The Future of the NFL is NOW

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to The Doug Gottlieb Show podcast. Be
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(00:21):
you're listening to Fox Sports Radio. A very merry Christmas
to you and yours. So glad to be with you
on this Christmas Day. One game in the NBA already
in the books as uh yeah, in early Well, no,
it's not even an early because it is Christmas and
Christmas gift to me. Bucks beat the Knicks. They didn't
do it last month, Bucky, so it's it's good to see.

(00:43):
We'll get into some NBA Christmas traditions later on in
the show. The NFL has provided gifts. I mean, the
Oakland Raiders sent their fans out with the victory maybe
for the last time in Oakland last night with a
win over the Denver broadcost Pete Carroll got an early
Christmas gift yesterday they contract extension. And on Sunday of
the National Football League, some teams punched their tickets to

(01:06):
the NFL playoffs. Others locked up home field advantage in
the throughout the conference playoffs. For the NFC, that would
be the New Orleans Saints, So a lot to get to,
all tied into the Christmas spirit, So Bucky. Here we
are now prepping for Week seventeen of an NFL season,
and there was still things up in the air, specifically

(01:26):
in the NFC Final wild card is still available, Vikings
and Eagles battling in the a f C. You've got
the Steelers who need help. They're on the outside looking
in right now. They're gonna need the Cleveland Browns to
knock off the Baltimore Ravens if they want to have
any hope of the playoffs. Still things up in the air.
But if you would have told me six weeks ago
that the Pittsburgh Steelers would be on the outside looking

(01:49):
into this playoff race, I would have said you were crazy.
But that's where we are entering Week seventeen. Yeah, the
steel is an interesting case study and how to really
mess up a team. It looks like they're built for
Super Bowl contention. This is a team that has had
a roller coaster ride stumbling out the gate one, two
and one, then winning six or five or six straight,

(02:12):
then coming back and faltering down the stretch. And there
are a million reasons as to why that they've underperformed.
But I think the biggest thing that has hung over
this team's head since the beginning of the season was
the levying bill contract situation and all of the ebbs
and flows and the things that kind of went along
with that. Then kind of settling in realizing that he's

(02:33):
not coming celebrating the fact that, look, he's not coming in,
we're gonna be able to do this without him, and
then not being able to get it done. I think
this will be a lost season. It would be considered
a law season by everyone involved, team, coaching staff, front office.
They really blew an opportunity for this team to represent

(02:55):
the a f C in the Super Bowl, and for
whatever reason, they just couldn't get it. There. The labor
on Bell thing. I think it's interesting because I went
and did some fact checking there two and four, since
they found out he wasn't going to join the team,
that that the deadline had passed. They ended up getting
a win. I believe it was against Jacksonville where they
had to rally yeah, barely. They came back and then

(03:16):
there are other win during that stretch was in Week
fifteen against the New England Patriots, and I wondered if
the Levian Bell thing was something that maybe brought them
together for the simple fact of this, Bucky is there
was so much talk about does this team need Levian Bell?
Are they going to need him for a Super Bowl push?
And it allowed the team to say, hey, we've got

(03:36):
James Conner, and allowed the offensive line to to be
sick about hearing about Levian Bell and wanted to talk
about the job that they were doing or the job
that James Conner was doing. It allowed Ben Roethlisberger to
be like, Hey, we don't need Levian Bell. I'm the
Hall of Fame quarterback or potential Hall of Fame quarterback
for the Pittsburgh Steelers. I could do this. I thought
that maybe all of that drama actually brought them together.

(03:59):
And then when it was settled and you knew that
he wasn't gonna be there, the record shows that that
may have had an effect. Just two wins, and one
of those wins just had to come in dramatic fashion.
I think the Levy on Bell thing almost had a
negative effect. Once they actually had some clarity because I
thought I brought him together during the whole situation. Yeah,
I thought it had a negative effect all the way around. UM,

(04:22):
I never even when they were winning. Yeah, I never
necessarily bought into how they were winning because the one
thing about like the Steelers and the way that it
was going, there were a couple of factors that were
going on. UM new offensive coordinator Randy Fincher takes over
from Todd Haley. Big Band had more control of the offense,
meaning that the team and the offensive game plan was

(04:44):
going to skew more towards the passing game. And when
you look at this team, this team needed balance because
the balance would Um allowed him to control the game.
And even though typically you score more when you pass more,
you need to be able to run the ball in
certain situations to take care of it. And so and
James Conner, who did an admirable job the first I

(05:08):
would say the first half of the season filling in
for Lvian bill Um. He was running effectively. He has
some big games where he caught it and passed it.
Obviously he aruneder Pro Bowl birth. But the difference between
Levy and Bill and James Connor really boils down to
his involvement in the passing game. Levan Bell is, in essence,
another receiver. He is a different kind of playmaker. He

(05:29):
is a guy that you really have to account for
in the passing game, and it kind of changes the
way you have to defend them. And James Connor, you
have more of a traditional running back UM, a guy
who can do his damage as a runner, but it's
not really a proven or polished pass catcher. So knowing
Ben Roethlisberg and watching how he plays, this team threw
the ball way more than any other team in the league. UM,

(05:51):
the run pass ratio was out of whack, and because
when you passed the ball so much more bad things happened.
We saw the turnovers, the giveaways from being Roethlisberger. Those
things ultimately decide games. So even though we can say
that maybe there was a negligible difference between Connor and
Bill by putting so much on Big Band, they kind

(06:13):
of played into the opponent's hands because they were one
dimensional in terms of the way they approached the game.
I know Mike Tomlin's getting key tonight and deservedly so
he's the head coach of the team. It all runs
through him. The call against the Saints on the fake
punt was an atrocious call. It's just you don't do
that for a lot, for for many reasons, the main
which I don't know what you really gained from getting

(06:36):
a first down in that point, let alone it being
fourth and five and not fourth and two. Being only
up four, the Saints could have, they drive the field,
they get to go out there. There was a lot there,
but that moment seemed to it seems to stand out
more so than the loss to the Chargers or the
loss in Denver in a game where they statistically dominated,

(06:59):
but they mistakes throughout that game that allowed Denver to
stick around and what do you know, in the end
Denver ends up getting the victory. Was the Saints game,
the fake punt game, the the end all be all
for the for the Pittsburgh Steelers, or was the Denver
lost worse? What was the point of the of the
second half collapse if you will? That really should burn

(07:22):
a Steelers fan. They lost it Open Raiders, Yeah, the Raiders. Yeah,
they lost to the Open Raiders. The Pittsburgh Steelers, their
biggest issues can be summed up in two things. Discipline
in detail, this is a team that is undisciplined in
the way they go about doing their business. And I
think it comes through in the way that they behave

(07:44):
on camera, meaning their interviews and the like. As much
as we give the Patriots and Bill Belichick and his
team um grief for not really having these um I
call these glowing or elaborate answers, the one thing that
they do is they really kind of avoid the distracts
and the controversy because they never say anything that be
could could that could be considered bulletin board material. When

(08:08):
you deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and they're kind of
an open book and they're very emotional, and how they
do it Big Ben waxing poetic, on and on and on,
calling our teammates and the press, saying he has earned
the right to be able to be critical of teammates
and the press, wavering back and forth with retirement and
many other issues. We've seen their offensive line and be

(08:29):
very outspoken about the Levyan Bill contract situation, and it
goes on and on and on. To me, that's a
lack of discipline that kind of springs from the top
at some point you say, look, as an organization, here's
how we act, Here's how we want to kind of
approach the media. We don't want to give them anything.
We don't want to give uh, bullet like bulletin board material.
You want to keep everything in house. They don't do that.

(08:51):
And then when it comes to the detail, I think
the detail stands from Mike Tomlin in terms of I
love Mike Tomlin as a coach, like I would love
to play for him. I like the emotional stuff that
he's able to kind of conjure up when he speaks.
But because he is a very emotional coach, I think
his team is also very emotional. The highs are really high,

(09:12):
the lows are really low, and I think that is
why they play up the really good teams and play
down to bad teams. They don't have a level of
consistency where they just take care of business against the
teams they do, and I think the lack of detail,
which shows up in their penalties and ordered other stuff
really kind of comes through. I don't think Mike Tomlin
is going to lose his job for a lot of reasons,

(09:34):
one of which being the Pittsburgh Steelers of being the
Pittsburgh Steelers. But also this is a team that is
you're in, you're out, one of the better teams in
the National Football League. But my question to you then
is this is if this wasn't the Pittsburgh Steelers and
you just change the team name and the history of
how the Rudy family deals with coaches, would Mike Tomlin

(09:56):
be on the hot seats and maybe a different one
of the other thirty one NFL teams in the league.
Would he be more on the hot seat than he
is right now in Pittsburgh. I mean, he probably would be,
because I think fans have unrealistic expectations and you can't
really satisfy them. Uh. Mike tomlind and Mike McCarthy, to me,
are very very similar cases. Tremendously successful Super Bowl wins

(10:17):
on the resume, um guys that were consistent winners, didn't
really have a lot of losing seasons. However, both have
guys that are deemed to be Hall of Fame quarterbacks
and the expectation is that they have left stuff on
the table that these guys should have more Super Bowls
to their credit, and the coaching is holding them back.

(10:39):
I don't know. I think it's really hard to win
the Super Bowl. I don't know how happy you are,
uh given, but you know, and so I think with
those expectations today's climate, Yeah, he would have a tough
time keeping his job because recently he coaches getting fired
potentially one and done. Guys, Guys who don't even really
have an opportunity to put their program in are being

(10:59):
shown the door right away. Yeah, I would say that
if it wasn't for the fact that he is working
for maybe one of the best organizations when it comes
to valuing the consistency and stability of the head coach,
he would be, honest probably a slippery slope when it
comes to retain his job, despite having all of the

(11:19):
impressive accolades that he has on his resume. Yeah, two
super Bowl appearances for Tomlin. We know Ben's got three.
And it was funny because last night even here on
the network talking about on how much Aaron Rodgers and
the the wasted the wasted years of Aaron Rodgers and
the Green Bay Packers because they only went to one
Super Bowl, I was like, well, I don't know how
much we look at the Steelers with saying that it

(11:41):
was a waste considering Ben's got two rings and he's
got another appearance in another, but they're just two away.
But it shows you on just maybe the gap. And
as he said, how difficult it is to get to
his Super Bowl, tom Brady has made it made it
uh miserable for other quarterbacks of the National football to
make it look how easy it is to go too.

(12:01):
I think Tom Brady has sported us all. Because Tom
Brady has eight Super Bowl appearances and the Patriots have
won the division ten straight times. They've made I think
if they make it to the championship game this year,
that would be their eighth straight an FC championship appearance.
There's no other quarterback who has done that. Peyton Manning
has two Super Bowls. He's been to three. He went

(12:22):
to three, but that last one he was riding the
coat tails of a great defense. Um Ben Roethlisberger has
been to three. The first one they carried Ben Roethlisberger
in that game, and then the last two he has
made significant plays. Aaron Rodgers has one, has only been
the one, Drew Brees only has one, Philip Rivers has
never gone. And so I think what has happened because

(12:45):
Tom Brady is the outlier. We kind of expect that
these quarterbacks can single handedly take their teams to Super Bowl,
and that's not the case. I think, what, if anything,
we should admire the New England Patriots for what they
been able to do as an organization. Yes, some of
it can be attributed to Tom Brady and what he's done,

(13:06):
but Bill Belichick has done a great job of every
year coaching his team to his talent, whether it was
throwing it a lot, running it a lot, playing to
the defense, playing to the offense. He has shown the
ability to be adaptable. He is far and away the
best coach in the National Football League. But he said
the bar so hot that others can't compete. I always

(13:27):
just go back to the point I used this, and
it may not be fair, but I say this. If
you were to tell a Giants fan on on Draft
Day that day you were going to trade for Eli
Manning when the Chargers took him number one, that he
was going to give you two Super Bowl wins? Would
you do that? Make that draft pick knowing that in
a heartbeat, every and any NFL team would take one
if they knew that the guy that they were drafting

(13:48):
was going to lead him to a Super Bowl. They
would take him. And so as you as you look
at these teams, you look at these quarterbacks, I know
you always want more and more and more, but maybe
we're spoiled that way. We're very very exported. We sported
because we expect um. We don't have enough respect for
the process and when it is it just very very
heart winning nash Football League. But the Patriots sports because
we always see them into winter. He's Bucky Brooks. I'm

(14:11):
Dan Buyer. This is the Doug gottlie Show on Fox
Sports Radio. One of the bigger Steeler losses happened this
past week in New Orleans. Will Drew Brees have an
opportunity to get to his second Super Bowl. We talked
about it next year on Fox Sports Radio. Doug gottlieb
Show on Fox Sports Radio. He's Bucky Brooks. I'm Dan Buyer.
One of the only things that we have settled in
the National Football League is that the New Orleans Saints

(14:34):
are the top seed in the NFC, having home field
advantage throughout joining us now from the Big easy as
he covers the Saints as you can hear him weekdays
on Sports twelve eighty in New Orleans. Good friend Chris
Gordy joining us here on Fox Sports Radio. Merry Christmas, Chris,
thanks so much for coming on. Hey, same to you, guys, Hope.
It's a good one. It's uh glad to have you

(14:55):
with us. First of all, what was the sense of
what happened on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers with the
New Orleans Saints? Was it euphoria? Was it relief? What
did we get out of the Superdome after the Saints
came away with that Week six team win. I think
it was a little bit of everything. Um. I mean, look,
kudos to the Steelers fans that were there, actually was

(15:17):
there at the game as a fan, and I mean
they were hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of Steelers fans
that came out to represent so you know, we already
know they're one of the best traveling fan bases. But
they knew what was on the line. And it was
kind of interesting as the game played out because in
the Saints didn't have much pressure on themselves. They knew
all they had to do was win one of these
last two. The Panthers that had already an ounced that

(15:38):
Taylor Heineke was gonna start for Cam Newton weeks seventeen,
so he kind of felt good if the Saints couldn't
get a win here, that they were going to get
one of weeks sevent team coins the number one spot
and be good to go from there. But for the Steelers,
it just felt like everything was on the line, that hey,
they had to win this one, and I think that's
why we saw, you know, incredible performances Froom, Antonio Brown,
Juju Smith until the you know, the final spumb old

(16:00):
Ben Roethlisberger. So um, look, I mean the Saints were
ecstatic to get to win now and they're sitting in
the driver's seat knowing that they can kind of rest up,
you know, their offensive lineman, they've had some injuries there
and now they can kind of rest them this week
against Carolina because it doesn't matter, and then they get
the Buys. So really two weeks to rest up and
get healthy. You know. In thinking about the Saints and

(16:21):
that home field advantage, so many people talk about the
challenges of playing in the Dome, you being there, you
attend in so many games there. What is that home
field advantage like for the Saints when they're playing in
the Dome. Well, I mean the numbers pick for themselves.
I mean, in the in the Sean Payton Drew Brees era,
they're undefeated at home in the playoffs. When they go
on the road, that's where they struggle in the playoffs.

(16:43):
So uh, it's important. I mean you go back to
the O nine season where they had the number one seed,
they had home field advantage. I got a film they
don't win that NFC title game against Brett Farve and
Adrian Peterson company. If that game is in Minnesota, you
know they win that game because it's in the super
Dome and vice versa. Last year in Minnesota, I don't
think the the Minnesota miracle happens if they're playing in

(17:04):
the Superdome. So it makes a difference that you uh,
you know, you get that fan base riled up, let
him drink all day and get loud. It makes a difference.
And you know, I know a lot of people that
narrative is gonna be oh well, the things, I mean,
just gutting pencil them in. They're going to the super Bowl.
I would I wouldn't go so fast there. I mean, uh,

(17:24):
there's a few things we've seen obviously Ben Roethlisberger and team.
You know, we're able to air it out on him.
We saw the Rams matchup earlier this season and you know,
cut us to the Rams and golf I mean, the
Saints jumped out to a big lead and Golfing Company
came back and tied it up before these things pulled away.
So I think we've seen that, you know, offenses like
that can can put up some yards on him and
move the ball even in a in a hostile environment. Uh,

(17:47):
it's just that home field that when the when the
defense gets going, and Drew Brees and company they feel
that fan base behind him, that's when special things start
to happen. Chris Gordy joining us here on Fox Sports Radio.
He's Bucky Brooks, I'm Dan Buyers. We were in for
Doug Gottlieb here on the Doug Gottlieb Show. Was there
any concern in New Orleans? And I always hate, I
always hate talking bad about Drew Brees because it's not

(18:09):
meant to sound like I'm talking bad about him. But
the three games prior maybe weren't up to the Drew
Brees standard. Was there any concern in New Orleans then?
Maybe went away with what happened in weeks sixteen. I
think there was a little bit of concern, But I
think some of the most part fans kind of looked
at and said, look, you know that they had to
play thirty straight road games with tough environments. Uh, they

(18:30):
found ways to win. I mean, even the Dallas game,
which was arguably their worst game they played all season,
they still had the ball with a minute ago at
a chance to go down down three and either tired
or win it. Now they turned it over, but still
the fact that they played their worst game ever and
they still had a chance to cook had either tired
or win it uh says a lot. So uh, look,
I've flipped on the other side. This team found ways

(18:52):
to win. They found a way to to dig themselves
off the hole in Tampa where the offense wasn't clicking.
They found a way to grid out a win in
Carolina on a Monday night where you know, Carolina's playoff
hopes and season or is on the line, and they
found a way to get out with the winds. So
I think most fans kind of looked at it that
way as opposed to, oh God, what's going on here?
With Drew and we got a soda on Sunday. They
bounced back, and the offense looked a lot better, much

(19:15):
more like they looked earlier in the season. What they
really did to themselves, though, guys, was they did themselves
a disservice with beating the crowd out of the Bengals
and beating the start out of the Eagles, because everybody
expected him to play like that every week, and as
we know in the NFL, weekend and week out, you can't.
You can't do that every single week. And so that's
why the alarm bells kind of started go off. People, what,
oh my god, what's going on? You know, they beat

(19:35):
they were beat teams by points. They're not doing that anymore.
But to me, that says more about your team when
you're able to dig deep and find different ways to win,
you know, and thinking about then and thinking about this
team as a legitimate Super Bowl contender. What is the
one area concerned that you have going into the postseason
with the Saint Um. I mean, the offensive line has

(19:56):
been banged up, so there's a little concerned there, But
to me, it's still the second ary. Eli Apple has
played a lot better in recent weeks. But as we
saw this past week against Antonio Brown and Jesus Smith,
I mean, when you have weapons like that, uh, he's
gonna get exposed and so uh. Mark Marshahn Alttimore has
been very good as as the number one corner in

(20:16):
the second season, but I think they're still susceptible to
the past. And that's why I think, you know, if
they are able to face the Rams again in a
NFC Championship, I think, you know, throwout throughout the numbers
throughout the earlier season matchup. I think anything can happen.
Whereas on the flip side, they played like the Chicago Bears. Yeah,
their defense is fantastic, but I just don't see Mitchell

(20:37):
Drobiski going into the super Dome and being able to
put up a bunch of points with the way that
Saints defense has been playing in recent weeks. So to me,
it's still the secondary. But that's kind of uh. Like
I said, Eli Apple has played a lot better in
recent weeks, so maybe it's not as big of a
concern anymore. Chris Gordias Sports twelve eighty joining us here
on Fox Sports Radio. Chris in New Orleans is we're

(20:59):
talking this Saints, is there the top seat in the NFC?
You mentioned a possible Rams matchup. Am I crazy to
think that the Saints would love another shot at the
Cowboys because they lost to them, but maybe wouldn't want
to see the Rams again considering how that first matchup occurred,
even with the Rams coming in without Cooper Cup. Is
that safe to say? Yeah? I think so. And I

(21:21):
have a couple of buddies who are Cowboys fans, and
they all said, man, we really don't want to see
the Saints in their Dome in the playoffs because they
feel like the tables will be turned. I mean, I
I think the reason Dallas won that game was because
it was at home, because a couple of calls went
their way in that game, and so you know, you
flip the tables and now you have to come to
the Super Dome, and I think the Saints are gonna
be thick at payback and wanting to put it on

(21:42):
the Cowboys. So but look, the Cowboys were the only
team to really put on film how to how to
stop the Saints long sustained drives, Just dinking dunk, move
the chains, keep the ball out of Number nine hands
and keep getting first downs, and that's what they were
able to do throughout that game. But yeah, mean, if
you ask anythings, then I think they much rather play
the Cowboys get some revenge on them than having to

(22:05):
face the Rams again. In the back of your mind,
you do say, okay, well, look we've already played the
Rams in our place. We beat them by ten. But
like I said, that thing in the back of your mind,
knowing how good golf is. I know, maybe he's not
as good as he was earlier in the season without
Cooper Cup and company, but just knowing if they could
get a lead and lean on a Todd Gurley, it's
a little bit scary. You want you want, You'd rather
have a team that you know you could put some

(22:26):
points up against, whereas if it's the Rams and it
gets to a shootout, who knows. You know. And thinking
about this, um, Drew Brees has been widely celebrated as
an m VP candidate, and it looks like it's coming
down to a two man race between Breeze and Pat Mahomes.
Obviously you've been down in New Orleans. Make the biggest
case for why Drew Brees should be the Nfield MVP.

(22:49):
It's tough, right because when you look at the numbers,
who what Drew has done these past couple of weeks.
You know, even if he was having his typical three
day with three touchdowns one interception, he can make the
argument for him a little bit more and say, Okay,
well he's been doing a lot. But on the flip side,
Mahomes hasn't been as impressive as he was earlier in
the season and uh and he's been, you know, racking
up the losses, whereas Drew is still finding ways to

(23:11):
to get a win for his team. So um and
I hate to go the the lifetime achievement route, but
I think it is worth noting Drew has had some
fantastic seasons and not been able to to get the
m v p UM. I think at the end of
the season, you have to look at resume and look
at the tough opponents that Drew Brees has faced and
gotten wins. A tough road win at Baltimore against the Ravens,
the win over the Ramps. You know that he's resume wins.

(23:33):
I think mount up a lot more are a lot
more impressive than Mahomess wins. When you start to consider Okay,
he's played the Raiders, he's played the Cardinals, and maybe
some wins that aren't as impressive. To me, it's still
it's still gonna be a tire race. And I can
make an argument either way, but I think at the
end of the day, some of the national writers are
gonna lean. You know what, look at what the Saints
have done, one of their best seasons in recent history,

(23:54):
and it's because of number nine. You take number nine
off this team. They're not a playoff team. So that's
why I think maybe Drew Brees gets it, just because
Mahomes the touchdown total kind of came down here. He's
Bucky Brooks. I'm Dan Buyer. Thank you very much. Chris Gordy,
Merry Christmas. Enjoy a week seventeen. That won't matter. I
know Sean Payton doesn't want to talk about rest, but
then you get another break and onto the divisional playoffs.

(24:17):
We appreciate it, Chris, and uh, Happy New Year as well, absolutely.
Chris Gordy Sports twelve eighty in New Orleans joining us
here on this Christmas Day. The Saints fans, Bucky, are
a fan base that I think is the least known
about in the country for how passionate and really on

(24:39):
how far it is because it's it's a regional fan base.
But when they went to the Super Bowl against the Colts,
it was dominated by Saints fans in Miami. And we
hear a lot about Packer fans. We hear about Steeler
fans and Cowboy fans. I think that the Saints fandom
is one of the most underrated that you've got in
the NFL. Oh, it's very underrated who that nation travels

(25:03):
and travels well. And the prospect of the New Orleans
Saints going to a Super Bowl that will be hosted
in Atlanta should be a scary proposition for anyone who
has to deal with the Saints. This is a team
that has a decided advantage when they're playing at home
in front of a raucous crowd. When they get it going,
it's just it's tough to really deal with them. And

(25:24):
you add to the fact that this is a team
that has built to play on the turf, the way
their athletes, how fast their team is, the pace that
they play at when they're playing in the Dome stadium.
You do not want to see the Saints at home,
and unfortunately, for all the other teams in the NFC.
That is how it lays out. You have to go
through New Orleans to have your opportunity to go to
Super fifty three. Doubtful many teams can go into and

(25:46):
get it done. Here's your trivia tidbit of the day. Okay,
the Saints have two quarterbacks on their team that we're
both taking thirty second overall. One was the first round pick.
One was a second round pick. It's because rue Brees
was in the league before the Houston Texans were, so
he was the first pick of the second round. In
two thousand one, Teddy Bridgewater was a first round pick,

(26:07):
but also the thirty second pick. There you go. You
can use that one tonight, Bucky. I mean, I'm prev
to it, but I appreciate that's a nice that's a
nice little tribune. It's something with of of it not
being maybe well known, but two guys with the same
exact pick button different rountes. There you go. Well, if
you don't want to use it, Vince, our technical producer,
can use it tonight and be the hit of his party.
This is the Doug Gottlieb Show on Fox Sports Radio.

(26:29):
I'm Dan Buyer. He's Bucky Brooks. If you want to
reach us on Twitter, you can get me at Dan
Buyer on Fox Bucky your Twitter addresses also get get
Bucky on Instagram football simple enough. Don't leave any comments though,
because he can't You can't. You can only like it.
That's a smart, smart way to go. So the NFL

(26:51):
unwrapped a Christmas present. They unwrapped it early this year
because they've had it for the last fifteen weeks or so.
The NFL Bucky, in my mind, was entering a danger zone,
and it was a danger zone that Major League Baseball
has been in for in in for a while. The
NBA doesn't have this problem, and it's a superstar problem.

(27:14):
Major League Baseball, for their superstars for so many years,
ended up going by the wayside. Derek Jeter was still
one of the most popular players in baseball even after
retiring as a member of the New York Yankees. So
you're in Major League Baseball, you're hanging your hat on
the likes of Bryce Harper and Mike Trout and Clayton
crow Shot. It just didn't didn't move the needle. Maybe

(27:36):
things have changed a little with Aaron Judge now coming
along and John Carlos stand. I don't mean to mention
Yankees only, but maybe things are getting a bit better.
The NFL was actually going to be facing the same
problem with the likes of Peyton Manning retiring, with Drew
Brees being later on in his years, Tom Brady, who
knows how many years they have left there, there weren't

(27:57):
many guys who were then stepping up and taking the
place of those great ones were adding to the roster.
I thought three guys, maybe Bucky In J. J. Watt,
Odell Beckham Jr. And Russell Wilson were guys that we
can we can call superstars. We know that there's stars,
that there's good players, but guys have the ability to
be superstars. I thought those were maybe the only three guys.

(28:19):
But these last couple of years in the NFL, it
seems that everything has changed and the NFL's present. Is
this just group of young stars that have an opportunity
to be superstars in this league? Yeah? Absolutely, I think
there are a ton of young guys that um are exciting,
that are kind of carrying the torch um from the
quarterbacks to the playmakers. Say Kwan Barkley's did you Smith

(28:42):
Schuster's um. The guys that are being able to really
kind of make their mark in the league very very
early in their careers, I think the league is in
a great place. Some of the success these young players
are having I can attribute to the fact that they're
playing football or some form of football year round. Why
receivers and quarterbacks and defensive backs are playing in seven

(29:03):
or seven UH tournaments from the time they're in high school,
they go to college, they get on the field right away.
And so the league has benefited from the fact that
the game is growing at the lower levels in terms
of how they are participating, how they're consuming the game,
how they're participating in the game in the off season.
I just believe that we're getting more guys that are

(29:25):
ready to play in the NFL right now than we
ever had before. And I think that is exciting because
young guys are making their more. I know it probably
doesn't matter to the National Football but we've seen in
the NFL. We've seen Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook becomes stars
in Oklahoma City. We've seen guys go Jannis Deda, Goompo
O'Brien talked about in the in the update, gotta win

(29:45):
today against the next he's in Milwaukee. But they're still
becoming those stars and becoming those superstars. And we saw
Lebron obviously being an Ohio kid, an Acron kid, going
to Cleveland and allowing the Cleveland Cavaliers to be such
a brand because he is a super duperstar. When you
see Pat Mahomes in Kansas City for his greatest the
Chiefs have been I don't think that they haven't had

(30:08):
anyone that could be as big of a star as
what Mahomes could be. Deshaun Watson and Houston. You have J. J.
Watt there as well. You could have two superstars on
that team, Baker Mayfield and Cleveland has the opportunity now
almost of having this city to himself, if you will,
because of Lebron leaving Cleveland, who knows what's gonna end
up happening with the Indians. And plus it is a

(30:29):
football town that could be Baker's. You've not only got
new superstars, you've got new markets and teams that could
be pushed to the forefront because of these stars. Yeah,
I mean, I I just think that, I mean, it's
just endless, like what can happen with these young guys
um stepping up and doing it. And obviously, whenever we
look at football, we are looking at the quarterback, the

(30:51):
quarterback position, the guys who would be the next generation
of throwers and catchers and playmakers at the position. And
just in the last two years, the guys that have
come in Mahomes and Shaun Watson. People are excited about
Baker Mayfield, Lamar Jackson doing it in a different way,
Josh Allen having success, Sam Donald showing up. As long

(31:12):
as the league has exciting young quarterbacks, the interests will
always be there, and we're seeing seeing that the last
two drafts have brought us plenty of guys who looked
like potential stars that the QP one spot. He's Bucky Brooks.
I'm Dan Buyer. This is the Doug Gottlieb Show here
on Fox Sports Radio. You can always listen to the
show on the I Heart Radio app and Sirius sex
M channel eighty three. If you happen to miss it,

(31:34):
don't worry, just go to iTunes. That's where you can
find the show. Subscribe to the Doug gottlib Show and
download the show every single day. If you would like,
Merry Christmas to you and yours. Coming up next, we
unwrap a present for you in the form of a game.
So who really is the best rookie in the National
Football League. We'll tell you next here on Fox Sports
Radio Doug gottlib Show on Fox Sports Radio. I'm Merry

(31:57):
Christmas to you. I'm Dan Buyer, He's Bucky Brooks. Your kids.
Get over the Poeet trade? Yet? Is that? Uh? I
mean it's over, you know it's over. On to the
next can't wait to see what happens, wait to see
who comes? Uh still time. I think the hot stove
in Major League Baseball has taken a while to get going,
and I don't know what kind of stove did is.

(32:21):
Somebody needs to put some wood on that fire, but
not much has gone on. We'll see if they're more
dominoes falling after this Christmas holiday. So glad to have
you with us. If you want to reach us on Twitter.
I met Dan Buyer on Fox. He can get Bucky
at Bucky Brooks. Guys, let's get together and play a
game time. This is game time side on the Doug

(32:44):
Gottlieb Show. All right, Bucky, the game that we are
playing today is Okay, this is where you get to
rank stuff. Okay, this is this is your opportunity. Rankings,
by the way, are a great way to make people mad.
No one is ever happy when seeing rankings. And if
someone is happy, that means eight other people aren't because

(33:07):
they aren't at number one. So we're gonna we're gonna
this is just an opportunity for us to rank stuff. Okay, alright,
first one, I'm gonna give you this rank the top
three rookies in the National Football League this season. Offense
and defense, Special teams can be put into this. Who
are the top three rookies that you have seen in
the National Football League. We're going one to three or

(33:29):
three to one. Let's do three to one. Let's do
it surprise like, you know, like a build up sort
of that way. Okay, here we go and go. Darius
Leonard from the Indianapolis number three due to sideline sateline playmaker.
He is leading to leaguing town. He's he's awesome. San
Juan Barkley is my number two. S Kwan. Barkley has
been as good as advertised. Comes in for the New
York Giants, gives him some juice, makes plays as a

(33:52):
running receiver. He is everything that we thought it could be,
but number one, and I am surprised as anybody that
this guy has played as well he has played for.
Baker Mayfield is the number one choice for me. Baker
Mayfield is on the verge of breaking the rookie the
Ricky touchdown passing mark. I just didn't see this coming.
Look when he was taking number one, I was surprised

(34:15):
because you just don't see undersized quarterbacks who aren't over
the athletic in terms of the numbers at the combine
kind of take the leak by storm. But he has
been terrific, particularly since Freddy Kitchens has taken over as
the play caller. Baker Mayfield is the number one rookie
and Mama, Now, no Derwin James on this list. I
love Derwin James, but I can't put him in the

(34:36):
top three. No Michael Dixon of the Seahawks as the punter.
Come on, come on, I'm trying to go for my guy.
He thought the drop kick would get it over the top.
I'll tell you why. He makes special teams fun. I
will say that. I will say that, all right, rank
these Bucky the best three coaching jobs that have been
completed in the NFL this season. I guess through sixteen weeks,

(34:57):
but who's done the best job of coaching their team?
Starting three, going all the way to number one at
three and maybe if he had coached the team the
whole season, he would be number one. Greg Williams for
the Cleveland Browns five and two sins taken over. You
talking about a franchise. They only had three wins prior
to his arrival. He goes, he gets them. They were
on the verge of being a playoff contender. He deserves

(35:19):
a big not. Frank Reich is number two with the
Indianapolis Colts. They were one in five to start the season.
They have put themselves in a position to play a winner,
go home game to go into the postseason. They deserve it.
But number one, we just saw the new eleven million
dollar man and Pete Carroll. Pete Carroll the job that
he has done with the Seattle Seahawks. Look, they lost

(35:40):
so many defensive stars. Richard Sherman camp chance to Cliff April,
Earl Thomas gets hurt. He replaces both coordinators, Darryl bevill anchorship.
Richard brings in Brian Schottenhammer, who everyone kind of laughed at,
and Ken Norton, who also was kind of laughed at
when he was in place. And all this Yeolls have
done is so up a playoff earth and look like

(36:01):
potentially the scariest team to face in the postseason. Let
me ask you this, if Greg Williams would have been
the coach for the entire season, does he make this
list or is it because the drama? He maybe the
top of the list. All really okay, if they were,
if they were on their their way of of wrapping
up a winning record, there's seven, seven and one, al right, Okay.

(36:23):
I didn't know if maybe the drama that took part
in the first part of the season maybe even added
more to Greg Williams. I mean, it's only a partial
season and he has the interim tag on, you know,
his le Yeah, who knows for how long that'll be there.
But they have to give it to him. I don't know, like,
how can you replace him if they win? If they

(36:45):
win this weekend, it's a done deal. I just don't
know how you cannot give it to him. I agree
with that. And it's different than a bowl game when
a when a coach leaves and then you have the
interim and they play that one game that you can't tell, Yeah,
you can't Bill Stewart at West Virginia years back when
he took over for Rich Rodriguez. There's some even of
of what Clay Helton did at USC and trying to

(37:08):
turn that program around. Maybe like, oh, this is a
feel good story, let's move on from it and we'll
give him the full time job. This could be an
opportunity where Greg Williams keeps the job. Speaking of that,
there are going to be vacancies in the NFL. We
don't know all of them. Green Bay is gonna get
a new coach. We don't know if Cleveland will or not.
We expect the Jets to move on from Todd Bowls
and other places. What would be the three best jobs

(37:29):
that are likely to be available this offseason in the NFL?
Who at number three? I'm gonna put the Green Bay Packers. Uh,
The green Bay Packers are tracting because obviously to have
one of the best quarterbacks, if not the best quarterback
in the game and Aaron Rodgers. But you have to
deal with the high expectations in the standard of winning.
There is different than some cities. Tough job, but still
a very good job because you have a quarterback in place.

(37:51):
At two I'm gonna say the Jacksonville Jaguars if it
comes available. And the reason why that defense is loaded
with talent. But you have to be able to manage
the personalities and you have to make a decision on
what you want to do at the quarterback position. Attractive job,
but you have some questions to answer. And the number
one job the Cleveland Browns. The Cleveland Browns are very

(38:11):
attractive because you have a franchise quarterback in place, you
have a ton of young talent, you have cap space,
and you have draft picks. You're sitting pretty with the
general manager and John Dorsey. Great job if it's available.
If you can't get Greg Williams out of that seat,
I think I think if you can get him out
of the seat, I think it is a very very
attractive job for a coach there. It is Bucky Brooks

(38:34):
rank them on this Christmas Day, this is game time
on the Duck Gottlieb Show. It's amazing to me how
Denver is not attractive because it always seems like a
place where there's so much backing but if they move
on from Vance, Joseph may not be the place where
you want to be. He's Bucky Brooks. I'm Dan Baio.
This is the Duck Gottlieb Show on Fox Sports Radio.

(38:57):
Coming up, Who's the most dangerous team in the ants?
See playoff picture? We'll tell you next. Do you like
five year NFL veteran it? Or do you like former
NFL scouts? Do you like NFL Networks Bucky Brooks? Do
you like sky Sports is Bucky Brooks. There's a lot
of different titles we could give you North Carolina tar
Heel Bucky Brooks. Well, anytime you mentioned tutorial thing that

(39:18):
always kind of close to home. Ah, you know, I
think Scout player somewhere in there's some some kind of
NFL veteran. I don't. Yeah, that's what it is. Five
year NFL veteran. Did you earn any a CC honors
at North Carolina? I did not. Video scho school. Oh
really was like they called it the two time art Winer,

(39:40):
Award winner winner, which just means I was just why
receiver the year twice. Okay, That's why I know accolades
just kind of under the radar. But a proutar Hel. Nonetheless,
what about did you did you get any academic awards
for fake classes that didn't exist? I did not be
all those passes existed. They just exists on the rim

(40:01):
of your own mind. This is a difference. Is a
different level of existing A four point oh at u
n C Chapel Hill with classes that weren't even there.
Uh sorry, that wasn't nice. That was a It was
a shot on Christmas that. That was not nice. But
Bucky Brooks wears so many hats. I love it. I
love the Sky sports aspect. We talked about this last week,

(40:22):
but you're spending a couple of weeks in England and
London doing some work for Scotti Fund. Who could go?
We could go a lot of different ways. We're all
talking about the same thing though. It's the NFL, in
the NFL playoffs, and now we're less than a week
away from finding out who's gonna make the field of twelve,
if you will, six spots in the a f C,
six spots in the NFC. Most have better wrapped up

(40:42):
at the e f C, there was still some doors
left open. Specifically on Sunday night, Colts and Titans are
going to be playing winner is in, loser goes home,
and if the Ravens top the Browns, then Baltimore wraps
up the a f C North with Pittsburgh being left
out in the cold, Which should be you should be
afraid of? Who should you be scared of? If you're

(41:04):
a top a f C team like Kansas City, or
maybe if the Chargers take over. Is it a Colts team,
is it a Titans team? Is it just the Ravens
because of what they've done lately? Who's got the scare
factor right now in the a f C? I think
obviously the Baltimore Ravens has a scare factor because not
only can they run the ball and they're coming with
a great defense, it is the way that they're playing

(41:27):
that drives you crazy. They are basically Army of the
National Football League. They are the Cadets, the Black Knights.
They are running a brand of option football over and
over and over. I mean to the level that we
have not seen it anytime. You're a seemed to averages
forty five plus rushing attempts over two thirty rushing yards.

(41:49):
That is a problem to deal with because the running
game allows you to do so much off of it,
play action, complimentary runs, reverses all the things that they're doing.
And because they are backed up by a number one defense,
the defense that can really hold the score down, they
can just junk up the game and make life miserable
for you with their style of play. Here's something I

(42:11):
don't get and and and I want you to explain
this to me, because this is what I've heard ever
since Sundays went over the Buffalo Bills, is that the
New England Patriots are going nowhere, that the New England
Patriots are here now. When I look at the New
England Patriots, what I see as a team that benefited

(42:33):
from the Texans misfortune because now New England is sitting
in that two spot. I see a team that really
can't move the football through the air. That even against
the Bills team who if you were to look at
the Bills and say, what is one of their what
is their strength on defense, it's up front. They were
in top ten in rushing yards allowed in rushing yards
per carry in the National Football League. Yet the Patriots

(42:56):
and the mastermind of Bill Belichick decided what we're gonna
do is run the football against Buffalo, and they ended
up leaving with a win, a twelve point victory thanks
to a late Buffalo touchdown, which had many people happy.
But the point being Bucky is I look at New
England and I and I see that, and I think
this was a team that loved to find the weaknesses

(43:16):
of defense because they could do so many things and
take advantage of it. Here, Buffalo comes in with a
with a strength, if you will, in New England attacked
that strength, which tells me that New England wasn't comfortable
with their offense. Is that fair to say? Where the
Patriots are now maybe more even of a ground team
than one that can get it done through the air. Well,

(43:38):
I think it's fair to say. I think it's fair
to say for a couple of reasons. Tom Brady hasn't
played well in the last month or so. He hadn't
didn't play great versus Miami, has some uncharacteristic mistakes, uh
in that game, didn't play well against Pittsburgh. And this
is the last game where he didn't really light it up. Um,
he's been uh, he's been mispiring on some throws. His

(43:59):
accuracy is in to the level that we're used to seeing,
and what the Patriots have done is they have realized
that the running game could be their biggest weapon to
deal with the losses that they have on the outside.
And the reason I'm plorizing that is you have Josh Gordon,
who we know is gone, but Robert Gronkowski isn't the

(44:19):
same player. He can't get open. Julian Edelman had a
good game this week, but he has shown moments of decline.
And so what Belichick has decided and what I agree with,
I think the two most impactful players for the Patriots
now are Sony Michelle and James White. They will win.
If they win, it will be through their running backs,

(44:39):
not through their White House, using them not only as runners,
but as receivers out the backfield and the screen game
and empty running quick passes. I believe those two guys
will be the guys that carry the Patriots if they
have a chance to go to the super Bowl. They're
not gonna do what Baltimore does though, right, I mean,
you're you obviously not gonna have Tom Brady b Lamar Jackson.
But no, no, it's not so much that, but they're
going They're going to run it. They're gonna line up

(45:01):
in heavy sets. They're gonna play big on little because
all of these teams in the last couple of years,
they have changed the way they build their defensive um.
Instead of having these big, bulky linebackers to take on
the run, they now got these fleet pass rushers, these
undersized linebackers to cover. Well, the Patriots are saying, we're
gonna go big personnel, multiple tight ends on the field,

(45:22):
maybe an extra for some lineman or full back, and
we're going to run at those little dudes and see
if those little dudes can hold up against the blocking
running right at and and that's and that's where I
guess I come to the point of where if I
am another a f C team, or if I'm a
team that's going up against New England, I feel a
lot better having to face James White, Sony Michelle, and

(45:43):
Rex burkehead then I do of having to deal with
Tom Brady. Like if you if you gave me one
or the other, I would take the former, I would
take trying to take those three backs. And that's why
I just I don't understand, I don't get. It just
doesn't register to me because I'd rather face that Patriot
team than one with tom Brady dropping back to pass
and just picking me apart for the next three otums,

(46:04):
we'll see. I think the difference is the weapons that
they have on the outside don't allow them to play
that way where they spread you out in tom Brady
does it, he kind of deals from the pocket. Also,
tom Brady hasn't allowed them to do it because your
confidence is kind of waning in his ability to kind
of pick your apart because he hasn't played great, uh

(46:25):
the last month or so from the pocket. And so
what you're trying to do for the Patriots, a team
that lacks explosive playmakers, whe the running game will do
will give you an opportunity to generate explosive passes off
play action, run it, run it, run it, play fake.
Throw it deep to Chris Hogan throwing deep? Did Julian
element throw it deep to maybe Cardarol Patterson running over

(46:47):
the top. So what they're trying to do is build
a plan where the run game and the past game
they look alike, and they're able to complement it with
those explosive play passes, which will give them an opportunity
to points. Patriots are in the playoffs. They wrapped up
the a f C East from the nine straight year.
That was a joke that was it wasn't that good.

(47:07):
It was straight yeah, yeah, But it seems like it's
been two The wild card in the a f C
South and Division is still up for grabs, but Texans
with a wind can can wrap it up. Is everybody
cheering for the Titans in the a f C in
that Colts game on Sunday Night? And just it seems
to me that India would be the team that nobody
wants to play well. Even though Tennessee gotta win last

(47:29):
year against Kansas City and Derrick Henry's been been great
these last couple of games down the stretch, it just
seems that the rest of the a f C would
rather have Tennessee in the postseason than Indianapolis. You would
like to face Tennessee just because in the playoffs they
would go in with arguably the worst quarterback situation of

(47:50):
every team that is in the tournament. Um Marcus Mariota
has been okay, but he's also been banged up a lot,
and the guy that has been playing a ton of
late has been playing Gabbert. If you're going to play
that team in the playoffs, you feel good about your
chances to either deal with Mark Marcus Mariota. I means
you get him out of the game and he didn't
have to deal with the backup. So yes, the Tennessee

(48:12):
Titians are the teams that the top seas would rather
face as opposed to the Indianapolis Coast where you always
have to deal with the Andrew luckback. Looking at how
these things play these things play out, Houston, asn't mentioned,
would wrap up the division with a win over Jacksonville
on Sunday and it's all theirs. But if they don't,
then Tennessee could clinch the South Division with a win

(48:35):
over the Page there with with a win over the
Colts on Sunday, the Colts can win the a f
C South if Houston loses. So if Houston loses, they're
not gonna win the division. They're not gonna win a
tiebreaker with Indianapolis or with Tennessee. So the division still
could be up for grabs if Jacksonville is gonna pay
play spoiler in that matchup, which I just don't expect.

(48:58):
I mean, whatever with the Jags, Jags, Dolphins, you want
to talk about you want to talk about a Bermuda
triangle of football. Look at the state of Florida for
this year. In the end, I mean, it's having a
tough tough time right now, but they're they're they're bounced back.
The Jaguars are certainly a big disappointment. UH teams talked
about as a Super Bowl contender and just couldn't find
their way throughout the season. Some would attribute to the

(49:21):
quarterback place, some would troute to the strong personalities and
Jalen Ramsey kind of putting a target on everybody's back
with his comments in the off season. I would just
say that this team did not stick to their identity.
They didn't stick to who they said they were. At
their core, they're running team that can play great defense.
They have not done either of those things to the

(49:43):
level that we expect them to do it. Here's the
armageddon scenario that would be amazing in the National Football
League Sunday that we know that the Colts and Titans
are playing or a playoff berth But if New England
would lose to the Jets, and Houston would lose to
the Jaguars, and the Ravens would lose to the Browns,
Tennessee would not only win the a f C South

(50:03):
with the win, they would get a first round by.
So the so imagine that playing out, the Tennessee Titans
have have the ability to be eliminated or to get
a first round by depending how things fall out. I
know it's not not a likely scenario with all those
things happening, but it's still on the table. That should
tell you how crazy things have been a very He's

(50:26):
He's Bucky Brooks. I'm Dan By. It's not out of
the realm of possibility that the Browns win, right, and
it's Jacksonville and Tennessee. Um there, excuse me, Jacksonville and Houston.
As I mentioned, Jacksonville just seems like a mess. I
don't expect the Jets to go to Foxboro and win
a game that the Patriots have to win, but at
least that Brown's Raven scenario could happen. He's Bucky Brooks.

(50:47):
I'm Dan Buyer. This is the Doug Gottlieb Show reaches
on Twitter. I'm at Dan Buyer on Fox Bucky, they
can get you at simple as that. So what makes
Baker Mayfield in Lamar Jackson tick? We'll ask an NFL
scout next year on Fox Sports Radio Doug Gottlieb Show
at Fox Sports Radio. A very very Christmas to you

(51:09):
and yours. If you're all traveling, please be safe. If
you're hanging out with us on Christmas Day, we appreciate it.
Welcome to the Fox family. He's Bucky Brooks. I'm Dan Buyer.
You can always reach us on Twitter. I'm at Dan Buyer.
On Fox. You can get Bucky at Bucky Brooks. When
we talked with Chris Gordy on in New Orleans earlier
in the show, Chris, of course hosting ten noon Central

(51:33):
Time in the Big Easy on Sports twelve eighty, you
asked him to make a point about Drew brees is candidacy,
and it says, eager listen politics a lot, you know,
make a case for you for your candidates. And Chris
made the point of of the winds that Drew Brees
had in big games against the Eagles, against the Rams,
against the Pittsburg Steelers this past week, of the winds

(51:56):
that Drew Brees has led the Saints to and played
well in. And it's interesting because I don't think that
Patrick Mahomes gets the same recognition on those levels. But
I will say this. The NFL Network on their Christmas
Day programming is doing a countdown of the greatest games

(52:16):
of the season so far. The top three all involved
the Chiefs. Now, now, Bucky may have lost all of
those games, but it was like Patrick Mahomes was awful
in those contests and it was far from it. The
Chargers game was number three. The match up in Kansas
City from week fifteen. The Patriots Chiefs game is on
right now, which don't watch it, listen to us, just

(52:39):
stay where you are, and we assume number one is
gonna be Rams Chiefs from from Yea for that Monday
night game, which, by the way, that game will still
be going on on December because it took so long.
But the point being is it's not like Patrick. Like
Patrick Mahomes didn't win these games with the Chiefs, but
he wasn't awful in them. So I don't think that
should be the losses should be held against him when
looking at the MP No, absolutely, And I mean I

(53:01):
just think understanding where he is, this is a in
all lessons, this is a rookie um performing like this.
I got forty seven touchdowns. Whatever he's accounted for, he's
on the verge of hitting fifty touchdowns first year as
a starter, only the second year as a pro, and
he played in one game. He started one game a

(53:22):
season ago, and I think he is not getting enough
credit for what he is doing as a young player.
Uh Now they say, oh, it's Andy Reid, it's the
system to defense and all this other stuff. But no,
the thing that has changed in the Kansa City Chiefs
offense is remove Alex Smith, insert Pat Mahomes and away
they go. It's an incredible and so I believe he

(53:45):
has been and for one you got to change the
definition of most valuable player. He's been the MP. He's
the most outstanding player in the National Football League this
season and deserves to walk away with the hardwark. You know,
one of the things that I actually think worked against
Patrick Mahomes was you mentioned Alex Smith. Alex Smith last

(54:06):
season had probably the best year of his career last season.
He actually led the NFL in passer rating last year.
In so then you see Mahomes slide in and do
what he's doing at an even more dynamic level. But
it makes you think, yes, that's and that's what you think.

(54:26):
And most of the other parts stayed the same. But
when you've got I and maybe not could be wrong.
I just think that I remember Alex Smith's season last
year is a really darn good one, which made me
think of, oh, what was the system? But you mentioned
the game last year against Denver. That's all Andy Reid needed.

(54:46):
He understood what he was taking. A large, big reason
why he took Pat Mahomes is Pet Mahomes reminded him
so much of breat far Um. His athleticism is a
plus arm talent, his ability to playoff the script um,
even his his wild nature may have reminded him of

(55:07):
breath Farv. And I was in Green Bay during those
times when Andy was first uh the tight end coach.
Then he became the quarterback coach while breath Farv was there,
and Andy did a great job of kind of being
the buffer between coach Hogren and the quarterback. And then
he continued to develop and refine bred far breath Farv
went three straight m v p s, which has never
really been done um before. And so with Patrick Mahomes, Patrick,

(55:33):
like Andy Reid, is taking Pat Mahomes and understood all
of the natural talent, but he's taught him how to
be a little more discipline in detail from the pocket
without taking away the special stuff. That's hard to do.
And I think a lot of the credit obviously goes
to the player, but and he read certainly deserves some
credit for putting his best player in position to play

(55:54):
like the m v P. Some may say, by the way,
you mentioned Mike holm Grin and Green Bay. Some may
say Jerry Lanvel. So I may say John McKay when
he was the Fuckingeers head coach. My favorite coach miked
up in NFL films is Mike holm Grin, and it's
from those Farve years, and it is with conversations with
Andy Reid, or it's conversations with Steve Mariucci or other coaches.

(56:16):
I could just sit and watch those NFL films of
those conversations just because of their personalities. Had to be
fun at least be a part of it, right, I
mean that that had to be quite quite an organization
and a group of guys used to be with. Yeah,
I mean, I mean a great organization. Like I can't
even tell you the amount of coaches that have come
that came through there during my time. Um, well, you

(56:36):
know Marucci was there, John Gruden had just left when
I got there. Andy Reid was on their coaching staff. Uh,
anybody else that was Marty was one of the assistants.
He was the assistant to the assistant. Uh. He was
on that staff. Um. Doug Peterson was a backup quarterback

(56:56):
on that staff. And so when you think about all
the guys that have gone on and had various levels
of success, I mean, it all kind of springs from
coaching staff. And last night I was I was sitting
in with there on Torres on the Jason Smith Show
with Mike Harmon and and I brought up the point of,
you know, you're getting older when you know more of

(57:17):
the coaching tree than it is being revealed. Because now
while you're hearing about is the Andy Reid coaching tree,
And I'm saying, no, Andy Reid's just a branch off
of Mike Holmgren. And there's people that are older than
me of saying no, Mike Holmgren's just the bran Yeah. Yeah,
So that's so that's where we are now. But now
you're like the Andy Reid coaching tree of Matt Nagy

(57:37):
and Doug Peterson and all those names, and it's what
you get. It's what you get in football. John Dorsey
was a member of that Packers organizations. He drafted Baker Mayfield,
and now Baker Mayfield is your odds on favorite to
be the NFL's offensive Rookie of the Year. Putting on
the scouts cap if you will. What makes Baker Mayfield

(57:59):
working Cleveland to the success that he's had this season.
A couple of things that make your work. Baker Mayfield
is an older player. I think you have to understand
Baker Mayfield's a four or five year player in college.
He started maybe fifty games during this time at Oklahoma.
That experience matters because when you get to the National
Football League and you're playing the game, the game slows

(58:22):
down quicker for those who are most more experienced. Secondly,
he is finally benefited from the fact that he has
an offensive play caller that is doing stuff to really
help the young quarterback thrive. When you look at the
Cleveland Brons, now you're looking at a team that runs
multiple tight informations um more than fifty percent of the time.
So twelve personnel, one back, two tight ends, two wide receivers.

(58:45):
Third team personnel one back, three wide receivers, one wide
I mean three tight ends, one wide receiver. They're going bigger.
And the reason they're going bigger because now they can
max protect, they can do some two man routes. Uh,
they can run the ball with Nick chubb Um and
Baker Mayfield has proven that he is an effective drop
back passer and effective play action pass and his great

(59:08):
ball handling ability. And then the last thing that Baker
Mayfield has done is he's bought a love level of
swagger and energy that didn't exist. And I'm not in
love with his interactions with Hugh Jackson and those things,
but what I can say is he plays like a

(59:28):
regular position player. We're not used to seeing the quarterback.
It zoos some qualities that were used to seeing way
outside with the wide receivers. And so because he is
like that, he ingratiates himself to his teammates. His teammates
and because he has so much confidence and they've been winning,
it's infectious, it's contagious. They believe in him. And so

(59:52):
it's worked right now, now is it sustainable? Can he
continue do it? That will be the thing that separates
him from being a at quarterback versus a great quarterback.
The great quarterbacks do a year after year after year
after year. That would be the expectation for Baker may
for at number one. The huge Jackson situation this past
weekend was one that I I've and I've said this

(01:00:15):
network and have been on a few times since it
happened on Sunday of that, I think it's this is now,
this rivalry is benefiting Baker and it's starting to have
a negative effect on maybe on how Hugh Jackson is
viewed at I I looked at the handshake as totally
fine the first time around. You don't want to hug him,
that's fine, he gave a handshake. If these scenarios were reversed,

(01:00:38):
I would say it's progress. Where if Baker taunted him
at first, realized maybe I was wrong, then after the game,
I'll shake your hand, we'll move on from it. But
now it seems that it's it's it was the opposite.
It was the I'll shake your hand, but now I'm
going to taunt you, and that's that's that's not how
it should go. And it seems like to me that

(01:00:59):
Baker has keep this alive because you can't do anything
wrong in Cleveland, and this allows Baker Mayfield's brand to continue.
That's what bothered me about. He's been enabled and I
will say this and I'll be honest, which we've never
let anybody get off the hook with doing this kind
of stuff in the National Football League. Bride to Baker,
and at no point that we ever allowed a quarterback
to act this way and not say anything. When Cam

(01:01:22):
Newton acted this way, when Cam Newton celebrated Man, we
toured Cam Newton to shreds for doing this stuff. We
have not given Baker the same kind of treatment. Now
that could be because we as football fans are evolved
and we're okay seeing our quarterbacks not act quote unquote presidential.
But the way Baker has acted has not necessarily been

(01:01:46):
becoming of a franchise quarterback. But now that he has
done it and that's who he is, what he has
to do is he better continue to play great because
when it comes back around all of that stuff that
he is doing, people are gonna do to him and
how does he respond to that. But it's a level
of immaturity and the Cleveland fans will say like, oh,

(01:02:07):
you're hard on our guy, he's doing it whatever. But
what I can't really understand. And this goes beyond the
Cleveland thing. I cannot understand the disdain for Hugh Jackson.
I can't understand why there's this theme with Hugh Jackson.
But we've had a million other coaches failed in the

(01:02:28):
National Football League, but Hugh Jackson is on the butt
of every joke. To me, I just don't understand why
Hugh Jackson is the guy that we are like, hey,
he's going to be our perpetual punching bag just because
he didn't win in Cleveland when no one has winning Cleveland.
So I I just can't understand that part of it.
When it comes to Baker and then kind of stretching

(01:02:48):
it out, let's let's continue this conversation because they think
that there there's there are some things to it and
whether it be fair or unfair, He's Bucky Brooks. I'm
Dan Buyer. I also want to get your thoughts on
Hallamar Jackson is working Baltimore, and I think that the
way that we look at Lamar Jackson we talked about
this last week, it's Lamar Jackson is being viewed as
a way as a quarterback differently than all the other quarterbacks.

(01:03:10):
Except when you want to put him in the same
classes the top rookie quarterbacks of this year, when he
wasn't even in the in the same realm of where
they were taking There's different pressures. I'm sorry for being
a top ten pick as opposed to being the last
pick of the first round. We'll get into that in
a whole lot more in a bit later on the
Doug got Leap Show, but we'll continue our Hugh Jackson discussion.
He's Bucky Brooks. I'm Dan buyer. After Brian Fenley gets
us caught up to date of what is happening in

(01:03:32):
Houston and the NBA and what happened in the Big
Apple earlier on this Christmas Day. Hello Brian, Hey guys. Yeah,
the NBA gifting us with five games on this Christmas
Day and Russell west Brick multitasking per usual, Westbrook right
wing because James Leap three slashes, based lights it up,
lays it and it gets crumpled en route, gets Gordon
on the foul and Westbrook with the deuce Thunder Radio

(01:03:53):
Network Westbrook quadruple double alert fourteen points, five rebounds, six assists,
four steals as the Thunder are now tied with the
rocket sixty six to sixty six middle of the third
quarter from earlier today, Milwaukee's janis onto decoupo, tolling with
the New York Knicks defense. In the Bucks one victory,

(01:04:14):
Janice had thirty points and thirteen rebounds, and according to
The Athletic, the Knicks take sleep science seriously, apparently more
so than defense. And how was this for Christmas kit?
For New York fans. You boast the third worst record
in the league, and apparently that's something they're pretty used
to at this point. Later today, seventy Sixers at Celtics

(01:04:35):
at five thirty Eastern Philly. As good as they are
are only six and nine on the road. Lakers and
Warriors follow at eight pm Eastern, And according to financial
reporter Darren Ravelpe, somebody paid sixty two thousand dollars for
two courtside seats on stubb Up for this game, including fees. So,
I see Dan and Bucky. You guys are going to
the game. Yeah, yeah, that's us. That is definitely uh,

(01:04:59):
that's uh Bucky actually bottom So yeah, yeah, no, Sky Sports,
NFL Vets, NFL network. That's how you get those seats.
When you're sitting by the way. Nobody should ever pay
that much for a regular season game, and anything, I'm sorry,
just isn't worth it. Brian, we appreciated Mary Christmas to
you and yours. He's Bucky Brooks. I'm Dan Buyer. This
is the Doug Gottlieb Show. I truly feel that way.

(01:05:21):
There's I know it's it's great and maybe maybe if
you're buying those tickets, it doesn't matter because your bank
account is not gonna feel a dent at all. But
for a regular season game, I just don't see. It's
it's just unbelievable that someone will pay that much money.
I mean, I know it's Christmas and you want to
be around, but that's a that's a lot of a
lot of change to see a matchup that you could

(01:05:43):
see in May between these two squads. So the Hugh
Jackson conversation, let's continue this because you seem to imply
that it's much more than just Baker Mayfield with Hugh Jackson,
that that we're looking at Hugh Jackson differently. And I
was in on Sunday afternoon with from Salam and we
had different views. I did not think that Hugh Jackson

(01:06:06):
should have taken that Bengals job. I fram was all
for it, and we got into a discussion and I
probably lasted thirty minutes, and I just this was my
view on it. And I want to ask you if
you think this plays into it at all. I just
think it's it's different than a player. I think when
you're a head coach and you're the leader of fifty
three men, there comes a responsibility with that. And even

(01:06:26):
though he wasn't fired by the players, he was fired
by the Browns, and and I understand that he lost
his job and didn't leave the job on his own accord,
I still think that there's a responsibility to those fifty
three guys because of the role that you had. So
I didn't like the move of moving to the Bengals
when they played the Browns twice later in the season.

(01:06:46):
If the Browns game were out of the way or
he went to the NFC, I could accept it more.
But I just I didn't like that look for Hugh Jackson.
But I'm guessing that that isn't everything that's come with you, Jackson.
You're more of like, why is Hugh Jackson now the
butt of all these jokes? Is that? Is that the
issue we're just kind of I just don't I just

(01:07:06):
don't understand all of that. But but to your point,
I would say, I would say this, and this is
the thing all coaches will tell you this. Uh, the
thing that is scary when you get fired is when
you're out the loop, will you be able to get
back in? And so a lot of times you want
to take the first thing that comes your way because
you just don't want to sit out because the longer

(01:07:27):
your way, the hard it is to get in. Secondly,
with the Bengals and Marvin Lewis and Hugh Jackson, their
relationship is very, very unique and special. Like Hugh has
served a couple of stints in Cincinnati previously, and there
was some thought that when you Jackson left before, there's
gonna be a secession plan for Hugh Jackson to take

(01:07:48):
over as head coach for Marvin Lewis at the Cincinnati Bengs,
and maybe they were trying to kind of re establish
that are bringing them in now and if they had
some success at the end of the year, it maybe
easier to execute that kind of plan now. But because
there's been so much around the Hugh Jackson thing and
he is viewed as the village idiot for whatever reason.

(01:08:11):
It makes it hard for Cincinnati to sell that plan.
So I don't know if they'll be able to do that.
Um in terms of head coaches being fired and going
to another place in the middle of the year, Josh
McDaniels did that, I think. I think when Josh McDaniels
was let go from Versus somewhere Denver, he landed. Yeah,
he landed with the Patriots for a little bit and

(01:08:31):
helped them during the final run before he went to St.
Louis to be the thing. So it's not uncommon. Is
just something that we're not used to. And when you're fired,
I don't believe that you really owe your former employer
or employed team anything because if I was cut from
a team, I would go to the next team if
they claim me off waivers, I would go to the
next team that I could possibly play because I want

(01:08:53):
to be involved in the game. And so I understand
your point because it looks like, oh, you're not loyal,
but there's the real loyalty in the nation. Yeah, And
and players do it all the time. I just think
that there's a different responsibility and and there are no
like I've I've had people try to compare, well, Dan,
what about if you lost your job, would you not
go to another radio company. It's I'm not in charge

(01:09:16):
of fifty three guys that I tried to have them
buy into the message that I'm sending and then because
of one decision, it changes and now I am going
to in essence and I'll just use the term backstad
them by going to another team. I know it's harsh,
but Josh mcded but he got fired by John Dorsey

(01:09:39):
and his responsibility to the players. That's where it it
it the players got The players got it because they
didn't perform. The players got them fired. Do you think
is is there more to the Hugh Jackson thing? Is
is there more too? Is it because it was Cleveland?
It was? Was it be as of Todd Haley? Is

(01:10:01):
it because of how he handled things? Then? Why was
this all coming up? So? So here's okay. So here
here's also the funny thing, right because Todd Haley is
absolved from all of the blame. Right, so everyone is like, oh,
Freddy Kitchen has done such a great job as the
play call he did this, well, guess who called plays
in Cleveland? Todd Hailey, Hugh Jackson didn't call plays. Hugh

(01:10:21):
Jackson was criticized when he asked, man, I would like
to be more involved. All you can't be involved. You're
undermining the Oh see, No you're not. You're the head coach.
When you're the head coach, you do what you wanna do.
Mike Zimmer did that. He fired John d Filippo because
John d Filippo didn't call the game the way that
the head coach would like for the game to be called.

(01:10:42):
And so I just believe there's a bit of I
don't know what it is with Hugh Jackson. I think
maybe when you're allowed, maybe when you talk, maybe he
rubs people wrong because he may appear to be arrogant
or smug. But it is baffling to me the amount
of criticism and stuff that he takes compared to other

(01:11:04):
coaches who have underperforming their respective job. He maybe it's
because he was there longer, and there could have been
other really bad ten years, but the coach was moved
out before you could have that long of a tenure.
Mm hmm. Maybe they wont I mean they won one
game in two years, you know, and then all of

(01:11:24):
a sudden this comes around. I mean, he's still got
like if you won one game in two years, and
I would understand. And I'm not a huge Jackson apologist,
but i will say this, Sashi Brown and what they
were attempting to do front office was like the analytic
thing or whatever, like, look, man, the head coach is
subject to the players that you would given. And so

(01:11:46):
they in essence tanked for a year or two to
put themselves in a position to where this year John
Dorsey can benefit because not only do they have players
on the team with the caps face or whatever, were
they being able to kind of upgrade the team. Well,
this year they have additional first round picks, all because
they deliberately did what you do in the NBA. You

(01:12:07):
go suck for a couple of years so you can
get more picks and get better players. And so look,
Hugh Jackson is tied to that. He's tied to what
they did, regardless of whether he was trying to be
the good soldier or not. Because he was the one
that was always standing in front of the press conferences.
He is the one that has to take all the bullets.
And I'm not saying that he shouldn't deserve the criticism

(01:12:28):
because your record is what your record is. But we
don't talk about Matt Patricia like this. I mean, we
don't talk about some of these other bad coaches like that,
Like we just go hard into paint and Hugh Jackson
wish to me. I just find interesting if the Lions
don't win a game next year in our practicing outside
in December, we'll be talking about He's Bucky Brugs. I've

(01:12:50):
Dan Buyer. This is the Doug Gottlieb Show here on
Fox Sports Radio. So who's truly the best coach in
the National Football League? Want to answer? May surprise you
next year on Fox Sports Radio. Doug gottlib Show on
Fox Sports Radio. He is Bucky Brooks. I'm Dan buy
Our Merry Christmas to you and yours. Thanks so much
for joining us today. Great NBA action going on, talking

(01:13:12):
a lot of NFL this week. Seventeen is on the horizon.
There's about I think five games, Bucky, that just don't
matter at all like they have They may matter in
draft order, but realistically for anything that could or may
happen in the postseason won't have any effect whatsoever. Green
Bay and the Lions are one of those. I think

(01:13:34):
the Bill's Dolphins is another. In the Arizona Cardinals on
that inside track now to get they still were, but
Oakland's win last night gave them their fourth win. But
Oakland had a win against Arizona this season anyway. Point
being is the Cardinals on track to have the first
overall pick in the NFL Draft, and with the loss
to the Seahawks this Sunday, they could be they would

(01:13:56):
wrap up that first overall pick. Now is the time
of the show where Doug likes to take something interesting
from Fox Sports Radio and Fox Sports One and bring
it back to you. It's called and Now Now and
Christmas even speak for yourself. On Fox Sports One, Jason
Whitlock and Marcellus widely debating who is the second best

(01:14:20):
coach in the NFL. Pete Carroll is establishing himself to
me as the second best coach in the NFL. For
this dude to run out the legion of Boom and
to reinvent it with the different group led by Bobby Wagner,
to do that over again, and then to transition the
offense the way that he has and figure out a

(01:14:40):
way to protect Russell Wilson and just to play a
whole different style. So you know what, all the other
league's gonna pass happy. We're gonna run the ball, even
though we have a hell of a quarterback. We're gonna
run the ball and let this guy make timely throws.
Pete Carroll is a better coach than Andy Reid. I've
only seen Andy Reid coach one way. He's gonna throw
the football, do it in Philadelphia, through it in in

(01:15:02):
in Kansas City. Uh, in Kansas City has just had
horrible defenses or whatever. But I Pete Carroll has a
decided advantage to me over Andy Reid. Pete Carroll, I
hate it's kind of crazy to say, but he's a
bit underrated. What he's doing and has done with this
team on the fly. To sweep those guys out and

(01:15:23):
to come right back with a team this dangerous UH
the next year is incredible. I didn't realize that Andy
Reid was holding the silver medal as the presumably second
best coach in the National Football League. I actually thought
and Bill Belichick is is the best, and I don't
think that there's any argument with that. I thought the
debate would have been Bucky between Sean Payton and Pete

(01:15:46):
Carroll is is Pete Carroll the second best? And you
don't even think Sean Payton Maybe not with that look,
uh no, because I think what the Saints when three
straight years when they were seven and nine, you know,
I mean he was a coach for for those squads.
I think, like that's kind of this. I mean, obviously,

(01:16:09):
I think all those guys in the conversation. Sean Paygon
certainly would be in the conversation. I wouldn't, I know
what I'm Andy Reid is in the conversation. Andy Reid
hasn't gotten over to hump and won the big one,
where Pete Carroll has gone to two, so bold Sean
Payton is gone to one. UM. I think what Pete
Carroll has been able to do with this version of
Seahawks is remarkable to me, just the way that he

(01:16:30):
did it. Um. So many of the veterans that were dismissed,
Richie Sherman, Cliff Avriel, uh Michael Bennett. They talked about
the message being stale, getting old. They're not kind of
We heard all the same stories. You've done, all the competitions,
YadA YadA, YadA, yadda you kind of felt like Pete
Carroll sounded like Charlie Brown's teacher, want Want Want, Want Want,

(01:16:53):
and they just were over it. So what Pete Carroll
did was a smart thing. I'm gonna get all the
guys out to build, all the guys we're not buying
in out to building. Avril and Cam with injuries, injuries,
um but shum, Michael Bennett. Uh. They brought back Earl Thomas,
but they were okay. Obviously moving on from Earl after

(01:17:13):
this season. Coaches included, whatever you want to say about
Bevill and Richard, those guys did good jobs while they
were there. But we're gonna we're gonna change another big
move out. We can get everybody out, and we're gonna
do it my way. We're gonna make it a very
very competitive deal and we're going to have a bunch
of young, hungry guys with a bunch to prove. And

(01:17:35):
it's working. And I think what it has done is
his energize Pete to know that, look what I've said
and what I my philosophy is works. I did it
at s C, I've done it at Seattle. We're redoing
it at Seattle, and it works and The next decision
they I have to make is what are we gonna
do with a quarterback Russell Wilson? Because we've proven that

(01:17:57):
we can win with him as a compliment. We don't
necessarily need to make him do everything. So, Russell, where
do you come in at with this money? You come
in at Aaron Rodgers level? Because if you're trying to
come in and dead, maybe we need to find another
quarterback to play our way? Or do you see that
we win with or without you and you kind of
willing to take a back seat. That's the key is.

(01:18:19):
I know Russell Wilson has had a great year and
on prime time when you see the throws that he
made against Kansas City, it makes everybody think this is
an m VP candidate. But if you watch them throughout
the year, it was so predicated on that running game,
and that is that has changed everything on both sides
of the ball. It has changed everything with Russell Wilson,

(01:18:40):
and it's why even though the touchdown numbers are up
wistens like twentieth and passing attempts this season, it's made
them much more opportunistic. And I'm glad Whitlock said that
that when they need Russell Wilson to make plays. He's
doing so they just don't need it every single point.
The other thing with with that is it's very similar

(01:19:00):
to how the Legion of Boom developed in what Seattle's doing.
It's not like their defenses dominating. In fact, their defense
is probably average. To run a game mastered because you don't,
you don't expose him to as many carries. And look,
Pete Carroll Sith said this, and I can't remember where
I heard him said. He said, the running game or
the way that we're playing now, it's easier to not

(01:19:23):
lose the game. Fewer mistakes, few mistake opportunities with turnovers.
That's why they're playing as well. He's Bucky Brooks, I'm
Dan Buyer. What makes Lamar Jackson Dick? We'll tell you next.
Brian Fendly hanging out with us as well on this
Christmas Day. Glad to have you with us here on
the Gottlieb Show of Mary. Christmas to you and yours,
Vincent Close, our technical producer, our executive producer, Ryan burshing Er,

(01:19:47):
Marry Christmas to you guys, think so much for being
with us and you for listening in We appreciate it.
Whether you're driving maybe from place to place. Maybe there's
the multiple Christmas, go for one place earlier in the day,
then you got to go to the other place later.
You got that, So we appreciate you hanging out with
us here on Box Sports Radio and Bucky. I don't
I don't know if you've noticed or not, but this, uh,

(01:20:10):
this this top that I'm wearing, this new Nike post
well it darn sure is. You can still see the
creases because is here on the Dug gott Leap Show
we talk about straight out on the package, straight on,
no no wash, you don't, you don't, you don't, you
don't wait, so as soon as soon as you're in
rapid you put it right like right on. There is

(01:20:31):
no this is not going through a wash. This is
this is right out of the package. I think you
can still probably see some of the folds. But that's
what we've got here as my as my guys back
in college and say that's fresh out the box. Is
you waste any time? Fresh out? This is Christmas forty

(01:20:51):
eight hours ago. It was wrapped in a package. Now
it sits on my body. That is your role when
you get when you get new clothes. By the way,
this white T shirt also a Christmas gift. Yes, we are,
we are rocking it here on Fox Sports Radio. Lamar
Jackson has been rocking it for the Baltimore Ravens, and

(01:21:13):
there seems to be such a well, I don't want
to say that there's there's that Lamar Jackson's play is
polarizing because Lmar Jackson isn't polarizing. And I don't even
think that it's polarizing Bucky, because all I hear is
people wanting to criticize Lamar Jackson for winning football games
and how he has done it and how Lamar Jackson

(01:21:37):
and the Baltimore Ravens have taken control of the a
f C North. I haven't heard tons and tons of
positivity surrounding Lamar Jackson, which is absurd to me. And
it's absurd maybe too many, but it seems like we
are putting Lamar Jackson into a conversation where he doesn't

(01:21:58):
belong in the first play because he wasn't a top
ten quarterback pick. But then even when he's succeeding in
doing what he's doing, it's not good enough for the
rookie quarterback. Well, I I just think it's it's tough
because we as people, we just don't like change, and
the way Lamar Jackson plays is a drastic change from
the way that we've seen other guys played the position.

(01:22:21):
Lamar Jackson is a run first quarterback. Lamar Jackson has
had the majority of his SESS success this season running
the ball, various read options, various quarterback design runs, um
doing things in a non traditional manner at the position.
With the Baltimore Ravens have had a tremendous amount of
success since he's jumped in, and so ultimately, what we

(01:22:44):
have to decide is how are we judging the quarterback position.
Is it passing yards? Are we looking at touchdowns? Are
we looking at passer rating? Or are we looking at
quarterbacks that can get their team to the winners circle.
If we're basing it just on that premise, all I
want my quarterback to do is to win games. You
have to be excited in Baltimore about what Lamar Jackson

(01:23:06):
has been able to do, how he's been able to
complement this team's offense. They have didn't win games behind
the defense that's also pretty formidable. Here's my issue with
what I hear a lot with Lamar Jackson. I got
a bunch of issues, but the draft pickers one that
you and I have talked about. Here's another one that
that stands out that that I just don't understand is
Lamar Jackson can't pass, okay, Well, then Lamar Jackson scrambles.

(01:23:30):
And maybe he's got a nice little side arm action
as well, by the way, which is a skill that
not all quarterbacks have. He seems to be able to
throw from different angles, whether it be accurate or not.
He's able to at least complete some of those passes.
And you're like, well, all right, well, well he's he's
not able to get the ball downfield. Well, Mark Andrews
has a sixty nine yard touched and I know that

(01:23:52):
there was some run after the catch, but it was
a downfield pass and ends up scoring. Well, he's not
able to do it on a consistent basis. It's what
else do you want from the guy? Is how is
this not good enough? If it's good enough for the
Baltimore Ravens and now they operate, I don't know. One
had ten catches and that win over the Chargers on
Saturday Night, but nobody is going to in that offense.

(01:24:13):
In fact, if the team has ten completions, that's probably
going to be fine with the Baltimore Ravens. If he's
only throwing the ball thirteen times a game, it's just
I don't know how to satisfy. I don't know how
others can be satisfied with Lamar Jackson considering what he
has done right now and leading this team seems to
be beneficial enough for or enough to be satisfied. Yeah,

(01:24:34):
I think that the issue that you have is stylistically,
it just doesn't look like the way that we've been
conditioned to have our franchise quarterbacks look. Meaning, franchise quarterbacks
are supposed to deliver the ball from the pocket. That's
supposed to dice, slice and dice teams up. They need
to be surgical from the pocket, and everything that you
hear will tell you that, Well, that's not how Lamar

(01:24:55):
Jackson plays um. And so when you look at and
you look at them run and option stuff and kind
of running around and doing it in a manner that
is really really old school like, because they're just blunding
you to death with the run game. You don't want
to give credit to the quarterback but I think anyone
who has really watched the Ravens play with him and
without him, they know the impact that he's had on

(01:25:18):
this offense and on this team as the leader. Is
his arm good enough? Without question? I think you saw
on Saturday against the Chargers that he is more than
capable of being able to make the place from the pocket.
I would say that Lamar Jackson has kind of been
hamstrung by the way that Marty Moorewig and Greg Roman
and those guys have necessarily been using them um as

(01:25:41):
a quarterback. I think the thing with Lamar Jackson is
he is a guy that he can operate from the pocket.
He is not at his best on the move. He
actually throws better when he works and throws the ball
inside the numbers as opposed to outside the numbers. And
so when they let him row from the pocket and
they let him throw in breaking grouse, he can police

(01:26:03):
a high volume of his passes. But when you asked
him to do things that he's not great at going
outside the numbers, um trying to do bootlegs and movement
plays that put him on the run. That's not the
strength of his game, and you're asking to be something
that he's not really good at I always thought that
that was the weakness of Kaepernick that that. I think
there's some similarities that running when when you got Kaepernick

(01:26:25):
out of the pocket, as long as you didn't cross
the line of scrimmage, you were okay. And what you
didn't want Kaepernick running the ball was when he was
dropping back and then would run straight ahead. It was
different if it was east and west, but if it
was north and south, you were dead because you couldn't
touch him. But yeah, I think there's some similarities in
terms of like how Colin Kaepernick was able to thrive

(01:26:48):
and function uh inside and outside the pocket running the
read option. Um, I think they're very very similar in
that veine. So I just prought up some stats like
what's crazy about Lamar Jackson to Raven's offense. So since
Lamar Jackson took over, they've had a hundred and eleven
rushes with Lamar Jackson at quarterback. All of those, like
a hundred and eleven that are on read option, they're

(01:27:10):
averaging over five yards a carry on those. Lamar Jackson
is averaging five point three. The running back Gus Edwards
is averaging six point one. The only other team that
runs read option close to that has been the Seattle Seahawk.
And then when we talk about passing Lamar Jackson inside
and outside the pocket. Inside the taco box, Lamar Jackson

(01:27:32):
is completing sixty of his passes, he has a five
to two touchdown interception ratio eight passer rating. Outside the
taco box, He's only completing of his passes and his
passer rating is forty eight point six. So, contrary to
popular belief, when we're thinking, oh, you gotta get him
on the move, Lamar Jackson is at his best when

(01:27:54):
he operates in the pocket. Would he benefit? And I
just I don't think that guys like Willy Sneed and
Michael Crabtree are guys who are able to break free
from coverage. Would you benefit for guys who who are
I think I'll put it this way, if you're gonna
hit Michael Crabtree, it's likely on the route that he runs.
It's not when he would that help at all if

(01:28:16):
they had different guys. I don't know if John Brown's
that guy that I think. I think that's who he is.
I think he was like he was. He was like
that at Louisville when I watched him at Louisville, anything
that was thrown towards the boundary, towards the sideline, completion
percentage dropped dramatically. For whatever reason, he just doesn't throw
will outside of the numbers. What's interesting, Tom Brady is

(01:28:37):
a guy that is very similar, and they have any
Tom Brady works his best inside the numbers. It's just
something about sightlines, vision, arm strength or whatever. It's like that.
So the thing that the Ravens have to continue to
do is to look at the numbers and say, hey,
we need to keep him in the pocket board, which
is what we saw in the last game. He's stayed

(01:28:57):
in the pocket primarily against the charges. Have him throw
in breaking route slants, seems deep crossers. Those things work
for him, and you just build your office around that.
And you wrote with I've heard comparisons to Tebow and
I don't you know who. It reminds me of Tebow well,
at least early on. And how he's being used is

(01:29:19):
Josh Allen m hm similar for for the simple fact
of he's their running game. Uh, the Bills don't have
they don't have running backs period. I mean, Lashaw McCoy
seems to be on the outsin and he's been there
there running game. I look at Josh Allen more of
Tebow than Lamar Jackson. I mean, I think there's something

(01:29:41):
that like totally disagree with me. He could. I wouldn't
say that, but I do believe like En, I've heard
Colin Coward kind of throw that um out there, like,
oh the mar Jackson Tebow different, more explosive athlete. I
think he has always been a better passing than Tebow.
He's a better passer in college. He's a better path
us in the pro. He's an electric athlete. I think

(01:30:03):
the comparison for him is Michael Vick. I don't know
if Lamar Jackson will ever be a high six completion
rate passer. I think he will probably be about sixty
one sixty two, depending on how you kind of cater
to the game to him. But what he can always
be is an explosive athlete that enhances your running game.

(01:30:26):
And as they're running him, I'm seeing them do more
things that fit his skill set. He was really at
his best at Louisville running inside quarterback counters, quarterback powers,
things that were directed in between the tackles. He could
get outside, but that's not really how he did his damage.
But in the National Football League, you gotta protect him
because you don't really want him running in there with

(01:30:47):
those big guys, so they're running them to the edges
and doing more stuff. It's just a difference. He's done
it on a couple of just whether it be following
the fullback of the half back through they did some
of that. They did, they did some what we call
single wing plays where they had everyone pulled and he followed.
That's what he did at his best, and so I
think the Ravens each week have added a little something

(01:31:08):
to the menu. But now with the season kind of
resting on this game against Gregg Williams defense that likes
to blitz, it'll be interesting to see how the Baltimore
Ravens approach. It's funny too, when you look back at
last year when Baltimore had the opportunity and lost to
the Bengals. It's could be deja vu all over again

(01:31:28):
because it's in Baltimore's hand division rival coming to their
place against the team by the way beat them earlier
in the season. Cleveland won that field goal fest that
they had in their first meeting, so there should be
something on the line for the Baltimore Ravens, even more
so than a Division crown revenge against all of the
team that you once were. He's Bucky Brooks. I'm Dan Buyer.

(01:31:48):
This is the Doug gottlib Show on Fox Sports Radio.
Are very very Christmas to you, reaches on Twitter. I'm
at Dan Buyer on Fox and you can get Bucky
at Bucky Brooks to rast or not to rest. That
is the question that's his next here on Fox Sports Radio.
Merry Christmas to you. This is the Doug Gottlie Show
on Fox Sports Radio. He's Bucky Brooks. I'm Dan Buyer

(01:32:11):
sitting in for Doug today. There's a lot to be
determined in the NFL playoff picture. Fifteen teams for twelve spots.
Most of them have been wrapped up. Colts and Titans
will play for that playoff birth could be the AC
South mentioned earlier the show. There is a way that
the Titans could either be knocked out of the playoffs
or heavy first run bias a f C South champions.

(01:32:33):
A lot would have to happen, but it is feasible.
One of the few things we know is this is
that the New Orleans Saints the top seat of the NFC,
and we'll have home field advantage throughout the playoffs. As
the road to the Super Bowl in the NFC, now
we'll have to go through the Supernome. Earlier on the show,
we were joined by Chris Gordy, our good friend from
Sports twelve eighty in New Orleans, talking about the Saints

(01:32:56):
and really how that Week sixteen at victory over the
Pittsburgh Steelers the fan base in New Orleans field. I
think there was a little bit of concern, but I
think so the most part fans kind of looked at
and said, look, you know, they had to play threty
straight road games and tough environments. Uh, they found ways
to win. I mean, even the Dallas game, which was
arguably their worst game they played all season, they still

(01:33:16):
had the ball with a minute ago and a chance
to go down down three and either tired or win it.
Now they turned it over, But still the fact that
they played their worst game ever and they still had
a chance to cook hadn't either tired or win it,
uh says a lot. So, Uh, look I've flipped on
the other side. This team found ways to win. They
found a way to to dig themselves off the hole
in Tampa where the offense wasn't clicking. They found a

(01:33:38):
way to grit out a win in Carolina on a
Monday night where you know, Carolina's playoff hopes in season
or is on the line, and they found a way
to get out with a wins. So I think most
fans kind of looked at it that way as opposed to,
oh God, what's going on here with Drew? And we
got a soda on Sunday. They bounced back and and
the offense looked a lot better, much more like they
looked earlier in the season. What they really did to themselves, though, guys,

(01:33:59):
was they diet themselves a disservice with beating the crowd
out of the Bengals and beating the start out of
the Eagles, because everybody expected him to play like that
every week, and as we know in the NFL weekend
a week out, you can't. You can't do that every
single week. And so that's why the alarm bells kind
of started go off, people, Oh my god, what's going on.
You know, they beat they were beat team points. They're
not doing that anymore. But to me, that says more

(01:34:20):
about your team when you're able to dig deep and
find different ways to win. The proverbial heat too soon
was brought up for the New Orleans Saints, but back
on track and now having home field advantage throughout the playoffs,
not having to worry about Week seventeen and a match
up with Taylor Heineke and the Carolina Panthers. The Saints
are going to be home for that game. The question

(01:34:42):
is do you rest or not rest? And Sean Payton
wanted nothing to do with that question when I asked
by reporters yesterday, saying Nope, not gonna talk about it,
not gonna deal with it. Nope, we aren't gonna. We're
gonna We're gonna do whatever. They'll see how the game plays.
But that's the dilemma if you have got like the
Saints are in a position and to rest your guys,
do you arrest your guys or not? Now I mentioned

(01:35:03):
there are other scenarios throughout the NFL playoffs in the
a f C and NFC where things could change. Nothing's
locked up for the Chiefs, nothing's locked up for the Patriots,
and nothing's locked up for the Rams. In the NFC,
they could still if they if they, you know, play
a stinker against the Niners, still could fall out. But
that's the dilemma, Bucky, to rest or not to rest?
Where do you side on this question? Man? It's really

(01:35:27):
tough because football is a game where you can't really um,
you can't play halfway. So I think the big thing
would be whatever decision that you make. I need to
tell you guys early in New weeks they didn't get
their mind right because what you don't want to guys
that are kind of checked out the end find out that,
oh we gotta play the whole game. It's hard to
kind of function like that. You need to be ready.

(01:35:49):
So I think if I'm Sean Payton, knowing that nothing
can happen, I would kind of treat this almost like
a preseason game. Maybe give them a series or two
and then get my main guys out. The issue that
you have. Unlike the preseason where you have ninety guys
at your disposed, you only have on game day. So
how do I How do I do this and have

(01:36:13):
enough bodies to be able to play because I can't
sit everybody out, And so that is that's the juggling
act that Sean Payton has to do this week when
he's trying to figure out who am I going to
play in my lineup. I understand that NFL coaches don't
think like sports talk show hosts do, so they don't
think like myself, but I do think that something comes
into play. And I'll just say this, I think it's

(01:36:34):
better to play your guys because you are open to
more criticism if your team is rusty in the playoff game,
then if you left the guy in and he got
hurt and wasn't available for that playoff game. And the
reason I bring this up, Sean McVeigh is gonna play
his guys this week the Rams. Probably Todd Gurley is
gonna come back. Todd Gurley is gonna come back from

(01:36:55):
his knee injury, likely to play against San Francisco. But
remember this is a Rams team that rested last year.
We're beaten in the wild card round by the Atlanta Falcons.
We also saw what the Rams did this preseason. No
one played. They came out in the first half against
the Oakland Raiders and where there was there was considerable rust.

(01:37:16):
Now it fell off in the second half. But you
can't do that in a divisional playoff game. You can't
come out flat for thirty minutes. So so Sean McVeigh
is gonna play his guys, Anthony Lynne, the Chargers have
a lot to play for. They're gonna go with their guys.
Pete Carroll wrapping up a playoff spot there I will
be the fifth seed or six seed, not tons to
play for against Arizona. He's gonna play his guys now throughout.

(01:37:38):
They may be able to be pulled out, Bucky. But
if there wasn't, if there was an instance, if you
sat the guys and then you had a flat playoff performance,
I think that falls so much on the coach because
when you look back on that game, you're not saying, well,
coach should have played so and so, but he got
hurt in the in the game before, I think you

(01:38:00):
forget about that. We remember a team coming out flat,
Remember the Ram the Falcons taking it to the Rams
last year Rams came in. Is about a touchdown favor
and I thought this this this show was going to
keep on rolling. Falcons don't have a chance, And it
was the other way around, the land of dominant of
the whole game. I think coaches are up the more criticism. Actually,
if you hold guys out, then you actually have to

(01:38:21):
play your guys and one of them may get thinged up.
You're also if someone gets stinged up, it's one player.
If you hold out everybody, everybody maybe coming off of rest.
You don't agree. I can tell it. I can tell
by that, Books Brooks. Look, I can tell man. Here here,
here's the thing. A couple of years ago, the Patriots

(01:38:42):
lows Julian Edelman in the last game, played him at Edelman.
It was it west Walk West Welker, I believes the
last game of the year, and they didn't. They didn't
have him. Man, you hate to lose them on something
that doesn't mean anything. But you're really your hand is
worse because you only can sit out seven guys if

(01:39:03):
you don't play him at all, and then if you
take guys out, you got back ups playing and you
want to win. Um, I think you have to roll
to dice, play you guys maybe a half, and then
just be smart try and get him out. But the
main guy that has to be protected. You don't want
to lose your quarterback. I think you're yeah, that's sure.
We saw it happened and Derek Carr, by the way,

(01:39:24):
when he got hurt, wasn't in week seventeen when the
Raiders had everything wrapped up plus than they had other injuries,
and kind of cook it to start that playoff game
a couple of years ago against the Houston Texans. Your
point about letting them know early in the week, it's
it's a It's a good plan to have because I
wouldn't want a guy disengaged for two weeks from football.
You know what it's like when you go on Christmas vacation,

(01:39:46):
A perfect example January second, when everybody goes back to work. Man,
is that place slow moving? Nobody is, No one has refreshed.
You can say all you want, everybody's like, oh, I
gotta go back to work after missing a week and
a half in If you don't give these guys something
that are prepared for in week seventeen, then they're disengaged
for two weeks. And I think then then you try

(01:40:06):
to pick it back up and playoff week in your
most important week when you're playing a viable opponent that,
by the way, has momentum because they played the week before.
I think you gotta play guys that that's yeah. If
I was an NFL and coach. I am playing guys,
I am prepping. I am going along with the Pete
Carroll Anthony Lynn and I guess the new Sean McVeigh rule,
because last year that Pe Carroll is gonna play this guy,

(01:40:27):
he's gonna pay may not'll be for the whole game,
but he's not gonna be sitting Russell Wilson against Arizona. Okay,
So I mean I can see it now. The main
thing what you do typically in that now the Tide
Gurley thing to me is crazy because Ty Gurley has
been banged the last part of year and it's affected
how the Rams have played. I would absolutely not play

(01:40:49):
Ty Gurley in this game. He's already got a gimpy
lower half, he has a gimpy um knee. I would
I can play everybody, man like c J. Anderson just
ran four hundred and seventy yards almost the other day,
Like why not just roll with him? What about what
about um James Conner in Pittsburgh and a must win game,
as James Conner better than Jelen Samuel. If he can

(01:41:13):
go and he can play, he can protect himself. I
would play him because he's different than Jaylen Samuels. Jayalen
sam is the guy who you know, he looked he
had those jars and he had a terrific game. Um,
I guess the Patriots, But James Conner is a more
complete bag when it comes to kind of grinding it
out and running and doing those things. I would make
sure that I got him the rock and did it

(01:41:34):
with him. By the way, Vance Joseph rested his players
in week sixteen, they just kidding. They it looked like
it last night. And if for anybody who's in a
fantasy league in weeks seventeen, a my condolences, you shouldn't
be It should be done by now. However, if you're
maybe playing daily fantasy, Philip Lindsay done for the year
after suffering a risk injury last night that lost to

(01:41:55):
the Raiders, putting an end to a great rookie season
for the running back. He's Bucky Brooks. I'm Dan Buyer.
This is the Doug Gottlieb Show on Fox Sports Radio.
It's a Christmas tradition unlike any other, that only a
few can really experience. Will explain it after Brian Fenley
gives us an update of what's happening in the association

(01:42:16):
on this very merry Christmas. Hello Brian, hey guys, Merry
Christmas to both of you. And in this second game
of this Christmas NBA extravaganza, the Rockets have their eyes
on a comeback. Rivers flip to the head to the Beard.
Hearts got thirty four, looks to drive full fact, shoots
for three and the lead. There you go, another three

(01:42:39):
for James Harden. Has been brilliant this afternoon. Rockets Radio
Network James Harden and Houston used an eleven to run
of the second half and go up for good in
a one one o nine win against the thunder hardened
with an eye popping forty one points from earlier today,
the Bucks took down the next one, Milwaukee's Janis onto
the Koumpo as smooth thirty points, thirteen rebounds, and then

(01:43:03):
later today in a moment, seventy Sixers will tip it
up with the Celtics at five thirty eastern, and then
that will be followed by the Lakers at Warriors, and
finally it's Trailblazers and Jazz at ten thirty eastern. And
one football note, according to NFL insider Adam schefter. Former
Redskins safety d J. Sweringer has been picked up by
the Cardinals today, this after the Redskins let him go

(01:43:25):
after Swearinger openly berated their defensive coordinator back to you,
thank you very much, Brian. All the Redskins have a
interesting way of dealing with things. There's pointed out on Twitter.
You know, Ruben Foster, come on in swearing see you
later talking about the coach. It's a it's a simple rule.

(01:43:47):
Quickly just uh. The Rockets got that win today, James
Harden shots. Yeah. Hey, if you're working on Christmas, you
might I've gotta tell you this, what what is your
traditional Christmas? What? What's a Christmas that a Christmas Day
that you would have Because there was something that was

(01:44:08):
brought to my attention today that I had never really
thought of. What was the usual Christmas Day in the
life of Brooks could be when you're an adult, could
be when you're a kid, when I was a kid
getting up early. Um. It also depends on like my
parents without toys when I was little. My parents didn't
wrap all the toys, so the thing was to go down.

(01:44:28):
And there's something about Christmas like seeing your toys under
the Christmas lights and being like, oh, that part of it,
it was always cool. So um Like obviously as a
parent now, I mean, no one wants to be up
at five thirty six o'clock, But I remember getting up
and kind of kind of getting to the steps and

(01:44:49):
kind of looking around the corner because you don't want
to wake up your parents because then it's too early,
and get back in the room and all the other stuff.
But I just remember the cat and mouse game between
it can we go down? Because my brother's like four
years on, we can go down, I'm gonna go. I'm
gonna I'm I'm gonna going. So that was just a

(01:45:13):
part like how early can we wake up to see
what was under the tree? That has always been the best.
So this morning, I'm eating breakfast at my home and
my wife is there and and and my father in
law is there as well. He was able to stay
the night last night as we're having Christmas, and I

(01:45:34):
was watching the Bucks and for us on the West Coast,
it's nine o'clock tip because they're playing in the garden. Yeah,
it was magnificent and this was new like they had
never the NBA. First of all, growing up in north
central Wisconsin. The NBA wasn't as big back then. There
usually wasn't football on. There was a the Blue Gray
Game or something would be on, maybe the Hawaii Bowl

(01:45:56):
or a Loha Bowl. But but but that was that
was about it. There wasn't any musty TV. So basketball
wasn't a big watch growing up where I was. And
I sat down, and I'm watching the Bucks. But in
the last i mean the last twenty years, what what
what they've done with the Christmas Day package, with the
Marquee games. It's always something that you'll you'll have now

(01:46:17):
on the TVs and something to watch. And for once,
the Milwaukee Bucks were actually playing, and the Bucks had
the longest streak seventy seven was the last time that
they played forty one years was the last time they
had played on Christmas Day. So I'm ready to go
Bucks and Knicks. And and I was saying, you know,

(01:46:39):
Bucks and Knicks are on, and I mentioned to my father,
and I go, yeah, later today Lakers Warriors. And my
wife goes, yeah, Christmas tradition. And it dawned on me
that Laker fans in growing up, their tradition is watching
the Lakers on Christmas Day, and it's a tradition that
nobody like there. The Makes have played like the most,

(01:47:01):
like fifty three times, so I'm sure they are on
there and the Celtics a lot, but it has become
so accustomed for Laker fans and to see them on
Christmas Day that it has become a part of their
family tradition. And that just blew my mind. Like even
when the Lakers stunk, they were still being put on
Christmas Day. And and as a Bucks fan, I'm not

(01:47:21):
gonna say I waited for forty one years, but it's
been a good drought of twenty years since they appeared
on a Christmas Day game, and to have it today
was neat. It just blew my mind that Laker fans
were I guess, in a way spoiled that they could
always work their Christmas Days around the Laker game. Yeah,
I mean that's guys. That has to be a great
feeling to just kind of we're up knowing your favorite

(01:47:43):
team is always on. But for you and the Bucks,
this has to be this has to be kind of
a wonder ride. Like you, so I'm assuming, I'm assuming
you grew up a Bucks fan, right, I I like, yes,
I I did the Bucks and the Trailblazers where my
team's girl. Okay, So so growing up as a Bucks
and like the Hey, they obviously had to be when
they used to have the paneled uniforms and those guys.

(01:48:10):
So today, man, I'm a uniform fan today watching them
kind of pay homage today because they had like the
little red Yes, they had the panels a little bit
in the hot corner. They earned jersey yep, yeah, and
I was like, oh, look at that, Like now all
they needed if they were playing at home was the floor. Yeah, yeah,

(01:48:31):
absolutely absolutely. The earned jersey is something new that the
NBA is doing where the sixteen playoff teams get an
extra jersey to wear, So if you made the playoffs
last year, so that's why the Bucks had this special
jersey that they got to wear, and the other teams
can wear their earned jerseys. That's what they're calling them
as well. But I love how the Bucks have the
yellow in their city edition uniforms that they released, which

(01:48:53):
isn't you know, to the Mecca and you could even
see it on the shorts as well as the Mecca floor.
They do a great job in in tying tying in
their history of doing it and of that color palette,
of the of the different shades of green. And there
was you know, on the in the early eighties with
the Marcus Johnson and Bob Lanier, there was more of
the red trim. But I wasn't old enough. I remember

(01:49:15):
battles in the in the mid to late eighties, whether
it be with Dr j of the Sixers, or Dominique
Wilkins and the Hawks, or even the Celtics and Bird
where you'd go to Boston Garden and I saw Dr
Jay's last game in playoffs Game five Bucks being him
at the Mecca. Yeah. So those so those are the memories.
Don Nelson fished high all of that. But for the
Bucks to not be on for Christmas Day for forty

(01:49:36):
one years, it was just such a such a treat
to Yeah, it is amazing. I will say this about
the new coach. And I was telling my son Buddenholzer, same, yeah,
the same, same, same, just a couple of I thought
you were talking ab German beer. Yeah, yeah, every wise
and whatever whatever you wanna call, it's all the same.

(01:49:57):
But I was telling I was telling my son, I
was like, it is amazing and the NBA more than anything,
it is players. He goes from the Hawk where he
can't win a game at the end, did they PLoP
him into Milwaukee? And Milwaukee are because the best team?
Come on? No, No, they were awful in it. So
they were awful at the YEA. But he did lead

(01:50:18):
them to it. They were They had four All Stars
one year and then things kind of at the end
they were number one seed, but last year they were
absolutely terrible. The the the Atlanta Hawks, and and and
it also shows that what the previous regime in Milwaukee
was trying to do, and it just I don't know,
it just didn't fit Jason Kidd. You don't, you won't

(01:50:40):
mention his name, just you know what. He didn't want
to disparage Jason Kidd. Well, let's treat Jason Kidd like
Hugh Jackson. I felt, I felt that the Bucks were
at a disadvantage when they entered games because of their head.
I did they Hugh Jackson, Huge Jackson. Jason Kidd is
the huge to the NBA. If you had a tale

(01:51:02):
of the tape, if you had a tale of the tape,
that checkmark was never in their box when he came
at the end of coaching, coaching, offense, defense coaching, and tangibles.
There was never a check in that in that mark,
and I think that there is a check now and
it shows there twenty three and ten and one of
the best teams, by the way, the team with the

(01:51:22):
longest route of not playing on Christmas the Atlanta Hawks
now since eight nine, and Bucky, your Charlotte Hornets have
never appeared on Christmas Day. Why I did you see it?
Because you're I was Carolina Ties like the uniforms. I
just like the fact that you're back to the Hornets
and they're not the Bobcat. Yeah, that was part of

(01:51:44):
the about it. And if people don't know how the
Bobcats came about, yeah, they named after the owner. Right
if I if I spent seven million to get a
team they buy, then why aren't the Lakers l A busses,
you know, gay double decker buses their logo they just
kept they're could have changed it up when Jerry Bus

(01:52:06):
took it over and saying this Lakers thing isn't gonna work.
That would be uh. They could put a statue of
myself in front of the stadium too, like Jerry Richardson.
You could have the Dallas Cubans with a cigar now
that you know they're changing, the Mavericks moving it out.
That's how you can. Hey, it's my team. I'm gonna

(01:52:28):
name him after me. He's Bucking Brooks. I'm Dan Buyer.
Will get the latest from what's happening in Boston and
some more news from the National Football League. It's all
coming up on this Christmas edition of The Dug got
Leave Show on Fox Sports Radio. The Duck Gottlieb Show
on Fox Sports Radio Christmas Edition. I'm Dan Buyer, He's
Bucky Brooks. We are in for Doug today. You're gonna

(01:52:49):
want to stick around. Rob Parker and Jonas Knox coming
up here on Fox Sports Radio on this Christmas Day.
Big thanks to Ryan Burshinger are executive producer, and Vince Close,
our technical producer, for hanging out on this Christmas We
appreciate it. Marry Christmas, guys, and uh let's check in
with our good friend Brian Fenley at the Anchor desk
for an update of what's happening around in the world

(01:53:09):
of sports. This is pres Hey, Brian, Merry Christmas to you, Mary,
Christmas to you guys as well. We got our third
NBA game of the day taking place right now and
the seventy sixers are up fifteen to fourteen in the
middle of the first quarter. Earlier today, we had the

(01:53:30):
Bucks over the Knicks one and wanted to mention the
interesting story about the Knicks. See, you know they've lost
for so many years, so much that they have run
out of excuses, right, I mean, at one point you
start tuning all that out. So now the latest culprit
is lack of sleep. So apparently that's the only reason
why they're losing. According to the athletic they are embracing

(01:53:53):
this sleep science under head coach David Fizdale, and coach
Fisdale says they're toughest opponent is no, not another team
but Fortnite. So guys getting on Fortnite and they're not sleeping,
so what are they doing? They are pushing practice later
in the day and players reportedly are having blue light

(01:54:15):
minimizing glasses they're wearing during practice, and they have wellness
checks before practice. So apparently this is the woman winning.
Quite is this a legitimate concern Fortnite? You think it's
I mean it was it was a concern for David
Price in the Red Sox, they asked them to not
play as much. Is this a concern in the NFL?

(01:54:37):
Is this would this be something you would be concerned
with if you are an NBA coach like David Fizdal.
I think so. I think it's a legitimate concern because, like,
the sleep issue is real, and so what teams are
doing is they're monitoring guys sleep. They have these monitors
that they wear, they check in with them, they practice
and preachy you need to get eight to nine hours

(01:54:58):
of sleep. So I am not surprised has to hear
the Knicks are trying to take these measures to protect
to prevent their players from staying up all night playing
games and doing whatever. Still in this stake, I will
say this, My athletic career did not last long and
ended it in high school. Like many of us, however,
I could not wait when practice was done, especially on

(01:55:18):
a weekend, to get home and play techno super Bowl
with my friends like it was it was I can
tell you as a gamer, I was staying up into
the wee hours of the morning playing video games. So yeah,
I think the Knicks are onto something. It hasn't affected
him on the court yet, but at least they're taking

(01:55:38):
the race step. Okay, okay, Brian, did you ever rent
a video game at a Blockbuster Video? Absolutely? Okay, Bucky?
Did you? We went to Now we didn't have a Blockbuster.
My town wasn't big enough to have one. But you
would only have it for that twenty four hours. So
you've played the heck out of that game. I gotta
get all. I gotta get it. You're picking up at
six o'clock on Friday night, you stay up all night long,

(01:56:02):
and then you take it back six o'clock the next day,
like you can't. You can't have eight hours of sleep
when you are renting a video game for twenty four hours. Man,
And in the video game and story in our town,
like only had one game, so if it was out, yeah,
you were out of lock. There. There was no bouncing

(01:56:23):
back from that. Oh and by the way, Brian, with
your Celtics update, A, Bucky hates their jerseys that they're wearing.
I don't. I think it's the gold and the I
like the I like the green and white. They just
added gold to the letters on that note. Guys, I
wanted if I had a second add one more thing.
And the Lakers, of course, are playing the Warriors tonight.

(01:56:45):
And you guys saw this on Twitter. Lebron James posted
a picture this morning with his family all intertestive onesies.
Now is this still a thing? Like so? I mean,
are people still wearing these snuggies? I mean, it's a
thing if you can pull it off. And the James
gang definitely was able to pull it off. They looked cool,
they looked fashionable. Me. No, I would look like a

(01:57:09):
hedge like Lebron looks like a Christmas tree because he's tall.
I would look like a hedge that we've got outside
the window. I can't pull off that Christmas outfit. According
to the Snuggy store online, which I did some research, guys,
you know, I got to do something to pass the
time in between. Why would you work? Yeah, why would you?
They have Mermaids Snuggies, shark Snuggies, dolphins Snuggies, and clown fish. Well,

(01:57:34):
these are like feeted pajamas, though Lebron's got that's that's
that's what it looks like. You like that they look
they look pretty short. Yeah, yeah, I couldn't. I couldn't
pull that off. I could not pull that off. I
am unable to confirm if our technical producer Vince reportedly
has a full wardrobe of one's Oh interesting events. Is
that you got onesies? My closet is stocked. Yeah, for

(01:57:58):
every day of the week, every month. I figured I
figured as much. Uh, well you got anything else? Brian?
That was it, guys. And then of course the Rockets
beat the Thunder one O nine and Dan you you
pointed out that James Harden at forty one point, but
he took thirty five shots to get that. Yeah, there's
gonna be guys at Family Christmas is taking more than
more shots. Its hardened tonight just to get through the evening.

(01:58:20):
We appreciate it, Brian, thank you very much. That is
the press backing out there and pressed the press. So
you're taking in Lakers Warriors tonight, and Bucky, is this
the game that that you are excited to see? Yeah?
I can't wait. Yeah. I don't think the Lakers will
win because I don't think they have enough ammunition to
knock them off. But I am excited to see it,

(01:58:43):
especially coming off all of the hub ub that we've
seen from the Warriors and Lebron James teams in the
pasta I am more interested to see how the Warriors
play tonight than the Lakers. It's not to me, it's
not a test of where do the Lakers match up
to the Warriors. Heck, the Lakers actually had the Warriors

(01:59:03):
number over the last couple of years. At time the
Warriors would would throw up a stinker, maybe at Stable Center.
I'm curious to see if the Warriors can put their
foot down and show, Okay, this is how we've we've
got to continue to play basketball. It should be noted
that in the ugly sweater season that it is, it
seems like ugly sweaters are taking over everywhere. Alonzo Ball

(01:59:25):
today showed up in a Big Baller brand sweater. So
when you're talking yeah, when you're talking about you're talking
about ugly sweaters in the Christmas season, this is a
Big Baller brand sweater only eight D No, that's I
made that up. I have no idea how, I have
no idea on how much they cost. You got you got?

(01:59:48):
You got Celtics sixers going on right now, and yes,
the NBA tripleheader wraps up with the Blazers and Jazz Utah.
One of the teams right now on the outside looking
into the NBA Playoff. Max. Sure, but as I told
you earlier in the show, I expect you taught to
be in one of the final eight. Have a great Christmas.
Let's do it again tomorrow, same time. He's Bucky Brooks.

(02:00:08):
I'm Dan Buyer. This has been the Doug Gottlieb Show
on Fox Sports Radio. Merry Christmas. Robin Jonas next,

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