FOX Football Sunday with Mike Harmon and Will Blackmon: 01/05/2020

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
You're listening to Fox Sports. Great eggs, welcome in, thanks
for hanging out with us. Wild Card weekend upon us,
and no shortage of stories as we get ready for
the NFC games Later you can belly ache about how
they didn't set you up with one in one and
cross contaminate to day's No A f C Saturday NFC
Sunday we rolled through and plenty of fodder coaching carousel

(00:25):
rumor and conjecture speculation, who's walking off into the sunset,
who's gonna change locales, and who might be back Palpatine
style for one more run. You never can tell. It's
Fox Football Sunday. That's right. I got my NERD reference
in just off the jump my carment alongside Super Bowl
champion twelve year NFL VET Will Blackman. Happy New Year
to you, my friend. We can started off with a bank.

(00:47):
This is true. We are we got the uh the
Endurance Show. Now four hours of oral greatness ready to
come to you. A. You are a l I could spell,
I use cool words, and wherever your head goes, I
can't control it. Happy Sunday morning, wherever you know. I

(01:10):
almost fell That's why I almost fell out my chair
so just like that. Well, I mean, you're just so
excited with the veritable Smorgi's board of topics that we
have today, and there's just so many storylines, so much
flowing out of last night's games. Were plenty of time
to break down Tom Brady and what Tom Brady is
going to do, What Bill Belichick's gonna do, Josh McDaniels,

(01:31):
all of that fun. Bill Belichick will address the media
in about an hour and a half time. We'll see
if he gives you anything more than eight second, you know,
little quips like he did yesterday. Just like that. I
like that, you did a pretty good voice. I mean
almost as if that was a drop coming out that
someone had been trying to set me up. But that's

(01:55):
the goal. We gotta we gotta jump out of the
gate and and grab it by the throat and throttle it,
just like Tennessee did yesterday in the run game, Derrick Henry.
That was the one part coming in with the Patriots
defense over the course of the year, will that they
were able to be run up, but they still were stigy.
Right when you give up fourteen points, you expect to
win football games. In this case, just couldn't do anything offensively,

(02:17):
some drops, some curious play call, just the trust didn't
seem to be there between the play calling and McDaniels
and some of the throws and Brady reads along the way.
They haven't had the consistency clearly in the run game
all year. But we'll get in the Patriots and where
they're headed soon enough. But all year long, I harped

(02:40):
on the fact, and and you and I have been
doing the show now in good ten weeks like that
for the Rams, whenever we broke down what they were doing.
The fact that they let Roger Staffold go was one
of the big missteps of how their team was built
coming into the year. And what did we see, Taylor
Luan and Roger Saffold were the guys chuckling in the

(03:00):
post game because they just went and they bludgeoned the
Patriots front and Derrick Henry absolutely feasted. Yeah, of course,
I mean, and we saw it firsthand when they played
the Ravens earlier this year. Is you know, they couldn't
handle the run. And that's what you do in the playoffs.
If you're able to run the football like that and
be physical, Um, it's it's really hard to stop it

(03:22):
right now? I mean Derrick Henry, who whose name? Hot?
A running back? Right now? Oh, there's nothing right a
healthy Derrick Henry behind that offensive line. Mean, we watched
him drag defenders early in the game. Do you expect
that second half? Right? You got the lean and now
you're you're what how you say running downhill? But the
fact and now he starts dragging guys. So five yard

(03:44):
runs become eight yards. He was doing that off the jump.
Four carries for two is a is a beat down.
It's abusive. I mean this this Patriots defense. They're designed
to hopefully get ahead and then you have you're forced
to pass the ball and then that's where they excel.
But in this case, um, you know, Tennessee just just

(04:04):
controlled the game and it's and it's an impressive feat.
I mean, it wasn't any by shocking. He was just impressive,
you know, just methodical and working the game plan. We
saw the student become the master at times taking the
old tricks from Bill Belichick in terms of master at
times like let these guys win first. Okay, well, I
mean Belichick has been the master for two decades, so

(04:27):
at least for one day, Mike Vrabel was his equal
or his better when he starts going to the move
of running clock on fourth down and you watch Bill
Belichick where you're waiting for him to fall out on
the sideline, where his face got his read as your
former coaches Tom Coughlin for a moment he's used are
the rules that I've already used earlier in the year,
and everybody got all excitable because they're able to steal

(04:49):
an extra minute off the clock. That's that's the beauty
of the run game, right, is that time of possession
may not mean a whole lot uh to some, but
when you get down into able to being able to
run the ball in the fourth quarter and you're taking
another forty seconds off the clock, and then even on
a fourth down when you're going to punt, that you

(05:10):
could say, all right, well, let's let's run this and
we'll do the I'll start and we'll do all these
shenanigans that we can and it's a loophole, they'll be fixed.
We'll talk about the officiating fund as the show goes on.
But for Vrabel and company, man, how often do you
see a playoff win eight of fifteen seventy two yards
one and one. That is not a stat line that's

(05:30):
normally taking you to victory. Yeah no, um, it's I
don't know, man, here's here's the thing that's crazy though.
I don't mean to like switch it up, but I couldn't. Um.
I also shocked to see so not shocked, but it
was interesting to see how many people were so excited
to see somebody lose. Oh no, that's that's that. That

(05:52):
is the one thing here, right, And it's to me,
it's always to be careful what you're wishing for, because
mature it's been a fantastic VI one. And I don't
think they're dead, right. I don't think this is done
if reading tea leaves and everybody this sale of a
house and whatever else. But that and that's that's part
of the narrative. But yes, the collective, I don't think

(06:13):
anybody has been that united, Like I go to live
concerts and stuff because people are sharing experience. I've never
seen Twitter so one sided in my life towards anything. Dude.
It was like Persian versus the the Spirans in three D.
It's like everyone just rallied against and teamed up with

(06:34):
each other and found a way to let's let's get
rid of these guys. It was really the final final quarter, right,
that's when it really started to swell where it became
a all right, here we go. I I saw a
litany of Tom Brady photoshop efforts. Great job by everybody
putting it in different reniforms, especially. I mean, I understand
that people want to go at the Patriots. Okay, that's

(06:55):
one thing. Like as an organization, that's you know, there
are some questionable things. I get it, but they've done
it for so long. But tom Brady, I mean, that's
easily the greatest story probably in sports, you know, to
go in there and and take advantage of an opportunity
and eventually becoming you know, the greatest quarterback of all time.

(07:16):
And that's the one thing, especially in the NFL, it
is it is hard to win and to dominate for
that long. To me, I respect greatness. Now. I understand
the whole Patriot fatigue. People didn't want them to win.
They wanted to see them lose. And yeah, I agree,
I want to see other people when too, But man,

(07:37):
I respect greatness. Well, it's always the for me edge
edge of the chair. Let's see how far this can
run right, how long can you beat back father time?
Innovation by other coaches? Exactly, There's been so many, like
you said, innovation, different things, new waves, new offices, new styles,
and they are consistently just it doesn't matter what you're
trying to do. And that was the curiosity with this squad.

(07:59):
And I got a lot of blowback over the last
couple of days Twitter and in my email inbox, just
because look, I had the Eagles and Patriots were my
preseason super Bowl picks. So I don't go back on it,
like the rule of our show during the week playoffs,
I can't suddenly say well I don't like them anymore.
So people are like one of your super Bowl picks, like,

(08:20):
how do you pick them? Like, because I picked them
in August and I've got to ride right, so I
have to ride through till it finishes. Did I think
I had a snowball's chance in hell of that super
Bowl matchup at this point? No, it was calculated at
about one point. Those people who are going after you
pick the Rams to make the super Bowl. No, And

(08:41):
that's it, right, Like we wear them at as. We
make a lot of predictions, and there's a lot of
twists and turns. Super Bowl. I heard rams. You know,
sure Chargers were a popular pick for popular people and
and thought that with all of that offensive talent that
they'd be able to make some noise, but for the Patriots,
just as the alley and cry of anybody else. Right,

(09:01):
It's kind of like what we have in the NBA
right now is you had a five year run of
the Golden State Riders and everybody just beating the drama.
Their their dad, their dad, ha ha, Like it's one
year thing. Potentially those guys come back healthy, they're able
to recruit another friend, and they get to keep that
first round pick that low and behind becomes a top
ten pick. The decision makes are still there, right so

(09:24):
they you look at a team like, I mean, great
example Seattle Seahawks, when they just blew up the whole
legion of boom. Everybody was gone, they got rid of
all the big persons. But guess what, the decision makers
were still there. John Snyder and Pete carl is still there.
So did they ever rebuild. They never had the rebuild.
They just reset. It's a tinkering, a re resetting based

(09:44):
on what they need to do. That it's it's it's
ridiculously hard. So it's it's every Eventually the time has
run its course. You know. I'm I'm a huge fight fan,
and I'm you know, I remember eighties, early nineties Tyson
was destroying everybody, and he looked like a man who

(10:05):
could not be beat. And eventually, yeah, I went down
with Bush the Douglass. And of course people can say, oh, Tyson,
you know, went out the night before he had this.
He didn't, you know. But at the end of the
day he lost. My favorite fighter of all time is
Roy Jones, and I'm like, man, this guy cannot be beat.
He cannot be touched, you know. And it's and eventually

(10:27):
he met his match and Glenn Johnson, and then he
met Joe Calzaggie and and started losing. You know, Eventually,
if you're in it long enough, you're gonna meet your
match is going to happen. And with the Patriots this year,
they were still twelve and four. And you can argue
on division, right, I mean, nobody's coming and gotten him.

(10:47):
But that's the thing, right, if you if you brought
the band back together, look, we we can all agree.
Josh McDaniels, probably assuming he wants to go somewhere he
can get one of these jobs. He wants to go
home to Cleveland. He can go to Cleveland and may
be well, and there's that, right, So that's I like that. Look,

(11:07):
you're you're just starting starting hot here on Fox Sports Radio.
It's Fox Football Sunday. We'll get into all the rumor
conjecture about where whereabouts the coaches, Belichick certainly maybe maybe
he's done too, maybe everybody. Maybe it's just entirely resets
for Robert Kraft this offseason. We'll talk about that, but
we celebrate what the Titans were able to do yesterday.

(11:31):
Your final obviously, the pick six to finish the game,
something that will be written about quite a bit. He
can't go out like that. He's not retiring or is he.
We'll talk about that over the course of the show. Uh.
And we'll talk about Tom Brady coming up next, because
there's a couple of great quotes coming out of yesterday's
game that we just have to break down because well,
it's just Key Brady Belichick kind of fodder for us.

(11:55):
We are company Alive from the guy. Go Fox Sports
Radio Studios fifteen minutes Can Save or more on your
car insurance, goa go dot com, get yourself a free
rate quote. You can follow Will on Twitter and Instagram
at Will Blackman at NFL wine guy, find me over
at Swollen Dumb coming up next. Yeah, we got a
little bit of sound on Brady and start to read
some of those tea leaves. Once again, this is Fox

(12:16):
Sports Radio. Don't listening to Fox Sports Radio. Great eggs,
welcome back in. It's Fox Football. Son. Now my Carmen
alongside me, super Bowl champ, Will black Man, We got
the road to the super Bowl has begun. Wild Card
Round two games in the books. A couple of dandies
right kept you glued to your television. Maybe that first

(12:37):
game was maddening to the point where you thought it
should end in a tie. That's what I was voting for.
Towards the end, some coaching gaffs and uh, Deshaun Watson.
Bill O'Brien owes him next year's salary. Just needs to
give him his salary after that play, the escapability the

(12:57):
pinballing you and I on Twitter. I all your response
to that listen really quick, amazing, really quick. And I'm
glad you mentioned that because I was like, Okay, when
don't you go into it's funny because I retweet, I
was like, bro, how basically like my whope, My thing
was it was super impressive, Like I get one guy
had him, another guy, you know, smacked him in the

(13:20):
back of the head and he was able to stand up.
And now it's I look at the mentions and there
are people literally trying to explain to me how he
was able to stay up, trying to figure out the physics.
That's the second guy like the physics and the logic
is like, dude, I know everybody, I no like. I've

(13:42):
been playing football from ages five to thirty five. I
have seen all kinds of hits. I've breaken so many tackles.
I understand the logic. At the end of the day.
If somebody like Tom Brady got hit like that, he's
going down. Anyone else he's getting who's getting hit like that,
They're going down and you understand, Yeah, one guy pulled him,

(14:02):
but he got blasted in the back. When I saw
those two guys coming off the edge, I literally gasp.
I was like wondering how badly that was going out.
I thought of any given Sunday with Willie Beaman got
cleaned up in the back of the head. I was like,
oh no, this is it for the Shawn Watson. And
then not only did he get hit, kept his balance, escaped,

(14:27):
but also completed the past that ultimately led to the
game winning field goal. Like the whole operation was impressive,
and he even said himself, he was like, I didn't
know what was gonna happen. I didn't plan to get
out of it. I just known that whatever was gonna happen,
however hard I got. I got hit, I was going

(14:47):
to I was not going down and this and we've
seen this before. That's what's funny too, because one person
was like, oh, you know it was some people like
it's luck. It's pure luck. We have seen this before.
We see him get sweets and music in the eye
and still was able to complete a pass. We've seen
this well, but we saw a guy that got used
to it. Like his whole first couple of years in

(15:09):
the league was about improvisation because he was getting blast.
He was getting blasted. He's the guy this year, He's
the guy who improvised so much. He got hit so
much that he took a bus from from Houston to
Jacksonville because he could not fly. Remember that, Yeah, the
the long road, right, we always talked about Philip Rivers
doing it for practice purposes. This was Deshaun Watson trying

(15:29):
to get back on the field. But and that play,
another guy actually gets his arms up really to try
to tackle him, either like they thought they were going
to get the kill shot or so it looks so
you got more pinball because look, classic tackling form was
not on display in that game at all. You know,
it wasn't as a as a as a defensive back,
a guy for years in the National Football League. That's

(15:52):
got to be maddening at times. No, I mean the
tackling was bad all year. That's another topic we can
talk about after the season. But no, no, it certainly
is because look, I I always raised my hand when
the cbas get signed and there's some concessions going in.
It's like there's some things that get lost in in
missing dates and how practices and everything have to be

(16:12):
have to be done now, And tackling is certainly one
of those things that we watch time and time again
on display. But for Deshaun Watson, there's one of your
huge moments, and I firmly believe he's said Bill o'b
brian's job. I mean on more than one occasion. I
don't see many quarterbacks who can go, who can be

(16:33):
the quarterback of the Houston Texas and do and do
that make them that successful? Um, he's just he's just
impressive as ever. I mean, he goes into you know,
the Russell Wilson and the you know, in terms of improvising,
Carson wentz to do what you can you know, and
it's it's always impressive. Yeah, the the curiosity and we'll

(16:53):
get to Tom Brady coming up in about five minutes
from now, as we're on Deshaun Watson. The the greatness
in the leading them because look, the Bills had them
suffocated defense playing well. DeAndre Hopkins is a non factor, right.
The joke at halftime was that Josh Allen had more
receiving yards then DeAndre Hopkins did. When you went to
the break off of the the Philly Special now moved

(17:16):
to Buffalo and the and the touchdown pass from John Brown.
You saw some great things from Josh Allen once again
throughout this game, but you see some maddening things McDermott.
Some of his decision making really textbook here's what not
to do to try to win a football game. I
think they forgot we we look, if I'm gonna extol
the virtues of what Mike Vrabel and company did, even

(17:39):
if you don't like single terry and you're stable of
running backs, they abandoned the run. You're down three points
or even with the lead, you're you're still trying to
go for the downs with whom right, you don't have
the the elite receiving Corps massive Wow, that that's the
other I mean the run back that he was trying
to do the old video game, but then he for

(18:00):
out to throw Leo Romo and ran into somebody. Just
run back fifteen yards. I mean because on the video
game it used to be great, right, you can run
back forty yards and then the guy wings it like
he's got a howitzer. So but here, if Josh Allen
is not going to actually throw them all and then
you're calling a play down field to a fullback, I mean,
there's so many problems. And going forward on the fourth
and twenty seven instead of punting, they're they're just you know,

(18:23):
game management was just disastrous. The game management was disastrous
in that regards. But at the end of the day.
I mean there's a there's a guy who who's will
to win. Not to use cliches, but his desire. It
is what it is with DeShawn Watson. I mean, I've
seen it last year in the during the season where

(18:43):
everything was on the line, and he's like, I don't care,
man if I gotta run it fifty times, if if
I dropped back and I see, man, I'm running period.
I'm gonna do everything I can and when when to lose,
it is gonna because of me. And he's totally fine
with that. No, And that's what I loved about him
coming into the draft, Like I know all the comparisons
and and certainly my friends and media members in Chicago

(19:04):
were losing their minds after that play and watching the
second half, going we got Mitch, we should have had this.
Guys like once they made their pick, that's it. You
can't cry about it anymore. But certainly what could have been.
I'd go back to draft night and probably as close
as I've come to FCC violation when that pick was made,
because Deshaun Watson had been all that in college. But

(19:28):
you go through the way that offense runs and My
fear was no Will Fuller. There are a good seven
eight points a game less you don't have that obvious
number two. Kenny still has made a couple of plays
for him yesterday. Carlos Hyde was a fantastic find who
was fourth on the Chief's depth chart, and how he
goes over a thousand yards on the year. But it

(19:51):
really comes down to DeShawn Watson. Whatever the television tried
to tell you about the greatness of J. J. Watt, Yes,
he played great. He should not have been the first interview,
and if I had drinking game, I would have never
seen their second half comeback because I saw so many
shots at J. J. Watt on the side. It was
one thing I didn't miss in coverage of the Texans

(20:11):
over the course of the last eight nine weeks. No disrespect,
he's a hell of a player, but there's a lot
a lot of other stuff going on and Deshaun Watson,
I think needs to be pushed a little bit more
when we talk about what quarterbacks are doing in this league.
Last question about the Texas rob Our colleague Rob Parker
asked me the earlier this week, you know, in terms

(20:31):
of who's like the face of the Houston Texans when
you Texas when you think of them historically, and uh,
somebody said Andre Johnson probably is the face and I
looked at like that. I looked at as a three
part thing. Andre Johnson is tough. If I mean, if
you're a fantasy football player, then I guess Andre Johnson
had great meaning to you. Well, I look at Okay,

(20:53):
Andrew Johnson's one of like the one of like the
founding fathers of the Texans, almost like how Bar stars
for the Packers, right and then if you look at
the longevity, I look at J. J. Watt. J J.
Wats like the Brett Farve, you know, he's like the
person you think of. But then the face of the
organization right now is the Shawn Watson And that's like

(21:14):
how Aaron Rodgers is. He's the face of the Packers
right now, and right to your to your point, the
first interview should have been to Seawan. It should the
whole every time they pay the cameras should have been
to Shaun because he's the guy that needed to place
had he not been on that team. J J. Walker
had been healthy all year and had to Shawn not
been there because most a lot of my colleagues they picked.

(21:36):
They said, if if Fuller was healthy and ready to go,
for sure Texans got this. Well that's that's where I
was in the game analysis over the course of the weeks,
like if you've got another you've got Fuller there, And
that's that's the most frustrating thing to watch as as
a fan of the game, Like you see how much
different it is, how much easier it is for Deshaun Watson.

(21:58):
I mean, I like to watch escape at ability and
the improvisation that we saw on display that leads to
a game winner. Don't get me wrong, but I also
want a guy operating with all his tools in his
in the you know, proverbial two belt to go into
all our analogies as we go through, and that offense
is so much better. But will Fuller's health, you can't

(22:20):
count on him for a quarter, let alone. Try to
think he's gonna be there for a quarter of a
season or a full season. So it'll be curious to
see whenever this runs in if if it ends next week,
that in the off season, where's that next speed guy
go to help DeAndre Hopkins? Right, because get him, get
him another tool, get him a pass catching tight end

(22:41):
because that's something was missing this year as well, so curiosity.
But yeah, Deshaun Watson, face face of the Texans and
certainly get him some more runs, show that that past
play another hundred times, and get some scientists involved. This
is a sports science one I'd actually really want to
see will in terms of the physics and the the

(23:01):
balance displayed off of those two hits to be able
to still keep your wits and make a play because
there was no panic there none, And that's where it
comes down to. He said he wasn't going down. I'm
not going down. That's it that I might wear a
T shirt just like Lamar Jackson runs along around with
his nobody cares work harder. It's like, I'm just gonna

(23:22):
keep going. You're not stopping me. Well, black Man with me,
Mike Carmen, Hey, great news is a quick and easy
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Gotta get dot com and see how much you could
save from one great to a great Maybe deciding on
his future, is he gonna go home and start raising

(23:43):
a farm or is he going to continue in the
National Football League Tom Brady and the decision next. But
first we go to over to our buddy Isaac Low
and Kron who's got what's trending? Good morning and happy
to year, Michael, and well to hear your body. Happy
New year, do you guys. The headlines in the Boston
Globe said it all page A one, a Titanic reckoning,
and then on the front page of the sports section,

(24:04):
simply time runs out. Here's how that sounded. Brady in
the end zone takes the snap, looks, fires passed, batted
up in the air, intercepted, and returned for a touchstand.
Titans logan Ryot with nine seconds to go. Mike Keith
the call on w g f X as the Patriots defeated.

(24:26):
The Titans defeated the Patriots twenty to thirteen, fining a
hundred and eighty two rushing yards from Tennessee's Derrick Henry.
There will be a new Super Bowl champion this season.
The Titans advanced to the Divisional playoff round at Baltimore
next week. After the game, Tom Brady asked about his
future and had a craft e response. I love the Patriots.

(24:47):
I mean they obviously, uh you know, it's the greatest organization,
and you know, playing for Mr Craft all these years
and for Coach Belichick. I mean, there's there's nobody who's
had a better career, I would say than me being
with them. I'm very blessed. I don't know what the
future looks like, so I'm not going to predict it.
Earlier Saturday, the Houston Texans and the Buffalo Bills worked overtime,

(25:10):
Snap us down, fair parents, kick is up that that's good,
and the Texans took the defension all round and dramatic fashion,
pet the Pills in overtime. Funny two Tonight, Mark Vandermer
the call on Sports Radio six ten. The Texans will
be at Kansas City next week, and coming up today,
the NFC takes center stage in the wild Card Round

(25:33):
one oh five pm Pacific, the Saints host the Vikings,
and then at four forty Eastern time, it'll be the
Philadelphia Eagles hosting the Seattle Seahawks. Michael and Will all yours,
thank you, Illo, appreciate you, Happy New Year. Back to you,
Will Blackman with me here, I'm Mike Armen. Thanks for
hanging out with us Fox Football Sunday on this wild
card weekend. I know two hundred fifty six great gifts

(25:57):
to us. The NFL regular season done, you're already doing
your off season shopping, uh, for component parts to make
your team better for next season. I on the draft
and all the players starting to put their proverbial hats
into the ring for for draft day. We'll talk a
little bit about to a tongue of voloa as the

(26:18):
show goes on. He's making his decision tomorrow. Some thoughts
on that, but Tom Brady also in the decision process.
You heard it in the update with with Iolo about
reading tea leaves and trying to figure out what's next.
He was asked just every permutation of what you could
in terms of what he's planning now that the season
is done. Is there any possibility that you would retire

(26:40):
after this last season? Uh. I would say it's pretty unlikely,
but hopefully unlikely. I just don't know what's going to happen,
and you know I'm not going to predict it, and
no one needs to make choices at this point. You know,
I love playing football. I love playing for this team.
I love playing for this team for two decades and
and winning a lot of games. Again, I just I

(27:01):
don't know what it looks like moving forward, so we'll
just take it day by day. Hopefully. Unlikely was the
curious durn A phrase. They're like, they're they're suitors. We've
got a big quarterback, Carosel. As much we're talking about
coaching changes in the NFL the this offseason, will I mean,
the quarterbacks are all over the place, right, teams make
a huge decision to the Bucks go with Jamis Winston.

(27:24):
Bruce Arians had his comments earlier this week. Look, we
won some games with Jamis, we can win with somebody else.
That got people all up in arms. But with Tom
Brady twenty years in New England, you've got this system
the by far the oldest team on average in the league.
And as much as you can talk about his age,
that doesn't skew things that much. When you're talking about

(27:45):
forty three guys, they were almost thirty one years old
per man and so that's something that's gonna change. A
lot of contracts beyond Brady's that also have to be
looked at. They don't have a lot of heavy money
invested in anybody going forward. But for Brady, from your eye,
did you see enough to say that, you know, his

(28:06):
goal to to play until forty five is there. I'm
wondering how much of it is weapons and scheme and
trust of those weapons beyond what just Brady's physical I
think it's it's definitely weapons for him. I mean, there
were a lot of drops yesterday, even Julian Edelman, who
especially this time of year, he's missed a reliably. He's

(28:26):
the one everyone is trying to catapult into the Hall
of Fame because of his postseason career. You know. Um,
it's definitely a situation of weapons because he to play quarterback,
you have to be a great decision maker, and Brady
is probably the greatest, you know, if not one of
the greatest decision makers at that position of all time.
So yeah, if you surround him of weapons and more

(28:49):
reliable people, then it's it makes sense. Especially especially now. Um,
I don't I don't see many teams trying to rebuild,
you know, it's like we don't have time. We want
to win now that method of okay, well, but the
four year plan doesn't exist. Well, you've got those very
very rare, right, The only one I think that you

(29:11):
can legitimately say, at least on the surface, it looked
that way. Is what Flora has got in Miami. Right,
here's a five year deal. By the way, we're going
to trade off all the guys that were known commodities.
And then they played hard for them all season long
and they forced the the issue to where the Patriots
were playing on wild card weekend with Bryan Fitzpatrick. But
like that's the only because because that one, right, that

(29:34):
one truly needed reconstruction overall, because they saw themselves as
an organization that we're not going anywhere. And then you
know we're going to see the same thing in Carolina.
You know they're gonna go through something. I mean, they
might make some moves and changes where you know, they
might put themselves in contention next year, who who knows.

(29:54):
But but to your point, roster wise, Miami has decimated
the entire thing, traded it all off, and that's one
of those deals made Pittsburgh a contender, right, make if
Fitzpatrick right, Look what was fantastic for them that defense
changed when right, But it's one of those in the

(30:16):
discussion of great moves in season, people laughed at what
they gave up like it's a draft pick. Picks are important,
but if you've got a guy that's a known commodity,
you go and make that move every day for the
Patriots coming into the year, all right, and kill Harry
didn't play until what week nine? Week ten? You traded
for Snow I thought would have been. But it's funny

(30:40):
because in one of his interviews he was like, you know,
I'm just scratching the surface. I'm like, bro, it's wild
car weekends, playoffs, there's no scratching, right. You got eight
You had eight weeks to figure out the offense is
best good. So there's a guy that you pick up.
You can't rely on. Ben Watson. Love him. He looks
like he's running in mud. Right, You have one big

(31:04):
play to him that gets wiped out from a penalty.
But Jacoby Myers, we saw him during the regular season
at times, But then there were times in the same
game where Brady wouldn't even look at the experience. So
the inexperience showed up a lot um not just experience
in terms of years, but the inexperience of being in
that offense. You know, it got to the point where
I'm sure some reports are gonna come out how banged

(31:26):
up Julian Edeman was. That's he's he's a small guy.
He's taking a lot of him. He say, he came
into the year. He has a lot of miles from playing.
You know, he's in the post season every year of
his career for the most part um and and he's
you know, Grock's not there to take the bulk of it,
and he's getting beat up. He's getting double team and
it's it's funny because you know, I land up against

(31:47):
Julian and he's not fast like that. He's not quick
like that. He's very very crafty, very very smart. And
him and Tom Brady on the same page. So when
guys line up and their double teaming him, he has
to work ten times is hard, and he's getting just
abused well and going across the middle, you're gonna take
take a pounding as he has for for years. So
like you're talking about a thirty two year old body

(32:09):
that with all those weary miles of the playoffs. I mean,
that's that's a lot of you know, we talked about
it with Lebron James and and he's a small guy, right,
so so we have that added up. It's like how
Irison was so aggressive, was six one like one seventy.
Maybe I wish he could play in the NBA now, Well,
think about it when you can't touch him and beat him,

(32:30):
beat him up like they used because he was towards
the middle of the end of his career. He was
always injured because of how he played, getting beat up
so much. You know, Lebron could play that long because Lebron.
Lebron is built a certain way. He is a cyborg,
as we've talked about. But top Brady over the course
of the show. Uh, we'll talk about Brady and the future. Look,

(32:50):
I've seen the photoshop for all of your teams and
I love them, The Chargers, the Bears. I still with
with kind of hedge that he ends up back in
New England. But you a much different looking team. We'll
talk about that as we roll on. But we also
do have a culture change and how much is cosmetic
how much is real? We're coming to Alive from the
Geico Fox Sports Radio studios. Easy to say fIF or

(33:12):
more on Carr and Church with Geico Geico dot com
or call eight hundred nine seven Auto. The only hard
part figuring out which way is easier. Yes, the coaching
carousel stopped and one guy got off. We'll talk about
his destination, his job ahead of him next here on Fox.
Don't listening to Fox Sports, Great Eggs, Welcome back in

(33:34):
It's Fox Football Sunday. Mike Carmen alongside twelve year NFL
veteran Super Bowl champion William Blackman at Will Blackman on
Twitter and Instagram at NFL wine Gut check out what
Will's got going on there. You can find me over
at Swollen Dome for my usual tom foolery and pithy commentary,
movie reviews and madness Along the way. I went and
saw the Harry Potter play up in San Francisco. That

(33:56):
was fantastic. I can totally nerd out about that, as
well as some of the uh, you know, gastro pubs
and other things I've frequented because well, that's just what
we do, uh food, booze and just having some fun
and enjoying the NFL playoffs certainly what we're doing, and
watching teams make their decisions of how they'll set up
for years to come. And in Washington, well they moved on.

(34:19):
And and Ron Rivera becomes the first coaching higher of
the year and he immediately goes to Washington. We're doing
a little of this and Vince, you know, you want
to pop on the mic, can do this to uh surprisingly,
you know, for all of Dan Snyder and and what
we've had over the course of the years, only three
head coaches now and in the last ten years, right,

(34:40):
he was, let's shuffle up and deal with ree treads
and veteran coaches for years and then Shanahan into Gruden
and now Ron Rivera becomes the guys. But one of
the first things he does will and saying we need
to change our culture here. The winning winning time is
now is the shuffleboard table and the ping pong table

(35:03):
are removed from the locker room. As players, you know,
you spent a lot of time around each other and
there's some camaraderie things that you go to. I mean,
certainly we've heard about the ping pong tournaments here in
Los Angeles forever with Clayton Kershaw and what he does
and that relaxation and that kind of competitiveness cosmetic or

(35:25):
is it just a we're stripping everything down to the bones.
I don't know. Man Um it's not a big deal,
but I think it's a big deal for someone like
like trust Way, the putter, you know he was. He
was definitely a ping pong extradina there and and he
made the Pro Bowl at all pro So, I don't know,
you might have some of the same something about this

(35:46):
table somebody getting it done and just end up for yourself.
Trust Well, but you know, do putters have the same
voting rights in terms of the locker room is everybody
else don't? Right? Yeah, that's the question, right Because Brett
Curran no love yesterday. Man, he's the big punt down
the down the field that set up what became the Yeah,

(36:08):
he's just trying to interception, is just trying to just okay, guys,
let's let's let's start from let's start from scratch, okay,
and not earned. But we're not about We're not about
these games. We're about the real game. Let's get down
to work. I think what he's trying to do is
just weed out the people who are not about football,

(36:31):
because there are a lot of people. There are a
lot of people on teams and you know, I've been
fortunate to play twelve years that you see a lot
of guys who are just happy to have that NFL
like shield, to be to be part of the fraternity.
Guy's just happy to be there. Well, and that's been
one of the things I've long contended on the show

(36:52):
and on the network. Here will and people push back like,
no, no no, no, there's still that level of competitiveness and
willing to wanting to be great because you gotta still
bust your ass to be in the league. But also
if you've got a contract, you've got your signing bonus,
when not even so much want to be great, but
just willing to work, you know. There, Like I said,
there are guys that get there who are super talented

(37:15):
and end up becoming complacent, like Big Country or not,
because because they're in the NFL, because they have that status,
because they are a pro football player, they get complacent
and comfortable. It goes, you know, back to the whole
saying separate the men from the boys. Well, that's what
it is. It's it's Ron wants to know who who
who's ready to be a part of who's ready to
be all about football? And he he said it, he said,

(37:36):
if they don't want to be here, get him out.
We'll find we will find out and and it's easy.
It's I'm telling you it's it's so easy to find out.
And that's how you that's how you build a culture
when you find out guys who are legit about trying
to make a change and do something. And that's been
the curiosity. And we'll talk about the coaching interview process
and what we've heard. We'll get to Dallas coming up

(37:57):
in about ten minutes from now with some of the
guy they brought in. Because in Cleveland all year long,
what do we say you needed an adult in the room,
right And in New York with with Pat Sherman or
even with Jason Garrett to a degree when we watched
the defensive players after a big stop and he's looking
for high fives and they just gotta shrug and and

(38:17):
walk past him. That you're looking for that that guy,
that that leader. And certainly for Washington, you get rid
of rid of Gruden and you try to figure out
what the next phases. And for Daniel Snyder, to a degree,
it does hearken back to that first ten years. Uh, correctly.
If I'm wrong, Vince, you're a long suffering, suffering fan

(38:39):
with them, is that you do go back to a
guy that's had some great success, coach of the year,
great reputation, but more that old school hardass. Hey, Yeah,
I mean I appreciate it. I I kind of wanted
him to come I'm excited for him to come in
because I feel like he can do a lot with
h Dwayne Haskins what he did with Cam Newton. When

(39:01):
Cam Newton came in, he had a lot more under
his belt, but you know, he still had a lot
of raw talent. And I think Ron Rivera really positioned
him in a great way too, but put him into
the position that he was in when he won the
m v P, took him to the Super Bowl, And
I feel like he can do that with Haskins. Whereas
the hardass part, I I kind of like the ping

(39:21):
pong tables and stuff like that, because you know it's camaraderie,
you know, showing the sense of team. But I also
agree with Will. It also Will put to the point, oh,
these guys are here to just play ping pong and
be on a team or are they going to really
be ready to buckle down and and put put in
the work, Because well, the camaraderie part, that's well, I
agree that does help guys to play games and what

(39:43):
have you. But the part that was missing from the
Redskins was the chemistry on the field, that camaraderie, Like,
are these are these guys actually watching films studying together
in the show? They weren't. Because when you look talent wise,
but especially on the defense side of the ball, you
have the leaders, you have probo caliber guys, you have toughness,

(40:04):
you have really good players and a Just and Jael
so well that disconnection because even with the early struggles,
they were still alive technically playoff wise, right, so you
think about a play here or there, and you go
back and watch the film. All right, we should have
gotten this game. We could have been this game and
in the NFC East you might have actually been able

(40:25):
to steal the division. The way things work, right, I'm
telling you, man, like when the culture and the building
is not good, it is it is like I don't
know how to say the word, bill. It just decimates
what you're everything. Yeah, and it's more energy paralyzing. It
keeps you from a maximizing what you've got in that

(40:45):
locker room. He's well, black man, I'm my Carmen this
is Fox Football Sunday coming up next. We stay in
coaching with the Dallas Cowboys. Don't sports having the fun
with you? Fox Football Sunday Wild Card Round and we
got some rugby. That guy just took a big hit,

(41:07):
yet he just spun like DeShawn Watson. I gotta get
it in as fast as I can. I celebrate his
entire cad. I don't think he's spun. He just ran
through the guy. But in my head it was glorious.
Do you have to play rugby? It seems like something
i'd be was built for. Once upon a time. I
learned that there's fifth there's fifteens in their sevens. Okay.

(41:32):
I remember Pierce Morgan when I was in London. He
tweeted out because I guess London England whooped us in
rugby and it was the fifteen. He was like, see
this is my point. Why if you take off the pads?
Oh yeah yeah. Because he was bashing off. He said
we would beat the Americans in football and rugby. And

(41:56):
I'm like, dude, line up, line up exactly. That's the
number one thing. Line up and people were killing us.
I'm like, well let's not let's forget not let's not
forget our sevens rugby team is one of the top
in the nation. They're like one or two people like,
oh that's different, like notes the rugby bro. Yeah, but
he was doing all his best to just stoke the

(42:17):
fire and and get everybody all upset. And he can
roll that and I'm sure he'll run that same right,
But I'm sure he'll run that same bit next year
when the NFL games come to London once again. Will
Blackman twelve years in the NFL. Uh, he's a Super
Bowl champion. At Will Blackman is where you find him

(42:38):
on Twitter and on Instagram, NFL wine guy as well.
Find me over at Swow and dum going through all
the fun stories around the National Football League and rolling
through the coaching world. We talked a little bit about
Ron Rivera in Washington last hour, and the one that
everybody has their attention on is in Dallas right now.

(43:01):
Jason Garrett still showing up for lunch dates with Jerry Jones.
Jerry keeps calling him back whatever the exit interviews are,
and on the fourteenth he stops getting paid. So there's
really no firing. So everybody calling for the firing, the
only thing that will be at some point if he's
gone is the acknowledgement that he's gone. In the interim,
they're talking to McCarthy, they're talking to Marvin Lewis, you're

(43:23):
bringing back some of the veteran guys talking about Ron
Rivere in terms of culture, attitude, consistency, discipline. So you're
seeing that like bringing in Marvin Lewis, that's the one
thing it said, right, and you think about that. I
saw so many people get after for the the lack
of playoff success and and you don't discount it, right,
you gotta you have to be able to win when

(43:43):
the lights are brightest. But then remembering what Cincinnati was
to bring in consistency in, I just think it's incongress
with where Dallas is because they they're they're not a build, right.
There are a team that's ready now, which is different
from what Marvin Lewis had. So bringing him in it's
the question of all, right, can you be that B

(44:04):
two C guy for us? But he's but that was
that's dallas Is problem, right, No, But but that's the question.
Is Marvin Lewis that guy? Is Marvin Lewis the builder
and someone else is the finish No, but I'm saying
if since he's had since he had playoff problems even
when they had a J. J. Marvin Jones. So we

(44:28):
brought up Mohammed Sanou again. See he's the common link
to all this. Just kidding, but yeah, you mentioned all
those weapons, right, you had guy after guy that were
from a skill position standpoint. You you were pretty loaded
in the A f C and couldn't get over. So
that that's what it doesn't make sense to me, Like
he's not and it's always right, it's still black and blue.

(44:51):
I know you're excited, you know you want to watch
Tennessee and Baltimore. I mean that that's a every everything
that the trainer's table could possibly I bought. I bought
some knob Creek for that game. It's just got a
number pain even though you're sitting that. Yeah, I love it.
It's gonna be a game that that will be fun

(45:12):
to chat about as we get ready to preview. But
but for Marvin Lewis, that's the thing that didn't make
sense to me, Right, I I really like the McCarthy thing.
I thought that made more sense. It makes way more
sense to me. If you want a a veteran coach,
a successful coach who actually you know, took a team

(45:34):
that was undecided. You know, I understand green when he
when he got hired to Green Bay, they did have
far you know, they had a bunch of other guys
on defense. I think Bila was stud defender at the
time on that side of the ball um and you
had him on Green but an underrated back in the NFL.
Oh yeah, totally. But you know, he did the four

(45:57):
year plan I was talking about. There's a lot of
things is going on there. And for him to switch
on and move on to Aaron Rodgers and deliver a
super Bowl like that was the hardest thing. Can you
deliver a super Bowl? Since they had the drought since right?
And then to finally do so, and then we can't
disregard his his fact, the fact that he's a quarterback coach. Well,

(46:21):
I mean that's the the underscore to this right of
Dak Prescott. Whether you're gonna franchise him or you're gonna
give him a shiny new deal, whichever Jerry decides to do,
I'm guessing more towards the franchise side. Given the money
you've got committed to McCarthy. Have he had Alex Smith
and Sanford? Right? Was he there? No? He just helped,
He helped decide that. I think, yeah, he was the

(46:42):
decision making before he moved to Greenbank, because he was
there for a year, and then Farv and then Rogers.
Then you deliver a Super Bowl. I mean, I think
that makes the most sense. I see, there you go,
You've just solved all the problems. It was just curious,
right because people are getting up in ours about Jason
Garrett still being there. It's like it's two more weeks

(47:04):
he can say no to, he can walk out, But
every chance he gets to go into that room and
try to lobby for Look what I can do, Look
what we did here? Why would you not take advantage
of that? Right? Because Jerry hadn't said anything definitively against him.
He's almost like family, right, And that's the running bid
is that he's been around the team forever and several lives.

(47:28):
If we're gonna go nine lives on a cat of
where he said, all right, that should be the end
of him. We should have how much of it was
play calling this year? And I mean they did some
bum slang. Just let's just call it what it is.
They beat some bad teams. I think it works of
taking taking Dak Prescott and refining it because the team

(47:49):
is the talents there right now, like they're they're just waiting,
like you said, to go over. Well, you spent all
that money right here, we go through the we go
through their salaries, and we look at the way this
team has been constructed. You spent a lot on the offense,
offensive line, the defensive interior. You gotta figure out what
you're doing with the Marii Cooper, whether he's the guy

(48:09):
you want or not on the outside. But you signed Zeke,
so you've you've got your core. And now it's just
how can you maximize Dak Prescott Because coming into the
year when we talked all fifty three, they would have
been on everybody's short list of top fives, right, and
then they just didn't maximize from there. So it's not
like it's they all right, we need to reload, rebuild

(48:33):
that we're the cupboards bear and then that's the frustrating
part if you're a Cowboys fan, and certainly for Jerry
Jones Warren on his face and in every interview that
he did of well, how do we do we get
over And that's the why at some point the message
goes stale, right, I mean why Ron Rivera goes in
and dumps what the comforts are the creature comforts of

(48:57):
a team in the locker room of saying all right,
let's focus and how do we get to that next piece?
And maybe it's scheming. Mike McCarthy in that interview he
did with Peter King talking about learning from those last
couple of years because people talking, Yeah, that was great
and the Tom pellis sorry interview was fantastic. Just uh
he really mentioned how how his family needs football and

(49:18):
then he misses misses that. I'll tell you what I
told myself. I'm always I always get asked like what
I what I ever coach in NFL? Would I want
to do that? Because right now, this time of year
is it's combined season, right all but all the agents
bring in their players and I actually do uh position training.
I get guys ready for the combine and um, last

(49:39):
year I had a Seawan bunting from the Buccaneers who
end up playing well on money Railway, Ugo Madi a
bunch of guys, and um, I told myself, I would
never coach in the NFL. I just couldn't. I think
after twelve years, I couldn't do those hours again. However, Mike,
Mike McCarthy, Mike, if you get that Dallas job, I

(50:00):
will have a conversation. I will have a conversation. And
the other team that I would I would consider. I
would consider the Chargers. I would I would cook because
it's close to my house. I live near the Charger
so well. Proximity is a good That's the main thing
I want. I want to be home. But Dallas, I'll consider.
Put that star on the cap and I'll stroke this

(50:21):
this mini gote have been growing for twenty years. I
just gotta stay in there. Then it's not going It's
not going anywhere. Man, It's not become part of the icon.
So I mean that way, if you have a little
animated gift of yourself made, you don't have to update it.
I don't. I actually don't. I found a really good lotion,
by the way, I'll tell you later. There you go

(50:42):
moisturizing his key and wine. There you go moisturizer and wine,
all the things you come to expect here on Fox
Football Sunday. He's black man. You know what, we give
a lot of life advice, some quips. I got this
charcoal face wash. That's just the charcoal stuff is good.

(51:02):
I've been reading up trying to figure out which is
the right one. Will is gonna set me right here
today at Will Blackman, Instagram and Twitter at NFL wine
guy find me over at Swollen Dome head coaching record
seventies seven and two for McCarthy, ten and eight, playoff
record as well, and for Jerry Jones. I mean, that's

(51:23):
just it, right, You're you're talking to the difference for
this year. One of those games against a quality opponent. Right,
they beat the Rams, and we've beaten the Rams down
as much as we need to. They're done. Uh you guys,
I've been nice to the Rams. Well, I don't have
to be. I got relationships. I can well know that
there's different considerations for me. You know, I'm not you know,

(51:46):
I'm not looking to be. I don't. I'm just jo.
I just gotta call it what it is. I didn't
like the roster chat at job. That's it. You gotta
keep those checks flowing, no question. Abou to find more
of them along the way as you can. But we
talked about roster construction and problems there getting to where

(52:08):
you got to the super Bowl, and then, as we've
seen so many times, they can't get back and the
super Genius tag, all right, he goes from wildly coyote
super genius back to genius at least with the asterisk
for now because McVeigh has got to go back to
the drawing board and figure out what the team is
for next year. But you at least we're able to
climb that mountain. For Dallas, you just saw all the

(52:31):
opportunities to win this division. And we'll talk about the
Eagles playing on a little later today, you know, as
they've got Seattle come into town. Two teams really banged up.
Much different game than what we saw a few weeks
ago in terms of personnel and what expectations are for
these squads. For Carson Wentz a fantastic russell, some weapons,

(52:53):
he still has some guys that can model. I mean,
you may not have the backfield like Carson would love
to have DK Bacalf right. I think he'd give his
left arm to have a DK Metcalf running for him downfield.
And even Tyler Lockett, who's been banged up for the
last month, you know, on and off the radar a
little bit and and inconsistent, but at least you still

(53:14):
have some weapons downfield, something Philadelphia still struggling to find,
even though zach ertz, I'm gonna give it a go,
uh and we'll get upgraded a little bit. Lane Johnson, Yeah,
I think he's still declare it out, so I think
they'd still need another week from him. Yeah, we'll update that.
We'll do that next as we talked Seattle and and Philly.

(53:35):
But with all of those injuries for Philadelphia, it was
it was on the table. But the Cowboys, you just
take the division and they couldn't rise up some play calling,
decision making doc in big spots. The really to me,
I go back to play calling. We talked about Josh
McDaniels and Tom Brady and Bill Belichick not having weapons

(53:57):
and guys that you trusted, you didn't trust that offensive
line and Zeke Elliott. You still got Dak Prescott throwing
the ball thirty times a game like that. That that
was the thing that made no sense to me. Open
I had a tweet about I think I put out
every year. I'm like, as long as z has about
thirty touches. That's receiving and rushing. You have a chance.

(54:21):
I mean the guys young, the guys. I mean, he's
every time. If I would start a team and they
said pick a runner back, it would be him. Your
pot committed, you paid him, run him. Like we used
to buy my mom stuff. I've told this story before.
We used to buy my mom's stuff. You know, growing up,
you'd save up and you'd go to the store and
you'd buy a nice blouse or whatever the case was,

(54:42):
and then it would end up in the back of
the closet and you'd say, save it him for good? Well,
what what's better about tomorrow than today? Right? I mean,
just you use what you have at your disposal, right
for this This was a good time to wear that blouse.
And for the they waited on Todd Gurley. You know what,
that day never came. That day never came this year

(55:05):
for the for the Cowboys. How many times did you
watch a possession going Why did Zeke Elliott not touch
the ball at all? Right? All right? We went three
and out on three pass plays? Like what are we
doing here? Right down? Distance? Game situation just confusing. Over
the course of the year, but they're ready to make
The guy. Will's got his photo shop up and he's

(55:26):
putting a star on a cap from Mike McCarthy as
we speak. Right now, we're coming alive from the get
Go Fox Sports Radio Studios. Come on, we gotta get
those skills up to fifteen minutes. Can save you on
board on your car insurance is the guy go dot
com get yourself a free rate quote n FC playoffs
later on Today we've got Seattle, We've got Philadelphia. We

(55:47):
break down that game next year on Fox. Don't listening
to Fox Sports Radio Live and a living color with
you from the Guy Go, Fox Sports Radio Studios. This
is football son Day, my man, Will Blackman getting after Proxy.

(56:08):
I'm your fire starter. Now we got y'all fired up.
I'm fired up because I had had a seat for
any drink and now I'm on my cuple So, speaking
of Christmas, I got this yetti. I know you're really
proud of that. I think I said it every time
on air this yet I got it from my agent,
you know, David coon In at CIA. I'm just letting

(56:28):
you know, um, is he looking for any uh loud mouth?
Not at all, guys, we'll talk, okay, Um, but yeah,
I my wife she set the coffee machine at like
four twenty, like she hooked it up. Thank you, because
she came in and visited. She visited. I mean, that
was fantastic. So I put the coffee in at like

(56:50):
four thirty and I'm now sit being some hot coffee
three hours later, still with a hot coffee. That's pretty impressive.
That is what you all a quality product on your
your gift exchange as you get into the next year.
I mean at NFL wine guys, where they can find
you one of your your your work not non football

(57:13):
work outfits as you're as you're going forward. So that's
a big deal. You've got some big stuff coming up
this week in that regard, so you know we're sending, yeah,
we were sending our best that that all goes through fluidly,
brilliantly at Will Blackman on Twitter and Instagram as well.
Find me over at Swollen Dome. Now this game later

(57:34):
on today. Seattle and Philadelphia two teams that intriguing a
lot of people belly aching and look at Seattle with
all those wins, they gotta go there. You know what
divisions are there for a reason you want to abolish them.
Abolish them. Then then come up with the proposal, and
you tell me what the schedules should look, you tell
me how to disperse it, right, But that's it. That's

(57:54):
first goal. When I was in Seattle in training camp
on the board, Peak Harrold's number one goal is win
the West, period because that's the automatic bit, right, automatic bit.
But I think across all locker rooms it's the this
is goal one, right. Not everybody could be the Patriots
where every year it's said, we gotta we gotta win,

(58:18):
we gotta beat these when these games, right, those are
six games differently. And look, we can belly ache about
the schedule because that I wasn't a big fan of
how some of it played out. Where you're playing, you know,
an opponent twice in the final three weeks as we
saw in a couple of instances, or the final four weeks,
that should be a little more spread out. But whatever

(58:39):
that that's small potatoes. But when it comes down to it,
win the division and control your faith, right, get your
home playoff game and move on. So what we have
with Seattle is they go on the road and it's
a much different squad we don't have the Carson who
had become a monster second half of the year, the
guy that we saw in teen got through the early

(59:00):
fumbling issues, dominant gets hurt. You have Rashad Penny showing
signs of why they really loved him, and he'd become
that number two not quite the thunder lightning go back
to you know a Brandon Jacob's Tiki barber insert your
favorite thunder and lightning combination out of the backfield. But

(59:20):
the same idea that Penny's your your big play threat.
He gone, CJ prosise, poor guy can't stay healthy. He's
the Seattle version of Will Fuller. At this point you
see you see flashes when he's on the on the
field and can get right now there there. So my
first like six years, I was like pretty much wrestling

(59:45):
with the injury bug, Like I almost got an injury
bug tattoo that serious? Did you just start designing that?
So but there was a guy who who coached Olympians
and track and fielding, Carval and I met him when
I was back East, and he told me that I
should check my levels of vitamin D because there is

(01:00:07):
something there is it's linked to soft tissue injuries is
linked to chronic injuries, you know. And there is a
study where people who had vitamin D levels lower than
I think you want to be fifty. If it's lower
than that, then then your link to deal with injuries.
And I checked my levels and I was at twenty three, No,

(01:00:29):
seriously three, And so I ended up supplementing to get
my levels up higher. And honestly, I haven't dealt with
anything soft tissue or not because all my issues were
not contact. I didn't get hit like my foot broken,
I stepped wrong, my a c L I, I did
a jump cut, you know, all these things. So I

(01:00:52):
really think that and this is not me trying to
be funny. I seriously believe that, you know, Fuller should
go and check that out, you know, see what his
levels are and get that up. I'm gonna send him
to the audio from this clip. I'm gonna send it.
He's fun to watch and a guy that you see

(01:01:12):
what he could be if he can stay on the field,
and and you hate to see it. The other part
is it's the new year, right If you didn't get
your check up, go get a check up, right, Go
Go make sure everything's good. Go start the new decade
right the public service announcement, and you can give me
backlash if you you hate me telling you to go
to a doctor, but you know you should. Most people

(01:01:33):
don't do it until they really have a problem, and
then sometimes they get news they don't want. Hey, but
you want to hear something amazing. There's something you can
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(01:01:53):
dot Com slash cash back Match. So if the Eagles
are able to win to get today, in theory, you
get DeShawn Jackson back out with the core injury, but
you also have Lane Johnson's not there, okay, so your
offensive line down a big component part we know about

(01:02:13):
the receiving core issues. Zach Ertz is gonna give it
a go. They've they've medically cleared him enough at least
two to be able to run some routes, and he's
been nothing short of amazing. We've seen what George Kittle
can do when you shoot him up. I don't know
how much you have the same here with the rib injury.
I mean, flak jackets and everything, still gonna take his
hits over the middle. So you've got Ertz and Dallas Goddard,

(01:02:36):
Miles Sanders who's a bit banged up, and you've got
Boston Scott. That's your skill position players, three TVs got.
It's gonna have to be huge today. I remember when
flat jackets were mandatory, like and Pop and Pop Warner,
you had to wear the ripper, the little vast over
the top in the high school. I did. And I
remember what I went to when I my first day

(01:02:59):
at BOSS in college. We get our equipment and I
get my helmet, fill the pads, you know, get the
my pants papad and stuff, and I'm like, yo, where
the rib has that? They're like, what pets? I was like,
y'all don't where He's like, no, we don't. We don't
wear that stuff. Like only the quarterbacks get the flak jackets.

(01:03:19):
And then you started going, is there anything that says
I can wear it if I'm comfortable with it, how
about I get some Yeah, because I'm like, man, ribs
are exposed, but that's you know, you want to protect yourself,
but that's it's funny that at one point, yes, those
were mandatory, and I think that should wear one today.
Certainly expect him to be a little bulkier around the
mid section and torso today as you go, but trying

(01:03:42):
to play through that situation both secondaries. Leaky would be
the kind way to describe him. Made Philadelphias for certain
you know, so I would expect some of Russell Willis
Scott Jenkins Man one. I haven't him, but listen, if
the one person that's that guy, he has to be

(01:04:05):
the safety and he's you know, the constant guy you
can move around. He's the constant guy that can for sure,
um make plays all over the field. I think he's
definitely one of the most underrated defensive backs for a
long time. So he's he's huge. Yeah, so and it's
it's an interesting setup right again, done and quadre digs
will be back. So one of the other offseason move

(01:04:27):
we talked about making Fitzpatrick earlier. I appreciate you on Twitter.
I love you. Go back and watch the defensive film
once he arrived versus the early part of the season.
We'll continue previewing games, make our picks as the the
show goes on. But someone who's gonna make a big decision,
Uh well, later on this week about the pros or

(01:04:48):
not to go to a tongue of voloa, the merits
of leaving staying. We'll talk about it next, but first
it's Isaac and Kron. He's got what's trending in our
sporting universe, Michael, and we'll get an interesting tidbit for
the aftermath of the last night's clash between the Patriots
and Titans in the a f C wild Card round
that ended thus lead Brady in the end takes the snap, looks, fires, passed,

(01:05:12):
batted up at the air, intercepted, and returned for a
touch that Titans Logan Ryant with nine seconds to go
Mike Keith to call on w g f X is
the Titans one at twenty to thirteen behind Derrick Henry's
one hundred and eighty two rushing yards. The Titans will
be at Baltimore next week now. As most of you know,

(01:05:33):
before the game, Tom Brady posted a height video on
social media depicting a lion yeah being laughed at by
hyenas and jackals until one day. In the words of
the video, quote the lion gets up and tears the
bleep out of everybody unquote, obviously the hyenas and jackals,

(01:05:55):
referring to apparently the Tennessee Titans. Before the game, well,
Shirley Lee Young the Boston Globe reports that after the game,
Titan's head coach Mike Vrabel shouted to his players, quote
they want the hyenas. They got the mother bleeping hyenas unquote,
And the players then broke out in unison in high

(01:06:15):
pitched hyena laughter. I'm not exactly sure what that sounds like,
but you've got the idea. Is not none of the iterations,
none of them. Wait a minute, See this is very
impressive that Chris would have the fastest draw in the
West to have actual hyena laughter at the ready. I'm

(01:06:39):
a little nervous about that, to be honest with you,
had a minute ago. By the way, did he notice
how I gracefully talked my way out of making guys
forget that I've never seen the lion king before. Hey. No, no,
we didn't win that, and I'm sure it will. We'll
be ready. Meanwhile, Brady himself relegated to discussing his future.

(01:07:00):
I love the Patriots. I mean they obviously, uh you know,
it's the greatest organization, and you know, playing for Mr
Craft all these years and for Coach Belichick. I mean
there's there's nobody who's had a better career, I would
say than me. Just being with them, I'm very blessed,
and I don't know what the future looks like, so
I'm not going to predict it. Earlier Saturday, the Texans

(01:07:20):
and Bills went to overtime. Snap his down, fair parents,
kick is up that that's good. On that Texans go
to the divisional round and traumatic fashion pretty the bells
at overtime twenty two Tonight, Team Mark VanderMeer the call
on Sports Radio six ten. The Texans will be in
Kansas City next week, and thus there goes the NFL playoffs.

(01:07:43):
Circle of life, Michael, and will back to you. Thank
you so much. I know. One of the headlines from
the New York newspapers, also related to the Patriots, was
die Nasty or dynasty or however you want to corny. Yeah, well,
but that's what they do. I mean, sometimes they're clever.
Most of the time, you just go for the cheese

(01:08:04):
ball and and the corny jokes because it makes for
good copy and it gets a dope like me to
talk about it on air. Uh. One of the things
we'll be talking about over the course of the next
couple of months is will be trying to slot drafts.
I know, mock drafts have been going for a while now.
You could probably get one mock draft going if you
really wanted to. But to a tongue of Aloa, the

(01:08:26):
hip injury and questions of whether he will or won't return.
Now you've got some principles in Alabama that have decided
they're already coming back. Talk about some linemen making the
decision not to go, and it's all about grading and
where you're gonna go. I have no idea how you'd
come to the conclusion that you need to go back
to Alabama given what he's accomplished at this point, unless

(01:08:48):
he doesn't shine or something like that, or mom, I mean,
that's that's it, right, I mean for free reality of
going to the NFL wherever you get slotted, right, because look,
as if anything, you saw Lamar Jackson right last pick
of the first round, Baltimore trades back up. Now he's
the m v P. Is he getting the giant contract

(01:09:11):
the first time out? No, but he's gonna go out
and earn the next one. Make it up on just
being brilliant on the field. And you go into a
team that was good, right you You they changed the
offense for you, and they may added a number of
component parts, certainly, don't discount that at all. But you
had a base and you had an organization that has stability,

(01:09:33):
something that many NFL teams. When what are we talking
about with finding the grown up in the room. We
talked about it all year with Cleveland. You look in Cincinnati,
first year coach and trying to find his way. Just
go on down the list. There's so many teams where
it's like, all right, every three years it's the reboot
of trying to figure out what's next. Where's Baltimore? Pretty set?

(01:09:54):
Right set? And forget it? You had some other parts.
You bring in mark Ingram, who's the best hype man
aybody could ever hope for. Not to mention one hell
of a running back and away you go. So for
tongue of Aloa. People are like, well, you know, you
don't know the pecking order. And Jason Smith and I
chopped this up a little bit over the course of
the week, But now that we're starting getting definitive notes

(01:10:14):
of when this announcement will come, the debate is that
much more real. It's just a I don't care where
I'm slotted in in those I mean that that if
that's your consideration, there's a whole other thing going on.
It's getting yourself right physically, and where are you going
to get better training than to get with an NFL
team and start that process, not to mention start the

(01:10:36):
clock on getting to that second big contract with whomever.
So that's another year in the process, and you're gonna
go back to Alabama. You've already wanted Alabama. So you
go back to Alabama for what like, what's what's the
end game there? You you go play for another year
where you can't get paid, and then you're sacrifice of
your body again. But I'll tell you what. And he

(01:10:56):
was in a situation where, you know, they picked him
over Jala Hurts, who was a proven quarterback. They got
a kid come in right now from mod to day
named Brice Young, who just lit up the All American
Bowl and who is arguably, you know, one of the
best quarterbacks to ever play the game in high school.

(01:11:18):
And that's how they got him to come. There was
the assumption she was gone, yeah, or you're gonna have
at worse, It's like you're getting every shot to come
and take his job, especially when you get and if
if one of the things that you dealt with was
a major injury, why, I just don't understand, like what

(01:11:40):
would draw you back on any level. So folks thinking
that it was a pretty easy call to come back
and then throwing some financials or throwing in the draft
stock of whatever Trevor Lawrence does or other quarterbacks, like
that's all in consequence because you're not going one next you,
I don't care how about you play. You know you're
not and coming off that the hip, I mean, even

(01:12:03):
if you drift a little bit, because there's plenty of
teams every year that are looking for quarterbacks, and this
year is an odd ball because you've got a bunch
of the veterans, the longstanding heroes of the community that
are also out there on the free agent market, which
is really unique for quarterbacks. Right We normally don't see
anybody of even declining value that hits the market. Normally

(01:12:24):
there's they they go put out the pasture altogether or
they never become available with another deal. So you've got that.
But coming off the hip injury, the best thing for
him is that mid rounder later Rice. It probably more
organizational stability and and more just you don't you're not
forced to come in and be the savior right away,

(01:12:47):
right because if you're picked early, the pressure is on
you to play. Right, Daniel Jones probably could have benefited
from not playing this year, but that's not what's going on.
Like I said, guys are trying to ready now. You're
trying to take advantage of having a young quarterback that
they're not paying half the cap to, you know, and
and that's what that's what going on. So um yeah

(01:13:10):
to uh, you know, you're trying to like savor this moment,
but we know what's going on. Say all the right things,
be pleasant about your tank. I think he wants. I
think you just want to thank everybody publicly. That's probably
give everybody a big hug symbolically. And and because young's
coming in and it's going down, just letting you guys

(01:13:31):
know you see, Will had to just keep it real.
Everybody else's all tier eyed handkerchiefs, the next guy's coming
move aside, don't get paid because everybody's looking at the
Russell Wilson model, right to take it back to what
we were talking right, where you draft well and and
look it's on the organization to figure out how to
make that work. But where you can get a number

(01:13:53):
of impact players, whether it's in the first round or
in those mid rounds, that becomes stars while they're not
get being paid because eventually, look the fair comes due
and you watch how they have to split and and
if you have organizational stability, you can rebound and keep rolling.
As we've talked about with the Seahawks. That's the model

(01:14:13):
for everybody. Figure out how to win when you're not
paying a guy thirty five million dollars or whatever the
going rate is going to be. Like, that's where the
Cowboys are in the quandary. Now you've got a lot
of money committed on the lines, a lot of money
committed to Zeke, and now you've got to decide is
Dak Prescott a thirty five million dollars? I mean, essentially
that's kind of what New England's been doing, right, But

(01:14:35):
but they got a guy who they had the luxury
of didn't say I need thirty million dollars a year
publicly publicly publicly, but at least at least it's always
looked nice, right, and and the appearances have always been good.
And I mean that's one of these sticking points maybe
for that last year that he wants that balloon payment

(01:14:56):
one last time for services rendered. We'll talk about that,
uh as we go forward. But there was an interesting
story that started making the rounds a discussion with Foxes
own Troy Aikman, as we talked about Tom Brady's future
and where he goes. There's the potential like Troy Aikman
could have come out of retirement long long ago. I

(01:15:17):
love this topic. We'll talk about this next. We come
to Alive from the Geico Fox Sports Radio studios. Easy
to say more on your car insurance with Geico. You
know the Geico dot com are called eight hundred nine
four seven onto. The only hard part figuring out which
way is easier? What if Andy Reid had gotten his way?
Next on Fox don't listening Fox Sports Radio, We'll back,

(01:15:39):
We'll Travis Scott played in the back round. Mike, welcome back,
Fox Foodfall Sunday Hey, fired up, Will Blackman alongside me.
Happy to have you along for the ride. Happy New
Year to you wherever we are finishing up the holiday,
maybe getting the tree out to the curb and getting
the kids back into school mode. I'll try and everybody
goes back to school. Maybe back although we had a

(01:16:02):
we had a fantastic day. Uh me and the family. Yeah,
my wife and I took the kids to the Reptile
Super Show and Anaheim the Reptile Super Show. Yes it is.
It is the largest reptile expo in the world. Did
you purchase any reptiles for your home? We don't. We

(01:16:23):
almost got a gecko almost we we we have a
we have a better dragon, but we almost got a gecko.
At the get go. We make some more mentions of
Geico and have some fun with that. There we go.
Because you never know, I mean, if you're feeding them,
you know, special concoctions. I mean, maybe you do get
a Godzilla kind of thing going on. Our son loves Godzilla.

(01:16:47):
Last one was kind of interesting. King of the Monsters
the sequels coming soon. Yeah, it was loud. Yeah, no,
that it was very loud. I went and saw that
in Dolby. That was bad. That was bad. That was
a bit over a guilt for me there, and I
already knew it was going to be loud, but then
adding the hey, I'll go to this showing that. I
meant that. My point was, our kids are fearless. Our

(01:17:08):
sons the son is nine, our daughters five, and they
were just holding snakes, holding reptiles, holding beerter dragons, iguanas,
holding whatever that, you know, whatever, like teaching to be
fearless early. Yeah, what you were just making a gesture
with your arms like going wide? What what what would
they carry in there? Pythons man pythons and boas and

(01:17:29):
all that kind of Yeah. Check my Instagram story at
Will Blackman you'll see it. Fearless kids are nuts the
Reptile super Show. How about that? It seems like I
would have seen a sign for that along the highways.
You didn't know. I think I saw more about I did?
I think I saw more clippers? It together? No, I
saw the sign. That's I saw this. That's why I know.

(01:17:53):
That's why I found it. You saw a sign and
that was on Thursday about that. Billboards work people for me,
I set their person If I see I got you.
You know, there's a there was a Simpsons episode, of
course Simpsons did it where Homer he goes out of
the house, he goes, oh fresh billboard days, Biard, and

(01:18:16):
it's all the He's stopping and he's causing, causing all
these accidents because he wants to stop and read the billboards.
And at the end he's like, I got everything that
they told me to get, but I'm not thinking about
that Clown College. And then he goes to Plant College
and everybody he comes to clown. I have all the
seasons at home. See there you go. Classics thirty one

(01:18:37):
years now. Also a classic the fact that Jay Glazer
uh responded to a Joe Buck tweet saying, Hey, I
got time. Do you want to ask Joe? Uh? He said, well,
who's got better hair? Is it Troy Aikman or is
it uh Mike Pereira. Kind of funny. Troy Aikman in
the news from an l A Times conversation that he
had three legitimate offers to return to the NFL. Upon

(01:18:59):
announcing his return. I think it's interesting, though, because we're
talking about Tom Brady and extending a career. I'm sure
he has though, Like it's not like shocking. Yeah, but
when you're that turned on calls every day well bred
fart might be as a yoked up superman still run
around on his infomercials. I saw him out there with

(01:19:20):
Jerry right, Jerry Rice would come back in a second.
I bought a copperfit nice leeve. How did it work
for you? Kept falling off, kept kept I don't even
know what to do with that. Does that mean you
have to bulk up? Does that mean you had to
go buy buy some nut. They need to have something that,
you know, if you're sweating that it actually stays. It
is there. You go product make somebody miss and I'm like, man,

(01:19:45):
you had to go out and get that. To get
it wasn't out a billboard. It was the infomercial in
the middle of that, waiting for Rugby to come up.
When you have insomnia, you know you're up just buying
knee braces and trust me braces, and you know, got
yourself a couple of wow the medical bracelet. While we're
at you haven't hit that point yet. We're talking about

(01:20:07):
the shoulder inngingement earlier. I haven't quite hit check my
medal correct years. Okay, I go moth right, isn't your
granddad promise? There you go. So in this story from
Zam Farmer at been actually sitting in the broadcast booth saying, Hey,
call Andy Reid at halftime. We're playing in San Francisco
Monday night. You'll be the starter, Andy, I haven't played
in two years. You'll be all right, I mean they

(01:20:31):
will to just keep going. I mean you you're keeping
in shape, right, You're still looking at you know, the
the NFL is still still there. I mean, and and
I talked to guys who've been out of league a
decade or more, and they still get that. I'm not
keeping in shape any longer. Not that kind of shape.
Well it's a it's a different different shape. But at

(01:20:51):
a base Listen, I just ride the elliptical. For every
glass of wine I had that day, I write ten minutes.
That's not a bad thing. There you go, there's your
there's your metrick to live up to here in but
that it's like when you're watching games, like as you
did yesterday, your mind go, you know, into into the
chess mode match and you just kind of wanted to

(01:21:14):
be in that place. You you physically, you you put
yourself in the situation you see, and you're like, man like,
if they can just do this, if I can just
do that, you know, if someone called me right now,
I can go play. That's the part that's that makes
it tough, that you know you're still still there, right yeah,
the the itch that is always there. You know. We

(01:21:35):
should do watching games with Will next year. Just here's
your second screen hopefully, well there's that too, no question
about it. At Will Blackman at NFL wine guys, where
you find him. Find me over at swallowing Down coming
up next the other playoff game today, don't listen to
sports Great Eggs welcome at second half of the show

(01:21:59):
has begun, The disco ball has gone away, the band
has left the field. Well Black but Mike Harmon with
you Fox Football Sunday. Thanks to our crew getting it done,
Isaac and Vance and now we've got Iowa Sam on
the ones. That two is Chris Perfett worked the first half,
uh and now he'll try to find himself a nap
before getting ready for these NFC playoff games, because hopefully

(01:22:22):
they're at least as engaging in the final minutes as
our two a f C wild card games were a
day ago. Will twelve years in the league, super Bowl champion,
but you get jacked up for this time of year,
winning time. I do you know? Actually, you know what
I was thinking about the Patriots loss, because before we

(01:22:44):
went back on the air, I was like, man, I
bet back home New England. I'm from Providence. For those
who don't know Providence. Ro back home in New England.
I'm sure it is just quiet. Just energy is weird,
you know, And it reminds me of when I was
a sophomore at Boston College two three when Aaron Boone

(01:23:05):
hit that grand slam. Aaron Bleepen Boone, those unawares that
grand slam, and I just remember looking outside and it
was just I mean you you, I don't know what
people would have thought everybody walking in a fog today
because because there's just so much uns it's not just speaking.

(01:23:25):
It was a legit fog today. No, that's right during
the game. We saw it last night. Oh driving today
here in the California sure, visibility very obscured. But you
made it in I did. I crushing it. You're live
on on Twitter at Will Blackman's where you find him
there and on Instagram. Wine guy, Yeah, find me over

(01:23:48):
at Sam In. Sam's jacked up. He's jacked up about
he's still riding the high of Iowa beating USC. I mean,
I know it's big more than but it's still carry forward. Wow.
Bringing into Mike North reference while we add it too
that I like that. I like that. But you know,
for for the folks in Boston, it certainly is. It's

(01:24:09):
not just a loss to end a season, right everybody,
well most most people are used to those for their
respective NFL teams. They're usually not expecting it to end
so quickly there in New England. But you know, you
don't win the super Bowl every year, but this one
has just so much well that's it, but this one

(01:24:30):
has so much more residents and that you don't know
what's coming back. And that's the discussion we've got monitoring
the Bill Belichick press conference that's going on, seeing if
he gives us any ten second gems or confused stairs.
Not that that plays on radio, but it's entertaining to
us at reporters as they ask long winded questions. But

(01:24:51):
you don't know what Brady's doing, You don't know what
McDaniels is doing. After yesterday's game. Maybe people aren't as
enamored with Josh McDaniels and the idea of what they
couldn't cobble together offensively over the course of the year
with the component parts, and we've talked about it lesser
than and no go to outside of Edelman. Right at
least in the past you had Gronkowski. So it became

(01:25:14):
a I got two guys that I trust are going
to be where the play is called and where the
design is and the you know, that continuity, camaraderie, whatever
you call it, is going to be there. Didn't have
it with the young receivers, and the trust factor certainly
one of the things that was to their detriment in
watching this roster go. But there's so much uncertainty. Every

(01:25:36):
other team has gone through the Hey we've got another
coach coming in, we've got a quarterback we don't trust,
We've got injuries or whatever is going on, or free
agency is going to kill us. For New England, this
is the first time that you could say, at least
from the component parts, like your base, there's uncertainty. This
has been uncertainty every year, even whether they win or lose,

(01:25:59):
there has been uncertain you know, are they gonna come back,
that's the question. Well, but at least for Belichick and Brady,
there's no uncertainty like are they going to be competitive again?
It's are they uncertain? Will they be back? Yeah? This one,
this one just felt I mean that part of it
might have just been media creation to try to blow
it up, right, because as soon as Brady sells puts
a house up for sale, still for sale, everybody got excited.

(01:26:22):
His trainer put one up for sales, like, al right,
guys own houses all over the place for all you know.
He was looking at economic indicators saying now is the time,
at peak of market to sell a house. Right. I
didn't read much into that. That's fine. So those are
just outliers. Those are just whatever data points and it
makes for a nice narrative. But inside it was maybe

(01:26:44):
the house was of value. Well that's that's just it, right,
Depending on when you bought it, you got some money.
It takes a while while to sell a house with
the multimillions that we're talking about, because I think they
have a moat and gators in the whole night. Maybe
he wants to move into the ritz Ovar and tree Moll,
you know, downtown the Boston Commons. Right, there's a there's
a million other things that con that was pretty cool.

(01:27:08):
See there you go, getting lifestyles of the rich and
famous with Will Blackman here on a Sunday morning. But
like all of those factors, to me, we're just nonsense, right,
And reports of riffs in the locker room. Nobody's getting along.
People say Kauai bought a home in Toronto, right, And
maybe he did. Maybe he's just got a lot of
real estate holding, maybe he knows the market. And then

(01:27:28):
guess what happened, right, he went, he came la and
that was it. He came home. So exactly. So those
reports mean nothing people. I mean they're nice data points.
And look, you do the radio show or TV show
or TV hit in the moment as of that day
with the information you have, and you work from there
and then you try to build the picture. As we

(01:27:48):
sit here today, the only thing we know for certain
is the Patriots are not playing anymore. It's like, oh,
I saw Kauai, he was watched he was watching Jurassic
World the other day. He's coming back. Maybe he's just
a big fan of Chris Pratt. Probably not. I mean,
you had Chris Pratt on your your timeline right. I

(01:28:10):
believe he made an appearance and a gift that you
used yesterday. But point being made is that they're done
for the year. We've still got a lot of football
to be to be played and we'll have a new
Super Bowl champion when they crown one down in Miami
on Fox to start your February now later on today,
as we're starting to see the arrivals at the stadium,

(01:28:32):
you've got Kirk Cousins and all the metrics that always
go into big game, Kirk and everything rolling up against
the New Orleans Saint Saint's about an seven and a
half point favorite little bit of pushback. The line was
sitting out at eight earlier in the week, so you've
got a little bit of push back on that number.
And the idea for Minnesota offensively healthier they've been in

(01:28:54):
a long long time. Dalvin Cook adam feeling now how
healthy a day is the speculation I understand Dalvin Cook said,
I'm back for a full strength. Yeah. No, nobody's full
strength going into into the playoffs given the you know,
not not if you have been hurt and have dealt

(01:29:16):
with stuff, you know and and have has not been
effective this part of the season, both of Minnesota's key
players on offense. Well, and you've had to hold him back.
And then you've got Alexander Madison who hasn't been available
for them. Yeah. Either, But you're never gonna tell your opponent.
I'm okay, right, everybody's a hrdter percent, right, that's what
they're gonna tell you. So I'll do the old Jim

(01:29:38):
Brown just lay down, act like I'm hurt. Every play.
It's a way to extend, extend things. You know, here,
here's a couple of extra seconds eight yards. Well, that's
just it. Rope a dope as you go through. I mean,
we watch enough soccer and in the studios here move
strategicy as it were, to try to just lay off

(01:29:59):
a little bit. It all right, he's wounded, so they'll
go elsewhere, like now they come right back, like the
the play, just for the to go back to the
Patriots for one second, right to where everybody's like, oh,
look at Tom Brady braiding Julian Edelman. No, I don't
think so. It seemed like more ropea doome kind of
move as he gives him the the end around and
he goes in for the touchdown. But we've got Bill Belichick.

(01:30:20):
We'll see if we we get anything fun out of that.
The right up, just saying, uh, you won't talk about
the future, because in his quotes was actually yesterday saying,
let's talk about this game where it's always onto something
else or what I mean, there's no game to go to,
so you're not gonna say, hey, we're on, although that
would have been kind of fun, uh for for us here,

(01:30:41):
it's a drop we would play forever, much like I
hate that song when he was discussing holiday music all
that those years ago. But but we do have exactly,
but we do have the the Saints and the Vikings
a little later on today. For the Saints, it's been
the Michael Thomas show, whether it's bridge water or breeze
rolling at him, and we can have the debate of

(01:31:02):
weather breeze. That's quote, by the way, so far from
this matchup. As they kept asking safety Marcus Williams about
that play where he you know, missed the tackle and
the pick, the Minnesota Minnesota miracle. Yes, it's been referenced
thirty seven times, and he said, listen, neither neither of
us would the Super Bowl. So it doesn't matter. It's

(01:31:25):
a fair point. It's fair move on. It's not like
they won and went on and did something special. They
went on and got rid of their quarterback. You got
new one. I mean, it's a nice highlight that will
live forever. But that that's it, right, what happened. He's
still in the league and he's still playing meaningful football.
You know, it wasn't like the ball went down the

(01:31:45):
first baseline he missed it. Oh you really? Just after
the Boston guys, that's a big deal. Of course they
still so I had to play more more baseball. But
we we look at this game, right for New Orleans,
I'm wondering how much more we see of Alvin Kamara,
right from a running back running perspective, think we see
a lot he finally caught on, right, because you have

(01:32:07):
Latavia's Murray picking up a lot of carries as the
season went on, and oftentimes you see the touch count
got to twenty, but it was more on the receiving end,
or as much on the receiving end, keeping the carry
count in that eleven to fifteen range. So perhaps this
is one where you get a little more of Alvin
Kamara running into the heart of the Minnesota defense. And

(01:32:31):
I think Jared Cook is going to have to have
a huge game for this New Orleans offense. It can't
be all Michael Thomas here against Minnesota. Uh it won't.
It's it's definitely gonna have to balance of everybody, and
they're gonna have to truly, truly construct the game plan
where you get some car Rudolf an important situation as
you get dealing important situations, and you obviously digs on

(01:32:53):
important situations and use all the run, use everybody, both
running backs, you know, control the clock, keep the football
away from Drew Brees, you know what I'm saying, Like
that's that's the important thing. And then there's gonna have
some some times where you're gonna have to take get
explosive plays. Because when Kirk Cousins is throwing the ball
very far down the field and completing those, he's usually

(01:33:16):
doing very well. Start flinging it down and just you
imagine Kyle Rudolphine, you know, who picked up a lot
for it. I just want Kirk to go for it
like this. This is the time where Kirk Cousins just
needs to say, like I don't even care anymore, Like,
just be ticked off and go for it, Just go
forget about all these stats because we're seeing him up
here right then. Then the latest fabricated one of this

(01:33:36):
that he's oh and fifteen career against teams with a
winning percentage of seven hundred are better. So you've got that.
It's just one thing after the next on the mix
as we rolled through from the Vikings side of things,
Daniel Hunter having himself a fantastic season. But what we
know is Drew Brees gets the ball out so fast,

(01:33:57):
so defensively right, so defensively, you know, trying to combat
how he approaches the game. How much different. I mean,
obviously it's one of the games all time greats. But
you know, your prep week and as you're you're scouting
this team and working ahead, you know, how do you
account for that that quick release as a defensive back? Yeah,

(01:34:18):
I mean the biggest thing too, is you know he's
not the typical six five, so obviously you try to
get your hands up quick, but you gotta have you
have to have tight coverage. And the funny thing is
if you throw it to Michael Thomas, I think he
has like an eight seven percent. Like if you throw it,
if you throw it in his area, he's catching the ball. Period.

(01:34:39):
But even if he's got webbed hand. But even if
you have tight coverage. I remember playing against New Orleans
and I would be literally draped over the defenders back
and there's nowhere to throw it. And then Drew Bees
would throw it at his like right kneect where I
can't get it right. Put it where you're right. The
old hit it where they ain't. From a aceball analogy,

(01:35:01):
here it's the just give your guy a chance. If
I'm on top the balls going to the back hit,
I think the hip is going to the front quad
like he just he knows exactly what he's doing, and
once you get in the rhythm is dangerous. I think
the amazing thing to watch is as we we've watched
this team over the course of the year, it really
has been the Michael Thomas showed with some Jared Cook.

(01:35:21):
He's had some monster games mixed in, but that's it
from your receiving corps right. Tray Kuan Smith is not
developed and been healthy. Ted Gain has had a couple
of big plays, but the story of his career is
that he's just never been a consistent target where you're
looking at five catches a game or any of that.
So for Michael Thomas to do what he did, that's why,

(01:35:42):
you know, stumping as we talk m VP consideration, look
at Lamar Jackson's award, but it's it's just curious to
watch how a guy could be so dominant when we're
always talking about you need a number two or something
to take heat away from you, and you mentioned the
cent or whenever, the ridiculous of return. You know Who's
who's quote on late though, and I'm sure you're agreed

(01:36:04):
is is Jark. He has been um getting a lot
of one on ones versus safety is because of the
draw to you know, Michael Thomas and because of the
emergence of UH chimera that he's he's living it up though,
I'll tell you that he's loving it now, are you
kidding me? A featured guy on on a team that's winning,
heading to the playoffs, a guy that we always liked

(01:36:26):
the skills right back when he was in Tennessee, uh
the year in Oakland, had had a big role with
the Rams. Yeah, yeah, he's had He's had a start
thinking about how many times he's bounced around. U uh,
but he like he likes traveling. That's just what it is.
He gets these one year deals and plays with really
good quarterbacks and moves on now hanging out in New

(01:36:48):
Orleans where he's found himself a nice home as the
number two receiver in that offense. We've got some big,
big Bill Belichick sound coming up, is what I'm being told.
So we'll hear from the Patriots coach or maybe the Giants.
I don't know. Well, we'll talk about that coming him. Next,
he's Will Blackman on Mike Carmen here on Fox Sports Radio.
Company Alive from the guy called Fox Sports Radio Studios.

(01:37:10):
Fifteen minutes can save you fift or more on car insurance.
Busic guy caun dot com for a free rate quote
because you know, yesterday was the anniversary of Bill Belichick
telling the Jets no thanks there and I'll plays together.
We'll talk Belichick Patriots future. Next you're on Fox. Don't
listening to Fox Sports Radio. Greetings, Welcome back Fox Sports Radio,

(01:37:33):
Fox Football Sunday. Mike Armen alongside Will Blackman. Can follow
Will live on Twitter at Will Blackman follow him at
NFL Wine Guy shout out to the Twitter folks. With
Instagram folks just sit there and steer. Actually Twitter folks
actually show up, ask questions and interactive. You got a
good question you wanna do? You wanna take on air?

(01:37:53):
I haven't got any questions. Anybody want to fire off
a question at Will Black? Yeah, we had the yeah
snap face and we had the a f C Wildcard
round yesterday. The Texans come back on the Buffalo Bills,
the Josh Allen greatness at times in the first half.
You had some great throws in the second half, but

(01:38:18):
it's clearly inconsistency and some mind numbing play calls and
decision making along the way open the door. Oh, they
were mind numbing. I got to the point where I
was calling for a tie between the head coaches and
some of the decisions being made. I'm like, I'm done
with this. Move on. But Deshaun Watson always one that
you want to see live to see another day, and

(01:38:40):
we will next week. Early reports are that they will
actually have will Fuller back for next week. We'll see
if that becomes the case. Obviously, that offense even more dynamic.
Question for you hit me. If Brady decides to come back,
do you think New England tries to read works something

(01:39:00):
to get Judy from BAM bringing Jerry Judy. How about
that definitely needs a playmaker. I love it. I mean
then you're talking about where you're drafting, right because you
didn't run to the Super Bowl, so now you're in
the twenties. I don't know, curious. I mean, they love
trying to know what. No, but that's the thing is

(01:39:22):
they love trading, acquiring, but you definitely need to go
get him weapons. I I think he comes back when
it's all said and done and that they finish his long,
you know, illustrious career with New England. But Bill Belichick
had his season ending press cont before he gets out
of boat and runs away. Maybe they've got another documentary,

(01:39:45):
the Lighthouse film. Yeah. Speaking of receivers, Vince at Mutamba
Hei and Vince said if he was six four, you
should have played receiver, if because I said, I would
love to be six four, and I was like, I
would have played receiver in the NFL. But what happened
was at the combine, I had one of my team
interviews and I remember I spoke to the Atlanta Falcons
and they approached me about playing receiver in the NFL,

(01:40:09):
and they said, hey, man, we like you at receiver
and if if you happen to end up being, you know,
a free agent after the draft, will pick you up.
Oh the disrespect. We like you as a receiver, a
free agent free agent receiver. I was like, screw that.
The next interview, I don't want anything about receiver. I'm

(01:40:30):
playing dB. That's why. That's the real story. Why I said,
I'm not playing receiver because Atlanta. I got an Atlanta
story where they take me off. But please keep going.
We can bury the we have time for that right now. Story. Alright,
so check this out. It's a four hour show, so
then we could do Belichick in five minutes. That'll wait. No,

(01:40:53):
this is this happened recently. So I go work out.
I go work out for the uh the Falcon right,
and uh this is two years ago, and Dan Queane
brings me in, and pol he's there, and Dimitrof is there,
and I work out for them and I ended up
just destroying the workout, like doing very very well. And

(01:41:14):
so it's me and another safety and then after that, uh,
you know, you go back to your locker, you change,
and they want to meet with you one on one
and give you their opinion, you know what they think.
So I remember I go meet with Joe Collier, okay,
I think he's their national scout and he's like, man, like, um,

(01:41:36):
your journey was Gray. I love what you did. You
you worked hard, man, and um, you know we're gonna
sign you. Man, We're gonna do it. And and literally
the air got taken out of me because I bust
my tail and I was like, yes, this is finally it.
I was like, thank you man. He goes, I know,
I know, man, it was hard. I know you went
to the spring league and you did this, and I

(01:41:56):
was like spring league. I was like, I didn't go
to the spring league. He was like, oh, man, I
told him to get the other defensive back. No, man, dog,
are you kidding me? That's just wrong? Are you kidding me?
I joke about it now because it's it's it's overweight.
But man, like, straight up, that was hands down, probably

(01:42:17):
one of the most unprofessional things I've ever dealt my
entire life. Yes, that's exactly what I said. You're trying
to take him down, did you? And what and what's
that gonna do? I don't know. What made you feel
good in the moment he said, Oh man, I'm how
do you mess that up? You get the wrong guy? Poor?
He just new uniform numbers. I guess Falcons. Well, that's

(01:42:39):
that's just some bad word. Strike too and three with
that one. I mean, that's like that guy the other
day that was in the shoe store and thought he
saw Chris Paul and went up and it was Region Rondo,
oh Man's dress ball and looked like Rondo was about
to take a swing at Don't you know who I am?
D It's crazy brow that's that. That might be one

(01:43:00):
of the craziest stories ever heard. It. It's bad. We've
heard a lot of them, and these always it was bad.
That was the ultimate. I couldn't believe it. I couldn't
believe it because as soon as you started saying the journey,
I'm like, all right, where's the turn here? The guys
said this is because my journey was like afterwards, like

(01:43:23):
it was I did everything in my power to get back.
But it says from the journey before you even got
to spring league, I'm like, all right, this is this
is already setting up. Once he said spring league, I
was like, I didn't play in the damn Spring League.
He was like, oh man, that was the other guy.
How about that bad job by him? There's a lot.
There was a lot of nonsense. I have no doubt.
The workout stories I'm sure you get. You can do

(01:43:46):
uh oh, daily podcast with guys who've been in and
out of the league. And the stories we have been
lied to, Well there's that too. You want to get
one of those off here? Good do? We got plenty more? Show?
Let me see getting lied to? Alright? Storytime with Will

(01:44:07):
becomes a regular feature here on Fox Sports Radio at
Will Blackman's where you find him on Twitter and Instagram,
at NFL wine guy, find me over at Swollen Dome.
And now it's time to hear from Bill Belichick. Will
do that in just a minute. The first Isaac Lowan
Crowns got what's up? What's trending in the sporting universe? Indeed,
Michael and Will what's trending? Of course, A busy day

(01:44:29):
in the NFL, on the field and off the field,
A busy weekend in fact, starting with the New England
Patriots trying to defend their Super Bowl championship last night
against the Tennessee Titans. Trying was the key word Brady
in the end, So takes the snap, looks fires pass,
batted up in the air, intercepted, and returned for a

(01:44:50):
touch that Titans logan Riot with nine seconds to go.
Mike Keith to call on w g f X as
the Titans beat the Patriots twenty to three. Team Tennessee
will be at Baltimore next week. As for Tom Brady's future,
he says retirement is pretty unlikely as well as I mean,
they obviously, uh, you know, it's the greatest organization, and

(01:45:14):
you know, playing for Mr Craft all these years and
for Coach Belichick. I mean there's there's nobody who's had
a better career, I would say than me. Just being
with them, I'm very blessed, and i don't know what
the future looks like, so I'm not going to predict it.
Earlier Saturday in Houston, Snap us down, fair parents kick
is up and that's good and the Texans took the

(01:45:35):
defessional round and dramatic fashion pet the bells at overtime.
Funny two Tonight day, Mark vander Meer the call, Sports
Radio six ten. Texans at Kansas City next week. Coming
up today at what oh, five eastern, it's the Saints
and Vikings from the Superdome. At four or forty eastern,
the Eagles host the Seahawks. Finally, Mary kay Cabin of

(01:45:56):
the Cleveland Playing Dealers just reported that the Cleveland Browns
will interview Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels sometime this week
for their head coaching job. Adam Schefter just reported that
Washington came close to hiring former Houston Texans general manager
Rick Smith as their team president before they hired Ron
Rivera as their head coach. That note, Michael, and will

(01:46:20):
back to you, Thank you so much, Isaac, so Ron
Rivera was able to say, I don't want to work
with Rick Smith? Is that really? When I when I
read from that, He's like, we're good. Yeah, I think
he's got a lot of control. We'll get into the
Josh McDaniels angle coming up in about ten minutes or
some A question about Rivera too, by the way, actually
by all means yeah, I got a question and Vince,

(01:46:42):
we appreciate this. I got asked, do I think that
Josh Norman can restart his career with Rivera as head coach?
And my answer to that this is from actually Chick Careennas.
My answer that is, does Josh want to does he

(01:47:02):
want to even keep playing football at the end of
the day, you know, Um, that's that's pretty much what's
gonna come down to. Well, he's got a contract with Fox,
so he's part of the larger, larger family around here.
We've seen him on pregame shows at times and during
bye weeks and what have you. So certainly his foot
dipping the toes as it were, into the media world

(01:47:23):
after that in but Rivera understands him. He calls Josh stubborn,
are hard headed, but a heck of a talent. He
gets it well. A guy he's worked with, guy guy
he knows right. So certainly no strangers there. But it's
always good to have a familiar face in the locker room,
I guess. But at the end of the day comes
down to if Josh Because you've seen, like in the

(01:47:45):
year Josh is out and about, you know, traveling doing
his thing, and that's what he's into. I'm not knocking
it whatever. Um, you know, you didn't really see much
much training or what have you and anything but football.
So my thing is like the is football still in
his heart, you know, is he is? He? Is? He

(01:48:07):
a case of where you know, you get the money
and you chow. We don't. We don't know so well,
certainly at this point in his career too, right. I
mean we're two thousand, sixteen, five year, seventy five million
dollar deal and you start trying to figure out exactly
what the out is. Right. We we talked about the
outs in contracts all the time. We get a lot

(01:48:30):
with Carolina as they make the decision on Cam Newton
on a relative basis, he's cheap for a quarterback. But
is it time to move on given the level of injuries,
A new owner, a new coach coming in, does it
become let's shift the entire paradigm of where we are.
For Ron Rivera, the first thing he did was, let's

(01:48:51):
change up. Just the feel of the locker room might
be meaningless on the whole, but the shuffleboard, the ping
pong table, all those things go to the wayside. But
you're looking for leaders, right, You're looking for a locker room.
You've got a guy well still under contract right now,
and Alex Smith injured, but he says he wants to
play again. He got a young quarterback in Dwayne Haskins.

(01:49:14):
But then it's trying to figure out the rest of
the room. And if you got a guy, like you said,
with that kind of money, it's always the question once
you get paid that level, is the hunger still there
to be great, particularly when you see the light and
the other career opportunities that are ahead of you. I
think he used even our record saying like, man like
this is this is not everything for me. You know,

(01:49:34):
I want to win a super Bowl and then right
into the sunset, you know, and I respect that everybody
wants to be able to write, get the get the
huge contract, win a super Bowl, and put those on
your resume and then go do whatever. But when I
when a guy is young and you know, and talking

(01:49:55):
like that, that kind of kind of lets me know
where where guys lines are at. Sure if you're if
you're already there, because you look at the you look
at the other spectrum, and you look at someone like
Tom Brady who's still undecided, who has done everything everything,
there's not one accolade he has not yet received. No,
that's it, right, verything from down to Hey, let's sit

(01:50:18):
down and talk about the greatest of all time, but
you'll put me as the center piece. Should have been
done a long time ago, but he kept coming back.
And if you think he got something left. And I
think with Tom Brady, enough was said about how washed
he was, which is why you had that lion video
that everybody started laughing about and Brable referenced, and you
have the cackling in the whole nine yards. Like anybody,

(01:50:39):
I watched the Patriots over the course of the year,
I don't know how well you can evaluate what Tom
Brady was. Where there's throws missed, sure, how much of
that was I don't trust what's on the other end
you but you just throw it and you just hope.
You know, hoping. Hope is a dangerous thing. We learned
that it's the best of things and the most dangerous

(01:50:59):
of things. Shush in predemption, Hey, you want to hear
something amazing. Discover matches all the cash back you earned
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slash cash back match. Well, while Brady hoodgers decision earlier.
About an hour ago, Bill Belichick met the media. I

(01:51:20):
had some thoughts of how closing out this year, obviously
given Tom Brady's age and there's been a lot of
talk about his future. Do you have a timeline in
your mindful when you'd like to sit down and do
you have would you like to get clarity on his
situation by the time of New week year starts. Look,
I mean, I know it's out there, just like there's
a lot of the things out there. I mean, we
could bring up fifty questions just like that one, and

(01:51:42):
I told her what my state is on that, and
so you can ask all fifty of them and it's
gonna be the same answer fifty times been we've been
working on Tennessee, it's twelve hours after the game. I'm
not gonna talk a lot of things about the future
because it's not I'm not prepared to talk about us.
I'm sure you'd but you can name fifty guys, fifty coaches,
I mean, there's plenty. You can talk about anything you want,

(01:52:04):
but in the future, and there are all the questions
that need to be answered at some point in time
by the organization, by myself, by the coaching staff, by
some of the players. But those are collective decisions that
are not made by one person. They're made collectively. There's
a lot of time, thought, and effort and communication that
goes into that, and now is not the time. I

(01:52:24):
certainly appreciate that I have just one one. If Tom
says he wants to come back and play, and the
same answer that I just gave you, let me just
keep going. If you wanted to the whole question, because
you talked to him some of it. I said, it
says you want to play your quarterback, and I gave
it the same answer that I just gave you on
the other one. So we can go through some more
if you want to. It's fine. What about you, Bill?
Will you be back here coaching this scene next year?

(01:52:47):
That's I've just answered all those questions. All future questions
are the future. Right, we're twelve hours less than twelve
hours after the camp. I think anybody that's competitive and
has been in this type of situation, your focus on
the game, you know, it's not on something else. So
hopefully you can respect that. But if you can't, then
I've done the best I can to explain it. I'm sorry.

(01:53:10):
As simple as that, I'll try a different way. Let
me ask you that question walked and he walked in
there with a player like, listen, this is not happening today.
I would not be intimidated by Bill, but he wanted
to get his run right now hero of the day.
He said, you answer the question because you were talking
over it. How about because that guy's pressed pass has

(01:53:30):
been revoked if Bill Belichick returns for next season. But
trying to go to the it is just funny, right
saying hey, that's in the future, when normally the response
to any loss or anything negative has been We're onto
insert city here onto Cincinnati is always the running joke.

(01:53:50):
But where we have this situation now is all right,
we gotta collectively. You heard that word a bunch a
lot of decisions to make, talked about their salary cap
and and where they're at in terms of commitments for
next year. The only guy really making any quote real
money when we talk about NFL and being prohibitive on you,
is Stefan Gilmour is a cap hit of about eighteen

(01:54:13):
point six, next highest outside of Brady, who's in this
whole other world of how they determine what he's uh,
he signs for if he comes back. Is Dante high
tower is at eleven point three, and then from there
it gets smallish pretty fast. Right, So they're not top
heavy like some of these teams. Like we've talked about
with the Rams all year. We talk about what Dallas

(01:54:34):
has put together. The Patriots should have some flexibility along
the way. Of course, there's going to be a number
of players who want to see if they can go
get top of market given where we are for linemen
and some of the linebacking uh cores around the league
where they price inflated over the last two years. But
for Bill Belichick, he certainly wasn't gonna talk about the future.

(01:54:57):
So having this press conference other and then all right,
I can check a box saying I did it really
served no purpose in the grand scheme. Will This whole
interviewthing is funny because right now they're just gonna lay
it onto England. Well that's all anybody's doing right now,
is right? Is it's you know, we talked about the
collective joy. There is no on to another team. You

(01:55:20):
gotta answer these damn questions, buddy, because I'll see you
in September. But that that's one of the larger questions, right,
because one of the permutations in the coaching carousel is
maybe Bill Belichick actually goes and takes that Giant's job. Now,
like the Patriots altogether, it ends. I don't think that's
the case. I think the band comes back together with

(01:55:43):
more weapons for Brady one last time, uh and seeing
if they can actually make one one more runs. So
people thinking that it's dead until it's officially dead. All
they did was lose a game. Okay, that's it. You know.
We we've got the Dynasty, big voice guy thing. We've
got Rob Parker and all all our colleagues here at
Fox taking their victory laughs like it's one loss. So

(01:56:05):
they didn't get to the super Bowl. Still, they've all
agreed to shake hands and walk away from each other.
This thing is not dead, by the way. Also, in
the East, even if Brady does walk away, who the
hell's beating him? Who's bet we're talking about the East
in the he leaves, because they it will be it

(01:56:26):
won't be Jared Stidham. But we're still talking about three
teams that can't get out of their own way in
the division. Brady leaves, that's changed and immediately I'd be
curious to see who would be next on me. Well,
I like Josh Allen, but I like, I like Buffalo,
I like I like overall what they've done. Coach still
has some explaining to do for some of it, because

(01:56:48):
he tried to lay it at Josh Allen's feet yesterday
and he made some bad decisions. But Coach doesn't get
off the hook for some of his down in distance
and decision making in terms of clock management along the way.
He had his young coach issues there, and the Buffalo
squad is there, but I'm not trusting Adam Gaze. And
Miami's still got to answer the quarterback question long term

(01:57:11):
because it ain't Ryan Philip. But at least at least
Miami is competing. You see there in a there literally
there's a direction right. At least the teams in the
division are competing because they know that the window is well,
the gap is closing right and certainly for Bill Belichick,
the decision how much longer he wants to coach is
one we keep talking about as well. He's Will black

(01:57:33):
Man on Mike Carmen Welcome in. It is Fox Football
Sunday Company Alive for the Geico Fox Sports Radio Studios.
Easy to say or more on car insurance with Geico,
go to Geico dot com call seven Auto. The only
hard part figuring out which way is easier. We talked Brady,
We talked Belichick. Well, what about the O C. Is
he on the move and where to? We talked about
that next year on Fox. Answer the question twice you're

(01:57:57):
listening to Fox Sports Radio Grantings. Welcome back in Fox
Football Sunday from the Geico Studios. Will black Men alongside me,
Hi on Mike Carmen. Thanks for hanging out with us
at Will Blackman's where you find him live on Twitter, Instagram,
find him over at NFL wine Guy, as well as
other venture Good thoughts with Will on the week to come,

(01:58:20):
a lot of big things popping as we get rolling,
as well as more live video, audio and nonsense from
me at Swollen Dome and you can find it there
and we'll we'll link out as we go. And Jason
Smith will be back from his vacation in Detroit. Do
you ever know anybody that vacationed in Detroit for their holiday? No? No,

(01:58:43):
you've met Jason. You think he's skiing at a rat battle.
In his mind, yes, in his mind it was finished
the show rat Battle followed by three am White Castle.
Maybe he got like a cool like, uh, you know
one of those things where you have to go and
watch a meeting and for like a timeshare or something. Unfortunately, no,

(01:59:09):
I think he's just family, his wife's family, so he
goes everywhere from there holiday. But why not? You gotta
break it. Listen, if you live here in Californa, southern California,
you don't leave. No, but you're not. But why not
get them to come here or go somewhere else, because

(01:59:30):
you don't go anywhere anywhere anywhere past the mountains like
Midwest and East Coast. They don't leave. They don't leave.
I trust me. I try to convince my family, Dude,
it's a vacation in itself. Not only are you spending
time with me, but you're in vacation. This is vacation. No,
I I got you. I flew my dad out here finally,

(01:59:53):
and I'm like, Dad, look at this. This is why
you with your favorite child. Look at that. I'm the youngest,
so it's automn at it. Hello? Is that the way
that works? Okay? So that's interesting all right, there you go.
But yes, everybody comes to come to California. Yeah, he'll
be back, and I'll be you know, everyone don't come
to California. But I'm just well, they're leaving. The numbers

(02:00:14):
say they're leaving all sorts of things flowing in. Although
although my traffic patterns they're not helping me. Not enough
of them have left. As you go. Mary Kay Cabot,
reporter out of Cleveland, saying that Josh McDaniels is coming
for a visit. We just got through Bill Belichick talking
about the future, well really not talking about the future.

(02:00:36):
Uh won't address his We know Brady unlikely that he
retires or hopefully doesn't retire, all the different word choices
that he's had along the way. But for Josh McDaniels,
who would appear that the time has come for him
to maybe make a run. A couple of years ago,
look like he was going to Indianapolis. Hit him with
the punt fake right, and then he comes back and

(02:00:59):
is he the are apparent? One of those coaching waiting situations.
Then then realizing Bill Belichick never wants to give up
the throne and he's originally an Ohio guy, all of
these things in the idea of maybe being the one
to correct Baker Mayfield, because you would show up on
a roster that's pretty full of talent, right right, but

(02:01:19):
no GM right. I mean that offense if healthy, adding
Kareem Hunt to Nick Chubb, who's a beast, offensive line
was pretty solid, and you talking about skill position and
Baker is capable of just mentally he needs to get together,
work on the accuracy. Maybe you can coach him up

(02:01:39):
and in year three get it done. I mean, as
we talked about for the last two months plus. Well,
it's the grown up in the room. There wasn't one
stop fighting with fans. Fans before the game too, right,
stop wearing dump Do you know we can't come down there?
I was waiting for the guy to drop down. I mean,
go all mission impossible style. I don't want to. He

(02:02:00):
don't want to get banned right at right before they
get good. But then he can go tee and he'd
be good. NA facial recognition software, you think you're gonna
care about that guy enough? All right? Maybe they would,
But for Josh McDaniels, on the surface, it would look
like a perfect fit. Right, just come in there. And
and have your keys to the kingdom. I believe so.

(02:02:21):
I mean he got he got the T ball playoff
win right, Yes he did, Yes, he did, was able
to pull off a remarkable run. I still blame you,
Maryan Barber the Third for allowing that streak to continue.
More on that rant later on exactly the Iowa guy says,
uh blank and gopher uh Will black Men with me?

(02:02:43):
How my garment coming out? Next? There's a Schefter report
out of Washington that's kind of interesting. Will Blackman wags
in next. Don't listening to sports learning terminology, readying for games,
dominating the earholes of America. That's what we do here.
He and every Sunday getting ready after Fox Sports Radio,

(02:03:06):
Fox Football Sunday alongside a jacked up Will Blackman. At
Will Blackman on Twitter, you're having at them to steal
that line. Not so much of me forgetting to try
my mic I wanted them to steal that line. Okay, sure,

(02:03:31):
at Will Blackman Twitter, Instagram and at NFL wine guys,
where you can find Will for his other pursuits. You
find me over at Swallen. Don't thanks for hanging out
with us, getting your new year started right a f
C Wild Card Games yesterday. Uh, suffice to say, Deshaun
Watson brilliance, the escapability, mobility, versatility, all of those words

(02:03:54):
to describe the brilliance of getting pinballed and staying up right.
We appreciate everybody engaging on that play. Will with a
couple hundred thousand game no, no, a couple of hundred
thousand dollars laid down. He was really nervous when it
was sixteen nothing but the Bills can't close. Some decision making,

(02:04:19):
a couple of bad decisions by Alan in between some
great throws and great athleticism from him. Watson with the
big play, the thirty four yard pass play that helps
set up the game winner, as it were. So you
have that and then the nightcap Tennessee scores four teen.
It's all you needed your final or right. I don't

(02:04:43):
want to discount the interception return can't touchdown. I can't
because it counts. And for for Logan Ryan it's a
it's a big deal for everybody there, big deal. They'd
already covered, all right, they've already beaten the spread because
even if it finished fourteen thirteen A they want out
right on the money line. Be they were plus four
and a half, so you're already a winner. But the stamp,

(02:05:06):
and for many it's the that's the last past Tom
Brady will throw as a patriot or perhaps ever. So
you have that storyline rolling on, while we've also got
from Adam Schefter coming along. Now we've talked a little
bit about Ron Rivera as head coach and trying to
set the tone and try to find the new character
and identity of the Washington Redskins locker room. But now

(02:05:28):
the Schefter report, uh this comes out a little bit
during this past hour. They're planning to wait until after
the draft to hire a general manager, per league sources.
Team's thinking is that it has the people in place
for now, although anyone in the front office is in
jeopardy after the draft and there will be more changes
to come. That's kind of an odd place to put

(02:05:49):
a new coach. I mean, so Ron Rivera has the
Bill O'Brien stamp for now, right, You've got an interim
uh GM there and Chris Olsen for the Texans. But
Bill O'Brien became Trader Bill at the beginning of the
season and was laughed, you know, hey, what else do
they have in the couverard that they can find while
they're they're winners on wild card weekend and they'll play on.

(02:06:11):
Although for a while there it looked like maybe Houston
was gonna be looking for someone else to coach up
Deshaun Watson the way they played and some of the
decisions in that first half. But they rally and get
a victory for Ron Rivera. Now you're in charge, right,
you get to say I'm the captain now, and you've
got all called through the draft and then retro fitting

(02:06:32):
to bring in a GM. He's definitely qualified to do so. Sure,
But then you mean from a power structure perspective, right,
So the g MS job will Ron Rivera is ostensibly
still be doing that job even after that guy's hired, right,
in terms of evaluation and personnel moves. If you've already

(02:06:55):
given him that power and he gets to pick the guy,
does he become a de factor? Yes, man pushing a
pen a, right, he's pushing paperwork after I mean that
that's the only thing in terms of setting up your
front office. It seems like you've got a guy that's
then have to ask my people about it. You ask
your people. I like that. Yeah, it's just a curious flow.

(02:07:16):
I mean, like Dan Snyder does. You got people all
over the place. We've we've been able to ascertain this.
I mean you've still got hot coffee some five hours later,
which is just confusing me. And some magic cup that
you should have had it on the hike you went on.
I should have I could have used it in that
second half of the hike. Let me tell you our

(02:07:37):
two although Quadzilla was back in full effect, given some
of the Latin I was just doing some of the
climbs as we had to. Let me tell you come on,
well there's that too, uh Sam on the ones and
twos for us today, but for the Washington Redskins is
Daniel Snyder looks for this next iteration right twenty years now.

(02:07:57):
He's owned the team the first decade. Volatile would be
the kind way to put it right, as he cycled
through coaches and tried to find the answer, including some
retreads Joe Gibbs for another run. And then you have
the second half. You've got three coaches the last decade,
Mike Shanahan, You've got Jay Gruden, and now you move
into Ron Rivera. So lifetime football men rivera obviously long

(02:08:22):
time NFL player. Uh. Some in Chicago were still lamenting
he never got a shot at their head coaching job
years ago when he was with the Chargers. But has
had a good run and now he'll take over Washington
trying to institute culture old school kind of mentality. Will
but but now but now it's him. The way this

(02:08:42):
is setting up, right, it's dance out. So just say
you're gonna hire him an executive assistant when it's all
said done well, that was the That was the thing
coming in there is that for this job to be
attractive and appealing, they wanted some or a bulk of
the executive say and what goes on in terms of

(02:09:03):
the football decisions. And having Bruce Allen in the building
made the job made the job less attractive to a
lot of suitors. So based on Dan's football advisors and
based on agents of who representing these coaches that were interested,
that was that was a big deal. What seems to
be the consensus right when you're talking about the Cleveland

(02:09:24):
job a few minutes ago he got Haslam and Dorsey's
out after a very short tenure. Looked like he he
started to put together a team, but ultimately giving Freddie
Kitchens the job on the recommendation and the comfort of
Baker Mayfield. Is that legit though? Was that a recommendation
from Baker? Is that like for real? For real? That
seems to be the consensus that that was, which I

(02:09:46):
believe because it was Baker vouching for that relationship saying
I need to keep this relationship going. Because I also
because I mean that I would believe that story because
I feel like, when you know Dorsey was went through
this draft process of evaluating Baker Mayfield, I think they
just fell in love with the fact that he just

(02:10:08):
had so much command and control at Oklahoma, like this
is what we need. This is our culture changer. This
is the guy who's going to come in and really
give us what you need, continue to lift us up
even after the departure of Lebron for basketball. And I
think they they didn't just you know, let him borrow
the car. They gave him the keys and put the

(02:10:29):
car in his name. Well, and that's it, right, he
got full control and from the grown up in the room,
like that's the I guess the euphemism being used in
all of this process of someone like a Rivera to
you know, stabilize things. Same thing in Cleveland. You've got
a lot of talent, but you didn't have anybody to

(02:10:49):
just tell Baker to shut up. Oh would be nice.
I'm calling it what it is. Come on the the
guy anything. People at a lot of just just like
quarterbacks on the shut out. Take it easy. But Chicago's
coming out right now. That happens easy, bro, But look,
I want my quarterback to hit hit his marks on

(02:11:12):
the field, fighting with fans and fighting. He can speak,
but pick and choose what you're pick your battles. You
don't need to keep blobbing stuff. Can't fight everybody. Jason
Smith and me and our nighttime show, I mean all
of those, Like you're you're really extending the net. Good.
Good for him yesterday supporting Deshaun Watson. He availed himself

(02:11:34):
to a lot of criticism. Everybody can't have that job. No,
but that's it takes up too much of your time
about being in the film room and stuff you can't
be doing. I know, you know, I'm very proud of
I love my wife Sean, and she's unbelievably gorgeous, and
so when we're out and about, I know, guys are
gonna look you know, of course I can't fight every

(02:11:56):
guy who's staring. It is what it is. The guy
that starts stepping towards star stepping tour, and then I'd
take his knee out right if the eyes stay back,
if the body stays back with the eyes are there,
I mean there. You know, I can't fight everybody. It's
like he said, it's a waste of energy. Otherwise, make
sure you've got that camera on you, on you so
we can get all images as you're whirling dervish taking

(02:12:19):
everybody down, like like you're like you're straight out to
kill Bill. Yeah, did you take it down? But thank
god he went to Cleveland because in New York. But
over that respect so much. Well, Eli took the barbs,
took the jokes and want some rings, made part of it,
you know, part of who he became, right, go back

(02:12:40):
to the Saturday Night Live episode he hosted. He made
fun of Eli face. He knew exactly what the deal was,
and he played the bit. Eli has a great sense
of humor. He's just chilling, you know, like I see
Eli in a while. So and in terms of having
a chance to chat with him, but I always thought
he got it, like what his place was, right, Peyton's Peyton,
So you're you're already living in that shadow and then

(02:13:02):
playing in New York when things go wrong, I mean,
the poison pens come out fast, so you gotta learn
a deal. In Cleveland, you're somewhat insulated. But then as
soon as you make it about you and there's some expectations,
and he played well, so it's set him up in
the worst possible way. Right, you've got some success, then
you got control. I mean Greg Williams, they they weren't

(02:13:26):
going to give him the full time job, even though
he was the guy that most the most qualified, the
guy they rallied behind, right, who got that locker room
right for that second half of the season. So that's
another thirty for thirty that I love to see the
behind the scenes on. But it comes down to the
comfort with Baker Mayfield. Freddie Kitchen gets the job. So

(02:13:46):
now Josh McDaniels becomes the guy they're saying the head
coach in Cleveland for Haslum gets to pick the GM there.
So former Eagles executive Andrew Berry possibly coming back to
I think was I think there was there was some
swirling of that as well. I mean when I worked
out for Cleveland, he was there. It was it was funny.

(02:14:07):
Um I worked on He was like, hey man, he
was like, you know, because they do a combine literally
a combine, leverrigator, the shuttle, the forty, all this stuff.
He's like, hey, your shuttle time actually as faster than
it was when you came out for college. I'm like,
I know, train bro training with Will Blackman will get
the I didn't train for the combine. I didn't have time.

(02:14:32):
A lot of these guys go train for the combine
and they leave school and they still have credits to finish.
I went to Florida and trained for like a week
and then finished school. I was like, I want to finish.
You know, I got this far well because a lot
of guys don't go back. It's there, so I didn't.
I wish i'd trained for the combine. Also wish you

(02:14:53):
wish he was six four earlier. Vince wanted to be
a six five behemoth. I'm sitting there going up five
minute nothing six five. He didn't get sound better on
radio when I said he wanted to be a six five.
But even you make him sound like he doesn't appreciate
his height right now, I'm said, he said, he said,
he's scraped six ft and he's the shortest. I'm like, man, please,

(02:15:15):
people would kill to be six ft as I raised
my hand sheepishly in the studio thinking of what might
have been and I've been six ft, would my body
would have broken earlier? We're gonna do that coming up next.
I like that the Eagles and see Hattle. We'll break
down the NFC playoff games coming up next here on

(02:15:36):
Fox Sports Radio. As we come to you alive from
the Geico Fox Sports Radio studios. I like that transition
you had. Their fifteen minutes can save you fifteen cent
or more on car insurance. You can visit Geico dot
com get yourself a free rate quote. He's Will Blackman
on my Garmen previewing the NFC side of the bracket
next here on Fox. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio,

(02:15:59):
Fox Sports Ready, this is Fox Football Sunday having some
fun with you on my Carmen alongside Will Blackman, twelve
years in the league, Super Bowl champion. You know where
he's going down. It's going down between the two roommates
back there I know I got animated there. I I
was gonna call a prize fight as we go. I
got a lot of hand gestures and evinced through in

(02:16:19):
the towel. I mean he went a towel having a
Sam grow up. I think we can have a podcast
on that. That would be fun, having some fun with
you here as we get ready for the NFC side
of the bracket. Here wild Card weekend, the Texans and
the Titans advance a f C South represent Yesterday on

(02:16:41):
a big wild Card Saturday, I think people were enjoying
some Saturday football and now we'll do it again with
two more games. So you can procrastinate and not get
back to the tasks at a hand in your life.
Kids still gotta go to school tomorrow, so you got
that going for you. Min are excited to go back
to school. I'm blessed, but I enjoyed um having them

(02:17:03):
at the house. Hey shout out to Davy Fisher, Hi Davy.
I usually say hi Mom too once in a while.
Mom's listen, Yeah, I said, how did my wife Shawna
and hi to my friend Neddick and say, hid everybody
what up? Um? Yesterday? My our daughter she learned how
to ride a hoverboard. She's five, and she took her

(02:17:23):
two tries and she's a zoom around the house, right
back to it. And you had the birthday, so last week, right,
so weeks ago, you had two birthdays in a Christmas Yeah,
A lot, a lot of stuff flowing through as we
get into the new year. So happy New Year, wherever
you are, wherever you're celebrating. If you're looking for a
new coach, maybe one you'll find one under the tree
you put outside yesterday here and we'll get back into

(02:17:44):
the coaching searches and run down all the guys talking
to the giants because it's a laundry list. But it
seems to me that there's one obvious play as you
go through, but two games on the books today, We've
got these Saints and the Vikings. We'll get to that
in a moment. But when we talk about the Seattle Seahawks,
uh and the Philadelphia Eagles. I picked the Eagles to

(02:18:05):
get there before the season. Okay, okay, you pick Philly.
A lot of a lot of people are are right now.
They're eating the cheesesteaks. Yeah I'm not I'm not flip
flopping on it. I picked them before the year I
had them in the Patriots, So one of my Super
Bowl picks is done. At least both of them made
it to the twelve team tournament, so I feel like

(02:18:27):
I did something right along the process. Uh snowball's chance,
as it were, for both of them to get there,
given the injuries, talent level and what we've seen from
Patriots offense, only muster thirteen points yesterday and they go home.
For the Eagles, the walking wounded. No, Lane Johnson, You've
got zach Ertz. The longer we wait to play this game,

(02:18:49):
the more injuries that seemed to pop up on his report. Right,
not only do you have the cracked rib, but you
have the lacerated kidney. I mean, we're talking life threatening
stuff here. Will some uf that you know, when you
start getting into flat jackets or whatever, you know, sometimes
you gotta protect guys from themselves. And I guess they've
held him out and you're doing but you do until
now right, you still tried to. But you know, guys

(02:19:12):
make decisions because this is this is what guys played for,
is the postseason to have their chance, especially for the
Eagles trying to get their second here talking about Carson
Wentz leading them four straight wins, schedule aside, and like
you beat who's on it, and the opportunity opened opened
itself and you and you took advantage of what Dallas couldn't. Right,

(02:19:35):
Let's leave it and leave it there. So you've got
Carson Wentz, you got Miles Sanders, you got Boston Scott
in the backfield, Dallas Goddard, whatever percentage you've got from
zach Ertz. Look, his availability is really all that matters
because it changes how you have to defend them. As
you go a wide receiver, it's a roll of the
dice as to which guy is going to become avail
himself to Carson Wentz in this one for Russell Wilson,

(02:19:59):
he at least had two wide receivers that you trust, right, right,
So you got huge, right, two guys that you trust
against the secondary that struggled and well, and Russell is
fully healthy. You know that's that's the biggest thing too.
And also you know Homer came came along to Travis.
Homer had himself a little bit of a ron here

(02:20:19):
and Marshawn Lynch with another week back really quick, I
guess yeah, my wife and my our two kids, Writer
and j Hello, Writer and Jade. I know you guys
see me right there, guys, very good, thanks forgetting up
with us now. Finished cleaning your rooms because school, so
they didn't know. That's a deal our son for him
to go. He wants to get up and watch TV
and plays games. Writer, he gets up and makes his bed.

(02:20:41):
Good man. I've been doing that for about two years now.
I like that. He's nine, all right, So discipline is good,
it is well. So many people lack discipline. I mean,
as Schwarzenegger yelled at kindergarten, as you just said it,
I had to, had to. I mean, it's called back.
It's you know, the movie quotes are always swirling in
the dome up in here. I just I just trust,

(02:21:01):
I trust like you. You love to have both of
these quarterbacks, right because the this is the do most
a little. But I feel like Russell at least has
something well he's got and DK Metcalf has been far
better than I think anybody could expect. Like you love
him as a physical specimen, and what was he going
to be? Yeah, but I think it stops there. And
you you saw teams as of late taking advantage of

(02:21:24):
the cornerback, especially like you know, Darby had that struggle
against Davante Parker who came along and got paid. You
want to talk about a guy who second half of
the year, you should break off a little for Ryan
Fitzpatrick being willing to put it up downfield with such
regularity as well. Yeah, but for Russell Wilson, for Carson Wentz.
I think there's a different appreciation for Carson Wentz, right,

(02:21:46):
because it was always Nick Foles finished the job ha
ha ha whenever. And I'm sure he feels that, even
though he doesn't really like outright say it and walks
around in his brash but I know his competitive nature
like he knows that, which is why he's playing how
he is. Yeah, I mean you had all the rumors
of whether there's dysfunction in the locker room. One one
guy said that, yeah, but it's enough to where it starts,

(02:22:09):
because but it starts to grow, like right, So it's
a something and it gives you something to talk about
for the team. And Peterson has done a great job
of keeping this team. Like when they won, it was
the underdog thing, right, and then this ship it was like, oh,
this this function, Yeah, this year. I mean, now it
becomes you're you're the ultimate underdog, and that we don't

(02:22:29):
know what two we're going to show up to play.
No exciting, but but this one's fun, right for that?
For that fact too, Seattle, you look at this team
and what was seventeen nine in the first meeting, and
now you you roll it back up and a lot
of those principles are gone as well. I mean, I
love the way they built this team. You had the
first offensive line for Seattle that was functional from day

(02:22:52):
one in a long time, right since Hutch and Jones
were running around two guys talking about Hall of Fame stuff.
But then you you look at Carson and Penny with
a little bit of procise, who's never been able to
stay healthy and become the guy they hope he would.
Ever since Marshawn, you know, when he's first and dead,
they haven't had a consistent running back health wise, right,

(02:23:13):
So Carson was finally getting that guy. He got rid
of the fum bolitis and then he gets hurt and
so you lose him. Hopefully he will be back and
ready for that same battering rams style. But the consistent
thing and all of it is Russell Wilson, who, as
we we talked about earlier on in the show, even
from his first days, it wasn't a finished product, right

(02:23:35):
the wide receivers had You had Baldwin and then guys
that kind of but that but that's what I mean,
the only one that pretty much would be okay, Like
Golden Tate was drafted to be a stud and he
ended up doing so. And then yeah, Doug Baldman, what
was he undrafted free agent? Jermaine Kurch what was he
undrafted free agent? And then and that's also where I

(02:23:56):
give Russell a lot of respect. Guess those two guys
work hard, but you know he helped turn those guys
into stuffs that went off and got paid. They got paid.
That's right again, extra bonus holiday gift from those guys
to Russell Wilson. Look, I picked the Eagles before the years,
so I can't go back on him. So I'll take
them to win. But you wouldn't. It's not something I'm

(02:24:17):
sure you're like, you feel stuck about it, like you
feel confident with that pick. Oh. I like him. I
like the makeup of the squad, like and and the
fact that they keep battling It's the thing you and
I since we we've been working together here on Sunday mornings.
I want guys that want to compete like and you
can see that we're watching enough football, you talk to
enough people around the sport, and and certainly something for

(02:24:39):
Doug Peterson. These guys still wanted to play. They could
have they could have folded up shop at mid season.
They have leaders in the right place, like Peterson is
he already he lets you know what the Philly specially,
he's all in. You know, that was his whole deal.
And you got a leader in the coach, you got
a leader in wins, and you got on defense, you've
got the leader. You got a couple of guys. You
got Graham, you got Jenkins, you got guys that know
how to lead, you know. And I look over in Seattle,

(02:25:01):
same thing you got, you know, I was looking at
I put Pete, Collen, John Snyder together because they have
I guess somewhat equals say and what goes on the team.
And you got Russell and then defensively, you know, you
got Wagner and kJ and then Clowney. You've got those
guys that over there as well. So it's it's interesting,
messed up, and I I just give an edge to
Seattle because I feel like they have just a little

(02:25:24):
more playmakers. So Seattle. Right, So from a defensive standpoint,
we haven't seen them with a consistent pass rush. They
haven't been healthy either, right Clowneys missed some time, but
with no Lane Johnson on the Philly offensive line. If
you're if you're scheming, is this more Boston Scott and
Miles Sanders in the passing game just trying to get

(02:25:46):
the ball out of Wentz's hands quick? Yeah, this is
a situation where you're definitely you know, put the running
backs in space as receivers and and try to make
the linebackers cover in space. Because we've certainly seeing a
lot from Sanders. I mean, it had had one heck
of a year for them as a runner's but that's
what Santa that's how Santa franc exceeded. You know, they

(02:26:09):
able get the runner I mean the tight end of
the seamen space and get the runner back in space.
So they can do that and then you know they
have a chance. All right, I'll tell Carson Wentz We'll
keep rolling with it. Hey, you want to hear something
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(02:26:29):
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Slash cash Back Match Coming up next, we prove you
the other side of the NFC Wild Card Sunday as
we've got the Saints and the Vikings. Captain Kirk can
he take down the all time great and Drew Brees.
We'll get into that next, but first is Isaac Lowenkron
and he's got what's trending, what's going on? I love

(02:26:49):
Michael and Will got some tidbits to pass along to
you from a j Glazer report about the Dallas Cowboys
head coaching situation. Jake Glaziers just reporting this on the
n f L on Fox. Get your popcorn ready. So
Glazer reports that Jason Garrett is continuing to lobby to
remain as the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. Glazer

(02:27:10):
said on the NFL on Fox today, They've gone through
it now a couple of times this week to say, okay,
you're out as our head coach. He says, hold on,
hold on, don't do it yet. I still want to
be considered for this. And every time they do it,
they said, we're moving on. We're starting to interview other people.
That again they still have to tell Jason Garrett, no,
you're gone, We're moving on, and that has not happened yet. Lazer.

(02:27:34):
It's everything I said was happening. To keep inviting him
to lunch, you haven't gotten rid of him. Glazer also
reported that their conversation went so well their conversation being
Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones with Mike McCarthy, that McCarthy
stayed an extra day in Dallas. Ian Rappaport adds to
the situation that Jason Garrett has told his assistance that

(02:27:56):
are still under contract. They don't need to come into
work until this gets sorted out, and at this rate,
it won't get sort of that until trading camp elsewhere
in a more stable situation kind of New England. Patriots
head coach Bill Belichick how it is end of season
noon news conference this morning, and not surprisingly didn't really

(02:28:17):
say much of consequence about the future as it relates
to Tom Brady, but for posterity. Let's hear it from
the man himself. Certainly, Tom's iconic figure in this organization,
and nobody respects Tom or than I do. I respect
all the other players and all the other coaches and
sordization too, And so any decisions made it is, you know,

(02:28:40):
it's not an individual decision, it's there are the people
involved in so there has to be some type of communication, understanding, agreement,
whatever you want to call it. And that's not one
way street. I hope you can understand that it's one
person just can't decide with everybody else is gonna do.
Also kind of behind the scenes thing, you know, we
do our audio editing digitally now, so you can actually

(02:29:01):
see the audio levels on each highlight and sound bite
that we play on the air. That was a straight
line for twenty eight seconds, baby total monitor never seen
anything like That's brilliant elsewhere. Mary kay Cabin of the
Cleveland Playing Dealer reports that the Browns will interview Patriots
offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels for their head coaching job this week. Finally,

(02:29:22):
Adam Schefter reported today that Washington came close to hiring
former Texans general manager Rick Smith as their team president
before they wound up hiring Ron Rivera as their head coach.
Michael and will never a dull moment around here. But
it's a beautiful thing. Thank you, Ailo. We'll get to
the other NFC game this moment. I love that, Dallas,
because that's been my theory all along. Keep letting him

(02:29:44):
in the door. What's he gonna do? Hey, I designed
some more plays. Here's how I can make DAC that
much better here. Just give me more time, Give me
more time. That's if he's not willing to walk away,
because he could have done that too, right, he's under
contract to the fourteenth. He could have stopped taking the
call saying, look, either make a decision. I'm not gonna
keep doing this. But if you're gonna keep inviting him
in for more Eggit interviews or whatever else, what's he

(02:30:05):
gonna do. He's gonna keep lobbying for the job that
he loves so much. He doesn't even show at home.
He showers in the locker room and Jerry's locker room.
Is that my towel? But the whole thing with the coaches, right,
their key cards were working until Friday, right, they were
all still coming into the building, access to their completions
and the film and whatever else they listen New Year

(02:30:27):
you know knew me. I'm not getting a gym membership.
I'm gonna use his free gym at Dallas Facility. Absolutely
get this. I'm gonna get a free meal that I've
been getting every more for breakfast right until you change
the locks. And I'm still coming in the door. And
I'm still the Dallas Cowboys head coach, assistant coach, whatever
the case may be. So I'm not surprised at this
at all. I just like the fact that now Jay

(02:30:48):
Glazers got the stamp and that's the actual report. Like
I said, I like Mike McCarthy as the next coach. Well,
and he stayed in Dallas an extra day. I mean,
with all the steakhouses and places to eat, you want
to talk about restaurants per capita, Dallas is where it's at.
Get your popcorn ready, get your steak ready. We've talked
to the last gotta gotta have the sizzle with say,

(02:31:12):
hand fried chicken fried steak, right, I don't know, Thanks
Bill Belichick, It is all about you today. Uh coming
up in about ten minutes, we have uh, well one
of the great injuries in sports. We're gonna step away
from football. Why because I want will to see if
to think of the best story about a player injury

(02:31:33):
where you had to see if you could cover it
up a little bit. Because we had a crazy one
in the world of baseball. It cost the guy an
awful lot of money. But we'll get to that in
about ten minutes. The other side of the bracket, we
got Minnesota and we got New Orleans. We talked about
Jared Cook, we talked about Mike Thomas. Those are your
two receiving threats, and an awful lot of Alvin Camaro
and Smith. Well, he's he's been more a decoy than

(02:31:56):
a regular contributor, right He and Ted Ginn Jr. They've
had their blips on the radar. That's one of those
in your you're in. While Taysom Hill has been as
a bigger threat as a receiver than those other guys
at times this year. He's a curious character. As we
go throw a friend of the show for Jason Smith
and I when they play primetime games. We seem to

(02:32:18):
be able to talk to Taysom Taysom Hill with some regularity,
good sense of humor, uh, and and I think gets
it and appreciate being able to play with Drew Brees.
But the question for Minnesota can how do you stop
Drew Brees? How do you keep how do you get
him to where he's not in rhythm? You know that
people have been able to do three percent of the
time of his pro career. That's the question I'm asking.

(02:32:40):
You are a defensive guru here at Fox Sports Radio.
I mean, don't you hit him all night? I like that, Titans.
There you go. We're gonna have movie quotes. I think
we're just gonna run lines. I think that's gonna be

(02:33:00):
one of the bits we do going forward. You and
I are such a lover of football, movies and film
in general. But but when we talk about trying to yeah,
that's right, we did have and he just lost them recently. Yeah, yeah,
there you go. The we're on a high note and

(02:33:21):
now there it goes. But the effect matter. It is
a celebration of life. But then it's a moment, you know,
have the somber moment. And we moved back to the
games at hand of trying to solve what is a
well oiled machine when it when it comes down to
what the Saints bring on the offensive. See of the
highest completion percentages of all time. They're one and two.

(02:33:42):
Kurt and Captain Kirk a guy that has his fantastic numbers,
but then you have the breakouts of what he does
prime time, big time games, digs, feeling, feeling and cook
for the Vikings. There there's your big medical mystery and
what kind of production you get. I hope Kirk got
no sleep last night. Well, he woke up frustrated and

(02:34:04):
then he just had to go hit the coffee, and
so he's just wired and ready to go. It was angry,
ready to go and just get it done. I like him.
Plus seven and a half, that's for sure. Yes, Minnesota
getting seven and a half points. Pressure came down. It
was eight to start the week, So a little bit
of downward pressure, especially as you start hearing up and
feeling a little better about the availability of Dalvin Cook.

(02:34:26):
But certainly the curiosity, uh, you know, can he get
to touches over the course of this game? Right? You
gotta But that's what I mean, Kenny handle that level
of workload because certainly Mike Boone was not the answer.
Madison still hurt. So can you get enough of the

(02:34:46):
run games, so Kirk has time right to where play
action becomes a viable option for the Minnesota offense because
we've seen Stefad Digs do some special things. Gonna need
a little help from that run game him to do
it here against you know, we He's got Lattimore hanging
out with him out on the Yeah, I think they

(02:35:08):
both um can Obviously we will need a benefit from that,
but I just I just feel like right now the
hot hand from both teams is Michael Thomas. He's just
been unbelievable. And you know, Um Rhodes had Everyone's has
struggled this year tremendously. Yeah, he's much surprising, you know,
because he had that one year where it didn't matter

(02:35:28):
you know where he remember they played the Giants and
he took all Dell and threw him to the sideline
and got paid. You know, it was a bit of
a bit of Rhodes Island kind of thing. He was chatteling.
He's gonna Darrell Reeves stops here. Yeah, So they they've
had their issues in the secondary helped when you can
get a pass rush off, And that's why I mentioned Hunter,
a guy who's had a big run here of late,

(02:35:49):
and they're gonna need him to do whatever he can
to disrupt timing with Michael Thomas, what do you do
in boxing one? I mean, how else do you try
to stop? There is no way he's gonna get his
He's gonna figure out how to make Jared Cook's the
the X factor. Right If he's what over seventy yards,
you're probably right because we're watching him work down the score.

(02:36:12):
For me, I got New Orleans. Let's go thirty one
gets us to our over not obscene, but but I
think the Saints have just enough to eat out a
win at home here. But we'll take Minnesota plus the number,
all right? Coming up next, we are going to do

(02:36:32):
the yo and a sespenous story. Why because it's fun
to me? What is it? It's about wild boars and
maybe I'll have a recipe before it's all said and done.
He's well black, but I'll Mike car but more company
Alive from the Geico Fox Sports Radio Studios. Easy to
say fift or more on car insurance With Geico, you
can got a Geico dot Com call eight hunder nine
seven auto. The only hard part figuring out which way

(02:36:54):
is easier, good times, getting closer to kick off here
on Fox Sports Radio. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Welcome back. In a lot of debates going on here,
a lot of anger, vitriol here and the guy go
Fox Sports Radio Studios. I'm getting ready to set up
a pay per view event with all of the conversations going.

(02:37:15):
We've got people that want to fight Vince for the
fact that he doesn't like Whole Foods burritos, not a sponsor,
but I mean battle there. You got you and too much,
too much, not even the fact that not even the
fact that the eggs, potato, bacon, all that and the
cheese is great, he said, too much tort and here's
the best of it. Now you got Iowa say he's

(02:37:36):
still Vince, still eats grilled cheese with a crust off.
He's that guy. But you got Iowa Sam who lives
by the Whole Food burrito. So Sam, who's already into it,
but he already into it with Gavin. Now we've got
just a u a triple threat magic going on here.
I mean, we're building this out for w w E.
Now they're all fighting. This is great. And then you

(02:37:56):
got Artman coming in here I with the I am
a fan of Richie's silver hair. I am just the legend.
Hartman and or Burger coming up for you in about
ten minutes from now, as we get ready for kickoff
of the Vikings and Saints get things rolling for a
big day. On the NFC side of the bracket, we

(02:38:19):
watched the Bills surrenderous sixteen nothing lead and Deshaun Watson
came up and snatched it from him as the Texans advanced.
Don't don't believe the narrative all about j J. Watt.
It's a Deshaun Watson signature game from yesterday. I love
you J J. Watt. It was not your game. And
then even like um, like Whitney, Mercer's is the one

(02:38:39):
that's played playing a tail. He's been fantastic. Oh my gosh,
I want to talk about a guy who's stepped up
in and probably made himself another ton of money uh
this year with what he's done for them. And then
in the nightcap, of course, everybody's signaling the death knell
for the New England Patriots. Lots to be talked about.
We have the Bill Belichick press conference earlier, we discuss it.

(02:39:00):
I'm sure rich and Steve will get into that at
Duzzy coming up here in just a little bit. You
find Will Odd Twitter and Instagram at Will Black and
find me over at Swollen Dome keeping an eye on
the coaching carosel uh Oh the coordinator interviews as we go.
Always take us with you on the I Heart radio
app serious XM channel A D three three plus affiliates

(02:39:21):
nationwide on the weekends, and of course go to iTunes
uh Downloaded evangelized. Tell your friends will appreciate you. There
was a story for baseball that I wanted to get
to with you Will because I I think baseball players
we've seen far more frequently with odd injuries that cost
him significant time and money. And the report from ESPN

(02:39:42):
from earlier in the week that a wild boar was
the the blame, and this is originally a New York
Post article that the fractured ankle that you and a
suspense Cesspitas suffered in spring was in Port St. Lucy, Florida,
where he'd caught a wild boar and while trying to

(02:40:04):
release it's still alive, I the animal charged. He stepped
into a hole broken ancle, which cost him a ton
of money for the non baseball injury, and so his
twenty nine point five million dollars was cut to six
million based on this. Think about that. So we had that,

(02:40:28):
You know, we've we've had so many stories through the
year of guys, you know, making themselves a salad and
cutting their fingers or going out. And you know, in theory,
if I'm a Major League baseball player and I've made
my millions, I've made the show. I could pay a gardener.
I might want to do it myself, but I could
use that time to do something else, maybe catch up
on some of the binge watching I haven't done during

(02:40:49):
the season. But in in the NFL, we don't see
as many the off the field craziness. Right. We had
Clinton Barbs of the Rockies tried to to lie about something.
He was carrying deer meat and slipped down some stairs.
We had Jeff Kent on his motorcycle. Like all these
baseball stories and football, why was chasing wildlife? I don't know.
I mean, well, Steve McMichael of the Five Bears and

(02:41:12):
four remember how to Go Back well and member of
the n w OH he used to hunt rattlesnake. He
was he was a four Horseman before n w O.
But Fie Brothers Steiner, Yeah, yeah, remember of the four Horsemen.
So the idea that he used to hunt rattlesnakes and

(02:41:33):
they'd be mad at him for doing that. That seems
quite tame. But I don't know. You're a Texas guy.
You decided that was your thing, the only rattlesnake in Texas.
Now you're talking nicely done. Now see now, now we've
got you. Now we've gotten you into the rhythm as
you go. But anything crazy that you guys as a
group bad trying to tell coaches was just legit on

(02:41:56):
the field that you can know without naming names. Of course,
I don't have any stories. You got nothing, no, because
our our contracts on guarantee like that. So we're not
that crazy. So nobody doing it. And I mean I've
seen baseball contracts and they preclude all this stuff. But
guys still go out and do it even if they
can get avoided, which has always been curious to me.

(02:42:17):
But football guys evidently living at all. Right, Well, that
that's basketball. I think basketball rest playing basketball better off
the court. Okay, how tough is that? Right? Don't go
leaving your ankles on the court, go leaveing ankles on
the court. Yeah, that too craziness, But that was a

(02:42:38):
story from the week that was just interesting. All right.
So we got McCarthy to to the Giants, McDaniels to Cleveland,
who's coaching Carolinas? That Mett Rule's job. Then Greg Roman,
you're gonna get Greg Roman, Greg Roman, Uh, Lamar Jackson,
and everybody's saying he's got work, he can get Greg Well,

(02:43:01):
you got camp for one more year at about nine. Yeah,
if you can get Greg Roman out of there, no question.
He said he want him. He wants old school discipline
with innovative offensive, innovative process and I see Roman see
and taking the business approach to what do we got,

(02:43:21):
what's our cost? What does it mean to us as
we go? So curiosity is the coaching carousel continues. We'll
see if we get any more fun and exciting audio
from the world of New England as everybody celebrates and marches,
uh to the death knell of the Patriots. A lot
of parties across America last night when that game went.
Finally enjoy the games. We got Hartman and Oran Burger

(02:43:43):
coming up next. He's Will Black, but I'm my Carmen,
thanks for listening here hot Fox Sports Radio. Don't listening
to Fox Sports Radio.

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