January 2, 2026 • 22 mins
Gregg Bell of The Tacoma News Tribune joins Dick Fain and Hugh Millen to look ahead to tomorrow’s Seahawks-49ers game, the injuries involved for both teams, keeping Sam Darnold clean in the pocket, Seattle’s running game, and more dynamics for the game.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Our friend from the Tacoma News Tribune joins us. I'm
waiting for the tweet from Greg Bell, which says that
he is returning to the Tacoma News Tribune on a
one year deal in twenty twenty six. Like all these
college kids, this is this is unbelievable. Like every five minutes,
there's another Husky coming out.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Hey, I just.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
Signed a new one year deal with Washington. I'm coming
back this year. Greg, holy smokes man re signed. Isn't
that great?
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Oh? Oh my goodness.
Speaker 4 (00:30):
We come to when we come to well, quarterback the
quarterback in the Shugar and whatever the Cotton Bowl the
other night from Miami. Yeah, it went from Georgia. I've
believe that dollars transfer Carson back from from Georgia to
Miami got two million dollars from South Florida boosters.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Guys. Q knows this.
Speaker 4 (00:50):
That's three times the minimum salary in the NFL. They're
they're outpacing three x guys that are going to play
in Seahawks forty nine ers.
Speaker 5 (00:57):
Tom, that's crazy, absolutly I'm surprised it's only two million.
I thought Cam Moore got more than that.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
Yeah, that might be wrong.
Speaker 4 (01:04):
In the number, but just the fact, that's the fact
that these kids are eighteen, nineteen, twenty twenty one years
old making more than the guys who are going to
watch in the NFC Title Game to more night, NFC
West Title Game tomorrow night. Yeah, it's broken, man, it's broken.
Speaker 5 (01:17):
It's no question about it.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
Let's talk about that NFC West Title Game injury situation
first and foremost. Let's start at that left tackle position.
Give us the scoop on what's going on there.
Speaker 4 (01:28):
I think Josh Jones is going to play. I'm going
to start tomorrow. He's trending toward that. He's listeners questionable.
He practiced yesterday, he was part of their walkthrough in
preparations today. Mike McDonald course didn't want to give Kyle
Shanahan and the forty nine ers a word on that,
so he said he's questionable. We'll just go with that.
But I think he's done playing. They have Amari Kite,
(01:49):
the undrafted rookie from Central Florida who has a grand
total of two snaps on offense all year. They signed
him to the active roster from the practice squad as
an insurance policy this week, but McDonald earlier in the
week said that Jones got it, quote a little banged up,
which now I've come to know, and he's he's kind
of revealing when he says things about injuries, and.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
When he says just a little banged up, that usually
means they play. And that's where Jones is right now.
The good news on that front for the Seahawks is
that McDonald's said that they I think Charles Jones is
going to put Charles Charles cross the girl left tackle
is going to play in Seattle's first playoff game whenever
that ends up proving to be good.
Speaker 5 (02:27):
But getting back to Amari Kite, because if Josh Jones
has a setback, you're saying that Seattle's going to play
an undrafted free agent who has two snaps on the
year and he's from.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
The Central Florida You see.
Speaker 5 (02:44):
Yeah, wow, who's available other than him?
Speaker 4 (02:52):
Well, it's signs of course Jones to be the swing.
Mason Richmond has played guard and tackle. The rookie drafted
third daydre pick, He's barely played at all this season either.
They say that Kite has really impressed them since the
beginning of the season. Now it would be chip Athon
with aj Barner and running backs and everything else, if
(03:12):
they had the Cook Kite, and you can bet that
the forty nine ers and Robert Solo would scheme the
hell out of that edge as well. But I think
we're talking about something that's not going to happen. But
to Hugh's point, the guy coming off injury, if he
gets banged up in the game and has to come out,
they're saying it's going to be Amari Kite, and that
will be trouble.
Speaker 5 (03:33):
Any other injuries we should be worried about.
Speaker 4 (03:36):
Rashisha heat is back somewhat miraculously. Usually don't come back
in a short week from a concussion. But Donald said
today that actually the original test, the concussion protocol test
in the stadium on game day when he got banged
by Mike Jackson out of bounds in Carolina, were favorable
and so gave him a head start on clearing.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
Through the protocol cal quickly. He gets through the protocol,
improved by the third party play. He's not even on
the injury list. He is going to play. Kobe Bryant
will probably not play.
Speaker 4 (04:04):
He's doubtful.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
I think they're saving him for the first playoff game.
Next week, but.
Speaker 4 (04:10):
Suffice to say that they're getting in the case. It's
hard to say this because we are blowing this game
up big and it is, of course the difference between
the one and the five seed for them having to
buy home field advantage. It's worth repeating the only three
times the Seahawks have had home to advantage NFC playoffs,
so they only three times they've made the Super Bowl.
Having said all of that, next week's I should say
(04:33):
the next game after this one is bigger than this sure,
because it'll be winning a winner or go home, So
they are saving cross for that.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
It looks like they're going to save Kobe Bryant for
that too.
Speaker 4 (04:43):
She heeds a big deal though. You guys know that
the Seahawks didn't have him in Week one and Niners
really just ganged up on Smith and Jigg, who still
had a pretty good day in the opener. But they
didn't have the deep crossers that She's going to run tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
They didn't have.
Speaker 4 (04:58):
The field position flip that he can do in punt
and kick returns that she he's going to do tomorrow.
That's a different concern. Oh, by the way, a j
Barner he had two targets, one catch, no yards in
that opener. He's got four touchdowns in his last five games.
Klint Kubiak wants to throw the ball more to Barner.
That might start tomorrow night. I'd give Robert Salim the
(05:19):
defense something else to think about, but for A. J.
Barner to be an unsung key to tomorrow's game.
Speaker 5 (05:25):
Greg Bell with us, Uh, not that you directly report
on this, but but what do you know about Trent
Williams and or George Kittle? Like what's available for us
to know about those guys or anybody else on San Francisco?
Speaker 4 (05:42):
Yeah, dude, that's good point up in the cornerback as
a concussion. All they're all listen is questionable. I think
there's some gamesmanship going on with Shannon and I got
somebody's long time they area friends of mine when I
used to cover the Raiders who I've talked to the
last couple of days. The word I'm getting is Trent
Williams is not going to play that hamstrings who troublesome
and they're going to save him like the Seahawks are
(06:04):
with Cross and Bryant for the playoffs. It sounds like
Kittle's going to play and it looks like they kept
him out last week against the Bear so he could
play in this Wenning at the spring. Nkle in this
one game last week, so I'm expecting Kittle to play.
Williams to not and Upton he still hasn't cleared the protocol,
so he would probably be another one who's not going
to play. Ricky Piarsoll there's a chance he might play.
(06:26):
It questionable that people have talked to in San Francisco
said there's a chance that wide receiver who has been
out so much of this season will come back. Of course,
Fred Warner and Nick bos Is still uninjured, reserved big
holes in the defense for San Francisco. They had eighteen
sacks and seventeen games the worse than the NFL. I
think Darnold in the deep pass game is going to
come back tomorrow because the Niners an't going to be
(06:47):
able to get to them.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
You talked to Sam yesterday, Greg, What did he tell
you that he learned about last year's Vikings Lions game,
which was the exact same stakes as this one, that
it turned out to be a disaster for him in Minnesota.
Speaker 4 (07:00):
Yeah, exactly, eighteen for forty one one sixty six, and
I absolutely got boat raised thirty one nine by Detroit
that he knows they knew the stakes last year. He
implied that he put too much on himself mentally entering
that game because the stakes being what they were, So
he said that not making big.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
In it is.
Speaker 4 (07:21):
Yeah, it's fine time place with me going nuts. By
the way, he's going to have his San Clemente High
school football coach and quarterback coach. They're coming up. I
found that out too, those two guys in particular coming up.
He's excited about that too, but he was Donald was
really loose, much more joking with us than he's been
(07:42):
all the year yesterday. I don't know if that's been
a concerted effort on his partner. That's just how he
feels right now. Guys, they're gonna throw it deeper. They've
had to go shorter the last few weeks because some
pass protection issues, especially against the Rams. I think they're
going to exploit the forty nine ers lack of a
pass rush. Smith and Jiggs in line for a huge
game tomorrow. If Donald has time to throw. The question
(08:04):
becomes can he play a clean game? And Donald said
that yesterday, I need to play a clean game. Clint
Kubiak said, as great as Donald has been for them,
they will not win a championship turning the ball over
like they have. He of course, leads the league with
twenty of them, twenty eight turnovers for the offense, second
most in the league. Kubiak thinks that's the key. Don't
(08:26):
turn the ball over. We're gonna move it, We're gonna
score it. We've scored four hundred plus points, second in
the league and scoring we'll do that if we don't
turn the ball over and give San Francisco a short
field the match up points. And I think that's not
going to be just tomorrow night. That's gonna be the
key the rest of the postseason.
Speaker 5 (08:43):
Well, the four interceptions against the Rams and down there
and so far and then the two brutal here, I
understand why that's a focus. I hope they don't just
over paralyze him, because you know, I said a moment
to go, you know, the Sale is gonna unleash the
deep ball more. They're gonna have the protection you got
(09:05):
Rashid Shaheed uh and and and Greg to that point,
you know, I throw on the Carolina game game tape
and those Panther corners j C. Horn and Mike Jackson,
they were just squatting, pitching a tent right there, very
sussulptible to go route or double moves. And and I
bet they went on the tape and thought, wow, we
(09:27):
missed some opportunities, a lot of quarters covers. They didn't
get to the double post concepts. Did they speak anything
about that, like, wow, we kinda we we we should
have been more aggressive against the Panthers.
Speaker 4 (09:43):
Not specifically, although they did say they were plays they
went back and plays they should have had and got
away from them. And I can pick a couple of
the same ones you are. Yeah, the one interception in
the end zone where he threw a two deep, respected Jake,
but I've heard you talk about that this week and
the pressure on him.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
I agree.
Speaker 4 (10:03):
At the time, I thought that he had to get
rid of the ball sooner than he wanted to, and
that caused him to throw before he really read what
coverage they were in on that picture of what it
seemed like to me, But they have never as long
as I've been covering this team, even when the Niners
were down, I can't remember a Niners defense that has
not gotten to the quarterback, often less successfully than this one. Right,
(10:25):
and again it's because Bosa and Foreigner aren't in there.
But how many times have we come into a forty
nine er Seahawks game fearing for the quarterback's life and
thinking that that's going to change the whole game because
he's not going to have time to throw. That should
not be the problem tomorrow. Robert Salah's down there in
San Francisco has been trying to figure out should I
bring more pressure? And when in times he's done that,
(10:47):
guys like the Bears and Caleb Williams have killed him
with big plays because of that at pressure and blitzing,
the Niners don't blitz a lot, and I don't expect
in the blitz to mind if they don't blitz, And
because their front seven is not getting pressure, I really
think that's going to tilt the game.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
The Seahawk's advantage on offense.
Speaker 1 (11:04):
One touchdown in a month in the first half, Greg,
how does how does Kubiak explain that? How does Sam
explain that? What is going on there?
Speaker 4 (11:15):
Well, no one has said this, but you got to
look at the script that Kubiak's putting into games. And
it comes into it because they've had field goals and
nothing else for better for five weeks now, and they
won't tell us how many plays they are. They're fifteen
to twenty.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
Five, is what Kubiak says, but.
Speaker 4 (11:35):
Unless it comes thirty shorter goal line a third and twenty,
they stick pretty much to the first fifteen play Now,
the first fifteen players usually ends up being what three.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
Four drives, three drives.
Speaker 4 (11:47):
So now you're into the second quarter. So that speaks
to their preparation, as damning as that sounds, how they're
game planning and scheming against what they think they're going
to see versus what they get. It tells me they're
getting trick and that they're expecting, for example, the Rams
defense to show one thing and give them another. They
were zero zero with the Vikings into the second quarter.
(12:10):
They were six six into the second quarter in Atlanta.
They had plans for one thing and the teams have
given them another, and it's taken them a while to
adjust effectively. Not that Kubiak hasn't adjusted, but the effectiveness
of those adjustments haven't shown up until the second half.
Speaker 3 (12:28):
That needs a change too, because the siniors are going
to just sit back and do the same things they've
been doing for seventeen weeks, including in Week one, and
neither are the playoffs of Honing stepping up the next
couple of weeks.
Speaker 4 (12:39):
That it's the game within a game every week in
the NFL. What have you planned to do versus what
the team is doing against you? And how quickly can
you pivot off that plan? The script's not working and
they need to hone in better on what the teams
are going to actually do to them versus what they've
already done. We'll see how much better the script is
tomorrow night.
Speaker 5 (13:00):
Greg, the three of us and many of our listeners
have seen every single carry in Kenneth Walker and Zach
Charbonnay's career. For me, I might I'd have to think
about it more thoroughly, but I might argue that was
Kenneth Walker's worst game and just coincidentally, that might have
been Zach Scharbonay's best game last Sunday. I still am
(13:24):
a believer in Kenneth Walker on that regard. I'm you know,
one game is not going to tilt me off of that.
We remember what a great game Walker had against the Rams.
What do you have one hundred and sixty scrimmage yards
and so where and yet clearly we're coming off a
really good game by charbon Ay. Where where's the coaching staff?
(13:45):
What if you're reading tea leaves, how do you think
that the rotation's going to go tomorrow night?
Speaker 4 (13:51):
What I guys gathered you out of the last game
was they wanted to go outside zone against Carolina and
they think they're outside zone back as Charbonay, one cut,
go get the shoulders turned upfield and get through the hole.
And I think Tomorrow's gonna be more of a mix,
and therefore they're going to You're to see more of
Kenneth Walker. In fact, I'd go out on the limb
and predict that Kenneth Walker is going to have a
(14:12):
better game than Charbonad tomorrow and maybe one of the
better games he's had all season. The Fred Warner is
a gaping hole in the middle of that Niners defense.
Speaker 2 (14:21):
A lot of the.
Speaker 4 (14:22):
Streat plays that Kenneth Walker runs into guys against the
forty nine Ers are the guy he's running into is
Fred Warner, and he's not there. We're talking to all
pro potential Hall of Fame player who's not in there.
Tomorrow night, look for Kenneth Walker, looking for him to
do a mix of runs, not just straight outside zone,
some inside zone, some gap pools and toss sweep some
(14:43):
things that they didn't. They will focus more on outside
zone against the Panthers than they've been in a while.
The results are great, one hundred and sixty plus yards
in the second career on hundred yard game for Sharbonay,
But if you really look at those runs, really it
was only two large runs that gave him most of
those yards Sharbonnay, so it wasn't as if he was
grinding the entire game wearing down the Panthers. I'm with you, Hugh.
(15:07):
I'm still a guy who thinks Kenneth Walker is the
crux and the apex of their running game. And guys,
there are not bigger, There's not more at stake. The
two players have had the most at stake, I should
say tomorrow night and in the playoffs. Personally for their
futures is Kenneth Walker and Requalling. Both their contracts are ending.
(15:28):
They will not be more motivated Seahawks in Santa Clair
tomorrow than Kenneth Walker and Requilling.
Speaker 1 (15:34):
Final couple of minutes with Greg Bell adjusting to the
schedule to accommodate the short week. What have the Seahawks
done and there's been any complaints about, Hey, you're putting
us on a short week on back to back road
game situations. I saw where teams are just six and
thirteen in the last three years those situations. I don't
have the numbers on. You know, we're all those teams
that lost, you know, ten point underdogs. I would imagine
(15:57):
probably not, but it certainly does didn't seem like a
favorable situation for him.
Speaker 4 (16:03):
It's funny because Kyle Shangan was bitching down in the
Bay Area this week about the short week too. If
we're them playing Sunday and again on Saturday. You know,
the players have now been around Mike McDonald long enough
to be smart enough not to say boo about that,
And m McDonald's like, so what when do we play?
What time we'll be there? And that's pretty much what
the players have gone with. They did more on a
(16:25):
Tuesday than they normally do, came in and had more
of a walkthrough type practice. Wednesday was a little lighter
than the normal Wednesday, and then Thursday was more of
a full go. It would normally be on a Thursday,
start tapering down a little bit on Thursday. Thursday was
a little more like their Wednesday as far as intensit goes.
And then today was the day before, which is hardly
(16:47):
anything and other than walk through and refine and make
sure you got the game plan down. So yes, condensed.
San Francisco is the same situation. The fact they got
Shaheed back health wise, the short week with that was
the main concern. If they get Josh Jones back like
I think they do, I think health wise it hurts
the forty nine ers more guys like Trent Williams. How
(17:09):
healthy Even if Kittle plays, how healthy is he? Because
she heat and Jones it looks like Jones gonna be
back too. I think advantage Seahawks on the short week
part of that. It's not like the road trip is
a big deal down the coast. It's the shortest trip
they have in the league. They left today when they
normally leave two days ahead for the East Coast in
central time zone, so that's not a big deal either.
They're not using it as an excuse. I don't think
(17:30):
it's going to.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
Be a big big deal.
Speaker 5 (17:32):
My final question for Greg Bell. Greg, you're as close
as anybody to this team. Your ears on the road
track all the time. Anything top of mind about this
game or about the team that we haven't discussed, well.
Speaker 4 (17:49):
I think Sam Darnold he's a really intriguing guy to
me because his ceiling to me seems so high that
his high risk, high reward. I didn't think when they
signed him he was all back. I didn't think he
was as high a ceiling as he's proved to be
when he's been good. He's been very good, and Hugh
(18:09):
and I have talked about this on the roundtable as well.
I would suggest he might even have been better than
the offensive staff and Kubiak pot he was it throwing
the ball accurately down the field. I think that's going
to be decisive tomorrow night. I keep bringing it up.
I'm emphasizing it. The lack of a pass rush. We
might see the best Sam Donald we've seen in eighteen
(18:31):
weeks tomorrow night, and that'll win him the NFC title,
NFC West title. I think that's going to be that
decisive to not pressure the quarterback, Donald, not forcing and
not having guys come crashing in on him when he's
lost the ball at times. I clean Donald, we could
have a three hundred yard plus passing night from him
tomorrow night if he doesn't give the ball away. I
(18:51):
don't see San Francisco scoring and keeping up with Donald
in the pass game.
Speaker 5 (18:55):
To tell you why he's smoking a cigar.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
If that happens, there is no question about that. He's
going to be a celebratory cigar from a lot of us.
And if that happens, Greg, real quick, before I let
you go, I do want to ask you about the
article you wrote comparing these Seahawks and the Lob Seahawks.
I think that was fascinating.
Speaker 5 (19:13):
I know you talked to Jaron Reed.
Speaker 1 (19:14):
He's really kind of the only connection between the tail
end of the Lob and this one.
Speaker 2 (19:18):
What did you come up with?
Speaker 4 (19:21):
Well, I think, just as I mentioned now, I think
at quarterback, they have a higher ceiling past plays with
Donald than they did with Rout and Russell Wilson was great.
So let's say that the crux of that was Marshaun
Lynch setting that up, and their offense predicated on what
the defense does. I think Donald can win games by himself.
(19:42):
I also think this has a super Bowl quality defenses
right now, not as good player for player and position
as the Gleason Boomlanes. It's fascinating to me how different
now Seattle is when they play defense. You guys, remember
when it was Pete Carroll, it was four to three
cover three. My jimmies and Joe's are better than your exozose.
(20:04):
We're not getting out of four to three cover three.
We don't care if you know. Mike McDonald's is exactly opposite.
He doesn't wants you to know what we're in from
one plate to then next. What is Nick emon Worry
doing at defensive end? Oh, now he's a middle linebacker.
Now he's an outside lineback. Now's safety.
Speaker 2 (20:20):
So he's exactly the opposite in Carol.
Speaker 4 (20:23):
Yet I think he's got a deeper array to get
in his bag of athletes to do all the things
he wants to do. The defensive line at the top
end is I think better than the twenty thirteen team.
Speaker 2 (20:34):
They're just not.
Speaker 4 (20:34):
Nearly as deep. You guys, remember they had ten to
eleven guys on the defensive line in the first quarter.
Wearing guys down with this. They're not bad. But Leonard Williams,
DeMarcus Lawrence, Byron Murphy at the top end, I think
are better than the top end of the defensive line.
And let's let me say this too, the Marcus Lawrence, guys,
I think he's the best Seahawks right now, the best player,
(20:56):
the most impacting guy.
Speaker 2 (20:57):
He is.
Speaker 4 (20:58):
He's playmark at all protage. They're in his twelve year
and the Marcus Lawrence to me right now is the
team's MVP.
Speaker 5 (21:06):
And you know, A thought on that, Greg, A thought
on that, Greg. Sam Donald's the eighteenth highest paid quarterback.
You know, thirty three minds. So look, I don't know
how they would have shuffled the money around, but it's
not an absurd inference to think, hey, paying Donald that
much lesson you. You know you're paying Geno for example. Yep,
(21:27):
you don't have any allow you to get Josh Jones
and DeMarcus Lawrence and whomever.
Speaker 4 (21:33):
Right exactly. And oh, by the way, Sam Donald could
earn two million dollars tomorrow night with you as just
a decent night passing rate, passer rating, completion percentage, three
more touchdowns, one hundred and fifty yards. If he gets
one hundred and fifty yards and three touchdowns, that's a
million dollars right there.
Speaker 2 (21:49):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (21:50):
Greg, always a pleasure, enjoy yourself. Should be a fun,
fun atmosphere.
Speaker 5 (21:54):
I know you'll have a great time.
Speaker 4 (21:56):
Have fun, guys, have a great weekend.
Speaker 2 (21:57):
Thank you, Greg.
Speaker 1 (21:58):
Greg Bell from the coming new Tribute Grave gave you
some comparisons there to the lob teams. I've got some
numerical comparisons as well. We'll talk about those coming up
next on ninety three point three kJ R FM.
Our friend from the Tacoma News Tribune joins us. I'm
waiting for the tweet from Greg Bell, which says that
he is returning to the Tacoma News Tribune on a
one year deal in twenty twenty six. Like all these
college kids, this is this is unbelievable. Like every five minutes,
there's another Husky coming out.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Hey, I just.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
Signed a new one year deal with Washington. I'm coming
back this year. Greg, holy smokes man re signed. Isn't
that great?
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Oh? Oh my goodness.
Speaker 4 (00:30):
We come to when we come to well, quarterback the
quarterback in the Shugar and whatever the Cotton Bowl the
other night from Miami. Yeah, it went from Georgia. I've
believe that dollars transfer Carson back from from Georgia to
Miami got two million dollars from South Florida boosters.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Guys. Q knows this.
Speaker 4 (00:50):
That's three times the minimum salary in the NFL. They're
they're outpacing three x guys that are going to play
in Seahawks forty nine ers.
Speaker 5 (00:57):
Tom, that's crazy, absolutly I'm surprised it's only two million.
I thought Cam Moore got more than that.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
Yeah, that might be wrong.
Speaker 4 (01:04):
In the number, but just the fact, that's the fact
that these kids are eighteen, nineteen, twenty twenty one years
old making more than the guys who are going to
watch in the NFC Title Game to more night, NFC
West Title Game tomorrow night. Yeah, it's broken, man, it's broken.
Speaker 5 (01:17):
It's no question about it.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
Let's talk about that NFC West Title Game injury situation
first and foremost. Let's start at that left tackle position.
Give us the scoop on what's going on there.
Speaker 4 (01:28):
I think Josh Jones is going to play. I'm going
to start tomorrow. He's trending toward that. He's listeners questionable.
He practiced yesterday, he was part of their walkthrough in
preparations today. Mike McDonald course didn't want to give Kyle
Shanahan and the forty nine ers a word on that,
so he said he's questionable. We'll just go with that.
But I think he's done playing. They have Amari Kite,
(01:49):
the undrafted rookie from Central Florida who has a grand
total of two snaps on offense all year. They signed
him to the active roster from the practice squad as
an insurance policy this week, but McDonald earlier in the
week said that Jones got it, quote a little banged up,
which now I've come to know, and he's he's kind
of revealing when he says things about injuries, and.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
When he says just a little banged up, that usually
means they play. And that's where Jones is right now.
The good news on that front for the Seahawks is
that McDonald's said that they I think Charles Jones is
going to put Charles Charles cross the girl left tackle
is going to play in Seattle's first playoff game whenever
that ends up proving to be good.
Speaker 5 (02:27):
But getting back to Amari Kite, because if Josh Jones
has a setback, you're saying that Seattle's going to play
an undrafted free agent who has two snaps on the
year and he's from.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
The Central Florida You see.
Speaker 5 (02:44):
Yeah, wow, who's available other than him?
Speaker 4 (02:52):
Well, it's signs of course Jones to be the swing.
Mason Richmond has played guard and tackle. The rookie drafted
third daydre pick, He's barely played at all this season either.
They say that Kite has really impressed them since the
beginning of the season. Now it would be chip Athon
with aj Barner and running backs and everything else, if
(03:12):
they had the Cook Kite, and you can bet that
the forty nine ers and Robert Solo would scheme the
hell out of that edge as well. But I think
we're talking about something that's not going to happen. But
to Hugh's point, the guy coming off injury, if he
gets banged up in the game and has to come out,
they're saying it's going to be Amari Kite, and that
will be trouble.
Speaker 5 (03:33):
Any other injuries we should be worried about.
Speaker 4 (03:36):
Rashisha heat is back somewhat miraculously. Usually don't come back
in a short week from a concussion. But Donald said
today that actually the original test, the concussion protocol test
in the stadium on game day when he got banged
by Mike Jackson out of bounds in Carolina, were favorable
and so gave him a head start on clearing.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
Through the protocol cal quickly. He gets through the protocol,
improved by the third party play. He's not even on
the injury list. He is going to play. Kobe Bryant
will probably not play.
Speaker 4 (04:04):
He's doubtful.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
I think they're saving him for the first playoff game.
Next week, but.
Speaker 4 (04:10):
Suffice to say that they're getting in the case. It's
hard to say this because we are blowing this game
up big and it is, of course the difference between
the one and the five seed for them having to
buy home field advantage. It's worth repeating the only three
times the Seahawks have had home to advantage NFC playoffs,
so they only three times they've made the Super Bowl.
Having said all of that, next week's I should say
(04:33):
the next game after this one is bigger than this sure,
because it'll be winning a winner or go home, So
they are saving cross for that.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
It looks like they're going to save Kobe Bryant for
that too.
Speaker 4 (04:43):
She heeds a big deal though. You guys know that
the Seahawks didn't have him in Week one and Niners
really just ganged up on Smith and Jigg, who still
had a pretty good day in the opener. But they
didn't have the deep crossers that She's going to run tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
They didn't have.
Speaker 4 (04:58):
The field position flip that he can do in punt
and kick returns that she he's going to do tomorrow.
That's a different concern. Oh, by the way, a j
Barner he had two targets, one catch, no yards in
that opener. He's got four touchdowns in his last five games.
Klint Kubiak wants to throw the ball more to Barner.
That might start tomorrow night. I'd give Robert Salim the
(05:19):
defense something else to think about, but for A. J.
Barner to be an unsung key to tomorrow's game.
Speaker 5 (05:25):
Greg Bell with us, Uh, not that you directly report
on this, but but what do you know about Trent
Williams and or George Kittle? Like what's available for us
to know about those guys or anybody else on San Francisco?
Speaker 4 (05:42):
Yeah, dude, that's good point up in the cornerback as
a concussion. All they're all listen is questionable. I think
there's some gamesmanship going on with Shannon and I got
somebody's long time they area friends of mine when I
used to cover the Raiders who I've talked to the
last couple of days. The word I'm getting is Trent
Williams is not going to play that hamstrings who troublesome
and they're going to save him like the Seahawks are
(06:04):
with Cross and Bryant for the playoffs. It sounds like
Kittle's going to play and it looks like they kept
him out last week against the Bear so he could
play in this Wenning at the spring. Nkle in this
one game last week, so I'm expecting Kittle to play.
Williams to not and Upton he still hasn't cleared the protocol,
so he would probably be another one who's not going
to play. Ricky Piarsoll there's a chance he might play.
(06:26):
It questionable that people have talked to in San Francisco
said there's a chance that wide receiver who has been
out so much of this season will come back. Of course,
Fred Warner and Nick bos Is still uninjured, reserved big
holes in the defense for San Francisco. They had eighteen
sacks and seventeen games the worse than the NFL. I
think Darnold in the deep pass game is going to
come back tomorrow because the Niners an't going to be
(06:47):
able to get to them.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
You talked to Sam yesterday, Greg, What did he tell
you that he learned about last year's Vikings Lions game,
which was the exact same stakes as this one, that
it turned out to be a disaster for him in Minnesota.
Speaker 4 (07:00):
Yeah, exactly, eighteen for forty one one sixty six, and
I absolutely got boat raised thirty one nine by Detroit
that he knows they knew the stakes last year. He
implied that he put too much on himself mentally entering
that game because the stakes being what they were, So
he said that not making big.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
In it is.
Speaker 4 (07:21):
Yeah, it's fine time place with me going nuts. By
the way, he's going to have his San Clemente High
school football coach and quarterback coach. They're coming up. I
found that out too, those two guys in particular coming up.
He's excited about that too, but he was Donald was
really loose, much more joking with us than he's been
(07:42):
all the year yesterday. I don't know if that's been
a concerted effort on his partner. That's just how he
feels right now. Guys, they're gonna throw it deeper. They've
had to go shorter the last few weeks because some
pass protection issues, especially against the Rams. I think they're
going to exploit the forty nine ers lack of a
pass rush. Smith and Jiggs in line for a huge
game tomorrow. If Donald has time to throw. The question
(08:04):
becomes can he play a clean game? And Donald said
that yesterday, I need to play a clean game. Clint
Kubiak said, as great as Donald has been for them,
they will not win a championship turning the ball over
like they have. He of course, leads the league with
twenty of them, twenty eight turnovers for the offense, second
most in the league. Kubiak thinks that's the key. Don't
(08:26):
turn the ball over. We're gonna move it, We're gonna
score it. We've scored four hundred plus points, second in
the league and scoring we'll do that if we don't
turn the ball over and give San Francisco a short
field the match up points. And I think that's not
going to be just tomorrow night. That's gonna be the
key the rest of the postseason.
Speaker 5 (08:43):
Well, the four interceptions against the Rams and down there
and so far and then the two brutal here, I
understand why that's a focus. I hope they don't just
over paralyze him, because you know, I said a moment
to go, you know, the Sale is gonna unleash the
deep ball more. They're gonna have the protection you got
(09:05):
Rashid Shaheed uh and and and Greg to that point,
you know, I throw on the Carolina game game tape
and those Panther corners j C. Horn and Mike Jackson,
they were just squatting, pitching a tent right there, very
sussulptible to go route or double moves. And and I
bet they went on the tape and thought, wow, we
(09:27):
missed some opportunities, a lot of quarters covers. They didn't
get to the double post concepts. Did they speak anything
about that, like, wow, we kinda we we we should
have been more aggressive against the Panthers.
Speaker 4 (09:43):
Not specifically, although they did say they were plays they
went back and plays they should have had and got
away from them. And I can pick a couple of
the same ones you are. Yeah, the one interception in
the end zone where he threw a two deep, respected Jake,
but I've heard you talk about that this week and
the pressure on him.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
I agree.
Speaker 4 (10:03):
At the time, I thought that he had to get
rid of the ball sooner than he wanted to, and
that caused him to throw before he really read what
coverage they were in on that picture of what it
seemed like to me, But they have never as long
as I've been covering this team, even when the Niners
were down, I can't remember a Niners defense that has
not gotten to the quarterback, often less successfully than this one. Right,
(10:25):
and again it's because Bosa and Foreigner aren't in there.
But how many times have we come into a forty
nine er Seahawks game fearing for the quarterback's life and
thinking that that's going to change the whole game because
he's not going to have time to throw. That should
not be the problem tomorrow. Robert Salah's down there in
San Francisco has been trying to figure out should I
bring more pressure? And when in times he's done that,
(10:47):
guys like the Bears and Caleb Williams have killed him
with big plays because of that at pressure and blitzing,
the Niners don't blitz a lot, and I don't expect
in the blitz to mind if they don't blitz, And
because their front seven is not getting pressure, I really
think that's going to tilt the game.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
The Seahawk's advantage on offense.
Speaker 1 (11:04):
One touchdown in a month in the first half, Greg,
how does how does Kubiak explain that? How does Sam
explain that? What is going on there?
Speaker 4 (11:15):
Well, no one has said this, but you got to
look at the script that Kubiak's putting into games. And
it comes into it because they've had field goals and
nothing else for better for five weeks now, and they
won't tell us how many plays they are. They're fifteen
to twenty.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
Five, is what Kubiak says, but.
Speaker 4 (11:35):
Unless it comes thirty shorter goal line a third and twenty,
they stick pretty much to the first fifteen play Now,
the first fifteen players usually ends up being what three.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
Four drives, three drives.
Speaker 4 (11:47):
So now you're into the second quarter. So that speaks
to their preparation, as damning as that sounds, how they're
game planning and scheming against what they think they're going
to see versus what they get. It tells me they're
getting trick and that they're expecting, for example, the Rams
defense to show one thing and give them another. They
were zero zero with the Vikings into the second quarter.
(12:10):
They were six six into the second quarter in Atlanta.
They had plans for one thing and the teams have
given them another, and it's taken them a while to
adjust effectively. Not that Kubiak hasn't adjusted, but the effectiveness
of those adjustments haven't shown up until the second half.
Speaker 3 (12:28):
That needs a change too, because the siniors are going
to just sit back and do the same things they've
been doing for seventeen weeks, including in Week one, and
neither are the playoffs of Honing stepping up the next
couple of weeks.
Speaker 4 (12:39):
That it's the game within a game every week in
the NFL. What have you planned to do versus what
the team is doing against you? And how quickly can
you pivot off that plan? The script's not working and
they need to hone in better on what the teams
are going to actually do to them versus what they've
already done. We'll see how much better the script is
tomorrow night.
Speaker 5 (13:00):
Greg, the three of us and many of our listeners
have seen every single carry in Kenneth Walker and Zach
Charbonnay's career. For me, I might I'd have to think
about it more thoroughly, but I might argue that was
Kenneth Walker's worst game and just coincidentally, that might have
been Zach Scharbonay's best game last Sunday. I still am
(13:24):
a believer in Kenneth Walker on that regard. I'm you know,
one game is not going to tilt me off of that.
We remember what a great game Walker had against the Rams.
What do you have one hundred and sixty scrimmage yards
and so where and yet clearly we're coming off a
really good game by charbon Ay. Where where's the coaching staff?
(13:45):
What if you're reading tea leaves, how do you think
that the rotation's going to go tomorrow night?
Speaker 4 (13:51):
What I guys gathered you out of the last game
was they wanted to go outside zone against Carolina and
they think they're outside zone back as Charbonay, one cut,
go get the shoulders turned upfield and get through the hole.
And I think Tomorrow's gonna be more of a mix,
and therefore they're going to You're to see more of
Kenneth Walker. In fact, I'd go out on the limb
and predict that Kenneth Walker is going to have a
(14:12):
better game than Charbonad tomorrow and maybe one of the
better games he's had all season. The Fred Warner is
a gaping hole in the middle of that Niners defense.
Speaker 2 (14:21):
A lot of the.
Speaker 4 (14:22):
Streat plays that Kenneth Walker runs into guys against the
forty nine Ers are the guy he's running into is
Fred Warner, and he's not there. We're talking to all
pro potential Hall of Fame player who's not in there.
Tomorrow night, look for Kenneth Walker, looking for him to
do a mix of runs, not just straight outside zone,
some inside zone, some gap pools and toss sweep some
(14:43):
things that they didn't. They will focus more on outside
zone against the Panthers than they've been in a while.
The results are great, one hundred and sixty plus yards
in the second career on hundred yard game for Sharbonay,
But if you really look at those runs, really it
was only two large runs that gave him most of
those yards Sharbonnay, so it wasn't as if he was
grinding the entire game wearing down the Panthers. I'm with you, Hugh.
(15:07):
I'm still a guy who thinks Kenneth Walker is the
crux and the apex of their running game. And guys,
there are not bigger, There's not more at stake. The
two players have had the most at stake, I should
say tomorrow night and in the playoffs. Personally for their
futures is Kenneth Walker and Requalling. Both their contracts are ending.
(15:28):
They will not be more motivated Seahawks in Santa Clair
tomorrow than Kenneth Walker and Requilling.
Speaker 1 (15:34):
Final couple of minutes with Greg Bell adjusting to the
schedule to accommodate the short week. What have the Seahawks
done and there's been any complaints about, Hey, you're putting
us on a short week on back to back road
game situations. I saw where teams are just six and
thirteen in the last three years those situations. I don't
have the numbers on. You know, we're all those teams
that lost, you know, ten point underdogs. I would imagine
(15:57):
probably not, but it certainly does didn't seem like a
favorable situation for him.
Speaker 4 (16:03):
It's funny because Kyle Shangan was bitching down in the
Bay Area this week about the short week too. If
we're them playing Sunday and again on Saturday. You know,
the players have now been around Mike McDonald long enough
to be smart enough not to say boo about that,
And m McDonald's like, so what when do we play?
What time we'll be there? And that's pretty much what
the players have gone with. They did more on a
(16:25):
Tuesday than they normally do, came in and had more
of a walkthrough type practice. Wednesday was a little lighter
than the normal Wednesday, and then Thursday was more of
a full go. It would normally be on a Thursday,
start tapering down a little bit on Thursday. Thursday was
a little more like their Wednesday as far as intensit goes.
And then today was the day before, which is hardly
(16:47):
anything and other than walk through and refine and make
sure you got the game plan down. So yes, condensed.
San Francisco is the same situation. The fact they got
Shaheed back health wise, the short week with that was
the main concern. If they get Josh Jones back like
I think they do, I think health wise it hurts
the forty nine ers more guys like Trent Williams. How
(17:09):
healthy Even if Kittle plays, how healthy is he? Because
she heat and Jones it looks like Jones gonna be
back too. I think advantage Seahawks on the short week
part of that. It's not like the road trip is
a big deal down the coast. It's the shortest trip
they have in the league. They left today when they
normally leave two days ahead for the East Coast in
central time zone, so that's not a big deal either.
They're not using it as an excuse. I don't think
(17:30):
it's going to.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
Be a big big deal.
Speaker 5 (17:32):
My final question for Greg Bell. Greg, you're as close
as anybody to this team. Your ears on the road
track all the time. Anything top of mind about this
game or about the team that we haven't discussed, well.
Speaker 4 (17:49):
I think Sam Darnold he's a really intriguing guy to
me because his ceiling to me seems so high that
his high risk, high reward. I didn't think when they
signed him he was all back. I didn't think he
was as high a ceiling as he's proved to be
when he's been good. He's been very good, and Hugh
(18:09):
and I have talked about this on the roundtable as well.
I would suggest he might even have been better than
the offensive staff and Kubiak pot he was it throwing
the ball accurately down the field. I think that's going
to be decisive tomorrow night. I keep bringing it up.
I'm emphasizing it. The lack of a pass rush. We
might see the best Sam Donald we've seen in eighteen
(18:31):
weeks tomorrow night, and that'll win him the NFC title,
NFC West title. I think that's going to be that
decisive to not pressure the quarterback, Donald, not forcing and
not having guys come crashing in on him when he's
lost the ball at times. I clean Donald, we could
have a three hundred yard plus passing night from him
tomorrow night if he doesn't give the ball away. I
(18:51):
don't see San Francisco scoring and keeping up with Donald
in the pass game.
Speaker 5 (18:55):
To tell you why he's smoking a cigar.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
If that happens, there is no question about that. He's
going to be a celebratory cigar from a lot of us.
And if that happens, Greg, real quick, before I let
you go, I do want to ask you about the
article you wrote comparing these Seahawks and the Lob Seahawks.
I think that was fascinating.
Speaker 5 (19:13):
I know you talked to Jaron Reed.
Speaker 1 (19:14):
He's really kind of the only connection between the tail
end of the Lob and this one.
Speaker 2 (19:18):
What did you come up with?
Speaker 4 (19:21):
Well, I think, just as I mentioned now, I think
at quarterback, they have a higher ceiling past plays with
Donald than they did with Rout and Russell Wilson was great.
So let's say that the crux of that was Marshaun
Lynch setting that up, and their offense predicated on what
the defense does. I think Donald can win games by himself.
(19:42):
I also think this has a super Bowl quality defenses
right now, not as good player for player and position
as the Gleason Boomlanes. It's fascinating to me how different
now Seattle is when they play defense. You guys, remember
when it was Pete Carroll, it was four to three
cover three. My jimmies and Joe's are better than your exozose.
(20:04):
We're not getting out of four to three cover three.
We don't care if you know. Mike McDonald's is exactly opposite.
He doesn't wants you to know what we're in from
one plate to then next. What is Nick emon Worry
doing at defensive end? Oh, now he's a middle linebacker.
Now he's an outside lineback. Now's safety.
Speaker 2 (20:20):
So he's exactly the opposite in Carol.
Speaker 4 (20:23):
Yet I think he's got a deeper array to get
in his bag of athletes to do all the things
he wants to do. The defensive line at the top
end is I think better than the twenty thirteen team.
Speaker 2 (20:34):
They're just not.
Speaker 4 (20:34):
Nearly as deep. You guys, remember they had ten to
eleven guys on the defensive line in the first quarter.
Wearing guys down with this. They're not bad. But Leonard Williams,
DeMarcus Lawrence, Byron Murphy at the top end, I think
are better than the top end of the defensive line.
And let's let me say this too, the Marcus Lawrence, guys,
I think he's the best Seahawks right now, the best player,
(20:56):
the most impacting guy.
Speaker 2 (20:57):
He is.
Speaker 4 (20:58):
He's playmark at all protage. They're in his twelve year
and the Marcus Lawrence to me right now is the
team's MVP.
Speaker 5 (21:06):
And you know, A thought on that, Greg, A thought
on that, Greg. Sam Donald's the eighteenth highest paid quarterback.
You know, thirty three minds. So look, I don't know
how they would have shuffled the money around, but it's
not an absurd inference to think, hey, paying Donald that
much lesson you. You know you're paying Geno for example. Yep,
(21:27):
you don't have any allow you to get Josh Jones
and DeMarcus Lawrence and whomever.
Speaker 4 (21:33):
Right exactly. And oh, by the way, Sam Donald could
earn two million dollars tomorrow night with you as just
a decent night passing rate, passer rating, completion percentage, three
more touchdowns, one hundred and fifty yards. If he gets
one hundred and fifty yards and three touchdowns, that's a
million dollars right there.
Speaker 2 (21:49):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (21:50):
Greg, always a pleasure, enjoy yourself. Should be a fun,
fun atmosphere.
Speaker 5 (21:54):
I know you'll have a great time.
Speaker 4 (21:56):
Have fun, guys, have a great weekend.
Speaker 2 (21:57):
Thank you, Greg.
Speaker 1 (21:58):
Greg Bell from the coming new Tribute Grave gave you
some comparisons there to the lob teams. I've got some
numerical comparisons as well. We'll talk about those coming up
next on ninety three point three kJ R FM.
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