Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
Two minutes ago in regulation, Stafford from the shotgun look
he left rose light receiver, screed cook block.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Touchdown, look at the cup touchdown good, one fifty four remaining.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
On receiver screen for a two position lead over the
Buffalo Bills.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
Buck.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Hey, JB. It's Paul Allen.
Speaker 4 (00:29):
How are you?
Speaker 5 (00:30):
Heea, I'm doing great. Hope you are too.
Speaker 4 (00:32):
Can't wait to see you again.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
Likewise, JB long play by play voice for the Los
Angeles Rams. You just heard him. They're calling a touchdown
against the Buffalo Bills. He had the opportunity to call
some earlier this season, two and a half months ago
against the Vikings. And we'll get into that momentarily. But
first and foremost, may God bless those suffering from those
fires in southern California. I think you know this when
(00:55):
we chatted last time. I lived there for a decade
and a half, and I know I know a family
in Altadena the lost their home, as I learned last night.
So it's just awful. How are things for you and
your covenant?
Speaker 5 (01:09):
They're tragic, they're complicated. Thankfully, my family has been spared
the worst. We currently are housing another family that's been displaced,
not specifically because of the fire, more the loss of
power as a result of all the extenuating circumstances.
Speaker 4 (01:25):
But it's tough.
Speaker 5 (01:26):
We've got a lot of friends in the area who
have lost homes, cars, schools, thankfully not lives, and we're
in the thick of it here. The things you see
on the news are very real and very tragic. Thankfully,
out in Woodland Hills where the team trains and prepares,
the skies are clear, but you can see smoking the distance.
(01:48):
You can see firefighting helicopters studding overhead seemingly, you know,
every few minutes. So we're far from out of the woods,
not even have to think the worst.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
Is behind us, right, very fairly stated, what do you
think the reaction over there would be if if the
wild Card game was played? It so far and it's
kind of an unfair question, and I apologize for that
because I mean, really, you got to you got to
give it a couple of days to see if it
dramatically slows right.
Speaker 5 (02:20):
Well, yeah, it's what's complicated in so many ways is
you don't know where the next ember is going to land. Thankfully,
the record setting wins have abated, hopefully for good, because
that was just casting an impossibly wide net of an
area where fire could occur if the ones that are
(02:41):
currently raging have a chance to be combated, you know,
I think the time between now and then gives the
firefighters a chance. If you know, a new one springs
up somewhere unplanned, then who knows what Monday could bring.
I know that's not the foremost concern speaking of foot ball,
for you, for me, for anyone in this area. But
(03:02):
it's what we're here to do. So in terms of
measuring air quality through the weekend, that's kind of a
fool's errand to predict. But if there is, I guess
a silver aligning. And I use that expression very very
loosely here. It's that the winds that we're blowing, we're
pushing a lot of the air out to sea, specifically
from that Palisades fire. So yeah, won't won't predict, but
(03:27):
I'm praying.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
For the best the and you know, as JB. Long knows,
of course, But for those who don't, the RAMS practice
in a place called Woodland Hills, which is not too
far I think north from Palisades. What what are the
conditions like there?
Speaker 5 (03:43):
Yeah, a lot of the evacuation orders and warnings have
still been kept south of the one oh one, which
kind of you know, runs across you know, the boundary.
Speaker 4 (03:54):
Between the Palisades and the canyons.
Speaker 5 (03:55):
And where the Rams are in the valley in Woodland Hills.
So again, for now, things are football safe. But I'm
not here to predict that things are going to remain
that way and that the Rams preparation for this playoff
game could not be altered at a moment's notice.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
And lastly, here on this we'll talk about the game.
Have you, whether doing ancillary work or whatever, have you
ever called a game from the home booth at State
Farm Stadium, Because that, I mean, that's where we may
be going, right, I.
Speaker 5 (04:27):
Guess that's a good point. Yeah, Our buddy Dave Patch
is often there, and I can see him to the glass,
But I've never sat in his seat or stood in
his place, at least nothing that comes to mind. Have
been there for a variety of supporting events, but our
annual trip to safety the Cardinals. We're down there in
that back right pylon areas.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
I know you've been plenty of times too, right, Jbie Long,
play by play voice for the La Rams. Nice enough
during some trying times in the Southland to join nine
to noon. We greatly appreciated your squad. What do you
like about your squad heading into Monday night?
Speaker 5 (05:00):
The borrowed expression from Sean McVay. I think they're calloused.
They took the NFL's best punch, and they took some
of what the worst that football has to offer on
the front end of their schedule and got up off
the mat thanks to an early week six by which
I know the Vikings enjoyed as well, and they've played
about as well as anybody in the league since now.
Is that to say that they've got the best roster
(05:21):
in the field, or that they've been clicking on all
cylinders since that Buffalo touchdown that you played at the
top of this segment. No, But what I like about
the group that they've assembled is that they're as healthy
as they've ever been, and that they're led by Sean McVay,
who's been in the mountaintop and Matthew Stafford, who can
be as good as it gets in those clutch moments.
So I think that, plus hopefully the home field advantage
(05:43):
that they'll enjoy on Monday night at SOFI stadium gives
them every reason to believe that they can take on
a very good Vikings team and perhaps with a good performance,
beat them for a second time.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
So JB. When the Rams were one and four into
the buy what played into the poor record then and
subsequently going nine and three the rest of the way
to win the division?
Speaker 5 (06:05):
Yeah, well, Pa, you know this as well as anyone
that from a front office on down organizational standpoint, the
best you can do is cast the vision for a
season ahead, right, and you try and execute that vision
with your free agency plan, with your draft, your off
season program, your training camp, and as much as any
season offseason I can remember, the Rams vision and plan
(06:26):
was totally flipped on its head for a variety of reasons.
Aaron Donald retiring, which they knew was coming, was a
part of that. But they planned to have a veteran led,
potent offense that could control the ball and protect a
young defense as it grew into its own without the
greatest player in franchise history. Well though, and behold, starting
with the first day of training camp, injury bugs hit
(06:48):
the offensive line that they had invested in heavily, bringing
a pro bowler like Jona Jackson to Los Angeles. The
vision just did not match the reality in that month
of September. That happens to teams ever year. The fact
that they played I think a front loaded schedule with
games against the Detroit Lions, for instance, and the Green
Bay Packers and the San Francisco forty nine ers didn't
(07:10):
help either. But really, you know, when you saw us
in the middle of that season, it was a matter
of how quickly can they get right before the deadline,
which is very real and professional sports arise and you
have some hard decisions to make. Winning two home games
in five days coming out of that buy was the
inflection point. It gave them a reason to hang in
(07:30):
the fight, to say, you know what, let's wait to
see what this really looks like when the offensive line
we built in front of Matthew Stafford and the tools
at his disposal like Cooper Cup and Puka Aakua are
actually there. Because there's signs of potential and execution on
this defense, which has overachieved under Chris Shula, that reframe
(07:51):
our thinking for what might be possible from a one
and four start.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
Now, the FSU kids fisk converse and I don't watch
a lot of college football, but I was familiar with
Jared Verse. I wasn't really really familiar with Fisk until
we got there. Holy gow Wow, what a wonderful inside
player he is. What do you like about those two rookies,
Fisk and Verse, Well.
Speaker 5 (08:14):
Going back to the spring when they were drafted, the narrative,
what's that they're kind of force multipliers And that felt
like just kind of off season chatter, right when you
draft two players from a really quality program that had
some success together in a short amount of time. Neither
one of them started as seminoles. That's a nice story
to tell throughout the summer, but when you see it
(08:35):
in real time, it's true, like their chemistry matters and
has impacted winning. I think Verse will be the NFL
defensive Rookie of the Year. I think it's pretty clear.
I think he's actually closer to being a defensive Player
the Year candidate than any other rookie is to winning
the honor that he's going to take. And I'm anxious
to see how they deliver under the primetime lights of
the playoffs, because the other cool thing about where they
(08:58):
are is they were denied the chain. It's to play
on the biggest stage of college football. Right because of
the injury of their quarterback and denied the opportunity in
the College Football Playoff, that's all water under the bridge.
But here's a chance for them in their rookie years
as pros to really do something special. And it's not
lost on me that in the first year after Aaron
Donald's retirement, the Rams are better than they were last
(09:19):
year on defense and they've been getting more consistent pressure
and bothering opposing quarterbacks. Now that's no slot on Aaron Donald.
Of course, they'd rather have them than not have them.
But I think it's a testament to how this organization
anticipated life beyond ad and the vision that's come to
fruition here.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
And you know, less need the general manager. You know,
Chris you Ola too, the defensive coordinator McVeigh of course,
but fucks their general manager. Less need jb with just
a couple to go. You know, he played fantasy football
giving away all those picks, then won the Super Bowl.
Now that he's drafting, he's doing a whale of a job.
He and that staff with all these young, talented, impactful players.
(10:00):
You know, Nikua is in a second year and Cooper's
been around for a while now. But you know where
they get Kyron Williams from Notre Dame, the left guard
of veolop. You know, he was highly drafted, seems to
be working out okay when he plays, But defensively, there's
so many good young players, right.
Speaker 4 (10:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (10:20):
I think that's been the secret to their success. They
would not be in this moment if their defense, which
just for the sake of your audience, like in terms
of dollars invested thirty two out of thirty two in
the National Football League, Like, they're leaning heavily, heavily on
their last two defensive draft classes, and they've delivered beyond
our wildest expectations. I think Chris Shula is worthy of
(10:43):
like an Assistant Coach of the Year award. I know
he's probably not going to get it, but think about
what he was asked to do first time coordinator. We're
taking Aaron Donald away from you, one of your starting
corners injured on the first day of training camp. Trey White,
who they added in veteran free agency, doesn't pan out,
and every step of the way, every juncture, he's just
come up with that next solution. Whether he can do
(11:05):
it one more time or multiple times here in January
will be really fun to see because no part of
me thinks that just because the Rams beat the Vikings
in Week eight, that that game play into that blueprint
will play out again on Monday night.
Speaker 1 (11:16):
And I don't know how closely you follow points spreads,
but after the Vikings lose thirty one nine to Detroit,
and of course they lose on Thursday night football at
so far and those making those numbers don't want to
get beat. And the initial line was the Vikings favored
by two and a half, and then it's like at
one and a half. Now does that surprise Not that
(11:38):
it matters to you, but does it surprise you in
the betting markets the Vikings are favored.
Speaker 4 (11:45):
No.
Speaker 5 (11:45):
I mean, when you look at these teams on paper,
it's hard to make a case where the Rams are
much better. I think fourteen wins is real. I think
a plus one hundred scoring margin is real. I think
the fact that only two teams have defeated your franchise
that matters. For all the response that we talked about
from the Rams, how about the Vikings losing back to
back in the middle of their season and then ripping
(12:06):
off the winning streak that they did, and I watched
that game closely for obvious reasons on Sunday Night Football.
It may not feel like it now the segments of
your audience, but man, it sure seemed like for wide
swaths of that game, the Vikings were the better team,
and we're going to take control of that game. When
you don't capitalize in your opportunities on short fields and
you give a team with that type of firepower, you know,
(12:29):
second and third chances, it goes against you in a hurry.
I get that the Rams have been on the receiving
end of that plenty of times, and I think that's
a real secret to Monday Night's game. Who can start quickly,
who can finish drives? These are two teams that I
think are capable of winning not just one game, not
just Monday Night's game, but several more in this NFC
playoff picture. And I know we each hope that our
(12:49):
respective franchise gets that chance, because one of us would
like to go see if Dan Campbell was right.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
I look forward to seeing you Monday night, and I
appreciate conversation during some trying times. God bless you and
your family and double chat soon. Okay, JB.
Speaker 5 (13:06):
All right, Pa, thank you for the invitation. Is always
big time admirer of yours, and say travels out to
Los Angeles. We're hopeful that conditions will allow us to
go on as scheduled.
Speaker 1 (13:14):
Likewise, all right, thank you, bye bye do it.
Speaker 4 (13:17):
JB.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
Long play by play voice for the Los Angeles Rams.
Chris Finch, coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves, started the show
with Finn show as they try to win four in
a row. If you missed it, we're going to play
it back around the corner. It's Finchy nine to.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
Welcome back nine to noon. Some Vikes bites around the corner.
Speaker 3 (13:38):
But first PA opened the show with mostly weekly guest
getting back into their rhythm. Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch
brought to you by prize Pick Second Harvest Heartland Wolves
are at the Magic tonight, and PA opened the show
with the head coach thought it was so good he'd
like you to hear it again, and he opened the
conversation with Okay, let me guess coach, good morning, it's
(14:00):
got to be you're down in Orlando, so we're talking
super warm, super sunny, super beautiful.
Speaker 1 (14:06):
It's basically paradise, right.
Speaker 4 (14:10):
Well, Sonny, yes, warmer, yes, but it's forty three degrees
down here, and it's a cold staff in the south,
so it I wouldn't, I wouldn't. It's not pool weather,
that's for sure.
Speaker 1 (14:22):
And in the speaking of polls in the in the
sassy vein of say, swimming in it. How about these
magic uh both Wagner's are down along with ben Karo
and Suggs has missed two in a row. Can't but
but with tonight, can't let the anonymity of it all
(14:42):
throw off the players, right absolutely?
Speaker 4 (14:45):
I mean it's and this team is you know, they've
they've got some big wins without a lot of their
key players and the reason for that is their defensive
led team and they're very, very physical. They're well coached.
People know their role. Some of the guys that you
know now coming off the bench for them and playing
lesser roles. Guy like Cole Anthony, you know, had been
(15:07):
a starter very early on in his career and is
uh can put the ball in the basket at a
high level. And so it's when they when they go
to their bench or there. You know, Jonathan Isaac who
was a starter well on his way to being a
really really highly impactful young player in this before he's
hijacked by multiple injuries. Like these guys are now playing,
(15:29):
you know, get you know, a little bit deeper role
on the bench, but still very very capable when they're
called upon to step up. But Jamal Mosley, the head
coach here, has done an amazing job. He's built a
great culture. They've kind of stepped by stepped it over
the years and you're seeing that now. And that's what
happens when you can kind of, you know, have some
(15:51):
consistency through your roster and you just you know, you
kind of build expectations from within.
Speaker 1 (15:57):
How how does Isaac play these days? And I'm glad
you mentioned his name because he was quite ballyhooed as
a seminole. Then he missed a couple of seasons with injury,
and it just seems like it's all changed.
Speaker 4 (16:11):
Yeah. I mean, he's one of the most impactful defensive
players that we have in the league. He can guard
on the perimeter, he's got great lengths, He's an incredible
rim protector. He can execute all different pick and roll coverages,
really really good timing as a shot blocker, you know,
I think that's where he really makes his name. But
(16:33):
he's also got skill offensive skill as a two way player.
And like I said, unfortunately it's you know, it's severe
knee injuries early on back to back the seasons. I
believe it was or he came back just for a
little bit and then got hurt again as derailed him.
But he's in a perfect role right now.
Speaker 1 (16:55):
Coach, what were you doing in nineteen ninety five when
Shack and Orlando played Dream and Houston in the NBA Finals.
Speaker 4 (17:09):
I believe I was watching oj go down the highway
like everybody else. I think that was was that the finals? That? No,
maybe not that, not that one. But I was actually
living in Florida. I was home for home from Europe.
I was still playing in Europe at that time at
that time, so I didn't go up to any of
(17:30):
the games. Uh. I was living in Lakeland, Florida at
the time.
Speaker 1 (17:35):
Remember remember Nick Anderson, he was quality stock back in
the day, wasn't he.
Speaker 4 (17:41):
Oh he was for sure missed those two free throws
at the end of game one that would have won.
Speaker 1 (17:47):
Would have won them game one right right? Uh?
Speaker 3 (17:49):
Now?
Speaker 1 (17:51):
Dante de Vincenzo Dante quite possibly could be one of
those guys whose best twenty starts, right.
Speaker 4 (18:00):
I mean, he's certainly a starter level player. And you know,
I think sometimes guys like him they need longer runs
to be able to catch fire. Oh he'll be he'll
knock a few shots in in a row, you know,
and if he's playing a lot of shorter stints, sometimes
it's harder for him to get that groove. But you know,
(18:25):
we've been we've tried to play him in long runs.
But right now, you know, he's a good fit in
our new starting lineup for sure.
Speaker 1 (18:33):
And you know, I would imagine Chris, all your years
coaching basketball and and and you know, be being in
the NBA that there are some players who who just
are not at their best starting right, like like Jordan
Clark's and Lou Williams, Mike Roway, Vinnie Johnson from the
Pistons back in the day. But they're just more comfortable
(18:54):
in that sixth seventh man role. Why why do you
think that is?
Speaker 4 (18:58):
Yeah, I think it's that's a great, great point. Da.
You know, they're certainly starters, they're certainly starter level players.
They have the talent to start. It's so it's very
much what does that starting unit need, and you know,
maybe their best attribute, and certainly the guys that you
just mentioned, their best one of their best attributes was
(19:19):
just come in and score, score, score. You know a
lot of time, the higher usage guys they leave the
floor at that point in time and they come in
and get some instant offense off the bench, and guys
that are kind of wired to score that way, you know,
it's comfortable for me. They don't have to really kind
of accommodate much else that's going on out there.
Speaker 1 (19:42):
And and you know, to to that in that band, Chris,
with current players, you know, props to Norman Powell and
Malik Monk who like like they've overcome if there is
a stigma, they've overcome it and now are scoring starters.
Speaker 4 (19:57):
Right, Yeah, yeah, absolutely, Again, it's uh, you know, it's
what does your team need and what is it that
these guys best provide. And you know, I think, uh,
with both those situations, they those starting units definitely needed
another scorer out there. And you know, in Sacramento's case,
(20:18):
they're they're definitely a high octane offense. So the more
scoring on the floor, you know, the better for them,
and and with with with the Clippers, I would believe
again that you know, they need another guy who can
pretty much get his own basket at times alongside Harden,
who creates so much offense for everybody. But it's always
(20:39):
good to have one more guy who can, you know,
being on demand score. And that's what a lot of
these guys are. You know, they're they're kind of offensive
ecosystems unto themselves. They can get their own offense, which is,
you know, a very valuable trait.
Speaker 5 (20:56):
I was.
Speaker 1 (20:56):
I was in attendance at the Little Caesars before my
favorite football team took that l on Sunday night. What
what what did you say to them after that one?
Speaker 4 (21:08):
Yeah, so we got to fight some urgency. You know,
I think just our energy was low in that game.
We give out, They out physical ed us, We got behind.
It was kind of a punky game. You know, Anthony
had a big game, for sure. He got you know,
at times he was the only one carrying us. It
was the only consistent offense we could generate was through him.
(21:30):
But I just didn't really like the urgency at which
we were. We played defense and we rebounded, and you know,
unfortunately through a long season. You have some of these lulls,
and we had one there. But that team, that Detroit team,
you know, they're now up above five hundred.
Speaker 1 (21:47):
Yep.
Speaker 4 (21:48):
You know they're probably better than well, they are better
than advertised. Uh. And you know, our guys, you know,
might not have had the proper mindset going in or
I don't think they thought it was going to be easy. Yeah,
but I'm not sure they thought it was going to
be as a physical affair as it turned out to be.
Speaker 1 (22:04):
Yeah, JB's JB is doing a good job with that team.
Speaker 4 (22:07):
They excellent job.
Speaker 1 (22:08):
Yeah, they they they won another one after you guys,
and and they'll probably be Golden State tonight. This yeah, this,
This is Chris Finch, head coach of the Minnesota timber Wells,
courtesy of Second Second Harvest Heart LAMB two Harvest dot
Org and prize picks Wolves and Orlando this evening. So, so,
why do you think you guys can have a game
(22:29):
like that one Saturday yet yet play the champion Celtics
tooth and nail every single time you see them?
Speaker 4 (22:37):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (22:39):
Yeah, I mean I.
Speaker 4 (22:41):
Think you know, as for the Celtics, well, first of all,
you know, we're still a very good team. You know,
we're we have inconsistencies, but we believe in our long
term talent and our long term uh you know, we'll
be there in the end. So working through those inconsistencies
has been pretty much, you know, our full time job.
Like and it's one night, it's turnovers one night, it
(23:03):
is shot making one night, we can't rebound, and it
just seems to be different a little bit every night,
you know. So some of those issues are are kind
of omnipresent, but we might do them a little better
at times, and when we do it, you know, it
adds up to usually good results for us. Uh. You know.
As for the Celtics, of course, uh, we we feel
(23:26):
like we match up pretty well against them. You know,
we have good length against their side.
Speaker 6 (23:33):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (23:33):
We we have a pretty good feel for what they're
trying to do. You know, It's it's not necessarily a
ball containing game. You know, it's more of a it
is a one on one game, but you know they're
trying to get up a million three, so it's you've
got to really guard to locking and guard the three
point line. That's something that we've traditionally been able to
do well through a variety of means, and you know,
(23:56):
so I think that's you know, that's what it's what
it's really come down to. You know, what we we
haven't been able to do this season is uh, you know,
close against them. They've been able to get us both
times at.
Speaker 1 (24:06):
The end of the game. So they're there. I mean,
there are just so many teams in the NBA like
Boston that want to push the pace and shoot fifty
three pointers a game. And you know, you you mentioned
Orlando and and defensively sound as the team is down,
you know, certainly it's best two players in Franz Wagner
and Ben Caro. So like tonight is tonight. You know,
whether subs plays or not, do they like walk it up?
(24:29):
Do they push the pace? Like what kind of game
do they want to get you into? Tonight?
Speaker 4 (24:34):
I want to get in the mud where they really
want to get you. I mean, they're they're going to
try to, you know, be slow you down physically. You know,
they're not a super fast team. They're bottom five team
in pace, but that doesn't make them a walk it
up team. They are gonna cash in on your turnovers.
They're gonna they're gonna opportunities to leave fast break. Yeah,
(24:57):
they're gonna be you know, smart with their with their
off and they're not gonna you know, try to outscore you.
They know that their best chance to win is uh,
you know, using their second ranked defense of of uh,
you know, and try to just kind of make it
a fist fight, which you know we've been We've been
(25:19):
pretty good in those games. We've been pretty good there
because if we can take care of the ball and
not turn over, not feed an offense that needs to
be fed like turnovers do uh, you know, we'll be
pretty good. Like we've just come to the realization that,
you know, we're in a lot of tight games and uh,
you know, we got to just try to be as
(25:40):
good as possible in those clutch moments.
Speaker 1 (25:42):
Oh, there was a game against Orlando a target center
within the last three years that actually was a fist fight.
And and when when mow Bomba ran off the bench,
I was like, hide the women and children. Ain't nobody
looking to mess with this man, you know what I mean?
Speaker 4 (25:58):
Yeah, I forgot all about that.
Speaker 1 (26:00):
You're right, I mean, you just you just see the
look in in a player's eyes sometimes and you're like, nah,
that's it. We ain't gonna be messing around anytime soon.
It's like like when you guys had that unfortunate situation
a late couple of seasons ago with with Gobert and
slow Mo, and as it started to stop, I mean,
Torrian Prince, he popped into that thing like, I'll take
(26:23):
everybody here on if we don't stop this, you know
what I mean, Yeah, exactly, So I know it's.
Speaker 4 (26:32):
It's you know, these are emotionally charged games, right.
Speaker 1 (26:36):
Uh So for you guys after tonight Memphis here Saturday
and at the Wizard's Monday night, and looking at your
guys schedule at ESPN dot com for the Washington game,
it said tickets as low as four dollars. I'm like,
that's crazy. I meant, any idea, what's going on out there?
Speaker 4 (26:56):
I mean, you're going through a rebuild. I mean it's
just plain as simple. You know, they're going through an
organized rebuild. Uh And you know at that point in time,
you know they're trying to do two things. I would imagine.
I would imagine they're trying you know, they're they're veteran players,
they're trying to keep them in the shop window. Uh. Up,
until the trade deadline here and see if they can
(27:18):
spin them off for future assets or good young players,
but they can continue to try to build around and
then of course they're they're obviously focused on developing and
playing their young players, and you know, it's it's very
hard for young players to drive winning in the NBA.
It's just it's one of these facts. I mean, even
(27:38):
the best top players, uh, you know, top five draft picks,
they might play, they might play at an even or
a plus one net rating when they're on the floor,
most of them play at like a replacement level player
through their first year or so. So it's you know,
when you have a lot of young players, it just
(27:59):
makes it makes it tough to win, but it's good
for their long term development. The tricky part about these
rosters and sometimes how they're constructed is that, you know,
it's very hard to kind of do do both at
the same time, which is, you know, what, what we
have other mechanisms to do for whether it be G
League and player development program or you know, try to
(28:22):
you know kind of force feed or spoon feed minutes here.
But when your margins for air are super tight, it's
it's very difficult it can become very difficult. And but
when you're worried mostly about development, you can really lean
into it and you know the results will be what
they be all right.
Speaker 1 (28:41):
Time for two more so you can get out to
that forty three degree weather right next to the pool
in Orlando of Florida. What Rudy Gobert? What got into
Rudy after the Pistons game. I mean he's blocking every
shot and grabbing like every rebound.
Speaker 4 (28:56):
Yeah. Oh, that's what we need him to be. I mean,
if we if we want to be team that we
know we can be, we have to have him playing
that type of basketball every night at a super high level.
So I think it's the recognition of how you know,
sub urgency as we talked about, Uh, for him, you know,
for him and everyone else to kind of up their
(29:16):
activity level. Uh. And we got to go start seizing
these games.
Speaker 1 (29:21):
And lastly, let's let's close with Anthony Edwards hitting six
threes a game this month and at a fifty clip.
But but he's getting to the line more now. I know,
Little Caesars he went there fourteen times, so that's going
to skew the number, but he's still getting there more.
And and I'd imagine that's super key to your long
(29:42):
term equation.
Speaker 4 (29:44):
Yes, and his free throw rate had been down by
nearly fifty percent through up until like the end of December,
so we challenged him to get to the line more.
Si was going six times a game up until you know,
up until the first of the year, he was going
(30:05):
four times a game. So and some of that was,
you know, I'm shooting more threes, and those threes were
going in at a at a good rate and shooting
the ball so well, but it still felt that there
were opportunities for him to get to the line more,
get to the you know rim more. And he's done that,
He's responded in that way, so he has the ability
(30:27):
to score at all levels. But getting to the free
throw line is still one of the most effective things
that you can do because you can slow the game down,
you know, efficiently, efficiently. It's it's very high, and then
you know you're putting files on the other team's best
players and because by nature, usually guarded by their best.
Speaker 1 (30:47):
Guys, so the best safe travels. We will chat next week.
I appreciate the conversation and it was very chill and
tear up those Magic tonight.
Speaker 4 (30:56):
All right, all right, thank you, Pa.
Speaker 1 (30:58):
There you go. That's head coach.
Speaker 3 (31:00):
Fans of the Timberwolves weekly guest thanks to prize pick
second Harvest Heartland. You heard it opening the show and
if you missed it, you heard it again and it's
podcastable with the free iHeartRadio app. Wolves at the Magic
six pm tip off final segment nine to noon Net.
Speaker 4 (31:17):
I get wait.
Speaker 1 (31:18):
I can't wait until tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (31:22):
Go tomorrow, man very well, be tully.
Speaker 1 (31:28):
All right, the Friday football Feast at Buffalo Wild Wing
Savage tomorrow. It's Pa and charts Chat. Greenway joins at
nine o'clock. Alec Lewis from the Athletic he'll join at
about eleven o'clock and we are looking forward to seeing
many of you there tomorrow Buffalo Wild Wing Savage for
a playoff beast. I have a little bit of a
(31:49):
minutia before you you dive into this buy or cell
with Vikings Rams. Let's see. The Vikings are five and
two all time in the playoffs against the Ram. Their
most playoff wins against any team. The most recent matchup
nineteen ninety nine and Sam Darnold ended twenty twenty four.
(32:11):
Ended this most recent season with forty one passing plays
of twenty five yards or more. That's most in the NFL.
Justin Jefferson one O three fifteen thirty three and ten
tds only Vikings receiver with multiple seasons of at least
one hundred catches, fifteen hundred yards and ten touchdowns. That's
pretty cool. The how about this? I mean, we kind
(32:35):
of knew this, but it goes a little deeper here
about the fourteen win team in the postseason. Not a
division winner, not a one seed. So the Vikings finished
fourteen and three, second in the NFC North, the most
wins by a non number one seed since the seeding
began in nineteen seventy five Vikings of fourteen wins. The
(33:01):
two thousand and four New England Patriots finished fourteen and two,
and we're not a division winner or not a one seed.
They won the Super Bowl. The Atlanta Falcons in nineteen
ninety eight were not a one seed. The Patriots were
a division winner, but not a one seed. Ninety eight
Falcons not a one seed. We know what happened there
(33:22):
went to the Super Bowl eighty six. The Bears fourteen
and two, lost in the divisional round and the twenty
twenty four Vikings are the first team all time in
the history of the NFL with fourteen plus wins to
play a road playoff game before the conference championship rounds.
Speaker 3 (33:44):
Some minutia for you there, mister Byersselth. Dig that absolutely
depth chart. Deep diving on a Thursday before a Friday feast.
It'll be a savage feast, savage feast tomorrow. Get there
early the Rams when they're we're one and four into
the buy minus two in the take give since the
(34:04):
buye plus eight, Hey.
Speaker 1 (34:08):
Hurt's my voice when I do. I can't.
Speaker 2 (34:10):
I can't.
Speaker 1 (34:10):
I can't replicate them. It's too good. Buyers sell this yep.
Speaker 3 (34:19):
And as Rams Vikings, we talked into the first one
where the Vikings could run against his Rams teams with
high success. They're giving up north of four and a
half yards of carry Aaron Jones nineteen tots just fifty
eight yards in that game. We struggled on the ground, PA,
buy or sell the idea that we can follow through
with a solid run plan on Monday night.
Speaker 1 (34:40):
Well, it's a buye because I believe the plan coming
into the game will be perceived as solid. So then
when you get to the bottom line of what solid
is that that has yet to unveil itself, because sometimes
the best laid plans don't exactly come to fruition some
of the key times in the second half. But when
(35:03):
it comes to the running plan, I would buy it.
Speaker 3 (35:06):
Buy or sell during the feast tomorrow pa that this
comes up and how the co host will talk about it.
Cooper Cup has three straight games now into the postseason
with a total of three tar excuse me, three targets
per game, total of four catches in his last three games,
So buy or sell that into Monday Night's game. During
(35:28):
the feast that Paul Charchion brings up the idea that
Cooper might be cooked, right at least two times buy
or sell two references from the co host that it's
absolutely over for Cooper Cup and that he's not an
a topic into a playoff game.
Speaker 1 (35:44):
Oh, that's a really, really good one, because you're meshing,
you're meshing science and hashtag fate. Correct, this is brilliant.
I'm gonna sell it, okay. And and did you say
one and a half? Yeah, just a couple of times. Yeah,
I'm gonna sell it okay. And I'm gonna sell it
(36:06):
because that week off or the week off that McVeigh
gave his ones, specifically Cup, I think Cooper needed like
he needed to breathe.
Speaker 3 (36:17):
Yeah, so it's gonna be ready. It's play yeah, thank you,
So it's gonna be ready.
Speaker 1 (36:21):
I'm selling it in the hope the science of what
you brought up does not transpire and that the hashtag
faith in Cooper Cup getting five targets or more in
this game will come to fruition buy or sell in
the first game.
Speaker 3 (36:40):
We always look at turning points when we go back
in time, Pa Jalen Naylor third down at the seventeen,
he's open over the middle. It's a pitching catch. Naylor
turns it up and it's probably a touchdown, but he
drops it. By your cell, Jalen Naylor converting a big
third down on Monday night doesn't have to score, Yeah,
but putting Speedy in a spot to come up big
(37:04):
buy or sell him coming through on that Monday night.
So you mean cold blooded connection. I need a cold
blooded connection. I need a fresh four at the hands
of Jalen Naylor.
Speaker 1 (37:15):
I'm gonna buy it. Yes, I'm gonna buy it because
he's on an influential run right now, and he should
have had a touchdown at Detroit. Yeah, one of five missed.
I'm gonna buy it, and I'm gonna believe in Jaalen
because the head coach has believed in Jalen every step
of the way, featured him in the in the preseason.
(37:37):
Had some problems with a muff punt and that drop
and some other things during the season, but kept coming
back to him so much so he got six touchdowns.
So I'm buying it.
Speaker 3 (37:48):
Buy or sell, and I'm completely I have this some
stats in front of me, but I'm completely ripping this
off from what you brought into me in the side
studio here last segment.
Speaker 4 (37:57):
You know.
Speaker 3 (37:58):
So going into the game, Vikings lose at the Rams.
The first scoring TD for the Rams, there's an Ivan
Pace face mask half the distance. They end up scoring
a touchdown. The second scoring drive. Pete Bursich got loose
on this on the radio throughout that game. Had to
be three or four different times. The second touchdown is
(38:19):
the Cooper Cup TD. It's third and seven in midfield
Byron Murphy, defensive holding Chain's move third and seven, same
drive Vike's eleven Gilmour PI on cup first and goal.
Speaker 1 (38:29):
Cooper scores two plays later.
Speaker 4 (38:31):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (38:32):
In the fourth quarter the DeMarcus Robinson TD drive, It's
second in eleven at the twenty seven Byron Murphy PI
call on another Cooper play touchdown three plays later.
Speaker 1 (38:43):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (38:43):
Buyer seller, whether it's referees and all of those things,
buy or sell that our group is more disciplined against
this receiving corps than they were weeks and weeks and
weeks ago on Monday night.
Speaker 1 (38:58):
I'm gonna buy it because because that night was a
trade blake game, which means hide the women and children.
You might have Gilmour wearing blue and white, trying to
decapitate Jefferson and it's just looked the other way. You
might have Sam Darnold's head nearly pulled off, and you
look the other way.
Speaker 4 (39:19):
The the.
Speaker 1 (39:22):
Officiating situation in the playoffs is wonky. So even though
you have a noteworthy ref, you get the officials with
the ref are from other staffs, so like you know,
it's it's Eric Nordquist's crew calls the third fewest penalties
of all seventeen crews in the NFL. Well, that's not
(39:44):
the case because that ref does not have his normal
guys with him, So I believe this time of the year,
not to the extent of hockey, but they swallow their
whistles a little bit. On fifty to fifty type things.
You mentioned DeMarcus Robinson. I mean, I've been thinking so
much about him. You can't sleep on him. If you
(40:04):
look back, he had two against us, and if you
look back at either primetime games, playoff games, or stuff
like that, DeMarcus Robinson is a dog Yeah, okay, he
is a dog man. He's top. So you you come
to think about Pooka, Nakuwa and Cooper, Cup and Kyra
and Williams leave talking about DeMarcus Robinson can have that again. Well,
and I still think we're going to be thinking about
(40:26):
Pooka and Cooper. I hope we're not talking about Kyrien.
To be honest, first first time i'd seen Pooka live.
Just what a horse, I mean, just what a what
a stylistically unsound effective horse. When he's running in the
middle of the field, He's relentless. I got an on
air production meeting question for you. Yeah, I wrote a
rap today.
Speaker 3 (40:46):
It's been a while, but I also received a handful
of text messages six four six eighty six.
Speaker 1 (40:51):
They want to hear a certain song that we debuted yesterday. Well,
then we head to the Friday football Feast, a buffalo
wild wing savage, thinking about one thing and one thing only.
And it's not DeMarcus Robinson. It's about a way to
beat these rams and to do so, you whoop them
Ben Ginkle style.
Speaker 6 (41:11):
Hooka okay, hook gat us on fire. It's Kinkle styles,
Ben Kinkle style by brought to Ben Ginkle touchdown.
Speaker 2 (41:29):
And before touchdown it and rubn Gingkle's career.
Speaker 1 (41:34):
And he read Daniel Jones like a book.
Speaker 2 (41:37):
They put repting and they paid for it.
Speaker 1 (41:40):
Picked off by man Ginkle. There's Sun to the fifty Funstyline.
Speaker 2 (41:45):
Forty forty three, the boot on that show.
Speaker 1 (41:55):
They didn't know now they know.
Speaker 6 (41:59):
Rude there blow sackerbath bro every play every day proving
color back up. It's fun Jinkle Stop, Don Kinkle Stop.
(42:22):
It's Don Kinkle Stars, Unkinkle Star. It's fun Dnkle Star
and it's fun Kinkle.
Speaker 1 (42:37):
Stops and Drew then Ginkle It's fun Dingle Stars.
Speaker 3 (42:52):
Podcast.
Speaker 1 (42:52):
Today's Paul Allen Show.
Speaker 4 (42:54):
We're listening back to the previous show and interviews like
going to the iHeartRadio app
Speaker 2 (42:58):
Or g n a n dot com