Thrilling NFL Weekend: NFL Week 18 Roller Coaster, MVP Race & CFP Semifinal Preview

What happens when the Steelers' icy defense meets the Bengals' fiery offense, and what does it mean for the playoff race? We recount the unforgettable experience of our first live game amidst the freezing temperatures, where the energy between fans was nothing short of electrifying. From the Steelers' struggles on offense to the Ravens' strategic victory over the Browns, securing the AFC North championship, we provide a behind-the-scenes look at the weekend that was filled with highs, lows, and game-changing moments. We can't help but laugh about a particular interception that became the talk of the town, all while pondering the Browns' curious draft tactics.

Explore the ins and outs of coaching dynamics as we critique the Steelers' strategy and question whether changes are needed to boost their playoff prospects, drawing comparisons to successful teams like Detroit and Minnesota. We also break down the nail-biting Panthers vs. Falcons overtime game, shining a spotlight on Bryce Young's exceptional performance, and delve into the emotional whirlpool that is the Commanders vs. Cowboys matchup. Dive into a conversation about how coaching decisions could shape the future of teams, the importance of synergy in management, and the ripple effects these choices could have on drafting strategies for teams like the Titans, Jaguars, and Giants.

The NFL's playoff picture is becoming clear, and the MVP race is heating up. We dissect the competition among quarterbacks Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, and Joe Burrow, weighing standout performances and impactful plays that define their seasons. As we offer insights into the most coveted head coach openings, we also pay tribute to Derrick Rose's jersey retirement in the NBA, celebrating his storied career and the emotional ceremony that honored his legacy. This episode is packed with thrilling stories, thoughtful analysis, and the unending excitement of football, promising a captivating experience for every sports enthusiast.

Transcript

Speaker 1 0:10

welcome back to your podcast. Today is tuesday, january the 7th. We're back for the podcast.

Speaker 2 0:15

We here we're back. No, it's it. You know what yours isn't as bad.

Speaker 1 0:20

When I'm sick, my voice gets like raspy and like really high pitched I know, but it's like it's as I sick, my voice gets raspy and really high-pitched. I know, but it's as I keep talking, my voice relatively starts getting higher or lower, or it starts to just go out completely.

Speaker 2 0:33

It's understandable.

Speaker 1 0:34

When you have to get that thing.

Speaker 2 0:38

Just take a little step away from the mic and do your thing Again, you probably should get something to drink, but you won't do that, you're not thirsty. But again, you probably should get something to drink, but you won't do that. You're not thirsty. But again you've got to wet the whistle a little bit to help yourself out. Potatoes, not potatoes, all right, but we're going to get right into things here and not do too much, because we had a big weekend Both not just us, but the NFL weekend.

Speaker 1 1:01

Not, that's a very porcelain of games.

Speaker 2 1:02

They were porcelain of games because so many of the teams were tied up. Most of the AFC teams were pretty much all locked in.

Speaker 1 1:10

You just kind of realize where they were at. The one game that wasn't tied up was a fucking blowout.

Speaker 2 1:14

Right. And then the NFC side is like a lot of those were pretty much figured out for the most part, except for like a couple of the NFC South the NFC West is already figured out NF a couple of the NFC South. The NFC West has already figured out NFC North the NFC North had a big showdown for winning the whole division. So you still had some games with some big implications. But even on top of that we went to our first both of our first NFL game this past weekend on Saturday. But I don't want to start with that game just yet. That's the second game on Saturday. We'll get to the first one here, because not like we watch much of it. We've seen it on the big Jumbotron during the game. We had glimpses on the big Jumbotron at it while we were at the Pittsburgh and Cincinnati game.

Speaker 2 1:58

But Ravens-Browns. Ravens came into this game against the Browns. They're at home, they're playing a very bad Browns team. They were favored by 20 points going into this game and the whole thing was the Ravens were like, hey, if we win this game, we win the division AFC North and we get an automatic and we end up getting the third seed overall. So and not to mention the Browns trying to lose once again, they did not put Jameis Winston, who is an ultimate firecracker. They did not even put in DTR, who wasn't all that great. They started with Bailey Zappi as their quarterback.

Speaker 2 2:40

Do you think the Browns knew what they were trying to do coming into this game? The Browns knew they had a top five pick and they were trying to keep such top five pick and potentially get the first overall pick. So what they were trying to do is put in the worst quarterback they potentially have and try to lose the football game just to make, just to make sure they weren't going to be the reason they have a worst draft pick. They did that. They lost by a lot. Ravens blew them out by 25. It was 35-10. And that was all she wrote. Lamar had a decent game 16-32, two touchdowns. Derrick Henry had two touchdowns, 138 yards off 20 carries. It was a complete and utter destruction. Did you see the pick that they threw to the big boy? And he took like two steps and decided just to slide. And they asked him after the game why did you try to go in for the touchdown? He's like. He's like the. He said the truck didn't have any, didn't?

Speaker 1 3:30

have any battery left. Something like that truck was out of gas truck was out of gas.

Speaker 2 3:34

So it was a very funny thing, because everybody loves the big man getting the interception and try to run it back for the touchdown obviously because it's kind of funny whether people like to admit or watching a fat person try to run as fast as they possibly can. Again, these fat people are a lot more athletic than the normal fat people you usually see in everyday life. Trying to watch them run down the field against all these very athletic dudes, trying to chase them and potentially get them, or if not, these guys are actually running all the way and getting the touchdown is a very funny and proud moment that happened.

Speaker 2 4:03

It's exciting, not to mention the fact that the players love it too, because he, after that happened, all the players came over and dapped him up and they're all very excited for him. But, like outside of that, there really wasn't much to look at. I'm glad we weren't watching this game. We were at the stadium, so I'm glad that we didn't have to go through that.

Speaker 1 4:18

It's such a terrible game to watch terrible game.

Speaker 2 4:21

So bravens got the win there, no issues whatsoever. They locked up the division, they locked up having home field in the first playoff game that they ended up playing, just so happens to be against the Steelers Going into the next game. This is Saturday night. You and I go on our big three-hour long drive all the way to Pittsburgh. We go to this game. It was three and a half, it is three and a half, three and a half hour drive from Columbus to Pittsburgh.

Speaker 2 4:51

Steelers-Bengals played each other that night. It was very cold, it was 20 degrees, felt like nine. It felt like it. I felt like a baby back bitch. To be totally honest with you, because we were sitting there complaining about our gloves. You only had one pair of gloves and it was your girlfriends. That barely fit you. You're like my hands are cold. My hands are cold and I had two pairs of gloves on and I was sitting there and these are people walking around with no gloves.

Speaker 1 5:15

The dude next to us. No gloves.

Speaker 2 5:16

No gloves. There's people walking around with no coats. They had two layers on and a jersey and a nice long sleeve under it. I'm sitting like I'm from ohio, like I've dealt with cold weather no, we deal with like cold, cold.

Speaker 2 5:29

But there's people that just are of a different breed and it's a lot of these pittsburgh sealer fans that are out here being crazy. Oh, you like that? No, you're like that. So we go to the stadium. I will just kind of give a little bit of a backdrop. We go to the stadium, we walk, we have a nice little parking spot. We walk to the stadium. Stadium's nice, there's a lot like. The field looks so much smaller in person and again, that always happens so much smaller.

Speaker 1 5:50

I was like man, this really isn't bigger than my high school's field, it's just wider you know what's crazy is?

Speaker 2 5:54

I've been to ohio like ohio stadium that houses a hundred thousand. Why did the steeler stadium feel just as big as that?

Speaker 2 6:01

but I know it wasn't, I know it wasn't it did feel just as big it felt just as big, but I know it only fits like half the people that the ohio stadium does the horseshoe and I'm just like it felt so big. It was cold. We had some nice seats. Um, we had our big moments being geeked out. Jace is seeing joe burrow right there. He's right there. He's so close. He's right there and watching joe burrow. Everybody's getting ready and the game starts. It's cold. We're sitting there. We ate beforehand because, no, like crazy people. By the way, who in the heck gets food to go eat it in that type of weather? Insane, I'm like I don't know, because it was snowing outside. I'm like we're just trying to eat right quick inside before we go out there and try to go watch this game.

Speaker 1 6:40

It was a dude behind it. He offered me a nacho. Actually People were eating nachos Real quick. Steelers fans Very nice. Were extraordinarily nice to me, had a lot of good conversations yesterday, Saturday, Saturday. A lot of great conversations. The guy next to me was really really cool. The guy behind me was really really cool. There was a couple Bengals fans around.

Speaker 2 7:03

We were around three specific ones Yep, and I felt like it kind of PG'd up a little bit because there was a young kid that was a Bengals fan.

Speaker 1 7:09

Yeah, the only problem we had was those four guys in the front were. They were dicks, All four of them.

Speaker 2 7:13

I don't think they were trying, I think they were just loud and obnoxious.

Speaker 1 7:16

I don't think they were actually trying to be a dicks. They did yell at that.

Speaker 2 7:19

Oh yeah, because he was like yeah, okay, chair for his team.

Speaker 1 7:23

Yeah, for sure, this kid was maybe 11.

Speaker 2 7:25

Yeah.

Speaker 1 7:26

They were dicks. Yeah, a little bit.

Observations From Steelers vs Bengals

Speaker 2 7:28

Overall I didn't get heckled much, except that one kid, oh yeah, Leaving the stadium, yeah well, he used an F word that you definitely cannot use under any circumstances outside the stadium. But again, we already lost. So I'm like and and. Again, if somebody tried to start hitting this dude, he would have to be asking his family to come help him, because that's what the kind of kid this was. It was just a young kid. It felt like he was strong enough because he was in his home stadium, whereas a lot of people around him before he thinks he'll get protected. That was stupid. But outside of that everybody was really nice Going around when we were going to get food and going to the bathroom and see how many Bengals fans come up to you who day. There's some people that are yelling who day, who day. But it was funnier when the dude would come. It was almost like a secret.

Speaker 1 8:15

Who day he walked up? I've never met this dude in my life. He walked up, got real close, went who day.

Speaker 2 8:21

It was a secret. That's a cool thing, because not only you're like behind any lines and like you automatically by the jersey or shirt that you have on, have a commonality with somebody that you don't know, you've never been a person seen this person in your life, a lot of people but they were instantly like it was like a commonality, like you're sitting there by any lines, we're doing this together and y'all got the win watching this game, getting to the game.

Speaker 2 8:45

Oh, and the fans were really nice. Everybody was cool. You put more people, more fans talk to you than they talk to me and I think it was from the older fans, like respect, because you're in here cheering for your team, cool, um, but it was just like it was a very.

Speaker 1 8:57

I also think I'm a little more talkative than you not, yeah, you were for sure for sure, um, because I was more than willing to talk my shit.

Speaker 2 9:05

Oh yeah, for sure I was getting into it more as the game went along. I think you were just so fucking cold I was, but I also had this overwhelming dread coming into this game, Agreed.

Speaker 1 9:14

Knowing how the game potentially could work out. You were better in the first and second quarter, but by the third quarter you had gotten real quiet.

Speaker 2 9:26

Because the game sucked and I'm like I know how this game was going to end like this. That first after pittsburgh, gotten like got that first touchdown and you guys were already up 10 nothing. We got the first touchdown to be down 10 to 7. We, once we got that touchdown, I'm like after that like the way the offense played all night. It was dink and duck, special russell. Wil Wilson wasn't pushing the ball down the field at all. There was one pass that he had down the field to Mike Williams, but outside of that they really didn't try to do too much. Pickens was absolutely awful. I'll get to him in a second.

Speaker 2 9:55

I have one overwhelming thought about him coming out of this game since I got to watch it live. Friar Muth was great. It was a point because friday that had like eight catches in this game, something like that jace by the end of it was like if I never, if I have to pay a million dollars to not ever hear mooth ever again, because every time he had a catch everybody was yelling mooth. You hear it through the television when you're watching the game, but like when you're a fucking amphitheater and it just amplifies Every single person around me, that was behind me.

Speaker 1 10:27

everyone is yelling his name. Awesome, he is truly trying. I'm going to be a Steelers legend by the time I die. Right, they're going to have to like legit. They should be making shirts with his. No, there probably is, I know but it should be Steelers branded, NFL branded. The Steelers should be selling this shit at the shop, dude.

Speaker 2 10:45

It's crazy. But oh, not to mention one thing I will say the energy was palpable, Like there is an energy to being there that you just don't get when watching on television, and that was a very happy moment to be able to go through that, even the ups and the downs when we were yelling about the officiating on that. That nice little sequence of like three to four plays about not getting the first down and, like everybody's, like the, the officials suck, they don't know what they're doing. The officials really didn't like they knew what they were doing while all that was happening. But again, I understand the calls, like if he didn't get it, he didn't get it but they weren't showing us in the stadiums because obviously on television you have so many more camera angles, with that camera being like on a freaking cables that are just being pulled around everywhere.

Speaker 1 11:24

The views in the stadium are not as good not as good, but it was.

Speaker 2 11:28

It was so as that game was going along, joe Burrow was playing great. Joe Burrow had. We went 37 to 46 for 277 yards. One touchdown, one pick.

Speaker 1 11:36

It was one of his. It's the first game in like six, seven weeks he's been under 300.

Speaker 2 11:42

Khalil Herbert 20 carry, 69 yards. The fact he got the ball 20 times for 69 yards is insane. Um, it was 3.5 yards of carry, which is okay, but again, they didn't really have anybody else really running the football like that. Jamar Chase had a great game 10 recepts, 96 yards and a touchdown. Mike Gusecki 8 recepts, 68 yards. T Higgins 4 recept such a 53.

Speaker 2 12:02

I think you kind of said this is that between the 40-yard lines from the 40 to 40, they were moving the ball like crazy. That Bengals offense Unstoppable. And it was nickel and diming. It wasn't big plays, it was five yards here, eight yards there. I think your longest play was like of 19 yards, was the longest play to Jamar Chase, but you were just nickel and diming down the field. But once they got into the red zone, the Steelers locked it up and you guys only scored 19 points. You only had one touchdown in this game.

Speaker 2 12:32

So, the way I see it, the Steelers did their job defensively. They held one of the hottest offenses in the NFL, an offense that Jace is very, very certain that nobody would want to see in the playoffs. We held them at 19 points. The Steelers' defense did their job. It was a Steelers' offense. That was absolutely putrid and horrible. The weakness of this Bengals' defense is their secondary and the Steelers did not try to test that secondary whatsoever. They did a little bit. They tried to throw it to Baconens every once in a while but once it was obvious that he was going to have nothing for this game because he did absolutely nothing. He had one catch, one reception, zero yards, and I could tell on the first catch of his that this was going to be that type of game, because he got the ball and he just kept doing this little juke, move things and not moving anywhere. Just go forward, just go forward. It was a dink and dunk special. Pratt-fire moves was the main culprit. He had 85 yards, touchdown, eight receptions. He was great. Najee Harris even had 20 yards off four receptions. He's able to catch the football and Pickens couldn't. It's crazy how that goes. But the offense was absolutely putrid. Russell Wilson wasn't great whatsoever.

Speaker 2 13:47

I almost felt like they went into this game saying, hey, there's four feet on the four foot of snow on the ground, we're just going to play this very short to the short, to the vest, and not try to do anything down the field. And that's the part that sucked about it. Everybody in the stadium was yelling about it. They were booing them all the the time from how bad some of the play calls were. I was saying this before. I was saying this. During the game there was a chant for freaking Justin Fields, because if you're not good at football, at least have somebody that's dynamic back there, a quarterback that can run. But the Pittsburgh Steelers offense did not do any of that. It sucked, it was awful. And I think this game showed me one thing about the Steelers team that is very annoying that this offense is too reliant on the on pickings, and that reliance is not repaid by this player actually playing like the team relies on him, and this is my main point coming out of this game.

Speaker 2 14:42

Watching this game, I game, I think, more than anything. While watching this offense play, I think I was very focused, without even realizing it at the time, that Pickens. I was fixated on Pickens at the start of every play and you can tell if Pickens believes he's going to get the football literally from the first step he takes when the play starts. If he thinks he's going to get the ball, he's going to run that route super hard. But if there is any doubt in his mind that he's going to be the first and only read for the football. He is not going to run the route, he's going to practically jog it like it's a walkthrough. And it was said two weeks before that when they were playing Kansas City and Russell was through that pick while trying to throw the firemuth, the route that was supposed to help firemuth be open in the middle of the field was Pickens running his route towards the corner route. Because guess what, when you have a weapon like that, it's supposed to attract the defense's eyes. And as soon as Pickens wasn't running the play like he thought he was going to get the football that allowed that safety to go over, like hey, he's not's gonna get the football that allowed that safety to go over, like hey, he's not gonna get the football, let me go to somebody else that might. And that's how that play happened and that's what broke the game open to where pittsburgh got blown out in that, in that game by the chiefs. Obviously it could have been something else, but I'm saying that that up to that point that game was close in the steelers. If they would have got that touchdown it would have been tied up going into halftime Like that was a close potential play. That could have happened and Pickens is the reason why they didn't work.

Speaker 2 16:09

And this has been in the theater right. I've always been a very big, staunch defender of him, saying how talented he is and I even compared him to Antonio Brown, like, oh, antonio Brown was a headache off the field. Pickens was a headache on the field. I think I'd rather have Pickens. Pickens is a headache on the field. I think I'd rather have Pickens. He's a better person. But I think my problem is after watching this game, is that Pickens I don't think Pickens cares about football enough to do everything he needs to do to be as great as he is.

Speaker 2 16:34

Antonio Brown. Coming into the NFL, he loved football. Football was his way out. That was his key to his life. Forever changing was football and he believed it that way. He played that way Even when he became a diva. When it came out to him playing on the football field, he was going to play his heart out as long as he believed in everybody that was there.

Speaker 2 16:57

And Mike Tomlin picked up a guy like Antonio Brown and it worked out. It was great until it didn't and everything went sideways. But Mike Tomlin's arrogance led to him picking up a guy like George Pickens, a guy that everybody knew had character issues coming out of college. But everybody was talking about how talented he is and Mike Tomlin believed in the talent and felt like he would grow up emotionally and in his maturity by being in the locker room, being under his tutelage. That has not happened. In three years Mike Tomlin has put all of his faith in Pickens and put all of the lessons into him and it hasn't worked out and I will give him his credit that he was being misused for the first two years under a very bad offense coordinator and a bad quarterback pick-up In freaking In Mr, what was his name? The quarterback we picked up in the draft before Pickett.

Speaker 1 17:56

Kenny.

Speaker 2 17:56

Pickett. Picking up Kenny Pickett was a terrible option. And then you. So you misuse George Pickett for two years. Okay, fine, you come into this year. You start with Fields. It's a little bit better, but the actual passing offense isn't great because they don't trust Fields for some reason.

Speaker 2 18:12

And you get to Russell Wilson and Russell Wilson has complete faith in Pickens. Instantly, the ball keeps going to him. He is the number one target, not only because Russell Wilson believes in him, it's because there's nobody else to believe in. For most of the season it was Pickens and nobody else, with a little help from Firemuth, and Firemuth heated up at the end of this last three or four games of the year, but like it was Pickens or nothing. So Pickens was getting his targets, he was getting all the love. He, like everybody, believed in him. There was nobody throwing Pickens under the bus anytime. Something happened. Every. Even though everybody knew Pickens was the problem, was a problem on this team. Everybody kept believing him because Mike Tomlin did.

Speaker 2 18:50

Mike Tomlin made a bet that he lost and it's an obvious loss and it's time to get out. It's time to trade Pickens for whatever. You can get a second or a third round pick, something like that Fourth round pick I take, take whatever and start brand new, because that wide receiver room is absolute trash Pickings, ain't it? The rest of the wide receivers ain't it. And I think you need to draft somebody and sign somebody in free agency.

Steelers' Playoff Concerns and Coaching Critique

Speaker 2 19:17

Sign an adult in free agency that you know is a good person and can come in and make the room better and then get a young guy you feel like you can develop. They have to be, they have to be more polished, they have to be more adult, because this whole thing is not going to work out and now that you're one, you're one in one on the reclamation projects when it comes to their attitude and their personalities. Maybe Mike Tomlin might just go for the more polished guys coming out of college that you may. May not be the top tier talent, but maybe be a better person and better football player than more and be more developed in in their brains to where stuff like this won't happen, because putting your whole faith behind this one dude has not worked out and that's partially happened this year and in some of the biggest games we really need him to show up. Pickens hasn't, and that is the biggest I agree, I watched the same game you did.

Speaker 2 20:05

Yeah, I agree, and going throughout that game, it was like a developing thing where I'm like we're going to lose this game. The game was close. The defense did what they had to do, even on the last stop. It sucked when the Steelers got that last field goal before they ended up giving the ball back to you. You're like, okay, fine, I knew, knew when it was like third and 35 that they were not trying to go for a touchdown, that they were just trying to try to get enough yards just for the field goal. They got the field goal Great, awesome but they get the end up getting the ball back. The defense does their job again and stops bro from doing anything with it and the offense couldn't do anything about it. The offense couldn't do nothing, didn't get the first down. It was awful and Pickens was the guy you want to rely on. He shows up, he fails to show up once again and it was a very good game for you. It was a bad game for me.

Speaker 2 20:50

I think it worked out better because I knew this deal was going to make the playoffs and I knew we were probably a first-round exit or a second-round exit, even if we managed to win this first game against the Ravens in the first round in their house, which is very unlikely. Do I think we're going to go beat a Buffalo or a Kansas City in the second round? Of course I effing don't. I don't believe we're going to do that. So, honestly, I kind of had this thought today. I'd almost rather just lose the first game and have a better draft pick, because maybe we might get a wide receiver we actually can use next year. That's where I'm at now, because I'm just like the way this team is made. Russell Wilson has pretty much played. I have never been a great big Russell Wilson believer. Ever since this whole thing started. I believe in Justin Fields a bit, but it seems like they don't and they were like still needing either needing to grow or they giving up on them all together. So I'm like going into next year Russell Wilson's gone. I need pickings gone. I need a whole new wide receiver room. Fire moves great.

Speaker 2 21:43

The defense is really good. Played, has played very well. They've gotten better throughout the year, but it's just. That game just shows why we are not of the caliber of those other teams we're trying to be with, even though we're in the playoffs like the rest of them. We're not the same.

Speaker 2 21:58

And until you get a quarterback you can believe in and until you get a office coordinator that can do their job and the defense coordinator is not really all that great either. It's not like he's very multiple in what he does, it's very basic. Like imagine if we had the deep, as talented defense we had but we had a guy like um mcdonald, the, the court, the coach for uh um for for the seattle seahawks. Like, imagine if you had him coordinating this defense. Imagine how awesome we would be. As good as we are now. We'd be even more unstoppable. Or if we had the defense coordinator from the Vikings, the guy that used to coach Miami why am I forgetting his name? Because he was on our defense coaching linebackers, but we didn't promote him. We promoted somebody else Brian Flores, brian.

Speaker 1 22:43

Flores.

Speaker 2 22:43

We had him on our defense coaching linebackers after he got fired from Miami and we didn't promote him. We picked another guy and now we're looking stupid because he's doing very well in Minnesota and we had him on our team. We could have just promoted him. We didn't. So this is my thing with Mike Tomlin and this is my last thing before we move on to other stuff.

Speaker 2 23:02

As great as a coach as Mike Tomlin is and everybody keeps talking about how Mike Tomlin, if he gets fired now, a lot of other coaches would be scared of losing their jobs because they want to hire Mike Tomlin. That's very much the case and I believe in Mike Tomlin. But the fact that Mike Tomlin doesn't really coach either side of the football he is a culture builder. When you're a guy of his stature and you're a guy that does what he does, you need to have the best offensive and defense coordinators you can possibly get. Go see what they're doing in Detroit. You have a culture builder at the head coach position and you have two studs at defensive and offensive coordinator and too often Mike Tomlin is not good at picking his offensive defense coordinators if it's not Dick LeBeau, one of the best defense coordinators of all time coaching our defense. We haven't had great defensive coaches coaching our defense and if it's not an offense led by Ben Roethlisberger, we haven't had an office coordinator. Truly, again, it's better this year. Arthur Arthur Smith he's done well, but again it's not like he has the best ingredients to work with, with the wide receivers and the offensive line issues. Even though the offensive line is a lot better than what it was to begin the year, it's not the same, not the great ingredients. But we have some better offensive coaching now, but that hasn't been the case. We've paid canada to do something for years and he did nothing for our offense nothing awful.

Speaker 2 24:29

So if you were going to be a guy like mike talman not coaching your side of the football well, not calling plays for either side of the ball and being a culture builder you need to have very elite coaching, like offensive defense coordinators, and that's not what he's been. And if he can't fix that, we're going to keep doing this exact same thing. We're going to be a good team in the regular season and then our first round exit in the postseason, and that's what I'm tired of. And then, because, not to mention, you can't. You can't make your team better with the draft. With that, you're drafting 15 to 20. That's where you're at.

Speaker 2 24:58

Like, what elite player to get from 15 to 20, let alone get a quarterback, which is what we need, because we're on in this whole little quarterback carousel who knows we're going to do going into next year. If Justin Fields isn't the guy, like, what are we gonna like? What are we doing? And I'm like we're never gonna be bad enough to go get the quarterback we need and we're never be good enough to go and be one of the best teams the NFL. So what in the hell are we doing? So that that's that's where I'm at with the steelers man. I'm, I'm, I'm tired of it and we're gonna go play the braves in the first round and I'll be excited, I'll play and I'll root like hell for them.

Speaker 2 25:33

But in my heart of hearts, do I believe the steelers going to super bowl? I don't, and uh, that's it just is what it is and that this game showed me that, and as great as my is as much work as they did in this game. They did not. The offense did not reciprocate that energy, and this is how the Steelers team is going to be playing in the playoffs. This is exactly what's going to happen in the first round against the Ravens. More likely than not, and it's a little bit likely that maybe 2-3% of the Steelers will actually win this game. But I and win this game, but I don't know. I'm just out on this team right now. I'm not feeling great. Do you have any other thoughts about this game from the Bengals' perspective? I know I kind of took over the conversation, but do you have any type of thoughts about how this game went for us, jace?

Speaker 1 26:20

No, not really. It was as expected.

Speaker 2 26:23

All right, man, I'm glad you had a fun time I did.

NFL Game Recap and Playoff Implications

Speaker 2 26:26

It was great we both had a fun time. It was cold, but we we made it, got there, got back. Um, very fun experience, like like jay said. But while we're at the game, hopefully we'd never have to do this in december, december or january again, because that was awful it was. It was a cold, very cold experience. Imagine if we could go out there and kind of just enjoy ourselves and not have to be frigid. Um, it'd be even better, like 50 or 60 percent better. So, um, we'll be doing it again next year, hopefully, hopefully with some better weather. Um, it was a very fun time.

Speaker 2 26:55

Oh, by the way, the first thing we saw when we walked in that stadium was a dude spitting on the ground, which appalled, which had me appalled for just a second, but then then I had to realize oh, this dude from Pittsburgh probably has been here 100 times watching games and he spit on the same floor. This is a working man's city and working men spit on the ground. No matter what that ground is, I don't know, it's like a built-forward, tough city Obviously you have that mantra like it's a steel city, but no, it really does feel like when you're there. It's crazy. All right, jace, going into the next games here. Um start little Sunday games. We'll start with the first one. Uh, panthers Falcons, panthers Falcons. Panthers won the game 44 to 38. This game was an absolute barn burner. This is an overtime game. Honestly, the scores are going back and forth. Neither defense can really do a lot to each other's offenses. Bryce Young was great 25-34, 251 yards, three touchdowns, zero picks. Jalen Coker, their wide receiver, had a touchdown. I mean sorry had a passing 19 passing yards, one for one on a trick play.

Speaker 2 28:07

Miles Sanders had an absolutely amazing day. He had one touchdown rushing. He had another touchdown receiving. He was great in this game. Sanders had 66 yards rushing and then he had another 50 yards receiving Off. Three receptions was very good. Coker, like I already mentioned, he was leading receiver in this game seven receptions, 62 yards. And Tommy Tremble, another tight end, had a touchdown in this game and David Moore also had a touchdown in this game.

Speaker 2 28:37

Michael Penix had a decent game. All things considered, he went 21-38, 312 yards, two touchdowns and a pick. Bijan Robinson was awesome in this game 28 carries, 170 yards, two touchdowns. He averaged over six yards a carry Absolutely awesome in this game. This team ran for over 200 yards total with Tyler Algier nine carries, 52 yards. He was awesome in this game. Michael Penix had a rushing touchdown five yards out from the end zone. He got a touchdown in there. Drake London was great 10 receptions, 187 yards and two touchdowns.

Speaker 2 29:12

I think this pairing from quarterback to receiver maybe like one of the more, like one of the next duos. That is like very filthy to have to deal with because you could just tell every time that Michael Penix Jr has complete faith in Drake London's talent and what he is. And they just kept throwing it to each other man. He had 18 targets in this game and it wasn't like this team has a lack of pass catchers. They have Ray McLeod. That's 66 yards off four receptions. They had Kyle Pitts who, again, this game they didn't use whatsoever. He only had two catches and 15 yards. But they have guys to get the ball to and Drake London is the main guy there and there is a real trust there that they just keep going with and they kept this game close for so long. But it's just.

Speaker 2 29:55

The Atlanta Falcons' defense could not stop a nosebleed and Carolina came to play and Bryce Young as much crap as I gave him, especially starting this year, he and Bryce Young as much crap as I gave him, especially starting this year. He has turned it all the way around, man, and it's not like he's going to be without any type of bad games because he did a few games ago, but like he's come back, played great and he's leading this football team to wins, which is something I truly never thought would happen when it came to this team. So very big credit to Bryce Young. But it's just a. It was a very good game, especially with the Falcons still having a potential chance at making the playoffs. If they would have won and the Tampa Bay would have lost, they would have had a playoff swap. So it wasn't like they had nothing to play for. But this uh, this Carolina Panthers team absolutely amazing game, awesome. It was fun to see, see Bryce Young have fun.

Speaker 1 30:46

Bryce Young looked like part of my homes.

Speaker 2 30:48

Right and he was having fun out there doing it. He's smiling, he's cheesing from ear to ear. He was playing great and Michael Penix was too. He still throws a very beautiful deep ball, like I mentioned last week. But just Falcons couldn't do enough, especially going into overtime. The Panthers got that ball and this really just took advantage of the moment and went down and scored a touchdown to end the game. Next game commanders cowboys commanders win 23 to 19.

Speaker 2 31:13

This is something that annoys the crap out of me. So you know how incentives a lot of incentive based contracts you have players that are looking for certain incentives and if they hit them they get a big, they get a big bonus, right? Did you know the cowboys cooper rushed the quarterback for them pretty much throughout this whole year, whole season, ever since Dak went down. He had an incentive that if he played a certain amount of stops for this team that he would get like a $250,000 bonus, and they did not let him start in this game. That's why they went to Trey Lance.

Speaker 2 31:40

And that's the part that sucks, because I'm sitting here like as bad as Cowboys have been this year. They're locked out of the playoffs. They're 7-9. They have no shot at the playoffs, you would think at least the guy that helped you get here, cooper Rush. As much as I talk trash about how he played, he did even them out for a bit. He was making some plays and playing good football for them and they told him to sit on the bench because they didn't want to pay his roster bonus his bonus for playing in this game. So that part absolutely sucked. Because of that, they threw out Trey Lance as their player for this game. Trey Lance didn't look all that bad 20 of 34, 244 yards.

Speaker 1 32:24

He didn't miss any throws. Huh, were you playing threes or twos?

Speaker 2 32:31

What do you mean? Threes or twos?

Speaker 1 32:32

Was he playing backups or their backups?

Speaker 2 32:36

Oh, washington, they played their guys. Oh, jay and Daniel started the game. He only threw 12 passes so he didn't really play that much, but they had Marcus Mario to come in in and they still had everybody else playing. Terry mcclure had the game-winning touchdown at the end of the game. So like they like. So they were still playing all their, all their guys.

Speaker 2 32:53

So, dallas, not having having cooper rush play that game because they didn't want to pay his signing bonus was crazy. And they asked the um, jerry jones, the owner, and g after the game, why didn't you let Cooper Rush play? Did you know about his incentives that he had if he played this game? He's like no, I had no idea. And I'm like if you didn't, aren't you the GM, aren't you supposed to know? And a lot of NFL players came out and said the front office gives before every game. They give stuff like that to the coaches and to the team as to what incentives are coming up, if you have to pay them or not. And incentives are going around like crazy. You had Mike Evans making like $3 million.

Speaker 1 33:33

He made $3 million. All he had to do was get 75 more yards and five total.

Speaker 2 33:37

Heck. Geno Smith made like two. He had like three different things If he was top 10 in. No, sorry, was it Baker? No, geno had a bunch too. Geno too. Geno made like $2 million that day because he had incentives that he was making. So, like, these teams know when incentives are coming up, and it sucks the fact that Cooper Rush had led them to so many games where he kept them close in a lot of them that they didn't let them play because they didn't want to reach 250k, 250k. Jerry jones spends more than that maintaining his boat every week, his million dollar yacht, so like. It's crazy how. That's the part where you want a penny pinch out of all the times. Couldn't do that for dak prescott, though. Right, you paid him all this money he wanted.

Speaker 2 34:19

Um bears packers. Oh, by the way, commanders won that game. They get a. They're going to be in the playoffs. I think they're going to be like a. They're going to talk about the playoffs here in a bit, but they make the playoffs. They're in as a wild card team. Hopefully they can play well in the first round.

Speaker 2 34:33

Bears packers bears win the game 24 22 um. Caleb williams plays okay. I think it was more about the defense playing very well, because this packers offense did absolutely nothing in this game whatsoever. Jordan Love he wasn't playing great. He went 7-12 for 69 yards before he ended up actually leaving the game with an elbow injury. He couldn't hold the football or anything, so that's another bad injury when it comes to a throwing arm, but it looked like if they needed him to, they let him come back into the game. So maybe it's okay.

Speaker 2 35:03

But Malik Wilson coming in this game, he went 10 of 13, 136 yards. Um, they ran the football for under over 180 yards total. Josh Jacobs six carries of 44 yards and a touchdown. Manu Wilson 73 yards and a touchdown. Um. The receivers didn't play all that great. It was like a bunch of just a little um contributions to how that was going. But again, I think it was really shut down by the Chicago Bears defense that played very well on Sunday. Caleb played okay 21-29, 148 yards and a touchdown. The Bears only ran the football for a total of 83 yards in this game, so it wasn't like they were running the football effectively. And then DJ Moore had a very good game nine receptions at 86 yards and a touchdown. Keenan Allen didn't do much. Roman Dunzey, like these other pass catchers did not do anything whatsoever, but they managed to get the win at the end of the game. They came in at the end, got the field goal that they needed and won the game.

Speaker 2 35:57

Packers I don't know if this ruins what I thought the Packers would be going into the playoffs but I do think it just kind of raises an eyebrow because this Bears defense, this Bears team, has been very bad from a good part of this year and as much as I like Jordan Love and all that like they should have had this game well handled by the time he actually ended up leaving this game but they couldn't because, for whatever reason, they just couldn't get the job done. But it doesn't make me feel any more confident about them going into the playoffs. That's the part that kind of sucks. Not to mention you're playing a team with no coach. There's a lot of things going on with that Bears team. It's just a shame that you lost to them.

Speaker 2 36:31

Texans-titans Texans win 23-14. They beat the Titans very, very convincingly. Will Levis actually played in this game. He went 9-17 for 175 yards and a touchdown. Went 9-17 for 175 yards and a touchdown. He's not playing great Titans have now. Maybe that was a trick. We said that Will Levis wasn't going to play in this game and then maybe the Titans realized, hey, maybe our best chance to go and lose this game and get the first pick overall is for Will Levis to play. And they let him play. And did he actually throw a pick in this game? I don't think he did. He didn't throw a pick in this game. I don't think he did. He didn't throw a pick in this game. He played decently well. But it's just very obvious that Will Levis isn't an NFL guy and because Tennessee now has his first overall pick, they're probably going to take a quarterback and replace him altogether.

Speaker 2 37:17

But credit to the Houston. Cj Trout only went 6-6 for a touchdown on one drive and then they pulled him out. Davis Mills ended up playing in this game 12 of 22 for 28 yards. Daniel Pierce they awakened a monster in him. He went 19. He had 19 carries, 176 yards in a touchdown. Joe Mixon barely played only at five carries in this game like they. They brought in all the starters very early, like they pretty much had their their playoff spot kind of locked up so they didn't want to risk their starters. They let them play a little bit and got them out.

Speaker 1 37:48

Kind of like Kansas City. Kind of like Kansas City.

Speaker 2 37:51

Kansas City didn't play anybody from the start they had the first seed already locked in and the bye, so they were just like, hey, let's get an extra week of rest. Robert Woods didn't play all that great, Nugget Kong got a touchdown and got out Dalton Schultz again. This was just a bad team in Tennessee, losing this game, getting what they wanted, probably in that first overall pick, and Houston took advantage of it and played a decent game. Next one we got Jags Colts. Colts won the game 26-23.

Coaching Decisions and Team Dynamics

Speaker 2 38:23

Joe Flacco played okay 23-40, 264 yards and a touchdown. Jonathan Taylor had another great game 177 yards and a touchdown off 34 carries averaged over 5 yards a carry. Josh Downs had 94 yards, 10 receptions. Michael Pittman Jr had 72 yards and 6 receptions. Alec Pierce had a touchdown in this game um 57 yards and two receptions. I think another again. Mac jones didn't play terribly 225 yards, 2032 for a touch and a touchdown on a pick jones played a lot better over the over this year than I thought he would I think he has shown that he is a good backup.

Speaker 2 38:58

I think, coming coming out of new england, I think there was not a lot of people not certain that he would ever he would even be worth being a backup in this league, but I think he has shown he's very.

Speaker 1 39:06

I didn't think so either I think he's shown that he's viable.

Speaker 2 39:08

He's a viable, he is a good backup in this league and I think he's going to do that very well, he did play pretty well over the last, like what four or five he has he had some back bad mistakes, but again that's what a backup is. There's a reason why they're not one of the best 32 in the NFL. They ran the football effectively. Tank Bigsby had a touchdown. Brian Thomas Jr is still that dude. I think he has been a revelation for them.

Speaker 1 39:31

I think he was snubbed for for Pro Bowl. I think he was snapped hard.

Speaker 2 39:39

He had seven receptions, 103 yards, like it was again two bad teams. Colts already are out of the playoff discussion. Jags have been bad for weeks. They fired their head coach after this game, literally right after. I don't even think he made the plane, but everybody knew that he was going to get fired pretty much this whole season. It was amazing. He even made it to the end of the season. Um, but and why am I freaking? What's that coach's name? Doug peterson?

Speaker 2 40:08

He got fired and they kept the gm. Did you hear about that? So they were doing a zoom with the, with the owner of the team shot con, and the gm was on a zoom call and somebody asked him like hey, you're keeping the GM when you just fired the head coach. Isn't that weird? They asked my question about that and you know what he said while they were both on the zoom call. He's like if we find the right head coach and he gives us a good reason not to have this GM, well, I'll replace him on the zoom call together. That's not what good teams do. Good teams do not. And this is Titans are making the same mistake because they fired their GM today and they're keeping the head coach, brian Callahan. Why would you bring in a guy that's supposed?

Speaker 2 40:48

to supplant him. Ain't that the reason you got rid of Vrabel? Because you hired a GM and they clashed One of the better coaches in the NFL. You got rid of him because him and the GM didn't work out.

Speaker 1 40:58

You fired your GM and then hired a new GM, and then you had a fire of Rabel.

Speaker 2 41:02

Right, so why are you?

Speaker 1 41:03

making the same mistake again.

Speaker 2 41:05

Good coaches, good teams, bring in the GM and the head coach together At the same time. Y'all are attached to the hip. If one of y'all are going, both of y'all are going, because guess what? Guess what happens. Now You're going to hire a brand new head coach and they're going to come in. You're going to have all these issues. Guess what the head coach is going to do? Oh, the GM's not doing his job, or the GM's going to look at him and they're not doing their job. So that's what happens. You're going to have two different people with two start wanting to screw each other over just to make sure the other doesn't get each other, doesn't get fired. Like I don't want to get fired, I'm gonna screw over this guy, make sure he gets fired. That's why the best organizations say this g, the gm and the head coach would attach the hip if one, you're all going, both y'all going, we're starting fresh.

Speaker 2 41:49

And the fact that this tennessee titans team is doing that is crazy, like the fact like they're keeping brian callahan I'm. He doesn't do anything to say that he deserves to keep that job this year. He started Levis for too long. Why would you bring in a GM that's not going to be able to pick his coach that he's going to have to work with on an everyday basis. That doesn't make any sense to me. It doesn't make any sense. And again to the Giants they're deciding to keep both of them. They're keeping Dayball and the GM. They should fire them both. They easily should fire them both, because they both have been there too long, even though I believe in Dayball a little bit more because at least he turned.

Speaker 1 42:21

I see you give Dayball a little bit more time, especially if you guys are going to go out there and try to draft a rookie quarterback. Don't fuck it up and draft a bad quarterback.

Speaker 2 42:30

Yeah, but by keeping them after such a bad season, when you let Saquon walk and you let him go play for the Eagles and be great and have his best year that he's had and you cut and you cut have to cut Daniel Jones middle of the year.

Speaker 2 42:41

that's on both of y'all and again, maybe it's not not on Dayball as much, because he inherited Dayball, he inherited Daniel Jones because Daniel Jones already there but like. But here's. The thing is that now you're bringing a new GM that is now working with a dude that he may not even like. So as soon as things don't work out, he's like let's fire the head coach, let's bring in a guy that I actually want to bring in. So I'm like at least they're bringing him, they're keeping him together. But I just think it's a bad decision to have them be able to potentially pick your quarterback who's supposed to be on your team for a while. Is that what if they make a bad choice? And now you ruined it for a bad coach and GM and they ruined the quarterback discussion for you and now you have the number one overall pick? It's bad and I think the Jags are doing this terribly by now hiring a new coach. At least Shotcom is willing to be open to the idea of firing the GM if they don't get along. But guess what? Guess who's doing the interviewing the fucking GM? And what is the GM going to say, oh, how do you feel about me? Say, oh, how do you feel about me? Do you think you're gonna replace me if I hire you? What is that coach gonna say? Oh, uh, yeah, because as soon as that happens like I don't think I'm gonna hire you again, you can just walk out.

Speaker 2 43:43

Now that it's such a convoluted, convoluted idea that I just don't. I don't understand. It's stupid. It's just a elementary schooler can understand the dynamics here of as soon as one person does something wrong, they want to blame the other guy and they're both not going to get along. I don't understand. It's insane, how that's working out. Bill's Patriots. Patriots win the game 23-16. They effectively sell their option of getting that first overall pick, not like they were going to draft a quarterback or anything, but they could have auctioned off that pick for a ton of draft capital. A lot like what happened with the Bryce Young year, where Carolina was able to get a bunch of I mean sorry, chicago got a bunch of picks for trading their pick to Carolina when they ended up picking Bryce Young, because it's the same kind of draft, because it was Bryce Young, cj Stroud and nobody else Right In that draft and it worked out that way and they got a bunch of picks for it. It was going to be very similar in this draft when it's Cam Ward, shador Sanders and nobody else.

Speaker 1 44:40

And a bunch of third-round quarterbacks.

Speaker 2 44:42

Exactly Like even Drew Allard, a guy that people actually believe could be an NFL guy, like picked in the first round, he's deciding to go back to Penn State. Maybe he might change his mind, though, if how things go on, and all that.

Speaker 1 44:53

but who knows, not that he's seen draft orders, right, he's like I actually might be a first-round pick now.

Speaker 2 44:57

Why would I stay here another year? But that notwithstanding, like the fact that they had sold their and they fired their head coach after this game, literally minutes after. Like this, it was.

Speaker 1 45:11

Gerard Mayo has been a part of the Patriots. His entire.

Speaker 2 45:12

Yeah, he played there. He coached linebackers under Bill Belichick and then they hired him to be the guy. But then here's the thing when they hired him, they said that this has been the pick for years. This has been the guy we wanted to take over for Bill for years. But as soon as you, as soon as you get one year with him, you've realized, oh, he's not that great at this job. It's not like he's been a head coach before, he hasn't you picked him, knowing that? And then you come out after, literally right after the game, it is announced that he's fired. Do you know what that tells me? I think they see mike vrabel as an option for this team and they realize, if we don't hire mike vrabel now, that he may get hired by somebody else. But if that's the case, why in the hell didn't you hire him last year?

Speaker 1 45:57

there's no zach taylor doesn't make it through the month, right, give it back to Zach Taylor.

Cincinnati Bengals Offense vs Defense

Speaker 2 46:04

We didn't talk about that. He shouldn't, but the fact that they've already fired the DC Lou Anarumo makes me think they're keeping Zach Taylor.

Speaker 1 46:12

Okay, okay, okay, I need y'all to sit back and be like damn, we don't need this nigga. Y'all can sit back Because, I mean, our offense is so good. You could probably sit back and be like we could try to go get Ben Johnson. Yep, you could fuck around, that's a guy you could try to go after because your offense.

Speaker 2 46:33

is that good?

Speaker 1 46:34

He could come in there and be like damn, I can do some shit with this Yep or go the opposite route is that good he could come in there and be like damn, I can do some shit with this Yep. Or go the opposite route. Go get a guy like Mike Frabel.

Speaker 2 46:42

We, we're not Culture builder, and he'd fix the defense. He knows how to put the defense together.

Speaker 1 46:47

A defensive sound head coach and then you'll get an actual offensive coordinator.

Speaker 2 46:50

Yep, you'll get a guy.

Speaker 1 46:53

Hey, come, come, coach the Bengals Yep.

Speaker 2 46:57

We have some shit you can actually Cause. We don't really need A great offense. You don't need a genius. You don't need a genius Back there. No, we need hey.

Speaker 1 47:03

I'm not gonna call a screen pass.

Speaker 2 47:05

Right.

Speaker 1 47:06

That no one fell for it. They did it again In Steelers Stadium. Yeah, I watched it. I watched them call A fucking screen pass and Peyton Wilson go blow him the fuck up. Yeah, lost eight yards. We need something that won't call that Right, because if you're going to fire one, you should have fired all of them Right. All of them. The offensive dude.

Speaker 2 47:25

Zach Taylor's done this multiple times. He's had multiple different offensive coordinators, this is your fourth year. You fucking suck. He's bad. He's bad. You can't blame a Joe Burrow injury this time. Joe Burrow played all year.

Speaker 1 47:37

You can't blame anybody. I don't even blame. I personally do not blame.

Speaker 2 47:42

Luna.

Speaker 1 47:42

Rumo for how bad our defense was.

Speaker 2 47:46

He doesn't pick the players that are on his defense. They're all cheeks. He didn't pick them.

Speaker 1 47:50

The only thing he didn't do was start Jordan Battle immediately. This year. That was the only thing he didn't do, Right, and even then Jordan Battle's like he's up and down.

Speaker 2 47:58

No, he can't cover very well, he can't flashes.

Speaker 1 48:01

But he is good, he's very good. I would have started from the whole year where to take your goods and bats yeah, which out of the year Jordan Battle's on the field. Right for this I blame Zach Taylor for exactly of hey, we lose offensive games because you suck, and the GM?

Speaker 2 48:20

hey, you brought in nobody during the offseason, especially for that defense.

Speaker 1 48:25

Your best bring-in for the defense was Von Bell, who's old and slow. Yep. You did nothing else for us. Nothing at all. No one's re-signed, no one's under contract you made Jamar Chase wait.

Speaker 2 48:42

But again that's partially on the owner too, because he didn't want to pay Jamar Chase yet.

Speaker 1 48:45

But like there's a shit ton of people not under contract Mike Gusecki ain't under contract, I'd say we re-sign him. He was very helpful, Especially in the week where T Higgins was hurt. Yeah, Ilya Sovis is coming up on a contract here soon too. You got to re-sign him. We need a good third option, Like there's so much. Sam Hubbard unfortunately we got to cut him loose. We should have cut him loose last year, when he played none of last year.

Speaker 2 49:08

Yeah.

Speaker 1 49:09

We have to cut him loose. I love him to death. He's amazing, he's. It's just he's gotten old and he's not getting any sacks and he's getting injured. We gotta cut him. I agree, dre Hendrickson. Are we gonna sign him? Are we going to Tagging?

Speaker 2 49:24

What the?

Speaker 1 49:25

fuck are we doing I? Don't know the week where T Higgins got three touchdowns and Dre Hendrickson got four sacks, probably should trade one of them. Should've traded one of them? Yeah, no question. Should have traded one of them? Yeah, no question. So I don't know. I was on the team to fire everybody.

Speaker 2 49:41

Top to bottom GM.

Speaker 1 49:43

We don't have a GM. Did you know that?

Speaker 2 49:45

Yeah, it's the owner, it's a collective yeah led by the owner. He doesn't make the ultimate decision, for sure.

Speaker 1 49:52

And then the guy that does the drafting is the equipment guy. Did you know that Our equipment manager is also our draft specialist, what they call him?

Speaker 2 50:02

Oh, so they're going cheap at all. Facets, huh it must fucking work. He can draft pretty well, not in the first round. Can he plug in the laptop?

Speaker 1 50:09

Yeah, but he can draft pretty fucking well. He's had actually some decent fucking picks, it's just you know.

Speaker 2 50:20

It was crazy how they fired him. Don't extend Dexil.

Speaker 1 50:23

Do not extend Dexil. Do not pick up Dexil's fifth-year option. Let that motherfucker walk.

Speaker 2 50:27

Let him walk, let him walk, let him walk. I just don't understand how, with that coach, I don't know how that can get better going into next year. It doesn't you need to rehaul.

Speaker 1 50:38

You need to overhaul everything. It can't get better and the team get worse. It doesn't work like that, you can pay Jamar Chase and still bring in some defense. Our offense ain't the fucking problem.

Speaker 2 50:45

And that's why you let T walk. He's like, oh, we can't pay T.

Speaker 1 50:53

We gotta go pay 20 defense, top 20. We had a top 15 defense Right. A top 15 defense would make us a Super Bowl contender.

Speaker 2 51:00

Yeah, there'd be no one to stop us. That's what happened when y'all made the Super Bowl. It was a very hot offense. Your defense can get some time to stop.

Speaker 1 51:05

We had a top 15 defense. They can get some stops.

Speaker 2 51:07

Yeah.

Speaker 1 51:18

You don't need to be locked down. A couple plays this game Right and they could do that and that's what they could make timely plays for. But like I need it, I need it, I need it. There's a lot of good guys up there. You can probably get Xavier Howard for a discount. Xavier Howard is going to be a free agent. He has been pretty good the last couple years. You are taking a risk on a guy that could get injured.

Speaker 2 51:35

For sure.

Speaker 1 51:37

But with your DB room you take that risk.

Speaker 2 51:39

It's not like you can believe the DB room that you have no agreed.

Speaker 1 51:43

Our best DV was DJ Ivy and he got hurt, but he'd been real fucking good. Suddenly, cam Taylor Britton's cheeks I don't know what the fuck happened. Compared to this year, to last year Last year he was really really good. He was top 10. This year he's garbage. I don't say we cut him, I say we keep him, see if we can figure out what the fuck he's doing again. But dude, if you're not going to pay a team, go sign a shit ton of defense there should be no offensive player signed Maybe a tackle.

Speaker 1 52:16

We could probably use an extra tackle.

Speaker 2 52:18

Yeah, depending on what you do at Gusecki, I would like to have Gusecki back, but like, I would agree we should extend Gusecki for the foreseeable future.

Speaker 1 52:24

Now Gusecki is older, yeah, and we do have that tight end from Iowa that got hurt. Who is really good of?

Speaker 2 52:30

all the names. It's crazy, I remember that name.

Speaker 1 52:35

I said Iowa tight end, that could mean 30 different people and you just Eric Hall. Yeah, immediately, that came to your brain Immediately. Goodness gracious, but at least extend Gusecki for the next year or two years?

Speaker 2 52:45

Right, yeah, not like tight ends are all that expensive. And drop Dax Hill, drop Dax Hill, drop Miles Murphy.

Speaker 1 52:53

Drop Joseph Osai. Stop signing these shitty defensive players. They are not good, they are bad. Joseph Osai is garbage.

Speaker 2 53:02

Draft some good defensive talent and have a defensive. Obviously, since you need to hire a DC now, have a defense coordinator that can be multiple and scheme some things up, because you're not really going to have a lockdown defense going into next year. You had that, lou Interumo. We decided to give him some better guys to guys to work with.

Speaker 1 53:19

We saw what he could do with a decent defense yeah, we saw the evening you.

Speaker 2 53:22

After he, the defense got worse and he still, which is kept them decent which is why I totally believe that they said zach taylor, you have to make some changes if you don't want to get fired yourself. And he fired luanarumo giving, making him the fall guy for how bad this t year has been. Oh, the defense has been bad. That's the reason why not me, not the head coach. I coach his offense like this offense is great. It's the defense's fault. So now you have to go hire a new defensive coordinator and you're going to be getting all these new players and it's going to be potentially more the same next year because Zach Taylor doesn't add anything as a head coach whatsoever.

Speaker 2 53:55

I don't believe you don't believe in him. I don't think Joe Burrow believes him on a day-in, day-out basis. As to why I don't like Joe Burrow isn't demanding he get fired is crazy to me. Maybe he's just cool with the status quo or something, but like there is no reason, after this season played out the way it did, that he doesn't go into the owner's office and say, hey, we need a new, new head coach. I don't care how much money it takes, because he's just not adding anything to the whole. He's not adding anything to the recipe. He's not adding nothing.

Speaker 1 54:24

Maybe just wait to see what Ben Johnson does If he wants to stay at the Lions, he can leave the Lions.

Speaker 2 54:29

Okay, can we add the Ben Johnson thing for a second? Does Ben Johnson run an offense that fits a guy of Joe Burrow's caliber?

Speaker 1 54:35

Does it fucking matter?

Speaker 2 54:37

It doesn't. But I think his best offense right now is with Jared Goff as his quarterback. Obviously they do both. They do the drop back, but they also do a lot of running the football, a lot of stuff like that. A lot of multiplicity with the way they do things. They're using offensive linemen as wide receivers in situations. It's very creative and it's very multiple. He, lyman, has wide receivers in situations. It's very creative and it's very multiple. He does a lot. Can you necessarily run that type of offense with a guy like Joe? Would you also?

Speaker 1 55:04

say that offense is lacking any creativity.

Speaker 2 55:08

No, that's my biggest problem. That offense is great.

Speaker 1 55:10

No with the.

Speaker 2 55:11

Bengals offense. Oh yeah, the Bengals offense lacks all creativity. It's very Joe Burrow-based.

Speaker 1 55:16

Okay. An offense like that is where it becomes easy to read plays. Right, he gets a lot of passes broken up because it's easy to fucking read.

Speaker 2 55:28

So you think Joe Burrow would be happy with potentially taking a step back, maybe on the passing yards, if it were just to make it easier on him from a game-in-game-out basis perspective, dude he easily has the most throws in the NFL right now Because, again, as bad as an office coordinator that Zach Taylor is, joe Burrow still went out there and passed for the most yards, threw for the most touchdowns.

Speaker 1 55:44

Again, is that because of Zach Taylor?

Speaker 2 55:46

Oh, it's definitely not because of him.

Speaker 1 55:47

Joe Burrow's going to walk in there like I'm about to sling this football.

Speaker 2 55:49

Oh no, it's definitely not because of Zach Taylor, I'm going to throw it anywhere on the gridiron, but maybe is there a chance that maybe Joe Burrows had a taste of that and he doesn't want to let that go.

Speaker 1 55:59

Because I think I don't think that's outside of the realm of what Joe Burrows. He's only doing that because he feels like he needs to do that to win, not necessarily because he wants to.

Offensive and Defensive Coaching Discussion

Speaker 2 56:11

He had to do that to win. I don't think it's out. I don Joe Burrow would do this his entire NFL career.

Speaker 1 56:15

Yeah, I'm coming into the season not fully healthy. Right, I'm not getting to practice. I'm the first game of the season. Is my first time playing, right? Okay Weeks and the first game of the season. Y'all niggas lost to the Patriots because your play calls.

Speaker 2 56:30

That was the difference between y'all making the playoffs or not. If the Patriots week one. We're a playoff team and all the games went the same Other than that you're a playoff team.

Speaker 1 56:38

Yeah, Y'all shit. I watch, dude, you watch the same. They called like eight or nine screen passes. Why didn't we just downfield?

Speaker 2 56:48

everybody.

Speaker 1 56:49

We were without T Higgins. The offense was that much better than the Patriots Right the offense was that much better than the Patriots, right? They had no creative scheme. They kept running the ball. Mm-hmm, it was awful, it was awful, awful. We win that game.

Speaker 2 57:04

Yeah, it's so fucking crazy. It's crazy, crazy right Now that we're getting back to the Patriots, since we went on this whole little tirade there, it was good because we didn't talk about that when we were talking about the game, because I kind of took over I don't know who else who's out there to hire?

Speaker 1 57:18

I would like Robert Sala as the defensive coordinator. I want him as the DC. I kind of also want him as a head coach. I think he's a good. I think a defensive-minded head coach would be great for that high-powered offense.

Speaker 2 57:31

Oh yeah, because Joe Burr already has the offense figured out. You don't necessarily need to have. The offense is what it is. The creativity needs to be on the defense now.

Speaker 1 57:37

Yes, the offense is going to be what it is. I truly think you could throw almost any running back back there and they would all end up with 1,000 yards, because what they expect is an air raid every game.

Speaker 2 57:45

Yeah, exactly.

Speaker 1 57:46

Now Joe Mixon was transcended. He was better than most running backs that we had000 yards.

Speaker 2 57:50

Yeah, he was very good.

Speaker 1 58:01

I think you have to have a very good defensive head coach it would be great and then, I think, a good offensive coordinator. It doesn't have to be the best offensive coordinator.

Speaker 2 58:12

If you have a good offensive coordinator.

Speaker 1 58:14

Brian Dayball would be a great offensive coordinator for the Bengals.

Speaker 2 58:16

Yeah, but he's keeping the job for the Giants, I guess.

Speaker 1 58:18

Because there's nothing to fix. You don't have to fix anything. Call plays, call plays, don't do anything. But it's just. I don't know. I've never once seen our defensive coordinator. I don't know who it is. I've never seen him.

Speaker 2 58:30

I think he was your former QB coach. I believe.

Speaker 1 58:40

I've legit never seen this dude In the five years we've had Joe Burrow.

Speaker 2 58:41

I have never seen another person calling plays.

Speaker 1 58:43

That wasn't Lou Narumo or Zach Taylor Ever, especially not on TV or anything. You'll see somebody calling plays. I've seen your offense coordinator calling a shitty play. I've watched him. I've seen your defense coordinator call a play, but I've never seen my offensive coordinator call play. He's just the fill-in. I don't ever think that's what he is.

Speaker 2 59:02

Yeah it's Zach Taylor. Zach Taylor, he's the main guy. Oh, because he coached on the Sean McVay. Yeah, just because you touched him and you had some long convos with him doesn't mean you're going to be an awesome head coach like Sean McVay with him. Doesn't mean you're going to be an awesome head coach like Sean McVay Crazy how that goes.

Speaker 2 59:18

Joe Milton had a great game. When the Patriots were trying to lose, they still had a great game. Joe Milton went 22-29, 241 yards and a touchdown. He played good. They ran the football, not necessarily great, but they 77 yards off, 30 carries, averaging a three yards carry.

Speaker 2 59:34

Keyshawn Boutte or Keyshawn Boutte or Kayshaun Booty, I'm not sure how you say that seven receptions, 117 yards and such. And he was absolutely a monster in this game. And again, it wasn't like Buffalo was playing all their guys, they were kind of. I think the fact that James Cook played as much as he did, the fact that he had 10 carries in the game, was crazy. But they were trying to give him that last little bit to make sure he had a 1,000-yard season. But Buffalo was obviously already locked into the two seats. They really didn't have much to play for and the Patriots went out there and won this game. You'd think, with this Patriots team not wanting to win this football game again, just because the Patriots don't want to win the football game, the 53 men on the roster probably still do, because they're not only playing for themselves.

Speaker 1 1:00:17

Probably still do, because they're not only playing for themselves, they're playing for their team, they're playing for their next team, potentially, so you need to have a lot of them out there if they're, because most of them are probably twos, threes, right, they're playing for the next contract so like, with all that being the case, like the players never going to do that, it's the coaches that make sure that that's possible, and the coaches did not do that at all in this game, so that's why they were able to get the win.

Speaker 2 1:00:36

That's the part that sucks, and Patriots are just now going to be, I think, draft order. Patriots are now four. They had the first pick before Sunday's game started. So, with all that being the case, it kind of sucks. Who's in front of them? Titans? Oh, we can talk about that now if you want to Tennessee is one.

Speaker 1 1:00:53

Yeah, they're taking a quarterback. Cleveland's two yeah they're taking a quarterback, cleveland's two.

Speaker 2 1:00:56

They're fucking this up. Giants are three.

Speaker 1 1:00:58

They're probably going to fuck this up too.

Speaker 2 1:00:59

Patriots are four and Jacksonville's five. How much do the Giants give to go up one Again. Is Cleveland going to stick with Deshaun? They?

Speaker 1 1:01:09

restructured his contract? Yes, they restructured. They're sticking with him.

Speaker 2 1:01:12

I think they plan on sticking with him, or they believe they can pull the Pennix Jr situation off and draft a guy, or what Green Bay did with Jordan Love. But here's the thing the quarterback they have isn't good enough to start learning from. If I was drafting a new quarterback, I wouldn't want him to learn anything from Deshaun Watson whatsoever.

Speaker 1 1:01:34

Stay the fuck away from him. Yeah, you sit over there.

Speaker 2 1:01:37

He will never talk to you If he invites you to go get a massage don't do it, call the police.

Speaker 1 1:01:41

Call the police, don't do it.

Speaker 2 1:01:42

You're going to be an accessory, don't do it. So I just don't understand how you like, if you want to draft a quarterback, no-transcript, mixing up well.

Speaker 1 1:02:02

It clearly worked out. It worked out. Oh yeah, it all worked out. They took that quarterback and the shit's working.

NFL Draft Order and MVP Contenders

Speaker 2 1:02:06

For sure, and they won 10 games this year. Nobody thought they were going to win 10 games this year, but I'm just like I just it's gross. Um, but yeah, jacksonville's 5, vegas is 6, jets are 7, carolina's 8. You wanna know your pick, your pick. I pick 17, uh, new Orleans, 9, chicago, 10, san Fran, 11, dallas, 12 uh, 13's Miami, 14's Indy, 15's Atlanta, 16's Arizona, 17's Cincinnati and 18 is Seattle. Uh, that is the current draft order set up as right now.

Speaker 1 1:02:45

The other teams will get locked in as they play Fuck, we're going to do a pick 17. What are?

Speaker 2 1:02:48

you going to do with pick 17? It's crazy. That's where I'm at now. Like do I want To be pick 20?, pick 23 or 24? Or do I want to just lose this game and have pick 19 and be a tad bit better To try to get somebody else? I don't know. It sucks, because I definitely Fucking big 17. 17. 17.

Speaker 1 1:03:10

What the fuck? I guess last year we drafted, mims Turned out pretty well, right, he did pretty good. Good as he did.

Speaker 2 1:03:17

No, he did decent. Well, they were chipping him every time.

Speaker 1 1:03:18

No he did good against Nick Herbig.

Speaker 2 1:03:20

Yeah, yeah, because he was on the other side. Nick Kerbic did have one big sack, but again, you can't hold the defensive ends in general in this league are better than the offensive tackles. So there's a lot more great defensive ends to where now Pittsburgh has two or three of them, which I think that's kind of what's impacting TJ's numbers too is that they have other guys that are actually able to get there and get the job done.

Speaker 1 1:03:42

Did TJ even have 10?

Speaker 2 1:03:44

I think TJ had 10. Did you even have 10? I?

Speaker 1 1:03:49

think TJ had 10. I would check that.

Speaker 2 1:03:51

Okay, I'll take it Just real fast. I don't think he had 10. Tj Watt sacks.

Speaker 1 1:03:56

He had 11 and a half. That's it, trey. Real quick. Trey Hinerickson wins DPO right.

Speaker 2 1:04:01

I would like to think so. There is a three sack gap between him and the next guy. But again, they do that all the time. Last year, tj Watt was a sack leader and they decided to get him by how many by like two or three.

Speaker 1 1:04:13

Yeah, it was two.

Speaker 2 1:04:14

But they— Trey Hendrickson no, and he had more fumble recoveries and he had all of that. No, he did not. No, I'm going with overall. Last year TJ Watt had more than everything in Miles Garrett and they gave it to Miles Garrett instead.

Speaker 1 1:04:30

Okay, yes, that was crazy.

Speaker 2 1:04:30

That's what I'm trying to say I'm not saying that, henderson, calm down, look.

Speaker 1 1:04:36

Trey Henderson wasn't even up for the award.

Speaker 2 1:04:39

I'm not yes Him and.

Speaker 1 1:04:41

TJ. The only thing TJ really had, that was more, was he had 1.5 sacks More than he did.

Speaker 2 1:04:48

Trey Henderson at 17.5. I don't want to go back to what it was last year Trey Henderson at 17.5. Okay, I don't want to get into that.

Speaker 1 1:04:55

TJ had 19.

Speaker 2 1:04:56

I don't want to make this about that, I'm just saying they screwed TJ out of it last year I agree For less I, so I would like to think Hendrickson would win it.

Speaker 1 1:05:05

Not once has anybody been closer to Hendrickson all year. And here's my other issue is that with Hendrickson they may dox him for being on a bad defense how I'm the only thing on the defense.

Speaker 2 1:05:20

True, but again this is a narrative award type of thing. A lot of times these guys that are picking are not just picking based on who had the best season, or anybody that would be up for that award in the playoff. It's him. What is it Micah Parsons?

Speaker 1 1:05:33

Not in the playoff. Miles Garrett Not in the playoff. Okay, so anybody that's up for that award and in the playoff.

Speaker 2 1:05:39

You're not wrong.

Speaker 1 1:05:40

Okay, yeah, I'm just saying all your best. Defensive players aren't on good teams. That's why they're the best defensive players.

Speaker 2 1:05:48

There's no one else on my team again. I I said all this to say I do believe henchmen should win it I just believe he's not good but they have taken it from tj y and obviously you think he should be winning hands down. And then they start talking about pass rush, win rate and things start going downhill from there and I'm like how the hell do we get here?

Speaker 1 1:06:04

what the fuck's's a pass for how did we get here?

Speaker 2 1:06:07

That's what I'm saying. I'm just trying to give you that realization, because TJ should have three defensive player of the years. He only has one. So I'm just putting it out there that they find different reasons for guys to win or not win awards and even for defensive player of the year. So I'm just trying to make you aware of the war I've been fighting for years. I'm bowing out this year. Tj Watt didn't have this great of years he usually does. It is what it is. I'm not hurting, but you may end up mad for some reason. Just be ready for the reasons people want to bring up for that.

Speaker 1 1:06:44

The other two guys that could possibly win. It were both on Ward'sards and both got all their sacks during a couple games. Trae Hendrickson had a sack almost every game of the year I understand, there's 17 games this season.

Speaker 2 1:06:53

Just win those awards or give them out. You know I'll be right here to talk about it with you and fight it out. So you know I'm on your side on this.

Speaker 1 1:07:01

I can't win the Joe Burrow MVP. He's the best quarterback in the NFL. No one can deny that fact. Lamar rushes the ball. Joe Burrow still has more touchdowns.

Speaker 2 1:07:14

Tell me I'm wrong Lamar rushes the ball right, joe Burrow has had the hottest season as a quarterback this year. He has Again. I think Lamar's very hot too. If you look at his stats. It's kind of crazy too.

Speaker 1 1:07:27

Lamar runs the ball and he still doesn't have as many touchdowns Rushing and throwing.

Speaker 2 1:07:31

I get what you're saying.

Speaker 1 1:07:36

My nigga. He has 47 touchdowns, 47. Nine interceptions. That boy is under 10 interceptions I get what you're saying Under 10, and he throws the ball that much.

Speaker 2 1:07:47

But Lamar may not even Josh. Allen could never. Lamar may not even Josh.

Speaker 1 1:07:49

Allen could never. They're going to go with Josh Allen. Yeah, okay, they're probably going to go with Josh Allen. It should definitely go.

Speaker 2 1:07:53

Because Josh Allen has done more with less, and I think that's the same reason they gave it to Lamar last year. This year are better than what he had last year when he won the MVP. But they're probably going to give it to Josh Allen because, josh Allen, the Bills weren't supposed to be this good. They weren't supposed to make the playoffs and do all that. But guess what? Josh Allen put on his Superman cape all year and played very well, did not have any really terrible games and other than them getting destroyed by the Ravens, that one game.

Speaker 1 1:08:22

But outside of that he had a lot of great games. No one has talked about that game. They did get beat the fuck up.

Speaker 2 1:08:30

Yeah, but again, they're the only team that beat the Chiefs this year, so as soon as that happened, it's like oh, that's over.

Speaker 1 1:08:36

They are the other 15-win team.

Speaker 2 1:08:38

Right. So, all that being the case, it is what it is, but I'm just letting you know things don't always go your way when it comes to those player awards.

Speaker 1 1:08:46

There's no one close. Joe Burrow should at least get a couple votes for the MVP. There's no reason he shouldn't.

Speaker 2 1:08:51

Well, there's a lot of people saying Mahomes deserves votes because he's just the most valuable player in football. Again, people took. There are people that took what happened to the Chiefs on Sunday and say, well, this should give Mahomes more credit because he dragged a team like this that has in their backups are so bad that it shows that Mahomes is a lot better than we thought he was because he's quarterbacking this bad team. So again, the mental pretzel that people put themselves in for these awards is crazy. It should not be this difficult.

Speaker 1 1:09:23

I. It is refreshing that I did not have to hear about Mahomes this year. I didn't have to hear anybody talking about the Chiefs. The Chiefs were winning, but it wasn't spectacular wins.

Speaker 2 1:09:34

Oh yeah, a lot of people that would be on Mahomes and Schlong were all just looking for the big fireworks, and usually most of them are distracted by shiny things. And there's nothing as much as I hate to say this about the Chiefs. They have very much made themselves the Patriots. They are going to win in the most boring way possible and they're going to find a way to win these games and you're going to want to kill yourself for it because you see so many teams that have an opportunity to beat them. But guess what? Every team they face is scared of that Chiefs uniform and of Patrick Mahomes.

NFL Playoff Picture and MVP Race

Speaker 1 1:10:07

Whoa face is scared of that Chiefs uniform and of Patrick Mahomes. Whoa, whoa. Watch your tone when you speak to me. Boy Three and one Fuck out my face. Watch your fucking tone. Bengals got three blowouts under their belts. Fuck, nigga. Did that win happen this year? Did you win happen this year? Did you beat him this year? When's the last time you beat them, nigga? What the fuck? The Bengals got three blowouts on them.

Speaker 2 1:10:37

Niggas, sorry, I shouldn't have added that jab. That jab wasn't necessary. What is Josh Allen?

Speaker 1 1:10:40

as good as Patrick Holmes Fuck, no, that nigga's nowhere near as good.

Speaker 2 1:10:45

No, but I'm just trying, I'm just chilling out. I shouldn't have added that jab. That jab was unnecessary. It's not Fuck. No, that nigga's nowhere near as good. No, but I'm just trying to, I'm just Chill out. I shouldn't have had that jab that jab was unnecessary.

Speaker 1 1:10:53

It's not a jab that works. Go ahead, throw Joe Burrow on your team.

Speaker 2 1:10:56

Your team's Super Bowl caliber. No, I understand that. Yeah, fuck, nigga. Joe Burrow is for sure great. No, I'm not saying he's not Giants-Eagles.

Speaker 1 1:11:07

Are we still? How many more games do we have to talk about?

Speaker 2 1:11:10

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven.

Speaker 2 1:11:13

I'm not going to do a lot in all these games, I promise Eagles-Giants. Eagles won the game 20-13. Mckee, the quarterback for the Eagles, played great. Eagles, the Giants finally, they lost the game Again. They lost this game thinking they potentially still had a shot at getting that first overall pick. Now they do not, and I don't know. The Giants just played awful again and the Eagles just played great. The Eagles are, I actually believe, of all the teams in the NFL. The Eagles are multiple players deep at every position Because as bad as that.

Speaker 1 1:11:43

Except running back.

Speaker 2 1:11:49

They had Will Shipley. He's not good. They have White running back, Except running back. But outside of that they have multiple guys in every position On that defense a lot of those guys that are backups. All played great.

Speaker 1 1:11:59

It's bullshit. You didn't let Saquon get his yards. I tweaked out watching Mike Evans get his shit. I was so excited they should have spiked the ball.

Speaker 2 1:12:08

Well, Mike Evans had $3 million on the line.

Speaker 1 1:12:10

That wasn't just a-, yes and a 70-year record, not a 70, like a 35-year record.

Speaker 2 1:12:16

He's now in the same Him and-. Jerry Rice, jerry Rice only wants to go over 10 years. 10 years At least.

Speaker 1 1:12:24

11 years of 1,000 yards, yes, and Mike Evans is the only person that could probably break that.

Speaker 2 1:12:30

next year no for sure, and he had $3 million in incentives. There's no way he's going to tell him to sit out the game no matter what happened. But again, they still had a playoff game. They still had the playoffs to get into, because if they lost that game, they played.

Speaker 1 1:12:41

They missed the playoffs. They got him that thousand, that thousand yards at the very end oh yeah, the the very last play with like no time left.

Speaker 2 1:12:47

They all they do is need the ball out. They give him that extra little five yards so he can get a thousand yards for sure. That was a legacy play, and I think that's the difference with between them and a lot of their teams is that not only are they a little scrappy, they feel like underdogs in that way. So things like this, this is gonna be more likely to do a lot like the detroit lions, even though they're not underdogs. The Detroit Lions haven't been underdogs in like two years now.

Speaker 2 1:13:07

But, they play like underdogs because that's their mentality, from a play-in, play-out basis. That's what the Tampa Bay are actually about underdogs because of the talent they have. They're not necessarily those other teams, but they still feel scrappy so they still can do stuff like this and it makes sense. The Detroit Lions have a lot more on the line. Lions have a lot more on the line because of where they're at and what their real opportunity is. Nobody thinks Tampa Bay's going to win a Super Bowl. Detroit last saw that chance and the Eagles are still a team that look like.

Speaker 2 1:13:37

Going back to the Saquon thing, the Eagles are a team played the way they did this year. As long as they can get Hertz back for this game because it's not a guarantee he hasn't necessarily been cleared. Everybody thinks he's going to be ready for next week's playoff game, but if they get him back, they're on a playoff-bound team, which is why, as much as I hate it for Saquon that he didn't get this opportunity, at the end of the day the main goal is the main goal is to win a Super Bowl and technically this does help that part of it out. So, as much as it sucks, as much as history would have been made. I understand the decision that was made, even though I don't like it. I understand the decision and, like I said, the Eagles proved that even with all their backups unlike the Chiefs who had all their backups in and lost got blown out by the Broncos eagles team. That secondary, that third, second and third string defensive guys they're all good too and they're monsters.

Speaker 2 1:14:33

They're getting after the ball and everything. But uh, big next game. Uh, buccaneers, like I just mentioned, buccaneer saints. This game was actually actually close for most of the game, especially the first half. Spencer rattler played very well. He threw for a lot of yards. They were getting up and down the field a lot of third downs, like tamp bay could not get off the field and throw down for a lot of points in this game. But in the second half buccaneers kind of heated up.

Speaker 2 1:14:57

Baker started playing great in the second half. Um, he ended the day with 221 yards. 221 yards, 22 touchdowns and a pick. Bucky irving still very, still very good 89 yards and a touchdown. Mike Evans we were mentioning him earlier. He got his $3 million in incentives. They got that all for him. They did not try to play that game to where they didn't want to pay for the incentives. They gave it to him. He's their franchise guy. They helped him get those incentives. That was great and helped him get the record when it comes to getting that 1,000 yards for the 11th straight season, not that he tied.

Speaker 2 1:15:29

It wasn't tied because Jerry Rice is at 13. Jerry Rice is 13 years at over 1,000 yards. What the fuck is he? It's just only he, and Jerry Rice has more than 10.

Speaker 1 1:15:39

It's only Jerry Rice. Yeah, mike Evans probably said damn, I'm going to do this two more years, I'm going to do two more years, I got this. Two more years. The tie, bro, just the tie.

Speaker 2 1:15:46

Yeah.

Speaker 1 1:15:46

Crazy. What's crazy is Mike Evans did it in only like 11 games. Mike Evans was out for a while.

Speaker 2 1:15:54

Oh, yeah, for sure. No, exactly, heck, he would have had it already sewn up if he would have not gotten hurt in the middle of the season, he would have had this shit two weeks ago.

Speaker 2 1:16:02

But no, buccaneers and the Falcons were in this spot where, if Tampa Bay lost this game, they would need the Falcons to either to lose or tie in order to still get into the playoffs. But they managed to get the Falcons to lose their game and Tampa Bay Buccaneers won. So Tampa Bay was able to win this game, but again during the game, you were showing the fans each other's games during the game and you could tell like they were like cheering when things were kind of going their way where you think they had a shot but the falcons just kind of screwed over themselves where they didn't really didn't have much of an opportunity to finish, finish it off. Um, let's see what was I got here. Oh, chiefs, broncos, broncos destroy the chiefs 38. Nothing, chiefs didn't play anybody of consequence. Um, I think we maybe can give a little bit of credence to the idea that maybe the chiefs didn't want to see, not didn't want to see are happy to see Joe Burrow not make the playoffs, because, as much as I believe Joe Burrow would be a problem to the Chiefs defense Mahomes and that Chiefs offense would be a problem for the Bengals defense, but it didn't matter because the Broncos came out, played great.

NFL Week 18 Game Recaps

Speaker 2 1:17:03

Bo Nix had a great game 26-29, 321 yards, four touchdowns. He also had 47 yards rushing. Cam Sutton had a good game. He had 98 yards, five receptions and a touchdown. Marvin Mims had two tutties Broncos it almost you know what's funny. It felt like the Broncos were reveling in the opportunity just to beat up on the Chiefs. But you weren't beating the Chiefs right, you were beating their second and third string guys that really shouldn't have belonged on that field. So it just felt like the Broncos was running up the score for no reason when you could tell the Chiefs had waved the white flag before the game even started. But again they risked their own players. I don't think they came out of it very healthy. So the Broncos didn't have to pay for it that way. But it almost felt Bush League in a way, to where they were just straight up blowing this team out, even though the Chiefs didn't have any desire to win this game, not a one starter.

Speaker 1 1:17:58

They didn't have any starters no-transcript.

Speaker 2 1:18:09

Chargers won the game 34-20. They came into this game knowing that if they won this game, that they would earn having to play Houston in the first round rather than Baltimore. And the Chargers went out there and played like it. Herbert played great 28-36, 346 yards and two tutties. Jkbbins had 63 yards rushing off 18 carries. He played very well. Herbert had 42 yards rushing in this game as well. Uh, quentin johnston, the guy we love making fun of for not having having feet for hands. He had 13 receptions, 186 yards a lot of mcconkey real quick five reception, 95 yards.

Speaker 1 1:18:42

That dude sometimes is like I. I was a first round pick and I'm like, yeah, man, you're so talented.

Speaker 2 1:18:47

And then you get hit in-round pick and I'm like, yeah, man, you're so talented and then you get hit in the face with the football and I'm like, dude, come on, something's not, what doesn't click for you, what's not clicking here? Yeah, exactly.

Speaker 1 1:18:56

They run so many plays where you can see the ball and you still can't catch.

Speaker 2 1:19:02

It's crazy. Will Disley had a touchdown in the tight end for them. This game, dj Char. Will Desley had a touchdown in the tight end for them. This game, dj Chark had a touchdown. I have to give the Raiders a lot of credit because they fired their head coach today as well His name.

Speaker 1 1:19:16

The Raiders did.

Speaker 2 1:19:16

Yeah, the Raiders fired their head coach.

Speaker 2 1:19:18

Pierce. They fired Pierce. They fired Pierce today. Oh wow, they fired him really right before we started podcasting. So they fired him.

Speaker 2 1:19:25

We'll play a little game here. We'll rank what. What are the best at coaching jobs that are open. Uh, in in a few. But we'll get to the rest of these games first. But yeah, raiders really did heat up there at the end, even though they don't have a lot of talent on their side. Um, they went behind Brock Bowers and they just played. They played some good football at the end.

Speaker 2 1:19:41

Aino O'Connell actually ain't that bad of a quarterback. I'm not saying he's a definite starter, but he's a very good backup. If I have Ian O'Connell as my backup quarterback, I feel very confident because he can play some very good ball. When you put him in positions to win Seahawks-Rams, rams did not play any lick of their starters, did not play anybody whatsoever. Seahawks took advantage of that. It was still a closer game, though. The Rams actually played very well with their backups. Seahawks won at 30-25.

Speaker 2 1:20:06

Jimmy G made a return, for the Rams Didn't play all that terribly, and this is the thing that got Jimmy G to even people to think he was a starter in the first place. He played well as a backup for the Patriots and Sanford was like, ooh, I like that, let's get him. And I think there's going to be another team that's going to be without a quarterback starting going into next year. Like, ooh, is going to be without a quarterback starting going into next year. Like, oh, I saw what Jimmy G did, he could be my starter and then he starts getting hurt and then not playing well and you're like, uh, why did I believe in this guy in the first place? It's like a whole thing that keeps going around and around for this Jimmy Garoppolo guy. But Seahawks, um Gino, had like three different incentives and for him I think it was like two million dollars each want two million dollars if he, um, if they win the division, which they didn't do, it was two million dollars if they won like over 10 games, something like that. And he did that. And then it was like another, like sorry, it was like another 500 000, something else too. He won a bunch of money and instead I think like 1.5, 2 million dollars in this game and incentives. So seattle played well.

Speaker 2 1:21:04

Gino went 20 of 27, 22 223 yards, four touchdowns. They ran the football decently, with Zach Charbonnet being the leader. Noah Fitt played well 63 yards, had a touchdown this game. Dk Metcalf played well 53 yards and a touchdown. Jsn really didn't do much, but they didn't really need him to in this game, but they won, even though Seattle didn't have really much to play for at all in this game.

Speaker 2 1:21:29

Seattle came out, played well and they beat up on a Rams team that had no desire to win this football game because they wanted to have a better shot at being healthy for the first round of the playoff game. Let's see what we got here. We only have a couple left Dolphins, jets. Jets win the game 32-20. Aaron Rodgers throws his 500th career touchdown pass. They play well. Aaron Rodgers has a decent game. I think this is one of those games that makes you like, oh, maybe Rodgers can be good and somebody else is going to fall for that trap next year when Rodgers decides to want to play again and he'll ruin that team too. I hope it's not the Steelers. I really do.

Speaker 2 1:22:02

Dolphins played well. Devon Achan had 121 yards, brushing in a touchdown and let's see On the Jets. I really don't know why he did anything for the Dolphins in the loss. Rodgers played well. Brees Hall didn't do all that great. Devonta Adams 88 yards and a touchdown. Lazar had a touchdown. Garrett Wilson had four receptions 51 yards. Conklin and Brees Hall each had a touchdown reception. Um, but here's there's the main story coming out of this game. Tyreek Hill, after the game, pretty much nuked himself and said I have to do what's best for me and my family and I I'm too good of a, I'm too talented to be not in the playoff. So he's like, if I have to, I'm gonna open the door for myself. I'm out pretty much. Not saying whether he was like he was what he's pretty much saying he's willing to leave to try to get a better opportunity to go competitively, to go do something else. I think this is all about money.

Speaker 2 1:22:54

He has no guaranteed money left and I felt like he was going to do any say anything he needs to say to potentially get money from somebody, and it looks like the dolphins aren't necessarily going to do that for him. So who knows how big of a mess he's going to be willing to make it in order to get some more guaranteed cash. Um, but I have a feeling, based on what he's done in past years, that he's probably going to do enough and again, it's who's what team's going to be willing to try to go for him. Either trade for him or just like you have to trade for him, because I think he's still under contract you do so who's going to go up with something for him and pay him at the same time?

Speaker 2 1:23:25

I doubt it with how this year has went. Machinabay went on all on him because I think the Tua injury really did change the way that offense works. That kind of takes away what Tyreek Hill's best attribute is is like getting the big plays downfield and that was kind of erased. By the way. They had to play offense with Tua at the helm, but uh, but we'll see. We'll see if anybody wants to take on that bait, but I doubt it. Cardinals Niners. Cardinals won 47-24. Kyler Murray had a great game. Everybody on this Cardinals team ate. There was two running backs with a touchdown in this game. They ran for over 151 yards total. Trey McBride had a touchdown 65 yards, seven receptions. Marvin Harrison had 63 uh off five carries sorry, five catches in a touchdown. Greg dorch, another wide receiver for them, had two touchdowns in this game. This night's team played hard. Um josh joshua dobbs was their starter in this game. He played well again. He's playing well for every team he's ever had to play for 29-43, 326 yards, two touchdowns and two picks.

Speaker 1 1:24:30

He's very pick-happy Aren't most backups.

Speaker 2 1:24:32

Would you like to know which running back this time played well for the Niners? His name is Patrick Taylor Jr. 17 carries, 109 yards. Average over six yards a carry.

Speaker 1 1:24:41

Nice.

Speaker 2 1:24:42

Insane.

Speaker 1 1:24:43

Don't know you, but nice Any running back.

Speaker 2 1:24:44

They want to just add in. They'll just play well. Ricky Pearsall had a good game 69 yards and a touchdown. Juwan Jennings Juwan Jennings was like 25 yards away from 1,000 and got himself ejected for fighting. That's a career accomplishment for yourself. And the fact that he cannot get over his own anger and like stop. He fought with two different DBs, so like he kept fighting with them and all that and he ended up getting himself kicked out. That was insane.

Speaker 2 1:25:10

I doubt he'll be on the team after this year because that's not something that the San Fran-Cisco locker room really deals with at all. They really want football players that don't have these issues, but we'll see. But again, they still have Brandon Ayuk, who is willing to make a mess of situations too. But we'll see Brandon Ayuk, who is willing to make a mess of situations too, but we'll see. But yeah, niners just can't really play well enough defensively. Arizona rips them to shreds. And Kyler Murray has one of those games that makes you think, oh, if he gets it all together he can be a very good quarterback. But again, can you get this type of production out of Kyler from week in, week out basis? You just can't. It's just not a possibility to really lean on Last in week out basis. You just can't. It's just not a possibility to really lean on.

Speaker 2 1:25:50

Last but not least, lions-vikings Lions destroy the Vikings 31-9. Jared Goff 27-33, 231 yards and a touchdown. Amomar St Brown six receptions, 77 yards, zero touchdowns. Sam Laporte at 60, 63 yards receiving. Jameer Gibbs five receptions, 31 yards and a touchdown.

Speaker 2 1:26:08

Jameer Gibbs is really the superstar for this football game. He had 23 carries, 139 yards and three touchdowns rushing. And then I already mentioned that, those 31 yards receiving off of five receptions. And he also had a touchdown. He had a four touchdown game in this game he was their whole offense and he destroyed. And this was what people have been talking about all year when they was talking about oh, the sonic and knuckles together. It's great with him and david montgomery.

Speaker 2 1:26:35

But I think there's a lot some people that believe that if jameer gibbs was able to get all the carries, he would be considered a top five back in the nfl, and a game like this only puts a big old stamp on that. But guess, guess what? They're probably going to have David Montgomery back by the time they end up playing their first playoff game and it'll go back to being Sonic and Knuckles again. But I think that does preserve both running backs for the long term and I think Jameer Gibbs will be able to be more explosive for longer in his career because of this. But I think he is giving up games like this that he could have because he has another guy with him that's also taking up carries that they're will that they actually are using.

Speaker 2 1:27:10

It is not. David montgomery is not a guy that is bringing every once in a while. They use him considerably, but having a game like this is like makes you wonder like what? If jameer gibbs has been has all these carries by himself for a whole season, he'll tear it up. He'll be an mvp candidate. That's how good Jameer Gibbs really is. When he hits a burst, it's like everybody else is in slow motion on the football field. There's plenty of opportunities where he hits a crease and then you're like nobody's catching him. Now he's hitting the boost.

Speaker 1 1:27:38

It was the year he was drafted. Him and B John were in the same class and the Lions traded down. Everybody said they were crazy because they drafted Jameer Gibbs.

Speaker 2 1:27:46

And they still took him in the first round.

Speaker 1 1:27:50

Everybody was like, what are you doing? Well, they left Jameer Gibbs and didn't take Bijan after trading down Right, Because Bijan was on the board where they were and they traded down all the way to like 13. And drafted Jameer Gibbs and fuck it works out First time.

Speaker 2 1:28:01

running back don't typically do well. I think Bijan was a top 10 pick.

Speaker 1 1:28:04

He was. They were in the top 10.

Speaker 2 1:28:06

And they traded down and ended up taking Jameer Gibbs.

Speaker 1 1:28:09

Bijan was 7. Everybody was like why'd you take Jameer Gibbs?

Speaker 2 1:28:11

Everybody was thinking he was going to be a second-round pick and they picked him in the first.

Speaker 1 1:28:14

They were pick 6, and they traded down and took Jameer Gibbs at 13.

Speaker 2 1:28:20

And everybody was like why'd you do that? Because he's that good, he runs like it. But let's get to the Detroit Lions defense, who has been cheeks all year. Everybody was like what's going to happen? It's going to be fireworks in this game because Minnesota's going to be able to eat. Do you know what Justin Jefferson had in this game? Three receptions for 54 yards. Jordan Addison only had a catch for zero yards. Aaron Jones had 30 yards receiving. Jalen Naylor had another 53 yards. Sam Darnold had an awful game 18 of 41, 166 yards and zero touchdowns In this game.

Sam Darnold's Playoff Pressure and Potential

Speaker 2 1:28:55

They were able to get into the red zone multiple times. Minnesota was in this game and they kept getting turned away. One time they ended up going forward on fourth and goal couldn't get it, and a couple of other times they had to settle for field goals. But this Minnesota Vikings offense could not get into the red zone against a Detroit Lions defense that has been maligned all year long for how bad they have been. But you know, what I have to give some credit to is this cornerback. Terry Arnold actually ended up leaving this game in the middle because he had an injury of some sort on a leg injury. But what? What is the cornerback's name. That played very well for the lions.

Speaker 2 1:29:34

Yeah, brian burns brian branch no, but safety, um, it's a different one, a guy. He was there, amik robinson. He was the. He was the slot corner for them and because they've had so many injuries, they moved him out to outside corner and he was on justin jefferson all game and he was harassing him. There was no opportunity for justin jefferson to really do anything in this game because of how well he played. He ended up getting the game ball after this game and he got all emotional and said, hey, happy for being here, and he's like they try. They say he's. They tried to bury me because they don't not going to. Really, they didn't want to show what I could do. And here you guys are doing that. You're my brothers. And he had a line that was really cool. He said you can't bury what was what was grown from the dirt. You can't bury someone who came from the dirt. Very good line. But he had an awesome game. He shut justin jefferson down.

Speaker 2 1:30:24

This defense went after um, sam Darnold all game. Do you know? They sent six guys or more after Sam Darnold 16 times in this game, which is the record for the most of this season. They pretty much said, hey, sam Darnold's gonna hold on to the football. We're gonna send multiple guys after him. We're gonna take chances with our corners, be able to hold on, and that's exactly what happened. They got after Sam donald a lot and he was seeing ghosts again. This. I haven't seen this bad of sam donald since he was with jets, and so this is where my question for you because I think you've been a sam donald like. You've been fighting for sam donald all year, talking about he should be the main guy for them.

Speaker 2 1:31:01

But could this be a turnaround that he loses this game? He saw before this game happened, he had everything in the palm of his hands. If you loses this game Before this game happened, he had everything in the palm of his hands If you win this game against the Lions, you potentially lock up potentially over $100 million in a contract for yourself and you're probably either going to be on the Detroit Lions or you're going to be on a very good team coming into next year, being a lot richer and everything. You don't have a chance to go on a playoff run. As the number one overall seed, you come into this game and you play as terribly as you do. What happens if they end up losing this first game in the playoffs.

Speaker 2 1:31:34

Could this be a huge fall from grace for Sam Donald that built up for himself all year long that the pumpkin isn't coming? He's playing great and then he plays his worst in the biggest game that the Vikings have this year. He plays his worst ball and then if he ends up losing this playoff game, everything could be shattered. Who's going to pay him now?

Speaker 2 1:31:53

I think this might be one of those games where he kind of felt all the pressure that was there. It wasn't helped by the Detroit Lions setting as much pressure as they did physically in that game. But maybe Sam Darnold did feel the pressure in this one and he played a lot worse for it. But I don't know, maybe this, this might be the one thing that he potentially needs to become a starter. He may not ever be that.

Speaker 2 1:32:11

He may not ever be the Sam Darnold for the rest of his career that we all see that he can be because of moments like this, because he had his moment to seize everything he had in the palm of his hand and he couldn't do. He let it all fall to the wayside and it sucks that one game can kind of change everything for you like that. But again. That's why there's such a premium on football, because there's only 17 games in the season. It's a lot. There's not like 80, there's not 85 games like in the NBA and not like over 100, 150, like it is in the MLB. So the fact you have so little opportunity and sometimes you're the whole narrative of on you can change in an instant, is one of those things that makes football so special. But I think it's it's pretty unfair as well and I think that's the part that makes it so compelling to watch as a sport. And I think Sam Donald might have lost his opportunity to where it might take him all the way down from where he was at such a high highs to where he might be at the lowest of lows.

Coach Preferences and Derrick Rose Retired

Speaker 2 1:33:04

Again depends on how this whole playoff run happens. If they go through this playoff run and they're great and he plays very well he can be right back to what he was before. But before this game happened he was on, he was on cloud nine and I think everything's feeling a little bumpy right now for him and I think that is a little bit tough. I'm not gonna lie to you. All right, real quick. Um, the openings are right now bears opening. Um patriots have a coaching opening, the jets have a coaching opening. Um jacksville jaguars are one and saints all seven opening in the raiders. If you have to pick your top three, if you were a head coach, if you were ben johnson and you had your pick, what would be the top three choices, you think, for the openings? Has Zach Taylor been fired yet?

Speaker 1 1:33:49

No oh.

Speaker 2 1:33:52

Not him again, bears.

Speaker 1 1:33:53

No.

Speaker 2 1:33:54

Patriots Fuck no Jets.

Speaker 1 1:33:56

Double fuck no Jags Hell, no Saints Fuck that and Raiders. Fuck.

Speaker 2 1:34:05

I'm going to stay on my team. No, I'm saying if you were Ben Johnson and you, I'm staying with the Lions. Fuck that.

Speaker 1 1:34:10

All of those teams suck ass, and I mean they suck ass from head to toe. Hold on, hold on, hold on. All those teams suck because the organizations are bad.

Speaker 2 1:34:21

But you already have two interviews set up the Bears and the Patriots.

Speaker 1 1:34:27

Okay, you want to go to the Bears?

Speaker 2 1:34:31

The Bears are ran terribly from top to bottom. I totally agree.

Speaker 1 1:34:33

The Patriots are at least ran well.

Speaker 2 1:34:36

And they have a quarterback in Drake May.

Speaker 1 1:34:38

They do, but nothing else. They have nothing else. They have Chris Gonzalez, that's it.

Speaker 2 1:34:41

Yeah, you have to start from the bottom. I think all these teams are pretty much the exact same. At least you kind of have your idea of who you're going to get with some of these teams. If I had to rank them, I'd probably put the Patriots at one, because they have Drake May. It's a little bit more of a clean slate, a little bit better-ran organization. And then two, I think I'd put oh no, I don't like the Saints. I don't like the Saints, I don't like the Raiders either. Oh, I think.

Speaker 2 1:35:09

Two I'd probably put the Bears, because at least they have Caleb Williams, a guy that you think can probably give you the guy. And they do have a lot of pieces. Whether they're great pieces or not is a different story, but you do have a lot of pieces on this team. The defense is okay. They have good talent on their defense, honestly like they're a great defense put together, but they do have some talent. And then three I'd probably put I'd say the Raiders. Three, because at least the Raiders have more opportunities for growth.

Speaker 2 1:35:35

The Saints are a dumpster fire, the Jags are a dumpster fire. And that's paying Trevor Lawrence, who who knows if he's really all that good, but you're already paying him a ton of money, so you're kind of locked in on that one In the Jets. You're not sure if Aaron Rodgers is going to want to come back to be the quarterback or not. We don't know how that's going to work out. And then you have a bunch of players on these teams that aren't feeling great about the whole organization. So that's probably how I would rank it there. We already talked about the draft order and let's see oh, college football draft order and let's see, oh costable.

Speaker 1 1:36:10

This be the last thing we do before we leave the podcast now. So jace, uh the bull, chicago bulls retired. Derrick rose jersey yesterday night I did see that, yes um, his jersey is now on the rafters for chicago bulls. No one can be number one except for his son, pj. They said it in in a uh, it was like a. They recorded it. The telling, derek Rose. They told him. The owner said the only person that can wear this number Is PJ, if he's A Chicago Bull in the future.

Speaker 1 1:36:35

That's cool that whole ceremony the Bulls Proceeded to. The shit. Be out of them.

Speaker 2 1:36:40

I thought no, I thought they beat that team that night, the Knicks. Right, they beat the Knicks.

Speaker 1 1:36:48

Let me check that real fast.

Speaker 2 1:36:50

No, I'm pretty sure they beat the Knicks that night they played the Spurs.

Speaker 1 1:36:54

They did win 1-10, 1-14. It's not a great showing, but they won. Derrick Rose's jersey was retired. It is now in the rafters, up there with Michael Jordan Scottie Pippen. Up there with Michael Jordan Scottie Pippen. Horace Grant His jersey is in the rafters, but yeah that was it.

College Football Game Previews and Predictions

Speaker 2 1:37:15

No, because they played the Knicks that night, because the Knicks were also wearing the number that Derrick Rose wore for them too. It was like a whole shirt they both were wearing. But I thought they beat the Knicks that night. I thought they did. But okay, college football Only two games to talk about. So we'll just kind of give our general thoughts and then give our picks as to who's going to win the game.

Speaker 2 1:37:33

We'll start with the first one Penn State, notre Dame. This is going to happen Thursday night. Notre Dame is a one and a half point favorite in this game. I think the over-under is 45 points. 46 points Over-under is 44 and a half.

Speaker 2 1:37:45

When I made my bet for this game, I picked Penn State in the under. I think this game is going to be very close to what the Georgia game was like. But I do think you're going to find a little bit better offensive play calling, because I think Penn State just has an offense that they can run and they have a quarterback they actually believe in that can throw the football. It's not like I believe in Penn State's wide receivers all that much and I do think Penn State really wants to run the football as well. So in this game I think Penn State should win. I think Penn State's probably the better team. Can Notre Dame come up and make some big plays? And not to mention Notre Dame's running back? I think his name is Love Jeremiah Love. He's been hurt. He has a knee brace. Who knows how healthy he is? And if he's starting to break down, if he's not his full self, they don't really have a lot of great running backs behind him that can make the big plays like bright, like jeremiah love can. So if he's not feeling, if he's not playing all that great, I do. I believe in riley lennard, their quarterback, to make enough plays throwing the football. I don't not against his penn state defense. So I'm probably picking penn state to win this game. Not to mention, I think it'd be very fun for Ohio State and Penn State to play for a national title and Ohio State to take dash their dreams from them right from there. When they're so close they feel like they can taste it and Ohio State just beat them down in the championship game. So I'm gonna take Penn State to win the game.

Speaker 2 1:39:01

I think Notre Dame's defense is very good. Their offense I just can't believe in them. I think Penn state's just a better overall team from both sides of the ball offense and defense and I think they have a quarterback at least they can believe can make plays down the field. And tyler warren, their tight end, is a very hard player to stop and I think notre dame has some guys. But I just think tyler warren's gonna get some of his and they're gonna feature him in the offense a little bit more. So I think penn state wins this game, but I think it's going to be a lower scoring game. If I had to say a score probably like 20, like 20 to 13, something like that, it's going to be a very low scoring game. It's going to be a little bit of a hog, kind of like a sludge of a type of game. But I think they win. I think Penn State wins the game. What you thinking, jace?

Speaker 1 1:39:45

I think it's going to be worrying. As shit it will be, I think I will not turn this game on.

Speaker 2 1:39:51

Just give me a winner Penn State Irish. What's your gut, your gut, what is your gut telling you?

Speaker 1 1:39:56

They're the same fucking team.

Speaker 2 1:39:58

Yeah, I don't fucking know.

Speaker 1 1:40:02

Both these teams are shit. Like I don't care about this game that much, I won't watch it.

Speaker 2 1:40:05

I will watch it because I'm already getting it.

Speaker 1 1:40:07

I won't even look at the score.

Speaker 2 1:40:09

Okay, all right, let's go to the next one, texas-ohio State, happening Friday night. There's a chance this game might be pushed to Saturday because Texas is getting a bunch of bad weather. Where this game is being played, and I think it's in Arlington Not Arlington, it's getting played in Cotton Bowl, which is happening in AT&T. So that's Dallas. Yes, yes.

Speaker 2 1:40:35

So the game's happening in Dallas. They're getting a bunch of snow and ice and all that, so whether they're not ready for it, because it's Texas. So there's a chance this game might be pushed to Saturday, but as of right now that has not happened. Ohio State is a five-and-a-half point favorite in this game. Ohio State's been on a crazy run. This playoff, texas not as much, even though they've both been winning.

Speaker 2 1:40:53

Texas had an easier road but neither of the games have been very convincing in the way they've won. They probably should have lost Arizona State. Arizona State got the targeting call they should have received. And then the game before that, texas did beat Clemson, but Clemson threw for a ton of yards against them, even though Clemson really shouldn't have been even close to this Texas football team. Ohio State very much the opposite. They've been destroying everybody they faced. They sent Tennessee home packing from Ohio Stadium in some cold weather, 42-17. They destroyed Oregon. They blitzed them in the first quarter and put them in a hole they could not dig themselves out of, and they beat Oregon by 20 points.

Speaker 2 1:41:33

The team that everybody thought was the best team in the country. Ohio State's coming from the highest of highs. Texas is coming from a little bit lower. Can Texas play up to what this Ohio State team has been doing? That's the question. I think Texas' defensive lines can potentially make this close because of how good their defensive tackles are and their their whole defensive line is very good. But I think if ohio state can play good offense and like if their offensive line can hold up against this d line, I don't think texas has a secondary that can stop jeremiah smith, that can stop emeka buka, that can stop carnell tate and stop our running backs when they're in spades they're actually using the running backs to catch passes too and make plays. So I think the way this Ohio State team is playing if they can just keep playing again, I think the last two football games have been perfect football from Ohio State. Can they continue, especially offensively? Can Ohio State offensively continue to be perfect offensively?

Speaker 2 1:42:25

I don't think I can necessarily guarantee that, but I think Ohio State's defense has kind of been underscored. How amazing they have been and they've been great ever since Oregon when they played them the first time Like Ohio State's been awesome against everybody else. They faced all year long and then had to face Oregon again and beat them too. So I think that, no matter what type of offense, as long as Ohio State is coming with the same type of game plan even if things don't go perfectly like they've been going the last two games I think Ohio State's defense is going to be enough and they're going to be able to do to Texas what Georgia did to Texas both times they faced them. I think Ohio State's better than that Georgia defense. Defensively, I think they're better than Georgia. So I think they're going to be able to do a lot of the things Georgia did to Texas and they're going to keep Texas from being able to run the football and, in turn, keep Quinn Ewers from being able to be comfortable in the pocket and he's going to make some mistakes and I think Ohio State will beat them by more than five and a half points. I think Ohio State wins this game by potentially double digits.

Speaker 2 1:43:28

Again, I'm an Ohio State state fan. What do you expect from me if you're listening to this podcast? But you know I'm giving some good reasons, like, the more you look into texas this year, who have they beaten this year? The best teams they faced is arizona state, who they should have lost to, and and clemson, who clemson has not looked good all year and clemson almost gave them pretty much a game when texas had over 300 yards of offense I mean 300 yards rushing and that game was close for no reason. But I just think this Ohio State team is a lot more tested than this Texas team and I think it will show in this game because I think Ohio State will come with an edge that Texas has not seen this year other than when they face Georgia. But Ohio state actually has the talent offensively to back it up and I just think that texas will not be ready for what's coming. And I think this ohio state team is focused. I think ryan day and chip kelly are in their bag. Jim knowles has been in his bag all year and I think this and the way they use, uh, caleb downs in the middle of that defense is like a like. I've said this on the last podcast, but I had to say it again Cause it's so perfect, perfect mixture of Ed Reed and Troy Powell, all the way they use him and they just build a defense around him and they let him do it every once and he's making great plays out there.

Speaker 2 1:44:36

Ohio state wins this game by double digits. It doesn't even matter that there'll be more Texas fans than there will be Ohio state. I think Ohio State the way they're looking right now, they'll take it as a challenge, and I think it will make them even more amped up for this game. I think the last thing you want is for Ohio State to feel like an underdog, and I feel like there are a couple things in this game that will make Ohio State feel like, potentially, the corner dog, and those fans may not help, and I think that will only bring better play out of this Ohio State team.

Speaker 2 1:45:09

And they don't have anybody that can stop Jeremiah Smith flat out. Do they have anybody that can stop him? No, and when they do try to put more people on him, there's a Mecca on the other side, and I think, as long as Will Howard can stay upright, keep making throws that he needs to make, he doesn't need to be a superman. He's been great the last few games, though. But games, though, but as long as he makes those need be made and they, they do what they need to do. They win this game very effectively and they should beat texas pretty, pretty much like they've been beating the other two teams so far in this playoff. So way I see it's ohio state and penn state playing for the national championship and ohio state's probably gonna win, win it all after they dummy penn state too. So that's where I'm at, um, those. That's the playoff games. I guess we'll go ahead and end the podcast here. We'll be back on, probably either Thursday or Friday, to talk about the NFL playoffs, which is crazy that the playoffs are already here. So stay tuned for that.

Speaker 2 1:46:01

If you've listened for a while, we appreciate you. If you're just now joining in, hopefully you like us and enjoy what we're doing, talking about sports in the dumbest way possible. And if you're just now joining in, hopefully you like us and enjoy what we're doing. Um, talking about sports in the dumbest way possible. And if you like and enjoy what we do, we would appreciate if you could like the podcast, subscribe to the podcast, rate the podcast five stars wherever you listen to us. Um, if you could share our podcast with friends, family, enemies, anybody you feel like could enjoy the content we put out on a weekly basis about mostly football, but it's just sports in general. We would love if you could do that. And and then, last but not least, if you can follow us on Twitter and our X, whatever you'd like to call it. At JBSportsPod is the podcast handle. At JavanteBoozer is my handle. At JaceBoozer1 is Jace's handle and I will hand it over to Jace so he can finish off the pod.

Speaker 1 1:46:41

This has been the JBSports Podcast. Thank you guys for listening. Thank you guys for always listening. Have a nice time. Have a nice night.

Speaker 2 1:46:45

Goodbye, bye y'all, see you all in a couple days. Bye.