January 29, 2025 • 19 mins
Kevin Harlan of Westwood One, CBS and TNT joins Dave Softy Mahler to talk about Pete Carroll taking the coaching job with the Las Vegas Raiders, his career thoughts about retirement, the Chiefs vs. Bills game and controversy, plus the Eagles’ chances.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
They are NFL champions.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
The Seattlesyhawks have one Super.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Bowl forty eight.
Speaker 3 (00:05):
As part of our non stop coverage of the NFL,
this is Softy's weekly visit with Kevin Harlan.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
He's a pulldowzer, He's a beast, brought.
Speaker 3 (00:14):
To you by the Emerald Queen Casino, the betting capital
of the Northwest.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
He was like a pin ball. Bang it off, buddy,
he's up twenty three yard.
Speaker 3 (00:22):
Catch it, hun Come down to the beautiful EQC Sportsbook
to bet, watch and win all season long.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
Hit the touchdown. It's a touchdown.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
It's grabbed by Curse on Sports Radio ninety three point
three kjr FL.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
The Chiefs and their seventh consecutive AFC Championship game are
gonna go to New Orleans for a third consecutive Super
Bowl appearance.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
Another snap, another knee, and the countdown is on.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
The bench is empty and.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
This place is going bananas. Wow, what a call? How
about that? Kansas City into the Super Bowl for the
fifth time and six And we could not be more
pleased and more lucky to have the voice of Super
Bowl fifty nine, the voice of the NFL on Westwood One,
the voice of the NFL on CBS, the NBA on TNT,
and let's face it, one unbelievable American. Our friend, Kevin Harlan,
(01:16):
how are you, pal? Oh?
Speaker 2 (01:18):
How nice? I'm trying to keep up with you. I
heard that highlight from Super Bowl forty eight. I cannot
believe it's been that long for the Hawks. Super Bowl
forty eight. Yeah, I remember it. I remember it well. Yeah,
but that was a great day for them. And how
about Pete Carroll taking the Raider job? Oh? You surprised
by dan? H?
Speaker 1 (01:38):
No? Not really, you know, I mean I think he
kind of quietly behind the scenes wanted to get back
in the game, you know, and was waiting for the opportunity.
Were you surprised by that? Were you surprised that he
went to work for Mark Davis? And now there's rumors
he's talking to Darryl Bevill about being his offensive coordinator.
Who was the play caller in that? About how about that.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
And that sum Yeah? Everything is cyclical. I I guess
I'm not surprised. He's a young seventy three, he'll be
seventy four when they kick off the season this fall.
Got more energy than most guys that are twenty thirty
years younger than him. So he's he's proven that it's
not a grind. He's probably as sharp as ever he
(02:24):
had been with the Seahawks for so long. I don't
care how great you are. And we just saw Belichick
leave New England and other coaches have been long, long
time head coaches at places. I mean, sometimes you just
need a new voice, a new person. I get. That's
that's what that job is. That job is not lifelong security.
That job is a temporary hold on that job and
(02:46):
somebody else comes in, so I listen, they need a
culture change and the worst way with the Raiders, yep.
And I think he's from that regard. He'll hire a
great staff. He's a loyal head coach. He'll find loyal guys,
good guys, he won't make a mistake with his staff,
and he'll he'll be at the forefront of changing that
(03:08):
culture with the Raiders, which is a job on there.
That's that's not the third or fourth priority, it's the
number one priority. Might even be the second and third
priority as well.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
Yeah. Well, I think a lot of guys get into
football and just don't know how to say goodbye, right
and Pete Carroll might be one of those guys. And frankly,
I worry about that for you as well. I mean,
you've been doing this broadcasting thing for forty years. Like
when you finally one day give this up, are you
gonna start walking around your house just like doing play
by play of random stuff happening around the neighborhood. There's
(03:39):
a dog at the door. He's scratching at the door.
He wants in. He's being denied. I'm gonna walk over.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
No. I We'll kind of continue for a little bit longer,
but we think of it. Yes, I'm still fighting that
cold from last night. But I would I would tell
you as long as it remains enjoyable and you look
forward to the games, I think you keep going. You
never listen. It's a tricky dance when to retire and
(04:08):
when to keep going. And and some people have worked
their lengths, say you know what I've done all I
can do. I'm exhausted. I've got other things on my
plate and I want to do that. Pete is a
is a football coach, but he's more than that. He's
a culture builder. He is going to an exciting city.
They got a lot of cap space. They got some
pretty good parts already in place. They don't have a quarterback,
(04:29):
but they seem to have a lot in line. And
think of the coaches in that AFC West Hardball in
Los Angeles, Pete Carroll with the with the Raiders. You've
got Sean Payton who just turned sixty one. He's in Denver,
and Andy Reid's about sixty five, sixty six, sixty five
(04:51):
years old, and and he is you know, he says
this keeps him young. He said, I just heard him
today talking about coaching these kids. He said, you know,
being around young people is really a cool thing for
a guy that, you know, maybe turned sixty or seventy,
he said, he said, they keep you young. You know,
it's like grandkids. They keep you young. And people like
(05:13):
in the retirement years moving to college cities because there's
you know, there's that vibrancy of being in a town
that houses a major university and all the different guest
speakers and events they've got coming to that city. It
keeps people young. And I think I think we're all
looking for that, whether you're in your fifties or sixties
or whatever. Yeah, Well, so I can see Carol keeping
(05:34):
this and enjoying it. It's only a three year deal,
but I think he'll be great.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
No, no doubt. Well, Kevin Harlan's with us, and Kevin
Sean McDermott is being kept from a super Bowl by
Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes. I mean, it is just amazing.
You know, Dick and I talked about this Monday, the
story coming out of that game that you called on
Sunday afternoon the highest viewed AFC Championship game of all time.
I'm sure the numbers on radio were also phenomenal around
(05:59):
the count. But this is a Buffalo football team that
has won a playoff game now five years in a row,
and they still have not reached a Super Bowl. That
is the first time in the history of the NFL
that's ever happened. They've lost to the same team in
four of the last five years, first time that has
ever happened. So was the story Sunday night for you?
(06:20):
What Kansas City has accomplished or what Buffalo continues to
fall short of.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
Now, until anybody beats Kansas City, They're always going to
be the first thought for me. I honestly, God, I
felt like I did for the Lions. I felt horrible
for the Bills. They've come so close. We all know
which NFL football means in Western New York to those fans,
this team was ready to go. I don't know that
(06:46):
it was their most talented. I think it was their
best running back team. Allen was playing at an MVP level.
They've had better receivers, their line was intact. I mean,
there was a lot there to like. It may not
have been their best team, but I just kind of
thought that, you know, if we're going to see a
crack in the Chiefs, this might be it. And the
(07:09):
Chiefs just did not blink. We knew it was going
to be close game, and clearly it was. But you know,
when the Chiefs made a couple of big moves the
last fourth and whatever it was, and the drop pass
by the tight end at the Kansas City thirty five,
and then when the Chiefs got the seventeen yard catch
and run with the short pass out of the batfield
(07:31):
the Samaji p Ryan to do it, that was the
play they had to stop. And they couldn't stop it
because if Kansas City did not get the first down,
my guesses they would kick the field goal, make it
a six point game and then rely on their defense
for the final whatever it was minute left. But that
was really it. When they couldn't stop that play, game
was over and they were out of timeouts and they
(07:53):
were not going to get the ball back. And that's
just kind of the way that the Chiefs are smart.
They always use their tight their time out. It's the
right way. They organize the clock the way they they
see it. Their quarterback controls the pace of the game
at the line of scrimmage. He thinks on a completely
different level, I think than any other quarterback playing in
the league right now, and and clearly Reid manages a
(08:16):
game better than anybody else, so that that's very tough
to go up against. Now, the first thought for me was, now,
the Chiefs are on the doorstep of pro football history
in the Super Bowl era of getting a chance to
win three in a row. And no team, by the way,
has been to five Super Bowls in six years, so
(08:39):
there's still some incredible milestones ahead of them. And and
I think they've they've kind of embraced that all season long.
They they've they've not shied away from the fact they're
on you know, the cuspop of history. Now they're right
there with their hand on the door to throw it open,
and they got a challenge. But but they've got history now,
(09:01):
and that's a very powerful thing to deal with.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
Well, I guess if you're a Buffalo fan Kevin and
Kevin Harlan with us courtesy of the Emeral Queen, why
should you believe anything will ever be different as long
as Mahomes and Reid are together in Kansas City.
Speaker 2 (09:16):
Well, you know, it took a while for Jordan and
the Bulls to get by Detroit and Boston. It takes
some times a while to get past that quote unquote.
Team Kansas City finally did it, and they got by
New England and that dynasty ended. It's just kind of
weird that we've got two dynastic franchises back to back.
(09:38):
That doesn't happen a lot, but it's happened now with
this team. Happened. Of course, we've seen it before, Lakers,
Bulls in the NBA, we had the Pittsburgh Steelers in
the seventies, Packers of the sixties, Niners of the eighties,
and the Patriots, you know, for the first two decades
of the two thousands, and but I don't know that
(10:02):
anybody thought we would see another dynastic run by a
team up on the heels of a team that basically
control the NFL for twenty years. So that's weird. I
find that, you know, an oddity, and the way the
cap is situated and the way that the parody reigns
in this league. This is not normal, and the Chiefs
(10:25):
have have maybe changed that that thinking a little bit
with this run. Here's the thing. Mahomes isn't even thirty.
He's going to go to his fifth Super Bowl and
he's the first quarterback to do that under thirty, and
so he's got good years left, maybe as many as eight, nine,
ten years left. So he's not going to any place.
Reid is in good health and wants to continue to go.
(10:48):
The front office is stable and set ownership is ready.
I mean, I don't know that this is going to
end either, even if they wouldn't win, I don't I
don't see an end. I don't see a period on this.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
I'm totally with you. It is unbelievable what they're doing.
It's also unbelievable what has happened to Buffalo. I think
all those emotions can exist at the same time, you
can feel respect for what the Chiefs have done, all
for what they've done, but massive empathy for what's going
on with Buffalo. But I mean the fourth down play
where Alan got stopped, obviously is the one player that's
(11:22):
getting talked about the most. A Kinkaid drop. I guess
we can get your thoughts on that. But from your
vantage point, as they went to a commercial break to
wait for that call from the officials, did you and
the guys in the booth feel like Alan had converted?
How surprised were you by that?
Speaker 2 (11:39):
I did think he converted. I thought my vantage point
was who was holding the football beneath his chin strap
against his chest with both arms crossed. He was standing
up and he was trying to force the ball. He
had not hit the ground, and there was still movement.
He was not on the ground. He was standing up,
(11:59):
and even if he was falling, he was falling on bodies,
so it wasn't like the ball was down. I thought
he had hit the line the game, and so so
that was a surprise. I gotta be honest, and I
think we we jeans Terator said, Yep, he's got the
first down. I think CBS said it looks like he's
got it, and they didn't give it to him. So
(12:21):
I am surprised. Was surprised by that. And then kinkaid
to dropped that pass, which was a huge play by
the way it went right to his hands. Now, I
know there were a lot of defenders around him. Everywhere
you looked, there was red. But it was a catchable ball,
and quite frankly, big game like that, you've got to
(12:42):
make that catch. I mean, it would not have been
the greatest catch you would have seen, but it would
have been good. He was on you know, all fours
and and it was a catchable ball, and and that
was big. And then the defense not stopping the Chiefs
on what was a third and sixteen, third and fifteen,
and the Chief's got a seventeen yard catcher run out
(13:03):
of the running back, you know, with the mistackle on
the sideline. You know, there are a couple of plays
that changed that game. Those are two of them, and
they were both by the Buffalo Bills. Actually three. They
should have had the first down on fourth and one.
It's actually fourth in the maybe the length or half
the length of a football. The drop passed by their
(13:24):
usually sure handed tight end and then the defense allowing
you know, a first down on a third and sixteen
or whatever it was, and the kid got seventeen and
got the first down, and that was it. That was
all she wrote. The Bills had three chances and they
didn't take advantage of any of the three chances. That's
to go back to my first point about knowing how
(13:45):
to perform in the biggest moments of the game. That
that pass play to p Ryan. They had that down,
the coverage on the kid downfield, the tight end, their
coverage were surrounding them, and for whatever reason, I think
they got a stroke a good fortune by not getting
the call to go Buffalo's way and not extending that
(14:05):
drive with the first down plunge by yeah, by the quarterback.
And by the way, all this guy had done all
year long was convert plays like that, So that was
stunning that he could not convert that fourth in less
than the yard.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
Well, this this kind of feels like the current version
of Manning Brady back in the day in the AFC.
But we're still waiting for Manning to get Brady, and eventually,
you know, maybe he will, but so far Brady has
been owning Manning Brady being Patrick Mahomes. But Kevin Hardin's
with us and Ken we can talk more about the
Chiefs legacy next week and after Super Sunday. But there's
(14:38):
been so much talking about the Bills in Chiefs game.
I feel like there's been almost no chatter about the
Commanders in Philadelphia. It was a blowout, obviously, but when
you look at this Eagles roster, do you see a
roster that potentially is built to take down Kansas City
next Sunday.
Speaker 2 (14:55):
Clearly they run the ball well two ways. The quarterback
and then Barkley, who who I think is the single
biggest personality after Mahomes, are equal to Mahomes in the game.
The game will evolve around those two players. And the
Chiefs have not been able to stop the run against
the Texans in the divisional run they round. They really
(15:17):
didn't stop last week cook for the Buffalo Bills on
the ground. So the Chiefs have been susceptible to the
run game and in the regular season I think they
were like twentieth in the league in stopping the run.
And that is the bread and butter that Philly offense.
That's gonna be the first thing that I circle as
(15:39):
to you know, those numbers that success or non success
I think will really dictate the game. Chiefs defense will
play well. Mahomes will have his kind of game. He
rarely blows it. I saw a weird statistic and I'm
gonna I'm gonna get parts of this wrong, but the
gist of it are there. Down by a score on
(16:03):
the last possession of a game, and Brady was like
five of twelve, Manning was like four of seven. Mahomes
is seven of seven. Like he's just he is just
wired differently. And that alone gives this team so much confidence.
(16:25):
And that's the other thing about the Chiefs. They don't blink.
How will Philly react if they're in that kind of situation.
Will they have the call that the quarterback seems to exude.
Will they have the confidence to run the ball not
give up on the run. Can they improve their passing
game a little bit? They've got a better roster than
the Chiefs from one to fifty three. They got some
(16:46):
real studs on defense. That defensive line is terrific, So
no it. If you're going to pick two teams, these
are the two teams to make it all the way
you're defending champion and the best team I think in
the NFC clearly.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
Yeah. Well, I'll just give you one question on the
legacy factor here, but the goat talk between Brady and
Mahomes has already begun. Is it too early for that?
No matter what happens next Sunday.
Speaker 2 (17:15):
The biggest separation is Brady did it over two decades
and that's not san Patrick won't. And Mahomes is actually
off to a better start. And will he have the
individual numbers Brady's individual numbers are to me in some
like passing yards, like untouchable will will Patrick wins seven
Super Bowl rings and Brady's done it with two different franchise.
(17:38):
That's difficult. And can you do it over a twenty
year period where there is some you know, some lean years,
some off years in between, and resurrect that and come
back and do that? To me, Brady is still the guy.
But Mahomes is on a path. Should he stay on
this path where he yes, he would be the greatest,
But he's got a couple and he's got to win
(17:59):
a up super Bowl to get the five. He's got
what he's got right now. But I'm anxious to see
what happens here. He's he is on an incredible pace
for sure. And people thought, we'll never see the likes
of Brady again, And here we are, less than a
(18:19):
couple of years after he's retired, and we're seeing the
likes of Brady again. Just goes to show you when
you think it will never happen, it can creep up
on you. And that's exactly what has happened with Mahomes
chasing Brady.
Speaker 1 (18:32):
Yeah, well, Brady maybe the go to quarterbacks, but you're
the go to broadcasters, baby, Kevin Harlan.
Speaker 2 (18:38):
Well, come on, now, come on, come on.
Speaker 1 (18:40):
Every Wednesday.
Speaker 2 (18:41):
You're two kinds.
Speaker 1 (18:43):
Turnesy of the Emerald Queen. All right, listen, you got
NBA basketball? What tomorrow? Is that right, Memphis TNT correct, Yeah, it's.
Speaker 2 (18:52):
The number two and number three teams in the Western Conference.
I mean, you're talking about two outstanding ball clubs. So
I'm looking forward to that. That'll be a lot of fun.
And then I got Illinois and Ohio State nice in Champagne,
Nice on Sunday. Thank you? Oh you're talking about in Champagne?
(19:12):
Are you talking to somebody else here? Talking to somebody else?
Speaker 1 (19:16):
Listen, you gotta go. You got stuff to do. Go go, go,
jump on the plane, get your car, get your first
class c gets your upgrade. All right, get your meal,
and we'll talk in a week before Super Sunday. We'll
break this thing down next week.
Speaker 2 (19:28):
All right, man, you got it, buddy, you got it.
You got it. Okay, Thank right so much.
Speaker 1 (19:32):
You bet. Kevin Harlin with us, the voice of Super
Bowl fifty nine. He's got the Memphis game tomorrow. You
heard it right there, Illinois, Ohio State for CBS on
Saturday as well. The man is a machine and never
slows down. Kevin Hardin with us every Wednesday. We're gonna
break a lot more to get to, including Jim Boden's
comments on the Mariners from yesterday, oh My, coming up
(19:54):
in the six o'clock hour on ninety three three KJRFM
They are NFL champions.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
The Seattlesyhawks have one Super.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Bowl forty eight.
Speaker 3 (00:05):
As part of our non stop coverage of the NFL,
this is Softy's weekly visit with Kevin Harlan.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
He's a pulldowzer, He's a beast, brought.
Speaker 3 (00:14):
To you by the Emerald Queen Casino, the betting capital
of the Northwest.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
He was like a pin ball. Bang it off, buddy,
he's up twenty three yard.
Speaker 3 (00:22):
Catch it, hun Come down to the beautiful EQC Sportsbook
to bet, watch and win all season long.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
Hit the touchdown. It's a touchdown.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
It's grabbed by Curse on Sports Radio ninety three point
three kjr FL.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
The Chiefs and their seventh consecutive AFC Championship game are
gonna go to New Orleans for a third consecutive Super
Bowl appearance.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
Another snap, another knee, and the countdown is on.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
The bench is empty and.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
This place is going bananas. Wow, what a call? How
about that? Kansas City into the Super Bowl for the
fifth time and six And we could not be more
pleased and more lucky to have the voice of Super
Bowl fifty nine, the voice of the NFL on Westwood One,
the voice of the NFL on CBS, the NBA on TNT,
and let's face it, one unbelievable American. Our friend, Kevin Harlan,
(01:16):
how are you, pal? Oh?
Speaker 2 (01:18):
How nice? I'm trying to keep up with you. I
heard that highlight from Super Bowl forty eight. I cannot
believe it's been that long for the Hawks. Super Bowl
forty eight. Yeah, I remember it. I remember it well. Yeah,
but that was a great day for them. And how
about Pete Carroll taking the Raider job? Oh? You surprised
by dan? H?
Speaker 1 (01:38):
No? Not really, you know, I mean I think he
kind of quietly behind the scenes wanted to get back
in the game, you know, and was waiting for the opportunity.
Were you surprised by that? Were you surprised that he
went to work for Mark Davis? And now there's rumors
he's talking to Darryl Bevill about being his offensive coordinator.
Who was the play caller in that? About how about that.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
And that sum Yeah? Everything is cyclical. I I guess
I'm not surprised. He's a young seventy three, he'll be
seventy four when they kick off the season this fall.
Got more energy than most guys that are twenty thirty
years younger than him. So he's he's proven that it's
not a grind. He's probably as sharp as ever he
(02:24):
had been with the Seahawks for so long. I don't
care how great you are. And we just saw Belichick
leave New England and other coaches have been long, long
time head coaches at places. I mean, sometimes you just
need a new voice, a new person. I get. That's
that's what that job is. That job is not lifelong security.
That job is a temporary hold on that job and
(02:46):
somebody else comes in, so I listen, they need a
culture change and the worst way with the Raiders, yep.
And I think he's from that regard. He'll hire a
great staff. He's a loyal head coach. He'll find loyal guys,
good guys, he won't make a mistake with his staff,
and he'll he'll be at the forefront of changing that
(03:08):
culture with the Raiders, which is a job on there.
That's that's not the third or fourth priority, it's the
number one priority. Might even be the second and third
priority as well.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
Yeah. Well, I think a lot of guys get into
football and just don't know how to say goodbye, right
and Pete Carroll might be one of those guys. And frankly,
I worry about that for you as well. I mean,
you've been doing this broadcasting thing for forty years. Like
when you finally one day give this up, are you
gonna start walking around your house just like doing play
by play of random stuff happening around the neighborhood. There's
(03:39):
a dog at the door. He's scratching at the door.
He wants in. He's being denied. I'm gonna walk over.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
No. I We'll kind of continue for a little bit longer,
but we think of it. Yes, I'm still fighting that
cold from last night. But I would I would tell
you as long as it remains enjoyable and you look
forward to the games, I think you keep going. You
never listen. It's a tricky dance when to retire and
(04:08):
when to keep going. And and some people have worked
their lengths, say you know what I've done all I
can do. I'm exhausted. I've got other things on my
plate and I want to do that. Pete is a
is a football coach, but he's more than that. He's
a culture builder. He is going to an exciting city.
They got a lot of cap space. They got some
pretty good parts already in place. They don't have a quarterback,
(04:29):
but they seem to have a lot in line. And
think of the coaches in that AFC West Hardball in
Los Angeles, Pete Carroll with the with the Raiders. You've
got Sean Payton who just turned sixty one. He's in Denver,
and Andy Reid's about sixty five, sixty six, sixty five
(04:51):
years old, and and he is you know, he says
this keeps him young. He said, I just heard him
today talking about coaching these kids. He said, you know,
being around young people is really a cool thing for
a guy that, you know, maybe turned sixty or seventy,
he said, he said, they keep you young. You know,
it's like grandkids. They keep you young. And people like
(05:13):
in the retirement years moving to college cities because there's
you know, there's that vibrancy of being in a town
that houses a major university and all the different guest
speakers and events they've got coming to that city. It
keeps people young. And I think I think we're all
looking for that, whether you're in your fifties or sixties
or whatever. Yeah, Well, so I can see Carol keeping
(05:34):
this and enjoying it. It's only a three year deal,
but I think he'll be great.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
No, no doubt. Well, Kevin Harlan's with us, and Kevin
Sean McDermott is being kept from a super Bowl by
Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes. I mean, it is just amazing.
You know, Dick and I talked about this Monday, the
story coming out of that game that you called on
Sunday afternoon the highest viewed AFC Championship game of all time.
I'm sure the numbers on radio were also phenomenal around
(05:59):
the count. But this is a Buffalo football team that
has won a playoff game now five years in a row,
and they still have not reached a Super Bowl. That
is the first time in the history of the NFL
that's ever happened. They've lost to the same team in
four of the last five years, first time that has
ever happened. So was the story Sunday night for you?
(06:20):
What Kansas City has accomplished or what Buffalo continues to
fall short of.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
Now, until anybody beats Kansas City, They're always going to
be the first thought for me. I honestly, God, I
felt like I did for the Lions. I felt horrible
for the Bills. They've come so close. We all know
which NFL football means in Western New York to those fans,
this team was ready to go. I don't know that
(06:46):
it was their most talented. I think it was their
best running back team. Allen was playing at an MVP level.
They've had better receivers, their line was intact. I mean,
there was a lot there to like. It may not
have been their best team, but I just kind of
thought that, you know, if we're going to see a
crack in the Chiefs, this might be it. And the
(07:09):
Chiefs just did not blink. We knew it was going
to be close game, and clearly it was. But you know,
when the Chiefs made a couple of big moves the
last fourth and whatever it was, and the drop pass
by the tight end at the Kansas City thirty five,
and then when the Chiefs got the seventeen yard catch
and run with the short pass out of the batfield
(07:31):
the Samaji p Ryan to do it, that was the
play they had to stop. And they couldn't stop it
because if Kansas City did not get the first down,
my guesses they would kick the field goal, make it
a six point game and then rely on their defense
for the final whatever it was minute left. But that
was really it. When they couldn't stop that play, game
was over and they were out of timeouts and they
(07:53):
were not going to get the ball back. And that's
just kind of the way that the Chiefs are smart.
They always use their tight their time out. It's the
right way. They organize the clock the way they they
see it. Their quarterback controls the pace of the game
at the line of scrimmage. He thinks on a completely
different level, I think than any other quarterback playing in
the league right now, and and clearly Reid manages a
(08:16):
game better than anybody else, so that that's very tough
to go up against. Now, the first thought for me was, now,
the Chiefs are on the doorstep of pro football history
in the Super Bowl era of getting a chance to
win three in a row. And no team, by the way,
has been to five Super Bowls in six years, so
(08:39):
there's still some incredible milestones ahead of them. And and
I think they've they've kind of embraced that all season long.
They they've they've not shied away from the fact they're
on you know, the cuspop of history. Now they're right
there with their hand on the door to throw it open,
and they got a challenge. But but they've got history now,
(09:01):
and that's a very powerful thing to deal with.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
Well, I guess if you're a Buffalo fan Kevin and
Kevin Harlan with us courtesy of the Emeral Queen, why
should you believe anything will ever be different as long
as Mahomes and Reid are together in Kansas City.
Speaker 2 (09:16):
Well, you know, it took a while for Jordan and
the Bulls to get by Detroit and Boston. It takes
some times a while to get past that quote unquote.
Team Kansas City finally did it, and they got by
New England and that dynasty ended. It's just kind of
weird that we've got two dynastic franchises back to back.
(09:38):
That doesn't happen a lot, but it's happened now with
this team. Happened. Of course, we've seen it before, Lakers,
Bulls in the NBA, we had the Pittsburgh Steelers in
the seventies, Packers of the sixties, Niners of the eighties,
and the Patriots, you know, for the first two decades
of the two thousands, and but I don't know that
(10:02):
anybody thought we would see another dynastic run by a
team up on the heels of a team that basically
control the NFL for twenty years. So that's weird. I
find that, you know, an oddity, and the way the
cap is situated and the way that the parody reigns
in this league. This is not normal, and the Chiefs
(10:25):
have have maybe changed that that thinking a little bit
with this run. Here's the thing. Mahomes isn't even thirty.
He's going to go to his fifth Super Bowl and
he's the first quarterback to do that under thirty, and
so he's got good years left, maybe as many as eight, nine,
ten years left. So he's not going to any place.
Reid is in good health and wants to continue to go.
(10:48):
The front office is stable and set ownership is ready.
I mean, I don't know that this is going to
end either, even if they wouldn't win, I don't I
don't see an end. I don't see a period on this.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
I'm totally with you. It is unbelievable what they're doing.
It's also unbelievable what has happened to Buffalo. I think
all those emotions can exist at the same time, you
can feel respect for what the Chiefs have done, all
for what they've done, but massive empathy for what's going
on with Buffalo. But I mean the fourth down play
where Alan got stopped, obviously is the one player that's
(11:22):
getting talked about the most. A Kinkaid drop. I guess
we can get your thoughts on that. But from your
vantage point, as they went to a commercial break to
wait for that call from the officials, did you and
the guys in the booth feel like Alan had converted?
How surprised were you by that?
Speaker 2 (11:39):
I did think he converted. I thought my vantage point
was who was holding the football beneath his chin strap
against his chest with both arms crossed. He was standing
up and he was trying to force the ball. He
had not hit the ground, and there was still movement.
He was not on the ground. He was standing up,
(11:59):
and even if he was falling, he was falling on bodies,
so it wasn't like the ball was down. I thought
he had hit the line the game, and so so
that was a surprise. I gotta be honest, and I
think we we jeans Terator said, Yep, he's got the
first down. I think CBS said it looks like he's
got it, and they didn't give it to him. So
(12:21):
I am surprised. Was surprised by that. And then kinkaid
to dropped that pass, which was a huge play by
the way it went right to his hands. Now, I
know there were a lot of defenders around him. Everywhere
you looked, there was red. But it was a catchable ball,
and quite frankly, big game like that, you've got to
(12:42):
make that catch. I mean, it would not have been
the greatest catch you would have seen, but it would
have been good. He was on you know, all fours
and and it was a catchable ball, and and that
was big. And then the defense not stopping the Chiefs
on what was a third and sixteen, third and fifteen,
and the Chief's got a seventeen yard catcher run out
(13:03):
of the running back, you know, with the mistackle on
the sideline. You know, there are a couple of plays
that changed that game. Those are two of them, and
they were both by the Buffalo Bills. Actually three. They
should have had the first down on fourth and one.
It's actually fourth in the maybe the length or half
the length of a football. The drop passed by their
(13:24):
usually sure handed tight end and then the defense allowing
you know, a first down on a third and sixteen
or whatever it was, and the kid got seventeen and
got the first down, and that was it. That was
all she wrote. The Bills had three chances and they
didn't take advantage of any of the three chances. That's
to go back to my first point about knowing how
(13:45):
to perform in the biggest moments of the game. That
that pass play to p Ryan. They had that down,
the coverage on the kid downfield, the tight end, their
coverage were surrounding them, and for whatever reason, I think
they got a stroke a good fortune by not getting
the call to go Buffalo's way and not extending that
(14:05):
drive with the first down plunge by yeah, by the quarterback.
And by the way, all this guy had done all
year long was convert plays like that, So that was
stunning that he could not convert that fourth in less
than the yard.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
Well, this this kind of feels like the current version
of Manning Brady back in the day in the AFC.
But we're still waiting for Manning to get Brady, and eventually,
you know, maybe he will, but so far Brady has
been owning Manning Brady being Patrick Mahomes. But Kevin Hardin's
with us and Ken we can talk more about the
Chiefs legacy next week and after Super Sunday. But there's
(14:38):
been so much talking about the Bills in Chiefs game.
I feel like there's been almost no chatter about the
Commanders in Philadelphia. It was a blowout, obviously, but when
you look at this Eagles roster, do you see a
roster that potentially is built to take down Kansas City
next Sunday.
Speaker 2 (14:55):
Clearly they run the ball well two ways. The quarterback
and then Barkley, who who I think is the single
biggest personality after Mahomes, are equal to Mahomes in the game.
The game will evolve around those two players. And the
Chiefs have not been able to stop the run against
the Texans in the divisional run they round. They really
(15:17):
didn't stop last week cook for the Buffalo Bills on
the ground. So the Chiefs have been susceptible to the
run game and in the regular season I think they
were like twentieth in the league in stopping the run.
And that is the bread and butter that Philly offense.
That's gonna be the first thing that I circle as
(15:39):
to you know, those numbers that success or non success
I think will really dictate the game. Chiefs defense will
play well. Mahomes will have his kind of game. He
rarely blows it. I saw a weird statistic and I'm
gonna I'm gonna get parts of this wrong, but the
gist of it are there. Down by a score on
(16:03):
the last possession of a game, and Brady was like
five of twelve, Manning was like four of seven. Mahomes
is seven of seven. Like he's just he is just
wired differently. And that alone gives this team so much confidence.
(16:25):
And that's the other thing about the Chiefs. They don't blink.
How will Philly react if they're in that kind of situation.
Will they have the call that the quarterback seems to exude.
Will they have the confidence to run the ball not
give up on the run. Can they improve their passing
game a little bit? They've got a better roster than
the Chiefs from one to fifty three. They got some
(16:46):
real studs on defense. That defensive line is terrific, So
no it. If you're going to pick two teams, these
are the two teams to make it all the way
you're defending champion and the best team I think in
the NFC clearly.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
Yeah. Well, I'll just give you one question on the
legacy factor here, but the goat talk between Brady and
Mahomes has already begun. Is it too early for that?
No matter what happens next Sunday.
Speaker 2 (17:15):
The biggest separation is Brady did it over two decades
and that's not san Patrick won't. And Mahomes is actually
off to a better start. And will he have the
individual numbers Brady's individual numbers are to me in some
like passing yards, like untouchable will will Patrick wins seven
Super Bowl rings and Brady's done it with two different franchise.
(17:38):
That's difficult. And can you do it over a twenty
year period where there is some you know, some lean years,
some off years in between, and resurrect that and come
back and do that? To me, Brady is still the guy.
But Mahomes is on a path. Should he stay on
this path where he yes, he would be the greatest,
But he's got a couple and he's got to win
(17:59):
a up super Bowl to get the five. He's got
what he's got right now. But I'm anxious to see
what happens here. He's he is on an incredible pace
for sure. And people thought, we'll never see the likes
of Brady again, And here we are, less than a
(18:19):
couple of years after he's retired, and we're seeing the
likes of Brady again. Just goes to show you when
you think it will never happen, it can creep up
on you. And that's exactly what has happened with Mahomes
chasing Brady.
Speaker 1 (18:32):
Yeah, well, Brady maybe the go to quarterbacks, but you're
the go to broadcasters, baby, Kevin Harlan.
Speaker 2 (18:38):
Well, come on, now, come on, come on.
Speaker 1 (18:40):
Every Wednesday.
Speaker 2 (18:41):
You're two kinds.
Speaker 1 (18:43):
Turnesy of the Emerald Queen. All right, listen, you got
NBA basketball? What tomorrow? Is that right, Memphis TNT correct, Yeah, it's.
Speaker 2 (18:52):
The number two and number three teams in the Western Conference.
I mean, you're talking about two outstanding ball clubs. So
I'm looking forward to that. That'll be a lot of fun.
And then I got Illinois and Ohio State nice in Champagne,
Nice on Sunday. Thank you? Oh you're talking about in Champagne?
(19:12):
Are you talking to somebody else here? Talking to somebody else?
Speaker 1 (19:16):
Listen, you gotta go. You got stuff to do. Go go, go,
jump on the plane, get your car, get your first
class c gets your upgrade. All right, get your meal,
and we'll talk in a week before Super Sunday. We'll
break this thing down next week.
Speaker 2 (19:28):
All right, man, you got it, buddy, you got it.
You got it. Okay, Thank right so much.
Speaker 1 (19:32):
You bet. Kevin Harlin with us, the voice of Super
Bowl fifty nine. He's got the Memphis game tomorrow. You
heard it right there, Illinois, Ohio State for CBS on
Saturday as well. The man is a machine and never
slows down. Kevin Hardin with us every Wednesday. We're gonna
break a lot more to get to, including Jim Boden's
comments on the Mariners from yesterday, oh My, coming up
(19:54):
in the six o'clock hour on ninety three three KJRFM
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