
well there, especially the last time we played them. It
was a blowout, So how are you really going to
get Saquon involved on the ground too much in that
game once you're down so big so early. Yeah, I
do think that that was probably a game script thing.
So I would just say I do think it's fair

(01:34:29):
that Todd I Actually it's less about Jalen to me,
it's more about like Todd Bowles having something against Nick
that I do think he has some sort of some
coaches do well against other coaches. I think that that's
fair I would rather see the Vikings or Rams. I
think the dream situation is you get the Rams, who
we just beat in LA by seventeen points. We handled them.

(01:34:50):
I felt like they were fully healthy in that game,
Like I didn't really feel like that was a fluke
at all. I would say the number one team I
want to face is by far.

Speaker 8 (01:35:01):
Yeah, yeah, I can't argue that.

Speaker 7 (01:35:02):
I would just say I would like to dispel the
notion that the Bucks own us and if they, if
they do come in here now, as you were talking
about and going through the coaching matchups and the potential matchups,
I'm not worried about it, and I like Nick seer
on it. I've defended him all season when people were
on on his tail every single game. He's gonna it's
gonna be a coaching mismatch like Matt Lafore starting with Sunday.

(01:35:23):
You have Sean McVay, you have Todd Bowles, you have
a Kevin O'Connell. I'm not a big Dan Campbell guy,
so I actually would give Nick the hedge and that, yeah, exactly.

Speaker 8 (01:35:32):
But we're gonna We're.

Speaker 7 (01:35:34):
Not gonna be out coached because I think our roster
is so good. I think Nick gets these guys ready,
but they do every almost every team we're gonna face,
we'll have a coaching advantage in game.

Speaker 5 (01:35:44):
Gimme. Yeah, if they played Washington, I think we will, Yes, yes, yes,
So we played Tampa. It's like it's weird. I think
we I think Sirianni is a better coach than Todd Bowles.
But for whatever reason, in that matchup, Bulls has done
really well. And then yeah, the line ends things more
about the staff. But so you would would you rather
the Rams or the Bucks?

Speaker 7 (01:36:06):
I probably, like from a football perspective, like have the
X and nosebind, I'd probably the Rams. It's a better
matchup just football for us. But like I want to
face the Bucks, give me the Bucks.

Speaker 5 (01:36:17):
And then from a football perspective, would you rather Tampa
or Minnesota?

Speaker 7 (01:36:21):
I'd rather Minnesota. I would love to see Sam Darnel
in the playoffs. I think we'd eat him alive.

Speaker 5 (01:36:28):
That Baker is the best quarterback of the three right now, right,
I know Stafford Stafford can be when he's locked in
and dialed in, but I think Baker's playing the best.

Speaker 8 (01:36:38):
Yeah, I'm one hundredercent with you there. So like when
I talk through it.

Speaker 7 (01:36:41):
It's like, yeah, I I'd rather those other matchups.

Speaker 8 (01:36:44):
But yeah, that's why I'll.

Speaker 5 (01:36:46):
Be rooting for Washington real hard.

Speaker 7 (01:36:48):
They love to see Washington again. I mean I want
to see them this round like you did too, like
we all did. But feed me Washington again.

Speaker 5 (01:36:56):
And then if we're saying, let's say the Eagles the
Bucks are the only team that the Let's take the
Bucks out of it from the Lions perspective, and let's
take the Packers out of it from the Lions perspective.
Out of the three teams, the Rams, the Vikings, and
the Commis, who has the best chance to go into
Detroit and beat them?

Speaker 8 (01:37:16):
I think the Rams.

Speaker 7 (01:37:18):
I think the Rams just because of that, like like
you said, Stafford, and that, like Beef made the point
that the Rams defense has been really good. I still
am worried about this Lions defense. They were phenomenal against
Sam Darnold on Sunday Night, and somehow with all their injuries,
they keep showing up. I think Stafford in a playoff
game with Sean McVay dialing it up, I think he
could that they could give the Lions a lot of

(01:37:39):
problems with that pass game, even on the road in
even in Detroit. But I they all I think the
line are gonna be anyone of those scenes Like I'm like,
we're gonna get to in a second. I have the
Lions in the conference championship, but the Rams. I'm curious
what you think. But the Rams would give them the
toughest time.

Speaker 5 (01:37:56):
I want to say the Commanders because I do think
Jayden rushing for crazy, like I think this chance. Jayden
just rushes for like one hundred yards every playoff game
because they just turn him loose. And I don't know
how you really stop that besides hurting him to be
hitting him. Yeah, yeah, really, I think that's probably the
goal is you hit him so he doesn't want to run.

(01:38:17):
But they are so bad against the run. I think
they're thirtieth against the run Washington. That's brutal against Detroit. Yeah,
that's why I lean Rams. It's not Minnesota. We know
it's not Minnesota, So it's Washington or the Rams. Part
of me wants to stay Washington because Jayden. But I
think you have to say the Rams because of the
coaching and you saw what the Rams are able to

(01:38:37):
do to Buffalo. You can turn it into like a
thirty eight to thirty five game. Maybe Puka just goes
crazy again like he did in that Bills game. Puka
probably a top five to seven receiver at this point.
Maybe he can take over a game. Which is funny
because I said for the Eagles by far, they're a
team that I want out of the Rams, the Vikings
and Tampa. But I think for Detroit they're weirdly the

(01:38:57):
team and you have the Stafford Detroit weird thing where
they gave him a lot of hell last year in
the playoffs in Detroit. But wait, that was I might
have been in LA. I can't remember. No, it was
in Detroit.

Speaker 8 (01:39:07):
Was in Detroit.

Speaker 7 (01:39:09):
Yeah, not a homecomings. He played there earlier in the season,
but he went back.

Speaker 5 (01:39:13):
Yeah yeah, yeah, that'd be interesting. I think it'd be
the Rams that I'd say have have the best chance.
And then you're saying the Bills are going to beat
the Chiefs.

Speaker 7 (01:39:21):
I believe, yeah, yeah, Like, look, are the Chiefs is
gonna win it?

Speaker 8 (01:39:25):
Every year? Like are they really going to win?

Speaker 2 (01:39:27):
Ever?

Speaker 7 (01:39:27):
Even the Patriots, those amazing dynasties, they lost, they were
in the conference championship pretty much every year they lost.
Some of those years I just I don't really have
some great analysis for it, like the Chiefs are the
better team. I just think eventually Josh Allen, if he
keeps putting himself in these positions and the Bills keep
putting themselves in these positions against the Chiefs, They're going
to get over that hump.

Speaker 8 (01:39:47):
And I think that happens this year.

Speaker 5 (01:39:49):
My whole thing with the Chiefs is I think the
team that has the best chance to beat the Chiefs
is whoever faces them in the Super Bowl. I do
kind of think that you get them out of Kansas City,
and that's where I'm at. I think they're gonna make there.
And the reason that I'm so confident in them this
year to make it there is because they don't have
that hard second round matchup in the past. We've seen
them have to face Buffalo in the second round. And

(01:40:11):
then you get to the championship. You're gonna walk through
the Chargers or the Texans or the Steelers, whoever the
problem that won't be the Steelers, but Chargers or Texans
you're gonna walk through in that round two game, and
the Chiefs or the Bills and the Ravens are gonna
beat themselves up so hard that that that's what makes
it hard. But we ran out of time here, great
stuff from Sam Luke.

Speaker 7 (01:40:32):
You probably can guess it. But Eagles over the Bills.
Super Bowl is coming back to the city.

Speaker 5 (01:40:37):
Yeah, I done a bad job. Once I get to
the super Bowl.

Speaker 8 (01:40:41):
Who cares.

Speaker 5 (01:40:44):
I've done a bad job with that, But yeah, Eagles.
From three of our guys, I'm pick we all. I
think all of us have the Eagles in it. I
have the Eagles in it. Three of three of our
guests here, Sam Sean or Sam Beef and Luke all
took the Eagles. I'm going Eagles Chiefs, and I'm taking
the Chiefs. Unfortunately, hopefully I'm wrong. And the part of
it is I was so confident that we would beat

(01:41:05):
the Chiefs last Super Bowl, which was so dumb looking
back on it, that maybe if.

Speaker 8 (01:41:09):
I do, we were right there. We were right there.
Real quick. Before we go, let me ask you a question.

Speaker 7 (01:41:13):
Would you rather lose in the first round or even
like the division division round or losing the super Bowl
super Bowl.

Speaker 5 (01:41:19):
Because the next season's cooking.

Speaker 7 (01:41:21):
Next season's cooked either way, No, no, no, no, I'm saying
if you lose in the super Bowl. Every NFC Super
Bowl winner, their next season is just cooked. Well, Sam
Fran went back, right, No, they well eventually, but last
year they went to the super Bowl, and then what
happened this year?

Speaker 5 (01:41:37):
Yeah, I guess they didn't go to two years in
a row. I was thinking that when they had Jimmy
g No, they went to the NFC Championship in the
lost and then the super Bowl. Yeah, so yeah, I
I gave you the super Bowl. Though, what we learned
from Jalen I think what we saw from Jalen last
time he got to the Super Bowl has kind of
been able to be our defense in any jail in
argument because anytime people try to throw that at us,

(01:41:59):
it's like, dude, did you watch the freaking Super Bowl?
Put third, he was the best, one of the best
quarterback performances in the history of the game. So yeah,
that's that's what I want. And for me, I've said
this before, and you see the sign jersey over my
shoulder here in the little podcast makeshift Studio, I've gotten
I've been a Joel guy forever and I always will

(01:42:21):
be a Joel guy and really always so yeah, yes,
even when he's on the Knicks, but he the process
was such an important part of my fandom and my
basketball fandom especially, and it radicalized me and becoming the
NBA fan I am. But the way that I have,
even when people want to crap on Embiid when he

(01:42:42):
was at his top, no one could really say like, oh,
well he's not even good or he's not top five.
It's like, okay, whatever, Like I can kind of roll
it off my shoulder. The people getting after me saying
Jalen Hurts like Kirk Cousins would be better in this offense,
and like he you know, Derek Carr would be fine,
and put Tanner McKee in hearing it. He is so
clearly one of the seven to ten best quarterbacks on

(01:43:04):
the planet in a planet that is so hurting for
quarterback talent. In the middle to bottom of that thirty
two top thirty two, and the way people talk about him,
I gravitate towards athletes that I have to defend. Jalen
Hurts winning a Super Bowl to me is more important
than any athlete of my lifetime winning and achieving that

(01:43:25):
pinnacle than it's ever been. Wow. I need it so
badly as a fan, I'm not supposed to talk about
a fan as a fan on here, but it's what
I am. I don't hide that. So I have been
in way too many Jalen Hurts debates that would be
solved with one single outcome, and it's the Eagles winning
the Super Bowl. I think we've got a pretty damn

(01:43:46):
good chance at it. So let's see what happens. We've
got plenty of weeks coming up. I'm sure i'll be
talking to you Sam here on the Tough Cover radio show.
You did a great job on the Ones two's filling
in for Sean. I'm sure we've had you on plenty.
We'll have you on going forwards. We've went a little
over our time here, but that's okay. Let's keep it
locked to Fox Sports. The Gambler right here on iHeartRadio.

Speaker 1 (01:44:05):
It spreads totals and all the prop that's in between.
It's the Gambler.

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Tough Cover Show: WAKE UP THE ECHOES, NOTRE DAME! - 01/11/25

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Tough Cover Show: WAKE UP THE ECHOES, NOTRE DAME! - 01/11/25