NFL Cover Zero: Impactful Injuries and Remaining Schedules

Matt Jones and Drew Franklin dive into Week 15 with the Bills comeback victory over the Patriots. What does the AFC and NFC Playoff picture look like now? The Chiefs are eliminated from the postseason, but what is the future of the franchise with the injury of Patrick Mahomes?

Philip Rivers kept the Colts close against the Seahawks.  The Ravens get past the Bengals in the cold.  Trevor Lawrence has a career day against the Jets, should Liam Coen be the front runner for Coach of the Year? The Texans stay the course against the Cardinals. The Eagles shut out the Raiders.

Matt may be ready to jump on the Bo Nix bandwagon.  Micah Parsons injury could change the Packers season.  The Bears and Caleb Williams have another impressive outing but have a tough remaining schedule.  Will the Browns be looking for a QB again in the offseason? The Saints get past the Panthers. Drew tries to explain what's happening with the Bucs.  The Rams had a few injury scares against the Lions.  What is the most likely Super Bowl matchup? We wrap up with Matt's preparations for calling the New Orleans Bowl, which will be his first football assignment!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
NFL Covers Zero with Matt Jones and Drew Franklin is
a production of the NFL and iHeart podcast. It is
Cover zero NFL Cover Zero Week fifteen, Matt Jones, Drew
Franklin and Billy r.

Speaker 2 (00:28):
Sports.

Speaker 1 (00:29):
Ready to rock after another good Sunday of football, actually
maybe the most complete Sunday. We'll have more games, a
lot of exciting finishes, and an old man on our screen.
I really enjoyed it.

Speaker 2 (00:44):
Old man. Lots of comebacks, lots of I think there
are five different games that at a ten point comeback,
so some exciting finishes on top of the fund schedule.

Speaker 1 (00:52):
I watched all of these games at my parents' house
in Middlesbrough, where they keep their house at a seventy
nine degree temperature.

Speaker 2 (01:02):
Oh couldn't do it.

Speaker 1 (01:03):
Why why do older people? Why is it so hot?
And what's interesting is the colder it gets outside, the
higher my parents turn the temperature up, which doesn't make
sense to me. I'm like, Mom, whatever the temperature is outside,
if you put it at seventy one, it will be
seventy one in here. Nope, which makes the it stifling

(01:28):
hot the colder it is outside, Drew, it's It's like
a reverse world.

Speaker 2 (01:33):
I know what you mean. You think they would just
have the temperature they like inside, but no, they have
to counter whatever's gone going on outcounter even if they
don't even go outside. It's like, we gotta warm it
up even more here seventy nine are off. I couldn't
have done it. I would have gone outside.

Speaker 1 (01:45):
The problem is when it gets that hot. You know,
if I was at my house, I would just start
shedding clothing. I can't really do that with your parents,
you know, I can't walk away. You know, they're already
bundled up too, right the like they're undercovers, got their
mittens on and the couch space heaters on.

Speaker 2 (02:06):
And I'm just like, can we please turn the heat down?
Did you pass out at any point? Watching football today?

Speaker 1 (02:13):
I feel like I went through a workout. I have
a friend who owns asana whose clue closed it this weekend,
and she was selling all of the equipment, and I
just was going to take one and take it to
my parents and go here laying this rather than make
the house like.

Speaker 2 (02:29):
It is on a daily basis. Well, it's not just
your parents. I think my parents do that. It's just
older people. They crank up the heat when it's wintertime.

Speaker 1 (02:37):
What is the age? What is the age that you
decide our house will be stifling?

Speaker 2 (02:43):
It kind of kind of goes together. There's like a
scale that goes with how early you eat. So as
you start eating earlier, reverse game. Yeah, yeah, as you
started eating earlier, the temperature on your thermostat starts going up.

Speaker 1 (02:54):
So that happened Saturday night. Kentucky was playing basketball at
seven thirty, so I knew we need to be back
home by seven thirty. My mom literally asked me at
three thirty what time I want to eat? And I
was like, not anytime close to now. And then I
looked over at five o'clock and they both had to
look like, come on, starving, can we get to it?

(03:18):
And then we ended up going at six, and my
dad literally looked at me and said, no, we don't
normally eat this leg It was like, it's six.

Speaker 2 (03:27):
You're holding them back. We also don't normally keep it
that low. On seventy nine, we did that for you, So, yeah,
you're right.

Speaker 1 (03:35):
I don't know what the age is, but there just
becomes a temperature rise in a dinner early.

Speaker 2 (03:40):
Well, I'm glad you got to watch football all day
with him.

Speaker 1 (03:41):
Let's say, earlest you're gonna eat dinner when you get old.

Speaker 2 (03:45):
I don't know. I could see myself jumping right in
with the four o'clock crowd, you know, when you're there
and you like watch them open the door, like the
hostess she's just still cleaning the menus and like opens
the door to let you in. I'll probably do that.

Speaker 1 (03:56):
I'm big on that though, with like Saturday lunch at
eleven am.

Speaker 2 (04:01):
I kind of walk into the Mexican restaurant as they're
opening the door fresh they're still cleaning them menu. Yeah,
I'm kind of an eleven o'clock lunch of the person. Though.

Speaker 1 (04:10):
To be fair, well, I don't know which of these
games you want to go first. I guess we start
with the Bills Patriots, because I think that's probably the
most important game, Patriots twenty one to nothing. Early Patriots fans,
who are are they the most obnoxious fans when they're
good in sports? In the NFL? I think so. And

(04:32):
they were good for so long we just had to
hear from them for all the time, and then they've
been dormant for a few years. But I think they
are the most obnoxious, and at the end of halftime
they all were already proclaiming themselves division winners, and so
I really enjoyed watching the comeback in the second half.
Was Josh Allen at his absolute best.

Speaker 2 (04:52):
Yeah, I mean you get that after the comeback they
made last week, We're already talking about the Bills were
hitting their stroud at the right time. Alan looked like
an MVP. Bills are gonna get back in the playoff
mix and be that contender we.

Speaker 3 (05:03):
Want them to be.

Speaker 2 (05:03):
And then they go and do it again today, scoring
on like every possession to in the game. I genuinely thought,
here we go with the Patriots when the game started
the way it did, so I'm already a Bills Fanish,
you know from our Buffalo trip, but just shutting them up,
especially in the way it happened, it felt extra specialty.

Speaker 1 (05:20):
I agree, and I also still think I still am
gonna believe in Josh. Even if they had lost today,
I was gonna be like, well, if they played and playoff,
Josh Allen will get them. But you saw why in
the second half. I mean that the Patriots offense died
in the second half, not necessarily because of Drake May.
But guys couldn't make catches, It couldn't get open. I
mean you kind of saw the difference. Both teams have

(05:43):
won on each other's home field. If they played tomorrow
next week, who would you take.

Speaker 2 (05:50):
I'm going with the Bills. Name said they're hitting their stride,
and today, as you said, it was pretty complete. Their
defense stepped up and shut the Patriots down the second
half when they've been scoring early. Our guy Ray Davis
had a huge kick return that helped set it up.
So it was really all aspects of the game. The
Bills flipped the switch there in the second half time.
I find it to do it from the beginning. It's
two weeks in a row. They've waited to get started.

Speaker 1 (06:09):
If Henderson doesn't get that run, which is kind of
a just like messed up play. It has a nice
cutback on this Cart's had like ten yards of offense
in the second half. Like that was really the only
good play they had the entire second half.

Speaker 2 (06:21):
And in the Bills interviews after they're all mentioning they
had heard that the Patriots had the shirts and the
hats all that ready to celebrate. Oh did they you
know they have that set aside, so not that they
didn't win, want to win already. They all were talking
about how that added some extra juice to the game,
knowing that could have been a celebratory game.

Speaker 1 (06:37):
On the other end, it's interesting this game sort of
confirmed we kind of already know the playoff teams. You know,
they're still playing for seating, but like in the wild cards,
Buffalo's going to have a wildcard, the Chargers are going
to have a wildcard, and then it's very likely Houston
could be Indianapolis, but either Houston or Indianapolis will be

(06:59):
the other one, like you kind of know. And then
Pittsburgh and Baltimore will be deciding who wins the division.
But like those and then in the NFC, it's probably
going to be Seattle the forty nine Ers, and then
either the Bears, Packers, or Detroit. Two of those three
will get in and one of them will not. That's

(07:19):
kind we already kind of know who the playoffs are.

Speaker 3 (07:21):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (07:22):
No, in the AFC, you know, if the Pats hold
on and win that division, I would not want to
run into a like six seed Buffalo. I really think
the way they've turned a corner, even though they might
not be one of those top seeds and having home field.
They're a scary team right now that could beat on
the lower end of the seeds.

Speaker 1 (07:38):
Who is the who gets the tie break if they
tie each other, because they would have the same they
won and won against each other. Patriots have a one
game lead, but do you know who would get the
get the tie break? Patriots still play the Ravens, the Jets,
and the Dolphins, so you know, they probably just need
to win two.

Speaker 2 (07:56):
If they beat the Ravens next week, they're probably fine. Yeah,
I think they'll hold on. But had to hold off
on that celebration just a little bit longer today.

Speaker 1 (08:03):
Yeah, and then the Chiefs are they were done, but
now they're completely done and Mahomes is hurt.

Speaker 2 (08:12):
That was just unnecessary. It was already it was already
enough that the Chiefs are out this earlier in the year,
as you said last week, we already knew, but being
mathematically eliminated today having the.

Speaker 1 (08:27):
Play that essentially was going to eliminate them and he
had to get hurt on that play. Now apparently tours
a c L. It'll be he'll be ready by game,
you know, first game next year. But that really stinks.
I'm just like, can be can it be enough that
they're out?

Speaker 2 (08:42):
Yeah?

Speaker 1 (08:42):
And you kind of wanted. I'm not a Chiefs hater.
I actually like the Chiefs, But if you're a Chiefs hater,
you want to be able to mock them. And I
don't think you can mock them now that he's hurt.

Speaker 2 (08:52):
Yeah, even the biggest Chiefs hater that was just going
to dance all over him from being out of the playoffs.
You can't win. Pat Mahomes tears in a cl at
the very end of the game. Pat Patrick, Yeah, Pat Mahomes,
I mean you, well, they feel like most people call
him Patrick, don't. I feel like people calling Pat never.
I've never talked to him personally. Have you ever really
heard him calling Pat? I might Pat? Yeah, Yeah, I've

(09:15):
heard it once or twice. I mean it's like, DG.
It just kind of feel like you got to be
a pretty good friend of his. I pad him on
the back right now. He's in a bad spot. Is
it did stink?

Speaker 3 (09:24):
Though?

Speaker 1 (09:24):
I really I've never you've heard of peeple say.

Speaker 2 (09:28):
Or twice? Okay, Yeah, you must not get out enough
in Kansas City. I know, I don't I go to
the fifteen eighty seven Steakhouse. To be fair, I don't
know him as well as you do.

Speaker 4 (09:37):
Yeah, I got to say, Minshew, I.

Speaker 1 (09:40):
Was glad to see he was still in the league.
I didn't know I want to see him, but it
was nice seeing him. Well, I didn't want to say,
I mean the way the circumstances. Oh okay, Well, I
was glad to know he was around because I'm a
very back up. I feel like he should be. He's
a good backup. I mean, if I were the Colts,
I guess the trade deadline has already happened, I would
have traded for him.

Speaker 2 (09:59):
I think they've already had him as the backup too
many times. He's bounced around quite a bit.

Speaker 1 (10:04):
I think he's though, if you're gonna have a bad
back up, Minshew, and he gives the best Chris Bourban nickname,
that's right.

Speaker 2 (10:11):
Yeah, you wanna do it? I mean, you know, I
want to Gardner. That's why I brought him up. I
wanted to hear that.

Speaker 1 (10:24):
Did you want to hear?

Speaker 2 (10:25):
Honestly, that's what I wanted to hear.

Speaker 3 (10:27):
It's my favorite.

Speaker 2 (10:42):
Do you think this is the end of Kelsey?

Speaker 3 (10:44):
Is this?

Speaker 2 (10:45):
I would think so, don't you.

Speaker 1 (10:47):
I mean, he he's been okay this year, maybe even
better than last year, but he is kind of winding.

Speaker 2 (10:53):
Down and he seemed frustrated a lot this year. He's
been on the wrong end a few bloopers.

Speaker 1 (10:57):
What you're about to do a two billion dollar you know,
he's about to become first man. Who is more of
a powerful male second in command than him in the world? Seriously,

(11:18):
who is more of a first man than him?

Speaker 2 (11:25):
Anyone?

Speaker 4 (11:27):
So?

Speaker 2 (11:27):
How many women out.

Speaker 1 (11:28):
There are more powerful than Taylor Swift in the world.
I'm being dead serious. I'm not even kidding zero. It
might be zero. Okay, so world leaders. I'm trying to
think of big world leaders. So like the woman in
Germany's not in charge anymore. The woman in England's not
the woman in Australia I don't think is anymore.

Speaker 2 (11:51):
I still say she's bigger than them, she has more power.

Speaker 1 (11:55):
I would have argued, maybe when Angela Merkel was head
of Germany.

Speaker 2 (12:02):
Who did she date the star the stars of the
stevert he's a Murkeuel Stefan Murkel who she dated? Mrkel?
That's right, right?

Speaker 1 (12:17):
No, I think she's the most powerful woman in the world.
That seems ridiculous. But give me a woman more powerful
than Taylor's.

Speaker 4 (12:24):
Forbes has the most powerful women of twenty twenty five. Well,
but that's okay, Swift is twenty first. Who's number one?
Number one is the President of the European Commission. That's
Ursula vonder Liam.

Speaker 1 (12:38):
First of her name is not Ursula wonder Lee, like
if I were to create she is. If I were
to create the name of the woman that runs the
European Commission, I would create Ursula wonder Lean. That sounds
like she'd be in a Bond movie. Okay, right, I'll
give her a maybe. Who's number two?

Speaker 4 (12:56):
Christine Legard is the president of European Central Bank location
in Germany.

Speaker 2 (13:03):
No, there's number three. How many fans does she have?

Speaker 4 (13:08):
Sane Takachi is the Prime Minister of Japan.

Speaker 2 (13:11):
Okay, now, I'll take that. I'll give I'll get all right,
that's a that's a debate we can have. I'll give
the Prime Minister of Japan. She's a maybe.

Speaker 1 (13:19):
She No, I'll give her a yes. All right, that's two.
I'm not gonna make you do all twenty. But who's
number Who's number eight?

Speaker 2 (13:24):
Four?

Speaker 4 (13:24):
Georgia Maloney, who is the Prime Minister of Italy.

Speaker 2 (13:27):
Yeah, I'll give her all right. One more, who's five? Uh?

Speaker 4 (13:30):
Claudia Shinebaum who is the President of Mexico.

Speaker 2 (13:35):
She has a show on the SEC on the shanbomb
Shoo President of Mexico. You said, call Claudia. So far,
I'm still going Taylor over all these people.

Speaker 1 (13:50):
President of Mexico, all right, the presidents? Is there anyone
on the list ahead of her that we would have
heard of?

Speaker 2 (13:55):
Heard that?

Speaker 4 (13:55):
No, I've not heard of anybody until it got down
to Taylor Swift.

Speaker 2 (13:58):
All right, last one, because I just five. Who's number seventeen? Seventeen?

Speaker 3 (14:04):
Uh?

Speaker 2 (14:05):
Cristalina Uh.

Speaker 4 (14:07):
Georgia Villa is the managing director of IMF in the
United States.

Speaker 2 (14:12):
Op it.

Speaker 1 (14:12):
Come on, they still make computers. Taylor should be much
higher on that list.

Speaker 2 (14:18):
Yeah. What twenty one though, is still pretty impressive when
you're talking about so My point is we didn't know
those women. We certainly don't know their husbands.

Speaker 1 (14:26):
So Travis Kelsey has no reason to play football Next
year he is going to be married to the Even
by Forbes's fake news account, the twenty first most powerful
woman OPRAH number thirty Taylor's she should be ahead of Oprah.

Speaker 2 (14:39):
The would have been a time of Oprah would have
been higher. But so does he just follow her around?
Doesn't even podcast anymore? What would you do? I would
do absolutely nothing. Would you do nothing? I would be
whatever tour she's on.

Speaker 1 (14:50):
But is this part of why to you in theory
because you're doing something like I mean, I can't imagine
she just wants a schlub.

Speaker 2 (14:58):
No, no, I'm getting fad and playing video.

Speaker 1 (15:01):
Games in the living imagine though, that's why she's interested
in Travis Kelcey.

Speaker 2 (15:05):
She's stepping over my tennis shoes in front of the door. Yeah,
I'm just sitting there, just riding her coattails all the
wherever she's going on. And you won't have any ego, No,
not at all.

Speaker 1 (15:15):
Have you seen the Netflix show The Diplomat.

Speaker 2 (15:17):
I've actually wanted to start it on. Know what you're
talking about, but how good.

Speaker 1 (15:20):
But one of the kind of themes there carry Russell
carry Russell is that her husband is also like a
former DIP. I actually watched the first episode, so like,
part of the thing is he's like second but he
also has you know, that's a constant interplay. He can't
help himself sometimes too. Ts Kelsey is probably dumber than her. Yeah,

(15:40):
and he strikes me as somebody who would be okay
being like a slub.

Speaker 2 (15:44):
Yeah, I mean you don't have to be a slub.
I mean she's she's going all over the world. I
feel like you can still be very culture. What do
you think he does when he's do you think he does?

Speaker 1 (15:52):
Like, I don't see him going and sitting Like would
you wouldn't go sit on the set of FS one
if you were him?

Speaker 2 (15:59):
Right?

Speaker 1 (15:59):
Like, he's he's hanging out with the most famous people
in the world. He doesn't want to go you know.

Speaker 4 (16:03):
No, he'll be relevant regardless.

Speaker 2 (16:06):
What do you think he'll do. I think he'll have
his own music career. Oh, I can see him trying
to you know, he's gonna put out a bad rap album. Yeah,
we just got to I think everyone remembers that was bad? Yeah?

Speaker 1 (16:20):
Why did people act like that? First of all, he
named that song dookie, right, Yes, wasn't there already a
song named dookie?

Speaker 2 (16:26):
That's not mine?

Speaker 1 (16:27):
That's the name of Green Days album.

Speaker 2 (16:30):
Yeah, d okay, dookie. I actually didn't hear the song.
Is it good? It's not shocker. I really think we're
onto something with Kelsey having a.

Speaker 1 (16:40):
Quinn's rich eyesen putting out Yeah, I think that's a
good call. He's gonna make a rap album.

Speaker 2 (16:50):
They lost to the Chargers. I can't.

Speaker 1 (16:54):
I saw Justin Herberts about to break the record for
most passing yards in under six years. Would you have
had any idea?

Speaker 4 (17:01):
No?

Speaker 2 (17:01):
I know it's been a good year and it's been
quiet because he plays for the Chargers and they've had
such a bad life this year. But I did not
know that it was to the extent that he's making history.

Speaker 1 (17:10):
But it is weird. The Chargers are good under like
no one talks about them, and they're also in LA
like they should be known. They have a quarterback. The
Chargers have to be like, we did everything you were
supposed to do. We are in Los Angeles, we have
a handsome quarterback who dates a pop star. Why doesn't

(17:33):
anyone care about Michigan wins the National Championship? They go
get a coach, coach, they're doing everything right.

Speaker 2 (17:39):
We found we did exactly what you all said and
no one care. Everybody beat the Chiefs twice. When did
the international game and they're doing everything they possibly Yeah,
that was their home game. They gave up Week one.
They can do. Maybe they'll get a super Bowl this year.

(18:01):
And they have cool uniforms and they do the throwbacks
a lot. The Chargers can do to make it be
a pro Chargers podcast if someone likes them.

Speaker 1 (18:13):
Well, I've talked about this. I've never met a Chargers
man ever.

Speaker 2 (18:17):
Well, they have that one woman fan that just keeps
popping up, well at the drugs, become like a mascot.
She was at the Something Big Happened a week or
two ago, and the TV cuts to her.

Speaker 1 (18:27):
Seriously, in your life, have you met a Chargers fan? No?

Speaker 2 (18:31):
Have you? No, not at all, just the one that
I see on TV. That woman. Never met her though,
I just a famous one.

Speaker 4 (18:39):
I met a former Charger, but never like a fan. Yeah,
and even didn't even like them.

Speaker 2 (18:45):
He still preferred the Rams. Well, congrats for them, but
still no one's gonna care. All right, Philip Rivers, I
love I loved it so much.

Speaker 1 (18:56):
I want to go through the various things I liked
about it. I know they lost, but you know what,
who cares?

Speaker 2 (19:03):
Right? I love how fat he is now.

Speaker 1 (19:07):
I said to my mom watching it. Look, he's old
and she said how old is he? And I was like,
how do you think she is? And he said, she
said fifty seven. I was like, you know, no, he's
not fifty sevens your story that would be a little
bit yeah, because then you're like forty four. I was like,
but he didn't play in five years and she said, oh,
how does that happen? I said, I don't know, And

(19:29):
then she said, didn't there anybody else they could find?

Speaker 2 (19:34):
Cam Newton?

Speaker 1 (19:35):
Not a bad question, but I like that he's kind
of fat, at least barrel chested.

Speaker 2 (19:42):
You know. I hate calling him fat, but as an
athlete that's about to start a football game, that was
a fat person. He's not fat for life. Yeah, he's
fat for a quarterback that's starting in the NFL.

Speaker 1 (19:52):
He looked like a high school coach whose new Year's
resolution is to get back in the gym.

Speaker 2 (19:58):
I was watching him early too, when he's like on
the field two and a half hours before in that windbreaker.
That wasn't doing him any favors. By the way, that
wasn't helping him a good fit. Now, someone should just
be like, hey, throw this hoodie on, get a little
more uh.

Speaker 1 (20:09):
Get space. Yeah, need some space. He's like really slow.
I mean, it's nice to have him out there. I
used to always have a theory I'd like in every
Olympic event just to have one regular person to have
a basis of comparison, right, one hundred meters dash, just
put a regular guy in there too. You have everyone

(20:32):
else so I can see, like I can really see
how fast they are. We'd appreciate it much more without question,
because like in you can see the eighth fastest person
in the world and they look like they're barely moving.
But if they're racing against Billy, think about it. The
same bolt, another sprinter, do you know? Another one?

Speaker 2 (20:54):
Yeah, And there's all kinds of them, like what are
their names? You know? And the others. Okay, I mean
I don't want to get into it. Well, I don't
want to get off topic on this show, honestly, like
when we just stick to football, I don't think the
saying Bolt has run for a decade. He's also looking
a little bit like Philip Rivers actually, but I'd like

(21:16):
to have a regular person.

Speaker 1 (21:17):
Philip Rivers is that guy, because watching him scrambling today,
you were like.

Speaker 2 (21:21):
Oh, did you see a clip where he fell down
back pedaling and then just kind of like, you know,
you have to get on all fours to get up.
You can't just like hop right up. You can't have
to roll over and then get up.

Speaker 3 (21:31):
He did.

Speaker 2 (21:31):
That's when I.

Speaker 1 (21:32):
Hurt my back and you have to put one elbow down. Yeah,
and kind of yeah.

Speaker 2 (21:36):
I'm I'm a Colt hater. I got him in. I
woke up excited to watch the Colts play football today.

Speaker 1 (21:42):
So his first few passes were kind of wobbly.

Speaker 2 (21:45):
You need a little time.

Speaker 1 (21:46):
But then I actually thought once he got going, he
wasn't bad. Right.

Speaker 2 (21:51):
I was watching live for that touchdown pass, you know,
sure it was just a little short dumb off and
he hit him right in stride and that little Philip
Rivers side arm. I was happy for him to get
that one TD.

Speaker 1 (22:00):
And even he threw a pass late which I think
was incomplete, but I was like, that's got some good
lift on it.

Speaker 2 (22:08):
Still has the arm. It just it was so clear,
I mean, even more than the Rogers Flacco game. This
was our true four year old, washed up man out
there trying to do it and he still let it
come back. Well, first of all, he should have won.

Speaker 1 (22:23):
The Seahawks are ten and four and they almost won
on the rope.

Speaker 2 (22:29):
Great defense too that he was playing against.

Speaker 1 (22:31):
I mean, that's prey. I don't know, I feel like
that's worth something.

Speaker 2 (22:36):
Isn't just going on the road in general. Just him
traveling to Seattle had to have worn him out. And
then you're playing this tough defense, age changing time zone.
Can you imagine the pretzel his brain was in? Got it?
I mean fly commercial? But when he got the ball
and they were down one or two whatever it was,
there's kind of like, here we go, Philip Rivers time

(22:58):
and they go and get the field goal, and then
the Seahawks turn around and get him right back.

Speaker 1 (23:02):
These field goals now like boring.

Speaker 2 (23:05):
They're gonna make them. They get to wait, like anyway, you.

Speaker 1 (23:07):
Only need like twenty yards to get a field go
I don't like that.

Speaker 2 (23:10):
The Colts should have had the game winner well, but
I mean the Colts did the same thing though. I
mean they made a sixty yard field goal, but it
was the Rivers comeback that was the poetic ending. It
should have ended and ended there.

Speaker 1 (23:21):
I do like it. I thought that the video of
his uh, his players cheering for him in the restaurant.
I thought that was really cool. I thought his speech
at the end was really cool.

Speaker 5 (23:35):
Hopefully, you know, certainly I'm think of my sons and
those ball players you know that I'm in charge of
them at the school. Uh, that they'll say, like, crap,
coach one's scared.

Speaker 2 (23:43):
You know what I mean. It's like shooting sometimes you uh,
there is doubt and it's real and you uh again,
you can, you can.

Speaker 5 (23:52):
The guaranteed safe bet is to is to go home
or to not go for it, and the other one
is shoot, let's see what happens, uh, you know, and
so uh yeah, I hope that in that sense that
it can it can be a positive.

Speaker 1 (24:04):
Because if you think about it, the biggest reason for
him not to do it would have been embarrassment.

Speaker 2 (24:09):
Right, people call him fat on a podcast.

Speaker 1 (24:12):
Well not me, but like we're for him, I mean
fat pH ad yeah, acknowledging what he looked like.

Speaker 2 (24:19):
We're pro philip rivers. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (24:21):
But it could have been a disaster, right, Oh yeah,
could have been embarrassing, career mocking, but it wasn't. And
I actually think that is a good message, like you
have to have the courage to go out there and fail.

Speaker 2 (24:40):
Yeah, what's better than in a high school coach to
than be like, you know what, watch this kids, I'm
gonna get off the couch and go play an NFL
game real quick and actually hold my own. Sure, there
were a few moments overall, you had a minute to win.
I can throw it over the mountain. What a big
game for the Colts line too. You know the pressure
they had, like we can't let this guy get killed.
Obviously he's not gonna be running around out there being

(25:01):
a mobile QB. But they protected him and gave him time.
You're right, and they seem to call plays that were
pretty pretty good for him, so they get them in
the playoffs. I have a controversial opaion.

Speaker 1 (25:14):
Now he needs to quit step away because I don't
want it. Like I have a good memory. This would
be a great story. But if he goes out next
week and loses forty to nothing.

Speaker 2 (25:24):
And just gets Jeff sacked after sack, just you know,
totally beat up.

Speaker 1 (25:28):
Who do they play in their last three games?

Speaker 2 (25:30):
Do we know who? Yeah? Uh, they've already played the
Titans twice, so I know they're not in.

Speaker 4 (25:35):
Uh, the forty nine ers, the Jags, and the Texans
for their last three games and them into the playoffs
and they're on the outside looking in right now, and the.

Speaker 2 (25:45):
Jags and the Texans.

Speaker 1 (25:46):
So like the Texans, the best defense in the league
forty nine ers blitz a lot, Jacksonville is.

Speaker 2 (25:55):
Leading the division.

Speaker 4 (25:56):
That Texans game could be for the final wild time spot.

Speaker 2 (25:59):
He couldn't lead the Cold Specks when the AFC South
in the playoffs. I think that's good. Just this is enough.
He specifically said, I'm not trying to be the star.
We need to run and play defense, and then ended
up with the ball in his hands late in the game.

Speaker 1 (26:11):
And he did it and he and he enjoyed it.
And I've never been a Philip Rivers fan. He's always
kind of come off as a little condescending. But how
could you not root for It's It's perfect h proof
of what I've said for years, if you stick around
long enough, everyone's cheers for you, right, And that's what
he had to.

Speaker 2 (26:29):
Just say it out loud. A grandfather threw a touchdown
pass today in the NFL that was outrageous.

Speaker 4 (26:34):
Well, he doesn't cuss. He was fired up on the sideline.

Speaker 3 (26:37):
Have it.

Speaker 2 (26:38):
Yeah, Oh, he doesn't cuss. No, why not?

Speaker 4 (26:41):
Biga is a dad gum gummet and he said to
that crap.

Speaker 1 (26:45):
Is he like a big religious guy.

Speaker 4 (26:46):
I don't know if it's a legend, but he's never cuss.
Come on, like that's his thing, Like he doesn't cuss,
but he's a big track.

Speaker 2 (26:54):
I don't think he's ever cussed.

Speaker 1 (26:56):
You think that man has played sports his entire life
in this era and hasn't cussed.

Speaker 2 (27:03):
Probably not if you're gonna make your My dad hasn't
cost ever. So, but he's old.

Speaker 1 (27:10):
But do you believe back then they didn't cut. No, Okay,
you know I believe him. So maybe I believe Philip Rifvers.
But maybe one slept once or two. Last thing is
dad going? Larry played the bass violin. He wasn't in
a professional.

Speaker 2 (27:22):
Sports a lot. That is different. That's a little different.
You touched his thermostat might get turned from seventy nine,
you might get some.

Speaker 1 (27:31):
That's true. Well, we wish you, we met, wishing the best.
And what was the name of the Seattle kicker that
made all the kicks?

Speaker 2 (27:38):
Myers Myers? Okay, yeah they didn't score a touchdown?

Speaker 1 (27:42):
Yeah, Well I enjoyed that game. Ravens shut out the
Bengals twenty four to nothing. I think the story of
this game was how cold it was. They said it

(28:04):
was what read four degrees at kickoff or whatever.

Speaker 2 (28:08):
Coldest game ever in that stadium? Really ever that's called?

Speaker 1 (28:13):
Would you have gone and said it if you were
a Bengals fan.

Speaker 2 (28:17):
I like the cold weather stuff, and I always say,
if I'm going to Lambar or Buffalo, I want it cold.
But to watch the Bengals in the condition they're in now, no,
it's like different. It's not like historically where I think
of a cold venue where I want to be a
frozen tundra. Now, not in a Bengals game.

Speaker 1 (28:33):
I don't the frozen tundra Joe Brown Stadium right across
the messy Ohio from Covington.

Speaker 2 (28:42):
Now, this doesn't fit my formula of when I want
to be cold at a game. Yeah, but there were
a lot of people there. I enjoy their last borrow moments.

Speaker 1 (28:52):
I like the people seeing how much of people's bodies
they can cover with cloth. The coach seemed to only
have like the area between his eyes covered. He looked
like an owl. The Bengals coat. Yeah, I think he
looked really coold. What do you think about the guys

(29:13):
that come out with their shirts off in conditions.

Speaker 2 (29:15):
Like well, Mac Collins in this game walked into the
stadium barefoot with his shirt off. That's that's too much.
I know that's his thing. He's done that before that.
I feel like you're just trying too hard. No one
believes you and no one cares that you're tough enough,
like put a jacket on your catch a cold, but yeah,
what does that prove nothing? Nothing? You're tough, I know,

(29:37):
I know that the moment that camera gets off of you,
you're running over there in the tunnel and covering up
as quickly as possible. Yeah, you're not the You're you're
not that tough. And Mac Collins today walking barefoot on
concrete where it was so cold. I mean, you're gonna
get frost fighting. Yeah, maybe not, but nobody needs to
see you do that.

Speaker 1 (29:57):
The people I feel sorry for are the referees and
they look so cold and they look sad. And this
is controversial. I don't think you have to wear those
little hats, the NFL hat, those little white hats, like
we don't make other we don't, we don't make other.

Speaker 2 (30:16):
People run around in their little hat.

Speaker 4 (30:18):
Well, you got to know who the umpire is, the
main guy who's gonna talk.

Speaker 2 (30:22):
Do they see the guy dresses as a referee.

Speaker 4 (30:24):
Well, yeah, the one with the white hat is the
one that talks.

Speaker 1 (30:28):
Oh, the other guys don't wear hats.

Speaker 2 (30:29):
And they don't talk. Well, they have black hats, white hats.
Wait a minute, I didn't realize that.

Speaker 1 (30:35):
You're telling me. I don't know if I've ever noticed this.
The only referee that wears a hat is the guy
that no.

Speaker 4 (30:41):
No, no, The one with the white hat is the
one that talks.

Speaker 2 (30:43):
The other ones have a black hat on with white
with white pinch stripes. You know what. I've never noticed that.

Speaker 1 (30:50):
So they only have the main guy wears the white.

Speaker 2 (30:52):
Hair, right, huh. You know who's in charge calling the
white cap. Don't mess with him. If you're gonna mess
with the ref pick one of the ones with the
black hat and the white stripes. I never noticed that.
Can I tell you the other thing?

Speaker 1 (31:04):
It's scary or when the referees getting knocked down, or
the large camera men and women that get knocked down.
Feel bad for those people. Sometimes they get rolled up
from behind because they're not even looking.

Speaker 2 (31:16):
Players never seem to care. They run right over them.
Sometimes players look like they're proud of it. They'll get
a good hit on them. Yeah. Well, it's a tough
game out there. I was very cold. By the way.

Speaker 1 (31:24):
If you're if you're wondering, what are you gonna say
about the game? I don't know that game. I mean
the Bengals didn't score, first time they'd been shut out
offensively in the Burrow era. After the game, did you
see the question? The guy asked Joe Burrow, I just.

Speaker 2 (31:38):
Hate life.

Speaker 1 (31:39):
Yeah, he asked him a question. He said, in the
last two years, the team's performance has been slipping. Do
you ever think you yourself as a player, are slipping?
Burrow was like no, he was like, I'm good, but
it was you don't see like reporters just go you're

(31:59):
not good anymore.

Speaker 2 (32:01):
I get called him out a little bit. He seems unhappy.
I know that was a big story coming into the game.
He had some seem like he was having like an
existential Yeah, there was some Andrew Luck comparisons. And then
today he got knocked on his behind pretty bad, and
his teammates didn't really run over. People were speculating like
he might even like Burrow, like, is he just miserable
right now with all he's been through? So there's what

(32:23):
It's not like he's had to go to war. Well,
he has had an insane amount of injuries for somebody
his age, and.

Speaker 4 (32:29):
What two He's played a lot less games and had
a lot more sacks than Andrew Luck did at the
same time period.

Speaker 2 (32:36):
So there was like these Luck.

Speaker 1 (32:38):
Everybody always compares when guys are like that. But here's
the thing, no one ever retired, Like, no one retires
except Andrew Luck. He was the one guy, but he
was like a four to zero student from Stanford. Joe
Burrow went to LSU and smoked a cigar in the
Luck Like, I don't think that's the same thing.

Speaker 2 (32:56):
I think they're just seeing his sadness, wondering if he
could pull an Andrew Luck. Yeah, because he just seems
to be down not having the.

Speaker 1 (33:03):
Same guy no matter how much money these guys, I mean,
Philip Rivers got one hundred and fifty million dollars and
he came back. I heard somebody with a straight face say,
well this he gets five more years of health insurance.
I'm like, you didn't think he could afford five more
years of health insurance.

Speaker 2 (33:19):
Yeah, I don't know how many kids are on that.
Maybe he actually did need the health insurance. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (33:24):
All these guys like no one quits volunteer. They quit
because they're not good anymore.

Speaker 2 (33:29):
Well and getting shut out like that, they could add
to it. They're just sat around around. Cincinnati Jaguars beat
the Jets. Trevor Lawrence had an insane day.

Speaker 4 (33:37):
Six touchdowns. It's six, five passing, one rushing fifty yards rushing.
That's the first player ever in NFL history to do that. Yeah,
I know it was the Jets, but he had like
a truly historical day today.

Speaker 2 (33:48):
That's awesome. Now you believe one for for Cohen's Coach
of the year resume?

Speaker 1 (33:54):
Do you believe in them?

Speaker 2 (33:57):
I do, because there they seem to get better and
better and then him having a guy I know like
said the Jets, but I mean to have six touchdowns.
I don't care who you are. Cohen has just been
great for them in this first and his season. Who
is the favorite to get coach? Is it him or
is there went out? Yeah?

Speaker 1 (34:13):
I uh, I mean it could be like the best
Recordville has ten wins and Payton's got the best record,
that's true.

Speaker 2 (34:22):
I mean the whole standings have been flipped upside down.

Speaker 1 (34:26):
For see what the odds are for those I would
think the favorite is Vrabel.

Speaker 2 (34:32):
Am I right about that?

Speaker 4 (34:35):
I don't have it here yet, so let me keep looking.
I did see Red Zone went straight from that Baltimore
Sincy game to a cut of people in the hot
tub in the Jacksonville game, and it was seventy degrees
at that guy.

Speaker 2 (34:47):
I saw that, does anyone attractive ever getting that hot tib.

Speaker 1 (34:53):
Like, I'm not, I'm not being judgmental, It's just it
feels like, I mean, well that should be you know.
I just every time I see that again, I think
about like I would not feel co being in national
television in a hot tub. These people don't seem to
have that self awareness.

Speaker 2 (35:14):
No, as soon as it came on, like I know
Billy's talking about, they cut right so that My wife
was like, who would get in that? Like it's those
are instant reaction. Part of it is the people. Yeah,
and there's there showed a lot of leg in that
coutch today. It was it was like a lower angle.
I'm like, I don't need on this leg.

Speaker 4 (35:31):
There's there's a lot of thigh Liam is third and
Coach of the Year Rabel first, Mike McDonald the Seahawks
coach second, Liam Cohen third.

Speaker 2 (35:41):
Where's Ben Johnson It should be in the mix.

Speaker 4 (35:45):
Kyle Shanahan fourth, Ben Johnson fifth, Sean Payton's see.

Speaker 1 (35:49):
A lot of good candidates this year when you consider
how many teams have made a reversal.

Speaker 2 (35:54):
But Rabyl's probably gonna win. Jacksonville's got an easy schedules
in the year. I mean, they could end up like
the thirteen wins. I mean that's insane for what we
thought they'd be this season.

Speaker 1 (36:05):
And then next year playing a really hard schedule. You know,
same with the Patriots, though they both have had pretty
easy prey to to knockoff Rabele. Right now, Texans win
forty to twenty. I didn't see a lot of this game,
to be honest with you, Like when when you're sitting
with your parents and they're trying to tell you stories
about like tomatoes and stuff, and you're watching Red Zone.

(36:27):
You're trying to figure out when I tended to like
start listening. I'd ask them to start the story. When
the Texans Cardinals game was on, So I don't really
know a lot.

Speaker 2 (36:36):
I caught some of it. I can just it's it's
more of you know, the text are just just taking
what Davis Mills set them up for. CJ. Stroud, Yeah, CJ.
Stroud had a big game and this all goes back
to Davis Mills just keeping it together for a couple
of weeks. The three best thing for quarterbacks of all time. Yeah,
Collins had two touchdowns today and Stroud is great and
that defense surprisingly gave up twenty points. I mean, they're

(36:57):
quietly nine to five.

Speaker 1 (36:59):
The AFC South is going, has got three playoff contenders
in it. No other division. Duck who saw that coming.

Speaker 2 (37:08):
I didn't think any of those teams maybe the Texans,
but of the four of the ANFC South, I didn't
think anyone would be good this year.

Speaker 1 (37:15):
Yeah, well they are. The other two early games Commanders Giants. Again,
I don't think a lot of people cared about it.

Speaker 2 (37:22):
It was cold.

Speaker 1 (37:23):
Eagles beat the Raiders in a game that I don't
think red zones showed one second of It.

Speaker 4 (37:30):
Was one of the fastest games over the last twenty years.

Speaker 1 (37:32):
What it was like in two hours and thirty minutes
or something.

Speaker 4 (37:36):
Yeah, I'm not sure on the time, but I think
it was. The Raiders only had seventy five yards.

Speaker 1 (37:40):
Yeah, entire is Pete Carroll coming back.

Speaker 2 (37:43):
I don't know how he can or why he would.

Speaker 1 (37:46):
Well, he would because again, no one quits.

Speaker 2 (37:50):
That's true. But I mean they've been terrible.

Speaker 1 (37:53):
And there's like no hope for them to be better.

Speaker 2 (37:56):
No, and like they had like forty rushing yards. Can
you Pikett completed maybe half of his passes. It was
just bad all the way around. Eagles did whatever they
wanted offensively clearly. In the already won nothing game.

Speaker 1 (38:07):
Broncos beat the Packers in a a sort of many
maybe Super Bowl preview. I am gonna probably have to
just submit to bow Nicks. I mean, I've held out
on him being good all year. I watched him play
those games at Auburn and I was like, this is

(38:28):
the worst player that's ever existed. Then he went to
Oregon and had success, but I dismissed it went high
in the draft. I mocked it was good live.

Speaker 2 (38:37):
I'm just gy.

Speaker 1 (38:38):
I gotta submit to bo Nicks and I don't want to,
but I think I have to write he's I mean,
this was a great win for them today.

Speaker 2 (38:44):
I mean, I had four touchdowns against the Packers. She's
hard to call him like a game manager or just
keep saying it's fluky when they just keep winning and
winning and winning. So yeah, I mean he's for real
and they're for real. You can't argue it at this point.
I couldn't argue it weeks ago, even though we try,
I still tried.

Speaker 1 (39:00):
I you know, they are now best record in the
NFL okay one seed currently in the AFC. Normally that
resume would make you a Super Bowl favorite.

Speaker 2 (39:14):
Are they? I think they have to be, especially getting
a big win today. I had to come back a
little bit to get it.

Speaker 1 (39:20):
I know.

Speaker 2 (39:21):
One of the big stories today is Michael Parsons got hurt.
He had been playing a great game up until that point.
But I mean that was late in the game. The
Broncos were still the way bow Knicks played against a
good defense. I mean, they're just beating every team you
put in front of them. There's out do we know
there was a lot of injuries in the late in

(39:41):
the late series. Again, Stars Adams, this looks like a hamstring.
Kukinnaku was hurt for a little bit, but bounce back,
and then of course my Homes and Parsons the biggest
names you can have, Parsons ones is big. I just
actually knocks them out of contention a little bit. He's
been such a difference maker on defense for them, and
it knocked him out of first place. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (40:03):
I think that's a big one because they were kind
of one player away, and Romo did a good job
of like pointing out when they would move him to
different places on the field and wherever they put him.
It's like, dude, it's so good. I hate like to
lose him in my homes in the same day as
just debtstufficly.

Speaker 2 (40:21):
And it can take three people to stop him. I mean,
I just I think that might be in for the
Packers in the big time goal.

Speaker 1 (40:42):
We skipped over the Bears thirty one to nothing, an
absolutely dominating performance in frigid cold. What if I told
you that Caleb Williams has thrown fewer interceptions in his
first one thousand passes than anyone in.

Speaker 2 (41:01):
History, wouldn't have believed it because I can think of
some bad interceptions.

Speaker 4 (41:05):
He said, Isn't that impressive though, Yeah, it's very appressive. Yeah,
he had a throw today to DJ Moore, He really.

Speaker 1 (41:12):
But I mean that's I feel like that doesn't I
don't think I had any clue that was true until
I saw it today. No, because I uised interceptions ever
for a quarterback at with a thousand pass to your believer.

Speaker 2 (41:24):
Oh, he's all in. It's been a big year.

Speaker 1 (41:27):
I mean this has been like he's been great. I mean,
what can you The next step for a good team
is you play a team like this on your home
field and they're never in it. And that's what happened, right,
So I don't know how you couldn't be happy. Defense
is really good. Caleb doesn't make bad as many bad decisions,
and Ben Johnson is fun.

Speaker 2 (41:49):
And you got several weapons. It's not like you just
got one standout target you're going to I mean they're
using everybody. We've got multiple running backs. Now. Can I
give you my worry? Though? What's that? Look at their schedule?
All right?

Speaker 1 (42:02):
They are ten and four, but they are not gearing
a playoff spot because the Packers are nine four one.
Detroit is eight and six. Detroit has two easy games,
so they're probably gonna come into the final game ten
and six. The Bears have to play the Packers next
week and then the forty nine ers, so they they

(42:26):
if they don't win one of those games, they'll be
ten and six and they will play the Lions the
last week of the year. Winner goes to the playoffs.
So the Bears are even at ten and four and
in first place in the division and the number two
seed in the playoffs. They're not assured again in.

Speaker 2 (42:44):
And we knew when the Packers just got them last
week if the Bears went from second to seventh, but
we knew with this game coming up, they can flip
it right back. Already got a little help today. That's
where I think, you know, you don't want to.

Speaker 1 (42:54):
They have three games I think to make the playoffs,
for sure, they're gonna need to win one of them,
but none of them are asshirt.

Speaker 2 (43:00):
Well, I don't want to. You don't want to celebrate
an injury. But I think the Parsons thing today was
so big to the Packers' future. I think you feel
better about finishing the job now because that head to
head coming up is so big, well for what happens
in that division.

Speaker 1 (43:12):
It's also just big for the psyche of the Chicago Bears.
The Packers have been are nemesis for fifteen years, and
you play them at home, and if you beat them,
you have a very good chance of winning the division.
I would say it's the biggest game in the history

(43:32):
of organized sports organized sports.

Speaker 2 (43:35):
You're gonna say for the Bears, biggest game in all
of sports. Give me a bigger win. You make a
good point, especially when there only being three weeks left
in the season, that show's very important.

Speaker 1 (43:49):
No, it's a huge game for them and it's a
chance to Really it would be a massive win for
the franchise. But again, they are not assured to make
the playoffs. I don't mean to be like Debbie Downer,
but it is true.

Speaker 2 (44:04):
Packers forty nine, Ers, Lions, even though the Lions have,
you know, been pretty inconsistent. That's not three teams you
want to see when you're trying to went out and
get this done. We do need to say shador ye
ye might not be the future. Those interceptions today, those
are bad. I mean not that there's a good interception,
but he looked pretty terrible.

Speaker 1 (44:23):
He was let's see it start eighteen and thirty five
for one hundred and seventy seven yards. But his QBR
was only eight point two.

Speaker 2 (44:32):
Yeah, the picks were ugly.

Speaker 1 (44:34):
I mean eight point two unless it's a scale of ten.

Speaker 2 (44:38):
I felt like he got sacked a lot too. Seems
like y'all were living in the backfield when I was watching.
Yet five sacks, Yeah, sounds about right. You know, the
Chador thing like it's it's feast or faming with him.
What would you do if you were the Browns? I mean,
do you draft the quarterback? I think you to keep
going back to that. Well, I mean, I don't think
he was ever going to be the answer, especially when

(44:59):
they waited so long to get him. But I don't
know that. Sorry, Billy, your boy dg or Schador are
going to be the future of your franchise. What about
to just keep running it back?

Speaker 4 (45:08):
Deshaun still on the team?

Speaker 1 (45:11):
Yeah, I don't know. I uh, I don't think you
can come back. Well, first of all, one of those
two guys is not gonna be on the rosters. So
which one are you getting rid of?

Speaker 2 (45:21):
Well, you don't really have a big financial commitments to suit.

Speaker 1 (45:26):
But you're probably not going to bring back both Gabriel
and Shador.

Speaker 2 (45:29):
So which one are you going to bring back? Gabriel.
It's pretty easy, Shad, you had your shot. It's fun.
It was fun. They playing Gabriel right now. I couldn't
tell you. I mean, neither one of them are the answer.
They're gonna have to draft somebody.

Speaker 4 (45:42):
But of the two, well, he got hurt initially and
then should have had that big game versus the Titans.

Speaker 2 (45:46):
Son play the rest of the year, right, but neither
are the answer.

Speaker 1 (45:52):
All right, well, uh okay, Gardner Minshew, it's very pessimistic
of you.

Speaker 2 (45:56):
You're Titans. We're taking we're taking some steps forward. Big
Jeff Simmons kind of touchdown today, so that was exciting.
We're getting some points. Cam Ward's still looking a little better,
our rookie receivers, and we didn't win, which is good.
You know, I didn't love that we lost the number
one pick by winning a few weeks ago. But you know,
they're not getting their teeth kicked in anymore. So that's

(46:19):
been fun. But they were never in it. I guess
they're in it until about halftime, but three miss no, yeah,
they just have overall or nothing is good. I watched
the entire game and not until the fourth quarter did
I know whether it was brought Perdy or mac Joe
started calling the name a little more in the second half.

Speaker 1 (46:41):
I still couldn't figure out which one because I think
they're the same person. And but I will note, remember
what I said about the forty nine ers. They're ten
and four and I don't even think they're good.

Speaker 2 (46:55):
You said that nothing on our first podcast.

Speaker 1 (46:57):
They wouldn't go thirteen and four and not be good.
Let's see who they have left, because they are ten
and four right now.

Speaker 2 (47:04):
They got your Bears. Just mentioned that.

Speaker 1 (47:06):
Okay, so that's a big one. That Bears ended up better.
And they played the Colts and they play the Seahawks now,
Seahawks are good. So maybe they don't finish thirteam for
but I think they got a good shot at it.

Speaker 2 (47:16):
Yeah, and I really thought they'd look even better. I mean,
I know they won by two touchdowns and scored thirty
some points today, but playing my Titans, always expect a
team to look perfect and didn't have that today. Tyler Shuck,
what the you know? He's got him excited down there.
I think he might be decent.

Speaker 1 (47:39):
I still think you're probably gonna draft someone, But what
if he plays really well in the next three weeks. I
mean this was a bit the person you never pick
a Panthers when you think they're gonna win, they're gonna lose.
And you think they're gonna lose, they're gonna win. By
the way, Carolina, Mike just called my ESPN show, just regular,

(48:00):
a regular caller. He just called and asked if we
wanted him to sing a.

Speaker 2 (48:04):
Song like in the middle of the show. Of course
we do, Mike.

Speaker 1 (48:07):
I think I really like Caroline, like even more as
you should. But back to Shuck maybe, I mean.

Speaker 2 (48:17):
The last two weeks. I mean, he had that big
run or he lowered the shoulder last week for a touchdown.
He had some big plays that he just he also
just plays with a little bit of fire that even
if maybe you don't believe him in him, he at
least has the confidence and looked like a guy who
can lead your team. He's got some got a little
moxie to him that I didn't think he had coming
out of college. He's got like ten pieces of flair.
He's got a few pieces of flair. I never thought

(48:40):
he would have worked out. But now back to back weeks,
he's looked good against you know, teams in this division.
It's hard to get a good read on how good
these teams.

Speaker 1 (48:50):
I mean, to be fair, they've been competitive for a
few weeks.

Speaker 2 (48:55):
I've been a few weeks this year.

Speaker 1 (48:56):
They no I mean, okay, so let's go through here
real quick before you start being a snot. They beat
the Bucks, they lost to the Dolphins by four. They
won today. They beat the Panthers a couple of weeks ago,
played the Bears pretty competitive, played the Patriots twenty five
to nineteen. And I think that was the first game

(49:17):
Shuck played.

Speaker 2 (49:19):
So you know, Oh, I'm not hating like Billy. Hey, Billy,
it's his division and the Bucks aren't winning games in it.
I'm seeing a little bit of Shuck magic in there.

Speaker 4 (49:30):
Oh, I'm very happy for Shuck. I mean, that was
a big win for the Bucks.

Speaker 1 (49:33):
I mean, that's so are you The Panthers have left
in the year, the Bucks, Seahawks, and the Bucks again.
So the Bucks are going to go two out of
three with the Panthers. How do you feel about it?
Not great?

Speaker 2 (49:47):
Now.

Speaker 4 (49:47):
Tampa's reeling right now. The locker room is is falling apart.
It's falling apart. I should have went in the locker
room mat How do you know how do you know
the locker rooms? Well, the beat writers that text with them,
what did they say?

Speaker 2 (49:59):
They're saying it's not great right now? What are they
upset about? I mean, Baker, they're mad as happened?

Speaker 4 (50:06):
We didn't Evans, Mike Evans coming off the field.

Speaker 2 (50:12):
They heard what the what?

Speaker 5 (50:13):
What?

Speaker 2 (50:13):
What is the issue?

Speaker 1 (50:14):
I didn't know about any of the off I knew
they weren't playing well, but what's the off the field?

Speaker 4 (50:17):
Well, they've just lost like six of their last eight games.
They've completely collapsed.

Speaker 2 (50:22):
Doesn't in the locker room turmoil? Oh well, they've been
yelling at each other. That's all I really know about it.
Bad loss on Thursday Night football. That was one that
was primetime Buccaneers Kirk Cousins, Kirk.

Speaker 4 (50:35):
Really good against the Bucks that you like. That game
was against Tampa.

Speaker 2 (50:38):
I don't understand how you all were so fun for
the first six weeks of the season, looked like a
real contender in the FC, and now you can't beat
the Falcons or the Saints. They got to win two
of their last three games, so I know where they
played the Panthers.

Speaker 4 (50:50):
Twice, right, So it's what happened. I really couldn't tell
you besides the injuries and Baker.

Speaker 1 (50:58):
Baker has not been good. But he's got to be hurt.
They said he's hurt. He has to be hurt. No,
but there were three games where he just didn't run
at all. It was like completely out character for him,
and he just hasn't been the same since the beginning
of the year. Yeah, all right, well the Rams for you,
Rams beat the Lions. Matthew Stafford's the MVP now, right.

Speaker 2 (51:14):
Yeah, yeah, both of his guys got hurt today. As
we mentioned, Pook end up being okay, but DeVante had
a little hamstring injury. But yeah, that that offense seems
to be unstoppable and he looks so good.

Speaker 1 (51:25):
I think I actually said on the ESPN show today
that I thought today would decide the MVP. But between
Stafford and uh Drake Man, I think it, did you know,
Drake may loss Stafford was great. Lions are eight and six,
but they have three very winnable games down the stretch,
so I don't think they're out of it yet either.

Speaker 2 (51:45):
And the golf Stafford here. Stafford won the game, but
Golf had a pretty big game for the Lions in
the head to head and that you know old storyline
from that trade.

Speaker 1 (51:54):
They've played each other a lot, a couple times in
the playoffs, and.

Speaker 2 (51:59):
Just in general, your boy Hutchinson had a big interception
on Stafford almost that was a great play.

Speaker 1 (52:04):
Are the Rams If you were to say what is
the team most likely to win the Super Bowl?

Speaker 2 (52:09):
Are you saying them? I think so because out of
the AFC, I could list several. I think roll the
dice in the AFC, but it's looking like they're the
NFC team to beat, so I would ye, I'd give
them the best odds overall.

Speaker 1 (52:22):
I said three points. I said Rams Bills at the
beginning of the year. I still like that one. I
still think that's the most likely super Bowl today. He's
the Rams Bills. I think they're the two teams the
most well round, well not well rounded. They've got the
two best quarterbacks. Usually the best quarterbacks are going to
win the playoffs. Rams Bills.

Speaker 2 (52:42):
And we've been saying for years, you know, Allen just
just keeps knocking on that door, knocking on that door.
Eventually you think he's gonna get over the over the
home and get through it.

Speaker 1 (52:49):
Vikings beat the Cowboys. What happened to Dallas. That's a
terrible loss for.

Speaker 2 (52:54):
Dow Yeah, they were already probably out of the playoffs,
but you can't take a loss of the Vikings when
you're still in the mix. And they'll have the conversation McCarthy. Yeah, nine,
he was nine today, Billy. But you know, for a
team that had a chance to dream and needed to
do a few things to even be in the conversation,
losing the Vikings at home like that in prime time

(53:14):
shows you weren't for real. Yeah, I agree with you.
That's Brandon Aubrey missed two field goals too well, that
he showed he was human. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (53:24):
Can I tell you what I did during this game?
So you know, I'm calling the Western Kentucky Southern miss
New Orleans Bowl twenty fifth anniversary.

Speaker 2 (53:35):
Yeah, wait, December twenty third, right, December twenty third on
ESPN Radio.

Speaker 1 (53:41):
I've never called a football game that's not good.

Speaker 2 (53:48):
But I think every great broadcaster had to have a
first game.

Speaker 1 (53:52):
Usually it doesn't start on national radio though, in front
of the entire country, and usually it's not the twenty
fifth anniversary of the New Orleans Point.

Speaker 4 (54:01):
So not one RepA play by play, not a high
school game and.

Speaker 2 (54:05):
Never done one.

Speaker 3 (54:06):
Wow.

Speaker 1 (54:08):
So that's ten days away. So it's starting to like
I'm starting to realize what's in front of me. Starting tomorrow,
I'm dedicating two to three hours a day for prep
just to get rid. So on the drive here, I
had to drive drive from my parents' house here to Kentucky,

(54:31):
I listened to the NFL radio broadcast. It was someone
and Mike Golick. Mike Golick, you know, I knew that.
I don't know who the other guy was, but I
will tell you he will forever live through me because
I learned how to call the game because I listened
only to him. I don't even know what Mike Golick said,

(54:52):
but I was listening to like his cadence right like
third nine, you know it was what was the game?

Speaker 2 (54:58):
It was? It was Cowboys.

Speaker 1 (54:59):
He'd be like third nine, Dak under center, you know,
Johns in the backfield too wide.

Speaker 2 (55:06):
I'm like, okay, ye.

Speaker 1 (55:08):
Say under center, okay, got in the back for you
two wide.

Speaker 2 (55:14):
You can see him there's two the man in motion okay.

Speaker 1 (55:18):
And then he can come out and he go drives
back to pass short little dump off the Rutledge four
yards at four yards, second and six with two thirty
six to go, and then he would waite for my
goet to talk. So I got the I started to
get the rich. I couldn't see the game, but I
was kind of figuring out just what are the things
he says? And Uh, you're going to start to see

(55:39):
his difference because I listened to an hour and a
half of that game only listening to him. And what
did he say? What kind of things did he say
on the kickoff? What kind of things did he say?

Speaker 2 (55:54):
He details? Does the audience need? Yeah, because I.

Speaker 1 (55:57):
Can do all the transitions in and out of breaks,
I can fill time, But literally calling the game I'm
a little nervous about. But I did focus a lot
during Sunday Night Football the west Wood One.

Speaker 2 (56:12):
Broadcast, which of all the pieces of info do you
worry about the most, Because to me, this sounds like
it shouldn't be hard. But just knowing three yards, four yards,
five yards? About the yards? Was that four yards? Was
that six yards? Not worried about that? Okay, I'll guess
if it ends up not correct, you're round up to
the nearest. Is gonna know that's true? Right? You can.

(56:34):
You can make up for it and correct that when
they spoke the exactly.

Speaker 1 (56:36):
Not worried about that. Uh, I've been They keep staying
in my head, repeat the time and the score.

Speaker 2 (56:42):
Gotcha? So what ward does that? Thirty?

Speaker 1 (56:44):
Well, we're on the radio, eleven thirty one, left ten
seven's other miss.

Speaker 2 (56:49):
I meant you can turn and actually look at the scoreboard.
That's true. I don't have to keep it in my mind.

Speaker 1 (56:52):
Yeah, I am nervous about the mechanics of literally calling
the plays, like knowing the formations. I'm not gonna know
that meaning the picture. Yeah, I could do it in basketball.
I know it well enough.

Speaker 2 (57:13):
Yeah, I keep it sent like, don't try to get
too into it. Just be like three receivers or two
tight ends. What football like.

Speaker 1 (57:19):
If you listen, if you get a chance between now
and the twenty third, listen to a football guy call
the game. They tend to constantly flow you with him
from at least this.

Speaker 2 (57:28):
Guy is Ryan Radkey.

Speaker 1 (57:31):
Ryan Radkey. He's talking a lot. He says a lot
of words, and here I don't know if I have
that many words about the plays. So I may go
to a more minimalist, simplistic South second down, Mahomes under center, snapped.

Speaker 2 (57:51):
Pass four yards. Then here you go back to you Myra.
I'm going to defend you because I know the exact
amount of things that I need to know is if
he'd said it.

Speaker 1 (58:02):
I know it was a four yard pass, But do
you need to know all the color? Do you need
to know that somebody was in motion? Did eighty four
catch the past? Maybe here's the I'd like past.

Speaker 2 (58:13):
Who caught it? You could be like, oh, by the way,
he had been in motion before that. If you feel
like it was a big part of the play, you're
wondering who was in motion or what if he doesn't
catch it?

Speaker 1 (58:26):
Eighty four caught it, But just so you know, eighty
one was in motion and it was nice.

Speaker 2 (58:32):
It's a good motion.

Speaker 1 (58:36):
Yes, no, you need to know who caught it. But
that's the spot sprodi go catch by. They say, in
your ear, catch by Burke. So I just go catch
by Burke.

Speaker 2 (58:45):
So you just repeat this spot everything. The spoder says,
You're just gonna keep refeeding them and tell the spotter
you just need to tell me what.

Speaker 4 (58:53):
I hope he knows the pronunciations of the players.

Speaker 2 (58:55):
Ghost writer. That's another tough one pronunciations.

Speaker 1 (58:58):
I'm not worried about that. I'll just call him if
I can't pronounce himber.

Speaker 2 (59:02):
Yeah. See, you can go eighty three, great catch, eighty three,
eighty three, eighty three.

Speaker 1 (59:07):
You know any three is bringing it Bob or give
him calling Bob. So yeah, I'm not worried about anything
except actually the job that I'm doing, which is calling
because I've never done it, and I would argue this
is gonna be a good challenge for me because I've
never done it.

Speaker 2 (59:27):
Are you gonna stick with Ryan Radkey as your as
your influencer? You're gonna try to watch some other other people,
maybe combined some styles, maybe a hybrid. Uh, I'm having
to be a little eagle. I'm gonna have a little
rad Key in me. God to have Radke.

Speaker 1 (59:43):
He used the television though, because they're doing something different,
like I mean to do the radio. So the other
thing I'm gonna do is I'm gonna listen to the
other some of the other Bowl games, like what do
they say?

Speaker 2 (59:56):
You know, what are they doing? Kind of get a
feel from there. You need some examples.

Speaker 1 (01:00:06):
Yeah, and then I'm going to call some games at
my house.

Speaker 2 (01:00:10):
That'll be fun. Are you gonna actually record them? Are
you just gonna sit there and say it out loud.
I'm gonna start with Monday Night Football Tomorrow. I'm gonna call.

Speaker 1 (01:00:21):
But the problem is that I don't know everybody's name
and I haven't done the research. So I'm going to
give all the players pet names.

Speaker 2 (01:00:26):
Well, how about this, Billy and I will sit at
home on our couches with our TVs off, and then
you call us and call Monday Night Football, and we'll
tell you like if we're getting the visuals now, I
don't want anybody to know. Okay, We're just gonna give
you a little trial run.

Speaker 1 (01:00:42):
Literally, the first time I will have ever.

Speaker 2 (01:00:47):
Called a play.

Speaker 1 (01:00:49):
In my life is gonna be on the ESPN radio.
My boss at ESPN has all but told me he
thinks I'm going to fail.

Speaker 2 (01:00:57):
Excives you a lot of confidence, thanks, but they're putting
you in that spot.

Speaker 1 (01:01:01):
Like I guarant I was like, so are you excited
to hear us? He's like, I promise, miss you, I
will be listening. Like, are you sure there's nothing else
you could be doing that day? And he even said
there's a lot of people around here who are I
think this is their moment to get revenge on me.

Speaker 2 (01:01:22):
They're trying to set you up for failure.

Speaker 1 (01:01:24):
Well, no, no, I think they want me to succeed.
But I also think, like you know, I have very
definite beliefs in how radio should be. And I think
sometimes they're a little tired of hearing them, and I
think they're gonna be like somebody's gonna have his moment here.
They want you to they want That's exactly right. I

(01:01:45):
don't think they want me to fail, but they want
me to experience some nervous and I think that's probably fair.

Speaker 2 (01:01:50):
Well, you're gonna show them. I'm gonna be tasked Moore
yards number thirty four.

Speaker 4 (01:01:58):
Time and score are important. People will say something if
you don't say time and score enough. And then besides that,
just have a good time.

Speaker 2 (01:02:04):
What a great I brought up the idea.

Speaker 1 (01:02:05):
I brought the idea of taking calls today, and they weren't.
They didn't say no, They just said not if the
game's close. So I'm kind of rooting for a round.
You blow out, I need to blow out. We'll start
taking calls, do pranks on the air.

Speaker 4 (01:02:26):
Caroline and Mike could call in radio I got a
lot more.

Speaker 1 (01:02:30):
No, it's gonna be like the jerky boy called businesses.

Speaker 2 (01:02:35):
Be careful you don't do too well where they're gonna
expect you put you in the playoff next year. This year,
I think that's gonna happen.

Speaker 1 (01:02:42):
So anyway, we'll probably talk more about this next week
as I continue to get this all right, So did
you did you get your game right?

Speaker 4 (01:02:49):
I survived both of them. The Bears beat the Browns
and the Eagles beat the Raiders. Easiest week of the year,
so we move on. And then when it comes to
the touchdown, Parlay Drew hits CMC. He's up to three
Wandell Robinson scored a touchdown, so I am up to
five and Dak did not score, so you remain at.

Speaker 1 (01:03:07):
Five five five three. So the touchdown battle is getting close,
getting down to the final few weeks, and it should
be good.

Speaker 2 (01:03:15):
We'll good to that one through the playoffs too.

Speaker 1 (01:03:18):
Yeah, we absolutely well, thank you all very much for listening.
I enjoyed this week, and Drew, we will be back
middle of the week.

Speaker 2 (01:03:27):
Looking forward to it and getting close to the playoff time.
That's exactly right. Don't forget to when you cover Cover Zero,
We'll See It.

Speaker 1 (01:03:41):
NFL Cover Zero with Matt Jones and Drew Franklin is
a production of the NFL and iHeart Podcast. For more
podcasts from iHeart Radio is the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you get your podcasts.