December 22, 2025 • 33 mins
In the third hour, Dave Softy Mahler and Hugh Millen talk to former NFL MVP Rich Gannon about quarterback revivals, Sam Darnold, the Seahawks, and the DK Metcalf situation, then have some Fun with Audio before discussing the NFC West dynamics.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is Duke of Duke Seafood. Lady, you know that
this hour I was Softy in dick On your Home
for the Huskies and Kraken is proudly brought to you
by Duke Seafood. Why not make it a Duke's night tonight.
Reserve your table today at Dukeseafood dot com on Sports
Radio ninety three point three kjrff H.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
It's not very often, my friend.
Speaker 3 (00:20):
As much as we love having accomplished NFL superstar like
yourself join us on the Railway program, it's not very
often we have an NFL MVP joined the show.
Speaker 4 (00:31):
Yeah, he's MVP in a couple of years before that,
he was first Team All Pro. Here's a guy in
rich Gannon. We played in the same ear. We played
against each other. Now we're both members of the thirty
third team, a think tank that tosses around ideas about football.
And he's done a number of presentations. He's riveting, he's brilliant.
Rich Gannon. Great to have you with us. Thanks for
(00:52):
joining us.
Speaker 5 (00:54):
Guys, it's great to be with you. Just a great
time of the year. It's the holidays, French time in
the NFL playoffs are right on the corner and I
can't wait for the next couple of weeks.
Speaker 4 (01:05):
Amen, And I'm gonna just throw it out to you,
and from a general sense the entire twenty twenty five season,
what is top of mind for you as to what
you've been seeing in the NFL this year?
Speaker 5 (01:20):
I think you and I, you and I talk about this.
I just think the overall level of play, and especially
from an offensive perspective, is down. And you say, well,
why and not adapt? But I think you just look
at the records. I mean, how many bad teams. I
think I was looking at some numbers last week. We've
got a dozen teams with yeah, a dozen teams that
(01:42):
losing records. I think fourteen teams that losing records, and
like a dozen teams that are around five hundred. I mean,
you know, so many bad football teams out there. You
look at the Dolphins and Jets, and you know the Bengals.
You know at five and ten they missed Joe Burrow
and the defense is horrible. The Browns. You look at
the Titans and it's unwatchable football Raiders at two and thirteen.
I mean that's just the AFC. You look at the
(02:04):
NFC the Commanders four wins, Giants have two wins. The
Vikings are below five hundred, the Falcons and Saints as well,
and even the Buccaneers are seventy eight. I mean, it's
a lot of the Cardinals are three and twelve. I mean,
it's a lot of really bad football teams out there.
And then you know, on the other side of it,
you got a handful of teams that are doing it
the right way. So, you know, I just think that
(02:25):
there's been so much turnover in our business. We've had
thirty five coaches get fired in the last five seasons,
seven a year. We already fired two this year. We'll
fire another five before it's all said and done. So
much turnover with the coordinators and play colors. You look
at how it's affecting the young quarterbacks, and this drives
me crazy. I watched the Vikings and Giants game the
other day and both quarterbacks clearly don't understand protections. It's unbelievable.
(02:50):
He just just watched these games and you see guys
come off the edge and the quarterbacks don't see it.
Those two quarterbacks. You look at Jackson Darton J McCarthy
that more time this year in the Blue ten than
any of the quarterback in the league. It's crazy, but
it's just it is what it is. There's some good players,
there's some good coaches, but there's a lot of very
(03:11):
very mediocre football at best.
Speaker 3 (03:14):
Yeah, Rich Cannon with us. Rich, it's Dave Mahler and
I wonder if you've stumbled upon something. And I'm sure
that all you smart guys are the thirty third team.
I've already talked about this, but because of the lack
of quality football around parts of the NFL, has that
guys maybe contributed rich to the resurgence of some of
(03:35):
these quarterbacks Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Gino Smith up until
this year. Daniel Jones that because there's such a a
lower class of play from certain organizations that guys like
that have been given chances at second and third opportunities
that never would have been there before.
Speaker 5 (03:56):
Well, I think there's very two quarterbacks that can come
into our game have immediate success. I mean, I think
you look at Damn Marino. I mean, you know, he's
a he's a rare exception, but I mean most people,
you know go to adversity. I mean, you and I
dealt with it. I think you look at Peyton Manning,
he went three and thirteen in his first year and
two more inceptions and touchdowns. Now didn't take him long
to figure it out. But you mentioned Baker Mayfield and
(04:18):
Sam Darnold. I mean, I think they're great examples of
guys that went to some bad teams weren't surrounded by
a great I always say when you evaluate the quarterback,
it's not just the quarterback, but you got to so
much say what happens at that position is impacted by
what's going on around him. I think when you look
at those situations, you know, the coaching staffs were turned over,
they fired the you know, head coach of the coordinator
(04:40):
of the first season. They both want to kind of
dysfunctional situations, and both of them came out on the
other end. You know, it took them a while. You know,
both of them had a bounce around the number of
different teams. But I think they're different players, and I
think there's a lot to be said for experience at
that position. I think physical mental toughness is really important.
I think both exude that. You know, I think you
have to have it. You know you're going to deal
(05:02):
with adversity at some point or another, you know, during
a season during your career, and I think both quarterbacks
are better because of it.
Speaker 4 (05:09):
Rich Cannon with this and Rich we're going to drill
down on Sam Darnald here in a second. But but
I think that there's there's lessons from your career because
here you played seventeen years, you started a Super Bowl,
and yet your four Pro Bowls they started at age
thirty four, thirty four, thirty five, thirty six, thirty seven.
(05:30):
You're the MVP of the league at age thirty seven.
So what is it about? Because obviously Sea our fans
we're interested in in you know, what we're going to
get from Sam Darnald potentially. What was it about your
career where you say, okay, I had my best productivity
in my mid thirties.
Speaker 5 (05:49):
Well, I think every situation is different. I would tell
you that I really didn't go to a good situation
early on. I wasn't ready to play when I came
to college out of Delaware, and I had a lot
to learn to in terms of protections and footwork and concepts.
And I went to a team in Minnesota that you know,
we had a lot of turnover they fired coaches, fired coordinators.
I had three or four different coordinator coordinators in my
(06:11):
first four season or six seasons in the league. And
the other thing I never had was somebody who really
believed in me. And here you know how important that is,
Like it really didn't happen for me until I was
about thirty three years old, you know where Giant Gruden
reached out and stuck his neck out for me and
convinced South Davis that they should sign me. And when
(06:32):
I had that relationship with John and he believed in me,
that that made a world of difference to me. I
didn't have it in Kansas City. I played some good
ball for Marti Shining, but it was never my team.
You know. I was always taken over for Elvis Skirbach
or Steve Bono. It wasn't my team. But when you
get your team, you get your opportunity, you make the
most of it. I did that with the Raiders. I
left at a better place than I founded. But yeah,
(06:52):
I think every situation is different. I think you talk about,
you know, somebody like a Sam Donald, I think when
he looks back on his career with the Jets, and
you know, he'd probably know anybotter, but he thought to himself, man,
I can't believe I survived that. Go to Carolina, a
brand new coach for inst time coach in Matt role.
He wasn't ready for the opportunity, hard to first time
play caller and Joe Brady. I mean, the whole thing
was a mess. And he sits there and he you know,
(07:14):
he gets the brunt of the of the criticism, and
I just think that that's pretty typical and a lot.
It ruins a lot of players, but the ones that
survive are better for it. I didn't think Sam Donald's
a much different player. I've had great conversations with John
Schneider the GM there, and they love him. They love
everything about him. His physical, mental toughness is his work ethic,
(07:35):
his passion, his preparation, you know, his leadership skills, and
I just look at you know, that game the other
the other day was a great you know, last week
was a great example of it. I mean, you know,
they they come back from a sixteen point deficit. You
look at his numbers and the crunch time, he was terrific.
I mean it may not always be picture perfect with
Sam Donald, but he found a way to put his
(07:55):
team that positions have a chance to winning. Tweet that
I think that's a sign of a good quarterback.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
We'll talk more of Sam rich if you can.
Speaker 3 (08:01):
Rich gain in two thousand and two, NFL MVP is
with us and look clear upgrade obviously from what we
had a year ago and versus what we have now
in Sam Donald. But there is a segment of the
Seahawk population and the segment of the NFL population that
is waiting for Sam Darnald to win a playoff game
or to fall flat on his face. For those that
(08:21):
say things like, hey, go out and win a big game, Sammy,
what do you say to them.
Speaker 5 (08:28):
Well, they're right. I mean, I'm not gonna lie to you.
I mean, you know, the proof isn't a pudding. I mean,
there's there's that concern. You know. It certainly was with
the Rams and the struggle last year and you know
late in the year, and I just think the postseason
and people want to see it. Right, you have to
you have to earn your stripes in this profession. I
do know this. I did a lot of his games
when he was in with the Jets ear in his career,
(08:49):
and the problem he had was he really goes back
to his day at USC, he had thirty seven turnovers
in twenty six games. He was he was careless with
the ball in the pocket. It wasn't just the interceptions,
it was know it was that poor ball security. That
that that followed him to the Jets. He was bad
with that there and he got away with it and
they kept playing him and then never sat him down
and goes to Carolina the same thing. I think the situation.
(09:12):
I think the opportunity to go to the San Francisco
forty nine ers and spend a year there was great.
Going to Minnesota Kevin O'Connell was really, you know, great
opportunity to play and to really hone his skills. And
I think I think he's a much he's a more
mature player. I think he understands the position better. I
think he understands protections better. I think he understands defenses.
I don't think he's as a surprise and the game
(09:33):
is slow down for him. I think he's got a
much better job of protecting the ball. Now. It hasn't
always been perfect. You know, he's throwing some picks and
he's you know, he's put the ball on the ground.
But I think he's a he's a better player, and
I think he's a resilient guy. I think he's a
guy that he can go in the foxhol with and
feel really good about. And I just know that I
think he I think he understands who he is, and
(09:54):
I think he understands the team that he has around him,
which is really important. I mean you look at that
that that team there, and they're disciplined, they don't make
a lot of mistakes. They play great team ball. I
mean defensively, they tackle well, they play situational football really well.
They can run the ball with Walker and Charbonnet. I
mean they've got players on the perimeter. They've got Jackson,
(10:16):
Smith and Jig. But I mean they got this. Shaheat
has made a world of difference, guys. Just in the
return game. Yes, we think about that that that play.
That play was a transformational play and that game was
really over until Shaheat brings it back at the two
point converge and now of a sudden, the sidelines is
different in Seattle. They got a chance to win the game.
(10:37):
I tell you this, this is a this is a
dangerous team. Don't thinknybody wants to see the Seahawks in
the postseason.
Speaker 4 (10:42):
Ris Cannon with us having a great visit.
Speaker 5 (10:45):
Rich.
Speaker 4 (10:45):
You mentioned that game. Let's let's go back to that.
From the Darnold perspective. He throws the two gnarly interceptions, right,
and at that juncture, you know, his passer rating for
the game was fifty one. From that point on after
the second pick, you know, on the into the fourth
quarter in overtime, his passer rating was one hundred and
thirty seven. So he was able to kind of, you know,
(11:10):
just set that aside what he had done and then
play great football to get the win. Talk to us
about the challenge of that. As a quarterback, you've let
your team down. You know, we'd love to come into
every game and you know, hey, start hot, remain hot,
throw for three hund and forty yards, we win, hallelujah.
But it doesn't always play that way, and you've got
(11:31):
to make the plays at the end, even if you've
failed during that game. Just just speak it from your
perspective about that challenge.
Speaker 5 (11:40):
I think it was really impressive, just as you point out,
you I mean, when you consider the history, right, he
had a four game losing threak against the Ramsy threw
four interceptions in the game early in the season against
this team, and I think it he throws some more
and even I would say, oh, here we go again.
You know, I think it's easy for the sidelines to
start feeling that way. The coach is the play caller.
And yet they fought through it. He thought through it,
(12:02):
as you mentioned, you know, and at the end there
when when they had to have it, Uh, he was awesome.
He's eight to twelve. He had two passing touchdowns, no
no turnovers. The final five drives of the game. He
played really, really well. But I think the other thing
you look at is, you know, that was his ninth
game winning drive in the fourth quarter or overtime in
the last two seasons. He had five total in his
career prior to that. I think he's a much better
(12:23):
player late in the game when it when it when
you when you got to have it at crunch time, situationally,
and I just think, you know, he's a resilient I mean,
I don't think he panics. I don't think when bad
things happen you're going to lose him for the day.
I think the ability to fight to adversity to kind
of you know, get to get the train back on
the tracks. It was impressive and I think I think
when that happens and people see it, and you see
(12:45):
it over and over again, and you see him, you know,
there at the end of games making plays and putting
this team in the position to have a chance to win,
that rubs off on everybody. It rubs off on you know,
your teammates, It rubs off from defensive players, It rubs
off on the Clint Kubiat to play color. You know that.
I think there's a trust factor when when you see
him do it, you know, it's very easy when your
quarterback starts the way he did okay with you know,
(13:08):
with a couple of picks and and and and the
struggle in the first eight drives the game the tech
and say, you know what, he don't have it today, guys,
let's to make sure we run the ball. Let's play conservative.
Let's not let's you know, let's take the ball of
his hands. And you know, you and I have been that,
said Shrecks earlier. I remember we'd have a lead in
the game and and Tom Moore got bless him, but
we run the ball first you know, first time run
(13:28):
the ball and second down on the third nines, O
can go make a play. I mean, like, I know
what you're doing. You know, you don't trust me. You know,
you're not going to put me in the position that
to you know, to manage this. And I think that's
not the case in Seattle. I think they have a
lot of trust in their quarterback. I think it's a
good thing. I need say from you know, from uh,
you know, just from from someone outside the building just
looking at it. I think in order for him to
(13:50):
take his game to the next level. You know, you
look at the guy on the other side that that
he competed against, you know, Stafford. I mean, Stafford's a
Hall of fame, there's no less about it. But Sam
just needs to iron out some of the rough edges.
You know, you can't you know, we'll talk about stacking
good series together, good quarters together, good games together. Just
(14:11):
got to smooth out some of those rough edges and
eliminate some of the poor decisions and some of the
turnovers that you can kind of ruin a really good performance.
Speaker 3 (14:18):
Well that's the crazy thing, Richie, think about it that
Sam Darnold is only twenty eight years old. Yet he's
been now in the NFL for what eight years and
he's only twenty eight. Yeah, he's got plenty of time to,
you know, maybe get those edges smoothed over, like you
talked about. But Rich Cannon's with us on the radio show.
He was in for Dick Fane and Rich. I'm curious
both you and I had this conversation before you came
(14:40):
on about DK metcalf in the incident yesterday in Detroit.
Speaker 2 (14:45):
I'll just give you the floor.
Speaker 3 (14:46):
What was your take on watching that in these subsequent
two game suspension today for him?
Speaker 5 (14:52):
You know, honestly, I can't say I was surprised that
he did it. I mean, I think if you talk
to any defensive cordator, any defensive player, they know what
the issues are with him. And you know, people try
and push the buttons right, and you know they talk
about so, here's this guy is an accident waiting to happen.
You can get under his skin, you can get him
out of his game. He's an emotional guy. You know,
(15:13):
you can get him. The personal files come easy. I mean,
it happened in Seattle. I think they try to manage
the situations as best they could. He's in Pittsburgh now,
and of course you think that you know, that's Mike
Tomlin and the structure and discipline there that that that
this would.
Speaker 2 (15:28):
Be a problem.
Speaker 5 (15:29):
He is who he is, guys, and he's a phenomenally gifted,
talented player. I think he does a hand thing full
of things really well. I think he's a really good
physical receiver with the ball in his hands at the catcher.
Think he runs the clans and the and that goes
in the phades really well. I don't think the rest
of his route three is as good as it should
(15:49):
be or can be. I don't think he transitions as
well in an out of cuts on certain routes. But
he's a big, strong guy that can be a real
difference maker. But you need all of them, and you know,
you need a he said, you need a guy like
that who's going to be disciplined for a sixty minute game.
You can't have him go off the you know, go
off the rails and lose it. And I think we
see it too often in games where he's pushing after
(16:10):
the play and the cornerbacks in his face and his
grilled talking to him, and that's kind of the that's
kind of them on him, and then then he loses
his mind and leaves the eventual he goes to the stands.
I'm not at all surprised that the lake came down
on as home as hard as they did. I mean,
I knew there'd be a suspension. I just said an
offer be for one or two games and just comes
(16:30):
at a early, awful time for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Speaker 4 (16:32):
Yeah. A couple more minutes with Rich Cannon and and
we mentioned the thirty third team and the presentations. When
Rich is presenting, it's like ye have Hutton. We're all
just you know, enamored with his content. And Rich, I
really want you to tell the story that the way
you told it the thirty third Team about Mike McCarthy
(16:55):
interviewing for the job with the Packers and he was
asked about protect the story about being asked about and
tell it like you told it, because I thought that
was such a window for fans into what the NFL
really is. If you can tell that story, you're a
great storyteller. You know, tell the fans about his experience
(17:18):
and what you took away from that.
Speaker 5 (17:21):
Well, I was big Mike McCarthy saying you know, he
went to school at Fort Hayes State, some from out
the Pittsburgh area and the graduate assistant to pitt And
and that's where he met Paul Hackett and John Grew
and they're all on that staff together. And then he
gets the opportunity when Paul Hackett comes to Kansas City's
the offensive coordinator to be the offensive quality control coach.
Eventually became the quarterbacks coaches, my quarterback coach. Beforeies loved him.
(17:42):
I knew he was going to be a great coach,
and eventually goes on to you know, being the head
coach of the Packers. They won a Super Bowl. He
did some great things with Brett Barb and Aaron Rodgers
and the course success with the Cowboys. But he's interviewing
for the job in Green Bay and they start, they
get off at the board and they say, well, let's
tell us, you know, start with protections. What can you
(18:03):
tell us about protection? And Mike literally looked at the
guys in the room. It was like five guys. I
think it was like the general manager and like some
of the executive people and I don't know someone who
search committee whatever it was, and he said how much
he was like he was startled by the question. He's like,
how much time do you have? Like he says, this
could take a while. He was like, they go, we
got we got all that. He says, all right, So
he was up at the board for two and a
(18:25):
half hours and they said okay, and that that's like
so he started talking about He goes, well, there's five
man protections, are six man protection, there's seven man protections?
Is eight man protections just Slyde protections? Just going back.
He says, let's start with it. Let's start with the
solid seven man protection, because that's where we when we
start with protections, we started a solid seven man protection.
That's your base protection. Let's walk through that, he said.
And he went through it, and like and that's why
(18:46):
I said, like to me, when I started spending time,
like that's when I really became a kind of a
you know, uh, you know, really good at my craft
because that's where it starts. You know, when you put
a passing game together, you have to understand protections. And
I look at these games and dries me crazy, and
you and I talk about on Wednesdays, like you watch
these quarterbacks that are going out there that don't know
(19:07):
what they're doing. They don't know, and that's how these
guys are getting hurt because they don't understand. For these
defensive coordinators are bringing all kinds of heat. You got
to understand what you're seeing. You know, it's funny I
say that. You know, it's a public service announcement. You know,
we've got these warning labels and everything. If you're a
parent and you love your kid and he's a young
(19:27):
quarterback in the NFL, you better make sure he understands
protection because if not, he's going to get knocked out.
These guys they've thrown around. These these defensive players are
trained assassins. Their job is to knock you out of
the game. Too. Many quarterbacks are getting way late because
they can't see where the pressure is coming from. But
Mike McCarthy, he coached me up and you know, Hugh,
(19:48):
I wasn't asleep at the wheel man. I knew where
that stuff was coming from. I under detections inside it out.
Speaker 4 (19:54):
Yeah you have to, but yeah, you said it was
like two and a half hours just on seven man protections,
And he said ahead and gone through the five to
six of the eight and we have you. We could
and we could go on forever with you, uh, just visiting,
just being a sponge your knowledge and all love love
to visit. Uh and and let's do it again soon.
But but Merry Christmas to you. Thanks for the visit,
(20:17):
and we'll see you soon down the road.
Speaker 5 (20:20):
You guys are the best.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
Thanks for having me, all right, man?
Speaker 3 (20:22):
You bet that's great stuff. Rich Gannon two thousand and two,
NFL MVP guy. I really felt like that was like
whatever we had planned for the rest of the show
for the final hour before cracking pregame, Let's just cancel
it and hear rich Gannon talk football man for the
next sixty minutes.
Speaker 5 (20:36):
Man.
Speaker 3 (20:36):
I just feel like there's nothing we can do that's
going to be better than that. But we do have
Michael Pennox joining us at six pm on the radio
show all Right, happen a little fun with Audio Slash.
Hey did you hear that?
Speaker 4 (20:46):
What's that?
Speaker 5 (20:46):
Dick?
Speaker 3 (20:47):
Your favorite segment? Hugh Next on ninety three three kJ RFM,
It's now time for something in Dig's one with Audio.
Jimmy g pawn Star, Jimmy mister Daroppolo. Now let's have
some fun with audio. Had seven nothing Colts he first
quarter that came over on ten ninety Philip Rivers old man.
Speaker 2 (21:07):
Rivers starts five for seven, seventy.
Speaker 3 (21:09):
Three yards and a twenty yard duck wobbler of a
touchdown to Alec Pierce to put the Colts on the
board seven zip over San Francisco. That'd be kind a
nice little early Christmas gift if the Colts could knock
off the Niners tonight.
Speaker 4 (21:23):
Huh Yeah, Well, it wasn't any wobblier than what Peyton
Manning used to throw in that same stadium.
Speaker 3 (21:28):
Oh well, I mean, this guy's got an excuse. He's
forty five. I swear to god, he's gotten fatter since
the last game he played. Jackson says it's because of
all the extra padding he's got on. You know what
he looks like to me, guys, Hugh, I know, yes, no, no, yeah.
Speaker 2 (21:44):
But I'm saying, hang on a second. I'm trying to
make a point.
Speaker 3 (21:48):
Remember the video of Andy Reid when he was a
kid at the punt passing kick competition that resurfaced. Remember that,
that's what he looks like. He looks like Andy Reid
at that unpassing kick competition. All right, here we go
a little fun with audio slash. Hey did you hear that?
Speaker 5 (22:05):
Hey?
Speaker 2 (22:05):
You did you happen to hear that?
Speaker 4 (22:07):
What's that?
Speaker 2 (22:07):
Dick? Where do we start? You want to go with
number one?
Speaker 5 (22:10):
All right?
Speaker 3 (22:11):
Fans in Detroit thought their Lions had beaten the Steelers
yesterday when a wild play ended with Jared Goff taking
a loose ball into the end zone. A few moments later,
the game actually ended, though, when head referee Carl Scheffer said,
this what a major call?
Speaker 6 (22:26):
Really on the field, there's a touchdown.
Speaker 2 (22:28):
However, had a number fourteen on the offense.
Speaker 6 (22:33):
My rule that penalty is not enforced and there is
no replay.
Speaker 2 (22:39):
The game is over. There is no plutown.
Speaker 6 (22:44):
Oki a number fourteen the gates of the penalty. There
is no replay.
Speaker 4 (22:49):
The game is over.
Speaker 6 (22:50):
They even conceded Jean that golf had scored a.
Speaker 5 (22:53):
Touchdown in the NFL offensive files with tom expired do
not extend.
Speaker 2 (22:58):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (22:58):
I am convinced that the majority of those fans at
Ford Field had no freaking clue what Carl Cheffer's was
saying to them.
Speaker 2 (23:07):
All they heard. All they heard is touchdown.
Speaker 3 (23:10):
They heard nothing that followed it, and then they heard
it was a touchdown, and then they heard the game
is over and there was nothing in between. I mean,
was that not a kind of a piss poor way
of that guy to explain what happened?
Speaker 2 (23:25):
Are you kidding me?
Speaker 4 (23:26):
I'm no soaring orator, but that will not go in
a capsule with the Kennedy inaugurala dress okay.
Speaker 5 (23:34):
Just.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
Less than number one. How not to address a hall
of the crowd when a game to take a while?
Speaker 4 (23:42):
That's what they heard.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
Here's what you do.
Speaker 3 (23:44):
You take the field, you turn your mic on, you say, okay,
the Steelers have won, and here's why.
Speaker 4 (23:51):
Yeah exactly, and you explained you lost.
Speaker 2 (23:54):
Yeah, you lost the crowd.
Speaker 4 (23:56):
Yeah, yeah, that was And then I still don't even
think what he said after that was accurate.
Speaker 2 (24:01):
That's nice. What he did to explain it was say,
totally inaccurate. And that guy's been around for a long time.
By the way, he knows what he's doing.
Speaker 4 (24:09):
Well, he didn't know what he was doing in that moment.
I think it was the opposite of right in his explanation.
Speaker 2 (24:15):
All right, let's do number two.
Speaker 3 (24:17):
You think, hey, Hugh, did you happen to hear that
that's that ditch shortly before halftime in Detroit yesterday, Pittsburgh
receiver DK Metcalf, as you know, was caught on camera
hitting a lines fan in the first row at fort Field.
DK has now been suspended for two games without pay
for the incident, but Ross Tucker shared his take on
the situation during a visit on The Dan Patrick Show
earlier today.
Speaker 7 (24:36):
I think that they probably will suspend him. DK Metcalf
went all the way over into the stands. It wasn't
like the guy was right behind him. I mean that
was a good ten yards behind him, obviously. Whatever the
guy said. The guy told the Detroit Free Press that
he called DK by his real name. But now evidently
DK does not like that. By the way, now every
(24:57):
defensive back knows that DK does not like if you
home by his real first name. But you can't do that.
You cannot walk over. You're allowed to say whatever you
want to say from the stands. You're allowed to say
whatever you want to say, and a player cannot go
over there and initiate anything, especially putting their hands on him.
I think that the NFL has to come down on
(25:18):
him hard.
Speaker 3 (25:19):
Yeah, I'm assuming that you agree with everything Ross Tucker
just said.
Speaker 4 (25:22):
Uh yeah, of course, I don't believe that. That guy said, Well,
all I did was calling him to carry in right, No,
I don't think that insided a punch. But you know,
from DK's perspective, if you punch the fan with the
blue wig, you don't get a black belt. You know,
maybe you get a yellow belt. Like you're not earning
(25:45):
any street cred by writing out the dude in the
blue like the fan in the blue wig. Really crow, Yeah,
I think there's more to it than that, But as
you state, nothing excuses what he did.
Speaker 2 (25:59):
Hey, did you happen to hear that? What's that dick?
Speaker 3 (26:03):
After the Raiders loss in Houston yesterday, they fell to
two and thirteen, Vegas head coach Pete Carroll said this
about his aspirations for the future and wanting to turn
things around in Las Vegas.
Speaker 4 (26:13):
Do you want to see this rebuild through?
Speaker 8 (26:16):
I would love to, you know, I would.
Speaker 7 (26:17):
I would love it.
Speaker 8 (26:18):
It's gonna be, uh, it's going to be challenging. It's
it's a taxing challenge for us. But yeah, I really
like this place, and I like this team, and I
like I love working with.
Speaker 4 (26:29):
Johnny and.
Speaker 8 (26:31):
It's it's just mapping it out and putting it together
and making sure that we bring people in that can
really help us and challenge and compete with the guys
that we have, and just let that whole process take,
you know, take shape. It's just unfortunate that there's not
five or six or seven right wins in here that
should have accompanied this season right now, you know. And
it blows me away that that's that, this is the
situation that we're in, because I have no space in
(26:52):
my brain for this.
Speaker 3 (26:53):
So Johnny by the way, that he's referring to as
John Spytech, who's the GM of the Raiders. They lost
a game in overtime to Jacksonville by one. They lost
a game by one to Chicago, lost a game by
two to Houston, lost a game by seven to Denver.
That's four games lost by three to Denver. That's five
(27:15):
games that the Raiders have lost by one score. I mean,
I don't know. You tell me, Hugh, what were their wins?
Speaker 4 (27:21):
How many? How many their wins?
Speaker 3 (27:23):
They beat the Titans by ten, beat the Patriots by seven,
They won their opener, by the way, and they're one
in thirteen since the opener.
Speaker 2 (27:30):
Would you bring him back?
Speaker 4 (27:32):
I wouldn't no, I mean I no, No, I wouldn't.
And how about him saying it's going to be a challenge.
There's still two more games left, right the players. Well,
I can't interpret for the players, but I would think
that they would be interpreting that like, Okay, my players suck,
It's going to be a real challenge. Ryeah right, I know,
(27:53):
would you? I mean there's a point where you just say,
oh god, you know.
Speaker 3 (27:58):
Yeah, I think I'd give him one more year, but man,
if they don't show some real progress by the middle
of the year, I'd probably fire him and move on.
I mean, I just think, you know, this is so
unlike Pete Carroll, that this team is this bad. I
think he's also getting let down by his quarterback. I
don't think they have an offensive line where the damn
down there in.
Speaker 2 (28:18):
Vegas, that's for sure. And I just think you I
think i'd bring him back for one more year.
Speaker 4 (28:23):
Well, the reason I say, you know, because Tom Brady
figures to be sure a bigger part sure of the decision.
Tom Brady doesn't strike me as a guy that you
know it has a lot of patience.
Speaker 2 (28:34):
No, I get it.
Speaker 3 (28:35):
Well, I mean you got a guy in Geno Smith,
who it's only two quarterbacks in the NFL with a
lower QBR than him, and it's JJ McCarthy and cam Ward.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
That's it, all right, We'll get a break.
Speaker 3 (28:45):
Michael Pennix, six pm hour before cracking hockey coming up,
pregame six thirty face off seven against the Ducks on
ninety three three KJRFF.
Speaker 1 (28:52):
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 Saftian Dick on Sports
Radio ninety three point three KJR.
Speaker 3 (29:08):
First quarter Nighters. Now the Colts fourteen to seven. The
Colts the Niners win tonight. Excuse me, they would move
into the second place spot in the NFC West because
they would then have the tiebreaker over the Rams I mean,
think about the Rams man.
Speaker 2 (29:22):
Two weeks ago.
Speaker 3 (29:23):
They were the darling of the NFC number one seed
and then bang they blew a sixteen point lead in
the fourth quarter, and now they're a Niner win away
tonight from being in third place in the NFC West
because they both would have the same record they both
split in the regular season, but the Niners would be
four and one in the West and the Rams would
be three and two. So technically the Niners would be
(29:43):
in the two hole tonight. If they win this game
against Indianapolis, which I think they're going to Hawks are
twelve and three, Niners eleven to four. That means, obviously
the Seahawks could beat the Carolina Panthers, and as long
as the Niners take out the Bears, that game and
the last game of the year is going to be
for the NFC West Championship at Levi Stadium. I remember you, Hugh,
(30:08):
when the schedule came out saying, oh, I don't like
that Week eighteen game at Levi Stadium. I don't like
that at all, having to go to San Francisco in
Week eighteen. So how do you feel about that game now?
Speaker 4 (30:20):
Well, at the time, I thought they might have Joey
Bosa and I thought they might have Fred Warner, right,
But they seem to be figuring it out, and yeah,
I'm concerned about it. I think it's tough for Seattle
to have played the Ram game with all of the
intensity of that, the emotion involved, and then you got to, Okay,
(30:42):
your your emotional tank gets drained by that as as
much as it could. Overtime and all. Now a good
thing you had the three days before Carolina. But then Carolina,
that's going to be an intense environment. And then so
to have to have three games, you know, must wins
against playoff teams stuff.
Speaker 3 (31:00):
Yeah, no it is. And all of a sudden, the
Seahawks football team. I mean, guys, there's a scenario where
you can paint that the Seahawks end up as the
seventh seed in the NFC playoffs and they end up
as the third team in the NFC West. So look,
I know we're all fired up, and we should be
fired up. I told you last week after the RAM
game that I the parch I'm sitting on right now.
I think the Hawks are going to play in the
(31:22):
Super Bowl, and that the ceiling and the floor for
this football team is so wide a swath it's unbelievable.
And the biggest reason why there's a wide swath is
because of the parody in the NFC and the parody
in the NFC West. I mean, the Hawks are a really,
really good football team that could lose in the first
round of the NFL playoffs, having to go to Chicago
(31:44):
or go to Carolina, or go to Tampa Bay and
taking a road trip like that. Look, when I make
the Hawks the favorite to win that game, yes, I
would would have stunned me if they lost.
Speaker 2 (31:52):
No, it would not no, of course.
Speaker 4 (31:54):
And you have an offensive line that when they bogged down,
I mean they grow, they don't. They don't coast, like
you can't put the car in neutral and at least
coast for a while. It just like the clutch pops
and then you're just you're just stuck immediately. So they're
a concern. Although I will say, you know, we talked
last week about how Sam Donald has the highest win
(32:17):
percentage of any starting quarterback over the last two years,
and that doesn't matter whether you count the playoffs or not.
The answer Sam Donald, Right, you go back. We had
what was it Sharon Sharon Panthers, sideline reporter, Yeah, she
You know, we talked about the twenty twenty two year.
If you filter David years twenty two through twenty five,
(32:40):
that's four seasons because Donald had six starts that twenty
twenty two year. You know, as a number one one
percentage of the last four years, Sam Donald, And of
the top five, there's one quarterback who has a triple
digit passer rating of the top five, so he's number
one in win percentage and he's the only one with
(33:01):
a triple digit passer rated. I mean, it's pretty remarkable.
And he's only twenty eight here. We talked to Rich
Cannon today going to the Pro Bowl between ages thirty
four and thirty seven, right, I don't know, that's pretty cool.
What's going on with all think.
Speaker 3 (33:13):
I think there's a conversation to be had later on
about what John Schneider is doing right now, because you know,
I put this on Twitter yesterday, and I really hope
that people understand that what John Schneider is doing right
now is pretty rare for a GM to win a
championship in twenty thirteen, then totally reset with a new
quarterback and a brand new head coach and a brand
new roster, and to be sitting here with the record
they've got in position to maybe get back to another one.
Speaker 2 (33:35):
Not a lot of executives pull this off, right.
Speaker 3 (33:37):
You know, the second time around with a whole new
cast of characters.
Speaker 2 (33:41):
So good on him. We'll get a break
This is Duke of Duke Seafood. Lady, you know that
this hour I was Softy in dick On your Home
for the Huskies and Kraken is proudly brought to you
by Duke Seafood. Why not make it a Duke's night tonight.
Reserve your table today at Dukeseafood dot com on Sports
Radio ninety three point three kjrff H.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
It's not very often, my friend.
Speaker 3 (00:20):
As much as we love having accomplished NFL superstar like
yourself join us on the Railway program, it's not very
often we have an NFL MVP joined the show.
Speaker 4 (00:31):
Yeah, he's MVP in a couple of years before that,
he was first Team All Pro. Here's a guy in
rich Gannon. We played in the same ear. We played
against each other. Now we're both members of the thirty
third team, a think tank that tosses around ideas about football.
And he's done a number of presentations. He's riveting, he's brilliant.
Rich Gannon. Great to have you with us. Thanks for
(00:52):
joining us.
Speaker 5 (00:54):
Guys, it's great to be with you. Just a great
time of the year. It's the holidays, French time in
the NFL playoffs are right on the corner and I
can't wait for the next couple of weeks.
Speaker 4 (01:05):
Amen, And I'm gonna just throw it out to you,
and from a general sense the entire twenty twenty five season,
what is top of mind for you as to what
you've been seeing in the NFL this year?
Speaker 5 (01:20):
I think you and I, you and I talk about this.
I just think the overall level of play, and especially
from an offensive perspective, is down. And you say, well,
why and not adapt? But I think you just look
at the records. I mean, how many bad teams. I
think I was looking at some numbers last week. We've
got a dozen teams with yeah, a dozen teams that
(01:42):
losing records. I think fourteen teams that losing records, and
like a dozen teams that are around five hundred. I mean,
you know, so many bad football teams out there. You
look at the Dolphins and Jets, and you know the Bengals.
You know at five and ten they missed Joe Burrow
and the defense is horrible. The Browns. You look at
the Titans and it's unwatchable football Raiders at two and thirteen.
I mean that's just the AFC. You look at the
(02:04):
NFC the Commanders four wins, Giants have two wins. The
Vikings are below five hundred, the Falcons and Saints as well,
and even the Buccaneers are seventy eight. I mean, it's
a lot of the Cardinals are three and twelve. I mean,
it's a lot of really bad football teams out there.
And then you know, on the other side of it,
you got a handful of teams that are doing it
the right way. So, you know, I just think that
(02:25):
there's been so much turnover in our business. We've had
thirty five coaches get fired in the last five seasons,
seven a year. We already fired two this year. We'll
fire another five before it's all said and done. So
much turnover with the coordinators and play colors. You look
at how it's affecting the young quarterbacks, and this drives
me crazy. I watched the Vikings and Giants game the
other day and both quarterbacks clearly don't understand protections. It's unbelievable.
(02:50):
He just just watched these games and you see guys
come off the edge and the quarterbacks don't see it.
Those two quarterbacks. You look at Jackson Darton J McCarthy
that more time this year in the Blue ten than
any of the quarterback in the league. It's crazy, but
it's just it is what it is. There's some good players,
there's some good coaches, but there's a lot of very
(03:11):
very mediocre football at best.
Speaker 3 (03:14):
Yeah, Rich Cannon with us. Rich, it's Dave Mahler and
I wonder if you've stumbled upon something. And I'm sure
that all you smart guys are the thirty third team.
I've already talked about this, but because of the lack
of quality football around parts of the NFL, has that
guys maybe contributed rich to the resurgence of some of
(03:35):
these quarterbacks Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Gino Smith up until
this year. Daniel Jones that because there's such a a
lower class of play from certain organizations that guys like
that have been given chances at second and third opportunities
that never would have been there before.
Speaker 5 (03:56):
Well, I think there's very two quarterbacks that can come
into our game have immediate success. I mean, I think
you look at Damn Marino. I mean, you know, he's
a he's a rare exception, but I mean most people,
you know go to adversity. I mean, you and I
dealt with it. I think you look at Peyton Manning,
he went three and thirteen in his first year and
two more inceptions and touchdowns. Now didn't take him long
to figure it out. But you mentioned Baker Mayfield and
(04:18):
Sam Darnold. I mean, I think they're great examples of
guys that went to some bad teams weren't surrounded by
a great I always say when you evaluate the quarterback,
it's not just the quarterback, but you got to so
much say what happens at that position is impacted by
what's going on around him. I think when you look
at those situations, you know, the coaching staffs were turned over,
they fired the you know, head coach of the coordinator
(04:40):
of the first season. They both want to kind of
dysfunctional situations, and both of them came out on the
other end. You know, it took them a while. You know,
both of them had a bounce around the number of
different teams. But I think they're different players, and I
think there's a lot to be said for experience at
that position. I think physical mental toughness is really important.
I think both exude that. You know, I think you
have to have it. You know you're going to deal
(05:02):
with adversity at some point or another, you know, during
a season during your career, and I think both quarterbacks
are better because of it.
Speaker 4 (05:09):
Rich Cannon with this and Rich we're going to drill
down on Sam Darnald here in a second. But but
I think that there's there's lessons from your career because
here you played seventeen years, you started a Super Bowl,
and yet your four Pro Bowls they started at age
thirty four, thirty four, thirty five, thirty six, thirty seven.
(05:30):
You're the MVP of the league at age thirty seven.
So what is it about? Because obviously Sea our fans
we're interested in in you know, what we're going to
get from Sam Darnald potentially. What was it about your
career where you say, okay, I had my best productivity
in my mid thirties.
Speaker 5 (05:49):
Well, I think every situation is different. I would tell
you that I really didn't go to a good situation
early on. I wasn't ready to play when I came
to college out of Delaware, and I had a lot
to learn to in terms of protections and footwork and concepts.
And I went to a team in Minnesota that you know,
we had a lot of turnover they fired coaches, fired coordinators.
I had three or four different coordinator coordinators in my
(06:11):
first four season or six seasons in the league. And
the other thing I never had was somebody who really
believed in me. And here you know how important that is,
Like it really didn't happen for me until I was
about thirty three years old, you know where Giant Gruden
reached out and stuck his neck out for me and
convinced South Davis that they should sign me. And when
(06:32):
I had that relationship with John and he believed in me,
that that made a world of difference to me. I
didn't have it in Kansas City. I played some good
ball for Marti Shining, but it was never my team.
You know. I was always taken over for Elvis Skirbach
or Steve Bono. It wasn't my team. But when you
get your team, you get your opportunity, you make the
most of it. I did that with the Raiders. I
left at a better place than I founded. But yeah,
(06:52):
I think every situation is different. I think you talk about,
you know, somebody like a Sam Donald, I think when
he looks back on his career with the Jets, and
you know, he'd probably know anybotter, but he thought to himself, man,
I can't believe I survived that. Go to Carolina, a
brand new coach for inst time coach in Matt role.
He wasn't ready for the opportunity, hard to first time
play caller and Joe Brady. I mean, the whole thing
was a mess. And he sits there and he you know,
(07:14):
he gets the brunt of the of the criticism, and
I just think that that's pretty typical and a lot.
It ruins a lot of players, but the ones that
survive are better for it. I didn't think Sam Donald's
a much different player. I've had great conversations with John
Schneider the GM there, and they love him. They love
everything about him. His physical, mental toughness is his work ethic,
(07:35):
his passion, his preparation, you know, his leadership skills, and
I just look at you know, that game the other
the other day was a great you know, last week
was a great example of it. I mean, you know,
they they come back from a sixteen point deficit. You
look at his numbers and the crunch time, he was terrific.
I mean it may not always be picture perfect with
Sam Donald, but he found a way to put his
(07:55):
team that positions have a chance to winning. Tweet that
I think that's a sign of a good quarterback.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
We'll talk more of Sam rich if you can.
Speaker 3 (08:01):
Rich gain in two thousand and two, NFL MVP is
with us and look clear upgrade obviously from what we
had a year ago and versus what we have now
in Sam Donald. But there is a segment of the
Seahawk population and the segment of the NFL population that
is waiting for Sam Darnald to win a playoff game
or to fall flat on his face. For those that
(08:21):
say things like, hey, go out and win a big game, Sammy,
what do you say to them.
Speaker 5 (08:28):
Well, they're right. I mean, I'm not gonna lie to you.
I mean, you know, the proof isn't a pudding. I mean,
there's there's that concern. You know. It certainly was with
the Rams and the struggle last year and you know
late in the year, and I just think the postseason
and people want to see it. Right, you have to
you have to earn your stripes in this profession. I
do know this. I did a lot of his games
when he was in with the Jets ear in his career,
(08:49):
and the problem he had was he really goes back
to his day at USC, he had thirty seven turnovers
in twenty six games. He was he was careless with
the ball in the pocket. It wasn't just the interceptions,
it was know it was that poor ball security. That
that that followed him to the Jets. He was bad
with that there and he got away with it and
they kept playing him and then never sat him down
and goes to Carolina the same thing. I think the situation.
(09:12):
I think the opportunity to go to the San Francisco
forty nine ers and spend a year there was great.
Going to Minnesota Kevin O'Connell was really, you know, great
opportunity to play and to really hone his skills. And
I think I think he's a much he's a more
mature player. I think he understands the position better. I
think he understands protections better. I think he understands defenses.
I don't think he's as a surprise and the game
(09:33):
is slow down for him. I think he's got a
much better job of protecting the ball. Now. It hasn't
always been perfect. You know, he's throwing some picks and
he's you know, he's put the ball on the ground.
But I think he's a he's a better player, and
I think he's a resilient guy. I think he's a
guy that he can go in the foxhol with and
feel really good about. And I just know that I
think he I think he understands who he is, and
(09:54):
I think he understands the team that he has around him,
which is really important. I mean you look at that
that that team there, and they're disciplined, they don't make
a lot of mistakes. They play great team ball. I
mean defensively, they tackle well, they play situational football really well.
They can run the ball with Walker and Charbonnet. I
mean they've got players on the perimeter. They've got Jackson,
(10:16):
Smith and Jig. But I mean they got this. Shaheat
has made a world of difference, guys. Just in the
return game. Yes, we think about that that that play.
That play was a transformational play and that game was
really over until Shaheat brings it back at the two
point converge and now of a sudden, the sidelines is
different in Seattle. They got a chance to win the game.
(10:37):
I tell you this, this is a this is a
dangerous team. Don't thinknybody wants to see the Seahawks in
the postseason.
Speaker 4 (10:42):
Ris Cannon with us having a great visit.
Speaker 5 (10:45):
Rich.
Speaker 4 (10:45):
You mentioned that game. Let's let's go back to that.
From the Darnold perspective. He throws the two gnarly interceptions, right,
and at that juncture, you know, his passer rating for
the game was fifty one. From that point on after
the second pick, you know, on the into the fourth
quarter in overtime, his passer rating was one hundred and
thirty seven. So he was able to kind of, you know,
(11:10):
just set that aside what he had done and then
play great football to get the win. Talk to us
about the challenge of that. As a quarterback, you've let
your team down. You know, we'd love to come into
every game and you know, hey, start hot, remain hot,
throw for three hund and forty yards, we win, hallelujah.
But it doesn't always play that way, and you've got
(11:31):
to make the plays at the end, even if you've
failed during that game. Just just speak it from your
perspective about that challenge.
Speaker 5 (11:40):
I think it was really impressive, just as you point out,
you I mean, when you consider the history, right, he
had a four game losing threak against the Ramsy threw
four interceptions in the game early in the season against
this team, and I think it he throws some more
and even I would say, oh, here we go again.
You know, I think it's easy for the sidelines to
start feeling that way. The coach is the play caller.
And yet they fought through it. He thought through it,
(12:02):
as you mentioned, you know, and at the end there
when when they had to have it, Uh, he was awesome.
He's eight to twelve. He had two passing touchdowns, no
no turnovers. The final five drives of the game. He
played really, really well. But I think the other thing
you look at is, you know, that was his ninth
game winning drive in the fourth quarter or overtime in
the last two seasons. He had five total in his
career prior to that. I think he's a much better
(12:23):
player late in the game when it when it when
you when you got to have it at crunch time, situationally,
and I just think, you know, he's a resilient I mean,
I don't think he panics. I don't think when bad
things happen you're going to lose him for the day.
I think the ability to fight to adversity to kind
of you know, get to get the train back on
the tracks. It was impressive and I think I think
when that happens and people see it, and you see
(12:45):
it over and over again, and you see him, you know,
there at the end of games making plays and putting
this team in the position to have a chance to win,
that rubs off on everybody. It rubs off on you know,
your teammates, It rubs off from defensive players, It rubs
off on the Clint Kubiat to play color. You know that.
I think there's a trust factor when when you see
him do it, you know, it's very easy when your
quarterback starts the way he did okay with you know,
(13:08):
with a couple of picks and and and and the
struggle in the first eight drives the game the tech
and say, you know what, he don't have it today, guys,
let's to make sure we run the ball. Let's play conservative.
Let's not let's you know, let's take the ball of
his hands. And you know, you and I have been that,
said Shrecks earlier. I remember we'd have a lead in
the game and and Tom Moore got bless him, but
we run the ball first you know, first time run
(13:28):
the ball and second down on the third nines, O
can go make a play. I mean, like, I know
what you're doing. You know, you don't trust me. You know,
you're not going to put me in the position that
to you know, to manage this. And I think that's
not the case in Seattle. I think they have a
lot of trust in their quarterback. I think it's a
good thing. I need say from you know, from uh,
you know, just from from someone outside the building just
looking at it. I think in order for him to
(13:50):
take his game to the next level. You know, you
look at the guy on the other side that that
he competed against, you know, Stafford. I mean, Stafford's a
Hall of fame, there's no less about it. But Sam
just needs to iron out some of the rough edges.
You know, you can't you know, we'll talk about stacking
good series together, good quarters together, good games together. Just
(14:11):
got to smooth out some of those rough edges and
eliminate some of the poor decisions and some of the
turnovers that you can kind of ruin a really good performance.
Speaker 3 (14:18):
Well that's the crazy thing, Richie, think about it that
Sam Darnold is only twenty eight years old. Yet he's
been now in the NFL for what eight years and
he's only twenty eight. Yeah, he's got plenty of time to,
you know, maybe get those edges smoothed over, like you
talked about. But Rich Cannon's with us on the radio show.
He was in for Dick Fane and Rich. I'm curious
both you and I had this conversation before you came
(14:40):
on about DK metcalf in the incident yesterday in Detroit.
Speaker 2 (14:45):
I'll just give you the floor.
Speaker 3 (14:46):
What was your take on watching that in these subsequent
two game suspension today for him?
Speaker 5 (14:52):
You know, honestly, I can't say I was surprised that
he did it. I mean, I think if you talk
to any defensive cordator, any defensive player, they know what
the issues are with him. And you know, people try
and push the buttons right, and you know they talk
about so, here's this guy is an accident waiting to happen.
You can get under his skin, you can get him
out of his game. He's an emotional guy. You know,
(15:13):
you can get him. The personal files come easy. I mean,
it happened in Seattle. I think they try to manage
the situations as best they could. He's in Pittsburgh now,
and of course you think that you know, that's Mike
Tomlin and the structure and discipline there that that that
this would.
Speaker 2 (15:28):
Be a problem.
Speaker 5 (15:29):
He is who he is, guys, and he's a phenomenally gifted,
talented player. I think he does a hand thing full
of things really well. I think he's a really good
physical receiver with the ball in his hands at the catcher.
Think he runs the clans and the and that goes
in the phades really well. I don't think the rest
of his route three is as good as it should
(15:49):
be or can be. I don't think he transitions as
well in an out of cuts on certain routes. But
he's a big, strong guy that can be a real
difference maker. But you need all of them, and you know,
you need a he said, you need a guy like
that who's going to be disciplined for a sixty minute game.
You can't have him go off the you know, go
off the rails and lose it. And I think we
see it too often in games where he's pushing after
(16:10):
the play and the cornerbacks in his face and his
grilled talking to him, and that's kind of the that's
kind of them on him, and then then he loses
his mind and leaves the eventual he goes to the stands.
I'm not at all surprised that the lake came down
on as home as hard as they did. I mean,
I knew there'd be a suspension. I just said an
offer be for one or two games and just comes
(16:30):
at a early, awful time for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Speaker 4 (16:32):
Yeah. A couple more minutes with Rich Cannon and and
we mentioned the thirty third team and the presentations. When
Rich is presenting, it's like ye have Hutton. We're all
just you know, enamored with his content. And Rich, I
really want you to tell the story that the way
you told it the thirty third Team about Mike McCarthy
(16:55):
interviewing for the job with the Packers and he was
asked about protect the story about being asked about and
tell it like you told it, because I thought that
was such a window for fans into what the NFL
really is. If you can tell that story, you're a
great storyteller. You know, tell the fans about his experience
(17:18):
and what you took away from that.
Speaker 5 (17:21):
Well, I was big Mike McCarthy saying you know, he
went to school at Fort Hayes State, some from out
the Pittsburgh area and the graduate assistant to pitt And
and that's where he met Paul Hackett and John Grew
and they're all on that staff together. And then he
gets the opportunity when Paul Hackett comes to Kansas City's
the offensive coordinator to be the offensive quality control coach.
Eventually became the quarterbacks coaches, my quarterback coach. Beforeies loved him.
(17:42):
I knew he was going to be a great coach,
and eventually goes on to you know, being the head
coach of the Packers. They won a Super Bowl. He
did some great things with Brett Barb and Aaron Rodgers
and the course success with the Cowboys. But he's interviewing
for the job in Green Bay and they start, they
get off at the board and they say, well, let's
tell us, you know, start with protections. What can you
(18:03):
tell us about protection? And Mike literally looked at the
guys in the room. It was like five guys. I
think it was like the general manager and like some
of the executive people and I don't know someone who
search committee whatever it was, and he said how much
he was like he was startled by the question. He's like,
how much time do you have? Like he says, this
could take a while. He was like, they go, we
got we got all that. He says, all right, So
he was up at the board for two and a
(18:25):
half hours and they said okay, and that that's like
so he started talking about He goes, well, there's five
man protections, are six man protection, there's seven man protections?
Is eight man protections just Slyde protections? Just going back.
He says, let's start with it. Let's start with the
solid seven man protection, because that's where we when we
start with protections, we started a solid seven man protection.
That's your base protection. Let's walk through that, he said.
And he went through it, and like and that's why
(18:46):
I said, like to me, when I started spending time,
like that's when I really became a kind of a
you know, uh, you know, really good at my craft
because that's where it starts. You know, when you put
a passing game together, you have to understand protections. And
I look at these games and dries me crazy, and
you and I talk about on Wednesdays, like you watch
these quarterbacks that are going out there that don't know
(19:07):
what they're doing. They don't know, and that's how these
guys are getting hurt because they don't understand. For these
defensive coordinators are bringing all kinds of heat. You got
to understand what you're seeing. You know, it's funny I
say that. You know, it's a public service announcement. You know,
we've got these warning labels and everything. If you're a
parent and you love your kid and he's a young
(19:27):
quarterback in the NFL, you better make sure he understands
protection because if not, he's going to get knocked out.
These guys they've thrown around. These these defensive players are
trained assassins. Their job is to knock you out of
the game. Too. Many quarterbacks are getting way late because
they can't see where the pressure is coming from. But
Mike McCarthy, he coached me up and you know, Hugh,
(19:48):
I wasn't asleep at the wheel man. I knew where
that stuff was coming from. I under detections inside it out.
Speaker 4 (19:54):
Yeah you have to, but yeah, you said it was
like two and a half hours just on seven man protections,
And he said ahead and gone through the five to
six of the eight and we have you. We could
and we could go on forever with you, uh, just visiting,
just being a sponge your knowledge and all love love
to visit. Uh and and let's do it again soon.
But but Merry Christmas to you. Thanks for the visit,
(20:17):
and we'll see you soon down the road.
Speaker 5 (20:20):
You guys are the best.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
Thanks for having me, all right, man?
Speaker 3 (20:22):
You bet that's great stuff. Rich Gannon two thousand and two,
NFL MVP guy. I really felt like that was like
whatever we had planned for the rest of the show
for the final hour before cracking pregame, Let's just cancel
it and hear rich Gannon talk football man for the
next sixty minutes.
Speaker 5 (20:36):
Man.
Speaker 3 (20:36):
I just feel like there's nothing we can do that's
going to be better than that. But we do have
Michael Pennox joining us at six pm on the radio
show all Right, happen a little fun with Audio Slash.
Hey did you hear that?
Speaker 4 (20:46):
What's that?
Speaker 5 (20:46):
Dick?
Speaker 3 (20:47):
Your favorite segment? Hugh Next on ninety three three kJ RFM,
It's now time for something in Dig's one with Audio.
Jimmy g pawn Star, Jimmy mister Daroppolo. Now let's have
some fun with audio. Had seven nothing Colts he first
quarter that came over on ten ninety Philip Rivers old man.
Speaker 2 (21:07):
Rivers starts five for seven, seventy.
Speaker 3 (21:09):
Three yards and a twenty yard duck wobbler of a
touchdown to Alec Pierce to put the Colts on the
board seven zip over San Francisco. That'd be kind a
nice little early Christmas gift if the Colts could knock
off the Niners tonight.
Speaker 4 (21:23):
Huh Yeah, Well, it wasn't any wobblier than what Peyton
Manning used to throw in that same stadium.
Speaker 3 (21:28):
Oh well, I mean, this guy's got an excuse. He's
forty five. I swear to god, he's gotten fatter since
the last game he played. Jackson says it's because of
all the extra padding he's got on. You know what
he looks like to me, guys, Hugh, I know, yes, no, no, yeah.
Speaker 2 (21:44):
But I'm saying, hang on a second. I'm trying to
make a point.
Speaker 3 (21:48):
Remember the video of Andy Reid when he was a
kid at the punt passing kick competition that resurfaced. Remember that,
that's what he looks like. He looks like Andy Reid
at that unpassing kick competition. All right, here we go
a little fun with audio slash. Hey did you hear that?
Speaker 5 (22:05):
Hey?
Speaker 2 (22:05):
You did you happen to hear that?
Speaker 4 (22:07):
What's that?
Speaker 2 (22:07):
Dick? Where do we start? You want to go with
number one?
Speaker 5 (22:10):
All right?
Speaker 3 (22:11):
Fans in Detroit thought their Lions had beaten the Steelers
yesterday when a wild play ended with Jared Goff taking
a loose ball into the end zone. A few moments later,
the game actually ended, though, when head referee Carl Scheffer said,
this what a major call?
Speaker 6 (22:26):
Really on the field, there's a touchdown.
Speaker 2 (22:28):
However, had a number fourteen on the offense.
Speaker 6 (22:33):
My rule that penalty is not enforced and there is
no replay.
Speaker 2 (22:39):
The game is over. There is no plutown.
Speaker 6 (22:44):
Oki a number fourteen the gates of the penalty. There
is no replay.
Speaker 4 (22:49):
The game is over.
Speaker 6 (22:50):
They even conceded Jean that golf had scored a.
Speaker 5 (22:53):
Touchdown in the NFL offensive files with tom expired do
not extend.
Speaker 2 (22:58):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (22:58):
I am convinced that the majority of those fans at
Ford Field had no freaking clue what Carl Cheffer's was
saying to them.
Speaker 2 (23:07):
All they heard. All they heard is touchdown.
Speaker 3 (23:10):
They heard nothing that followed it, and then they heard
it was a touchdown, and then they heard the game
is over and there was nothing in between. I mean,
was that not a kind of a piss poor way
of that guy to explain what happened?
Speaker 2 (23:25):
Are you kidding me?
Speaker 4 (23:26):
I'm no soaring orator, but that will not go in
a capsule with the Kennedy inaugurala dress okay.
Speaker 5 (23:34):
Just.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
Less than number one. How not to address a hall
of the crowd when a game to take a while?
Speaker 4 (23:42):
That's what they heard.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
Here's what you do.
Speaker 3 (23:44):
You take the field, you turn your mic on, you say, okay,
the Steelers have won, and here's why.
Speaker 4 (23:51):
Yeah exactly, and you explained you lost.
Speaker 2 (23:54):
Yeah, you lost the crowd.
Speaker 4 (23:56):
Yeah, yeah, that was And then I still don't even
think what he said after that was accurate.
Speaker 2 (24:01):
That's nice. What he did to explain it was say,
totally inaccurate. And that guy's been around for a long time.
By the way, he knows what he's doing.
Speaker 4 (24:09):
Well, he didn't know what he was doing in that moment.
I think it was the opposite of right in his explanation.
Speaker 2 (24:15):
All right, let's do number two.
Speaker 3 (24:17):
You think, hey, Hugh, did you happen to hear that
that's that ditch shortly before halftime in Detroit yesterday, Pittsburgh
receiver DK Metcalf, as you know, was caught on camera
hitting a lines fan in the first row at fort Field.
DK has now been suspended for two games without pay
for the incident, but Ross Tucker shared his take on
the situation during a visit on The Dan Patrick Show
earlier today.
Speaker 7 (24:36):
I think that they probably will suspend him. DK Metcalf
went all the way over into the stands. It wasn't
like the guy was right behind him. I mean that
was a good ten yards behind him, obviously. Whatever the
guy said. The guy told the Detroit Free Press that
he called DK by his real name. But now evidently
DK does not like that. By the way, now every
(24:57):
defensive back knows that DK does not like if you
home by his real first name. But you can't do that.
You cannot walk over. You're allowed to say whatever you
want to say from the stands. You're allowed to say
whatever you want to say, and a player cannot go
over there and initiate anything, especially putting their hands on him.
I think that the NFL has to come down on
(25:18):
him hard.
Speaker 3 (25:19):
Yeah, I'm assuming that you agree with everything Ross Tucker
just said.
Speaker 4 (25:22):
Uh yeah, of course, I don't believe that. That guy said, Well,
all I did was calling him to carry in right, No,
I don't think that insided a punch. But you know,
from DK's perspective, if you punch the fan with the
blue wig, you don't get a black belt. You know,
maybe you get a yellow belt. Like you're not earning
(25:45):
any street cred by writing out the dude in the
blue like the fan in the blue wig. Really crow, Yeah,
I think there's more to it than that, But as
you state, nothing excuses what he did.
Speaker 2 (25:59):
Hey, did you happen to hear that? What's that dick?
Speaker 3 (26:03):
After the Raiders loss in Houston yesterday, they fell to
two and thirteen, Vegas head coach Pete Carroll said this
about his aspirations for the future and wanting to turn
things around in Las Vegas.
Speaker 4 (26:13):
Do you want to see this rebuild through?
Speaker 8 (26:16):
I would love to, you know, I would.
Speaker 7 (26:17):
I would love it.
Speaker 8 (26:18):
It's gonna be, uh, it's going to be challenging. It's
it's a taxing challenge for us. But yeah, I really
like this place, and I like this team, and I
like I love working with.
Speaker 4 (26:29):
Johnny and.
Speaker 8 (26:31):
It's it's just mapping it out and putting it together
and making sure that we bring people in that can
really help us and challenge and compete with the guys
that we have, and just let that whole process take,
you know, take shape. It's just unfortunate that there's not
five or six or seven right wins in here that
should have accompanied this season right now, you know. And
it blows me away that that's that, this is the
situation that we're in, because I have no space in
(26:52):
my brain for this.
Speaker 3 (26:53):
So Johnny by the way, that he's referring to as
John Spytech, who's the GM of the Raiders. They lost
a game in overtime to Jacksonville by one. They lost
a game by one to Chicago, lost a game by
two to Houston, lost a game by seven to Denver.
That's four games lost by three to Denver. That's five
(27:15):
games that the Raiders have lost by one score. I mean,
I don't know. You tell me, Hugh, what were their wins?
Speaker 4 (27:21):
How many? How many their wins?
Speaker 3 (27:23):
They beat the Titans by ten, beat the Patriots by seven,
They won their opener, by the way, and they're one
in thirteen since the opener.
Speaker 2 (27:30):
Would you bring him back?
Speaker 4 (27:32):
I wouldn't no, I mean I no, No, I wouldn't.
And how about him saying it's going to be a challenge.
There's still two more games left, right the players. Well,
I can't interpret for the players, but I would think
that they would be interpreting that like, Okay, my players suck,
It's going to be a real challenge. Ryeah right, I know,
(27:53):
would you? I mean there's a point where you just say,
oh god, you know.
Speaker 3 (27:58):
Yeah, I think I'd give him one more year, but man,
if they don't show some real progress by the middle
of the year, I'd probably fire him and move on.
I mean, I just think, you know, this is so
unlike Pete Carroll, that this team is this bad. I
think he's also getting let down by his quarterback. I
don't think they have an offensive line where the damn
down there in.
Speaker 2 (28:18):
Vegas, that's for sure. And I just think you I
think i'd bring him back for one more year.
Speaker 4 (28:23):
Well, the reason I say, you know, because Tom Brady
figures to be sure a bigger part sure of the decision.
Tom Brady doesn't strike me as a guy that you
know it has a lot of patience.
Speaker 2 (28:34):
No, I get it.
Speaker 3 (28:35):
Well, I mean you got a guy in Geno Smith,
who it's only two quarterbacks in the NFL with a
lower QBR than him, and it's JJ McCarthy and cam Ward.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
That's it, all right, We'll get a break.
Speaker 3 (28:45):
Michael Pennix, six pm hour before cracking hockey coming up,
pregame six thirty face off seven against the Ducks on
ninety three three KJRFF.
Speaker 1 (28:52):
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 Saftian Dick on Sports
Radio ninety three point three KJR.
Speaker 3 (29:08):
First quarter Nighters. Now the Colts fourteen to seven. The
Colts the Niners win tonight. Excuse me, they would move
into the second place spot in the NFC West because
they would then have the tiebreaker over the Rams I mean,
think about the Rams man.
Speaker 2 (29:22):
Two weeks ago.
Speaker 3 (29:23):
They were the darling of the NFC number one seed
and then bang they blew a sixteen point lead in
the fourth quarter, and now they're a Niner win away
tonight from being in third place in the NFC West
because they both would have the same record they both
split in the regular season, but the Niners would be
four and one in the West and the Rams would
be three and two. So technically the Niners would be
(29:43):
in the two hole tonight. If they win this game
against Indianapolis, which I think they're going to Hawks are
twelve and three, Niners eleven to four. That means, obviously
the Seahawks could beat the Carolina Panthers, and as long
as the Niners take out the Bears, that game and
the last game of the year is going to be
for the NFC West Championship at Levi Stadium. I remember you, Hugh,
(30:08):
when the schedule came out saying, oh, I don't like
that Week eighteen game at Levi Stadium. I don't like
that at all, having to go to San Francisco in
Week eighteen. So how do you feel about that game now?
Speaker 4 (30:20):
Well, at the time, I thought they might have Joey
Bosa and I thought they might have Fred Warner, right,
But they seem to be figuring it out, and yeah,
I'm concerned about it. I think it's tough for Seattle
to have played the Ram game with all of the
intensity of that, the emotion involved, and then you got to, Okay,
(30:42):
your your emotional tank gets drained by that as as
much as it could. Overtime and all. Now a good
thing you had the three days before Carolina. But then Carolina,
that's going to be an intense environment. And then so
to have to have three games, you know, must wins
against playoff teams stuff.
Speaker 3 (31:00):
Yeah, no it is. And all of a sudden, the
Seahawks football team. I mean, guys, there's a scenario where
you can paint that the Seahawks end up as the
seventh seed in the NFC playoffs and they end up
as the third team in the NFC West. So look,
I know we're all fired up, and we should be
fired up. I told you last week after the RAM
game that I the parch I'm sitting on right now.
I think the Hawks are going to play in the
(31:22):
Super Bowl, and that the ceiling and the floor for
this football team is so wide a swath it's unbelievable.
And the biggest reason why there's a wide swath is
because of the parody in the NFC and the parody
in the NFC West. I mean, the Hawks are a really,
really good football team that could lose in the first
round of the NFL playoffs, having to go to Chicago
(31:44):
or go to Carolina, or go to Tampa Bay and
taking a road trip like that. Look, when I make
the Hawks the favorite to win that game, yes, I
would would have stunned me if they lost.
Speaker 2 (31:52):
No, it would not no, of course.
Speaker 4 (31:54):
And you have an offensive line that when they bogged down,
I mean they grow, they don't. They don't coast, like
you can't put the car in neutral and at least
coast for a while. It just like the clutch pops
and then you're just you're just stuck immediately. So they're
a concern. Although I will say, you know, we talked
last week about how Sam Donald has the highest win
(32:17):
percentage of any starting quarterback over the last two years,
and that doesn't matter whether you count the playoffs or not.
The answer Sam Donald, Right, you go back. We had
what was it Sharon Sharon Panthers, sideline reporter, Yeah, she
You know, we talked about the twenty twenty two year.
If you filter David years twenty two through twenty five,
(32:40):
that's four seasons because Donald had six starts that twenty
twenty two year. You know, as a number one one
percentage of the last four years, Sam Donald, And of
the top five, there's one quarterback who has a triple
digit passer rating of the top five, so he's number
one in win percentage and he's the only one with
(33:01):
a triple digit passer rated. I mean, it's pretty remarkable.
And he's only twenty eight here. We talked to Rich
Cannon today going to the Pro Bowl between ages thirty
four and thirty seven, right, I don't know, that's pretty cool.
What's going on with all think.
Speaker 3 (33:13):
I think there's a conversation to be had later on
about what John Schneider is doing right now, because you know,
I put this on Twitter yesterday, and I really hope
that people understand that what John Schneider is doing right
now is pretty rare for a GM to win a
championship in twenty thirteen, then totally reset with a new
quarterback and a brand new head coach and a brand
new roster, and to be sitting here with the record
they've got in position to maybe get back to another one.
Speaker 2 (33:35):
Not a lot of executives pull this off, right.
Speaker 3 (33:37):
You know, the second time around with a whole new
cast of characters.
Speaker 2 (33:41):
So good on him. We'll get a break
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