Two For The Win - S2.59 - Goalie Brawl, LeBron's Future & Indiana's Record Season

A goalie in full pads sprinting into a melee. A high school guard dropping 100 in three quarters. A blue-blood baseball debate that won’t die. This one moves fast, but we ground every wild turn in what matters: identity, execution, and the choices teams make when the lights are hottest.

We kick off with the NHL moment everyone shared: a rare goalie fight that said more about leadership and timing than about haymakers through foam. From there, we wrestle with Cooperstown’s conscience—celebrating Andrew Jones at last and questioning the logic behind Carlos Beltran’s nod while Bonds and Clemens remain outside. The hot stove stays boiling: the Angels patch holes, the Mets overload the middle, the Dodgers pay a premium for certainty, the Phillies lock down the plate. Roster building is the sport within the sport, and we connect the dots to October.

Then the show pivots to pure amazement: Adrian Stubbs scores 100, and we talk what that means for NIL, college offers, and the global pro paths that exist beyond the NBA. The NBA conversation sharpens: injuries stacking up, the Warriors searching for themselves, the Knicks slipping, and the Lakers’ uneasy dance with LeBron’s legacy and Brawny’s development. If he makes one last move, where does it make sense and why?

College football delivers a shock of its own. Indiana marches to a 16-0 national title on timely throws, sturdy defense, and the kind of composure fans remember for decades. That leads naturally to the NFL’s big swings: extending the regular season, exporting more games abroad, and what those choices cost fans and players. On the sideline, power shifts: Miami bets on a defensive CEO, Tennessee installs a builder, and the Chargers pair Jim Harbaugh with Mike McDaniel for a run game that could bully the league if the line stays healthy.

Finally, the playoffs. Denver stuns Buffalo as Josh Allen’s volatility bites, New England out-adjusts Houston, and fines fly over eye-black messages. Seattle’s pass rush suffocates San Francisco, while Chicago drags the Rams into a snowy fistfight decided by inches. We make our championship picks and explain them: defense travels, identity holds, and the thinnest margins decide January.

If you’re into sharp takes without the fluff—big moments, bold questions, and clear reasons why—hit play now. Then tell us your Super Bowl matchup, subscribe for more weekly breakdowns, and drop a review so we can keep the banter going.

Transcript

Cold Open, Sponsors, Run Of Show

SPEAKER_01 0:13

January 21st, 2026. Welcome back everybody for another episode of Sports Banter with yours truly. Thank you again for joining us. I'm Brian with an eye. And I'm Mike. And we are two for the win. Mike, I don't know how I always manage to mess up the live intro and do perfect on the practice, but whatever the case, what we got going on tonight?

SPEAKER_02 0:34

Well, we kind of have a scatter shot kind of feel to sports tonight because you know we got a little bit of hockey to talk about. I know it's weird. We don't talk hockey normally, but when they do things that are haven't been done in like six years, we gotta talk about it a little. This is true. I like that word scatter shot. That's a very good word. I wonder where you came up with that. But along with that, we got a little baseball news to discuss, we got some NBA to discuss, as well as our mainstay, football.

Rare NHL Goalie Fight Breakdown

SPEAKER_01 1:06

Foosball! And while football season may be ending, football is never over in our world. Anyway, it's a year-round. Before we dive in though, I just want to thank our sponsors and partners. Body by D Gym, located in Yorktown and Gloucester. Uh Deshaun Wright, uh, former bodybuilding champion, training future bodybuilding champions uh in their own right, uh, doing a lot of great things up there, very community and youth-based uh-oriented gym up there, very family-oriented as well. Uh so a lot of great things coming out of uh out of there once again. Uh our good friends Kaden and Christian over at Solace Outfitters, uh, two young athletes, basketball players, in effect, uh, building their own brand, not just displaying skills on the court, but a high level of business acumen as well at such a young age. Good job, guys. Keep on going. And the Giving Tree Chiropractic uh down here in Virginia Beach. Uh Justin's very knowledgeable, very outgoing, loves to talk, uh, welcomes everybody with open arms and uh not as good at what he does, but he has his pricing uh set up so it's easily accessible for everybody who wishes to seek chiropractic services. Uh so thank you again, everybody, for being our sponsors and partners. We look forward to doing business with you more in the future. Mike, let's talk about this goalie fight.

SPEAKER_02 2:28

Well, yeah, that's our NHL we got to talk about today.

SPEAKER_01 2:31

Yeah, we don't have a we don't we haven't been hitting the NHL a lot here recently, but I thought this was something we got to talk about, man. It's very rare, right? They don't you don't see goalie fights a lot. Uh so between the sharks and the and the Panthers here, what's their name? Let me pull up the thing here. Uh Alex Nedel Nedojovic. This is why we don't talk kids about Nejelovic versus uh Sergi Robrowski. Uh, you know, they exchanged blows, and I thought this was kind of funny the way it happened, Mike, because uh so uh Alex, I'm gonna call him Alex because I can't pronounce his last name. But anyway, the Sharks goalie. There was a scrum broke out over on his side of the over on his side was the field, over on his side of the ice. And I guess uh he inserts himself briefly helping his teammates jump said Panthers player, and uh Sergi, because I'll say him by his first name as well, comes over. Look, I don't know how nobody saw this bright red goalie beaming across the ice, but they all looked surprised at his arrival. Because if you look at the video, you can even see him in the background, like the dude from the video I saw. Like you can see him coming, but he's not really focused on him. But you're like, oh shit, the goalie from the other side is like beaming in. And you see Alex, you know, turns, he catches his attention, and he's like looking around, and he puts his hand on it, says, Me, and Sergi's just shaking his head, yep, you. And before Alex can even throw his gloves down, Sergi's got the first blow being thrown.

SPEAKER_02 4:12

So I think I I know why this kind of stemmed. Because typically, when a fight happens on your end, the goalie he kind of just stays in goal, he doesn't really get involved, typically watches. But in this case, the sharks goalie turned around, he was in the scrum. He was over there, pads and every helmet, everything's still on, and he's over there getting into the mix. And yeah, and so you know, when you're the goalie on the other side standing there going, Wait a minute, I want to be in this too. Like he's like, hey, if that goalie's fighting, I'm in. Let me in. I'm gonna get in, coach. Let me get a shot in on this goalie.

SPEAKER_01 4:51

Yeah, Lebrowski, he's like, forget this mess. I'm not staying over here by myself and watching all y'all fight. Let me get in the Mosh Pitt. Yeah, and he sure did.

SPEAKER_02 5:04

He skated down there. And it didn't take either of them too long to get the helmets off, but I gotta give him kudos for getting the helmets off. But well, yeah, the punch is thrown less than uh Stellar.

SPEAKER_01 5:20

I mean, these guys are in full goalie padding, they probably can't hardly move, much less throw a punch. But and I gotta give Sergei uh Lobrowski credit for keeping his helmet on coming all the way across the ice. Because the moment you take your helmet off, the zebras stop you. You know, I mean zebras. Well referees.

SPEAKER_02 5:41

Well, that's how you tell who the rookies are. They're the ones that want to take off the helmet and throw off the gloves and fight. You know, the veterans go over there, they they leave some of that stuff on for a second, you know, get a call.

SPEAKER_01 5:53

And you could tell, because Lebrowski, he didn't even throw his gloves, start taking his gloves off until he was on top of uh Net Alex. Which by the way, Alex won that fight, but you know, I guess that's a good comeback. It you know, quote, asterisk won the fight. Well, really, it was the Brabowski who fell down first.

SPEAKER_02 6:19

Exactly. It's you that's usually who who wins the fight, who gets the other guy onto the ice, yeah, and is on top of him. Then the the refs are like, nope, nope, you're done.

SPEAKER_01 6:28

It's over. It's kind of funny because everybody was kind of flabbergasted at this fight. The refs didn't really the refs are just skating around. I'm like, is this really happening? The coach of the sharks is just standing there, his mouth's not even it's like he's just watching. He's just like, is this really happening?

SPEAKER_02 6:48

I I do love the reaction from the bench because everybody's just going, oh, look at the goalie, look at the goalie, he's mixing it up. I love the fact that you know the energy it brought to both teams just watching their watching their dudes get in the mix that typically are not involved.

SPEAKER_01 7:08

So yeah, I gotta give it up. It was good, uh, entertaining little fight to watch. But congratulations, Alex.

SPEAKER_02 7:16

Uh you know, the the old the old phrase, I went to the fight and the hockey game broke out. That's right.

SPEAKER_01 7:24

Well, anyway, that's all we got for the NHL. We're not gonna talk actual stats, we're just gonna talk about fights.

SPEAKER_02 7:29

Hey, we just gotta talk about the stuff that people really enjoy and find interesting. I mean, don't get me wrong. Hardcore hockey fans, which we're not gonna get in the mix with them because they're like a get off my lawn kind of group. Hardcore hockey fans, they love the stats, they know the players, they know the line shifts, it's just they know everything when it comes to their sport, and you don't really want to get in between them and what they know.

SPEAKER_01 7:57

Well, that's kind of like most sports, you know. Hardcore fans know everything, including the stats about their sport. But hockey fans are a little extra. Yeah, I gotta admit, they're kind of like they're they're kind of like if you ain't from around here, don't come.

SPEAKER_02 8:12

Yeah, you know, don't don't hop on the bandwagon.

SPEAKER_01 8:15

If you've never been here before, don't come here now if you're not considered still a child.

Hardcore Hockey Fans And Culture

SPEAKER_02 8:21

Yeah, don't be a part of this. You ain't part of this. Children and women only.

MLB Hall Of Fame: Joy And Anger

SPEAKER_01 8:26

Anyway, so we're gonna roll right along into baseball. Siswomen, sorry.

SPEAKER_02 8:33

Lord. Best ball. We're gonna get into baseball. And for two individuals, they got some rather great news when it comes to their bids for the Hall of Fame. And uh Carlos Beltron and Andrew Jones. They have both gotten the nod. They are going to be in the Hall of Fame. Yeah, boy. Now, this comes with a bit of joy for me and a little bit of a what? From the other side. So for me, I gotta come from the joy side first and let y'all know. So for me, I'm a big time Andrew Jones fan. When uh I went to see the Braves when I was a kid, I actually got Andrew Jones to sign a baseball card for me. He was one of the first in well, that day, he was like pretty much the only Braves player to come over and sign some autographs. So I thought that was kind of cool, you know, being a big time player, and he still was like, hey, I'm gonna come sign, say what's up to the fans. But always liked him, always thought he was a great player. Now, mind you, this guy has 10, 10 gold gloves playing center field and has over 400 home runs in his career. Why it took him this long to get him in the Hall of Fame, I do not know. I mean, he does have a World Series, he was very young, he was a rookie with the Braves when they won in '95. But you need to just take note of how good he was as an outfielder. He had such a great first step that even what would seem like a hard catch for most outfielders was routine for him because he was already on the path to the ball. Yeah. So like he's four or five steps ahead of everybody else who plays center field. So, I mean, they've they talked to Greg Max, John Smoltz, and Tom Glavin, and all of them, all of them have said in the past, like, if I knew it went into the outfield and it was in center field, I'd even question it. I knew Andrew was gonna catch it. Like they they were pretty confident he had it. So he he definitely made those guys look good in their pitching careers, and lo and behold, all of them in the Hall of Fame. Now, for the huh side of this, like uh Carlos Beltron. Now, this player, not only in his playing career, there was a bit of controversy for uh using drugs that are prohibited, banned in the league, PEDs, as the NFL called PEDs. Uh, not only that, but uh he was also a part of the coaching staff for the Astros when they had their cheating scandal, and was the only person by name mentioned as part of the ring that set up a camera looking at home plate real time to get the signals for the other team and start banging on a trash can when certain pitches were coming.

SPEAKER_01 11:45

So I remember this.

Big Offseason Moves Across MLB

SPEAKER_02 11:47

So I remember this. This is creating a lot of debate in a lot of people's minds. And mind you, he did get suspended. He did get suspended over this. Now, you you're in a situation where you're allowing somebody like this in, but you've been keeping out people like Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, you know, people associated with the steroid era. And it's like, well, wait a second. Not only did this guy get busted for PEDs, but he also got busted in a cheating scandal. I you know, somewhere Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens are going, WTF. Just WTF. Why am I not in and this is happening? My kind of guy. What?

SPEAKER_01 12:38

I love I love those OJ Simpson, Deshaun Watson types.

SPEAKER_02 12:42

Look, man, it if you go and look at their numbers, you know, oh bounty gate, they would have been they would have been in the hall of fame already if it wasn't for the steroids and the question over their use of steroids. Both of them will already be in the hall of fame. They were already on that track, regardless. So it just blows my mind that we we we put in Beltran when you still don't have Wade Boggs in. Like that that's another one that just blows my mind. Why is Wade Boggs not in? You could and why is why is Dale Murphy not in? But you're gonna put Beltran in. You could say it's all that controversy. Mind-boggling. Anyway, that's just my two cents on that. Um, but I'm very excited for Andrew Jones, Beltray, whatever. Moving on. Next. So the Angels have gone and acquired Justin Lowe from the Rays in a three-team trade. So this was a pretty good situation for them. They're getting a pretty good outfielder and pretty good bat to fill in their outfield needs. You know, they did trade away Ward, so now they're getting somebody that can fill that spot. Pretty good move for them. I mean, they've been making some low-key moves here and there. So the Angels are trying to get the squad right.

SPEAKER_01 14:08

Trying to get it right, trying to get it right. Angels in the outfield, everybody.

SPEAKER_02 14:12

So the Mets, the Mets are not done. They didn't want to be outshined. So they got uh Bo Bachet signed by well, they got him to sign a three-year$126 million deal making him a Met.

SPEAKER_01 14:28

Bobo Fett?

SPEAKER_02 14:29

No. Bo Bachet.

SPEAKER_01 14:32

Oh, okay, sorry.

SPEAKER_02 14:33

Yes, I a lot of people have made that made that reference before. Anyway, but this is kind of a weird move, in my in my opinion, because they already have Francisco Landor for short, and they did just get Jorge Polanco, and they did just get Marcus Simeon. So now you have three people who normally play short or second, and you really don't have a first baseman. So I'm thinking Polanco might play first, and then you're gonna either do Beau Bachet as a DH or Marcus Simeon as a DH and have Bo in the field. Like I mean, I mean it gives roster flexibility, I'll give them that. But I don't know how well this is gonna work out with all these players, you know, when you when you're not getting them on field breath. They'll figure out where they fit the best. So going over to Los Angeles again, but not with the Angels, with the Dodgers. Dodgers make another key move in picking up Kyle Tucker. The one player that was like the high profile we everybody's trying to shoot for. Remember, I said Mets offered this guy like a I think it was like a$50 million annual deal. Yeah, I think a three or four-year deal. Well, Dodgers said nuts to that, and they gave him a four-year deal, and I believe the return is like sixty million a year. So Kyle Tucker is not going to be with the Dodgers. So the Dodgers, again, getting rich again.

SPEAKER_01 16:07

I'm in the wrong line of work, man. I should have been an athlete, not a shipyard worker.

SPEAKER_02 16:12

You and both I should have been a pro athlete. Uh gotta be good.

SPEAKER_01 16:18

That's the only problem. Uh should have put my time into becoming good. Right, right. Instead of playing video games and street football with few jokers. Hey, don't knock the video games.

SPEAKER_02 16:28

They're doing scholarships now for esports for some colleges, and kids are actually making pretty decent money off of video games now. All right.

SPEAKER_01 16:37

Well, I know what I'm pushing Dino towards.

SPEAKER_02 16:39

Anyway, getting back to the what's going on in baseball, the Philadelphia Phillies have reunited with Ryomuto, their catcher, so he's coming back to them. So now they're catching woes, will not be.

SPEAKER_01 16:53

How does it how does it feel to be the second choice, Ramuto?

SPEAKER_02 16:59

Well, they did they did go after Bo, but they were going after Bo, but they didn't obviously strike up a deal when he went to the Mets. So it's look, it's not a bad way to go because he is one of the better catchers in the league. People don't run on him. Flat out don't run on him because you you try, you're gonna be out. Yeah. Because he's got he's that good behind the plate. So moving over and talking about another New York team, the New York Yankees have finally figured out their situation with Bellinger. They have locked him up for five years. That's hard. So Bellinger going back to the pinstripes.

SPEAKER_01 17:38

Finally getting locked down there, buddy. Congratulations to him. So the Mets, they still make a moves, man.

SPEAKER_02 17:46

They figured out their center field. They went ahead and they traded with the White Sox for Lee Roberts Jr. So now giving them a power bat and a good outfield presence for center field. Total upgrade for them. Really, really giving them good on both sides from the center field position. I really like the move for them. I hate it because my team's gonna have to face them, but it I hats off to the Mets. That's a that's a pretty good move, and hopefully it all pans out. The rotation of uh hopefully so.

SPEAKER_01 18:22

I mean, they've they've been relatively competitive, so I think they're just trying to keep that going, to be honest with you.

SPEAKER_02 18:28

Yeah, well, uh look, you gotta make some moves sometimes to get your squad right. Hey, it takes money.

SPEAKER_01 18:33

And they're making moves. Takes money to make money, eh?

High Schooler Drops 100 Points

SPEAKER_02 18:36

Yeah. But moving over to basketball, why don't you tell us about this high schooler in Arizona?

SPEAKER_01 18:43

Yeah, I'll do it. Oh, sure. You're gonna do it. I'll do it. Arizona High School basketball player. Let's see here. Let me go to the headline here. Uh, this joke this gentleman, uh, I'm trying to find their name, scored 100 points in just three quarters in this historic outing. Uh, Adrian Stubbs, uh player for Maryville High School, which is based out of Arizona. Uh Phoenix. Phoenix, Arizona. Hey, we know people in Phoenix. Uh score score 100 points in a game in the team's 109 to 25 win. So he basically won the game.

SPEAKER_02 19:24

Wait, wait, wait. So I gotta point something out with this game. So you say he scored 100 points. Their final total was 109 points. He basically scored all their and the other team only scored 25 points. Realize that they took him out after the third quarter.

SPEAKER_01 19:42

They benched him in the whole quarter.

SPEAKER_02 19:43

So the whole fourth quarter, it was the rest of the team, and the rest of the team could only muster up nine points by themselves.

SPEAKER_01 19:52

Bro, bro, in the first half, he scored seventy points.

SPEAKER_02 19:58

That's nuts. Look, I I I realize it's high school basketball, but come on. D like no defense? Like where the other team just didn't show up at all. I mean you look what this kid did is amazing.

SPEAKER_01 20:18

He had 35 points at the end of the first quarter. He said hey, coach said bat it down. He said coach said go and he went.

SPEAKER_02 20:28

Understatement. A hundred points in a game at any level. I mean, really a hundred points in high school, pretty pretty special.

SPEAKER_01 20:38

But there are NBA teams that don't score a hundred points a game.

SPEAKER_02 20:44

Yeah, but it's still, I mean, it's it's NBA. You're expected to be going against the best of the best. You know? At one point, some of these players in the NBA would have been players scoring numbers like this.

SPEAKER_01 20:57

That's true. If this had been LeBron James playing in a high school league, he'd probably scored 200 points. I don't know about that.

SPEAKER_02 21:05

Not right now. Old man LeBron can't do that.

SPEAKER_01 21:10

Well, this team of LeBron uh and them, they he's they have them off to a good start. I think they're like, what, like 62 and 12 or something like that? Like they have a good winning record, even as LeBron is probably in the latter part of his career. Bro, they're not that far into the season. Look, I right now he's maybe maybe it was 16 and 2, I'm not sure, but I read the number somewhere. I I should have written it down, but they are off to a relatively decent start.

SPEAKER_02 21:43

Right. Well, the thing is, LeBron this year, he's not the LeBron of five years ago, but he's still like a top 30 player in the league. Like he's getting 27 on average a night. So that's that's pretty good for a player who's pushing his 23rd season. Yeah, you know, that doesn't even happen.

Injury Era And Sports Medicine

SPEAKER_01 22:06

I mean, I think LeBron, I mean, he's he's trying to get his son set up for success. He's still trying to solidify his name as a potential GOAT. Um, you know, and we'll get to to more on LeBron and the Lakers here soon enough. Uh, but getting back to this kid in high school, um you know, congratulations to him. Hopefully, he continues to have similar success, and this isn't like a one-off game.

SPEAKER_02 22:34

Well, hopefully this has opened some doors for him. Like maybe this has opened college basketball programs to start taking notice and say, hey, look, let's get this kid in here. Well, let's give him a let's give him a chance. Let's get some in NIL dollars towards him.

SPEAKER_01 22:50

Yeah, it puts his puts his name on the map, you know, it gets people looking at him now.

SPEAKER_02 22:55

Yeah, so maybe maybe this will make a good transition into college and he'll make some money off of name, image, and likeness, and then maybe parlay it into a basketball career, you know? Because let's see, just because you don't make it to the NBA doesn't mean you can't have a basketball career. There are a lot of players that go overseas and have pretty lengthy long careers playing overseas.

SPEAKER_03 23:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 23:20

There's leagues throughout the world because ever since the dream team, the dream dream, there has been leagues popping up all over the world and they're starved for good basketball talent. And we have players that go over there and they just they ball out, they have stars. I mean, I know I I've got a friend of mine that one of his friends goes and plays overseas. I think he plays in the Philippines or somewhere, but he said, like, yeah, he's doing pretty good. He's definitely pulling in over six figures playing overseas.

SPEAKER_01 23:54

So not bad at all, uh, honestly. Uh so beats the heck out of a day job. I'll tell you that. Look, let me tell you what, at the age of 37, I tried to go back and pursue a professional sport or a sport in general. Let me tell you what. Do it while you're young, kids. Do it while you're young. Develop the skills and the little things. And if you want to keep it going into your elder years, your body was like, No, what are you doing? My body was like, what do you mean you want to go two to three times a week to get slammed? Your brook, your brink, you're on the brink. You're realize how old you are. Yeah. Okay, Diamond Dallas Page. Like uh DDP started, got his big break when he was like 44.

SPEAKER_02 24:41

So no, he wasn't 44. He was in his he was in his early 30s and took off about mid 30s, and then he kept wrestling well into his forties and retired because of injury. Yeah. Yeah. Speaking of injury.

NBA Tensions: Warriors, Knicks, Lakers

SPEAKER_01 25:00

What's the diamond upside down again? Oh, we run a PG show. No, we're not doing that. We run a PG show, sorry. We're not talking about that. Anyway, no, no, no, not right now.

SPEAKER_02 25:09

So moving over to NBA basketball and talk about the unfortunate circumstance for the Warriors that uh Jimmy Butler has torn his ACL and is done.

SPEAKER_03 25:19

Woo!

SPEAKER_02 25:20

This is a huge blow because and and one thing that came out of this is there was talk like since he's hurt, would the Warriors think about trading him? Because you can trade players when they're hurt. And their GM has already come out and said, Yeah, no, that's not happening. We're not trading Butler while he's hurt.

SPEAKER_01 25:38

Yeah, and you know, this is something I've started to notice, not just in basketball or any particulars, but across the professional sports landscape. As we push the limits of performance and records, now we are now in the age of breaking records, okay? And setting records and just doing things that's what records are for. Yeah, exactly. But now we're in an age of it because there's not much left to do but break old records, right? But anyway, as we push the limit of human performance, I notice the injuries not just become worse, but they also become uh there's more of them across the sports landscape.

SPEAKER_02 26:22

Well, injuries have always existed. It's just they have, but the it seems like technology has gotten better to handle these injuries. It used to be when you tore an ACL, that's it. That was over. You know, or if you're a baseball player and you you tore up your elbow, there was no Tommy John surgery. The reason there is a Tommy John surgery is because Tommy John was the first player to have the surgery, and he even said, My name should not be associated with this. Just because I had it, you need to meant name it after the doctor who did it. You know, I may have came back from it, but the doctor who created it and did it, his name should be on it.

SPEAKER_01 27:02

Yeah, I I agree with you there. And and I know injuries have always been a thing, and thankfully, uh sports medicine and injury technology, you know, have come a long way, as you just mentioned. But what I'm saying is I notice every year there are more and more and more serious injuries, uh injuries in general across all of the sports landscape. This was one of the worst years of the NFL for football injuries. Same thing with the NBA. Last year and this year, two of the worst years for NBA injuries.

SPEAKER_02 27:34

Is it just that it's more noticeable? Because I feel like it's the star players are getting hurt more, and it becomes more apparent because I feel like these injuries have been there, but it's been, oh, that special teamer got hurt, or oh, that guy off the bench got hurt, or oh, that player who's a rookie got hurt, and it's like I feel like it's more prevalent because you're seeing names like Micah Parsons get hurt, or Jimmy Butler get hurt, or you know, we had Damien Lillard the year before got hurt. You know, you having big name players are the ones winding up hurt.

SPEAKER_01 28:18

Well, yeah, dude, there has been an influx of household names also being injured, but I I feel like there have been more cumulative injuries than before. But I do agree. I think they have been mostly from star players, household names.

SPEAKER_02 28:35

Yeah, and I think that might be a a sign of a few different things. Yes, I I do agree that some of the players might be bigger, faster, stronger, putting more torque and and pressure on things that aren't used to it. I mean, there's even there's even parents out there right now that go to doctors and ask with their their child still in high school, seeing if they can go ahead and get Tommy John surgery ahead of time. They don't need it, but just seeing if they can get it. Why would they want to do that? Because sometimes players come back from the Tommy John surgery and they throw better than when they did before. Like they throw harder, faster, and better than when they had before they had it.

SPEAKER_01 29:21

But what does that say for longevity? You know, once you open it up, well or once you break it, you know. Yeah, but here's the thing.

SPEAKER_02 29:29

Look at all these athletes that they go big out the gates, and if they get hurt, so what? They got their contract.

SPEAKER_01 29:37

That's true.

SPEAKER_02 29:38

There's so many pitchers right now, they don't pitch, they're just all, you know, they top out the radar gun at triple digits and they're getting these big deals, and so what? Uh uh my arm's done in eight years, so what? I got my contract, I'm getting my millions, or however, however it works out. But it's like you're seeing this more and more, yeah. Where they're not teaching some of this stuff. This this applies to baseball. I mean, obviously, when it comes to basketball and football, it's a different different animal. You're not you're not dealing with the same things where it's necessarily a teaching thing as much as it is, you know, bigger, stronger, faster. I mean, right. Case in point, Bo Jackson. Bo Jackson was so big, strong, and fast that what looked like a routine tackle when he was with the Raiders and he got tackled by Bang Bengals defender, uh, and when he went down, everybody's like, oh, okay, let's get up for the next play. But as soon as Bo got up and went to take a step, he instantly went to the ground.

SPEAKER_03 30:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 30:44

And that's because what happened was he realized that he had dislocated his hip. He had literally was he was being held by the feet by this defender, and when he was going forward, he literally pulled his own hip out of socket because he was so big, strong, and fast. Yeah. But the problem was that when it went back into socket, it severed an artery and was causing all kinds of issues with his hip. So, and that's really what caused some of his downfall. Was you know, he he wasn't realizing that that had happened until you know they had major issues that they had to go in and do a hip replacement surgery for him. Now he came back, but he wasn't Bo Jackson.

SPEAKER_01 31:29

He wasn't Bo Jackson and not I mean you had glimpses of him being himself, but not he was truly one of those what could have been players, and I I worry a little bit for Scatabo on the same level the way he runs because they just run with so much power, you know.

SPEAKER_02 31:50

Well, Scatabow runs reckless. Yeah, to call it anything, it's reckless running.

SPEAKER_01 31:56

Yes. Uh reckless, I mean, just headfirst into everything. But Bo is very much kind of the same way. Bo was a Bo was a was a power horse. Well he was but he was fast. Fast. It's the same thing, and I see a lot of the same traits with Scatabo. But except the blazing speed. I mean scatterbo's he's not yeah, he's not blazing fast, but Scatabo has some speed himself. So but then I guess look at you being a homer one talking about your scataboo. Scataboo. I still haven't had my Washington Scatabo jersey made yet. Anyway. I'm worried people will throw lettuce in the back.

SPEAKER_02 32:35

Let's get back over to NBA. We're supposed to be talking the NBA, and you're over here wanting to talk about your boo.

SPEAKER_01 32:40

Well, your scataboo. My scataboo. But anyway, no. So uh Butler has ACL tear. The war is gonna keep him. They probably wouldn't think of moving on from him anyway. Uh especially now now these days coming back from ACL is you know I bet they're having talk talks right now with Steph about what do you want to do?

SPEAKER_02 33:04

Probably he's 37, he's not getting any younger. If he wants to make any more pushes for a championship, they either got to do one of one of a few things. They either got to find a way to get a star in there.

SPEAKER_01 33:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 33:16

Or Steph might be leaving.

SPEAKER_01 33:21

I know he doesn't want to. I think Steph is more likely to step away from the game than to leave at this point. I don't think he'll step away. I just I I think he's more likely to retire than he is to go to another team. He's pretty uh I he likes being with the Warriors. I know he does. He he's he's not I don't think he's interested in going anywhere else. They're just an aging team. They're like they're not I think if the Warriors were to trade Steph tomorrow, Steph would be like, alright, I'm hanging it up.

SPEAKER_02 33:53

Look, I mean, I know they're two and a half games back right now from the Lakers, but with this injury with Butler, I mean, you're now having to rely on Kaminga, who you were talking about trading, to come back in. And and I don't know how because there was a little bit of tension there with Kaminga. So now you're talking about all right, we need you, get in there. Do you think this guy's not gonna be like, man, forget y'all, I ain't going in. You know, I mean he'd probably go in, but it's just like he'll go in, but I think feeling there.

SPEAKER_01 34:29

Maybe they swap Kaminga for another viable player and kill two birds.

SPEAKER_02 34:34

I don't know what they could get for him, to be honest. And not to mention the tensions in in New York, man, with the Knicks. Yeah, Knicks have been on hard times, man. They're sitting there having player-only meetings because they're just dropping games here lately. And they were coming out, remember, in the beginning of the year, they came out hot. Now they've they they don't have the number one seat anymore. It belongs to Boston now.

SPEAKER_01 35:02

Yeah, I mean, they're they're they're hot on the heels of Boston. Uh, meanwhile, the Raptors are hot on their heels, and that's just in their division.

SPEAKER_02 35:11

Well, the fans are sitting here saying, time to ship out Carl Anthony Towns. Get them out of here. They're like out of nowhere, well, not out of nowhere, but they're just they're kind of sick of his BS. You know? It's like this team last year was off to such a hot start. They made it deep in the playoffs, looking like they were going to be, you know, one of the teams basically in the running to come out of the east. And they just they fell flat on their face and they fire Tibbs. And now it is still they look different, they just don't look like the team from last year.

SPEAKER_01 35:48

It's still early in the season, and they're 25 and 18. They're not really sitting in a bad spot, although they're slipping a little bit. I mean, you drop four in a row, man.

SPEAKER_02 35:57

Yeah, I mean, that's that's an issue. Drop four in a row, you lose the first the number one seed in your division. Uh I don't know. I I I'm not liking that sign.

SPEAKER_01 36:08

No, they they're starting to slip, but they're not out of it yet. I think they can pull it together if they really try here. Um, but speaking of tension, let's get over here to Lakers, man. Uh, there's some tension between the Lakers and LeBron. Especially, I think, when it comes to the way uh they handled uh drafting Brawny. I mean, the Lakers Brass feels LeBron isn't grateful enough. They took his son in the NBA draft last season. Uh, he's on the G-League team. Like, they're trying to develop him, but LeBron's on the back end of his career.

SPEAKER_02 36:46

Bro, I don't know what more you need to do for this guy. They literally put a 23-year anniversary patch on the team's jerseys to signify LeBron's 23rd year in the NBA.

SPEAKER_01 37:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 37:00

You know, like they have been bending over backwards to make him happy, and I I'm getting more and more the feeling like he's just not gonna be happy. You know, like it at some point you gotta be like, look, it is what it is. We're happy for what you did for us. We drafted your son, we've done all these things for you. You gotta payday big paydays. What more do you want? Like, at some point, you either have to go, hey, I'm not happy, send me elsewhere, or you just have to be part of it and be part of the team. Like this whole you know, trying to go through your agent saying stuff and trying to go through your your back channels through your friends saying stuff like come on, like be done with that. Well just just play a ball and either tell them you want to move on to another team and go back to the east, or just deal with it. I mean, right now, I look, you're playing right now for a team that is 26 and 16, that has the number one seed in your division, and and you're you're upset?

SPEAKER_01 38:18

Yeah, and I mean he's like I said, I just um so given all this information we have here, do we are we gonna see another season of LeBron? If we do, do we see him still with the Lakers? I don't think so. Or if he does go to another team for season 24, what team is it? Let's speculate a little bit. He's he's he's going to the east. He's he's been through Miami, Cleveland, and now the Lakers, okay, in his career. Um he's uh won championships with all of them. Well the Lakers haven't won yet with him. Yeah, they did. They did win one with him the bubble the bubble championship. Okay, the bubble. That's why that's why you don't remember it. Because it was the bubble championship. Yeah, the bubble championship. Okay, so they've got they've had some success with him too. He's been successful everywhere he's been. So you say he's coming back east. I mean, I don't honest to God, I don't know where he could end up. I mean, he's been all over the country at this point.

SPEAKER_02 39:31

Well, I would like to put him if he won if he winds up coming back east, I I I think he winds up with a team that maybe has young players, but a a you know, coming up of a team. You know, like a team that's on the upswing. You know you know, a team like Orlando, where they have they have young players, they they have some success, they were good last year, they made it into playoffs. But, you know, maybe they just need that veteran presence, you know, something a little more than what they what they have, and maybe a team that's willing to, you know, kind of roll out the red carpet for him. I don't think you're gonna get that in New York. You're not gonna get that in Boston. Not that I think you would even want to go to Boston. And Cleveland, they're done. They're not they're not gonna want him back.

SPEAKER_01 40:23

You know where I think he'd be a good fit? Hmm. If he's just looking to go win a championship and maybe spend one or two years left in the league and retire out, I say go to Houston. They're on the up and ups. They just got KD. Uh they have a very talented, hot young squad.

SPEAKER_02 40:39

Well, they did they did beat the Spurs last night, and uh it was kind of a okay. So the Spurs lost that game again against the Rockets, and they led for most of the way. Like the Spurs were winning the game. They were in the lead most of the game until the fourth quarter when they got outscored point-wise in the fourth quarter. I think it was like 14 to 29 in the point differential between the two teams. So the Houston Rockets really showed some heart and fight and c came back and won. And this is this is not because of a explosion of points from KD. No, they were getting points from Shangun, you know, and and and and other players, other players on the team. Like this wasn't this wasn't star-led. This was just you know a good team effort towards the end, and they came out with the victory.

SPEAKER_01 41:36

Yeah, and um, you know, having all that said, I think if he does go elsewhere, I like the Rockets, but if you want to stick to his theme, he's gone to mostly storied franchises. I see I could see him landing with the Knicks or the Celtics.

SPEAKER_02 41:54

I just don't see it. I don't see where the Celtics or the Knicks want to deal with them. Plus, Boston's gonna have Tatum back next year. Maybe the Bulls. So I don't know that they want him. He will never go to the Bulls because he does not want to deal with the the ghost of Jordan.

SPEAKER_01 42:08

Oh, yeah. He doesn't want to because if he goes there, everybody's gonna be able to get a big thing. He's gonna be a Jordan shadow. He doesn't want to be a Jordan shadow. I forgot about that. That's not gonna happen. I honestly I could see him going somewhere that has a rich history in basketball. That seems to be what his MO, outside of starting with heat. Well, these are these are the teams with money.

SPEAKER_02 42:28

That's what it is.

SPEAKER_01 42:29

Well, they're the teams of money, but the teams of money also happen to have a rich history as well.

SPEAKER_02 42:35

Well, I think that Orlando would be the play only because they could probably pay him, and then if LeBron might have some pull there. Whereas he can't go he can't go back to the Heat because the Heat don't want to deal with them because he tried to get the Heat's coach fired. And yeah, Heat's not gonna.

SPEAKER_01 42:56

I don't think he's gonna go back to somewhere he's already played anyway. No, no, he's not gonna go there.

SPEAKER_02 43:01

He's not gonna go there.

SPEAKER_01 43:02

That's a check mark on his bucket list already.

SPEAKER_02 43:05

Yeah, he's not gonna go there. Um, like I said, if anywhere, Orlando seems like the play to me, unless unless for some reason New York just is wanting to get him and wants to throw around some dollars and wants to try to do something to to kind of I could even see New York trading for him because it's the Atlantic and the Pacific, they're not really a threat to each other when it comes to the playoffs.

Indiana’s Historic 16-0 Title Run

SPEAKER_01 43:35

So I could see him easily, I don't think they're gonna trade him, but I I don't think it's gonna happen. I could see him leaving and going to an East Coast based team. So I think you're right. I think he does come back to the East. Uh, but you know, as you all speculation, and I thought that was fun to be honest with you. So moving on right along ahead here. Uh let's talk some college football, Mike. I hope you guys are ready. We have a national champion. We have a national champion, and let me tell you what, I know I'm just gonna make a dirty confession, okay? I know I called Indiana all the way through, but my dirty confession is that I placed a parlay on Miami to win. How dare you? But the the odds were so high.

SPEAKER_02 44:21

The fact that we are saying that the national champion is Indiana is astounding. Gary, Indiana, Gary, Indian.

SPEAKER_01 44:33

It's too bad their quarterback's name isn't Gary.

SPEAKER_02 44:39

Thank you, Brian. Anyway, so Indiana wins the national championship, and for a school that has been known mainly for basketball and has had one of the losingest college football programs in all of football to finally win one. This has to be for for fan base that has been through so much to finally get it. Is just it's it's gotta be like the kind of moment. Kind of like when the when the Cubs finally won it again after 100 years.

SPEAKER_01 45:14

Does anybody else feel like Indiana's logo looks like a fraternity house logo? Because I feel like I'm applying to a fraternity here instead of a national champion. No, it's it's not a Greek thing. No, it's not a Greek thing, but surely it looks probably that's what most fraternities are Greek letters. It probably looks more Jewish because of the candles, but I digress it's not a menorah, man. Let me let me give Miami some credit here on the run they went on because they probably a lot of people questioned them even getting into the playoffs. So the run they went on, and also to knock off Ohio State, by the way.

SPEAKER_02 45:54

How about you say run? How about the running back, dude? He was doing serious work in that game.

SPEAKER_01 45:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 46:00

Like he had I know he had like over a hundred yards rushing, and it seemed like every time he had the ball, he was just mowing over guys. You know, what's that kid's name again? I hate it. I'm horrible with names, but I watched the game and I saw, like, look, it wasn't like Mendoza lit up the stat sheet. Jameer Love. But the the plays that he made, you know, they had they had that fourth down play where he threw an outside shoulder pass to his receiver and he caught it. I mean, and then his run to get the touchdown where he would not be denied, and he just lunges in. It was it was like, look at this dude go, man. I mean, he he kind of he's like he's not on Andrew Luck level, but just that that ability to read what you're being given, and and just like he has his eyes are downfield, always on the right point. It never seems like he's looking somewhere he shouldn't be. And he he it it doesn't seem like he's making dumb decisions with the ball.

SPEAKER_01 47:05

By the way, not only has Indiana set a school record, but they've set college uh championship record. They're 16-0. First ever. First ever undefeated college bracket football champions. Congratulations, Indiana. I think Mendoza, I don't care what anybody says. He's gonna be number one pick. Well, obviously he's gonna be a number one pick, but there's been a lot of number one picks in the past. Um you know, what's his name?

SPEAKER_00 47:35

Who? Jackson. Jackson Dart? No. Older flop.

SPEAKER_01 47:43

Doesn't matter. Anyway, there's been a lot of number one overall picks who haven't worked out. I think Mendoza. I think you're thinking uh Jamarcus Russell. Jamarcus Russell, that's right, not Jackson. Sorry, everybody.

SPEAKER_02 47:54

Oddly enough, number one pick by the Raiders.

SPEAKER_01 47:57

Yeah, I ironic, right? Uh, and we'll get to that in a second because they might trade that pick away. There's some rumblings going around. We'll get to that later. But I think Mendoza is gonna be a blue chip camp miss player, uh, maybe even possibly a future face of the NFL. Uh he is the he just had an outstanding season this season.

SPEAKER_02 48:17

And really, let's not let's not get this twisted. I mean, Indiana won this 27 to 21. So it wasn't like they ran away with this victory. And Miami had a chance. They tried to, they they were in it. They were in it to the end. And if it wasn't for Carson Beck interception late in the game to seal the victory, yeah, they could have gone down and scored.

SPEAKER_01 48:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 48:41

You know, and and it typically this is how football games go. The team that makes the less mistakes wins the game. That's usually how it works. But yeah, you know, this was a situation where you had this team who was 10, ranked 10, in this bracket, yeah, and and just a lot of people had questions about this team, and they just they they went through some teams that a lot of people had going ahead of them. Like nobody really had them going past Ohio State, and they beat Ohio State. Nobody really had them being Ole Miss, but they beat Ole Miss in a shootout.

SPEAKER_01 49:15

They beat three very, very good football programs in route to Indiana, okay. Texas AM was a front runner at one point to win the college championship this year, okay? Uh Ohio State, they were number one up until Indiana beat them three quarters through the season. And Ole Miss was led by Lane Kiffin through the majority, almost all of the season, and they played very tough all the way through.

SPEAKER_02 49:44

And they almost they had a last second, you know, throw to the back of the end zone that the receiver put a hand on. But if it wasn't for, and quite frankly, it kind of looked like pass interference, but they didn't call it, it would have only been 15 yards anyway, so they still would have had to take a shot at the end zone. So no guarantees they would have won anyway. Yeah. But with that being said, to get that national championship game and get that result between those two teams, what a hell of a game. Yeah. Like this, this was not a disappointing college playoff.

SPEAKER_01 50:15

Yeah, in the middle of the game, uh, Miami just let Indiana get a little bit too far ahead of them. Then he threw, then I was just like you said, back through that pick. Um, you know, just a one or two bad things happening was enough to set Indiana up for a championship win. So, and honestly, the as hot as Indiana was running. Look, if I ran undefeated all the way to the national championship, my name's not the Patriots, okay? We're gonna win that.

SPEAKER_02 50:44

You know, one thing I saw in that game that was pretty amazing that Mendoza did. He had an edge rusher from Miami come off the line, and he comes over, and he is hitting him right on the right on the arm, trying to knock that ball out. And Mendoza with one hand didn't let it go. Didn't let it go. And the defender, defender from the ground is still taking him to the ground, but he did not let that ball go. Like that's some grip strength right there. Like hold on when somebody's jarring down on your arm.

SPEAKER_01 51:18

Very, yeah, very, very good look for Mendoza. Um, and again, a very competitive game. Wasn't low scoring, wasn't super high scoring. Uh, but we had a nice competitive game. It kept you hooked, yeah, almost hooked almost from the beginning.

SPEAKER_02 51:34

Way better than those uh old uh Alabama blowout games where I don't think oh, this is over by half.

SPEAKER_01 51:39

It it's almost like a formality at that point. It's like, all right, we know why don't you just give them the championship? Why don't we just vote on the champion at this point? But I like the NIL era and I like the diversity that it's bringing to the college uh bracket. But let's go ahead, Mike. Are you ready to talk about our flagship subject, sport of the show?

SPEAKER_02 52:02

Yes, we've already started talking about football, but let's talk about some NFL football, and more so, let's talk about it.

NFL Expands: Senate Runs And Seasons

SPEAKER_01 52:07

College football is like the salad to our main course of the NFL, okay? Don't don't be disrespectful. Anyway. I hear they've added croutons now, aka the N I L.

SPEAKER_02 52:20

Next you're gonna say they have bacon bits. Anyway, that would be the that would be the cheese. Moving right along, and let's get into this. This is kind of a cool, cool thing. Uh, because you know, a lot of times we see people disappear from the spotlight, and we're like, what happened? You know, what are they doing now? So, ex-NFL sideline reporter Michelle Tafoya, name should sound familiar. We've seen her on the sideline many a time.

SPEAKER_01 52:43

No, we basically kind of grew up watching her report.

SPEAKER_02 52:46

She is launching a campaign to run for the US Senate.

SPEAKER_01 52:53

For Minnesota. Yes. Vacated by retiring Democratic Senator Tina Smith. Uh, look, we try not to get very political on this show. We like to be able to entertain all. Uh we're not gonna dive too deep into her politics. I don't know much about her politics anymore.

SPEAKER_02 53:12

No, I mean, but but for somebody to take from one career and move on to the next career, and this being moving into politics, you know, you've got to give a little bit of a nod to that because yeah, it's not easy. It's not easy to go from one career where you kind of got to the pinnacle where you're a household name, and then now you're moving into another realm where it's totally different. It's politics is not being a sideline reporter.

SPEAKER_01 53:41

This is honestly one of the most common avenues into politics. People with platforms, oftentimes uh former professional athletes or reporters.

SPEAKER_02 53:51

What about here in Virginia Beach? We have a former Packer on city council, former corner packer.

SPEAKER_00 53:59

That's right. Yeah. Do you know who it is? Roush.

SPEAKER_01 54:08

Roush! I'm not gonna lie, I didn't know who it is. I was hoping you okay. I was looking at you like, are you gonna say it? I'm like, wait a minute, did we just read the headline? Who do we not know the name? Oh, good lord. Anyway, who is it? Anyway, a lot of you know this area of Hampton Roads uh is kind of underrated when it comes to professional athletes because we kind of produce a lot of pro athletes and coaches. Well, yeah, and a lot of them wind up doing big things. Yeah, you know, in fact, Gerard Mayo was just in the coaching bid for the Atlanta Falcons again.

SPEAKER_02 54:44

So well, I was leaning more to people like Bruce Smith, who's a Hall of Famer, and then David Wright, who's a Mets Hall of Famer, but is probably going to be in the Hall of Fame for baseball as well. Um, you know, it's for the baseball hall of fame as well, is what I have to say. Um I mean, yeah, we had we had Mike Vick, but we also had Alan Iverson, and and there don't get me wrong, there's plenty of other to mention, but we're not gonna go down the list.

SPEAKER_01 55:15

There's a lot of others. Um we just had an actress from Kimpsville High School in Virginia Beach won a won an Emmy. Well, was it a Golden Globe? I don't know. She won some major award for acting.

SPEAKER_02 55:28

It was congratulations, by the way. Well, you're getting off of the the sports side of it, but we're gonna go down that road. We have an Avenger. Mark Ruffalo, he's from First Colonial High School. I actually never realized that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 55:41

We have the Hulk. We have the Hulk. Yes, we do. All right, new favorite superhero, a local fan fair. But you know, Michelle Tefoy, uh, congratulations and good luck to her. I honestly I hope she'll be very successful in the political arena. Um, a lot of times, people who don't come up in politics, some of those folks bring a lot of value to the table, I feel like, because they've been out in the world in one way or another. Um, and then real quick, it's not quite the end of the season yet, but we'll go ahead and talk about some off-season priorities for NFL owners meeting coming up. Uh, three out of several will just hit on here as uh Mr. Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots field. Uh, they're talking about going to an 18 regular season game, which would mean reducing the preseason by another game down to two. Now I remember, Mike, when they were talking about this before they went to the 17 game season, their plan was already to go from 16 to 18 weeks. They went to 17 weeks, reduced the preseason. Now they go to 18 weeks and reduce the preseason again. Uh so the NFL is not just trying to expand internationally, but they're also trying to expand the amount of uh regular season football that we get.

SPEAKER_02 57:00

All I want from this is please expand the season in a way that makes it where the Super Bowl lines up with President's Day, where most of us have President's Day off, then that means Super Bowl day off the next day. Yes. Instead of me having to plan out, like, oh, I might have to leave this party at halftime so I can get home and I'll watch the rest at home instead of you know being able to stay out and enjoy with friends.

SPEAKER_01 57:31

As a serial New Year's and Super Bowl party hopper, I can um vouch for this constraint that you're trying to overcome. Because a lot of times you're like, all right, planning out your route, you're planning out how long you're gonna be somewhere, how many places you can attend.

SPEAKER_02 57:48

Bro, you need to just go to one place and stop this hopping BS.

SPEAKER_01 57:52

Look, I do that now that I have way less friends who party. But 15 years ago, I knew a lot of people, I had to make a lot of appearances. He did not. Don't let he just chose to. No, don't let this man lie to you. I had places, I had places to be and people to talk to, okay? He chose to be those places. But staying on subject here, one of the last uh priorities is the NFL's talk about trying to induce an international game for each team every season. Now, this actually is a rather huge development. Boo. Boo that man. It depends on how you feel about the NFL expansion, okay?

SPEAKER_02 58:35

Boo. Alright. You know why I hate this? Why? We pay enough as fans to enjoy our sport. Now you're gonna take a home game away from these teams and then stick it in some other country. Sir, don't sound so perverted about it. No, no, no, no. This is this is BS. I hate this. I hate this because these people that are season ticket holders, they pay through the nose to have their season tickets. And now you're taking one less game and still charging them the same amount for their season ticket package.

SPEAKER_01 59:07

The good team season ticket holders pay through the nose. The ones that are season ticket holders through bad teams.

SPEAKER_02 59:15

We're not talking about the Browns.

SPEAKER_01 59:17

Look, look, the Browns would also have the Browns and the Jets would be entitled to an international game here in this sequence, in this scenario.

SPEAKER_02 59:27

So you're you're you're gonna just make it awful for the European fans as well.

International Games Debate

SPEAKER_01 59:31

You know what, you know what I think? I think season pass holders, well, hold on now. Let me rethink this idea because it's already a bad idea as I'm trying to regurgitate it. Um we'll come back to that. But no, I I don't think it's a bad idea at all, to be honest with you. I know you lose a home game for one or both the teams, maybe even some teams losing multiple home games because they have to travel, you know, for their two teams play, so that means that would give us 16. Games internationally, right? I can tell you right now that players are probably thinking no. We're already halfway there. They had they had what seven or eight international games, and a couple of them were repeats. So like a game like the Vikings, who had to travel to Germany back to back for two weeks in a row. They didn't travel back to back. They just stayed stayed out there. They just stayed out there. But if you only have to go once, that's way more pro you know, way less pressure on you as an NFL franchise. But I can I I'll make this one last point. The NFL is trying to expand, okay? You have to continue to evolve and grow.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:43

Bro, they do enough of this. This is they're they're they're already expanded. They're already doing these games.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:49

They're already in these countries. The NFL is the only American sport that's not really an international sport yet. The NBA is all over the world. Soccer didn't originate in America, but it's all over the world. Baseball is an international sport.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:04

Because some of these other countries, all it takes to play football, what they call football, is a ball.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:12

Yeah, and some people take a lot of extra stuff. And sometimes you can use a pumpkin instead of a ball, but I digress. Or do like the ancient minds and use a head. Yeah. Well, we'll go away from that. PG 13, remember. We've upgraded from PG to PG 13 now. But um, you know, I don't I don't think rate us.

unknown 1:01:31

Come on.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:32

I don't think that these are bad priorities here, and we are getting underway, sir. Uh, I I think that they're headed. I know it's gonna be strenuous on players and franchises, but this this might be the way of the future for these guys. Um, here we go. Just a few weeks after. This reminds me of when the Patriots tried to sign Legarrett Blount every time they made the playoffs. The Packers have released Stefan Diggs just a couple weeks after signing him.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:03

Yeah, well, he probably didn't want to be there. He probably just was like, Yeah, the same for me.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:10

And they probably didn't get what they wanted out of him in the playoffs because they honestly this was something that Parsons probably put his name on the line and said, Yo, bring my boy Diggs over. He's the only one worth a shit in that defense. Again, they didn't get the performance they'd hoped. They didn't go far in the playoffs. This reminds me of when the Patriots used to bring in Bill Belichick used to bring in Legarrett Blanc. Okay, we didn't need you all season, but now we need you.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:35

Well, this might be a situation where he's gonna sit there and try to go play with his brother with the Patriots. Might be also another thing, too.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:42

He might have asked to be released. Assuming he's still in New England, his brother speaking of that. But uh here we go. You know, uh Jordan Addison, things seem to be looking up for him. That trespassing charge that he just caught, uh, by the way, was dropped.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:57

Yeah, that's good news for him because maybe they they came to an agreement like, hey, don't come back. Yeah, don't be on my property.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:06

Jordan Addison is easily a 1B receiver uh for the Vikings once they get their quarterback situation figured out. But uh, you know, I I think that's great news for him. Congratulations to him on that. Um and I have him in fantasy, so that is good news for me as well. Uh let's talk about some head coaching vacancies. I know we got to talk about the playoffs last week and what's coming up, but we're gonna talk about some things that are happening. First of all, I think the Chiefs requesting the air interview Eric Benemy for their awesome offensive coordinator job is just absolute golden irony, by the way.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:46

Hey, what's that old thing? You don't know what you've got until it's gone. Well, he's gone. And they haven't looked the same. I mean, yeah, they still played alright to get to it to a Super Bowl, and they're like, we didn't need him. We don't need Tyreek Hill. Hey, wait. Who's he gonna throw to? Wait a minute. Kelsey's hurt.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:10

Who's coaching our running backs?

SPEAKER_02 1:04:12

Wait a minute. Yeah, who's who's who's trying to come up with these offensive schemes?

SPEAKER_01 1:04:16

Yeah, EB certainly in play for a few uh coordinator positions, but obviously they're not gonna get to talk to him until the Bears get knocked out of the playoffs. So that's how it usually typically goes. Well, we'll get we'll get to what the Bears did uh coming up.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:32

But one team that did get knocked off, the Packers, their defensive coordinator has left in Jeff Halfley to go be the head coach of the Miami Dolphins. Now, mind you, yes, he was at Boston College as the head coach, and he decided when all this NIL and everything was starting to shake up, he decided, you know what, NFL don't look that bad. I think I'll take a coordinator position up there. And now he's a head coach for the Miami Dolphins. I like I would say it that is a chest move if I've ever seen one.

Coaching Carousel And Power Shifts

SPEAKER_01 1:05:05

You know, the last couple years, I like the influx of young coaching talent from the college ranks. Okay, from the college ranks and also from the coordinator ranks because some of these guys are former pro players go on to be NFL coaches as well. I'm disappointed in us. Why?

SPEAKER_02 1:05:22

Because one of the biggest news points we don't have in here. The Giants and their new head coach, newly uh, you know, press interviews.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:34

You know, I thought we were John Harbaugh. I thought we were forgetting something. John Harbaugh, now member of the NFC East. Welcome, sir, to the NFC East, and I hate you now. I'm sorry. You're gonna have to deal with a Harbaugh now. He's gonna be there for a while. He was in Baltimore for 18 seasons.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:54

What should really scare you is the fact that they have given him control. So now he's gonna start picking players.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:02

Honestly, honestly, thank God for the Giants, because somebody other than the people in charge should be in control. Okay, just look at Saquon Barkley.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:11

So anybody but the people in charge of control. When they fired Dable and they did not fire Joe Shane, I was like Joe Shane, he's not gonna go anywhere because he's good friends with Jim Burrow now.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:23

But I I I don't understand.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:25

Like, when you have evidence, it's like it's like dating a girl and she cheats on you, and then you're like, Oh, it's a one-time thing. I forgave her, and then she cheats on you again, and then you're like, wait a second. I thought this was a one-time thing. Joe Shane has shown time and time again, he is not a good one.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:47

I have said it from the day they hired Brian Dable. I do not care for him as a head coach.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:53

I'm not talking about Dable, I'm talking about Shane. I'm talking about you let Barkley go. Yeah, Shane. And then and then you let you let Daniel Jones go, the guy that you said, oh, we gotta keep him, he is good. And then he goes elsewhere, and then he lets him.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:07

Balls it out, basically gets his team in a playoff competitive position.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:11

Like, how many times you gotta have players in-house that are playing great, and then you let them go, and then they go and play even better elsewhere.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:19

And you know, Eli Manning might have been onto something because Daniel Jones was Eli's hand-picked successor, okay? Um I don't know. I trust his judgment. I don't I don't know either. He might have just been going on his brother's uh recommendation, which Peyton's very smart. Eli is not very smart.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:40

You know, John wasn't the only head coaching hire. Atlanta. Atlanta found their new head coach in Stefansky.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:49

Kyle Stefansky going from the Browns to the Ravens in Matt Ryan's first move as team president. You mean Kevin? Whatever. Kevin. Kevin Stefansky. Kevin Kyle, when you start winning, you'll earn a first name.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:05

So that's kind of bold. Anyway, you gotta earn that name.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:10

You gotta earn that first name.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:11

You know, it's kind of funny because like I I I did work with a guy that he he he called this person by the wrong name, and they said that's not my name. And he goes, Yeah, you earn your name. He's what? Like, yeah, and every day it was a different name. Hey, Patrice, I mean, hey, Kyle, hey, like it was a different name every day until one day he called him by his real name and they didn't answer.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:39

You know, I can relate to this. You know, I can relate to this.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:41

They answered to all the other names, but when they said their real name, they didn't answer.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:45

You know, I can relate to this. So on the show, I'm Brian with an I. For the record, I spell it with a Y, which is why it's funny.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:52

Um because most people, when they spell your name, they use the I.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:56

In the shipyard, I go by my last name. Everybody knows me like that. But now people are starting to call me Troy. T-R-O-Y. Do you know why, Mike? It's a little bit of rabbit hole situation. They call me Troy now, for one. When I took over the area that I now control, I won't go too deep because government thinks, but when I took over the area that I now control, the guy before me, his name was Troy. And so a lot of people got used to saying, hey Troy. So even though there's a new person here now, I am still Troy. But also, uh, the area I run is TR04. But some people write it TR04. When you read Chicken Scratch, the 4 looks like a Y. Hey, it could have been worse. You could have been the FNG. So people call it the Troy Tool Room. So they're like, hey Troy. So either I'm the Troy tool room or I'm Troy from the Tool Room. You could have been the FNG. That's true. Could have been could have been worse. So I can relate to this nickname fiasco.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:04

Anyway, so getting back to Stefansky being hired on, it kind of brought in an interesting scenario because guess who's in his division? His former quarterback, Baker Mayfield. And Baker Mayfield didn't cease to take a hold of that opportunity that he has words here. He was like, I didn't get a text or a call or anything from this man when I got Jettison out of there. And I love what he said back to him. He goes, Baker, a phone works both ways. But Baker was like, enjoy losing twice, and it's enjoy losing twice a year, bro.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:44

Don't worry. You may not be with the Browns anymore, but your record's still the same. Zero and 16. So 0 and 17. My bad.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:53

Not to forecast what is possibly going to come up when we talk about what happened in the playoffs, but the Titans have grabbed on to a new coach, and I do like what they did here, despite it taking away from my team and hiring Robert Sala to be their next head coach. And not only did they hire him, but I believe they gave him a five-year deal. So they plan to keep him and let him implement his offense, his defense, and get that thing rolling.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:22

They did, in fact, Mike, and that fifth year is optional, whether they say it out loud or not. And I am very excited for this Titans team because I feel like they have the talent to ball out. They just lacked a coach who could bring it out. Okay. You have a number one overall pick in quarterback Cam Ward, who by the way, I think is an absolute hitter in the right system. Ile Moner, who they just drafted. They have a couple others. I'm having a brain fart right now, but they got some others. What you got, Mike?

SPEAKER_02 1:11:56

This could almost prelude what the Niners might do with Brandon Ayuk. Maybe throw a bone to their former head, their former DC, but send him a number one receiver.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:09

Do they need it with uh they have a veteran receiver?

SPEAKER_02 1:12:16

And uh you don't if you can't say his name right now, then you he's not a number one.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:22

He's not a number one, but they have Dickie and Iomonter, who are both rookies, who can blow the top off. And Iomoner showed some flashes this season of being a number one. Uh God, why can't I remember the receiver's name? He used to play for the Seahawks.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:41

Don't look at me like that. I hate you. I want to know who you're talking about because I'm confused now. Because whatever the if you're gonna say the Seahawks player that uh they released and went to the Raiders.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:54

That's probably it. Because I forgot that the Raiders traded Myers to Jacksville. So yeah, you're right. So they don't have anybody from the Seahawks anymore. But I think they still they could probably use uh IUK now that you mention it. Just go with things I say and stop trying to argue with me. Now that you mention, now that you mention it, they can use his services.

SPEAKER_02 1:13:17

Anyway, so moving right along. Another, not a head coach, but an OC hire. And and it's to me, this I like this. I like this big.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:29

This is a shoe-in all day. This is a guaranteed fit.

SPEAKER_02 1:13:32

So, former head coach of the Miami Dolphins, Mike McDaniel, that's Mike McDaniel, not McDaniel's, Mike McDaniel, is going to be the OC for the Chargers now. And I like this for a couple of reasons. One, HBO Hard Knocks, you now have the team you should get for your series. If you don't get the Chargers for this upcoming Hard Knocks, you are screwing up. Because do you know how entertaining it's gonna be to see Mike McDaniel sitting there talking with Harbaugh? Do you know how entertaining that will be? Like, look, you don't even have to like football. You're gonna be so influenced while watching this.

SPEAKER_01 1:14:09

I was just about to say this same thing. I said, bro, we have Jim Harbaugh and Mike McDaniel in the same room together trying to do the same thing, and that's when.

SPEAKER_02 1:14:20

Look, you know when people say, I wish I was a fly on the wall. This is a fly on the wall moment. Everybody's gonna want to see what this looks like.

SPEAKER_01 1:14:29

By the way, Mike McDaniel from the Shanahan coaching tree, uh, paired with Jim Harbaugh, this running game is gonna be stout, okay? It better be. This might be. They might have one of the best running games we've seen in a long, long time.

SPEAKER_02 1:14:48

But let me let me remind you something. Remember, the Chargers lost both tackles early on in the year for the year. Yep. And now you're getting two Pro Bowl caliber tackles back, and you know they're gonna draft some more offensive line help in this next draft. They already have their quarterback, they already have have a pretty decent tight end, and they already have receivers, obviously, and they have some running game. So they are building what could be a really, really potent offense. They are just missing an offensive line that can keep people off of the game.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:29

Yeah, I I I agree with you. They have a ton of talent already on offense, they have a relatively volatile defense. Uh I think Mike McDaniel is a great answer to this offense.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:42

But let's get into the playoff and talk about what happened and who we're gonna see in these championship games for the AFC and NFC. So, starting us off, let's go with the Buffalo and Denver game.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:55

By the way, we might call this the game that got Buffalo's head coach fired. Oh, way to way to you know, forecast.

Chargers’ New Offense And TV Gold

SPEAKER_02 1:16:04

Man, I'm a bad guy. I'm a bad news first kind of guy. Yeah, but you didn't even talk about the game before you talk about the result. Anyway, by that, why don't we go ahead and see what's a bad news first kind of guy? Denver came out with the win in overtime with the 33 to 30 win over Buffalo. Now, there was some controversy in this game with a Brandon Cooks catch-not catch kind of scenario. But here's the thing: here's the thing. You have a you have a receiver who catches the ball, comes down on one knee, starts to fall over to the ground, and then the defender is rolling over top of them. Meanwhile, they're fighting over the ball the entire way, and then the defender gets up with the ball, just keep the ball. If you, as the receiver, keep the ball, there is no questioning it. But if you add this scenario and give them a chance to have question over whether or not you caught this, they're giving it to defender. I'm sorry, he got up, he had the ball. It is his ball. Even his ball, even Joe Burrow said, You can cry over it all you want, but it the play was called right. Now, could the officiating crew stop the game, slow things down, take extra looks at it? Yeah, they should have. They should have.

SPEAKER_03 1:17:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:17:26

Because the way it happened, and they even called a timeout. I think Buffalo did call a timeout to kind of hey, take a second look. That should be Cooks' ball, and it should have been. But he should have held on. He didn't hold on to the ball. And mind you, they did not get great play out of Josh Allen in this game. They had untime untimely fumbles by some of their key key offensive weapons.

SPEAKER_01 1:17:50

I'm just gonna go ahead and say it. Josh Allen's recklessness came to a head here in this game.

SPEAKER_02 1:17:56

Um but their defense was keeping them in it. Their defense was keeping them alive. Yes, surprisingly.

SPEAKER_01 1:18:04

Buffalo has always had a stout defense, and they well, they realistically have well, they realistically have an explosive offense as well. Buffalo is a very well-rounded team, if you ask me. Um their defense might not be as good in recent times as it's been.

SPEAKER_02 1:18:22

I wouldn't say that their receiving core is that great either, and that kind of came came to light after this whole uh Fiery McDaniel situation, where it has been said that McDaniel or not McDaniel's McDermott had gone to the GM and the owner.

SPEAKER_01 1:18:40

His coaching staff went to Bean.

SPEAKER_02 1:18:43

And they told him this is not a team that is built to win a championship. He straight up told him that. He said we do not have enough weapons to win a Super Bowl.

Playoff Shockers: Broncos Beat Bills

SPEAKER_01 1:18:57

They insisted on drafting Keon Coleman and uh Bean, who was the GM at the time, who's now the president, uh didn't really want to, but he supported the coaching staff from what I understand in the report. Um Coleman's been a bust. Bill's well, it's only one year. It's only one year. I don't think.

SPEAKER_02 1:19:19

If anybody's been a bust, no, no, it hasn't been one year, it's been two years with him.

SPEAKER_01 1:19:23

Okay, so he's been in for two years.

SPEAKER_02 1:19:25

Like look, he bro, he's he's dropped passes that are that are clear in his hands, shouldn't drop it. He's made he's made poor judgments on route running, and and his route running is still hasn't improved. He was supposed to be an outside outside the numbers threat, and he hasn't lived up to that. Yeah, I don't think he's he's not doing enough in this system, and quite frankly, he looks like he's in the wrong offensive system.

SPEAKER_01 1:19:53

Yeah, that's what I was about to say. Like, I don't think he's on the right team. I I think he's in the wrong system for what. He does. Oh, you know, it just I I agree. I think they reached when they drafted him. I think they should have drafted somebody else.

SPEAKER_02 1:20:10

You know what was bittersweet about this game for Denver, though? Second to last play in this game, Bo Knicks breaks a bone in his foot. Oh Lord.

SPEAKER_01 1:20:20

This is why the Broncos. So well, sorry, right ankle. I'm gonna tell you right now, if it were not for this injury, I almost had Denver winning the Super Bowl this year, okay? It didn't matter who it was against. Uh now I have them probably not even making it out of the next round.

SPEAKER_02 1:20:39

Yeah, I think they're starting uh Stidum. Jarrett Stydham.

SPEAKER_01 1:20:44

Yeah, Stidham, who has not started a game since while it's not out of the realm of possibility, because New England's offense isn't exactly spectacular either. Uh Denver's defense is gonna have to step up here. Denver's defense is gonna have to put points on the board because Stidham is not going to.

SPEAKER_02 1:21:04

Yeah, well, it's Stid. Well, look, here's the thing. Stidum doesn't have to be the one that saves the team. Right. Sean Payton and the defense have to save the team. Yes. So all they need Stidham to do is do the plays efficiently.

SPEAKER_01 1:21:21

I'm thinking.

SPEAKER_02 1:21:21

And and one thing that Stidham has been known to do is throw away the ball when the play is not there. And he does have better wheels, he does move around a little bit more than Bo Knicks does. So they they will have some scrambling ability. And if they can get some key effort out of some of the other offensive players, now granted, they're going to need some of their players to come back from concussion and other injuries uh that's that they sustained during the Buffalo game. But if they can get some production out of those players, they might wind up turning this into a surprise kind of Nick Foles kind of scenario.

SPEAKER_01 1:21:58

Yeah, and if if New England isn't careful. Well, one thing they still have is RJ Harvey, but the D the Patriots defense is top five in run defense. So I'm thinking a lot of short to medium passes to break it up.

SPEAKER_02 1:22:12

Well, yeah, just look at well, we'll get to it. But what happened in the Texans game with the run game? Yeah. We'll we'll talk about that. Yeah. Um, why don't we talk about it right now? So we had the Houston Texans going against the New England Patriots with the Patriots leading the way 28-16. And this game, it it honestly, if they had gotten some better quarterback play out of out of CJ Stroud, Texans could have won this game because they they got the ball turned over several times in this game, and they could have they were on Drake May. It seemed like every other play that he dropped back.

SPEAKER_01 1:22:50

One thing I noticed this season about the Texans, I think the Texans are up and coming. I think the offense needs some work. One thing I noticed when they do win, it's usually when their defense is able to overpower the other team's offense. That did not happen here in this game. Uh, and you see the result 28 to 16.

SPEAKER_02 1:23:08

Well, they did, like I said, they were on Drake May a lot. They were they were literally forced multiple fumbles on him.

SPEAKER_01 1:23:16

They did, but New England clearly made some adjustments and they were able to kind of get around it a little bit.

SPEAKER_02 1:23:22

Well, the defense bailed him out because they would keep Houston to field goals and not getting touchdowns. Exactly. They would have had a little better quarterback play, and they were they desperately needed Nico Collins in this game. With him not being in there, the the receiving core was just not creating enough separation, and they were just they were doubling down on on the hot reads and the clear number one, number one reads. So it made it very hard for Street CJ Stroud to find anything, and they were also changing up their rushing efforts on CJ Stroud, confusing him and making him look almost like he wasn't there. Like it almost like he was there, but mentally he was checked out.

SPEAKER_01 1:24:03

I was I was trying to think, was it this game or another game where they had a play where they only brought two rushers? No, I think it was this game. They only brought there was a couple plays where New England literally only brought two rushers, everybody else dropped a pass coverage.

SPEAKER_02 1:24:18

Exactly. And Stroud, he threw some really horrible passes in this game.

SPEAKER_01 1:24:23

Yes. You know, and I'm starting to worry about Stroud's future.

SPEAKER_02 1:24:27

He is costing himself millions. Millions. Like he he's not gonna get that, you know, uh deal like like uh uh Tua. He's not gonna get Tua's deal. He's not gonna get any money like that, you know. Do you think that Houston keeps Stroud for another season, or do you think they try to move him? It's hard to tell at this point. If they can get something that they really honestly value for him, and they can get somebody to come in at quarterback, I could totally see them moving on.

SPEAKER_01 1:24:58

I think Stroud, I mean, you're in one of the best quarterback friendly systems in the league. Okay. Um, so it's kind of a hard argument there. I don't think they'd trade him. I think what they do if they keep him, which they probably will, I think they're gonna draft a quarterback late and bring in some competition.

SPEAKER_02 1:25:20

I don't I don't know that you can bring in somebody that's a late-round pick and expect him to rise to a level of a a starter necessarily. I mean, not I mean, granted, yeah, there we've had the Brock Purdy's of the world who were picked late or Tom Brady's of the world, but those are one in a million kind of situations.

SPEAKER_01 1:25:38

Third to fourth round seems to be a sweet spot for talent.

SPEAKER_02 1:25:42

So speaking of Texans defense and situations going on, uh, this happened actually after the Texans game against the the uh Pittsburgh Steelers.

SPEAKER_01 1:25:54

Right.

SPEAKER_02 1:25:54

Their defensive linebacker Al Shazir got fined for wearing a message on his I Black that read, Stop the Genocide in one of the games. I think it was uh or in that game.

SPEAKER_01 1:26:08

It was actually this last game. I remember it very clearly. I remember seeing it written and wondering if the league was gonna say something.

SPEAKER_02 1:26:14

Not that I they fined him$11,593 for his violation of wearing this message on it on his IBLAC, which is kind of weird in a way because they have messages on the back of their helmet.

SPEAKER_01 1:26:27

But he's still they're NFL approved messages, right?

Patriots Handle Texans, Fines And Lines

SPEAKER_02 1:26:31

But he he puts this on there, it's a message in reference to his concerns over Israel uh policies in Gaza. So this is this is more so something that he is referring to based on his own beliefs and his his probably he might have family that's from over there. So that this is a thing that's deeply rooted in him, and I think he's okay with he I think he's okay with taking the fine if it puts the message out there and brings awareness. But I mean, still, I mean you're finding a guy for something that you kind of openly encourage elsewhere.

SPEAKER_01 1:27:08

And I mean, people people put like they put messages all on their cleats, on their jerseys, my cause, my cleats, my cause, my cleats, on their chains. So I mean, I I can't imagine, I don't know why he got fined for this, uh, to be honest with you.

SPEAKER_02 1:27:26

Unless somebody It's not something that the NFL wants to be making a line in the sand on. I mean, they're trying to stay neutral, so I get it to a fault. But getting back to the game, Patriots win win the game 28-16, knocking off the Houston Texans and having the New England Patriots go against the Broncos the next round, where we'll see if Jarrett Jarrett Stidham can make it past the Patriots and make a run into the Super Bowl.

SPEAKER_01 1:27:53

You know, I'm I'm not looking good, but I'm fully expecting the Patriots to come away with this win at this point.

SPEAKER_02 1:27:59

So Sean Payton, he basically is house money now. Because if he loses, oh shouldn't have been there anyway, because he's going with Stid'em. But if he gets to the Super Bowl, oh, would you look at the coaching effort by by Sean Payton? He did it with Stidum. He got to the Super Bowl with his backup. And you know, you're you could see it all day how they're gonna approach this.

SPEAKER_01 1:28:22

And you know you're right, because I I honestly was literally just thinking the same thing. I just hadn't conceptualized it the way you just did. But like I said earlier, if they had their number one quarterback, who really is the number one quarterback in the making, he's really not number one quarterback yet. I had them pegged to win the Super Bowl.

SPEAKER_02 1:28:43

Well, think about it. You get bounced with Bo Nicks, it rings a lot different than if you get bounced with Stidum.

SPEAKER_01 1:28:51

If the Denver Broncos, if they don't make the Super Bowl this year and win it, next year is definitely probably their year. Because look, Bo Nicks is rookie year. They made the they they almost made the playoffs.

SPEAKER_02 1:29:04

Okay. I get tired of people saying that next year is the year or next year is gonna happen because we have so many things over history that have told us that's not a true statement. Because look at look at the Buffalo Bills, four straight years of going to the Super Bowl and did not win. And then Dan Marino, his first time going to the Super Bowl in 1985, met up with the San Francisco 49ers, and Joe Montana blew the doors off of them to like 55 to 10.

SPEAKER_03 1:29:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:29:34

And everybody was like, oh, he's so good. Don't worry, Marino will be back. He never made it to another one.

SPEAKER_01 1:29:41

Yeah, I mean, you're right. You're right. And it is very hard to make the playoffs, let alone make it to the Super Bowl. So forgive me for that fact. But I gotta give Denver a lot of credit, and I feel like they're going to be in the mix for some time. Let's go ahead and move over to your game, sir. We get to talk about your shitty ass game for once. Okay. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:30:05

Hey, hey, don't look. All right. Let's remember. Let's remember two things here. Seattle, you gotta give them all the credit in the world. They came to play this game and they showed out on both sides of the ball. They showed out from the very kick because they ran it back for a touchdown the very first play of the game. So Seahawks win this game 41 to 6. San Francisco just could not do anything on either side of the ball. And the fact that we even made it this far, anybody would say, is amazing. With all the injuries, with everything we've been through on both the offensive and defensive side, we were not at full strength. And you can't lose pieces at this time of the year and expect to still come out strong. But personally, I think the Niners got a whole world, whole world of hurt ahead of them because their whole special teams are pretty much becoming free agents, and they still got to figure out what they're doing for a number one receiver because Brandon Ayuk's gone. You've got Kittle who's injured, you've got an aging Trent Williams, you got an aging Christian McCaffrey who kind of took a step back, and you got a run game that has been offbeat all year and was doing less yards per game than they did the previous two years.

SPEAKER_01 1:31:25

Alright. I'm gonna get to San Francisco in a second, given everything you just threw out there. Seattle, I got three words for you. Mike McDonald. Sam Donald, Jackson Smith and Jimbo. That third one's a doozy. Be careful. Oh, wanted just to go JSN. JSN, Jazzy Sauce, whatever you want to call him. Uh this Seattle team, Donald may be where he thought the Vikings were gonna be last year. Actually, the Vikings have better weapons than the Seahawks do, but I think the Seahawks have better coaching than the Vikings did.

SPEAKER_02 1:32:00

To be honest, I don't give this to Mike McDonald as much as I give this to the organization itself and their GM because he made this is a team that has been built over years. Like, okay, go go with the running backs. You have Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet, which unfortunately Zach uh tore his ACL in this game, so he's done. But not only that, but the defensive moves they've made. They brought it, they brought in Lawrence, they have tons of players that they have kind of on the periphery brought in to add to what they already had. They have built themselves a stout defense, they have built themselves a stout offense. This is not a team that just happenstance. You know, this was a they did calculated moves where they built up their offensive line, they brought in Sam Darnold, who is a total upgrade from Geno Smith. Because Geno Smith, I'm sorry, dude's a bust. Like he cannot do it anymore. If you think that he's gonna be your starting quarterback and you do anything, you're a fool. So they upgraded, they said, look, we're not doing it with this guy. We're not doing it with this situation. We got to move on, we got to get better. And to go out there and say, hey, what is one thing that we're really lacking in? Oh, our special teams. How can we get our special teams better? Oh, I don't know. Let's trade for Shaheed. He's a great kick returner, he's a speeder, speed player that can burn off the top of our of our offensive and pull defensive players with him to create moves for players underneath like Cup and like JSN. Yeah. So they addressed the things that need to be addressed and answered things rationally. What do we need and be realistic about it?

SPEAKER_01 1:33:48

Yeah, I mean, I I agree with you there. I I think the GM did a great job going out and finding players they need. Um Leonard Williams, they got from the Jets in a trade. Leonard, yeah, Leonard Williams. They've done a great job on, I like to call it on a budget, but it's really not on a budget. It's not on a budget, it's calculated moves. They made calculated, smart moves. They're the number one seed in the NFC. Um great job recognizing that Sam Darnold was gonna need a new home, a new contract, and somewhere to play efficiently. Bro, and they got him at a value. They got him at a value. He's a QB1. He's one of the he might be one of the best QBs in the league right now, stats-wise.

SPEAKER_02 1:34:32

Well, I would I would think, you know, Rams and Drake May. You know, well, you have Drake May and then you have Matthew Stafford. Those two are kind of competing. They're kind of competing, but I still think Sam Duncan. He doesn't have he doesn't have quite the numbers to compete with them. But he doesn't have to. That's the beauty of this team. He doesn't have to be the savior, he just has to be the guy who gets timely scores and also allows their defense to do what is needed. And that's what happened. Their defense has been doing what is needed to get them to where they need to go.

SPEAKER_01 1:35:07

So Yeah, they they've had a they've had a pretty good have had pretty good defense. Their offense has played smart football.

Seahawks Steamroll 49ers, What’s Next

SPEAKER_02 1:35:14

Honestly, the Niners, they came out flat and they look just worn out because they've been fighting through injuries and fighting through miscommunications. You had uh Renardo Green fighting with Shanahan on the sidelines because Shanahan was displeased with his play. Yeah. And you you just you had a lot of just miscues. I'm honestly too big to overcome.

SPEAKER_01 1:35:40

I I'm rather impressed that this that the 49ers have made it as far as they did, especially in the playoffs, because you're right, they it took very good coaching to get them to this point because they've lacked personnel, they've had aging players, uh, injuries, things like just as you just mentioned.

SPEAKER_02 1:35:56

Uh, and I think the injury to George Kittle was really the one that ended their uh well Tanja's had some great, he was their leading receiver in this game until he came up a little lame and had to be again another injury, had to be uh ushered over to the sideline. But this was all about what the Seahawks have done so well, which is their pass rush. Their pass rush dominated this game, made everything difficult, did not allow time for plays to develop, and they they just put pressure on the San Francisco 49ers offense the entire game. Honestly, I look, I'm a Niners fan, and I'm telling you, this team's defense, the Rams, the team you faced before, this is not the same team. This team is going to give the Rams fits. Yeah, I think that's kind of preluding what's going to happen.

SPEAKER_01 1:36:54

I think so. I think so as well. And hopefully Seattle's defense can remain strong because they will be without Zach Charbonnet, uh, obviously for the rest of the playoffs, which is like two more games. Possibly in the next season. Probably this is a deal terror. This is like one of the worst times of the year as an NFL player to have a serious injury because that means this is now carrying probably into the beginning of next season. Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 1:37:17

So well, moving right along over into the other game, which I kind of already spilled the beans on. We had the Rams going to the Chicago Bears house with the Bears hosting a playoff game for the first time in a long time, and fans are super excited for it. And it was a very it was a very back and forth competitive game with a little snow coming down, making it even more, you know, fun game to watch.

SPEAKER_01 1:37:40

This was a true grit game right here. Uh 20-17. Uh, the Rams, look, I'm telling you right now, people are people are catching up. The Panthers beat you in the regular season, they almost beat you in the playoffs. Chicago almost beat you in the playoffs, too.

SPEAKER_02 1:37:59

So one big thing I I I take away from this game, and Bears should not feel at all bad about losing this game because you went toe-to-toe with a team that has been all year long pretty much they put this team as a Super Bowl possibility, a contender for the Super Bowl. Yes. But what you need to realize is that you have seen growth in your quarterback, growth in your defense and offense, and you can only go bet get better from here. Because this quarterback, I I don't know if you saw this play, but late in the game, you had Caleb Williams, who they were, I think they were they were within range to I think they were in the red zone, but he got pushed back almost to the 50-yard line, and he throws a perfect pass right to Kemet, right at the very back corner of the end zone, where he just poop catches it and ties this game up to send it into overtime with only 12 seconds left. And I'm telling you, this is one of probably the best throws I've ever seen in the NFL.

SPEAKER_01 1:39:10

That was the one where he was scrambling, right? He just kind of put it up.

SPEAKER_02 1:39:13

Yeah, it wouldn't it it wasn't even that, it wasn't like a jump ball. He literally threw a dime pass right to Ket.

SPEAKER_01 1:39:22

I remember that because you texted me when it happened, and that might be, and here in a week or two, we're gonna reflect on some of the best plays of 2025. That might be in the conversation.

SPEAKER_02 1:39:34

Yeah, that's one of it's one of the best plays I've seen so far this year in a while is from a quarterback. And they shouldn't feel bad because it took a lot of effort from these Rams to hold them back and get that field goal in horrible conditions, mind you.

SPEAKER_01 1:39:54

The the Rams, who are known for putting up 30 to 40 points a game all season and having one of the better. Defenses in the league have had trouble two weeks in a row now in the playoffs with up-and-coming teams, and I'm rather excited for this.

SPEAKER_02 1:40:09

Yeah, the team that has Puka and Devontae Adams, you kept this team to 20 points. And mind you, they also have Kyron Williams and Blake Corum, the two-headed monster, and they couldn't really get much going.

SPEAKER_01 1:40:22

And let's not forget And Matthew Stafford. You have Matthew Stafford. Exactly. I was just, you took the words right out of my mouth. Matthew Stafford, as much as I don't like to recognize him, he is now, I would consider him an elite quarterback at this point in this juncture, the way he's performing with this Rams team the last couple seasons. Now, Mike, real quickly before we closed out. So, hang on, hang on.

SPEAKER_02 1:40:43

Okay, that gives us the Rams and Seahawks going against each other to see who goes to the Super Bowl. Now that we have the championships laid out, who do we think we're gonna see in the Super Bowl?

SPEAKER_01 1:40:56

You know, I really feel like if they had Bo Nicks, we could see Denver in the Super Bowl. Although this is gonna be a fireworks game uh without Bo Knicks. Uh I I think it's gonna be New England on the AFC side. And over on the NFC side, I think you're gonna have a game of defense here. Um I think Seattle, I know Seattle's the favorite, but I'm gonna go ahead and say Seattle's gonna upset the Rams. I think Seattle's gonna be the Rams. I think you can see the Ramsey.

SPEAKER_02 1:41:30

It's not an upset if they're the number one seed going against a fifth seed.

SPEAKER_01 1:41:33

I know, but the Rams are generally considered a little higher, you know, whatever the case, I think we're gonna have a Patriots, Seahawks, Super Bowl.

SPEAKER_02 1:41:44

I kind of feel the same way, but you realize no matter what we do, we're winding up with a Super Bowl from the past. So it's either a past Super Bowl where we had Patriots, Seahawks, or Patriots, Rams, or we're winding up with Broncos, Seahawks, or Broncos, Rams. Well, actually, Broncos, Rams would be kind of a new one. But still, majority of it, if we had the Patriots, it's gonna be repeats from Super Bowls in the past.

SPEAKER_01 1:42:16

I think so too. And honestly, whichever two of these four teams make it, I think we're in for a hell of a Super Bowl. Uh because all these teams ball out, they all play hard, they all have good defenses. I I think we're gonna be in for a fireworks show, whoever makes the Super Bowl.

SPEAKER_02 1:42:34

Agreed, agreed. I'm I'm really I'm really looking forward to what we're gonna get.

SPEAKER_01 1:42:38

I think so too. Sometimes you have years where the brackets kind of dull, uh, and you're like, man, if this team makes it, it's gonna be a definite. It's gonna be a boy. Yeah, you know. But, you know, we'll see what happens, how this plays out. Uh I'd like to thank everybody once again for joining us for this evening for another episode of Sports Talk and Banter. Uh, I'd like to thank our sponsors and partners once again, Body by D Gym, Solace Outfitters, and the Giving Tree Chiropractic. For the last time tonight, I'm Brian with an eye.

SPEAKER_02 1:43:11

And I'm Mike, and we are two for the win. Thanks, everybody.