December 19, 2025 • 25 mins
There was a long portion of the game that Sean McVay was wiping the floor with Mike Maconald. How did Macdonald turn things around late in that second half? We hear from Mike Macdonald on Zach Charbonnet's 'two-point conversion' on the backwards pass that tied the game. Softy and Hugh give their thoughts on the play - and we all have to admit, including Macdonald and Charbonnet, that nobody knew in real time it was a live ball.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now from the Star Rentals Sports to us your ninety
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That's appropriate after what we saw last night, Holy Cow,
the Seahawks where they thirty eight to thirty seven overtime
win against the Rams, now twelve and three and in
control of their own destiny baby, for the NFC's number
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(01:02):
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A right, Hugh Milan rejoins us here on the radio
program A Football Friday, brought to you by our friends
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in bottle by Fifth Generation Incorporated at Austin, Texas, forty
percent alcohol by volume. Savor responsibly. Hugh Milan rejoins us, So, Hugh,
I want to get to the two point conversion. That
was a backwards pass. Get your thoughts on that in
a second. But dude, there's a large portion of that
game that we're watching where Mike McDonald is getting whipped
by Sean McVeigh. What is your thought process as you're
(01:48):
watching that go down and what happened in the second
half and fourth quarter and over time with that game
to stop the bleeding?
Speaker 2 (01:57):
Well, it was it was really I would say, poor rush.
I thought the Rams were outstanding both from a physical standpoint,
h just winning on their pass blocking, and then also
from a communications standpoint, sorting out the blitzes. They they
did a really good job in pit blitz protection. And
to put put it into context, the Seahawks for the
(02:19):
entire season have given up seven completions to opposing quarterbacks
over forty yards. Seven four of them were last night,
and and you know they're all of a different variety.
I mean, uh one, Puco Nico on fifty eight yards,
this was a fire zone at two deep four under.
I think the Seahawks were way out of position. They
(02:41):
were they had emon worry denying access to the tight
end eighteen the Oregon kid and Ernest Jones squeezing over
to him. Ferguson ran and the slot to the right,
Puka had nobody over him. He was just working on
Kobe Bryant. So you get fifty eight yards. I think
they were absolutely denying access to the wrong guy and
(03:04):
allowing free access to the wrong guy as well. So
another cover two early on fifty four yards you look
at and Ernest Jones would be the culprit. But this
was beautiful anticipation by Stafford concept some people call clipper,
which is corner leads post. Anyways, you had Nikua going
(03:27):
into the post against the cover two and the guy
who you would want to have more depth is Ernest Jones,
maybe Drake Thomas. He's a little shorter, but just a
since you're an MVP level anticipation and throw on that.
And here's the thing about Matthew Stafford. He when he
throws inbreaking routes to the right side of the field,
(03:47):
he does this no look thing where his eyes are
over like on an analog clock. Say he's looking at
one thirty and he's throwing to twelve thirty. So he
really moves guys, and Pooka. Pooka had of his catches.
He had one hundred and ninety eight yards on the
right half of the field. If you just dissect the
(04:09):
field right down the middle, one hundred ninety eight yards
to the right, twenty seven to the left, and for
the entire game, Stafford had three hundred to the and
eight to the right one hundred and forty nine to
the left, so more than double. So he's worked in
the right side of the field most of mostly in
breaking routes. We had a guy on earlier who said,
(04:31):
you know from NFL network, who said that they killed
Seattle with crossing routes. I don't know what game that
guy was watching, So you gotta be careful for some
of the analysis that we hear right on our station.
But in breaking routes, yes, but but not nobody would
describe those as crossing routes because that means you catch
the ball on the opposite side of where you lined
(04:52):
up of the ball that didn't happen. But then then
third and nine on, oh, Kobe Bryant and witherspo on
a third and nine after remember after Canine busted that long? Yes, uh,
you know, and so Seattle's up all of a sudden, inexplicably,
You're up fourteen to thirteen. You had no rights to be,
but you get them. You get the rams in a
(05:12):
third nine like momentum, and they hit you for forty
eight yards. Kobe Bryant and Witherspoon do a terrible job
of communicating on a on on a on a crossing
a deep cross, not crossing route, but the criss cross
kind of a switch release, a deep switch release, kind
of like what I said with Clipper anyway, without a napkin,
(05:36):
it's a little hard to describe, but the point is
Bryant and Spoon couldn't communicate, and at one point Witherspoon
did a complete one or three sixty, whatever you call it.
He spins back to the sideline and the guy is
going inside of him. They were just totally bamboozled in
the last one in overtime a dagger concept where you're
(05:57):
the tight end clears out and you're bringing an inbreaking route,
a deep d route by Pooka Nakua.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
There Seattle was in a three deep zone. And and
in that one Ernest Jones, he's the hook defender. He'd
be the guy that you'd want to get you have
him enough depth. So there's a variety of the breakdowns.
What happened at the end they started playing more coverages
instead of like country zone where you just go to
a certain spot and the quarterback. They did more pattern
(06:27):
matching where they're looking at the receivers within their zone
and then and then and then just you know, an
eyeball on the receivers more than on the quarterback. And
then they played some coverages a forty three under where
it's a zone, but you have manned principles within his
zone underneath, and so there's it was just stickier and
(06:47):
in that regard, and uh, there was a there was
a man to man where Pooka beat Witherspoon on a
corner route. There's damn good coverage outside leverage. I mean,
Witherspoon is exactly where you want to be. But you
just had, you know, the MVP of the league throw
a an elite MVP throw this is late in the
(07:07):
fourth quarter to get them out to midfield and and Pooka,
you know, making an incredible catch. So so sometimes you
got to give them credit for good on good. But
when they when they clamped it up, they ran, they
did have they did break a free runner I think
it was em and Worry, and so they hadn't had
a lot of success, so that happened. They ran a
couple of stunts, they had Leonard Williams get after him.
(07:30):
So all of a sudden, those things that I'm describing
at around midfield stopped the rams and forced the punt
and you know, obviously allowed them to win. But but yeah,
a lot going on. Here's the thing I like you
talk about the matchup McVeigh and McDonald. They've played now
to this year, they played one hundred and twenty seven minutes, right,
(07:55):
one hundred and twenty seven minutes of football the Rams
have scored fifty eight points to see have scored fifty seven.
The Rams have a mass eight hundred and thirty yards,
the Seahawks have a mass eight hundred and twenty nine. Right,
they are with a one in each of those, So
they are playing dead even, but you know where they're
(08:15):
not dead even. The Rams have one turnover and the
Seahawks have seven. In a way, you could talk yourself
into we play these guys again. First of all, I
believe in Mike McDonald's adjustment. He's proven it to me
after the Buffalo game and after the Tampa Bay game,
so I believe that he's gonna have an adjustment. And
so they've basically in two games played dead dead even.
(08:38):
I mean, this is like a photo finish, like you
have to go to the camera to see who's winning.
And that's with Seattle losing the turnover battle seven to one.
You just kind of get that thing close, and you
could talk yourself into, Hey, I like our chances we
play them again.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
Yeah, Well, Hugh, I'm looking at the last Uh, there's
a couple of things that stand out. First of all,
thirty thirty after the crazy wacky backwards pass that technically,
if you look at the official play sheet, goes down
as a rush for Zach Charbonnay, right, which is crazy
to think about that. That's just how the NFL does it.
(09:15):
So thirty thirty and you kind of tend to forget
now looking back, that there was still six and a
half minutes left to go in that game. There was
plenty of time for the Rams to go back and
win that game. They obviously had three drives, they punted twice,
they had the missfield goal on one of them, and
I'm looking at Matt Stafford. If I would have told
(09:35):
you yesterday morning, Matt Stafford is going to have the
ball first and ten from the RAM forty nine with
a Buco two left to go in a tie game,
you would have bet your money on what happening.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
You would have bet your money on the Rams winning
the game. Yeah, based on what had had transpired. I mean,
the dude had four and fifty seven yards pass.
Speaker 3 (09:57):
Right, But you would have bet your money yesterday more
on Matt Stafford finding a way to at least get
a field goal attempt off and win the game. And
from that point on, from first and ten from the
RAM forty nine with a bucko two to go, which
is a freaking eternity. He goes oh for three. So
you talked earlier about Sam Darnold stepping up on the clutch.
How about the defense stepping up in the in the
(10:19):
clutch with sixty two seconds left to go facing Matt Stafford, who.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
Might be the MVP. Yeah. I didn't do a good
job of articulating that. That's that's what I was referring
to when I said, Okay, what happened when they clamped
down after that? Got it around?
Speaker 1 (10:33):
Ye?
Speaker 2 (10:33):
Yeah, my fam you know, they they you know, they
just played, as I said, uh, a little bit more
pattern match zones and and man man and uh, you know,
they ran some stunts, they got they got better pressure.
They did get one free runner that that forrest and
airant and and then uh, you know when you play
a forty three under, you're you're matching. You know, Drake
(10:56):
Thomas has to match the zone. I don't like that
matchup from Seattle's perspective, the tight end, and I think
it might have been on Parkinson, but Stafford, you don't
picked the bad time to have a bad throw. Now,
it wouldn't have been for a lot of yards, but
he missed a couple of throws late. You know, he
tried to do that no look thing. Any any sky
(11:17):
milled on a on a what's called a hammer concept
or some people call it rap where you have a
hitch and then you want to get pooka in like
about twelve yards in behind the hitch. It's a it's
a it's tough on zone coverage. Uh, Seattle was real
sticky on that. I think Drake Thomas kind of got
a better feel as the game went on about where
he needed to be and uh and he was right there.
(11:39):
Stafford tried to do one of those no looks and
and it just sky mailed. So so they they they
finally got the the uh you know, got a feel
for it. But I mean, you're right, think of you
just look at the Rams drives, Dave So so after
the first drive of the third quarter when they scored
(11:59):
a touch down, at that point it went the Rams
went punt, punt, punt, missfield goal punt until the touchdown
to Nicoula. I just described on that dagger concept. So
so there was a portion there where they definitely, uh
you know, sh showed some signs of like, look you
give the nod if there if this is like you're judging,
(12:20):
you're judging this like a boxing match, like ten point
must and and there's been three rounds, uh because and
there's gonna be a lot more between Sean McVay and
Mike McDonald they in it. I'm throwing out the last week,
Week eighteen of last year, right the the Geno Smith
six million dollar game, like you know, garbage game, lete,
farce of a freaking football game. Embarrassment anyway, Sorry.
Speaker 3 (12:43):
Wow, I never's been What bothers you more of that?
Or the fact that Russell Wilson has made nine Pro
Bowls in his career or whatever it is?
Speaker 2 (12:52):
Oh my god, I need to see a therapist because
I'll get I'll my hard drive will get uh frozen
if if I try and contemplate an answer to that one.
But by three three last year in Lumen, right, then
this year down in so Far, and then this year
in Lumen three rounds and the first one, if you're
(13:14):
if not talking about the teams, the first one goes
to Mike McDonald because there were seven three and outs
by the Rams. This is what we're talking about a
year ago, and they only scored thirteen points in regulation.
Remember that was the one hundred and six yard pick
six by Gino. Then the second one this year also
(13:34):
went to Mike McDonald because the Rams had their lowest
yardage output of the entire season against the Seahawks, Sam
Donald excuse me, Stafford only had one hundred and thirty yards.
So after two games it was McDonald two and McVay zero.
(13:55):
I said it was a ten point must you get it?
Was like, I get it, Yes, I get it. But
night McVeigh. McVeigh won it. Even though the Rams lost it.
It makes sense, you know. So it's it's fun to
watch and I can't wait for the next adjustment.
Speaker 3 (14:11):
Well, I think we got to come back and spend
some time on the backwards pass that was Zach Charbonay.
Speaker 2 (14:18):
Your take on well, I I mean, my god, I mean.
Speaker 3 (14:21):
I didn't even know what the hell was going on,
to be honest with you, I don't think anybody else
did either, including Charbonay. By the way, all right, so
we'll come back and talk about that because that is
going to be you know here. I don't know if
you believe in like destiny and karma and things like that.
But after not scoring a touchdown against the Colts a
week ago, and then after what happened last night, down
(14:41):
sixteen points in the fourth quarter and Zach Scharburnay just
picking up that football just to give it to a
referee and it turns out to be worth two points.
That was obviously imperative for them. It's it's it's easy
to wonder if there's a bigger plan for this football
team this season. All right, we're gonna break more with
you next on ninety three three KJRFM.
Speaker 1 (15:13):
Now back to Football Friday sponsored by Tito's Handmade Vodka
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Speaker 3 (15:28):
Alright, Football Friday sponsored by Tito's Handmade Vodka, proud sponsor
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Speaker 2 (15:53):
Man Hugh Millen rejoined us on the radio program. So
before we get to to Knika now no no, no,
no no.
Speaker 3 (16:03):
Before we get to your thoughts on the two point
conversion the backwards bass I was picked up by Zach Sharbonney.
I want to hear Mike McDonald's thoughts on that play
last night that obviously tied the game at thirty thirty.
Speaker 2 (16:18):
The head end up playing by sharbon incredible pick ever,
every lose ball just simple. You see anything quite like that?
I have not as a ball's going backwards. What was
the process on that for deciding to actually have the replay,
for asking for the replay and realizing that maybe it
was a lateral. Well, just to my knowledge, everything's reviewable
on a two points. So at what point did you
(16:40):
realize that your staff realized that was mackword who that
was in play?
Speaker 3 (16:43):
Yeah, honestly, they just they said they were looking at
it and then so then we started to look at
whether it was a backward or not.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
We didn't.
Speaker 3 (16:50):
We didn't notice it.
Speaker 2 (16:51):
In real time.
Speaker 3 (16:52):
So that's the thing is that nobody noticed it, not
even Zach Sharbonnay and I love Zach Sharboney, Well I
don't love him, I like him. But the idea that
we got to give Zach Charboney credit for being you know,
heads up play by Zach Sharbonay.
Speaker 2 (17:06):
I mean, dude, yeah he was. He was picking up
the ball to give it to the official. Okay, I
totally agree. I was thinking that earlier. The guy just
being courteous. It was like holding a door open when
when you get the Starbucks, you know you see a
woman coming. Oh, just waiting a couple of seconds. Yeah,
he was just being polite. That's just just nailed it.
Speaker 3 (17:27):
And thank god because if Jack Charboney, if Zack Charboney
was an a hole and didn't give it to him
and wanted to make the old man bend over and
get the ball, the Seahawks don't win the game. But
you're joking, but you're right, like Zack Charboney's giving blankets
to the homeless, and we just won a football game because.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
Of it, exactly exactly.
Speaker 3 (17:46):
So you talked me through because what I saw, uh
live did not register in my brain whatsoever. And then
you go back and you watch the overhead shot that
Amazon show and it was a clear backwards past.
Speaker 2 (18:03):
Yes, I mean, if you're expecting me to come off
like I'm some Johnny football and I was like it
was a backward bath. Get No, No, I didn't. I didn't.
I didn't recognize that as a potential. I was just
as asleep at the wheel as everybody else. I don't.
I hope I would have been as considered as as
Zach Sharberonnay, But I couldn't say for sure. I would
(18:25):
be like, I don't. I got nothing for you, Dave.
I'll just say this, it's extraordinarily rare. We know that
it's lucky as hell. I mean that if that ball,
think of about you gotta you gotta a spheroid ball,
you know, hitting a sphere helmet, right, and like think
(18:46):
of all the angles of how that ball could have
bounced off of a helmet. And it's just anybody who
says that wasn't luck, come on, come on, that was
pure blind football gods, thank you. How about this? How
about this?
Speaker 3 (19:02):
How about if Zach Charbonne had walked over to the
ball thinking the play was dead and like frustration and
just like kicked it whatever, yeah and I'm done kick it.
And nobody in that in that moment would have even
batted and high if Zach Charbonne had done that.
Speaker 2 (19:17):
But you know what's cool. Is it just adds to
the legend of this game. This is you know, the
term instant classic applies. This is you know, we'll be
talking about this five ten, you know some people, you know,
twenty years from now. I mean that that is one
of the most remarkable games in Seahawk history. I mean,
I would just ask you what's more remarkable. You can say, well,
(19:39):
the NFC Championship overcoming five picks right right, they're from candidates. Look,
the stakes weren't the highest Seattle or anybody else's, you know,
as ever played. I get that stake stakes are pretty high.
And and think of think of the odds. If you
just say, I got to look them up. I could
look up down to the decimal point. What what the
(19:59):
the two point con rate is? Let's just say it's
fifty to fifty, Okay, you know, just the idea that
when you're down sixteen, you got to get two touchdowns
and to two point conversions. Right, you're you're there's only
a twenty If it's fifty to fifty, you only got
a twenty five percent chance of getting two, you know,
let alone all the other I mean, you just you start,
(20:20):
you know, compounding these probabilities in it, and that's where
you get your one point four percent. I think it's
less than that because that wise that you know, one
out of you know eighty, you know eighty or whatever
it is. Uh, situations like that you could actually win.
I don't feel like you come back and win one
out eighty.
Speaker 3 (20:37):
Those Well, I'm looking at the box score from last night,
and again, I know you kind of talked about this
last segment about how McVeigh was just whipping McDonald and
I'm just thinking, you know, talked in the pregium about this,
and man, I got I don't know if Devonte Adam
Adams being out is going to be that big of
a deal for the Rams. And they scored thirty seven
points on one of the best defenses in the NFL
without the guy, for God's sakes, But it is frustrating,
(21:01):
Hugh when you see a guy like Devontae Adams out
of the game and Pukin Nakua is still running wild
on your defense. Twelve catches, two hundred and twenty five
yards and a couple of touchdowns on sixteen targets. I
mean you kind of hinted it why that was last segment,
but does Mike McDonald go back to the film room
(21:22):
today and ask himself, how does my defense allow Pukainakua
to be that productive with Devontae Adams standing on the sideline.
Speaker 2 (21:32):
I don't think he wonders. I don't think it's a
mystery to him. I think that what the Rams did
is they they showed you. They just held up the
mirror and they showed you where you are at this
juncture with how to handle an elite offense, and it's
not good enough. And I think Mike McDonald, by his nature,
if you can't tell the last couple of years, I
(21:52):
love the guy. I mean I'm I'm as in the
bag for Mike McDonald as I could possibly be. But
that doesn't mean I think he's perfect. I'm in the
bag for Tom Brady, but Tom Brady threw interceptions. I mean,
he this this was a bad game for Mike McDonald.
I think that he is self aware and egoists enough
to realize it. And what I love about one of
(22:13):
the things I really like about the guy is that
that he can make those adjustments like he did after
the Buffalo game, like he did after Tampa. I don't expect,
you know, that that thirteen personnel. You know, they they
tried that down in so far they only had two
point seven yards per tempt yesterday. They just they just
creased him. And Seattle did have a lot of injuries
(22:36):
with the second like three different guys heard in the
secondary at some point, right, Eamon Worry and Riek Wollen
And who's the other one? Did we have one other
injury in the secondary? Oh yeah, there were three of them.
It was Kobe Bryant got hurt, right, yeah. So and
and here's another thing now that this is this is
kind of a strange topic to bring up in this market,
(23:01):
But I'll just be candid with you. I don't have
evidence to support any assertion, so I'm not going to
assert anything. This is just me wondering, is what is
the thing that you hear with Mike mcconnalllly says their
emphasis that he uses components, that these things that are
(23:21):
vital to his his defense. And haven't you heard him
use the word communication tons right? Doesn't We can find
a lot of sound bites if we went back and
hunted of communication communication communication. Is it possible that that
the twelves in some you know, unintended way created a
(23:44):
little bit of problem with their communication. I don't, I can't.
I can't make that claim. All I can tell you
is that makes me wonder. You know, look at how
good they are on the road defensively, right, So you
just it was loud as hell on there last night.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
Ude.
Speaker 2 (24:00):
Yeah. When I see Kobe Bryant and and Witherspoon, you know,
failing to pass off on a pretty routine uh, you know,
down the field switch concept and Witherspoon's turn into three sixty,
I'm like, what that's not that's we got to get
a nickname for this defense. But the Dark Lost said,
(24:21):
it's the the dark Side is totally fine.
Speaker 3 (24:24):
I mean I kind of threw out the baby boomers,
you know, Uh, first you had the LB and now
you have the babies of the l B, the baby.
Speaker 2 (24:31):
Boomers, I mean you know, are you baby boomers? Yes?
Speaker 3 (24:35):
Or instead of LB, it's the s obs, the sons
of Boom, right. I mean that that works as well.
Speaker 2 (24:40):
So you better run that by long.
Speaker 3 (24:42):
Yeah, But if he wants the dark Side, I'm totally
cool with that. It's a little too raider ish for me,
a little bit. The dark Side, right, just because the
whole you know, Star Wars Vader thing down there and
in Vegas and with the Raiders.
Speaker 2 (24:54):
But yeah, of course you would.
Speaker 3 (24:55):
You've seen millions of photos of Darth Vader at Raider
games over the years.
Speaker 2 (24:59):
Come on, we'll get a break.
Speaker 3 (25:00):
Yeah, we're gonna break, all right, little text amonials here
next uh five o'clock hour, brought to you by Duke's Restaurants.
Lindsey Theory from ESPN will join us to run five
point forty five as well for a RAMS perspective on
this game, Little fun with audio at five point thirty.
All coming up on ninety three three kJ RFM
Now from the Star Rentals Sports to us your ninety
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All right, boys and girls, here we go.
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Happy Friday headlines right here on ninety three three KJRFM,
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Speaker 2 (00:16):
Choose chill, baby, cannot you didn't eat it?
Speaker 3 (00:21):
That's appropriate after what we saw last night, Holy Cow,
the Seahawks where they thirty eight to thirty seven overtime
win against the Rams, now twelve and three and in
control of their own destiny baby, for the NFC's number
one seed. We're about an hour away from Alabama Oklahoma,
first round of the college football Playoff from Norman, Miami
(00:41):
A and M tomorrow at nine, Tulane Ole Miss at
twelve thirty, and James Madison visits Oregon four thirty tomorrow
afternoon from at Eugene. We got college basketball tonight, by
the way, you dub and Seattle you at Climate Pledge
Arena eight thirty tip off pregame eight o'clock tonight right
here on ninety three three KJRFM and the Kraken I
a four to two loss to Calgary last night, the
(01:02):
boys now one, nine and one in their last eleven games.
They'll be at San Jose tomorrow six thirty pre game
seven o'clock. Face off right here, ninety three to three KJARFM.
A right, Hugh Milan rejoins us here on the radio
program A Football Friday, brought to you by our friends
at Tito's Handmade Vodka, proud sponsor of the Seahawks, distilled
(01:24):
in bottle by Fifth Generation Incorporated at Austin, Texas, forty
percent alcohol by volume. Savor responsibly. Hugh Milan rejoins us, So, Hugh,
I want to get to the two point conversion. That
was a backwards pass. Get your thoughts on that in
a second. But dude, there's a large portion of that
game that we're watching where Mike McDonald is getting whipped
by Sean McVeigh. What is your thought process as you're
(01:48):
watching that go down and what happened in the second
half and fourth quarter and over time with that game
to stop the bleeding?
Speaker 2 (01:57):
Well, it was it was really I would say, poor rush.
I thought the Rams were outstanding both from a physical standpoint,
h just winning on their pass blocking, and then also
from a communications standpoint, sorting out the blitzes. They they
did a really good job in pit blitz protection. And
to put put it into context, the Seahawks for the
(02:19):
entire season have given up seven completions to opposing quarterbacks
over forty yards. Seven four of them were last night,
and and you know they're all of a different variety.
I mean, uh one, Puco Nico on fifty eight yards,
this was a fire zone at two deep four under.
I think the Seahawks were way out of position. They
(02:41):
were they had emon worry denying access to the tight
end eighteen the Oregon kid and Ernest Jones squeezing over
to him. Ferguson ran and the slot to the right,
Puka had nobody over him. He was just working on
Kobe Bryant. So you get fifty eight yards. I think
they were absolutely denying access to the wrong guy and
(03:04):
allowing free access to the wrong guy as well. So
another cover two early on fifty four yards you look
at and Ernest Jones would be the culprit. But this
was beautiful anticipation by Stafford concept some people call clipper,
which is corner leads post. Anyways, you had Nikua going
(03:27):
into the post against the cover two and the guy
who you would want to have more depth is Ernest Jones,
maybe Drake Thomas. He's a little shorter, but just a
since you're an MVP level anticipation and throw on that.
And here's the thing about Matthew Stafford. He when he
throws inbreaking routes to the right side of the field,
(03:47):
he does this no look thing where his eyes are
over like on an analog clock. Say he's looking at
one thirty and he's throwing to twelve thirty. So he
really moves guys, and Pooka. Pooka had of his catches.
He had one hundred and ninety eight yards on the
right half of the field. If you just dissect the
(04:09):
field right down the middle, one hundred ninety eight yards
to the right, twenty seven to the left, and for
the entire game, Stafford had three hundred to the and
eight to the right one hundred and forty nine to
the left, so more than double. So he's worked in
the right side of the field most of mostly in
breaking routes. We had a guy on earlier who said,
(04:31):
you know from NFL network, who said that they killed
Seattle with crossing routes. I don't know what game that
guy was watching, So you gotta be careful for some
of the analysis that we hear right on our station.
But in breaking routes, yes, but but not nobody would
describe those as crossing routes because that means you catch
the ball on the opposite side of where you lined
(04:52):
up of the ball that didn't happen. But then then
third and nine on, oh, Kobe Bryant and witherspo on
a third and nine after remember after Canine busted that long? Yes, uh,
you know, and so Seattle's up all of a sudden, inexplicably,
You're up fourteen to thirteen. You had no rights to be,
but you get them. You get the rams in a
(05:12):
third nine like momentum, and they hit you for forty
eight yards. Kobe Bryant and Witherspoon do a terrible job
of communicating on a on on a on a crossing
a deep cross, not crossing route, but the criss cross
kind of a switch release, a deep switch release, kind
of like what I said with Clipper anyway, without a napkin,
(05:36):
it's a little hard to describe, but the point is
Bryant and Spoon couldn't communicate, and at one point Witherspoon
did a complete one or three sixty, whatever you call it.
He spins back to the sideline and the guy is
going inside of him. They were just totally bamboozled in
the last one in overtime a dagger concept where you're
(05:57):
the tight end clears out and you're bringing an inbreaking route,
a deep d route by Pooka Nakua.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
There Seattle was in a three deep zone. And and
in that one Ernest Jones, he's the hook defender. He'd
be the guy that you'd want to get you have
him enough depth. So there's a variety of the breakdowns.
What happened at the end they started playing more coverages
instead of like country zone where you just go to
a certain spot and the quarterback. They did more pattern
(06:27):
matching where they're looking at the receivers within their zone
and then and then and then just you know, an
eyeball on the receivers more than on the quarterback. And
then they played some coverages a forty three under where
it's a zone, but you have manned principles within his
zone underneath, and so there's it was just stickier and
(06:47):
in that regard, and uh, there was a there was
a man to man where Pooka beat Witherspoon on a
corner route. There's damn good coverage outside leverage. I mean,
Witherspoon is exactly where you want to be. But you
just had, you know, the MVP of the league throw
a an elite MVP throw this is late in the
(07:07):
fourth quarter to get them out to midfield and and Pooka,
you know, making an incredible catch. So so sometimes you
got to give them credit for good on good. But
when they when they clamped it up, they ran, they
did have they did break a free runner I think
it was em and Worry, and so they hadn't had
a lot of success, so that happened. They ran a
couple of stunts, they had Leonard Williams get after him.
(07:30):
So all of a sudden, those things that I'm describing
at around midfield stopped the rams and forced the punt
and you know, obviously allowed them to win. But but yeah,
a lot going on. Here's the thing I like you
talk about the matchup McVeigh and McDonald. They've played now
to this year, they played one hundred and twenty seven minutes, right,
(07:55):
one hundred and twenty seven minutes of football the Rams
have scored fifty eight points to see have scored fifty seven.
The Rams have a mass eight hundred and thirty yards,
the Seahawks have a mass eight hundred and twenty nine. Right,
they are with a one in each of those, So
they are playing dead even, but you know where they're
(08:15):
not dead even. The Rams have one turnover and the
Seahawks have seven. In a way, you could talk yourself
into we play these guys again. First of all, I
believe in Mike McDonald's adjustment. He's proven it to me
after the Buffalo game and after the Tampa Bay game,
so I believe that he's gonna have an adjustment. And
so they've basically in two games played dead dead even.
(08:38):
I mean, this is like a photo finish, like you
have to go to the camera to see who's winning.
And that's with Seattle losing the turnover battle seven to one.
You just kind of get that thing close, and you
could talk yourself into, Hey, I like our chances we
play them again.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
Yeah, Well, Hugh, I'm looking at the last Uh, there's
a couple of things that stand out. First of all,
thirty thirty after the crazy wacky backwards pass that technically,
if you look at the official play sheet, goes down
as a rush for Zach Charbonnay, right, which is crazy
to think about that. That's just how the NFL does it.
(09:15):
So thirty thirty and you kind of tend to forget
now looking back, that there was still six and a
half minutes left to go in that game. There was
plenty of time for the Rams to go back and
win that game. They obviously had three drives, they punted twice,
they had the missfield goal on one of them, and
I'm looking at Matt Stafford. If I would have told
(09:35):
you yesterday morning, Matt Stafford is going to have the
ball first and ten from the RAM forty nine with
a Buco two left to go in a tie game,
you would have bet your money on what happening.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
You would have bet your money on the Rams winning
the game. Yeah, based on what had had transpired. I mean,
the dude had four and fifty seven yards pass.
Speaker 3 (09:57):
Right, But you would have bet your money yesterday more
on Matt Stafford finding a way to at least get
a field goal attempt off and win the game. And
from that point on, from first and ten from the
RAM forty nine with a bucko two to go, which
is a freaking eternity. He goes oh for three. So
you talked earlier about Sam Darnold stepping up on the clutch.
How about the defense stepping up in the in the
(10:19):
clutch with sixty two seconds left to go facing Matt Stafford, who.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
Might be the MVP. Yeah. I didn't do a good
job of articulating that. That's that's what I was referring
to when I said, Okay, what happened when they clamped
down after that? Got it around?
Speaker 1 (10:33):
Ye?
Speaker 2 (10:33):
Yeah, my fam you know, they they you know, they
just played, as I said, uh, a little bit more
pattern match zones and and man man and uh, you know,
they ran some stunts, they got they got better pressure.
They did get one free runner that that forrest and
airant and and then uh, you know when you play
a forty three under, you're you're matching. You know, Drake
(10:56):
Thomas has to match the zone. I don't like that
matchup from Seattle's perspective, the tight end, and I think
it might have been on Parkinson, but Stafford, you don't
picked the bad time to have a bad throw. Now,
it wouldn't have been for a lot of yards, but
he missed a couple of throws late. You know, he
tried to do that no look thing. Any any sky
(11:17):
milled on a on a what's called a hammer concept
or some people call it rap where you have a
hitch and then you want to get pooka in like
about twelve yards in behind the hitch. It's a it's
a it's tough on zone coverage. Uh, Seattle was real
sticky on that. I think Drake Thomas kind of got
a better feel as the game went on about where
he needed to be and uh and he was right there.
(11:39):
Stafford tried to do one of those no looks and
and it just sky mailed. So so they they they
finally got the the uh you know, got a feel
for it. But I mean, you're right, think of you
just look at the Rams drives, Dave So so after
the first drive of the third quarter when they scored
(11:59):
a touch down, at that point it went the Rams
went punt, punt, punt, missfield goal punt until the touchdown
to Nicoula. I just described on that dagger concept. So
so there was a portion there where they definitely, uh
you know, sh showed some signs of like, look you
give the nod if there if this is like you're judging,
(12:20):
you're judging this like a boxing match, like ten point
must and and there's been three rounds, uh because and
there's gonna be a lot more between Sean McVay and
Mike McDonald they in it. I'm throwing out the last week,
Week eighteen of last year, right the the Geno Smith
six million dollar game, like you know, garbage game, lete,
farce of a freaking football game. Embarrassment anyway, Sorry.
Speaker 3 (12:43):
Wow, I never's been What bothers you more of that?
Or the fact that Russell Wilson has made nine Pro
Bowls in his career or whatever it is?
Speaker 2 (12:52):
Oh my god, I need to see a therapist because
I'll get I'll my hard drive will get uh frozen
if if I try and contemplate an answer to that one.
But by three three last year in Lumen, right, then
this year down in so Far, and then this year
in Lumen three rounds and the first one, if you're
(13:14):
if not talking about the teams, the first one goes
to Mike McDonald because there were seven three and outs
by the Rams. This is what we're talking about a
year ago, and they only scored thirteen points in regulation.
Remember that was the one hundred and six yard pick
six by Gino. Then the second one this year also
(13:34):
went to Mike McDonald because the Rams had their lowest
yardage output of the entire season against the Seahawks, Sam
Donald excuse me, Stafford only had one hundred and thirty yards.
So after two games it was McDonald two and McVay zero.
(13:55):
I said it was a ten point must you get it?
Was like, I get it, Yes, I get it. But
night McVeigh. McVeigh won it. Even though the Rams lost it.
It makes sense, you know. So it's it's fun to
watch and I can't wait for the next adjustment.
Speaker 3 (14:11):
Well, I think we got to come back and spend
some time on the backwards pass that was Zach Charbonay.
Speaker 2 (14:18):
Your take on well, I I mean, my god, I mean.
Speaker 3 (14:21):
I didn't even know what the hell was going on,
to be honest with you, I don't think anybody else
did either, including Charbonay. By the way, all right, so
we'll come back and talk about that because that is
going to be you know here. I don't know if
you believe in like destiny and karma and things like that.
But after not scoring a touchdown against the Colts a
week ago, and then after what happened last night, down
(14:41):
sixteen points in the fourth quarter and Zach Scharburnay just
picking up that football just to give it to a
referee and it turns out to be worth two points.
That was obviously imperative for them. It's it's it's easy
to wonder if there's a bigger plan for this football
team this season. All right, we're gonna break more with
you next on ninety three three KJRFM.
Speaker 1 (15:13):
Now back to Football Friday sponsored by Tito's Handmade Vodka
on your Home for the NFL Sports Radio ninety three
five tree r FL.
Speaker 3 (15:28):
Alright, Football Friday sponsored by Tito's Handmade Vodka, proud sponsor
the Seahawks is stilled in bottle by Fifth Generation Incorporated, Austin, Texas,
forty alcohol by volume Saver Responsibly. There is a wrapped
bottle underneath the Christmas tree at my house right now.
I'm pretty sure it's a gallon of Tito's, by the way,
(15:50):
so I might just have to crack that sucker open
when I got home tonight.
Speaker 2 (15:53):
Man Hugh Millen rejoined us on the radio program. So
before we get to to Knika now no no, no,
no no.
Speaker 3 (16:03):
Before we get to your thoughts on the two point
conversion the backwards bass I was picked up by Zach Sharbonney.
I want to hear Mike McDonald's thoughts on that play
last night that obviously tied the game at thirty thirty.
Speaker 2 (16:18):
The head end up playing by sharbon incredible pick ever,
every lose ball just simple. You see anything quite like that?
I have not as a ball's going backwards. What was
the process on that for deciding to actually have the replay,
for asking for the replay and realizing that maybe it
was a lateral. Well, just to my knowledge, everything's reviewable
on a two points. So at what point did you
(16:40):
realize that your staff realized that was mackword who that
was in play?
Speaker 3 (16:43):
Yeah, honestly, they just they said they were looking at
it and then so then we started to look at
whether it was a backward or not.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
We didn't.
Speaker 3 (16:50):
We didn't notice it.
Speaker 2 (16:51):
In real time.
Speaker 3 (16:52):
So that's the thing is that nobody noticed it, not
even Zach Sharbonnay and I love Zach Sharboney, Well I
don't love him, I like him. But the idea that
we got to give Zach Charboney credit for being you know,
heads up play by Zach Sharbonay.
Speaker 2 (17:06):
I mean, dude, yeah he was. He was picking up
the ball to give it to the official. Okay, I
totally agree. I was thinking that earlier. The guy just
being courteous. It was like holding a door open when
when you get the Starbucks, you know you see a
woman coming. Oh, just waiting a couple of seconds. Yeah,
he was just being polite. That's just just nailed it.
Speaker 3 (17:27):
And thank god because if Jack Charboney, if Zack Charboney
was an a hole and didn't give it to him
and wanted to make the old man bend over and
get the ball, the Seahawks don't win the game. But
you're joking, but you're right, like Zack Charboney's giving blankets
to the homeless, and we just won a football game because.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
Of it, exactly exactly.
Speaker 3 (17:46):
So you talked me through because what I saw, uh
live did not register in my brain whatsoever. And then
you go back and you watch the overhead shot that
Amazon show and it was a clear backwards past.
Speaker 2 (18:03):
Yes, I mean, if you're expecting me to come off
like I'm some Johnny football and I was like it
was a backward bath. Get No, No, I didn't. I didn't.
I didn't recognize that as a potential. I was just
as asleep at the wheel as everybody else. I don't.
I hope I would have been as considered as as
Zach Sharberonnay, But I couldn't say for sure. I would
(18:25):
be like, I don't. I got nothing for you, Dave.
I'll just say this, it's extraordinarily rare. We know that
it's lucky as hell. I mean that if that ball,
think of about you gotta you gotta a spheroid ball,
you know, hitting a sphere helmet, right, and like think
(18:46):
of all the angles of how that ball could have
bounced off of a helmet. And it's just anybody who
says that wasn't luck, come on, come on, that was
pure blind football gods, thank you. How about this? How
about this?
Speaker 3 (19:02):
How about if Zach Charbonne had walked over to the
ball thinking the play was dead and like frustration and
just like kicked it whatever, yeah and I'm done kick it.
And nobody in that in that moment would have even
batted and high if Zach Charbonne had done that.
Speaker 2 (19:17):
But you know what's cool. Is it just adds to
the legend of this game. This is you know, the
term instant classic applies. This is you know, we'll be
talking about this five ten, you know some people, you know,
twenty years from now. I mean that that is one
of the most remarkable games in Seahawk history. I mean,
I would just ask you what's more remarkable. You can say, well,
(19:39):
the NFC Championship overcoming five picks right right, they're from candidates. Look,
the stakes weren't the highest Seattle or anybody else's, you know,
as ever played. I get that stake stakes are pretty high.
And and think of think of the odds. If you
just say, I got to look them up. I could
look up down to the decimal point. What what the
(19:59):
the two point con rate is? Let's just say it's
fifty to fifty, Okay, you know, just the idea that
when you're down sixteen, you got to get two touchdowns
and to two point conversions. Right, you're you're there's only
a twenty If it's fifty to fifty, you only got
a twenty five percent chance of getting two, you know,
let alone all the other I mean, you just you start,
(20:20):
you know, compounding these probabilities in it, and that's where
you get your one point four percent. I think it's
less than that because that wise that you know, one
out of you know eighty, you know eighty or whatever
it is. Uh, situations like that you could actually win.
I don't feel like you come back and win one
out eighty.
Speaker 3 (20:37):
Those Well, I'm looking at the box score from last night,
and again, I know you kind of talked about this
last segment about how McVeigh was just whipping McDonald and
I'm just thinking, you know, talked in the pregium about this,
and man, I got I don't know if Devonte Adam
Adams being out is going to be that big of
a deal for the Rams. And they scored thirty seven
points on one of the best defenses in the NFL
without the guy, for God's sakes, But it is frustrating,
(21:01):
Hugh when you see a guy like Devontae Adams out
of the game and Pukin Nakua is still running wild
on your defense. Twelve catches, two hundred and twenty five
yards and a couple of touchdowns on sixteen targets. I
mean you kind of hinted it why that was last segment,
but does Mike McDonald go back to the film room
(21:22):
today and ask himself, how does my defense allow Pukainakua
to be that productive with Devontae Adams standing on the sideline.
Speaker 2 (21:32):
I don't think he wonders. I don't think it's a
mystery to him. I think that what the Rams did
is they they showed you. They just held up the
mirror and they showed you where you are at this
juncture with how to handle an elite offense, and it's
not good enough. And I think Mike McDonald, by his nature,
if you can't tell the last couple of years, I
(21:52):
love the guy. I mean I'm I'm as in the
bag for Mike McDonald as I could possibly be. But
that doesn't mean I think he's perfect. I'm in the
bag for Tom Brady, but Tom Brady threw interceptions. I mean,
he this this was a bad game for Mike McDonald.
I think that he is self aware and egoists enough
to realize it. And what I love about one of
(22:13):
the things I really like about the guy is that
that he can make those adjustments like he did after
the Buffalo game, like he did after Tampa. I don't expect,
you know, that that thirteen personnel. You know, they they
tried that down in so far they only had two
point seven yards per tempt yesterday. They just they just
creased him. And Seattle did have a lot of injuries
(22:36):
with the second like three different guys heard in the
secondary at some point, right, Eamon Worry and Riek Wollen
And who's the other one? Did we have one other
injury in the secondary? Oh yeah, there were three of them.
It was Kobe Bryant got hurt, right, yeah. So and
and here's another thing now that this is this is
kind of a strange topic to bring up in this market,
(23:01):
But I'll just be candid with you. I don't have
evidence to support any assertion, so I'm not going to
assert anything. This is just me wondering, is what is
the thing that you hear with Mike mcconnalllly says their
emphasis that he uses components, that these things that are
(23:21):
vital to his his defense. And haven't you heard him
use the word communication tons right? Doesn't We can find
a lot of sound bites if we went back and
hunted of communication communication communication. Is it possible that that
the twelves in some you know, unintended way created a
(23:44):
little bit of problem with their communication. I don't, I can't.
I can't make that claim. All I can tell you
is that makes me wonder. You know, look at how
good they are on the road defensively, right, So you
just it was loud as hell on there last night.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
Ude.
Speaker 2 (24:00):
Yeah. When I see Kobe Bryant and and Witherspoon, you know,
failing to pass off on a pretty routine uh, you know,
down the field switch concept and Witherspoon's turn into three sixty,
I'm like, what that's not that's we got to get
a nickname for this defense. But the Dark Lost said,
(24:21):
it's the the dark Side is totally fine.
Speaker 3 (24:24):
I mean I kind of threw out the baby boomers,
you know, Uh, first you had the LB and now
you have the babies of the l B, the baby.
Speaker 2 (24:31):
Boomers, I mean you know, are you baby boomers? Yes?
Speaker 3 (24:35):
Or instead of LB, it's the s obs, the sons
of Boom, right. I mean that that works as well.
Speaker 2 (24:40):
So you better run that by long.
Speaker 3 (24:42):
Yeah, But if he wants the dark Side, I'm totally
cool with that. It's a little too raider ish for me,
a little bit. The dark Side, right, just because the
whole you know, Star Wars Vader thing down there and
in Vegas and with the Raiders.
Speaker 2 (24:54):
But yeah, of course you would.
Speaker 3 (24:55):
You've seen millions of photos of Darth Vader at Raider
games over the years.
Speaker 2 (24:59):
Come on, we'll get a break.
Speaker 3 (25:00):
Yeah, we're gonna break, all right, little text amonials here
next uh five o'clock hour, brought to you by Duke's Restaurants.
Lindsey Theory from ESPN will join us to run five
point forty five as well for a RAMS perspective on
this game, Little fun with audio at five point thirty.
All coming up on ninety three three kJ RFM
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