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January 6, 2026 36 mins

In the third hour, Dave Softy Mahler and Dick Fain chat with Jon Wilner about the CFP final four, bowl rotations, and TV ratings, then look at the NFC playoff foes Seattle could face before Grant Cohn from San Francisco joins them to revisit the win over the 49ers.

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Episode Transcript

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Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's time for a weekly Pac twelve conversation with Senos
Mercury News reporter John Wilner, brought to you by Simply Seattle.
Our friends at simply Seattle dot com have the most
amazing collection of all things Seattle Seahawks gear UW. Hatson
the largest selection of Sonics gear anywhere in the world.
Learn more at simply Seattle dot com.

Speaker 2 (00:20):
Dick, would you say? John Wilner's record is now predicting
games on the.

Speaker 3 (00:23):
Year is a scorching thirteen and.

Speaker 2 (00:25):
Five thirteen and five, John, I gotta be totally honest
with you.

Speaker 3 (00:30):
I think you're a good writer.

Speaker 2 (00:32):
I think you're an excellent prognosticator, and I don't know
what the hell you're doing in this business when you
should be a handicapper making millions of dollars a week?

Speaker 3 (00:41):
Are you kidding me? Man?

Speaker 2 (00:43):
Thirteen and five? After you nailed Oregon a week ago.
So we'll get your wind Galorian pick hit a second
from now. But John Wilner is with us here courtesy
of our friends at simply Seattle.

Speaker 3 (00:54):
How are you?

Speaker 4 (00:54):
Man? Thanks?

Speaker 5 (00:57):
We'll see if you guys are saying that next year
when I'm five and thirteen.

Speaker 2 (01:00):
Yeah, Yeah, Well, you got to commit to the bit
right and you've been You've been amazing. So if you
commit and you're right every week, you're gonna come out
on top overall. Well, let's let's start by talking about
what we're about to see on Thursday and Friday, Miami
Ole miss Oregon Indiana.

Speaker 3 (01:15):
Let's start with Oregon Indiana.

Speaker 2 (01:17):
Obviously that's the game that we're most concerned about here
in Seattle. I told Dick and Jackson on the air
that maybe it's because of the Seahawk run.

Speaker 3 (01:24):
I have no idea.

Speaker 2 (01:24):
I don't have as much angst this year about Oregon
winning a title as I did.

Speaker 3 (01:29):
A year ago.

Speaker 2 (01:30):
And I guess the question is, should I have as
much angst as I did last year?

Speaker 4 (01:34):
You know, I don't know.

Speaker 5 (01:36):
The whole vibe is different with because of the makeup
of the final four and not having the traditional blue bloods,
you know, I think that maybe that affects how people
are looking at it potentially. I mean, only only Miami's
ever won a national title in the poll ap Pole era.

(01:57):
Of the four teams, it just it paints everything in
a different picture in my and I think it's a
good picture to be honest with you, the sport has
needed to get some new blood, you know, in the
late rounds of its playoffs. So to me, it's good.
I think Oregon's got a really good chance. I think
the winner of the Indiana Oregon game will be favored in.

Speaker 4 (02:18):
The championship game.

Speaker 5 (02:20):
I am curious because I think Oregon fans would love
to see them play Miami and play Mario, so that,
to me, that's a little bit intriguing.

Speaker 6 (02:30):
But it's kind of a crapshoot with all four here.

Speaker 7 (02:33):
How much does home field advantage from Miami in the
National Championship matter if they go? I mean, would that
tip the scales as far as favorites or underdogs between
Let's say, yes, Indiana wins, they're going to be the favorites.
But if you still think Oregon will be favored at
Miami if Miami wins, I.

Speaker 5 (02:50):
Do because Oregon will have beaten Indiana, the team that
just beat Alabama and Ohio State. And I don't know
that you know Missippi as much as they got going
for him, and they're kind of the best story because
of the Kiffen thing and because their starting quarterback was
playing Division two a year ago. But they don't have

(03:12):
the same clout I think in the public's mind, and
so I don't know how much that would do for Miami,
especially if it's a close game. I think Indiana Oregon
winner is favored, and it might not be by much
maybe a point or two for the Ducks, yeh, but
I would bet they would be well.

Speaker 3 (03:28):
They rollas well.

Speaker 2 (03:28):
Got twenty five million people to watch that game is
the most watched college football playoff game since Michigan's went
over UB in twenty twenty four when they drew twenty five.
Was twenty four point nine to twenty five million, by
the way, so they barely got him in that game
a couple of years ago. But I guess the question
is why are ratings so good? Because all I hear

(03:49):
from people is critics ripping college football for the portal,
nil the ball games, blah blah blah. Why is there
so much criticism on the outside, but on the inside
quietly people are tuning in to watch all these games.

Speaker 5 (04:09):
Well, I think that if you notice, ratings are up
everywhere for every sport.

Speaker 3 (04:14):
NBA ratings are.

Speaker 5 (04:15):
Up, NFL way up, And a big part of it
is that Nielsen has changed how they measure audience. They
now are able to capture the out of home. They
also have this new thing they do called big data,
and so what's happening is they are capturing people that
weren't included in the ratings data before. So every everything

(04:37):
is pretty much up across the board.

Speaker 6 (04:39):
College football also is part of that.

Speaker 5 (04:41):
There's no doubt. I think people like the playoff. I mean,
the Rose Bowl is a lot in a lot of
ways its own entity, right, People set even though it
started an hour earlier this year, people set their New
Year's Day, you know, they're scheduled by the Rose Bowl.
And it's a great time. And you had all of
Obama in it and this undefeated Indiana team, so it

(05:03):
was set.

Speaker 6 (05:04):
Up very well.

Speaker 4 (05:04):
But the Rose Bowl always does well.

Speaker 5 (05:06):
I mean, it's almost immune to other secular trends in viewership.
But the way Nielsen is doing it has elevated the
ratings for all sports.

Speaker 3 (05:18):
How much do you think gambling is helping the numbers? Honestly?

Speaker 5 (05:22):
Oh a ton a ton. I mean, especially the NFL,
but you know it certainly has helped college football. Football
is such an easy sport to bet on. I think
it's helped that more than maybe it has MLB for instance,
But yeah, I mean it's a big part of it.
There's no doubt about that.

Speaker 3 (05:40):
And the Rose Bull got great ratings.

Speaker 7 (05:42):
And yet I was still a little disappointed that it's
a quarterfinal game.

Speaker 3 (05:46):
John. I know your plan.

Speaker 7 (05:47):
I love it that the Rose Bowls should be the
national championship on January first, but sort of that can
we at least get the Rose Bowl out of the
quarter final circulation and at least make it a final
four game every year?

Speaker 5 (06:02):
So there's six bowls, right, the CFPS tied to the Rose, Sugar, Orange, Cotton,
Fiesta and Peach And there's four quarterfinal games, two semi
final games, six games, six bowls.

Speaker 6 (06:16):
There is, you know, in theory of rotation.

Speaker 4 (06:20):
The issue though, is the Rose Bull wants to be
on January first.

Speaker 6 (06:24):
They care more.

Speaker 5 (06:25):
About being on January first than they do care about
being a semi final game. They'd rather be quarterfinals on
the first than a semifinal on January Thursday January eighth,
for instance. They want the holiday spot.

Speaker 4 (06:39):
So I don't.

Speaker 5 (06:41):
The only way I think think we can get your
plan into action, and I'm all for it, is if
the semi finals are on January first, which requires moving
everything up.

Speaker 2 (06:53):
John Waters with US thirteen and five on the air
after kneeling Oregon shut out of Texas Tech by the way,
so we've got to pick from him coming up before
he takes off here in a second courtesy of simply
Seattle dot com. John Dickon Jackson and I were having
a little bit of a debate early on the show
about who's got a better chance to make the playoff
and who's got a better chance to win the playoff

(07:14):
down the road over the next maybe I don't know,
ten to fifteen years consistently, Washington State in the new
look PAC twelve or you dubbin the Big Big ten.
There's two different questions there, winning it and getting in.
How do you kind of maybe answer that question.

Speaker 5 (07:30):
Well, I mean winning a game in the playoff, winning
the championship, or get winning the whole thing versus getting in, right,
I mean, Washington State's got no chance to win the championship,
thank you. I mean that's yeah, that's not really a question.

Speaker 4 (07:47):
In my mind.

Speaker 5 (07:48):
So part of my answer depends on what we're presuming
the playoff is going to be in terms of the numbers,
the size of the playoff and the access if they
go to sixteen, you know, I think that Washington would
probably have a better chance on a year and a
year out basis of getting in than Washington State. If

(08:09):
they go to twenty four it'll be interesting because they're
probably going.

Speaker 6 (08:13):
To have two spots for the group.

Speaker 5 (08:15):
Of five in a twenty fourteen playoff, So that would
in theory help the Pac twelve champ a lot. How
much of a chance, you know, Washington State would obviously
have to win the Pac twelve, whereas the Huskies could
finish you know, fourth or fifth in the Big ten
and have a decent chance in the sixteen or twenty
fourteen field.

Speaker 6 (08:35):
How will Washington State.

Speaker 5 (08:36):
Fair against San Diego State, Boise and any of those
other teams?

Speaker 4 (08:41):
Pretty pretty well?

Speaker 5 (08:43):
I think if it's sixteen, which is what I expect
for next year, then then Washington has a better chance
to get in.

Speaker 7 (08:50):
John, did we declare the death of the Bowl games
too early? These other Bowl games? Because as you mentioned
that the ratings are out of this world, and so
these Bowl games with these seven and five teams playing
six and six teams, people are watching. So does that
mean that they're just gonna keep continue.

Speaker 5 (09:08):
They will continue now expanding this the playoffs of sixteen
will obviously hurt the balls a little. Going to twenty
four is a big issue, uh and probably would result
in uh some of the what is it four thirty
nine or forty games, bowl games vanishing, But overall they're
gonna stay because it's good business for ESPN.

Speaker 4 (09:31):
Like you said, the Pop.

Speaker 5 (09:32):
Tart Bowl drew eight point seven million, which would have
been like top ten audience for a regular season game
this year.

Speaker 6 (09:43):
It's great for me.

Speaker 3 (09:44):
What else is.

Speaker 5 (09:44):
ESPN gonna put on at you know, nine o'clock Eastern
on December twenty seventh, a Tuesday.

Speaker 6 (09:51):
It's gonna outdraw football.

Speaker 5 (09:53):
There's nothing so in that regard, They're not gonna go away.
They may get downscaled depending on the playof the playoff
has We should do a whole segment on this. The
playoff has such incredible implications for the entire sport, the
bowl system, the conference championship games, the transfer portal signing day,

(10:14):
the regular season schedule. The playoff has an implication for
all that usc Notre Dame series was impacted by the playoff.
It's just a behemoth and it's going to only get bigger.

Speaker 2 (10:25):
Well, John Wilders with us and John Befriget to the
Semis this weekend. I know you were on last week
right with Dick and here you guys talk about the
Kyle Whittingham thing last week.

Speaker 3 (10:32):
Obviously what happened at Utah? Why is he gone?

Speaker 5 (10:38):
I think that a lot of folks at Utah felt
like we don't want to get and by that I
mean the president because a lot of people have been
pointing a finger at the athletic director, Mark Harland.

Speaker 4 (10:48):
And if you think that Mark Harland.

Speaker 5 (10:49):
Decided Kyle Woodingham's fade at Utah, you're wrong. The president
was heavily involved. So we're major donors, and there was
It was two things. One, they didn't want to get
in a position where every year they were waiting on
winning him to decide is he gonna stay ors he's
gonna go. They didn't want that purgatory. And the other

(11:10):
piece is they worried about losing Morgan Scalley, who they
really think long time defensive coordinator there coaching waiting. They
really think he's going to be a dynamite coach for them,
and they were worried that if wood he had kept
going for another then another year and another year that
scale was gonna leave. I kind of think it's a
win win win. It's a win for Utah, it's a

(11:33):
win for winning him, and it's certainly a win for Michigan.
Sometimes you got to just kind of let go. Even
being a year early is better to be in a
year late.

Speaker 7 (11:41):
John, the Big Ten schedule last year came out in December. Well,
we've gotten past December, and I still don't know when
I'm gonna take the family down on the old trucks
or trucktor to Oddson Stadium.

Speaker 3 (11:53):
So when are we going?

Speaker 5 (11:54):
Well, I've actually been trying to figure out that very
question because I'm planning on I've got a couple of
articles planned based on that schedule.

Speaker 4 (12:05):
Yes, it was originally.

Speaker 5 (12:06):
Schools were told it was going to be released second
week of December. I think delayed, certainly. I don't think
coming out this week.

Speaker 6 (12:13):
Why would you do it?

Speaker 5 (12:14):
If you're the Big Ten with two of your teams
playing in the playoff, you don't want to take the
focus away from that. My guess is at this point
it could very well be after the championship game, maybe
next week. If not, then after the championship game. There
is a part reason for the delay is there is

(12:35):
certainly some debate about how the Big Ten has gone
about scheduling the West Coast schools. As I'm sure you
guys are aware, not thrilled with how things have gone.
There's some complications with Ohio State Michigan plan on Fridays
or High State Michigan.

Speaker 4 (12:50):
Playing at night in November.

Speaker 5 (12:52):
Very complicated situation, partly because of eighteen teams across four
time zones.

Speaker 4 (12:58):
But my guess is if not than the week after.

Speaker 2 (13:01):
Yeah, well, we know the Apple Cups the first game
of the year and the Organ Game is the last
game of the year. We just don't know what night
the Organ Game is going to be on. Could be
on a Friday, could be on a Saturday. But it's
funny when you mentioned they didn't want to take away
from the semi final. I mean, when they announced the
schedule last year, it was like here it is. There
was no build up to it whatsoever. I mean, what
the hell would the semi final be worried about with
the Big Ten releasing their football schedule? I mean, is

(13:24):
that really a thing that the CFP is concerned about?
The Big Ten schedule distracting from people watching the semis.

Speaker 5 (13:33):
No, I think it's more that the Big ten doesn't
want to take away any spotlight away from Oregon in
Indiana this week. Yeah is my gas. That's my gas.
I don't know that for sure, but yeah, that's you know.
And if you're Oregon in Indiana, you certainly don't want
you want the everything the conference is doing to be
focused on you, And that's the way they should do it,

(13:57):
to be honest, that's and I'll tell you what the
s if in a situation similar situation they would be
all in on their teams, they would and with the
schedule they would delay at the SEC does a great
job focusing on its product, a better job than the
Big ten does.

Speaker 7 (14:12):
To be honest, well, the SEC should schedule for this
week to take the focus off the failure that they've
been in the bull season. So is the SEC failure
a fluke or a sign of things to come here
in this new nil world?

Speaker 5 (14:25):
I mean, I think it's it's a continuation of what
we've seen, which is that basically LSU, Alabama and Georgia
cannot stockpile the talent that they once did because of
the portal because of revenue sharing an nil also the
low I mean, the greatest coach of all time retired,
let's not you know that that's certainly had to impact that.

Speaker 4 (14:46):
Dobors a really.

Speaker 5 (14:47):
Good coach, but he's not Nick Saban, So you know,
it's definitely evened out.

Speaker 4 (14:54):
There's more teams.

Speaker 5 (14:55):
It used to be what six or eight teams every
year had a real chance to win the title. And
now it's obviously more than that because look at who's
in the final four and look at the Indiana.

Speaker 6 (15:05):
But I still think the SEC.

Speaker 5 (15:07):
It's not as dominant as it once was. I do
think the SEC is you know, has a little bit
more meat for sixteen team league than the Big ten
does for eighteen. But yeah, it's it's a whole new
world and it's great.

Speaker 4 (15:23):
I think it's getting more.

Speaker 5 (15:25):
It's getting fan bases involved at one't before, and I
think that's good for the sport.

Speaker 2 (15:29):
All right, thirteen and five on the air. Time to
make it fourteen and five, I need one pick for
one of the games this week Miami Ole, Miss Oregon,
Indiana and both three and a half point spreads for
the Hurricanes and the Hoosiers to get to fourteen and five, John,
who do you like this week?

Speaker 8 (15:48):
Yeah?

Speaker 5 (15:48):
Well, I probably would have thought about taking Oregon, except
that I was at the Oregon Indiana game and it
was just a you know.

Speaker 4 (15:55):
Truck stop stomping.

Speaker 5 (15:58):
That was actually the day after of the Washington Rutgers
Friday night game with the Mariners twenty seven. In game,
I will take Miami and give.

Speaker 6 (16:09):
What I think is three or four points.

Speaker 4 (16:11):
I think that.

Speaker 8 (16:13):
I mean.

Speaker 4 (16:13):
Now, Okay, Miami's.

Speaker 6 (16:14):
Past rush is just too good.

Speaker 5 (16:16):
Those guys are NFL ready edge rushers, and Miami is
like we're talking about SEC teams. Miami is on the
lines of scrimmage as as good as an.

Speaker 4 (16:28):
Elite SEC team. Don't be fooled by the acc affiliation.

Speaker 2 (16:32):
So I will take the Canes, all right, Miami minus
three and a half. And by the way, if you
think Mark James is unsufferable, now wait until they play
for the National championship. How about Oregon beats Indiana and
loses to Mario Christobaul in the National title game? How
painful would that be for them to lose to their
former coach?

Speaker 1 (16:51):
Oh?

Speaker 5 (16:52):
Yeah, I mean that's a huge issue for Oregon fans.
They are still frustrated with Mario for the way he
left and for how that season ended, and they are
dying to get a shot at him. And if they lose, boy,
that would be I mean, man, that would be a long,
difficult pill for them to swallow.

Speaker 3 (17:11):
Yeah, well, I almost want to see it happen.

Speaker 2 (17:13):
I almost want to see Oregon play for the title
just so they can lose to Mario Christaball and then
whine about it for nine months.

Speaker 3 (17:18):
All right, Sean, great stuff. We're talking a week bddy.

Speaker 6 (17:21):
Thanks man, Thanks a lot, guys.

Speaker 3 (17:23):
All right.

Speaker 2 (17:23):
John Wilner with US likes the Hurricanes minus the three
and a half over Ole miss on Thursday, and then
Oregon Indiana obviously play on Friday. We're gonna break cracking
hockey against the Bruins. We haven't done our cracking Tuesday
ticket giveaway yet. For this hour could happen anytime. Tenth
collar when you hear the sounder called two eight six
ninety five ninety five wins a pair of seats for

(17:44):
the Islanders game on January twenty first, keep listening right
here on ninety three three kjarfl.

Speaker 9 (17:49):
This is Duke of Duke Seafood, and this hour is
brought to you by Duke Seafood. Why don't you make
it a Duke's night tonight. Reserve your table today at
dukeseafood dot com. Now back to Atian Dick on Sports
Radio ninety three point three KJR FM.

Speaker 2 (18:04):
Jackson, how long have you been in this business for?
By the way, I was an intern in twenty twelve
and fourteen years.

Speaker 3 (18:10):
Okay, Dick? How many years for you now? Total? She'll
be thirtieth thirty and I'm thirty two.

Speaker 2 (18:15):
Okay, so we're talking seventy six years combined, the three
of us seventy six years. I get so annoyed when
people text me during the show, and you probably the
same way.

Speaker 3 (18:25):
Hey, it's my buddy's birthday. Would you give him a
shout out on the radio program? Are you kidding me? Jackson?
Does that ever happen to you? Once? Only once? Okay?

Speaker 2 (18:34):
I don't get like during a Sounder's postgame show or
a pregame show, like my friend Heather McLain shoots me
at textans says, Hey, it's Pete's fiftieth Will you mentioned that?

Speaker 3 (18:43):
No, I will not mention that.

Speaker 2 (18:47):
Pepe will not do it on the air, that it's
Pete McClain's fiftieth birthday.

Speaker 3 (18:51):
I will not say that.

Speaker 2 (18:53):
I will not say that your wife looks like Bo
Derek and you look like a cabbage patch doll. I
will not say that on the air. No, I will
not reference anybody's fiftieth birthday, including Pete McClain.

Speaker 3 (19:04):
So stop asking did.

Speaker 7 (19:05):
You just dig yourself with the bow Derek?

Speaker 3 (19:10):
Are you talking about Bo Derek Derek forty years ago?

Speaker 2 (19:12):
You know what, if you're telling me I got a
shot at Bo Derek right now, I might take that dead.

Speaker 3 (19:18):
By the way, is she alive?

Speaker 2 (19:20):
I don't think she's I don't know if she's alive, Dick,
you might want to double check dead, dead or alive
Bo Derek. Bo Derek is alive and she is sixty
nine has years old.

Speaker 3 (19:30):
I thought she would be close to eat.

Speaker 2 (19:32):
If that's Bo Dereck right now that I'm in Okay,
If that picture that I'm seeing right now is a
Bo Derek today, you can sign my formerly fat ass up.

Speaker 3 (19:41):
I will take that.

Speaker 2 (19:42):
So No, I will not freaking mention that today is
Pete McClain's fiftieth birthday. Stop freaking asking me to mention
the names of random people and their stupid ass birthdays
on the radio station.

Speaker 3 (19:53):
Knock it off, all right, Greg, just get more Now.

Speaker 2 (19:55):
Greg Cone's gonna join us next segment on the program
from the four nine Ers Media Corps, we'll get his
thoughts on how much they're hoping for a rematch against
the Seahawks.

Speaker 3 (20:05):
Man, So, I don't know.

Speaker 2 (20:06):
I mean, we talk about the Rams kind of being
the kryptonite for the Seahawks a little bit, although Sam
Darnold had six interceptions and they came with a sixty
one yard field goal of beating them two times in
the regular season, isn't there a part of the Rams
that might not want anything to do with the Seahawks
on the on the other side, that if they played

(20:29):
much better football then they did. For let's face it,
seven quarters against the Rams they were terrible, right, the
four quarters for the most part down there, at least offensively,
and then three quarters in Seattle in the overtime game
on Thursday night, they were not very good. So do
you think the La Ram fans and the La Ram

(20:49):
players themselves believe that they're going to get the same
Seahawks team that they saw in the first two games
in the playoff game.

Speaker 7 (20:57):
I think both teams feel exactly the same, that they
feel intensely confident that they can beat the other team. However,
in an honest moment, I don't think either team I
think they would be the last on the list of
NFC teams they would like to face.

Speaker 3 (21:14):
I think the Seahawks will be the.

Speaker 7 (21:15):
Last on the Rams list, and the Rams will be
the last on the Seahawks list, because I feel they
are clearly the two best teams in the conference.

Speaker 10 (21:24):
But I do think that I think RAM fans are
more confident that they can beat the Seahawks than Seahawks
fans are confident that we can beat the Rams. And
I think there's a couple reasons why. A it took
a big comeback for us to beat them in overtime
and all the wildness, two point conversion sharpening, all that right,
and then also there's a lot of revenge factor in

(21:44):
there of you guys ended our chances for the one
seed and took away our West with that crazy comeback.
I think, honestly, I think that two point game way
back in LA which feels like six months ago, I
think that's so far in the rearview mirror that it's
just overshadowed by the I think the Seahawks are a
better are more.

Speaker 3 (22:03):
Let me just try to make this mix sense, which
I know for me gets really hard. I think the.

Speaker 2 (22:07):
Seahawks are more of a better team than they were
then than the Rams are now. I think the Hawks
have gotten better since that game, and I think the
first game in La. Yeah, And I think there's a
chance the Rams have gotten worse since then. I just
wonder what that game in Seattle did to LA. I mean,

(22:27):
both teams obviously respect each other. This isn't like an
Oklahoma Boise State Fiesta bawl where the suitors show up
and just think they can walk right through Boise State
and then get surprised by anybody. But I don't know, man,
the mentality of the athlete. I think as fans, yeah,
I think all three of us would agree with that
that that's the one team that you don't want to
see unless you have to. But I also wonder the

(22:50):
mentality of a player. You know, they might be sitting
there behind closed doors saying, bring these sons of bees on,
we want to beat them again. Like, can you ever
imagine Richard Sherman saying I don't want to play those guys.
They scare me. They never they would absolutely have one
of the Niners right in the NFC Championship. And I'm
telling you, Dick, there are players in that Seahawks locker

(23:11):
room that probably hear how lucky they are to beat
the Rams in that second game, and that they look
like ass in the first game offensively, and they won
another crack at those guys with this new look Seahawks,
if you will, to see if they can take them
out the way they took out San Francisco last Saturday.

Speaker 7 (23:30):
Well, the two teams have played one hundred and twenty
seven minutes, because they've played two sixty minute football games
and seven minutes worth of overtime, and the Seahawks have trailed,
or I'll rephrase it, the Rams have led or a
bit has been tied in all but about twelve of
those minutes. So the Seahawks have hardly ever led all

(23:52):
year against the Rams. So I don't know how we
can be confident in saying that the Seahawks will win
a game against the because they've been out played for
a vast majority of the nine quarters they've played against.

Speaker 3 (24:05):
I'm not confident at all.

Speaker 2 (24:07):
I'm just telling you from a player's perspective, I think
there's an arrogance. There's a cockiness that comes along with
being an NFL athlete, and they may want to bring
those guys back here and whip their ass at home
and say, you know what, the crowd's going to be
jew stup. I mean context matters, right, Like a lot
of people want to discount the Seahawk win against the
Niners because the offense only scored thirteen points. Well, they
also missed two field goals and they had first and

(24:27):
goal at the one. That's thirteen points they left out there.
If it's twenty six to three versus thirteen to three,
I think people feel a little differently about it. But
you know what, from the Niners perspective, they may have
looked terrible the week before on defense, but guess what,
they had the number one seed right there. They were
playing for the number one seed at home on Saturday
night in front of a crazy crowd at Levi Stadium.

(24:49):
They were probably a little bit more juiced up than
they were for that game against Chicago. And I know
they were jews stup because that was a big game.
Two forty two points against Yes, yes, so I mean
I was. I don't know what you guys felt. I
was more impressed by the defense than I was concerned
about the.

Speaker 3 (25:05):
Offense last Saturday Saturday.

Speaker 7 (25:07):
Yes, yes, oh absolutely, I wasn't that concerned about the
offense because the play calling just screamed, we're just gonna
go home with a win. We don't we don't care
about any style points in this game at all. We're
gonna let the defense win it, and our offense isn't
gonna make mistake.

Speaker 2 (25:24):
I don't think people realize how much they whip their ass. Honestly,
they have the ball for thirty eight minutes, guys, those
three field goals or excuse me, those three drives that
led to no points to two missfield goals and the
first and goal from the one. They have the ball
for twenty minutes. We said that yesterday they for one
third of the game. Those three drives took up one

(25:44):
third of the game.

Speaker 10 (25:45):
You know what's interesting is we look at we talked
about how much we fear the Rams. Can we also
flip it and say how much we don't fear anybody else?
Like you look at the other five teams we could face.
I don't you look at the NFC playoff fields over
the last let's just five years whatever, and look at
all the every team in there, and I would probably

(26:08):
fear more than half of them more than I fear
the entirety of this field. Other than the Rams, I
mean the Bears, the Eagles that run a high school offense,
the Packers that have been terrible all year with or
without Jordan Love, the Niners that are trash. I mean,
like like, I think we whoop every single team other

(26:28):
than the Rams.

Speaker 3 (26:29):
I think Dog jakeson Doctor Jackson.

Speaker 7 (26:32):
I mean, anybody except for the Eagles can't throw Yeah,
they literally can't throw the football off. And you've seen
what the Seahawks just did to Christian McCaffrey.

Speaker 2 (26:44):
Just do me a favor, do me a favor, exactly,
do not podcast this segment.

Speaker 3 (26:49):
We gotta break. Cohen's going to join next on ninety
three to three kJ R f M.

Speaker 9 (26:53):
This is Duke of duke Seafood in This hour is
brought to you by Duke's Seafood. Why don't you make
it a Duke's Night tonight. Reserve your table today at
dukeseafood dot com now back to Softy and Dim on
Sports Radio ninety three point three KJR FM.

Speaker 3 (27:08):
This is only a one score game. Quick one out
to Kenneth Walker, I mean wide.

Speaker 7 (27:13):
Right thirty thirty five, breaks a tackle, spins out for
the first down, he converts on third at seventeen forty nine.

Speaker 2 (27:21):
Ers get out leverage and linebackers get blown up.

Speaker 3 (27:24):
Tatum Bethoon very very late. Wallow is late to the party.
That is an absolute killer. Alady.

Speaker 2 (27:32):
Forty second annual to com RV show, brought to you
by BCU and Progressive returns to the te Dome January
twenty second to twenty fifth with more than a dozen
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com for your chance to win tickets and shop where
the price and selection are the best. Uh was I
supposed to say kzok dot com or is this like
a generic piece of what was on the read there?

(27:54):
I should have said ninety three to three JR.

Speaker 3 (27:56):
Just be anchorman, William, I'm nice reds on the paper.

Speaker 2 (27:59):
Enter at us purple dot com win my pair of
tickets for the Tacoma RV.

Speaker 3 (28:05):
I don't want to go to that website.

Speaker 2 (28:07):
Thank you, Well, joining us right now on the radio
program from the Niners on SI. Grant Cohen joining us
right now on the radio program, Grant, Welcome back to
the show.

Speaker 3 (28:18):
How are you man?

Speaker 8 (28:20):
Thank you for that wonderful intro. What was you talking
about that, dude?

Speaker 2 (28:24):
I'm telling you, I'm Ron Bergend. You'll read whatever you're
put in front of my face. Just tell me what
to read and I'll read it for you. Well, let's
talk about what we saw last Saturday. First of all,
it doesn't sound like you were too surprised at the
way the Niners offense performed in that game against the
Seahawks defense.

Speaker 3 (28:40):
But how surprised were you that?

Speaker 2 (28:42):
This was pretty much, let's face it, outside of a
couple of breaks special teams first and goal from the one,
this was a whippin' by the Hawks last Saturday?

Speaker 11 (28:51):
Right, Well, I picked the Hawks to win, but not
like that. I didn't think they were going to hold
the Niners at three points. I don't think anyone thought that.
I mean, I thought that the Niners were gonna be
able to point to their you know, injuries on defense
and use as an excuse and we couldn't stop them.
But really only thirteen points. The defense wasn't good, but
only thirteen points. That's why this loss was so like

(29:11):
sobering and kind of emasculating, because, I mean, three points
with brock perty who's supposed to be the best quarterback
in the league, and Kyle Andy is supposed to be
the best coach in league three points, I mean he
was gonna be the coach of the year. Now it's
Mike McDonald. I couldn't imagine a more heart gut ranching
loss than that.

Speaker 7 (29:30):
Well, Grant, we talked about it before the game, and
you pretty much nail it. And I think that what
gets me about the Niner fans and what I'm hearing
from down there is the whining about the injuries costing
the Niners the game. And I could totally buy that
if this was a twenty three to twenty nail bier
and you know, somebody came off at Trent Williams side

(29:51):
against the backup and got a stripsack to win the Okay,
I get that. How can Niner fans legitimately say that
this was because of the injuries when they watched the
game and their team totally get demolished.

Speaker 8 (30:03):
Well, I think they're taking their cues from their head coach.

Speaker 11 (30:05):
I mean, Kyle Shanahan was kind of in a whiny
mood all week before the game even started.

Speaker 8 (30:09):
He immediately complained about the game being on Saturday.

Speaker 11 (30:12):
Mike McDonald didn't seem to care, but Kyle Shanahan did
because I think he felt that if they had played
on Sunday, they would have had Ricky Pierson on Trent Williams,
which I don't know, maybe maybe not, and even if
you had them, like you probably still would have lost.
But he was kind of whining about it. He feels
like the Niners got screwed, and I think Niner fans
feel the same way, and they're saying, like, well, we
had that one drive at the end, and if it
wasn't intercepted, it would have been a touchdown.

Speaker 8 (30:32):
It would have been a one score game.

Speaker 11 (30:34):
But it was intercepted, you know what I mean, Like,
and you weren't going to stop him on the on
the subsequent drive.

Speaker 3 (30:38):
I love how much you hate the forty nine Ers.
It's awesome, I really do. I love having you on.

Speaker 8 (30:43):
God damn, it's their fans man.

Speaker 2 (30:44):
Yeah, but there's no there's nobody who covers a team
on a regular basis. Who busts their own balls more
than you get after the forty nine ers. It is
unbelievable and I love it. So let me ask you this,
how much are people down there Jones and for a rema?
And if there is a rematch, do you have any
reason to think anything would be different with the Seahawks.

Speaker 8 (31:08):
I don't even they gotta beat the Eagles.

Speaker 11 (31:10):
I don't think they're even that confident they're gonna beat
the Eagles because the Eagles look like the Seahawks, I mean,
and the Niners are worse than they were going to
the Seahawks game.

Speaker 8 (31:17):
They were counting on that bye week.

Speaker 11 (31:19):
Now they lost Tatum Bethune, they're backup middle linebacker, who's
filling in for Fred Warner. They just signed Kazeer White
off the street. They're gonna probably start him and Eric Kendricks.
They can't stop Saquon Barkley. I would be shocked if
they beat Philly.

Speaker 8 (31:31):
But if they.

Speaker 11 (31:32):
Somehow pull off that upset, then yeah, I guess they know.
They don't want to face the Seahawks again. Now they're
all talking about what we were out manned. Why what
do you expect us to do against Seattle. Well, yeah,
you guess you are.

Speaker 8 (31:43):
Yeah.

Speaker 7 (31:43):
I mean I thought they were a live dog against
whoever they faced in the first round of the playoffs
prior to the Seahawks game. But it just seems like
they got beat down physically and emotionally. You mentioned can't
stop Saquon Barkley. Do you think they're gonna play Boll
safeties fifteen yards from the line of scrimmage all day
against the Eagles like they did against the Hawks. What
did you make of the defensive scheme that Robert sala

(32:05):
played against Seattle.

Speaker 8 (32:07):
It was just awful. I mean, I think the world
of him. I think he's a hell of a coach,
but I thought he was awful in this game.

Speaker 11 (32:13):
And I thought he made the choice like I just
don't want to give up any big plays.

Speaker 8 (32:16):
I want to bring this into the red zone and
then I'll do my best stuff there.

Speaker 11 (32:20):
But you just gave up six yards of carry and
you conceded it. And then on third and three, third
and four, you're playing soft zone coverage and conceding first
down catches to Eric Salbert, it just felt like a
smarter game plan would be would be to load the
box and put the game in Donald's hands.

Speaker 8 (32:36):
That's exactly where the Seahawks don't want it. Put it
in Donald's hands, make him make plays, and he didn't
do it. I don't get it.

Speaker 2 (32:41):
Well, Grant Cohen, with us from the Niners media Corps,
covers the team for SI. I gotta tell you, Grant,
if I were a Niner fan, I'd be a little
bit tired of Diamador Leonor running his pie hole. I mean,
Richard Sherman ran his mouth a lot, but he backed
it up every single time he opened up his mouth, he.

Speaker 3 (32:59):
Backed it up up.

Speaker 2 (33:00):
And here comes Diamador Leonore talking about wanting to shadow Jaysn.

Speaker 3 (33:04):
Well, he never does that against anybody.

Speaker 2 (33:06):
Like all of his snaps have been almost exclusively on
the left side at left corner. Are are Niner fans
growing a little tired of how much this guy's chirping
down there at all?

Speaker 11 (33:16):
I mean, I don't think they're tired of the chirping.
I think they wish he would just play better. I mean,
you're supposed to chirp, I guess if you're a number
one cornerback. But they gave him one snap, one on
one against JSN, and he made he committed a penalty
in the end zone and they went away from that
the rest of the game.

Speaker 8 (33:30):
They gave him a big contract. He hasn't made any
plays this year.

Speaker 11 (33:33):
They want him to play better, and I don't think
anyone thought he could match up with JSN man.

Speaker 8 (33:38):
A man anyway.

Speaker 11 (33:38):
I don't even know if he thought he could, but
it was it sounded good. All I want to know
is that he didn't show up in the locker room
the rest of the week. I'm thinking the Niners didn't
want him to say that. Maybe they're getting tired of that.

Speaker 3 (33:47):
Wow. Hang on a second.

Speaker 2 (33:48):
He did not show up in the locker room for
me last week for the for Afrey PopEd his mouth.

Speaker 11 (33:52):
I think he was there after the game, but he
wasn't there Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, when he could have like
followed up and expanded on what he wanted to do
and what he thought he could do. He wasn't there,
And I'm guessing the team told him, hey, why don't
you hang out back here with the media.

Speaker 7 (34:04):
Isn't party Trent Williams, Ricky Piersoll talk about how they're
feeling for this week.

Speaker 11 (34:11):
I mean, I guess I'll have a better feeling tomorrow
when I get there. I'm in the facility, but I
can't imagine that Trent Williams will play. I mean, he's
three hundred and thirty pounds, he's thirty seven years old.

Speaker 8 (34:23):
It's not an ankle injury. This is a hamstring injury.
You could make it way worse. You could tear it.

Speaker 11 (34:27):
So he might want to play, but I don't know
that he physically can. And Ricky Piarsol seems like they
need to shut him down for the year. He's had
the same PCL injuries this week forward. Every time he
hits the grass, he limps off the field, So I
don't know how much he can really help. It just
kind of feels like the Niners. I don't know they're
gonna use the injury excuse and lose. That's kind of
the feeling I get.

Speaker 2 (34:47):
All Right, Well, then you tell us then, from your
unbiased perspective down there in the Bay Area, how far
do you think the Seahawks team goes up?

Speaker 3 (34:54):
Here?

Speaker 8 (34:58):
Man? I think that I think you have the best team
in the league.

Speaker 11 (35:01):
I just it's palpable how much Clint Kubiak and Mike
McDonald don't trust Sam Donald and I wouldn't either. I mean,
when he missed first and goal from the one, you
didn't go to Sharpaonnay and he took a sack like
that's not a quarterback that looks like he's gonna win
a Super Bowl. So I'd be a little surprised. But
I do think you have the best team. It's it's interest.

Speaker 8 (35:18):
What do you guys think.

Speaker 2 (35:20):
I think the fact that they called that pass play
on first and goal from the one shows you that
they do believe in Sam Donald Fair. He just missed
a wide open receiver. I mean it was a that
was a horrible play, Grant. I mean, I'll admit that.
I think everybody would.

Speaker 7 (35:34):
And then instead of throwing it away, he takes the sack.

Speaker 3 (35:37):
Awful play.

Speaker 11 (35:38):
What what in the other one where he gets stepped
on by the center and then when he tries to
pitch it, like just go down. More than that, I
felt like he had some poison. I think he's improving slowly.

Speaker 2 (35:47):
I just wonder the Seahawks running game, Grant, that we
saw just tear that defense up, like we're following the
Seahawks all year obviously, man right, and the run game
has not been good for the majority of these and
then all of a sudden boom, in the last three weeks,
they go bananas. They're averaging how many yards per carry
Dick the last pay five point one, which is fourth

(36:07):
in the NFL. In the last three games like this,
this running game has come out of nowhere, and I'm
just I'm really curious, Grant, how much of what they
did against the Niners defense is because the Seahawks running
game is now legit or because the Niner run defense
is terrible.

Speaker 8 (36:25):
Well, put it this way.

Speaker 11 (36:26):
Two weeks before the Niners got emasculated by the Seahawks,
they went into Indianapolis and completely shut down Jonathan Taylor.

Speaker 8 (36:33):
I mean there's something to be said for that.

Speaker 11 (36:35):
I've always thought the world of Kenneth Walker and Zach Sharpney.

Speaker 8 (36:38):
I think they're one of the better one to two
punches in the league.

Speaker 11 (36:41):
So maybe the offensive line is coming around, maybe klink
Kubyak is getting a better feel for how to use them.

Speaker 8 (36:45):
But I think that running game is real.

Speaker 3 (36:47):
Yeah, Grant, great stuff.

Speaker 2 (36:48):
We appreciate this, and who knows, maybe we will see
you guys very very soon.

Speaker 3 (36:52):
Appreciate it, man.

Speaker 8 (36:54):
That would be a lot of fun, Thanks for having me.

Speaker 3 (36:56):
You bet

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