December 29, 2025 • 39 mins
Headlines and the good, the bad and the ugly. It doesn’t matter how you win in the NFL, they all count the same, but yesterday’s win sits on the shoulder’s of the Seahawks defense after they bailed Sam Darnold out repeatedly. Should we be concerned about Sam Darnold’s turnovers as we head into the final week of the regular season and the playoffs? The first half of yesterday’s game was ugly offensively, but they figured it out in the 2nd half yet again, meanwhile the defense continues to dominate. :30- Should Kyle Shanahan win Coach of the year? Even we have to admit that what he’s done with this 49er team this year is impressive. Purdy has been good and McCaffrey has been healthy and the niners keep find a way to win with those two. :45- We always here from Seahawks head coach Mike MacDonald after a game and today is no different! What did Coach have to say about the win and the turnover concern?
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Steven said, racing after it hel pocket Frey, Steven said,
down the.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Ice blow the goal line looked at.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
Crock Tandler, Steven said, from below the goal line, tried
to center it. It goes off of Ellie tolmand and
into the goal. It's a three nothing Seattle cracking lead.
(00:28):
Ellie Tolbanan has points on back to back goals.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
Winning is fun e Yeah, because he just laughed. They
were just laughing because Alan Effer just laughing. We are winning.
Speaker 4 (00:42):
They're like, this is so easy.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
It wasn't long ago we were losing so much.
Speaker 4 (00:47):
This is so much more fun.
Speaker 3 (00:48):
This is It's so much more fun. It's funny.
Speaker 4 (00:51):
Yeah, we are laughing.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
We are friends.
Speaker 4 (00:55):
Do you remember two weeks ago when we were crying.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
Good morning, happy Monday to you Live Sports talk radio
for you here on this some Monday, and we are
back together. Ashley Ryan is here, Bucky Jacobson is here.
My name is Chuck Powell. We've got you till ten o'clock.
And almost everything we're going to talk about is Seahawks
are related. So let us just squeeze in our McDelivery
of the game. Last night's top call from the KRACK
(01:21):
and Audio Network, brought to you by McDonald's Ordering the
food you craved with McDelivery as a whole new way
to love McDonald's. Order directly from the McDonald's app and
select McDelivery today and start ending points for free food.
See app for details. Crack and did win four to
one over the Philadelphia Flyers. They've won four straight games.
They will take on Vancouver tonight at seven o'clock, so
(01:43):
it is a game day for the Cracking to try
to make it five in a row, and it will
be at home against the rival Canucks. Hot stove and
quiet over the weekend. But nonetheless, there are some warm
rumors out there about how Jerry Depoto and Justin are
you kicking a lot of tires out there and trying
(02:04):
to make another significant move for a bat sometime soon
and certainly before the offseason comes to a close. So
that's interesting. College football, the playoff resumes Wednesday, New Year's
Eve at four point thirty. The first game will be
Miami versus Ohio State, and then three games on New
(02:24):
Year's Day. Kyle Whittingham, it was a big cop topic
of conversation between Ashley and I on Friday show. We
were just hearing that he had become the front runner
for the job. Since that show, he did get the job.
So he is the new head coach at Michigan, coming
out of a very brief retirement to become the next
head coach of the Michigan Wolverine, said Kyle whitting him.
(02:48):
This is the last thing that I setting out to
achieve in my career is try to win a national championship,
and I've got a chance to do that at Michigan.
And then, of course you've got the National Football League.
My goodness, it is wonderful theater, is it not? The
National Football League. They do a really good job of entertainments.
Speaker 5 (03:08):
They've figured out I would think the formula somehow of
how to script all these games too, be so great.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
Yes, yes, exactly. Seahawks win over the Carolina Panthers twenty
seven to ten. Unfortunately, it wasn't that easy. If not
for Mike McDonald's defense, this could have been a problem yesterday.
But we do have Mike McDonald's defense. They held the
Carolina Panthers to just one hundred and forty three total
yards of offense and then created a couple of turnovers
(03:40):
which led to some pretty easy drives and the Seahawks
win at twenty seven to ten. They improved a thirteen
and three, tying a franchise record for most wins in
a regular season. They have a chance to break that
record on Saturday night, wrap up the division and get
the number one seed in the entire NFC playoffs, which
is more important today than ever since they've expanded to
(04:04):
fourteen teams. That one seed not only gets home field
advantage throughout the NFC playoffs, they don't have to play
in the first round at all when everyone else does.
And so it's huge and the showcase will be in
Santa Clara. It'll be the Seahawks versus the forty nine Ers,
(04:25):
who also won yesterday over the Chicago Bears forty two
to thirty eight in a shootout, and so the winner
of this game will win the division and will take
the number one seed. It's as simple as that they
have earmarked the game for Saturday at five o'clock so
that it can have the entire National Stage two itself.
Seahawks forty nine Ers don't get the Sunday night game
(04:47):
that'll belong to Baltimore and Pittsburgh. That kickoff will take
place at five point twenty, the last game of the
regular season. The winner of that game gets into the
playoffs as division champs. The loser is out completely. Carolina
and Tampa also will be showcased Saturday afternoon is their game.
The winner of that game likely moves on. Now there
(05:10):
is a wrinkle that if Atlanta wins out, that Carolina
can lose and still win the division. Oh yes, so
that would require the Falcons to win both because that
means all three teams are eight to nine. The Falcons
have already been eliminated, but the tiebreaker changes. If there's
a three way tie, that the tie breaker would go
(05:33):
to Carolina. So there is a chance that Tampa could
win that game and still not win the division because
Tampa lost yesterday to Miami. So a lot going on
certainly in the National Football League, But our focus the Seahawks.
We certainly are going to talk about their matchup with
the forty nine ers with both of our experts, Hugh
(05:54):
Millen and Mike Homgrin in the eight o'clock at nine
o'clock hours today, But we haven't even had a chance
to see and our teeth in to this Seahawks went
over the Carolina Panthers as a show. So we're going
to do that right now here on Chuck and Buck.
Those are your headlines, brought to you by frost Rude
course light Choose chill here on a Choose Chill Monday.
(06:15):
So Seahawks get it done. And look, I realized there,
I mean, I realize how much more aesthetically pleasing that
forty two thirty eight seems. And I don't know why
we do this, but we just automatically assume that the
teams that make offense look easy are the better teams,
(06:36):
when often that is not the case. I mean, a
couple of years ago, we were sure the Mariners were
a bad team. A lot we weren't, but a lot
of people were sure the Mariners were a bad team
because they won with pitching and they couldn't score any
runs and they still almost made the playoffs. And they
were never a bad team, they just weren't all that
(06:56):
aesthetically pleasing because they were so offensively challenged. I don't
think the Seahawks are an offensively challenged team. The statistics
over the course of sixteen games bear out that they
are not. But certainly they were yesterday. To me, that
was Sam Donald's biggest struggle. I know he threw four
interceptions against the Rams earlier this year, but he had
(07:16):
a lot of big plays in that game. Yesterday, it
felt like a struggle from beginning to end for the
first time for Sam Donald in a Seahawk uniform. And
yet and I was glad to hear Coach Bucky say this.
Maybe Bucky'll disagree with coach, but when Coach Bucky said,
you know, when we're starting to talk about the forty
nine ers, it's very easy, I think to go to
(07:38):
forty nine ers looked better last night. They're playing better,
They're hot. That's what a real one seed looks like.
Considering how much the Seahawks kind of clunked things offensively.
But I'm glad that it wasn't missed on you, and
I hope it's not missed on a lot of other people.
There are a lot of different ways to win in
the National Football League, and you can win it all
(07:59):
with dominant defense and timely offense. And what we saw
from the Seahawks yesterday was about as dominant a defensive
performance as you can see in the National Football League
against a starting quarterback. I mean, maybe you see that
against a backup or a third stringer because you're at
the end of the year and they're down two quarterbacks.
But that was against Bryce Young, who's been lauded this
(08:21):
year for how much he's improved. And the Seahawks held
them to one hundred and forty three yards of total
offense in the game. And when it was clear that
Sam was struggling, what did they do. We're gonna take
the ball away on consecutive Carolina Panthers possessions, set them
up on a short field, and we're gonna we got you. Sam.
(08:45):
You're not playing your best right now, but don't worry
about it. We're not gonna let this game get away
from us. And they just absolutely took it from Carolina.
I mean, I've seen a lot of quarterbacks, including Matt Stafford,
look confused against Mike McDonald's defense. Bryce Young the cake yesterday.
It looked like he had never played football at times
during that game yesterday.
Speaker 5 (09:05):
Well, I mean, coming into that game, it was you kind.
I mean, I don't know how everybody else felt coming
into it. When you think of the Panthers, they're one
of those head scratchers like they'll go out there and
beat a good team. They got swept by the New
Orleans Saints. Now, maybe the Saints are better since they
got the Tyler Shack out in there, and they were
horrible at the beginning of the season. So I'll, you know,
(09:27):
give them a little bit of credit to the fact
that they beat them. But I don't think of the
Carolina Panthers as I mean, ultimately, I still kind of
think the Rams are the cream of the crop. I mean,
they end up going out there and putting what thirty
seven points up against the Seahawks defense. That's the first game.
He did look somewhat confused. He did look like, whoa
what in the heck is he doing? He made the
(09:48):
adjustments that it took a whole heck of a lot
of things to bounce the way of the Seahawks for
them to put themselves in a position they're in right now.
But yeah, I think that there's still is the Seahawks
defense is legit. I don't think gets anything. You have
to say, well, you gave up thirty seven points to
the Rams, that means you're not good. No, that's a
credit to the Rams and the fact that Matthew Stafford
(10:08):
and Pokin Nakua. They can put it on you regardless
of who or how good your defense is. I just
think when it comes to the Niners, I don't think
their defense poses the threat to be much of an
issue for the Seahawks offense. So I can see the
Seahawks offense going out there and scoring close to thirty
against them, and yet I do I have a hard
(10:30):
time thinking that.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
Their offense is.
Speaker 5 (10:34):
Good enough to score thirty against the Seahawks, even though
I think the Rams are.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
I think the Rams offense is different. I don't think this.
Speaker 5 (10:42):
I mean, the Niners have Christian McCaffrey, and they have
figured out a way to get the ball to a
couple other guys, and Rock Perty's playing good football. But
I don't feel like they're gonna go out there and
put thirty on the Seahawks. And so they do need
to kind of make it a little bit ugly to
where they're not going out there and putting up big
numbers offensively, and I think.
Speaker 6 (10:59):
They I think the Rams are a more balanced team
just offensively and defensively.
Speaker 4 (11:04):
Defensively, they're a better team.
Speaker 6 (11:06):
But I was watching that game last night thinking well,
I think our defense could I mean, the forty nine
ers offense is good, but I didn't see anything spectacular
that I thought, you know, our defense could handle. Obviously,
Christian McCaffrey is scary, but we have done pretty well
and in at least slowing down the run from I mean,
Jon Robinson didn't get one hundred yards and he was
pretty scary.
Speaker 4 (11:28):
So we'll see.
Speaker 3 (11:28):
Yeah, well, yeah, we'll talk more about Seahawks forty nine
ers here in a moment. But yes, just a dominant
defensive performance for the Seahawks against the Carolina Panthers yesterday,
and then that leads you to, all right, so what
are we looking at offensively? I mean, we've been talking
about this turnover issue with Sam Darnold all year long.
We know the statistics, were reminded of them all the
(11:51):
time about often he's turned it over, and that typically
is a dangerous thing. Hugh and I had a lengthy
conversation about Sam Donaldson and x's and o's on Friday.
We're both in the let it rip department with Mike McDonald.
I mean, I want Sam donald to play aggressively. I
(12:11):
don't want him to play like that yesterday. I mean,
that was a poor performance and he had the two turnovers,
but he probably should have had four in the contest.
And so I will agree with the sentiment that you're
not gonna win in the tournament if you're going to
be minus three turnovers like you were against the Rams
(12:33):
in the last game and that crazy comeback. All right,
you pulled it off one time, You're not going to
be able to do that against the best competition that
the world has to offer in consecutive games, three games
in a row or maybe four games in a row.
God forbid that you would have to play. So he's
got to tighten it up. There's no question. The trick
(12:54):
to it is tighten it up without sacrificing who you are.
And that was sloppy yesterday. That was sloppy from Sam.
That's the that's the first time where I'm just like, man,
you know that was a Geno Smith interception in the
red zone getting picked off by Mike Jackson. And then
there was the I realized that the crazy fumble play
(13:18):
was weird, but man, you just he turned it into
a to use your word, a fiasco, including tackling a
three hundred and fifty pound defensive tackle with his throwing
shoulder who didn't even have the ball at the time.
I mean, he did not play well enough yesterday. And
I hope that that is just an isolated incident against
(13:42):
the Carolina Panthers, because I don't want to believe that
Sam Darnold has a turnover issue. But there's no question
this is now a couple games in a row where
he's turned the ball off over too frequently. I think
he's played a sloppiest here in the last couple of weeks.
And you're not gonna be able to get away with
that in an NFL tournament, not against the best competition
in the world, not four games in a row.
Speaker 5 (14:02):
No, I mean yeah, because I think your defense can
put it on somebody like Bryce Young and make him
look futile. And I mean the second that they scored
the touchdown to put him up what was a ten
to three, I thought, well, that's over. I don't think that.
I don't think the Panthers are going to be able
to even match the ten, let alone more than ten.
And it did kind of come out that way where
it's kind of a walk away, but I'm with you,
(14:24):
it's you're gonna run into an offense somewhere along the line,
could be the Rams, could could be any team out
there that is going to be able to put up
some points, and so you can't have won the costly
turnovers that literally take points off the board. Maybe literally,
but the idea of you have at least three points
kind of in the bag, especially with your kicker and
(14:46):
you're throwing that interception, you're not.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
Gonna be able to have that.
Speaker 5 (14:48):
Fumbles are going to happen at times when you're when
it's blind side and the guy hit your arm, that's
gonna happen. Some of his interceptions have been good passes
that clank off hands and go into defenders. So I
think that Hugh does a good job explaining it. We
all discuss it where it's like that wasn't that bad,
but like that one down in the end zone, that's
(15:10):
not good. Bad, Yeah, that's not good. There's times when
he does make mistakes, and now I think that there's
two ways of looking at these things. Sometimes where it's like, Okay,
you got a good defense, just don't turn the ball over.
Just don't give them short fields to make your defense's
job more difficult. Make them drive the whole length of
the field. But the offense is also good enough at
(15:31):
times where it's like, let it rip. And if at
times you make a pass down the field and it's
a turnover and they get the ball their own thirty
yard line, we feel okay about that, you know what
I mean. So it's like, don't turn the ball over
when you have points on the board, don't turn the
ball over when you're backed up against your own end
zone where essentially they automatically have points on the board.
But all of that between the twenties, let that thing
(15:54):
rip it if it all of a sudden bounces off
your guy and is an interception, or they disguise it
and trick your quarterback, because out of five hundred pass
attempts over the course of the season, you're gonna get tricked.
Sometimes Tom Brady would get tricked. Sometimes there's nobody that
doesn't get tricked at times. And so to me, it's
let it rip at certain times. But then be situationally aware,
make sure you're not doing make sure you're not putting
(16:14):
the ball at risk when you know by bad decisions
the ball can be at risk at times just with
you know elements or you know slippery ball, or it
goes off your receiver's hands or something. But don't make
bad decisions and put the ball at risk when you're
down getting ready to score, or when you're backed up
against your end zone and giving them easy points.
Speaker 6 (16:31):
Well, and it did seem like, at least in the
first half, some of those were like the amount of
batted balls, those were bad decisions. It was like, how
do you not see the defensive person in between you
and the person you're trying to throw it to. And
so I do think he got lucky with the fact
that he didn't have as many turnovers. I mean, there
was a how many times were you guys sitting there watching?
But oh, oh, okay, he got away with one. H and
(16:52):
so it is definitely a concern. But I also think,
just offensively, it seemed like we were playing very concernedly
and very afraid to turn the ball over.
Speaker 4 (17:02):
We were playing. I don't know that's how I felt.
Speaker 3 (17:05):
I don't think I feel that way. And then look
the bad there's a batted ball issue. I mean, we'll
need Hugh and coach to tell us, you know how
to fix that, yeah, because I don't know what I mean,
it's just a jungle of six foot six inch guy's
arms and limbs that are that are right there. It's
not like he's five to nine trying to throw over
(17:28):
a wall of humanity. I mean, I don't know what
you can do about it, but once it gets to
the point where it's happening four or five times a game, yeah,
you know, then it needs to be addressed. Look, I
think that I think Bucky's got the right of it.
I do want them to let it rip, but there
are times I need you to be a little more conservative.
(17:50):
I will happily live with Sam Darnold finishing minus one
in the turnover battle the entire tournament. You want to
tell me that I'll take minus one and every every
single game in the tournament turnover ratio, yes, please, But
I don't want minus two. I certainly don't want minus three.
(18:10):
Even though they won minus three against what we're discussing
might be the best team in the National Football League,
the Los Angeles Rams, they had minus three and won
that game. So there's so much good to great about
this Seahawks team. They have a great defense, they have
great special teams, they have a great number one wide receiver,
(18:33):
and so you when you can make up for a
turnover and a half per game. I think you're good
enough overall to do that. But you can't sit there
and lose by minus two, not in the playoffs. And
so just the carelessness, just shore up the carelessness without
(18:57):
it affecting your aggressiveness. That to me is gonna be
the sweet spot on whether or not the Seahawks are
in the super Bowl this year, or if they were
talking about a disappointing season at the end of the
year or a disappointing conclusion.
Speaker 2 (19:14):
Yes, yeah, I mean, I don't know. I don't know.
Speaker 5 (19:17):
To me, it's the every game is so different that
I mean, you could be in a battle against a
team where it's like both teams are moving the ball
and both teams are putting up points and there is
only one turnover. If it comes in the final drive
when you're needing to go down and score, you can't
have it. And so to me, it's the idea of
if there's one thing, I know you've said it. I
(19:37):
know Hughes talked about it. A lot of people understand
and respect a thing about Sam where even when he
makes a mistake, he doesn't seem to get rattled to
where he doesn't still try to stuff the next one
in there.
Speaker 2 (19:51):
Now, the problem with that is sometimes that.
Speaker 5 (19:53):
Turns into a four interception game because you're not scared
because of your your poor your bad play before that. Well,
I can't throw it again. This is a bad comparison,
But to me, when you were just talking, Tim Tebow
was not a great quarterback. Tim Tebow knew that everybody
thought he wasn't a great quarterback. When he would throw
an interception, you could basically bet on the next five
(20:15):
to six throws were going to miss the receiver, but
even further missed the defender, like he was in a
dirt five yards out in front of the receiver where
there was no chance that was gonna get picked off.
Sam Donald was gonna do that. He just okay, I
made a mistake, whether there was a bad throw or
a bad decision, I made a mistake, But I'm gonna
make in the next throw. And typically he does and
he typically doesn't. He typically does more good throws than
(20:37):
bad throws. And that's where you're talking about overall, if
those good throws outweigh the one bad throw, possibly two
bad throws. If your defense can take one away as well.
Then you're gonna wind up on the winning side of
things because of that defense. Because there is some potency
to the offense. I mean Jackson Smith and Jigba and
and company. They've moved the ball down the field. I
mean they've scored what thirty plus points in five different
(20:59):
half this season, so they can do some damage to you.
But that wouldn't happen if he got scared and started
playing too passive.
Speaker 3 (21:06):
Well, the defense bailed you out yesterday, and I think
Sam's bailed himself out plenty of times this year. Made
a bad play and then came back and made ten
good plays to overcome that. And that's the Sam that
I can live with. Yesterday, defense bailed you out. They
created the turnovers. You had a terrible first half. You
had three points at halftime for goodness sake, that was
ugly against the Carolina Panthers. You threw for a you
(21:30):
had one hundred and twenty five total passing yards in
the game. I mean that was first game that the
running game looked better than the passing game I think
all season long. So there are a couple of signs.
There are a couple of signs there that Sam's not
playing his best football at the most important time of
the season. So to me, it's just that sweet spot
(21:50):
of being just as aggressive as you've been and yet
you know, there's got to be a little more care
in the those precious areas. And I think that I'm
not gonna call it a turnover issue, but certainly we're
trending away from great Sam Donald here the last couple
(22:13):
of weeks, and it's a bad time to be doing that,
all right, Coming up next we will get to you
ready for Saturday Seahawks forty nine Ers Sports Radio ninety
three point three kh A r FM.
Speaker 6 (22:35):
This me.
Speaker 2 (22:35):
It was the.
Speaker 3 (22:35):
Officiating crappy yesterday too.
Speaker 4 (22:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (22:38):
I can't even tell you in my notes how many
times I just wrote, Gene yes, sideline.
Speaker 4 (22:43):
I have like six things for us.
Speaker 3 (22:44):
Yeah, And there was that sequence right before the half. Now,
granted we contributed to that messiness and ugliness. I'm like,
are you gonna get anything right in this entire drive
here at the end of the half. You seem lost,
you seem flustered, well, and a lot of you.
Speaker 4 (23:01):
How did they miss the face mask and the horse call?
You're grabbing him on both sides of his uniform. So
someone would, I mean, somewhere should have seen it.
Speaker 3 (23:09):
Somebody JJ Watt explained it away. I guess somebody explained
to him that it wasn't a horse collar. I'm like,
that was a horse call.
Speaker 4 (23:17):
If that's not, then what is the horse collary?
Speaker 3 (23:20):
Is horse collar I've ever seen in my life?
Speaker 4 (23:22):
Yeah, we want to hear about it, Jim.
Speaker 3 (23:23):
Anyway, let's let's talk about Saturday. It is Chuck Buck
and Ashley with you here. Seahawks went over the Carolina Panthers.
It wasn't the prettiest game in the world, but my goodness,
the Carolina Panthers lost and ended up in victory.
Speaker 2 (23:38):
Formation.
Speaker 3 (23:39):
Boy, that is really that. That is really admitting your failures.
There even left time on the clock. That would have
been hilarious at Mike McDonald, like throwing a pass, Maybe
you should have. Don't leave me on time on the
clock up seventeen. Don't do it. But that's that's how
I really strained game kind of ugly at times, ended
(24:02):
up and it ended up looking like a comfortable victory
at twenty seven to ten, even though there were times
that was anything but comfortable. And now it sets up
Saturday the forty nine ers so won a more esthetically
pleasing game against the Chicago Bears forty two to thirty
eight last night, And so these two teams will play
for the division and for the number one seed on Saturday.
(24:25):
And man, I just I just got to give credit
to the San Francisco forty nine Ers because in a way,
a lot of the things that I felt they weren't
gonna come through on this year did like they're old.
Their star players get injured repeatedly, and that happened again
this year. I mean, we might not face Trent Williams
(24:47):
even on Saturday, as he left with that looked like
a pretty serious hamstring issue. And he might be the
best left tackle in the world, but George Kittle's been
in and out of the lineup. You know, Barners exsume me.
Warner is gone, Bosa is gone. I combined the two,
That's what I did there. Why did I end up
with Barner Because I combined Warner with Bosa and so
(25:10):
they're both gone. I mean, even brock Perdy, who does
look sensational right now, and I got to give him
credit for that because I've been a little bit of
a critic of his but he looks phenomenal right now.
I mean he missed half the season. Mac Jones is
responsible for half of the team's wins this year. And
Christian McCaffrey I thought was gonna lose a step, and
(25:31):
I think that he has. And I know he's gonna
have a thousand yards rushing and a thousand yards receiving
and he's still an incredible weapon. But he's also averaging
under four yards per carry this year, so he's not
been the dominant force between the tackles. He's been just
as good as a pass catcher, but between the tackles,
he's not been the dominant player. And yet here they
sit with a chance at the number one seed, a
(25:53):
chance to sweep us this year and be the number
one seed in the playoffs. I got to give Kyle
Shanahan all the credit in the world. I've always put
him in the category of one of the best head
coaches in the National Football League, but this might have
been his Mona Lisa here. This might have been the
best coaching job that we've ever seen him come up with.
Speaker 2 (26:11):
Well, yeah, I mean it's to go through the injuries.
Speaker 5 (26:13):
I mean, to your quarterback one I mean, regardless of
how you feel about Brock Purty, just to lose your
starting quarterback, typically you are going to take a significant
step or two or three backwards. And I mean, look
at the Cincinnati Bengals. They come into the season. People
are thinking this might be a you know, super Bowl
contending team, and you lose their quarterback and they are
(26:35):
not even close to that when he's out. Now, some
credit to Mac Jones, but I think more credit to
Kyle Shanahan, I think, and a lot of credit has
to go to Christian McAffrey regardless of whether or not
he's putting up the same numbers.
Speaker 2 (26:47):
You know, definitely per carry.
Speaker 5 (26:48):
They were talking about that last night, that he's under
four yards, so he's not running the same as what
he typically does. I mean two thousand yards from scrimmage.
Now he's tied with I think la Danian Thomason is
the only person ever to have three seasons which you
do that. That's that's pretty impressive what he does. Because
he's he's their leading runner and he's their leading receiver.
Speaker 2 (27:08):
You would think that.
Speaker 5 (27:09):
It's like, well, then why doesn't the other team like
just take him away? Yeah, apparently you can't or if
you do, then they that maybe that's when the rock
Purty just makes the good decision or absorbs the flavors
around and says, well, the little Jill Won Jennings will help.
Since they sent six guys over to stop Christian McCaffrey,
I don't know how you don't figure out a way
to contain that guy, because he is he is kind
(27:32):
of the one man show. And yet part of that
is than Kyle Shanahan figuring out how to use others
off of that, because you have to think that Mike
McDonald went into game one thing and we're gonna stop
Christian McCaffrey, and he's gonna go into this one thing.
He's gonna stop Christian McCaffrey. Whether or not you actually
can is a different story, or whether or not the
other people kind of step up and flourish in that.
Speaker 3 (27:51):
He's a great player and he's a great weapon. There's
no question about it. He's just they're just not the
running attack that they've been in the past. I mean,
they've dominated because they run you over and there's no
way to stop it. I mean, they're twenty third in
yards per game this year and they're thirtieth and yards
per carry this year, a team that's vying for the
(28:12):
number one spot. I mean, think about how much we've
struggled running the football this year, and we ranked way
ahead of Christian McCaffrey and the forty nine ers this
year running the football, and yet somehow here they sit
with a chance to have the playoffs in Santa Clara.
The entire way because the Super Bowls, even in Santa Clara.
Speaker 4 (28:33):
They's crazy.
Speaker 6 (28:34):
It's crazy to see just I mean, yeah, the amount
of utilization he gets and the fact that nobody can
quite figure it out. It seems like they're doing the
same stuff every every week. And then yeah, I was
obviously dead wrong about the forty nine ers going into
the season. I did not think they'd even win nine games.
I think it was obviously.
Speaker 4 (28:53):
They passed that.
Speaker 6 (28:54):
And I don't know how they're doing it, Honestly, I
don't know how they're doing it well with the amount.
Speaker 3 (28:59):
Of injuries, and I guess, I mean, we just got
to give credit to the system, the organization. I mean,
we're in a division with two organizations that do a
lot of good things, and we're right there with him
here in Seattle and John Schneider's back on his a game,
and I think it's because we got rid of Pete.
I hate to say that, but I think that's what
(29:21):
was the problem. And so you've got three of the
brightest minds at head coach in the National Football League,
in the same division. And I think it was a
hell of a counter move by John Schneider to recognize
I can either go get Ben Johnson and try to
be just as great offensively as these other two dudes
and might not achieve it, or I can get the
(29:43):
defensive equivalent of them. And here comes Mike McDonald to Seattle,
and it's just I think, just going over swingingly.
Speaker 5 (29:52):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (29:52):
And so now here you go taking on the forty
nine ers. You split with the Rams this year. One
time you baffled Matt Stafford and lost. The other time
he had his way with you and you won. Sports
are weird sometimes, And now San Francisco beat you at
the beginning of the year, and it didn't feel like
(30:13):
the better team won that day either, and yet you
got a chance at redemption against them. But they are
flying high offensively, and it is partly McCaffrey, and it's
partly certainly Brock party who seems to be making all
the right decisions. But Kyle Shanahan has just pressed all
the right buttons this year. There's no way that you
cannot give him a full line share of credit for
(30:35):
what San Francisco has pulled off this season.
Speaker 5 (30:37):
Yeah, well, I mean I think that even though I
don't want to, he gets a lot of credit obviously
because he's ready, he's been Yeah, well, that's not nice
that he gets a lot of credit because he's came
into the league and basically since he got the head
coaching gig. He basically in before that when he was
offensive coordinator, he moved the ball, he put up points,
(30:58):
he made whatever the ingredients he was given by his gym,
he made them pretty damn good. But I think it's
one of those it can probably still be understated. He
could probably still be not being appreciated as much because
you did take the mister irrelevant.
Speaker 3 (31:13):
Now.
Speaker 5 (31:13):
It's not to say that a mister irrelevant can't turn
out to be good, but rock Perty's he's been better
than just okay, And he goes out there and right now,
like you said, in spite of the injuries, you don't
have your number one receiver your defense, you're giving up
a ton of points and so you basically have to
get into it.
Speaker 3 (31:29):
You got rid of Debo, IUK hasn't been there. Pierceall
was supposed to be their number one. He hasn't played
all season long. Kittle's been out five six games this year,
and there's still forty two points against the Bears on
Sunday night.
Speaker 5 (31:41):
Yeah, real, exactly, And I think so. To me, it's
that how much your coach makes the most important people
better is something that he should have him in the
running for Coach of the Year. I'm sure that that
name is being brought up amongst those that are that
have those votes, because to deal with getting rid of
guys like you said, Debo, and then having injuries to
(32:04):
a bunch of other guys on offense and your two
biggest dudes on defense to where now you have to
win via shootout unreal. And yet you're doing it with
mister irrelevant and and aging Christian McCaffrey. And I say
that very lightly because to me, I don't see him
as he didn't look like a guy that's aging. He
could get injured, and yet he stayed healthy this season
up to this point.
Speaker 6 (32:23):
And so which is the most incredible thing that he
stayed healthy, because when was the last.
Speaker 2 (32:27):
Time he had I didn't draft him in fantasy football.
Speaker 4 (32:29):
Because last year he went out League one right.
Speaker 3 (32:31):
But thirtieth the forty nine ers thirtieth in yards per
carry this year, that's down with the Saints and Raiders
are the only two worst. And yet they were sitting
here with a chance at the number one seed. I mean,
they have defied everything this year to be in their position,
and yet they look very dangerous. There's no getting around it.
They look extreme. They're playing their best football right now
(32:53):
of the entire year. I mean, even with Trent Williams
leaving the game and George Kittle not being available to them,
they still put forty two two points on the board,
and the Bears didn't have an answer for them. If
the game would have gone further, they would have just
kept scoring touchdowns. And so that's what you're up against
on Saturday. But what they're up against is a defense that,
against another NFL team with a shot at winning their division,
(33:15):
had one hundred and forty three total yards of offense yesterday,
and no matter how sloppy the Seahawks looked and getting
that seventeen point win. I mean, that is remarkable. To
hold a deep hold NFL team to one hundred and
forty three years a total offense. That's healthy. Yeah. They
(33:36):
didn't even have the excuse of, well, our quarterback's out,
and they didn't have the excuses that the forty nine
ers had, right yeah, and yet you still had held
them to one hundred and forty three yards. So you
got two dominant forces going right now. San Francisco's offense
seems to do no wrong. Seahawks defense seems to do
no wrong, and everything's going to be on the line Saturday.
(33:56):
You just can't beat it. You can't beat it with
a stick. It's just that entertaining.
Speaker 4 (34:01):
I can't wait.
Speaker 3 (34:02):
I'm here for it, all right. Mike McDonald, we'll hear
from him next Sports Radio ninety three point three kJ
RFM fence and how they just seem unstoppable right now.
And his response to that was, what a fool believe?
Speaker 4 (34:16):
I couldn't even attempt to hit that note today.
Speaker 3 (34:18):
I couldn't. I didn't.
Speaker 4 (34:20):
I just choke.
Speaker 3 (34:22):
So yeah, I thought that was pretty brash. It's part
to sing what a fool belief?
Speaker 5 (34:27):
Almost Yeah, yeah, that's all.
Speaker 3 (34:30):
Yeah, that's like bolton board material there, Mike McDonald. We
always play a little bit of audio from a coach
from the game here on Mondays, and so let's talk
about Sam Donald's turnovers and whether or not coach thinks
it's an issue.
Speaker 7 (34:46):
Well, yeah, it's not like a Okay, it's really just
the ball being in jeopardy, you know, So deflections things
like that. That's I mean, that's that those things happened.
But you know, I think if we take care of
like the front end the plays better, it won't be
as big of an issue. You know. So when we
call it e it's how you finish plays, and we
(35:08):
got to double down on that, you know, that's critical
this part of the year.
Speaker 3 (35:11):
Yeah, I agree with all of that. I mean, let's
keep that in mind too. This oblong ball bounces around
and takes crazy ops. I mean, I've watched Josh Allen
dominate games, and I also in those games watched him
almost commit seven turnovers. I mean, he's he plays. He
plays with serious aggression, and there is a fine line
(35:33):
between reckless and being reckless when you're overly aggressive, and
Brett Farv played with it. I much rather have a
Josh Allen. I mean, we don't like to have Tom
Brady who puts up big numbers and and doesn't throw interceptions.
That's why this he's the greatest of all time. But
the second guy that I won is a Josh Allen
type or a Brett Farv type. I want a guy
(35:55):
that's trying to make plays out there, and yeah, he's
going to make a couple of mistakes along the way,
maybe puts the ball in peril more often than he should.
But at the end of the day, when you look
up at the scoreboard, he's made more good plays that
helped you win than he made bad plays that caused
you to lose. And I want Sam Darnold to play
that way. Now he's not quite Josh Allen. He's not
(36:15):
quite you know, Brett far from a physical standpoint, And
so to me, yes, please play aggressively, but know where
the line of recklessness or carelessness. I think it's more
carelessness at times with Sam. That was a careless turnover
in the back of the corner of the end zone.
And so I don't want him to come off of this.
(36:36):
And I know that he was gonna spend some time
on this coming up here at the eight o'clock hour.
I don't want him to change the way he plays,
but obviously you do. You can't put yourself in a
position where you're creating as many turnovers as he has,
especially in the last couple of weeks.
Speaker 2 (36:52):
Right.
Speaker 5 (36:52):
And yet, like we've already said, they're not all created
equalithers you have bad decisions or sometimes great plays or
some names, there's bad play on your receiver's part.
Speaker 2 (37:02):
Another thing too, like when it comes to the bat
of balls.
Speaker 5 (37:04):
It's a frustrating thing when you're when you're rooting for
a team and you just watch a game or even
multiple games in a row where your quarterback's passes are
getting battered down. And yet there's so many times that
they just whip it and it just gets by the
guy right like it's they didn't react in time.
Speaker 3 (37:23):
I mean, the game winning conversion an inch.
Speaker 5 (37:29):
From a guy's hands, And I mean there is tons
of times I don't think you can not throw to
a guy because there's someone in between. You like basically
have to just pretend they're not there and you throw
it and it might go an inch over the dude's
head and right between his arms.
Speaker 3 (37:44):
Yeah, he can't get his meaty arms up there.
Speaker 5 (37:46):
Yeah, And yet there's I think there's I think there's
times when when a team or a defensive coordinator says,
all right, get those meat hooks in the air, right
if you aren't getting to them, if you're three four
steps away and still being blocked, then keep an eye
on them and try to get that thing in the air.
And that's where the quick release comes from, which he
is fine with that. I just think that there's times
that you just either a combination of if you make
(38:09):
a bad decision and you get unlucky on another one, well,
now all of a sudden, it's two turnovers, and it's
you almost get you're gonna get blamed for it, as
if you made two horrible decisions, even though really it
was one bad decision and one unlucky one, or one
getting hit from behind it as your arm is kind
of going forward but maybe not enough going forward. So
to me, it's just it's the difference between Brett Farv
(38:32):
being a Hall of Famer and Brett Farv being a
dude that had all the arm talent in the world
and couldn't figure it out. Is a Mike Holmgren that
got to him and said, yes, you can fit it
in that mailbox. Sometimes you got to stop trying to
do that, Like when you're backed up against our own
in zone, you can't do that when we already have
points on the board.
Speaker 2 (38:50):
You can't.
Speaker 5 (38:51):
You have to He's still gonna do it at times
because you got to let the gun slinger sling, you know,
and you got to let him go. But it's like,
how and when and how do you rain yourself in
as a quarterback when your job is to make that
difficult play, make that difficult throw, And at times you
just got to say, no, it's not right now, it's
not the time to chance it.
Speaker 3 (39:10):
Yeah, well, I'm sure you can't wait to weigh in
on this subject. It's a big topic coming out of
the game and getting ready for Saturday. Let's face it,
because I just don't want to look at the end
of the at the box score at the end of
the day and we were minus three turnover ratio. Because
I don't even want to hear the Sam Donald criticism
because I think he's been awesome for the Seahawks this season.
(39:31):
So Hughes coming up next Monday morning quarterback session gets underway.
With our QB one right here on Sports Radio ninety
three point three KJRFM
Steven said, racing after it hel pocket Frey, Steven said,
down the.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Ice blow the goal line looked at.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
Crock Tandler, Steven said, from below the goal line, tried
to center it. It goes off of Ellie tolmand and
into the goal. It's a three nothing Seattle cracking lead.
(00:28):
Ellie Tolbanan has points on back to back goals.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
Winning is fun e Yeah, because he just laughed. They
were just laughing because Alan Effer just laughing. We are winning.
Speaker 4 (00:42):
They're like, this is so easy.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
It wasn't long ago we were losing so much.
Speaker 4 (00:47):
This is so much more fun.
Speaker 3 (00:48):
This is It's so much more fun. It's funny.
Speaker 4 (00:51):
Yeah, we are laughing.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
We are friends.
Speaker 4 (00:55):
Do you remember two weeks ago when we were crying.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
Good morning, happy Monday to you Live Sports talk radio
for you here on this some Monday, and we are
back together. Ashley Ryan is here, Bucky Jacobson is here.
My name is Chuck Powell. We've got you till ten o'clock.
And almost everything we're going to talk about is Seahawks
are related. So let us just squeeze in our McDelivery
of the game. Last night's top call from the KRACK
(01:21):
and Audio Network, brought to you by McDonald's Ordering the
food you craved with McDelivery as a whole new way
to love McDonald's. Order directly from the McDonald's app and
select McDelivery today and start ending points for free food.
See app for details. Crack and did win four to
one over the Philadelphia Flyers. They've won four straight games.
They will take on Vancouver tonight at seven o'clock, so
(01:43):
it is a game day for the Cracking to try
to make it five in a row, and it will
be at home against the rival Canucks. Hot stove and
quiet over the weekend. But nonetheless, there are some warm
rumors out there about how Jerry Depoto and Justin are
you kicking a lot of tires out there and trying
(02:04):
to make another significant move for a bat sometime soon
and certainly before the offseason comes to a close. So
that's interesting. College football, the playoff resumes Wednesday, New Year's
Eve at four point thirty. The first game will be
Miami versus Ohio State, and then three games on New
(02:24):
Year's Day. Kyle Whittingham, it was a big cop topic
of conversation between Ashley and I on Friday show. We
were just hearing that he had become the front runner
for the job. Since that show, he did get the job.
So he is the new head coach at Michigan, coming
out of a very brief retirement to become the next
head coach of the Michigan Wolverine, said Kyle whitting him.
(02:48):
This is the last thing that I setting out to
achieve in my career is try to win a national championship,
and I've got a chance to do that at Michigan.
And then, of course you've got the National Football League.
My goodness, it is wonderful theater, is it not? The
National Football League. They do a really good job of entertainments.
Speaker 5 (03:08):
They've figured out I would think the formula somehow of
how to script all these games too, be so great.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
Yes, yes, exactly. Seahawks win over the Carolina Panthers twenty
seven to ten. Unfortunately, it wasn't that easy. If not
for Mike McDonald's defense, this could have been a problem yesterday.
But we do have Mike McDonald's defense. They held the
Carolina Panthers to just one hundred and forty three total
yards of offense and then created a couple of turnovers
(03:40):
which led to some pretty easy drives and the Seahawks
win at twenty seven to ten. They improved a thirteen
and three, tying a franchise record for most wins in
a regular season. They have a chance to break that
record on Saturday night, wrap up the division and get
the number one seed in the entire NFC playoffs, which
is more important today than ever since they've expanded to
(04:04):
fourteen teams. That one seed not only gets home field
advantage throughout the NFC playoffs, they don't have to play
in the first round at all when everyone else does.
And so it's huge and the showcase will be in
Santa Clara. It'll be the Seahawks versus the forty nine Ers,
(04:25):
who also won yesterday over the Chicago Bears forty two
to thirty eight in a shootout, and so the winner
of this game will win the division and will take
the number one seed. It's as simple as that they
have earmarked the game for Saturday at five o'clock so
that it can have the entire National Stage two itself.
Seahawks forty nine Ers don't get the Sunday night game
(04:47):
that'll belong to Baltimore and Pittsburgh. That kickoff will take
place at five point twenty, the last game of the
regular season. The winner of that game gets into the
playoffs as division champs. The loser is out completely. Carolina
and Tampa also will be showcased Saturday afternoon is their game.
The winner of that game likely moves on. Now there
(05:10):
is a wrinkle that if Atlanta wins out, that Carolina
can lose and still win the division. Oh yes, so
that would require the Falcons to win both because that
means all three teams are eight to nine. The Falcons
have already been eliminated, but the tiebreaker changes. If there's
a three way tie, that the tie breaker would go
(05:33):
to Carolina. So there is a chance that Tampa could
win that game and still not win the division because
Tampa lost yesterday to Miami. So a lot going on
certainly in the National Football League, But our focus the Seahawks.
We certainly are going to talk about their matchup with
the forty nine ers with both of our experts, Hugh
(05:54):
Millen and Mike Homgrin in the eight o'clock at nine
o'clock hours today, But we haven't even had a chance
to see and our teeth in to this Seahawks went
over the Carolina Panthers as a show. So we're going
to do that right now here on Chuck and Buck.
Those are your headlines, brought to you by frost Rude
course light Choose chill here on a Choose Chill Monday.
(06:15):
So Seahawks get it done. And look, I realized there,
I mean, I realize how much more aesthetically pleasing that
forty two thirty eight seems. And I don't know why
we do this, but we just automatically assume that the
teams that make offense look easy are the better teams,
(06:36):
when often that is not the case. I mean, a
couple of years ago, we were sure the Mariners were
a bad team. A lot we weren't, but a lot
of people were sure the Mariners were a bad team
because they won with pitching and they couldn't score any
runs and they still almost made the playoffs. And they
were never a bad team, they just weren't all that
(06:56):
aesthetically pleasing because they were so offensively challenged. I don't
think the Seahawks are an offensively challenged team. The statistics
over the course of sixteen games bear out that they
are not. But certainly they were yesterday. To me, that
was Sam Donald's biggest struggle. I know he threw four
interceptions against the Rams earlier this year, but he had
(07:16):
a lot of big plays in that game. Yesterday, it
felt like a struggle from beginning to end for the
first time for Sam Donald in a Seahawk uniform. And
yet and I was glad to hear Coach Bucky say this.
Maybe Bucky'll disagree with coach, but when Coach Bucky said,
you know, when we're starting to talk about the forty
nine ers, it's very easy, I think to go to
(07:38):
forty nine ers looked better last night. They're playing better,
They're hot. That's what a real one seed looks like.
Considering how much the Seahawks kind of clunked things offensively.
But I'm glad that it wasn't missed on you, and
I hope it's not missed on a lot of other people.
There are a lot of different ways to win in
the National Football League, and you can win it all
(07:59):
with dominant defense and timely offense. And what we saw
from the Seahawks yesterday was about as dominant a defensive
performance as you can see in the National Football League
against a starting quarterback. I mean, maybe you see that
against a backup or a third stringer because you're at
the end of the year and they're down two quarterbacks.
But that was against Bryce Young, who's been lauded this
(08:21):
year for how much he's improved. And the Seahawks held
them to one hundred and forty three yards of total
offense in the game. And when it was clear that
Sam was struggling, what did they do. We're gonna take
the ball away on consecutive Carolina Panthers possessions, set them
up on a short field, and we're gonna we got you. Sam.
(08:45):
You're not playing your best right now, but don't worry
about it. We're not gonna let this game get away
from us. And they just absolutely took it from Carolina.
I mean, I've seen a lot of quarterbacks, including Matt Stafford,
look confused against Mike McDonald's defense. Bryce Young the cake yesterday.
It looked like he had never played football at times
during that game yesterday.
Speaker 5 (09:05):
Well, I mean, coming into that game, it was you kind.
I mean, I don't know how everybody else felt coming
into it. When you think of the Panthers, they're one
of those head scratchers like they'll go out there and
beat a good team. They got swept by the New
Orleans Saints. Now, maybe the Saints are better since they
got the Tyler Shack out in there, and they were
horrible at the beginning of the season. So I'll, you know,
(09:27):
give them a little bit of credit to the fact
that they beat them. But I don't think of the
Carolina Panthers as I mean, ultimately, I still kind of
think the Rams are the cream of the crop. I mean,
they end up going out there and putting what thirty
seven points up against the Seahawks defense. That's the first game.
He did look somewhat confused. He did look like, whoa
what in the heck is he doing? He made the
(09:48):
adjustments that it took a whole heck of a lot
of things to bounce the way of the Seahawks for
them to put themselves in a position they're in right now.
But yeah, I think that there's still is the Seahawks
defense is legit. I don't think gets anything. You have
to say, well, you gave up thirty seven points to
the Rams, that means you're not good. No, that's a
credit to the Rams and the fact that Matthew Stafford
(10:08):
and Pokin Nakua. They can put it on you regardless
of who or how good your defense is. I just
think when it comes to the Niners, I don't think
their defense poses the threat to be much of an
issue for the Seahawks offense. So I can see the
Seahawks offense going out there and scoring close to thirty
against them, and yet I do I have a hard
(10:30):
time thinking that.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
Their offense is.
Speaker 5 (10:34):
Good enough to score thirty against the Seahawks, even though
I think the Rams are.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
I think the Rams offense is different. I don't think this.
Speaker 5 (10:42):
I mean, the Niners have Christian McCaffrey, and they have
figured out a way to get the ball to a
couple other guys, and Rock Perty's playing good football. But
I don't feel like they're gonna go out there and
put thirty on the Seahawks. And so they do need
to kind of make it a little bit ugly to
where they're not going out there and putting up big
numbers offensively, and I think.
Speaker 6 (10:59):
They I think the Rams are a more balanced team
just offensively and defensively.
Speaker 4 (11:04):
Defensively, they're a better team.
Speaker 6 (11:06):
But I was watching that game last night thinking well,
I think our defense could I mean, the forty nine
ers offense is good, but I didn't see anything spectacular
that I thought, you know, our defense could handle. Obviously,
Christian McCaffrey is scary, but we have done pretty well
and in at least slowing down the run from I mean,
Jon Robinson didn't get one hundred yards and he was
pretty scary.
Speaker 4 (11:28):
So we'll see.
Speaker 3 (11:28):
Yeah, well, yeah, we'll talk more about Seahawks forty nine
ers here in a moment. But yes, just a dominant
defensive performance for the Seahawks against the Carolina Panthers yesterday,
and then that leads you to, all right, so what
are we looking at offensively? I mean, we've been talking
about this turnover issue with Sam Darnold all year long.
We know the statistics, were reminded of them all the
(11:51):
time about often he's turned it over, and that typically
is a dangerous thing. Hugh and I had a lengthy
conversation about Sam Donaldson and x's and o's on Friday.
We're both in the let it rip department with Mike McDonald.
I mean, I want Sam donald to play aggressively. I
(12:11):
don't want him to play like that yesterday. I mean,
that was a poor performance and he had the two turnovers,
but he probably should have had four in the contest.
And so I will agree with the sentiment that you're
not gonna win in the tournament if you're going to
be minus three turnovers like you were against the Rams
(12:33):
in the last game and that crazy comeback. All right,
you pulled it off one time, You're not going to
be able to do that against the best competition that
the world has to offer in consecutive games, three games
in a row or maybe four games in a row.
God forbid that you would have to play. So he's
got to tighten it up. There's no question. The trick
(12:54):
to it is tighten it up without sacrificing who you are.
And that was sloppy yesterday. That was sloppy from Sam.
That's the that's the first time where I'm just like, man,
you know that was a Geno Smith interception in the
red zone getting picked off by Mike Jackson. And then
there was the I realized that the crazy fumble play
(13:18):
was weird, but man, you just he turned it into
a to use your word, a fiasco, including tackling a
three hundred and fifty pound defensive tackle with his throwing
shoulder who didn't even have the ball at the time.
I mean, he did not play well enough yesterday. And
I hope that that is just an isolated incident against
(13:42):
the Carolina Panthers, because I don't want to believe that
Sam Darnold has a turnover issue. But there's no question
this is now a couple games in a row where
he's turned the ball off over too frequently. I think
he's played a sloppiest here in the last couple of weeks.
And you're not gonna be able to get away with
that in an NFL tournament, not against the best competition
in the world, not four games in a row.
Speaker 5 (14:02):
No, I mean yeah, because I think your defense can
put it on somebody like Bryce Young and make him
look futile. And I mean the second that they scored
the touchdown to put him up what was a ten
to three, I thought, well, that's over. I don't think that.
I don't think the Panthers are going to be able
to even match the ten, let alone more than ten.
And it did kind of come out that way where
it's kind of a walk away, but I'm with you,
(14:24):
it's you're gonna run into an offense somewhere along the line,
could be the Rams, could could be any team out
there that is going to be able to put up
some points, and so you can't have won the costly
turnovers that literally take points off the board. Maybe literally,
but the idea of you have at least three points
kind of in the bag, especially with your kicker and
(14:46):
you're throwing that interception, you're not.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
Gonna be able to have that.
Speaker 5 (14:48):
Fumbles are going to happen at times when you're when
it's blind side and the guy hit your arm, that's
gonna happen. Some of his interceptions have been good passes
that clank off hands and go into defenders. So I
think that Hugh does a good job explaining it. We
all discuss it where it's like that wasn't that bad,
but like that one down in the end zone, that's
(15:10):
not good. Bad, Yeah, that's not good. There's times when
he does make mistakes, and now I think that there's
two ways of looking at these things. Sometimes where it's like, Okay,
you got a good defense, just don't turn the ball over.
Just don't give them short fields to make your defense's
job more difficult. Make them drive the whole length of
the field. But the offense is also good enough at
(15:31):
times where it's like, let it rip. And if at
times you make a pass down the field and it's
a turnover and they get the ball their own thirty
yard line, we feel okay about that, you know what
I mean. So it's like, don't turn the ball over
when you have points on the board, don't turn the
ball over when you're backed up against your own end
zone where essentially they automatically have points on the board.
But all of that between the twenties, let that thing
(15:54):
rip it if it all of a sudden bounces off
your guy and is an interception, or they disguise it
and trick your quarterback, because out of five hundred pass
attempts over the course of the season, you're gonna get tricked.
Sometimes Tom Brady would get tricked. Sometimes there's nobody that
doesn't get tricked at times. And so to me, it's
let it rip at certain times. But then be situationally aware,
make sure you're not doing make sure you're not putting
(16:14):
the ball at risk when you know by bad decisions
the ball can be at risk at times just with
you know elements or you know slippery ball, or it
goes off your receiver's hands or something. But don't make
bad decisions and put the ball at risk when you're
down getting ready to score, or when you're backed up
against your end zone and giving them easy points.
Speaker 6 (16:31):
Well, and it did seem like, at least in the
first half, some of those were like the amount of
batted balls, those were bad decisions. It was like, how
do you not see the defensive person in between you
and the person you're trying to throw it to. And
so I do think he got lucky with the fact
that he didn't have as many turnovers. I mean, there
was a how many times were you guys sitting there watching?
But oh, oh, okay, he got away with one. H and
(16:52):
so it is definitely a concern. But I also think,
just offensively, it seemed like we were playing very concernedly
and very afraid to turn the ball over.
Speaker 4 (17:02):
We were playing. I don't know that's how I felt.
Speaker 3 (17:05):
I don't think I feel that way. And then look
the bad there's a batted ball issue. I mean, we'll
need Hugh and coach to tell us, you know how
to fix that, yeah, because I don't know what I mean,
it's just a jungle of six foot six inch guy's
arms and limbs that are that are right there. It's
not like he's five to nine trying to throw over
(17:28):
a wall of humanity. I mean, I don't know what
you can do about it, but once it gets to
the point where it's happening four or five times a game, yeah,
you know, then it needs to be addressed. Look, I
think that I think Bucky's got the right of it.
I do want them to let it rip, but there
are times I need you to be a little more conservative.
(17:50):
I will happily live with Sam Darnold finishing minus one
in the turnover battle the entire tournament. You want to
tell me that I'll take minus one and every every
single game in the tournament turnover ratio, yes, please, But
I don't want minus two. I certainly don't want minus three.
(18:10):
Even though they won minus three against what we're discussing
might be the best team in the National Football League,
the Los Angeles Rams, they had minus three and won
that game. So there's so much good to great about
this Seahawks team. They have a great defense, they have
great special teams, they have a great number one wide receiver,
(18:33):
and so you when you can make up for a
turnover and a half per game. I think you're good
enough overall to do that. But you can't sit there
and lose by minus two, not in the playoffs. And
so just the carelessness, just shore up the carelessness without
(18:57):
it affecting your aggressiveness. That to me is gonna be
the sweet spot on whether or not the Seahawks are
in the super Bowl this year, or if they were
talking about a disappointing season at the end of the
year or a disappointing conclusion.
Speaker 2 (19:14):
Yes, yeah, I mean, I don't know. I don't know.
Speaker 5 (19:17):
To me, it's the every game is so different that
I mean, you could be in a battle against a
team where it's like both teams are moving the ball
and both teams are putting up points and there is
only one turnover. If it comes in the final drive
when you're needing to go down and score, you can't
have it. And so to me, it's the idea of
if there's one thing, I know you've said it. I
(19:37):
know Hughes talked about it. A lot of people understand
and respect a thing about Sam where even when he
makes a mistake, he doesn't seem to get rattled to
where he doesn't still try to stuff the next one
in there.
Speaker 2 (19:51):
Now, the problem with that is sometimes that.
Speaker 5 (19:53):
Turns into a four interception game because you're not scared
because of your your poor your bad play before that. Well,
I can't throw it again. This is a bad comparison,
But to me, when you were just talking, Tim Tebow
was not a great quarterback. Tim Tebow knew that everybody
thought he wasn't a great quarterback. When he would throw
an interception, you could basically bet on the next five
(20:15):
to six throws were going to miss the receiver, but
even further missed the defender, like he was in a
dirt five yards out in front of the receiver where
there was no chance that was gonna get picked off.
Sam Donald was gonna do that. He just okay, I
made a mistake, whether there was a bad throw or
a bad decision, I made a mistake, But I'm gonna
make in the next throw. And typically he does and
he typically doesn't. He typically does more good throws than
(20:37):
bad throws. And that's where you're talking about overall, if
those good throws outweigh the one bad throw, possibly two
bad throws. If your defense can take one away as well.
Then you're gonna wind up on the winning side of
things because of that defense. Because there is some potency
to the offense. I mean Jackson Smith and Jigba and
and company. They've moved the ball down the field. I
mean they've scored what thirty plus points in five different
(20:59):
half this season, so they can do some damage to you.
But that wouldn't happen if he got scared and started
playing too passive.
Speaker 3 (21:06):
Well, the defense bailed you out yesterday, and I think
Sam's bailed himself out plenty of times this year. Made
a bad play and then came back and made ten
good plays to overcome that. And that's the Sam that
I can live with. Yesterday, defense bailed you out. They
created the turnovers. You had a terrible first half. You
had three points at halftime for goodness sake, that was
ugly against the Carolina Panthers. You threw for a you
(21:30):
had one hundred and twenty five total passing yards in
the game. I mean that was first game that the
running game looked better than the passing game I think
all season long. So there are a couple of signs.
There are a couple of signs there that Sam's not
playing his best football at the most important time of
the season. So to me, it's just that sweet spot
(21:50):
of being just as aggressive as you've been and yet
you know, there's got to be a little more care
in the those precious areas. And I think that I'm
not gonna call it a turnover issue, but certainly we're
trending away from great Sam Donald here the last couple
(22:13):
of weeks, and it's a bad time to be doing that,
all right, Coming up next we will get to you
ready for Saturday Seahawks forty nine Ers Sports Radio ninety
three point three kh A r FM.
Speaker 6 (22:35):
This me.
Speaker 2 (22:35):
It was the.
Speaker 3 (22:35):
Officiating crappy yesterday too.
Speaker 4 (22:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (22:38):
I can't even tell you in my notes how many
times I just wrote, Gene yes, sideline.
Speaker 4 (22:43):
I have like six things for us.
Speaker 3 (22:44):
Yeah, And there was that sequence right before the half. Now,
granted we contributed to that messiness and ugliness. I'm like,
are you gonna get anything right in this entire drive
here at the end of the half. You seem lost,
you seem flustered, well, and a lot of you.
Speaker 4 (23:01):
How did they miss the face mask and the horse call?
You're grabbing him on both sides of his uniform. So
someone would, I mean, somewhere should have seen it.
Speaker 3 (23:09):
Somebody JJ Watt explained it away. I guess somebody explained
to him that it wasn't a horse collar. I'm like,
that was a horse call.
Speaker 4 (23:17):
If that's not, then what is the horse collary?
Speaker 3 (23:20):
Is horse collar I've ever seen in my life?
Speaker 4 (23:22):
Yeah, we want to hear about it, Jim.
Speaker 3 (23:23):
Anyway, let's let's talk about Saturday. It is Chuck Buck
and Ashley with you here. Seahawks went over the Carolina Panthers.
It wasn't the prettiest game in the world, but my goodness,
the Carolina Panthers lost and ended up in victory.
Speaker 2 (23:38):
Formation.
Speaker 3 (23:39):
Boy, that is really that. That is really admitting your failures.
There even left time on the clock. That would have
been hilarious at Mike McDonald, like throwing a pass, Maybe
you should have. Don't leave me on time on the
clock up seventeen. Don't do it. But that's that's how
I really strained game kind of ugly at times, ended
(24:02):
up and it ended up looking like a comfortable victory
at twenty seven to ten, even though there were times
that was anything but comfortable. And now it sets up
Saturday the forty nine ers so won a more esthetically
pleasing game against the Chicago Bears forty two to thirty
eight last night, And so these two teams will play
for the division and for the number one seed on Saturday.
(24:25):
And man, I just I just got to give credit
to the San Francisco forty nine Ers because in a way,
a lot of the things that I felt they weren't
gonna come through on this year did like they're old.
Their star players get injured repeatedly, and that happened again
this year. I mean, we might not face Trent Williams
(24:47):
even on Saturday, as he left with that looked like
a pretty serious hamstring issue. And he might be the
best left tackle in the world, but George Kittle's been
in and out of the lineup. You know, Barners exsume me.
Warner is gone, Bosa is gone. I combined the two,
That's what I did there. Why did I end up
with Barner Because I combined Warner with Bosa and so
(25:10):
they're both gone. I mean, even brock Perdy, who does
look sensational right now, and I got to give him
credit for that because I've been a little bit of
a critic of his but he looks phenomenal right now.
I mean he missed half the season. Mac Jones is
responsible for half of the team's wins this year. And
Christian McCaffrey I thought was gonna lose a step, and
(25:31):
I think that he has. And I know he's gonna
have a thousand yards rushing and a thousand yards receiving
and he's still an incredible weapon. But he's also averaging
under four yards per carry this year, so he's not
been the dominant force between the tackles. He's been just
as good as a pass catcher, but between the tackles,
he's not been the dominant player. And yet here they
sit with a chance at the number one seed, a
(25:53):
chance to sweep us this year and be the number
one seed in the playoffs. I got to give Kyle
Shanahan all the credit in the world. I've always put
him in the category of one of the best head
coaches in the National Football League, but this might have
been his Mona Lisa here. This might have been the
best coaching job that we've ever seen him come up with.
Speaker 2 (26:11):
Well, yeah, I mean it's to go through the injuries.
Speaker 5 (26:13):
I mean, to your quarterback one I mean, regardless of
how you feel about Brock Purty, just to lose your
starting quarterback, typically you are going to take a significant
step or two or three backwards. And I mean, look
at the Cincinnati Bengals. They come into the season. People
are thinking this might be a you know, super Bowl
contending team, and you lose their quarterback and they are
(26:35):
not even close to that when he's out. Now, some
credit to Mac Jones, but I think more credit to
Kyle Shanahan, I think, and a lot of credit has
to go to Christian McAffrey regardless of whether or not
he's putting up the same numbers.
Speaker 2 (26:47):
You know, definitely per carry.
Speaker 5 (26:48):
They were talking about that last night, that he's under
four yards, so he's not running the same as what
he typically does. I mean two thousand yards from scrimmage.
Now he's tied with I think la Danian Thomason is
the only person ever to have three seasons which you
do that. That's that's pretty impressive what he does. Because
he's he's their leading runner and he's their leading receiver.
Speaker 2 (27:08):
You would think that.
Speaker 5 (27:09):
It's like, well, then why doesn't the other team like
just take him away? Yeah, apparently you can't or if
you do, then they that maybe that's when the rock
Purty just makes the good decision or absorbs the flavors
around and says, well, the little Jill Won Jennings will help.
Since they sent six guys over to stop Christian McCaffrey,
I don't know how you don't figure out a way
to contain that guy, because he is he is kind
(27:32):
of the one man show. And yet part of that
is than Kyle Shanahan figuring out how to use others
off of that, because you have to think that Mike
McDonald went into game one thing and we're gonna stop
Christian McCaffrey, and he's gonna go into this one thing.
He's gonna stop Christian McCaffrey. Whether or not you actually
can is a different story, or whether or not the
other people kind of step up and flourish in that.
Speaker 3 (27:51):
He's a great player and he's a great weapon. There's
no question about it. He's just they're just not the
running attack that they've been in the past. I mean,
they've dominated because they run you over and there's no
way to stop it. I mean, they're twenty third in
yards per game this year and they're thirtieth and yards
per carry this year, a team that's vying for the
(28:12):
number one spot. I mean, think about how much we've
struggled running the football this year, and we ranked way
ahead of Christian McCaffrey and the forty nine ers this
year running the football, and yet somehow here they sit
with a chance to have the playoffs in Santa Clara.
The entire way because the Super Bowls, even in Santa Clara.
Speaker 4 (28:33):
They's crazy.
Speaker 6 (28:34):
It's crazy to see just I mean, yeah, the amount
of utilization he gets and the fact that nobody can
quite figure it out. It seems like they're doing the
same stuff every every week. And then yeah, I was
obviously dead wrong about the forty nine ers going into
the season. I did not think they'd even win nine games.
I think it was obviously.
Speaker 4 (28:53):
They passed that.
Speaker 6 (28:54):
And I don't know how they're doing it, Honestly, I
don't know how they're doing it well with the amount.
Speaker 3 (28:59):
Of injuries, and I guess, I mean, we just got
to give credit to the system, the organization. I mean,
we're in a division with two organizations that do a
lot of good things, and we're right there with him
here in Seattle and John Schneider's back on his a game,
and I think it's because we got rid of Pete.
I hate to say that, but I think that's what
(29:21):
was the problem. And so you've got three of the
brightest minds at head coach in the National Football League,
in the same division. And I think it was a
hell of a counter move by John Schneider to recognize
I can either go get Ben Johnson and try to
be just as great offensively as these other two dudes
and might not achieve it, or I can get the
(29:43):
defensive equivalent of them. And here comes Mike McDonald to Seattle,
and it's just I think, just going over swingingly.
Speaker 5 (29:52):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (29:52):
And so now here you go taking on the forty
nine ers. You split with the Rams this year. One
time you baffled Matt Stafford and lost. The other time
he had his way with you and you won. Sports
are weird sometimes, And now San Francisco beat you at
the beginning of the year, and it didn't feel like
(30:13):
the better team won that day either, and yet you
got a chance at redemption against them. But they are
flying high offensively, and it is partly McCaffrey, and it's
partly certainly Brock party who seems to be making all
the right decisions. But Kyle Shanahan has just pressed all
the right buttons this year. There's no way that you
cannot give him a full line share of credit for
(30:35):
what San Francisco has pulled off this season.
Speaker 5 (30:37):
Yeah, well, I mean I think that even though I
don't want to, he gets a lot of credit obviously
because he's ready, he's been Yeah, well, that's not nice
that he gets a lot of credit because he's came
into the league and basically since he got the head
coaching gig. He basically in before that when he was
offensive coordinator, he moved the ball, he put up points,
(30:58):
he made whatever the ingredients he was given by his gym,
he made them pretty damn good. But I think it's
one of those it can probably still be understated. He
could probably still be not being appreciated as much because
you did take the mister irrelevant.
Speaker 3 (31:13):
Now.
Speaker 5 (31:13):
It's not to say that a mister irrelevant can't turn
out to be good, but rock Perty's he's been better
than just okay, And he goes out there and right now,
like you said, in spite of the injuries, you don't
have your number one receiver your defense, you're giving up
a ton of points and so you basically have to
get into it.
Speaker 3 (31:29):
You got rid of Debo, IUK hasn't been there. Pierceall
was supposed to be their number one. He hasn't played
all season long. Kittle's been out five six games this year,
and there's still forty two points against the Bears on
Sunday night.
Speaker 5 (31:41):
Yeah, real, exactly, And I think so. To me, it's
that how much your coach makes the most important people
better is something that he should have him in the
running for Coach of the Year. I'm sure that that
name is being brought up amongst those that are that
have those votes, because to deal with getting rid of
guys like you said, Debo, and then having injuries to
(32:04):
a bunch of other guys on offense and your two
biggest dudes on defense to where now you have to
win via shootout unreal. And yet you're doing it with
mister irrelevant and and aging Christian McCaffrey. And I say
that very lightly because to me, I don't see him
as he didn't look like a guy that's aging. He
could get injured, and yet he stayed healthy this season
up to this point.
Speaker 6 (32:23):
And so which is the most incredible thing that he
stayed healthy, because when was the last.
Speaker 2 (32:27):
Time he had I didn't draft him in fantasy football.
Speaker 4 (32:29):
Because last year he went out League one right.
Speaker 3 (32:31):
But thirtieth the forty nine ers thirtieth in yards per
carry this year, that's down with the Saints and Raiders
are the only two worst. And yet they were sitting
here with a chance at the number one seed. I mean,
they have defied everything this year to be in their position,
and yet they look very dangerous. There's no getting around it.
They look extreme. They're playing their best football right now
(32:53):
of the entire year. I mean, even with Trent Williams
leaving the game and George Kittle not being available to them,
they still put forty two two points on the board,
and the Bears didn't have an answer for them. If
the game would have gone further, they would have just
kept scoring touchdowns. And so that's what you're up against
on Saturday. But what they're up against is a defense that,
against another NFL team with a shot at winning their division,
(33:15):
had one hundred and forty three total yards of offense yesterday,
and no matter how sloppy the Seahawks looked and getting
that seventeen point win. I mean, that is remarkable. To
hold a deep hold NFL team to one hundred and
forty three years a total offense. That's healthy. Yeah. They
(33:36):
didn't even have the excuse of, well, our quarterback's out,
and they didn't have the excuses that the forty nine
ers had, right yeah, and yet you still had held
them to one hundred and forty three yards. So you
got two dominant forces going right now. San Francisco's offense
seems to do no wrong. Seahawks defense seems to do
no wrong, and everything's going to be on the line Saturday.
(33:56):
You just can't beat it. You can't beat it with
a stick. It's just that entertaining.
Speaker 4 (34:01):
I can't wait.
Speaker 3 (34:02):
I'm here for it, all right. Mike McDonald, we'll hear
from him next Sports Radio ninety three point three kJ
RFM fence and how they just seem unstoppable right now.
And his response to that was, what a fool believe?
Speaker 4 (34:16):
I couldn't even attempt to hit that note today.
Speaker 3 (34:18):
I couldn't. I didn't.
Speaker 4 (34:20):
I just choke.
Speaker 3 (34:22):
So yeah, I thought that was pretty brash. It's part
to sing what a fool belief?
Speaker 5 (34:27):
Almost Yeah, yeah, that's all.
Speaker 3 (34:30):
Yeah, that's like bolton board material there, Mike McDonald. We
always play a little bit of audio from a coach
from the game here on Mondays, and so let's talk
about Sam Donald's turnovers and whether or not coach thinks
it's an issue.
Speaker 7 (34:46):
Well, yeah, it's not like a Okay, it's really just
the ball being in jeopardy, you know, So deflections things
like that. That's I mean, that's that those things happened.
But you know, I think if we take care of
like the front end the plays better, it won't be
as big of an issue. You know. So when we
call it e it's how you finish plays, and we
(35:08):
got to double down on that, you know, that's critical
this part of the year.
Speaker 3 (35:11):
Yeah, I agree with all of that. I mean, let's
keep that in mind too. This oblong ball bounces around
and takes crazy ops. I mean, I've watched Josh Allen
dominate games, and I also in those games watched him
almost commit seven turnovers. I mean, he's he plays. He
plays with serious aggression, and there is a fine line
(35:33):
between reckless and being reckless when you're overly aggressive, and
Brett Farv played with it. I much rather have a
Josh Allen. I mean, we don't like to have Tom
Brady who puts up big numbers and and doesn't throw interceptions.
That's why this he's the greatest of all time. But
the second guy that I won is a Josh Allen
type or a Brett Farv type. I want a guy
(35:55):
that's trying to make plays out there, and yeah, he's
going to make a couple of mistakes along the way,
maybe puts the ball in peril more often than he should.
But at the end of the day, when you look
up at the scoreboard, he's made more good plays that
helped you win than he made bad plays that caused
you to lose. And I want Sam Darnold to play
that way. Now he's not quite Josh Allen. He's not
(36:15):
quite you know, Brett far from a physical standpoint, And
so to me, yes, please play aggressively, but know where
the line of recklessness or carelessness. I think it's more
carelessness at times with Sam. That was a careless turnover
in the back of the corner of the end zone.
And so I don't want him to come off of this.
(36:36):
And I know that he was gonna spend some time
on this coming up here at the eight o'clock hour.
I don't want him to change the way he plays,
but obviously you do. You can't put yourself in a
position where you're creating as many turnovers as he has,
especially in the last couple of weeks.
Speaker 2 (36:52):
Right.
Speaker 5 (36:52):
And yet, like we've already said, they're not all created
equalithers you have bad decisions or sometimes great plays or
some names, there's bad play on your receiver's part.
Speaker 2 (37:02):
Another thing too, like when it comes to the bat
of balls.
Speaker 5 (37:04):
It's a frustrating thing when you're when you're rooting for
a team and you just watch a game or even
multiple games in a row where your quarterback's passes are
getting battered down. And yet there's so many times that
they just whip it and it just gets by the
guy right like it's they didn't react in time.
Speaker 3 (37:23):
I mean, the game winning conversion an inch.
Speaker 5 (37:29):
From a guy's hands, And I mean there is tons
of times I don't think you can not throw to
a guy because there's someone in between. You like basically
have to just pretend they're not there and you throw
it and it might go an inch over the dude's
head and right between his arms.
Speaker 3 (37:44):
Yeah, he can't get his meaty arms up there.
Speaker 5 (37:46):
Yeah, And yet there's I think there's I think there's
times when when a team or a defensive coordinator says,
all right, get those meat hooks in the air, right
if you aren't getting to them, if you're three four
steps away and still being blocked, then keep an eye
on them and try to get that thing in the air.
And that's where the quick release comes from, which he
is fine with that. I just think that there's times
that you just either a combination of if you make
(38:09):
a bad decision and you get unlucky on another one, well,
now all of a sudden, it's two turnovers, and it's
you almost get you're gonna get blamed for it, as
if you made two horrible decisions, even though really it
was one bad decision and one unlucky one, or one
getting hit from behind it as your arm is kind
of going forward but maybe not enough going forward. So
to me, it's just it's the difference between Brett Farv
(38:32):
being a Hall of Famer and Brett Farv being a
dude that had all the arm talent in the world
and couldn't figure it out. Is a Mike Holmgren that
got to him and said, yes, you can fit it
in that mailbox. Sometimes you got to stop trying to
do that, Like when you're backed up against our own
in zone, you can't do that when we already have
points on the board.
Speaker 2 (38:50):
You can't.
Speaker 5 (38:51):
You have to He's still gonna do it at times
because you got to let the gun slinger sling, you know,
and you got to let him go. But it's like,
how and when and how do you rain yourself in
as a quarterback when your job is to make that
difficult play, make that difficult throw, And at times you
just got to say, no, it's not right now, it's
not the time to chance it.
Speaker 3 (39:10):
Yeah, well, I'm sure you can't wait to weigh in
on this subject. It's a big topic coming out of
the game and getting ready for Saturday. Let's face it,
because I just don't want to look at the end
of the at the box score at the end of
the day and we were minus three turnover ratio. Because
I don't even want to hear the Sam Donald criticism
because I think he's been awesome for the Seahawks this season.
(39:31):
So Hughes coming up next Monday morning quarterback session gets underway.
With our QB one right here on Sports Radio ninety
three point three KJRFM
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