January 19, 2025 • 46 mins
John returns on this NFL Saturday to break down Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders out dueling the NFC’s top team in the Detroit Lions by a score of 45-31. First, John salutes the sensational rookie QB and former Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels as the Commanders offense capitalized on the Lions turnovers during an epic NFC upset. Middlekauff GOES off on the Detroit Lions struggling offense and coordinator Ben Johnson for getting “cute” with Tom Brady and the Las Vegas Raiders eyes upon the potential head coach in waiting. John proceeds to tee off on the Lions’ banged up defense for being unable to stop Jayden and a potent Commanders offense, comparing the former LSU quarterback to Baltimore Ravens star QB Lamar Jackson for his dynamic impact on the position before debating his place on the greatest rookie QB ladder. Next, John breaks down the myth of the Commanders playing with “house money” as they gear up for an NFC championship appearance. After, John pivots his focus to Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs’ quest for a third Super Bowl victory in a row. Middlekauff talks about how the Kansas City Chiefs and their reputation for getting beneficial calls is good for business, and not going anywhere in the NFL any time soon before saluting DeMeco Ryans and the Houston Texans effort in the loss. After, John salutes Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs’ high-octane offense before laying out the team’s brutal path to a three-peat. Finally some thoughts on the NFL’s coaching carousel including updates from the Chicago Bears, Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers and more.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
The volume.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
What is going on, my people? How are we doing?
Speaker 1 (00:18):
I said, you know what, the Commanders beat the Lions,
got to do a podcast, and that's what I did,
so Reaction pod to just watched. It's about ten o'clock
the number one seed get bounced in Detroit. The Commedis
and Jaden Daniels headed to the NFC Championship game for
(00:41):
the first time since nineteen ninety one, which is a
long time, which ironically last year was the first time
the Lions had been to the NFC Championship since nineteen
ninety one because that's when they played each other. But
other than that, we will talk about the chiefs, the officiating.
I'm sure everyone's up in arms, but also Demiko, who
(01:02):
I love, and the Texan's not taking advantage of when
they were playing well, So we will dive into those
two games. Mike Tomlin, the Bears and.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
We had talked.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
Hell, I'd throw it out like the Bear should try
to trade for him. They clearly sniffed around, but doesn't
look like that's gonna go anywhere. And yeah, that'll basically
be the show. So make sure you subscribe Three and
Out podcast if you listen on Collins feed. Make sure
you subscribe to the YouTube channel. All of our content
is up there as well. And I'll be doing I
(01:36):
won't have a podcast on Monday, Well I will, but
it will be a preview for Notre Dame Ohio State
with intern Jackson. I will just I'll just I'm dealing
with Coward after the Bill's Ravens game, and so you
can catch that on on Collins YouTube page or his
podcast feed. But let's dive into some football. Start with
(01:59):
this game. And I've been thinking about as it was like,
the Lions are gonna lose, and it's like, well, what
are we going to lead the show with? What's the
headline of this game? And I think big picture? And
this is what makes sports so cool, is like, if
this is a movie, you'd go, well, last year they
got to the brink and they lost the Niners. This
(02:20):
year they win fifteen games. They honestly with the Commanders forever.
But unlike the Commanders, they didn't get a new owner.
The Ford family still owns the squad, but they did
hire the right people and it was like, this is
gonna be their year. I don't know if they were
gonna win the Super Bowl, but the Lions are gonna
go to the super Bowl. The Detroit Lions are gonna.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
Go to the super Bowl.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
But this isn't a movie, and there isn't a happy ending.
This isn't Rudy coming off the edge and getting a sack,
or remember the Titans winning the last game.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
This is sports.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
This isn't Reality TV, even as much as people that
watch Chiefs games think it is.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
This is not scripted.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
Anything could happen on any given moment, and tonight the
Lions imploded. Jared Goff threw multiple interceptions, one that scored
a touchdown for the Commanders, another one that was caught
in the end zone. He also had a fumble their
wide receiver through an interception, which was honestly the backbreaking
(03:22):
play of the game. But if I told you that
the Commanders would average well over six yards of play
and that the Lions would throw three interceptions and lose
a fumble, there's just no way you can win. And
this was the question mark before the Vikings game where
you went, listen, man, is their defense gonna be good enough?
(03:45):
Is their defense gonna be good enough? And you saw
tonight it simply was not. But in games like this,
your offense has to be perfect. You might have to
score forty plus points, but their offense wasn't perfect. Jared
Goff imploded and played one of the worst games I
can remember him having in years, in a spot where
(04:08):
clearly they could not afford to have him do that.
And then because you know, his play was all over
the map, it felt like Ben Johnson, I don't know,
got a little cute. I don't know if he was
showing off for Tom Brady hoping there'd be a sixty
seventy million dollar offer on the table for his services
tomorrow from the Raiders, or it's just what he does.
(04:29):
Because in fairness to him, they run a lot of
trick plays. But when you're in a position and you're down,
you know, by ten points, and you got the ball
and it's in the second half, I'm not sure a
double pass is the right play because when you do
that stuff, I would say, typically, no matter what you
coach the wide receiver to do, if he's not open,
(04:52):
eat it, if he's not open, throw it away. I
think that gets coached into those players.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
All the time.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
But what usually happens the skilled guy wants to make
a play. He wants to throw the ball and he
threw it right to the dB and it essentially ended
the game right there. But like this game, isn't that complicated?
We can you know, I do this a lot as well.
We crush coaches for being cliche, for being just the
(05:22):
coach speak answers in these press conferences. But there is
a reason you hear over and over and over again.
We cannot lose the turnover battle. We cannot lose the
turnover battle. They have been saying it since the history
of the sport, because it usually kills you. Now, there
are moments in certain games where you can get away
(05:44):
from it. You cannot avoid it in playoff games because
you're not only playing the best teams, you're typically playing
the best quarterbacks. And we'll get into Jayden. It turns
out he looks like a fucking Hall of Famer. But
when you turn the ball over that many times, you
got no shot, and then when you factor in your
(06:06):
defense is awful. I mean, Amik Robinson, who had been
playing really, really well for him last or two weeks
ago against the Vikings, did an excellent job against Justin Jefferson.
Think he got a game ball right, and he has
played really really well for them this season. Shattered his
arm early in that game. You're like, they cannot overcome this.
(06:31):
They were already at, you know, at a tipping point
of like this is a law of diminishing returns and
we are well past it. And then Jared Goff starts
throwing to the other team. You're like, listen, I didn't
expect a rookie quarterback to be as good as he was.
But if I told you to begin the game that,
(06:51):
I'm not even going to count the last interception, but
he would throw a pick six, he would throw another
pick in the end zone, and he would have a fumble,
so he'd a returnovers. They're not gonna win like that.
They can't win like that. We saw them in a
game late in the season against the forty nine ers
on that Monday night, and it was the same situation. Touchdown, touchdown, touchdown, touchdown.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
No one was punting.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
The only way you're gonna lose in games like that
is turning the ball over. Why the Niners lose pretty
through a couple interceptions, and to me, that's one hundred
percent the difference in the game. And obviously the Lions
defense was atrocious night. They could not stop a soul
beside the one play where I don't know if it's
like a tush push quarterback sneak with like three options
(07:41):
or Mariota just tried to add lib. I kind of
hope he tried to add lib But if he was
looking to pitch it to Jaden who was in the shotgun,
I think it might have been an option. My guesses
and listen, you probably hear they might talk about it
in the press conferences. Is that like it's an option play.
He can either go forward if he sees or flip
it to Jaden. But when that play happened, you're like, hey,
(08:04):
you know, Dan is kind of you know, I mean,
Dan Quinn, like Dan Campbell, they will go for it relentlessly.
And then as the game went on, every single fourth
and short and they were always in fourth and short,
they were in fourth and sixes, they were in fourth
and two's, fourth and ones, fourth and threes.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
They were odd tomatic.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
You never had one thought in the back of your head,
and by the second one, if you're a Commander fan,
you're like, we're getting these that there is no way
they're going.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
To stop us.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
We can do a quarterback play action run first down.
We can have Jayden drop back, hit Zach Ertz, hit
Terry McLaurin, run for it, do whatever, we are going
to get this first down. And it just kept happening
and happening and happening.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
And there was a drive. You know, they had long drives.
They had long drives.
Speaker 1 (09:02):
Of like ten plus plays, six seven minutes. It's like
you just can't afford there is you know in football
when they are running the ball down your throat, and
tonight it felt like how many yards did the Comedi's
run for? One hundred and eighty three yards? One hundred
(09:23):
and eighty three yards, So you have I'm not going
to count the last turnover, but two picks and a
fumble and they're running for one hundred and eighty plus
yards and they're controlling the clock thirty three to twenty six.
That's hard, man. That is really really hard to overcome,
(09:45):
especially when you factor in I mean, obviously their quarterback
was a huge running threat, but that's a big kick
in the nuts if you're the Lions. Because as Schefter said,
I think he said it multiple times this week, he
reiterated it when I saw him say it this morning.
These two guys are getting jobs. We don't know exactly
(10:05):
where Ben Johnson's going. Is he gonna end up with
the Bears. Schefter made it seem like, don't discount the Jags. Obviously,
the Raiders are all in trying to get him. Ben
Johnson is gone, and by all accounts, Aaron Glenn is
gone as well. And sometimes and listen a couple of
years ago when the uh the Chargers couldn't stop a
(10:29):
soul in the second half of that game to the
Jags that was on Brandon Staley. His guys had no
fucking clue where to go. I remember it was blown
coverage after blown coverage after blown coverage. It's like these
defensive players have absolutely no clue what he's calling tonight.
Like guys are close, guys are there, They're just not
good enough. And this is what happens when you get
(10:50):
the attrition of the amount of injuries they had. Aaron
Glenn is clearly an excellent defensive coordinator in his style.
Because they're so undermanned, he had to be really aggressive
and there were countless times when the game was like
seven to ten points, so the Commanders hadn't taken off
where he's blitzing guys off the right side, and because
(11:11):
Jaden is such a great athlete, he was just able
to run away and he made so many plays tonight
with his feet that weren't just quote unquote designed runs.
Speaker 2 (11:21):
It was lamar ish.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
They're like, yeah, nothing's here, nothing's here.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
I'm out.
Speaker 1 (11:26):
I'm gonna gain six yards, I'm gonna gain eight yards,
I'm gonna gain ten yards. I'm gonna keep these move
the chains.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
Let's keep rolling.
Speaker 1 (11:33):
And there's nothing you can do about it. That's tough.
That's tough. And I think if you're a Lions fan,
for as awesome as this is for the Commanders fans,
and it should just be an incredible moment. This You
just won your fourteenth game this season, You're in the
NFC Championship Game for the first time since nineteen ninety one,
(11:57):
and no one saw this coming At this time last year,
they had the number two overall pick in the draft.
I'm not even sure as of January eighteenth, was Dan
Quinn officially their hire. Maybe Adam Peters had been hired,
and I'm not sure. I don't have to google when
they even hired the guys. I'd say there's a fifty
to fifty chance that neither guy was even hired at
(12:20):
this point in time, and if one was, it was
probably Adam. But I think the Lions lost is worse
than their great win because this is the first time
that Washington has made the NFC Championship Game since nineteen
ninety one. Nineteen ninety one, I'm forty years old. In
nineteen ninety one, I was seven. That is a long
(12:41):
time ago. But remember last year was the first time
that I think it was the first time ever the
Detroit Lions won multiple playoff games. It was the first
time I think since nineteen ninety one. Also because they
played Washington in the game, so you were looking at
(13:02):
two franchises that hadn't sniff success in so long. But
the difference is Detroit. The expectations were there this year
because they were in the game last season.
Speaker 2 (13:12):
At this point in time, last year, they were.
Speaker 1 (13:14):
Headed to the NFC Championship Game. This was gonna be
their year. Their coaching staff had been there forever. They
have three head coaches on their fucking staff, dan Quinn,
Ben Johnson, and Aaron Glenn. They have an all star
lineup on offense, so even if their defense sucks. We
are going to score on every drive. And you notice
the first drive of the game, it's like they had
(13:35):
to punt.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
You're like, huh, that's a little weird.
Speaker 1 (13:38):
That's a little weird, and let's face it, it was
just off. And by the time they had to call
that double pass, you know, from Jamison Williams, it almost
felt like Ben Johnson had lost his confidence in Jared Goff.
They can say whatever they want, but I never judge
a human being on their words. Words to me don't
(13:59):
mean shit. I judge you your actions. And his actions
calling that play in that spot was like and listen,
I get they like trick plays, but was kind of,
you know, a direct reflection of golf, and it felt
like they had kind of jumped off as bandwagon, which
to me is crazy because he had given you three
years of playing at a really high level. And it's
(14:20):
the opposite with Washington. They treat Jayden Daniels, who I
saw Jim Rome tweet this out. He thought that Jaden
Daniels is the greatest rookie quarterback he'd ever seen. He's
got to be on the short list. And when you
factor in that most rookie quarterbacks that become that go
on to have all time great careers. I mean, when
(14:42):
you think of the great quarterbacks in the NFL, Tom
Brady did not play as a rookie. Peyton Manning was
terrible as a rookie, John Lway, Joe Montana, Dan Marino,
I can't speak to their rookie years. Brett farrv was
a backup in Atlanta as a rookie.
Speaker 2 (14:59):
Steve Young.
Speaker 1 (15:01):
Was on Tampa Bay. It did not go well. Aaron
Rodgers was sitting right. Patrick Mahomes did not play as
a rookie beside the last game of the season in Denver.
He's just Josh Allen wasn't good as a rookie. Lamar
was good but didn't start the whole time. It's just
(15:23):
Joe Burrow shattered his leg. Justin Herbert had a really
good rookie season, but his team didn't make the playoffs.
So I think when you look, Roethlisberger's team went far
as a rookie, but he wasn't that good and their
team was built about avoiding him. Dak Prescott had a
(15:43):
really good season as a rookie, but they lost in
this round. So pretty special. Shit, man, these guys changed
the franchise overnight changed Washington overnight. Dink Allen's saying, that
is this franchise like the Lions. This is what we
(16:04):
said last year, what they accomplished, Like, that's insane. You
did that to the Lions, what they did with this team,
And it's really because of Jayden Daniels. I don't think
their defense is that good. Like in two years, how
many guys on this defense are gonna be starting for
that defense? The corner from Michigan, maybe a D lineman,
(16:28):
a couple of dbs maybe. I think this isn't like
it's insane.
Speaker 2 (16:33):
Now.
Speaker 1 (16:34):
Mclaurin's an excellent player. The touchdown he had the night
was badass. Terry McLaurin is a stud. But you know
that kind of got a running back group by committee.
Eckler's a good little change of pay scap back. McNichols.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
Adam Peters loves that guy.
Speaker 1 (16:51):
Brian Robinson I'm a fan of, but he clearly fell
out of favor though he had a touchdown the night.
Speaker 2 (16:58):
Ertz is my age.
Speaker 1 (17:01):
So it's it's insane that they are in the NFC
Championship game with this roster. And it's simple like quarterback.
There's gonna be a lot of talk about in Caleb.
I saw today he was at like a USC game.
He's got a cast on his arm. It's because like
he removed a cysts or something. I mean, the chances
(17:22):
that in five years Caleb Williams has two playoff victories,
Like what he's already just accomplished immediately as a rookie
is pretty insane. Like the lead he has on his
draft class. And it's obviously he's a special athlete and
he's got a big arm, but when you watch him
play quarterback, you're like, he's not. He is a running quarterback,
(17:47):
but he doesn't really play like a running quarterback on
so many pass plays where he just sits in the
pocket like a true pocket guy and throws these absolute
seeds and darts right over the middle of the field.
Hitdn't get in stride on like third and long or
second and long or fourth and four.
Speaker 2 (18:07):
It's like, how.
Speaker 1 (18:08):
Calm, cool and collected is this guy. It's amazing to
watch as just a fan of football. It is insane
how calm this guy is in these moments. He's on
the road in Detroit. I can't even imagine. I mean,
right when he comes out for the first drive, he's
going like this, he's trying to hear and his team's
(18:30):
not as.
Speaker 2 (18:31):
Talented as who he's playing. And it doesn't even matter.
Speaker 1 (18:37):
He was the best player on the field tonight by
a country mile, Like who would you even say was
the second best player on the field. He was dominant
and clearly and listen, you know it's a new school
way of thinking, always going forward on fourth down.
Speaker 2 (18:54):
Now.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
Granted, their kicker sucks, and one thing Brady mentioned in
the second half, like you're playing with house money, Like, no, Tom,
they have a ten point lead in the second half
of the second round of the playoffs. Yet most people
probably thought they'd win seven eight games and be a
successful season. But that's no longer house money. That is,
(19:15):
we've taken like one thousand dollars to the blackjack table
and now we have fifty k So it's like, yeah,
just if you blow a little bit, what, No, you
have fifty thousand dollars you started with one thousand, Like,
let's let's be smart about this. We want to go
home with fifty thousand dollars. If you want to bet
a couple more Koka, but at minimum you're going home
(19:36):
with like forty seven. You cannot lose this game. Going
into this game one hundred percent, you're playing with house money.
Speaker 2 (19:44):
The moment you have a.
Speaker 1 (19:45):
Ten point lead at halftime and your quarterback looks like
he's in a different universe than Jared Goff. You had
to win it, and they did, and they dominated, and
you know, you talk about a storybook kind of ending,
and obvious their season is not over. I mean, they
have gonna have a legit chance to be in the
(20:05):
Super Bowl. They are gonna have to go on the
road again. Right so tomorrow night or I guess tomorrow
day afternoon, whoever wins that Rams Eagles game is hosting.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
The NFC Championship Game.
Speaker 1 (20:17):
And I think if you're the Commanders, I think most
people would say, oh, they'd rather play the Rams.
Speaker 2 (20:22):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (20:22):
I mean, you're pretty comfortable playing the Eagles, Like, you
know their schemes, You've coached against them twice, you watch
cross tapes so often throughout the season. Because of the division,
there is just a huge, huge comfort level there. I
think if you just pulled the average NFL fan, they
(20:43):
would say the Rams, it's gonna be hard regardless and
who knows, like could so far even host a game
next week that they could in a week ago.
Speaker 2 (20:54):
Can they do it now? I mean they're still fires ripping.
Maybe they could. I don't know.
Speaker 1 (20:58):
We will find out, I guess if they win. But
I don't think you'd be intimidated to play the Eagles,
even though you would be a big underdog, because, like
we had talked about the house money thing, you would
have house money going into the game until you would
be winning the game or something at halftime and there's
no longer house money. Then you're actually playing to go
(21:20):
to the super Bowl. This was the thing with the
Lions last year. It was like when Dan Campbell went
forward on fourth and whatever instead of kicking the field goal.
It's like, Dan, this is no longer house money.
Speaker 2 (21:31):
This is a game to go to the super Bowl.
Speaker 1 (21:33):
If you kick this field goal, you will be up
seventeen points. Last time I checked, that takes three offensive
drives to get seventeen plus points. They can't tie the
game with two drives. You have a huge advantage. And
last year kind of bit him in the ass. So
you could argue looking at Dan Campbell like yeah, this sucked.
(21:54):
I can't even imagine being in that lion's locker room.
I can't even imagine being Dan Campbell knowing you're gonna.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
Lose your two coaches.
Speaker 1 (22:01):
But you could argue, looking back on last year, the
opportunity was there to put a knife in the throat
of the San Fransco forty nine ers. I don't know
if you've watched that Cowboy and Indian show that Tim
Riggins from Friday, and that lights plays this dude who's
taking this chick across the country. It's basically like John
Wick meets the eighteen fifties. It's incredible. People just get
(22:23):
killed like every five minutes, but sometimes just you gotta
go for the kill shot. And tonight I felt like
every time the commander's never relented. But end of the game,
it's like okay, And it's different scenarios, not apples to apples,
like no, we gotta kick a field goal here, we're
not going for it. We're going up seventeen unless end.
Now he missed the field goal, but that was one
(22:45):
d PC the right move. It would end the game
like this thing that there is absolutely no shot. So
what a moment. And this is why we like sports
and football because you never know. Stucky and I talked
about it and he was really hammering this home.
Speaker 2 (23:01):
He's like, this.
Speaker 1 (23:02):
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Speaker 1 (24:43):
Then, speaking of weird, the Chiefs are headed back to
the NFCAFC Championship game seven straight year. I do think
the headline of this game and listen. It's not like
the Texans deserve to win the game. There were three calls,
definitely two and another moment. They were pretty outrageous. Now
(25:06):
I am all four protecting quarterbacks. They carry the league
in terms of entertainment, at least the good quarterbacks. I
don't give a shit about the bottom fifteen. Those guys
should not get flags. No one would care when they
miss games. No one misses them, but all the Pro Bowl,
high end guys all four, protecting them all four. I
(25:29):
am four Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Jayden Daniels,
Jared Goff being in the game. I mean tonight for
a split second when Jared Goff got rocked and didn't
get a penalty, and he thought, if that was Patrick Mahomes,
they would have thrown three flags and it would have
been a one hundred yard penalty. But he didn't get anything.
You thought he got a concussion, he was gonna be
(25:50):
out and they were gonna have to play with Teddy Bridgewater,
who was literally coaching high school football like.
Speaker 2 (25:54):
Three weeks ago.
Speaker 1 (25:55):
I think he won Miami State championship. Kind of crazy
that he was even the backup. Pretty questionable indictment on
Hendon Hooker, who I said, if Ben Johnson gets a job,
he should take him with him. But that's a conversation
for another day. So I'm all for it protecting the quarterbacks.
But there were two moments today that I think we've
jumped the shark. And people push back on this about
(26:17):
the Chiefs, that the refs and the league are in
the tank for the Chiefs. Now, one thing that is
not debatable the Chiefs are the number one rated team
in the NFL. I read an article like halfway through
the season they were rating higher this year than the Cowboys.
They are doing astronomical numbers when they're on television. They
(26:39):
have the current most famous player in the league, and
Patrick Mahomes obviously their second most famous player is dating
one of the most famous human beings on the planet.
That they are a ratings bonanza. And when I was
a kid, the Sacramento Kings couldn't beat the Lakers. And
then it came out later that one of the ref
(27:00):
for rees was working for the Mob and helped the
Lakers make it to the NBA Finals. And there were
always rumors about how David Stern wanted to fuck the
smaller markets to make sure the Lakers were in the
primetime games. Now, from a business perspective, if I was
David Stern, I would have done the same thing because
(27:21):
it was better for business if the Lakers were in
the NBA Finals, then the Sacramento Kinks. But I hate
the fucking Lakers. I wanted the Kings to win, and
I remember that infuriated me. And as I got older
and you find out the details, you're like they never
had a shot.
Speaker 2 (27:38):
Made you even more mad.
Speaker 1 (27:40):
But then you get even older and you realize, well,
from a business perspective, totally get it.
Speaker 2 (27:43):
It's about moving the needle.
Speaker 1 (27:45):
And I think most people think that the Chiefs are
these games are rigged. And I think they watched today
and that's gonna be a huge conversation for people that
aren't Chiefs fans.
Speaker 2 (27:57):
Here's what I do know.
Speaker 1 (27:59):
It is great for business.
Speaker 2 (28:00):
When people hate.
Speaker 1 (28:01):
You, you either want them to be hate you or
love you. You want nobody in the middle. You want no apathy.
That's bad for business. And the one thing the Chiefs
do right now is they create emotion. The Lakers have
done this forever, and the Yankees do this, and the
Cowboys started to diminish.
Speaker 2 (28:19):
They used to do it a lot more.
Speaker 1 (28:21):
But when I say the Kansasity Chiefs, I evoke some
sort of emotion into a football fan, and there's a
lot of hatred in people rooting against them right now.
That's a good thing for the business of the NFL.
Do I think that they told the referees to make
sure to call plays or call fouls when guys get
close to Patrick Mahomes. I don't necessarily think they do.
Speaker 2 (28:43):
They do that.
Speaker 1 (28:44):
I do think these referees when they officiate Patrick Mahomes
are just basically officiating scared and are so quick to
throw the flag. Will Anderson did not touch his helmet.
It should not have been a fifteen yard penalty. The
second one, the two Texans players helmet to helmet each other.
(29:05):
Patrick Mahomes didn't even get touched. But to me, the
most egregious thing today, and this is where the NFL
needs to step in, and Patrick Mahomes has been doing
this for years, is when he went to the sideline
and he was running to get out of bounds and
then he stopped. He's manipulating the rules. He has turned
(29:26):
into Chris Paul James Harden when it comes to getting
fouls on the sideline and he got shoved. Now they
ended up not throwing a flag, thank god. But he's
too great of a player and too important to the
league to be doing that stuff. The league does need
to step in and end that right now. And honestly,
(29:47):
I'd have no problem if you do that. That's a
fifteen yard penalty on the offense that cannot happen. But
I'm also not gonna sit here and act like you
know what, the Texans should have won. The game is
their game to win. Demiko is a great coach, and
I saw a headline today from rap Sheet about Robert Sala,
(30:10):
who somehow is getting a million interviews. Like, guys, I
like Robert Sala, I root for my bald brother. I'd
hire him as my defensive coordinator. He was a fucking
terrible head coach, I mean, completely over his head as
a head coach. Interviewing as a head coach to me
seems insane, but rap Sheet basically said is like no
wonder everyone's interviewing Sala. He was once Dimiko's mentor, and
(30:33):
Demiko says that he learned everything from him, and that's
don't I think there's some truth to that. He was
a mentor to Demiko Ryans as a younger coach, But
there is not one team in the NFL who would
hire Robert Sala over Demiico Ryans obviously as a head coach,
let alone a defensive coordinator.
Speaker 2 (30:55):
Demiko's really good.
Speaker 1 (30:56):
I think Demiko is easily I think we saw two
of I don't know the top two or three defensive
coaches in the league in Spags in Demko going at
it in that game. Demiko is an elite defensive coach
and he had the boys ready. Now they have a
lot of talent and their front obviously the Chiefs offensive
line can be a little iffy, was dominating the line
(31:17):
of scrimmage early on. Patrick was running around for his life.
But there were two moments in that game that just
made me go to Miko that this cannot happen. One
early in the game, he kicked a field goal into
the wind, which did not even have a chance. If
it was a golf hole, the ball would be out
of bounds. It was really, really bad. It was a
fifty five yard field goal. You can't do that in
(31:40):
a field position game against Kansay Chiefs. And then late
in the game, it was twenty to twelve and as
Aikman is screaming at the television, I guess he's on television.
He's screaming through the television call time out. I don't
like this. Call time out, and he didn't, and it
probably should have been a delay a game. And the
play got all the men up and it wasn't even close.
(32:02):
I got no problem necessarily going for it, and I
have a rule of thumb. I'm not a big call
time out guy in the second half for a delay
of game, but this is the playoffs and that play
was essentially your season. So you either got to take
the delay a game and then choose to punt or
call time out.
Speaker 2 (32:21):
And he didn't either.
Speaker 1 (32:23):
So like situational awareness in time management, which is something
that Andy used to get crushed for. Who's he's now
elite at that. And Demiko a young coach who is
a stud if you know, I saw Harbaugh say the
big Cats say, hey, anyone's selling justin Herbert Stock, I
(32:43):
will buy all of it. I will keep accumulating Demiko
Ryan Stock. He is an excellent young coach. If he
was an offensive guy, we would talk about this guy.
I mean shit, everyone blows Kevin O'Connell. He's never won
a playoff game. Demiko's won two and two years so
and went toe to toe to day with the champs.
But you gotta be better than that. And he said
(33:06):
after the game, like we knew coming into this game
everyone would be against us ay Ei the refs, and
it was true, but that can't happen. That was a
moment that just you gotta be better because in this game,
like you're out playing them. You're at one point in
time that I think they had one hundred more yards offense.
(33:27):
They just look like the better team, and everyone's saying that, well,
that's great, But this is games, not like scored from
the twenty to the twenty or on time of possession.
There is a scoreboard.
Speaker 2 (33:40):
So when you.
Speaker 1 (33:41):
Don't have the lead and you're down in a game
or losing in a game, especially in a playoff situation,
no one cares that you're out playing them. That sounds great,
and that to me means stuff in the regular season
because ultimately, over the course of a month, that will
turn into wins.
Speaker 2 (34:00):
But this you get.
Speaker 1 (34:01):
This is not a seven game series. This is a
sixty minute game. So I can be out playing my
opponent all they want, all I want. If it's thirteen
to three, who cares. Obviously their kicker melted down, you know,
missed the field goal into the wind. Then they come
out of halftime and this is Demko shines again. Squad
(34:24):
is ready. They have a long fifteen play drive tech
takes up ten minutes on the clock. They got five
first downs off third downs on this drive, meant they
were either in third and five, third and three, and
they converted it five different times, scored a touchdown to
make it it was gonna be thirteen to thirteen misses
the kick and then you're like, God, something just off
(34:47):
about the Texans. Something is just off. Now later that's
what happened with the uh when Patrick slid or whatever
and the two guys fly over him and they call
the penalty, which was egregious. Was and there's no I'm
not going to argue around that, but I'm also not
going to act like, you know, the Texans didn't screw
(35:08):
themselves countless times throughout this game, but like, this is
what we thought about the Chiefs all season. And Mahomes
was asked after the game, like was this rust because
you guys didn't play and he said, no, they're a
big time defense. And I don't think he's wrong. Will
Anderson is a badass. Like you watched today, You're like,
(35:29):
I get why Will Anderson went third overall last year.
I get why Jayden Daniels went second overall this year.
Shit should have gone one. You watch Jamiir Gibbs, You're like,
no wonder the Lions drafted him in the top fifteen.
That guy play that plays anytime any day. Someone tweeted
at me that he looked like what everyone thought Reggie
(35:49):
Bush coming out of USC was actually gonna look like
in the NFL. That's Jamier Gibbs. Like, that's a pretty
good one. So the high end talent on the Texans,
and I said this coming into the game, like they
have some flaws. Their offensive line is a major question mark.
And you saw today the Chiefs have I think I
don't know if it was the first or second sack.
(36:11):
I mean he was sacked. How many times was CJ
sacked today? Eight sacked? Eight times? Eight sacks? I'm sorry,
that just can't happen. What happened when they move Chris
Jones out to defensive end over the right tackle and
(36:32):
he smoked them for a sack. George Karlovskis, who is
just a good, high energy, just a really good starter,
was just all over his ass all game long. I
think he ended the game with three sacks. You cannot
win a playoff game against the kanc Chiefs when you
get a couple of bad calls go your way. When
(36:53):
your quarterback get sacked eight times, it just can't happen.
Especially when you're running the ball pretty well. The Texans
ran for one hundred and fifty yards, Mixon's averaging five
yards of carry. But what happened today, It's.
Speaker 2 (37:09):
Like he's washed. He's washed.
Speaker 1 (37:11):
He's washed, like, just wait for the playoffs, wait for
the playoffs. And he's not as fast as he used
to be. It was evident on his big how long
was his big play forty nine yards? He probably scores
on that five years ago. He might score on that
three years ago.
Speaker 2 (37:29):
His speed, if.
Speaker 1 (37:30):
It was once for a tight end like a nine
out of ten, it's probably like a six and a
half now. But his instincts in space, when you get
eighty seven the ball, to make a guy miss, to
break an arm tackle, you can't teach what he.
Speaker 2 (37:45):
Brings to the table and the other thing.
Speaker 1 (37:47):
And this is where Chris Jones karloskis now is. I mean,
this is Carlosa's third year. All George knows the Super
Bowls and being one seats and kicking the shit out
of everybody. That's all these guys know. So you are
playing people that have just unlimited playoff experience at the
highest level, and no one has more than Patrick and Travis.
(38:10):
So when you get those guys in big spots and
you know what basically was, you know, the game winning
score when Travis or when Patrick's about to get sack,
goes down on his knees and throws the ball to
Kelsey and people go like, how does he always get open?
Why could no one cover him? Because they're not like
running specific routes.
Speaker 2 (38:28):
He's not.
Speaker 1 (38:29):
This is gonna be a five yard curl, this is
gonna be like a seven yard in route.
Speaker 2 (38:33):
This is gonna be that.
Speaker 1 (38:34):
He's just freelances based on what you do. So if
you have zone concepts, he is just gonna find the
opening and sit in it. And Patrick knows exactly where
he's going to go. So when you're at practice and
these guys are hammering home like, hey, this is where
they like to go against these defenses, this is where
(38:56):
he likes to go, you have no clue. You could
think Key might sit there if you're sitting as an underneath,
you know, middle of the field spot dropper as a linebacker.
But if you're cheating the wrong way, he'll go the
other way. The they're not running, it's like it's like basketball,
It's like a fluid situation where you watch the Lions,
(39:18):
like everyone's running specific place right, like this guy's doing this,
this guy's doing that, and the other guy's doing that.
Like Travis just running a route out in the middle
of the field and he's gonna find the empty grass.
So if you're cheating the left, if you're cheating the right,
he's gonna go the opposite way. And he does it
over and over and over again in all these big games,
(39:39):
because think about the heightened intensity of a playoff game.
Speaker 2 (39:42):
You're extra focused.
Speaker 1 (39:43):
All these linebackers, do your assignment, don't fuck up. This
is where I gotta be. These are my keys. This
is what I'm looking for. And you're just you're just
playing high level football and then you're you're basically playing
checkers and he's playing chess. What today, seven catches for
one to seventeen in a touchdown, I think they said
(40:04):
on the broadcast is ninth game with over one hundred yards.
And you know, the Chiefs have a huge advantage that
they get basically a twenty four hour rest before the
other team plays, and then whoever wins that game, if
it's Baltimore, they got to fly home. Then they got
to fly again to Kansas City, and if it's Buffalo,
they just have a long travel. Now, I think you know,
(40:27):
it's gonna feel like more than likely. We'll see how
the Eagles look. That the super Bowl will be played
in the AFC. Obviously, the Eagles to me are the
probably the.
Speaker 2 (40:38):
Team that could beat one of those three teams.
Speaker 1 (40:42):
I have a hard time not trying to burst anyone's bubble,
But I could I see the Commanders beating the Chiefs,
Ravens or Bills. Could I see the Rams beating one
of those teams?
Speaker 2 (40:51):
I can't.
Speaker 1 (40:53):
I could see the Eagles if Jalen's playing good, But
if Jalen's playing bad and AJ's reading you know, the
inner game of Tennis or whatever the fuck he's reading,
no chance. So yeah, man, Lions lose Commies first time
since ninety one, and the Chiefs seventh championship game since
(41:15):
twenty nineteen. So it shows you how polar opposite the
Chiefs are to like the Commies. Commi's like, yeah, we
haven't been in this game since nineteen ninety one. Patrick
was like, yeah, it was there last year. Then I
was there the year before, then the year before and
then the year before that. And I think the year
before that, and oh and the year before that. I
(41:47):
guess we can end on this. I was hoping that
the Bears would do what was reported that they did,
and honestly, the more I thought about it, is like,
of course they would not be doing their job if
they didn't call the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Speaker 2 (42:01):
I think there's two.
Speaker 1 (42:03):
It's like a double edged sword here with Mike Tomlin
on one side. I really respect him because in a
business where it's a shady.
Speaker 2 (42:13):
Business, from the teams.
Speaker 1 (42:15):
From the coaches and their agents, you do whatever you
can to survive and make sure you get as much
money as possible.
Speaker 2 (42:22):
For as long as possible.
Speaker 1 (42:24):
So if you were just looking at like I think now,
we have to acknowledge as long as he has a
winning season, regardless how it ends, he's just going to
keep his job in perpetuity. Maybe if he ever had
like a four win season, anything would be on the table.
But as long as his team's win in nine plus games,
Mike Tomlin's not gonna get fired.
Speaker 2 (42:43):
But there has to be an.
Speaker 1 (42:44):
Element of most coaches I think would do this, like,
you know what, I don't really think I can win here.
I'm going to jump to the Bears, where they do
have a young quarterback, assuming he likes him. Maybe he doesn't,
and go, hey, sign me to a five year contract
for sixty seventy million dollars and I just got a
better chance to win. Maybe he doesn't think that, but
(43:07):
there is a loyalty that he shows the Pittsburgh Steelers
from one. He never even leaks out, and I think
a lot of coaches would given his situation. It's just
kind of going nowhere, and everyone's shitting on him that, like,
you know, Tomlin's ready to sniff around. Like Tomlin is
a really, really loyal guy. There are elements to coaching
(43:29):
of like used car salesman and like snake oil salesman,
not necessarily to their players, but when it comes to
their contract, when it comes to you know, trying to
put themselves in the best situation to win. And Tomlin's
just pretty old school in the sense that like doesn't
(43:50):
do any of that comes out after the season they
try to ask him about the situation, would he go
anywhere else?
Speaker 2 (43:58):
He's basically, don't waste your time.
Speaker 1 (44:00):
And he's been saying this for years, and finally someone
does get aggressive and reach out and they immediately.
Speaker 2 (44:06):
Shoot it down.
Speaker 1 (44:08):
So maybe this the Steelers are the most loyal franchise
in all of sports. Mike, Tom's pretty loyal too. And
it's like a two way street sometimes, and I'm sure
we've all experienced this in life, whether with a personal relationship,
with a professional relationship, one side can be a lot
more loyal than the other side, whether it's a business partner,
(44:29):
whether it's an employee and a boss, whether it's a
boyfriend and girlfriend, a husband and wife. This feels like
they're very connected at the hip. There is extreme loyalty
between the.
Speaker 2 (44:40):
Two, and.
Speaker 1 (44:43):
I think it's time for a change. If I was Mike,
I'd probably be ready for time for a change. But like,
maybe he goes, why would I want to coach the
fucking Chicago Bears. I coach the Pittsburgh Steelers. I would
rather try to figure it out here without a quarterback. Then,
and again, there is no guarantee. He thinks Caleb Williams
any good because you're watching Jayden and Daniels the night, Like,
(45:06):
Caleb got a long way to go before he ever
looks half as good as that, So maybe he doesn't
even want to risk it. He goes, what the hell's
the difference. I'd rather have nothing than be tied to
this guy where all the pressure is going to be
what if he's not good and make me look like
an idiot.
Speaker 2 (45:19):
But there is.
Speaker 1 (45:20):
A I just think most guys would at least put
it out there, and he doesn't at all. We've seen
Sean Payton do that the way he kind of wiggled
his way out.
Speaker 2 (45:31):
We've seen a lot of coaches do this.
Speaker 1 (45:33):
Kind of entertain other jobs, get raises. You know, Andy
Reid's done it over the years now, just to even
float in a retirement. That's the business they're in, like
they should. I'm talking like McVeigh. It's like floating Amazon.
Speaker 2 (45:48):
To get a race.
Speaker 1 (45:49):
Happens all the time. You're not even a bad guy
if you do. It's just part of the business. It's
part of You have to have a little of that
to you to maximize your money. And I don't know
if it goes back to when he originally got hired
and no one thought that, no one even knew who
Mike Tomlin was, and they took a chance on him.
A couple years later, who wins a Super Bowl. He's
(46:10):
made a shitload of money there if you watch Hard Knocks,
his wife's got the little boutique in town.
Speaker 2 (46:14):
Like they're living well.
Speaker 1 (46:16):
But there is just an extreme two way loyalty there
that I just don't think exists in the NFL, honestly.
I mean, hell, they were rumors about John Harbaugh getting fired,
like right the year before Lamar got there was like that,
I think they're gonna fire John Harbaugh. Never even comes
up with Mike Tomlin So Congress to the Steelers, Mike
(46:38):
Thomas not going anywhere. The volume
The volume.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
What is going on, my people? How are we doing?
Speaker 1 (00:18):
I said, you know what, the Commanders beat the Lions,
got to do a podcast, and that's what I did,
so Reaction pod to just watched. It's about ten o'clock
the number one seed get bounced in Detroit. The Commedis
and Jaden Daniels headed to the NFC Championship game for
(00:41):
the first time since nineteen ninety one, which is a
long time, which ironically last year was the first time
the Lions had been to the NFC Championship since nineteen
ninety one because that's when they played each other. But
other than that, we will talk about the chiefs, the officiating.
I'm sure everyone's up in arms, but also Demiko, who
(01:02):
I love, and the Texan's not taking advantage of when
they were playing well, So we will dive into those
two games. Mike Tomlin, the Bears and.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
We had talked.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
Hell, I'd throw it out like the Bear should try
to trade for him. They clearly sniffed around, but doesn't
look like that's gonna go anywhere. And yeah, that'll basically
be the show. So make sure you subscribe Three and
Out podcast if you listen on Collins feed. Make sure
you subscribe to the YouTube channel. All of our content
is up there as well. And I'll be doing I
(01:36):
won't have a podcast on Monday, Well I will, but
it will be a preview for Notre Dame Ohio State
with intern Jackson. I will just I'll just I'm dealing
with Coward after the Bill's Ravens game, and so you
can catch that on on Collins YouTube page or his
podcast feed. But let's dive into some football. Start with
(01:59):
this game. And I've been thinking about as it was like,
the Lions are gonna lose, and it's like, well, what
are we going to lead the show with? What's the
headline of this game? And I think big picture? And
this is what makes sports so cool, is like, if
this is a movie, you'd go, well, last year they
got to the brink and they lost the Niners. This
(02:20):
year they win fifteen games. They honestly with the Commanders forever.
But unlike the Commanders, they didn't get a new owner.
The Ford family still owns the squad, but they did
hire the right people and it was like, this is
gonna be their year. I don't know if they were
gonna win the Super Bowl, but the Lions are gonna
go to the super Bowl. The Detroit Lions are gonna.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
Go to the super Bowl.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
But this isn't a movie, and there isn't a happy ending.
This isn't Rudy coming off the edge and getting a sack,
or remember the Titans winning the last game.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
This is sports.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
This isn't Reality TV, even as much as people that
watch Chiefs games think it is.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
This is not scripted.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
Anything could happen on any given moment, and tonight the
Lions imploded. Jared Goff threw multiple interceptions, one that scored
a touchdown for the Commanders, another one that was caught
in the end zone. He also had a fumble their
wide receiver through an interception, which was honestly the backbreaking
(03:22):
play of the game. But if I told you that
the Commanders would average well over six yards of play
and that the Lions would throw three interceptions and lose
a fumble, there's just no way you can win. And
this was the question mark before the Vikings game where
you went, listen, man, is their defense gonna be good enough?
(03:45):
Is their defense gonna be good enough? And you saw
tonight it simply was not. But in games like this,
your offense has to be perfect. You might have to
score forty plus points, but their offense wasn't perfect. Jared
Goff imploded and played one of the worst games I
can remember him having in years, in a spot where
(04:08):
clearly they could not afford to have him do that.
And then because you know, his play was all over
the map, it felt like Ben Johnson, I don't know,
got a little cute. I don't know if he was
showing off for Tom Brady hoping there'd be a sixty
seventy million dollar offer on the table for his services
tomorrow from the Raiders, or it's just what he does.
(04:29):
Because in fairness to him, they run a lot of
trick plays. But when you're in a position and you're down,
you know, by ten points, and you got the ball
and it's in the second half, I'm not sure a
double pass is the right play because when you do
that stuff, I would say, typically, no matter what you
coach the wide receiver to do, if he's not open,
(04:52):
eat it, if he's not open, throw it away. I
think that gets coached into those players.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
All the time.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
But what usually happens the skilled guy wants to make
a play. He wants to throw the ball and he
threw it right to the dB and it essentially ended
the game right there. But like this game, isn't that complicated?
We can you know, I do this a lot as well.
We crush coaches for being cliche, for being just the
(05:22):
coach speak answers in these press conferences. But there is
a reason you hear over and over and over again.
We cannot lose the turnover battle. We cannot lose the
turnover battle. They have been saying it since the history
of the sport, because it usually kills you. Now, there
are moments in certain games where you can get away
(05:44):
from it. You cannot avoid it in playoff games because
you're not only playing the best teams, you're typically playing
the best quarterbacks. And we'll get into Jayden. It turns
out he looks like a fucking Hall of Famer. But
when you turn the ball over that many times, you
got no shot, and then when you factor in your
(06:06):
defense is awful. I mean, Amik Robinson, who had been
playing really, really well for him last or two weeks
ago against the Vikings, did an excellent job against Justin Jefferson.
Think he got a game ball right, and he has
played really really well for them this season. Shattered his
arm early in that game. You're like, they cannot overcome this.
(06:31):
They were already at, you know, at a tipping point
of like this is a law of diminishing returns and
we are well past it. And then Jared Goff starts
throwing to the other team. You're like, listen, I didn't
expect a rookie quarterback to be as good as he was.
But if I told you to begin the game that,
(06:51):
I'm not even going to count the last interception, but
he would throw a pick six, he would throw another
pick in the end zone, and he would have a fumble,
so he'd a returnovers. They're not gonna win like that.
They can't win like that. We saw them in a
game late in the season against the forty nine ers
on that Monday night, and it was the same situation. Touchdown, touchdown, touchdown, touchdown.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
No one was punting.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
The only way you're gonna lose in games like that
is turning the ball over. Why the Niners lose pretty
through a couple interceptions, and to me, that's one hundred
percent the difference in the game. And obviously the Lions
defense was atrocious night. They could not stop a soul
beside the one play where I don't know if it's
like a tush push quarterback sneak with like three options
(07:41):
or Mariota just tried to add lib. I kind of
hope he tried to add lib But if he was
looking to pitch it to Jaden who was in the shotgun,
I think it might have been an option. My guesses
and listen, you probably hear they might talk about it
in the press conferences. Is that like it's an option play.
He can either go forward if he sees or flip
it to Jaden. But when that play happened, you're like, hey,
(08:04):
you know, Dan is kind of you know, I mean,
Dan Quinn, like Dan Campbell, they will go for it relentlessly.
And then as the game went on, every single fourth
and short and they were always in fourth and short,
they were in fourth and sixes, they were in fourth
and two's, fourth and ones, fourth and threes.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
They were odd tomatic.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
You never had one thought in the back of your head,
and by the second one, if you're a Commander fan,
you're like, we're getting these that there is no way
they're going.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
To stop us.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
We can do a quarterback play action run first down.
We can have Jayden drop back, hit Zach Ertz, hit
Terry McLaurin, run for it, do whatever, we are going
to get this first down. And it just kept happening
and happening and happening.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
And there was a drive. You know, they had long drives.
They had long drives.
Speaker 1 (09:02):
Of like ten plus plays, six seven minutes. It's like
you just can't afford there is you know in football
when they are running the ball down your throat, and
tonight it felt like how many yards did the Comedi's
run for? One hundred and eighty three yards? One hundred
(09:23):
and eighty three yards, So you have I'm not going
to count the last turnover, but two picks and a
fumble and they're running for one hundred and eighty plus
yards and they're controlling the clock thirty three to twenty six.
That's hard, man. That is really really hard to overcome,
(09:45):
especially when you factor in I mean, obviously their quarterback
was a huge running threat, but that's a big kick
in the nuts if you're the Lions. Because as Schefter said,
I think he said it multiple times this week, he
reiterated it when I saw him say it this morning.
These two guys are getting jobs. We don't know exactly
(10:05):
where Ben Johnson's going. Is he gonna end up with
the Bears. Schefter made it seem like, don't discount the Jags. Obviously,
the Raiders are all in trying to get him. Ben
Johnson is gone, and by all accounts, Aaron Glenn is
gone as well. And sometimes and listen a couple of
years ago when the uh the Chargers couldn't stop a
(10:29):
soul in the second half of that game to the
Jags that was on Brandon Staley. His guys had no
fucking clue where to go. I remember it was blown
coverage after blown coverage after blown coverage. It's like these
defensive players have absolutely no clue what he's calling tonight.
Like guys are close, guys are there, They're just not
good enough. And this is what happens when you get
(10:50):
the attrition of the amount of injuries they had. Aaron
Glenn is clearly an excellent defensive coordinator in his style.
Because they're so undermanned, he had to be really aggressive
and there were countless times when the game was like
seven to ten points, so the Commanders hadn't taken off
where he's blitzing guys off the right side, and because
(11:11):
Jaden is such a great athlete, he was just able
to run away and he made so many plays tonight
with his feet that weren't just quote unquote designed runs.
Speaker 2 (11:21):
It was lamar ish.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
They're like, yeah, nothing's here, nothing's here.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
I'm out.
Speaker 1 (11:26):
I'm gonna gain six yards, I'm gonna gain eight yards,
I'm gonna gain ten yards. I'm gonna keep these move
the chains.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
Let's keep rolling.
Speaker 1 (11:33):
And there's nothing you can do about it. That's tough.
That's tough. And I think if you're a Lions fan,
for as awesome as this is for the Commanders fans,
and it should just be an incredible moment. This You
just won your fourteenth game this season, You're in the
NFC Championship Game for the first time since nineteen ninety one,
(11:57):
and no one saw this coming At this time last year,
they had the number two overall pick in the draft.
I'm not even sure as of January eighteenth, was Dan
Quinn officially their hire. Maybe Adam Peters had been hired,
and I'm not sure. I don't have to google when
they even hired the guys. I'd say there's a fifty
to fifty chance that neither guy was even hired at
(12:20):
this point in time, and if one was, it was
probably Adam. But I think the Lions lost is worse
than their great win because this is the first time
that Washington has made the NFC Championship Game since nineteen
ninety one. Nineteen ninety one, I'm forty years old. In
nineteen ninety one, I was seven. That is a long
(12:41):
time ago. But remember last year was the first time
that I think it was the first time ever the
Detroit Lions won multiple playoff games. It was the first
time I think since nineteen ninety one. Also because they
played Washington in the game, so you were looking at
(13:02):
two franchises that hadn't sniff success in so long. But
the difference is Detroit. The expectations were there this year
because they were in the game last season.
Speaker 2 (13:12):
At this point in time, last year, they were.
Speaker 1 (13:14):
Headed to the NFC Championship Game. This was gonna be
their year. Their coaching staff had been there forever. They
have three head coaches on their fucking staff, dan Quinn,
Ben Johnson, and Aaron Glenn. They have an all star
lineup on offense, so even if their defense sucks. We
are going to score on every drive. And you notice
the first drive of the game, it's like they had
(13:35):
to punt.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
You're like, huh, that's a little weird.
Speaker 1 (13:38):
That's a little weird, and let's face it, it was
just off. And by the time they had to call
that double pass, you know, from Jamison Williams, it almost
felt like Ben Johnson had lost his confidence in Jared Goff.
They can say whatever they want, but I never judge
a human being on their words. Words to me don't
(13:59):
mean shit. I judge you your actions. And his actions
calling that play in that spot was like and listen,
I get they like trick plays, but was kind of,
you know, a direct reflection of golf, and it felt
like they had kind of jumped off as bandwagon, which
to me is crazy because he had given you three
years of playing at a really high level. And it's
(14:20):
the opposite with Washington. They treat Jayden Daniels, who I
saw Jim Rome tweet this out. He thought that Jaden
Daniels is the greatest rookie quarterback he'd ever seen. He's
got to be on the short list. And when you
factor in that most rookie quarterbacks that become that go
on to have all time great careers. I mean, when
(14:42):
you think of the great quarterbacks in the NFL, Tom
Brady did not play as a rookie. Peyton Manning was
terrible as a rookie, John Lway, Joe Montana, Dan Marino,
I can't speak to their rookie years. Brett farrv was
a backup in Atlanta as a rookie.
Speaker 2 (14:59):
Steve Young.
Speaker 1 (15:01):
Was on Tampa Bay. It did not go well. Aaron
Rodgers was sitting right. Patrick Mahomes did not play as
a rookie beside the last game of the season in Denver.
He's just Josh Allen wasn't good as a rookie. Lamar
was good but didn't start the whole time. It's just
(15:23):
Joe Burrow shattered his leg. Justin Herbert had a really
good rookie season, but his team didn't make the playoffs.
So I think when you look, Roethlisberger's team went far
as a rookie, but he wasn't that good and their
team was built about avoiding him. Dak Prescott had a
(15:43):
really good season as a rookie, but they lost in
this round. So pretty special. Shit, man, these guys changed
the franchise overnight changed Washington overnight. Dink Allen's saying, that
is this franchise like the Lions. This is what we
(16:04):
said last year, what they accomplished, Like, that's insane. You
did that to the Lions, what they did with this team,
And it's really because of Jayden Daniels. I don't think
their defense is that good. Like in two years, how
many guys on this defense are gonna be starting for
that defense? The corner from Michigan, maybe a D lineman,
(16:28):
a couple of dbs maybe. I think this isn't like
it's insane.
Speaker 2 (16:33):
Now.
Speaker 1 (16:34):
Mclaurin's an excellent player. The touchdown he had the night
was badass. Terry McLaurin is a stud. But you know
that kind of got a running back group by committee.
Eckler's a good little change of pay scap back. McNichols.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
Adam Peters loves that guy.
Speaker 1 (16:51):
Brian Robinson I'm a fan of, but he clearly fell
out of favor though he had a touchdown the night.
Speaker 2 (16:58):
Ertz is my age.
Speaker 1 (17:01):
So it's it's insane that they are in the NFC
Championship game with this roster. And it's simple like quarterback.
There's gonna be a lot of talk about in Caleb.
I saw today he was at like a USC game.
He's got a cast on his arm. It's because like
he removed a cysts or something. I mean, the chances
(17:22):
that in five years Caleb Williams has two playoff victories,
Like what he's already just accomplished immediately as a rookie
is pretty insane. Like the lead he has on his
draft class. And it's obviously he's a special athlete and
he's got a big arm, but when you watch him
play quarterback, you're like, he's not. He is a running quarterback,
(17:47):
but he doesn't really play like a running quarterback on
so many pass plays where he just sits in the
pocket like a true pocket guy and throws these absolute
seeds and darts right over the middle of the field.
Hitdn't get in stride on like third and long or
second and long or fourth and four.
Speaker 2 (18:07):
It's like, how.
Speaker 1 (18:08):
Calm, cool and collected is this guy. It's amazing to
watch as just a fan of football. It is insane
how calm this guy is in these moments. He's on
the road in Detroit. I can't even imagine. I mean,
right when he comes out for the first drive, he's
going like this, he's trying to hear and his team's
(18:30):
not as.
Speaker 2 (18:31):
Talented as who he's playing. And it doesn't even matter.
Speaker 1 (18:37):
He was the best player on the field tonight by
a country mile, Like who would you even say was
the second best player on the field. He was dominant
and clearly and listen, you know it's a new school
way of thinking, always going forward on fourth down.
Speaker 2 (18:54):
Now.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
Granted, their kicker sucks, and one thing Brady mentioned in
the second half, like you're playing with house money, Like, no, Tom,
they have a ten point lead in the second half
of the second round of the playoffs. Yet most people
probably thought they'd win seven eight games and be a
successful season. But that's no longer house money. That is,
(19:15):
we've taken like one thousand dollars to the blackjack table
and now we have fifty k So it's like, yeah,
just if you blow a little bit, what, No, you
have fifty thousand dollars you started with one thousand, Like,
let's let's be smart about this. We want to go
home with fifty thousand dollars. If you want to bet
a couple more Koka, but at minimum you're going home
(19:36):
with like forty seven. You cannot lose this game. Going
into this game one hundred percent, you're playing with house money.
Speaker 2 (19:44):
The moment you have a.
Speaker 1 (19:45):
Ten point lead at halftime and your quarterback looks like
he's in a different universe than Jared Goff. You had
to win it, and they did, and they dominated, and
you know, you talk about a storybook kind of ending,
and obvious their season is not over. I mean, they
have gonna have a legit chance to be in the
(20:05):
Super Bowl. They are gonna have to go on the
road again. Right so tomorrow night or I guess tomorrow
day afternoon, whoever wins that Rams Eagles game is hosting.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
The NFC Championship Game.
Speaker 1 (20:17):
And I think if you're the Commanders, I think most
people would say, oh, they'd rather play the Rams.
Speaker 2 (20:22):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (20:22):
I mean, you're pretty comfortable playing the Eagles, Like, you
know their schemes, You've coached against them twice, you watch
cross tapes so often throughout the season. Because of the division,
there is just a huge, huge comfort level there. I
think if you just pulled the average NFL fan, they
(20:43):
would say the Rams, it's gonna be hard regardless and
who knows, like could so far even host a game
next week that they could in a week ago.
Speaker 2 (20:54):
Can they do it now? I mean they're still fires ripping.
Maybe they could. I don't know.
Speaker 1 (20:58):
We will find out, I guess if they win. But
I don't think you'd be intimidated to play the Eagles,
even though you would be a big underdog, because, like
we had talked about the house money thing, you would
have house money going into the game until you would
be winning the game or something at halftime and there's
no longer house money. Then you're actually playing to go
(21:20):
to the super Bowl. This was the thing with the
Lions last year. It was like when Dan Campbell went
forward on fourth and whatever instead of kicking the field goal.
It's like, Dan, this is no longer house money.
Speaker 2 (21:31):
This is a game to go to the super Bowl.
Speaker 1 (21:33):
If you kick this field goal, you will be up
seventeen points. Last time I checked, that takes three offensive
drives to get seventeen plus points. They can't tie the
game with two drives. You have a huge advantage. And
last year kind of bit him in the ass. So
you could argue looking at Dan Campbell like yeah, this sucked.
(21:54):
I can't even imagine being in that lion's locker room.
I can't even imagine being Dan Campbell knowing you're gonna.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
Lose your two coaches.
Speaker 1 (22:01):
But you could argue, looking back on last year, the
opportunity was there to put a knife in the throat
of the San Fransco forty nine ers. I don't know
if you've watched that Cowboy and Indian show that Tim
Riggins from Friday, and that lights plays this dude who's
taking this chick across the country. It's basically like John
Wick meets the eighteen fifties. It's incredible. People just get
(22:23):
killed like every five minutes, but sometimes just you gotta
go for the kill shot. And tonight I felt like
every time the commander's never relented. But end of the game,
it's like okay, And it's different scenarios, not apples to apples,
like no, we gotta kick a field goal here, we're
not going for it. We're going up seventeen unless end.
Now he missed the field goal, but that was one
(22:45):
d PC the right move. It would end the game
like this thing that there is absolutely no shot. So
what a moment. And this is why we like sports
and football because you never know. Stucky and I talked
about it and he was really hammering this home.
Speaker 2 (23:01):
He's like, this.
Speaker 1 (23:02):
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Speaker 1 (24:43):
Then, speaking of weird, the Chiefs are headed back to
the NFCAFC Championship game seven straight year. I do think
the headline of this game and listen. It's not like
the Texans deserve to win the game. There were three calls,
definitely two and another moment. They were pretty outrageous. Now
(25:06):
I am all four protecting quarterbacks. They carry the league
in terms of entertainment, at least the good quarterbacks. I
don't give a shit about the bottom fifteen. Those guys
should not get flags. No one would care when they
miss games. No one misses them, but all the Pro Bowl,
high end guys all four, protecting them all four. I
(25:29):
am four Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Jayden Daniels,
Jared Goff being in the game. I mean tonight for
a split second when Jared Goff got rocked and didn't
get a penalty, and he thought, if that was Patrick Mahomes,
they would have thrown three flags and it would have
been a one hundred yard penalty. But he didn't get anything.
You thought he got a concussion, he was gonna be
(25:50):
out and they were gonna have to play with Teddy Bridgewater,
who was literally coaching high school football like.
Speaker 2 (25:54):
Three weeks ago.
Speaker 1 (25:55):
I think he won Miami State championship. Kind of crazy
that he was even the backup. Pretty questionable indictment on
Hendon Hooker, who I said, if Ben Johnson gets a job,
he should take him with him. But that's a conversation
for another day. So I'm all for it protecting the quarterbacks.
But there were two moments today that I think we've
jumped the shark. And people push back on this about
(26:17):
the Chiefs, that the refs and the league are in
the tank for the Chiefs. Now, one thing that is
not debatable the Chiefs are the number one rated team
in the NFL. I read an article like halfway through
the season they were rating higher this year than the Cowboys.
They are doing astronomical numbers when they're on television. They
(26:39):
have the current most famous player in the league, and
Patrick Mahomes obviously their second most famous player is dating
one of the most famous human beings on the planet.
That they are a ratings bonanza. And when I was
a kid, the Sacramento Kings couldn't beat the Lakers. And
then it came out later that one of the ref
(27:00):
for rees was working for the Mob and helped the
Lakers make it to the NBA Finals. And there were
always rumors about how David Stern wanted to fuck the
smaller markets to make sure the Lakers were in the
primetime games. Now, from a business perspective, if I was
David Stern, I would have done the same thing because
(27:21):
it was better for business if the Lakers were in
the NBA Finals, then the Sacramento Kinks. But I hate
the fucking Lakers. I wanted the Kings to win, and
I remember that infuriated me. And as I got older
and you find out the details, you're like they never
had a shot.
Speaker 2 (27:38):
Made you even more mad.
Speaker 1 (27:40):
But then you get even older and you realize, well,
from a business perspective, totally get it.
Speaker 2 (27:43):
It's about moving the needle.
Speaker 1 (27:45):
And I think most people think that the Chiefs are
these games are rigged. And I think they watched today
and that's gonna be a huge conversation for people that
aren't Chiefs fans.
Speaker 2 (27:57):
Here's what I do know.
Speaker 1 (27:59):
It is great for business.
Speaker 2 (28:00):
When people hate.
Speaker 1 (28:01):
You, you either want them to be hate you or
love you. You want nobody in the middle. You want no apathy.
That's bad for business. And the one thing the Chiefs
do right now is they create emotion. The Lakers have
done this forever, and the Yankees do this, and the
Cowboys started to diminish.
Speaker 2 (28:19):
They used to do it a lot more.
Speaker 1 (28:21):
But when I say the Kansasity Chiefs, I evoke some
sort of emotion into a football fan, and there's a
lot of hatred in people rooting against them right now.
That's a good thing for the business of the NFL.
Do I think that they told the referees to make
sure to call plays or call fouls when guys get
close to Patrick Mahomes. I don't necessarily think they do.
Speaker 2 (28:43):
They do that.
Speaker 1 (28:44):
I do think these referees when they officiate Patrick Mahomes
are just basically officiating scared and are so quick to
throw the flag. Will Anderson did not touch his helmet.
It should not have been a fifteen yard penalty. The
second one, the two Texans players helmet to helmet each other.
(29:05):
Patrick Mahomes didn't even get touched. But to me, the
most egregious thing today, and this is where the NFL
needs to step in, and Patrick Mahomes has been doing
this for years, is when he went to the sideline
and he was running to get out of bounds and
then he stopped. He's manipulating the rules. He has turned
(29:26):
into Chris Paul James Harden when it comes to getting
fouls on the sideline and he got shoved. Now they
ended up not throwing a flag, thank god. But he's
too great of a player and too important to the
league to be doing that stuff. The league does need
to step in and end that right now. And honestly,
(29:47):
I'd have no problem if you do that. That's a
fifteen yard penalty on the offense that cannot happen. But
I'm also not gonna sit here and act like you
know what, the Texans should have won. The game is
their game to win. Demiko is a great coach, and
I saw a headline today from rap Sheet about Robert Sala,
(30:10):
who somehow is getting a million interviews. Like, guys, I
like Robert Sala, I root for my bald brother. I'd
hire him as my defensive coordinator. He was a fucking
terrible head coach, I mean, completely over his head as
a head coach. Interviewing as a head coach to me
seems insane, but rap Sheet basically said is like no
wonder everyone's interviewing Sala. He was once Dimiko's mentor, and
(30:33):
Demiko says that he learned everything from him, and that's
don't I think there's some truth to that. He was
a mentor to Demiko Ryans as a younger coach, But
there is not one team in the NFL who would
hire Robert Sala over Demiico Ryans obviously as a head coach,
let alone a defensive coordinator.
Speaker 2 (30:55):
Demiko's really good.
Speaker 1 (30:56):
I think Demiko is easily I think we saw two
of I don't know the top two or three defensive
coaches in the league in Spags in Demko going at
it in that game. Demiko is an elite defensive coach
and he had the boys ready. Now they have a
lot of talent and their front obviously the Chiefs offensive
line can be a little iffy, was dominating the line
(31:17):
of scrimmage early on. Patrick was running around for his life.
But there were two moments in that game that just
made me go to Miko that this cannot happen. One
early in the game, he kicked a field goal into
the wind, which did not even have a chance. If
it was a golf hole, the ball would be out
of bounds. It was really, really bad. It was a
fifty five yard field goal. You can't do that in
(31:40):
a field position game against Kansay Chiefs. And then late
in the game, it was twenty to twelve and as
Aikman is screaming at the television, I guess he's on television.
He's screaming through the television call time out. I don't
like this. Call time out, and he didn't, and it
probably should have been a delay a game. And the
play got all the men up and it wasn't even close.
(32:02):
I got no problem necessarily going for it, and I
have a rule of thumb. I'm not a big call
time out guy in the second half for a delay
of game, but this is the playoffs and that play
was essentially your season. So you either got to take
the delay a game and then choose to punt or
call time out.
Speaker 2 (32:21):
And he didn't either.
Speaker 1 (32:23):
So like situational awareness in time management, which is something
that Andy used to get crushed for. Who's he's now
elite at that. And Demiko a young coach who is
a stud if you know, I saw Harbaugh say the
big Cats say, hey, anyone's selling justin Herbert Stock, I
(32:43):
will buy all of it. I will keep accumulating Demiko
Ryan Stock. He is an excellent young coach. If he
was an offensive guy, we would talk about this guy.
I mean shit, everyone blows Kevin O'Connell. He's never won
a playoff game. Demiko's won two and two years so
and went toe to toe to day with the champs.
But you gotta be better than that. And he said
(33:06):
after the game, like we knew coming into this game
everyone would be against us ay Ei the refs, and
it was true, but that can't happen. That was a
moment that just you gotta be better because in this game,
like you're out playing them. You're at one point in
time that I think they had one hundred more yards offense.
(33:27):
They just look like the better team, and everyone's saying that, well,
that's great, But this is games, not like scored from
the twenty to the twenty or on time of possession.
There is a scoreboard.
Speaker 2 (33:40):
So when you.
Speaker 1 (33:41):
Don't have the lead and you're down in a game
or losing in a game, especially in a playoff situation,
no one cares that you're out playing them. That sounds great,
and that to me means stuff in the regular season
because ultimately, over the course of a month, that will
turn into wins.
Speaker 2 (34:00):
But this you get.
Speaker 1 (34:01):
This is not a seven game series. This is a
sixty minute game. So I can be out playing my
opponent all they want, all I want. If it's thirteen
to three, who cares. Obviously their kicker melted down, you know,
missed the field goal into the wind. Then they come
out of halftime and this is Demko shines again. Squad
(34:24):
is ready. They have a long fifteen play drive tech
takes up ten minutes on the clock. They got five
first downs off third downs on this drive, meant they
were either in third and five, third and three, and
they converted it five different times, scored a touchdown to
make it it was gonna be thirteen to thirteen misses
the kick and then you're like, God, something just off
(34:47):
about the Texans. Something is just off. Now later that's
what happened with the uh when Patrick slid or whatever
and the two guys fly over him and they call
the penalty, which was egregious. Was and there's no I'm
not going to argue around that, but I'm also not
going to act like, you know, the Texans didn't screw
(35:08):
themselves countless times throughout this game, but like, this is
what we thought about the Chiefs all season. And Mahomes
was asked after the game, like was this rust because
you guys didn't play and he said, no, they're a
big time defense. And I don't think he's wrong. Will
Anderson is a badass. Like you watched today, You're like,
(35:29):
I get why Will Anderson went third overall last year.
I get why Jayden Daniels went second overall this year.
Shit should have gone one. You watch Jamiir Gibbs, You're like,
no wonder the Lions drafted him in the top fifteen.
That guy play that plays anytime any day. Someone tweeted
at me that he looked like what everyone thought Reggie
(35:49):
Bush coming out of USC was actually gonna look like
in the NFL. That's Jamier Gibbs. Like, that's a pretty
good one. So the high end talent on the Texans,
and I said this coming into the game, like they
have some flaws. Their offensive line is a major question mark.
And you saw today the Chiefs have I think I
don't know if it was the first or second sack.
(36:11):
I mean he was sacked. How many times was CJ
sacked today? Eight sacked? Eight times? Eight sacks? I'm sorry,
that just can't happen. What happened when they move Chris
Jones out to defensive end over the right tackle and
(36:32):
he smoked them for a sack. George Karlovskis, who is
just a good, high energy, just a really good starter,
was just all over his ass all game long. I
think he ended the game with three sacks. You cannot
win a playoff game against the kanc Chiefs when you
get a couple of bad calls go your way. When
(36:53):
your quarterback get sacked eight times, it just can't happen.
Especially when you're running the ball pretty well. The Texans
ran for one hundred and fifty yards, Mixon's averaging five
yards of carry. But what happened today, It's.
Speaker 2 (37:09):
Like he's washed. He's washed.
Speaker 1 (37:11):
He's washed, like, just wait for the playoffs, wait for
the playoffs. And he's not as fast as he used
to be. It was evident on his big how long
was his big play forty nine yards? He probably scores
on that five years ago. He might score on that
three years ago.
Speaker 2 (37:29):
His speed, if.
Speaker 1 (37:30):
It was once for a tight end like a nine
out of ten, it's probably like a six and a
half now. But his instincts in space, when you get
eighty seven the ball, to make a guy miss, to
break an arm tackle, you can't teach what he.
Speaker 2 (37:45):
Brings to the table and the other thing.
Speaker 1 (37:47):
And this is where Chris Jones karloskis now is. I mean,
this is Carlosa's third year. All George knows the Super
Bowls and being one seats and kicking the shit out
of everybody. That's all these guys know. So you are
playing people that have just unlimited playoff experience at the
highest level, and no one has more than Patrick and Travis.
(38:10):
So when you get those guys in big spots and
you know what basically was, you know, the game winning
score when Travis or when Patrick's about to get sack,
goes down on his knees and throws the ball to
Kelsey and people go like, how does he always get open?
Why could no one cover him? Because they're not like
running specific routes.
Speaker 2 (38:28):
He's not.
Speaker 1 (38:29):
This is gonna be a five yard curl, this is
gonna be like a seven yard in route.
Speaker 2 (38:33):
This is gonna be that.
Speaker 1 (38:34):
He's just freelances based on what you do. So if
you have zone concepts, he is just gonna find the
opening and sit in it. And Patrick knows exactly where
he's going to go. So when you're at practice and
these guys are hammering home like, hey, this is where
they like to go against these defenses, this is where
(38:56):
he likes to go, you have no clue. You could
think Key might sit there if you're sitting as an underneath,
you know, middle of the field spot dropper as a linebacker.
But if you're cheating the wrong way, he'll go the
other way. The they're not running, it's like it's like basketball,
It's like a fluid situation where you watch the Lions,
(39:18):
like everyone's running specific place right, like this guy's doing this,
this guy's doing that, and the other guy's doing that.
Like Travis just running a route out in the middle
of the field and he's gonna find the empty grass.
So if you're cheating the left, if you're cheating the right,
he's gonna go the opposite way. And he does it
over and over and over again in all these big games,
(39:39):
because think about the heightened intensity of a playoff game.
Speaker 2 (39:42):
You're extra focused.
Speaker 1 (39:43):
All these linebackers, do your assignment, don't fuck up. This
is where I gotta be. These are my keys. This
is what I'm looking for. And you're just you're just
playing high level football and then you're you're basically playing
checkers and he's playing chess. What today, seven catches for
one to seventeen in a touchdown, I think they said
(40:04):
on the broadcast is ninth game with over one hundred yards.
And you know, the Chiefs have a huge advantage that
they get basically a twenty four hour rest before the
other team plays, and then whoever wins that game, if
it's Baltimore, they got to fly home. Then they got
to fly again to Kansas City, and if it's Buffalo,
they just have a long travel. Now, I think you know,
(40:27):
it's gonna feel like more than likely. We'll see how
the Eagles look. That the super Bowl will be played
in the AFC. Obviously, the Eagles to me are the
probably the.
Speaker 2 (40:38):
Team that could beat one of those three teams.
Speaker 1 (40:42):
I have a hard time not trying to burst anyone's bubble,
But I could I see the Commanders beating the Chiefs,
Ravens or Bills. Could I see the Rams beating one
of those teams?
Speaker 2 (40:51):
I can't.
Speaker 1 (40:53):
I could see the Eagles if Jalen's playing good, But
if Jalen's playing bad and AJ's reading you know, the
inner game of Tennis or whatever the fuck he's reading,
no chance. So yeah, man, Lions lose Commies first time
since ninety one, and the Chiefs seventh championship game since
(41:15):
twenty nineteen. So it shows you how polar opposite the
Chiefs are to like the Commies. Commi's like, yeah, we
haven't been in this game since nineteen ninety one. Patrick
was like, yeah, it was there last year. Then I
was there the year before, then the year before and
then the year before that. And I think the year
before that, and oh and the year before that. I
(41:47):
guess we can end on this. I was hoping that
the Bears would do what was reported that they did,
and honestly, the more I thought about it, is like,
of course they would not be doing their job if
they didn't call the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Speaker 2 (42:01):
I think there's two.
Speaker 1 (42:03):
It's like a double edged sword here with Mike Tomlin
on one side. I really respect him because in a
business where it's a shady.
Speaker 2 (42:13):
Business, from the teams.
Speaker 1 (42:15):
From the coaches and their agents, you do whatever you
can to survive and make sure you get as much
money as possible.
Speaker 2 (42:22):
For as long as possible.
Speaker 1 (42:24):
So if you were just looking at like I think now,
we have to acknowledge as long as he has a
winning season, regardless how it ends, he's just going to
keep his job in perpetuity. Maybe if he ever had
like a four win season, anything would be on the table.
But as long as his team's win in nine plus games,
Mike Tomlin's not gonna get fired.
Speaker 2 (42:43):
But there has to be an.
Speaker 1 (42:44):
Element of most coaches I think would do this, like,
you know what, I don't really think I can win here.
I'm going to jump to the Bears, where they do
have a young quarterback, assuming he likes him. Maybe he doesn't,
and go, hey, sign me to a five year contract
for sixty seventy million dollars and I just got a
better chance to win. Maybe he doesn't think that, but
(43:07):
there is a loyalty that he shows the Pittsburgh Steelers
from one. He never even leaks out, and I think
a lot of coaches would given his situation. It's just
kind of going nowhere, and everyone's shitting on him that, like,
you know, Tomlin's ready to sniff around. Like Tomlin is
a really, really loyal guy. There are elements to coaching
(43:29):
of like used car salesman and like snake oil salesman,
not necessarily to their players, but when it comes to
their contract, when it comes to you know, trying to
put themselves in the best situation to win. And Tomlin's
just pretty old school in the sense that like doesn't
(43:50):
do any of that comes out after the season they
try to ask him about the situation, would he go
anywhere else?
Speaker 2 (43:58):
He's basically, don't waste your time.
Speaker 1 (44:00):
And he's been saying this for years, and finally someone
does get aggressive and reach out and they immediately.
Speaker 2 (44:06):
Shoot it down.
Speaker 1 (44:08):
So maybe this the Steelers are the most loyal franchise
in all of sports. Mike, Tom's pretty loyal too. And
it's like a two way street sometimes, and I'm sure
we've all experienced this in life, whether with a personal relationship,
with a professional relationship, one side can be a lot
more loyal than the other side, whether it's a business partner,
(44:29):
whether it's an employee and a boss, whether it's a
boyfriend and girlfriend, a husband and wife. This feels like
they're very connected at the hip. There is extreme loyalty
between the.
Speaker 2 (44:40):
Two, and.
Speaker 1 (44:43):
I think it's time for a change. If I was Mike,
I'd probably be ready for time for a change. But like,
maybe he goes, why would I want to coach the
fucking Chicago Bears. I coach the Pittsburgh Steelers. I would
rather try to figure it out here without a quarterback. Then,
and again, there is no guarantee. He thinks Caleb Williams
any good because you're watching Jayden and Daniels the night, Like,
(45:06):
Caleb got a long way to go before he ever
looks half as good as that, So maybe he doesn't
even want to risk it. He goes, what the hell's
the difference. I'd rather have nothing than be tied to
this guy where all the pressure is going to be
what if he's not good and make me look like
an idiot.
Speaker 2 (45:19):
But there is.
Speaker 1 (45:20):
A I just think most guys would at least put
it out there, and he doesn't at all. We've seen
Sean Payton do that the way he kind of wiggled
his way out.
Speaker 2 (45:31):
We've seen a lot of coaches do this.
Speaker 1 (45:33):
Kind of entertain other jobs, get raises. You know, Andy
Reid's done it over the years now, just to even
float in a retirement. That's the business they're in, like
they should. I'm talking like McVeigh. It's like floating Amazon.
Speaker 2 (45:48):
To get a race.
Speaker 1 (45:49):
Happens all the time. You're not even a bad guy
if you do. It's just part of the business. It's
part of You have to have a little of that
to you to maximize your money. And I don't know
if it goes back to when he originally got hired
and no one thought that, no one even knew who
Mike Tomlin was, and they took a chance on him.
A couple years later, who wins a Super Bowl. He's
(46:10):
made a shitload of money there if you watch Hard Knocks,
his wife's got the little boutique in town.
Speaker 2 (46:14):
Like they're living well.
Speaker 1 (46:16):
But there is just an extreme two way loyalty there
that I just don't think exists in the NFL, honestly.
I mean, hell, they were rumors about John Harbaugh getting fired,
like right the year before Lamar got there was like that,
I think they're gonna fire John Harbaugh. Never even comes
up with Mike Tomlin So Congress to the Steelers, Mike
(46:38):
Thomas not going anywhere. The volume
Hosts And Creators
Colin Cowherd
Jason McIntyre
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