We've got Shawn Maryman now the Lights Out Podcast. Appreciate him joining us as he often does on Monday. Happy Holidays. You have a good you have a good Christmas. I did, man. I had some pizza whiskey and that's the gar I was. That's a hell of a combo. By the way, I saw you posting, I put pictures up in my kids too. Your son is an LSU fan. What have you done as a Maryland guy like Mike. I'll tell you this.
My ten year old has So. I grew up a Tennessee fan, grew up here in the state of Tennessee, in Nashville, and you know, Alabama is the long time hated rival the University of Tennessee. And my son has turned into a huge Alabama fan. And I'm like, I don't want to tell him who what teams he can root for. So so I took him to Obama LSU game the one last year with Joe Burrow and the l s U went off. And it's like, you know, when you're a kid, whatever teams are really good. When
you're growing up, you tend to gravitate too. Is that what happened to your son? I saw him in some LSU gear. No, I think I made a ton of mistakes as a dad, but I should have. You know, you gotta look at spending more time or you know something I said. Maybe he's doing something out of spite. You know, No, my son is actually like I was growing up. I never had a favorite football team when I grew up in the p G County Melon area. So yeah, really I'm supposed to be a Ridskins fan,
but I never was. But I love that team that he had. I loved watching our our our monk and um and ripping and and these great players. Um. And he's the same thing. He loves Juice Land, he loves o'dale, he loves Tyn Matthews, he loves you know, all these guys, the LSU boys. So that's why he's wearing it. But he got the Maryland get coming the man. I'm not gonna let that slip. Uh. We're talking to Sean Marion, by the way, did you so we were talking about
this off air? Uh a little bit NFL? You know, being a Pro Bowl or being a big time player, did you get excited still and feel a little bit childlike when you got to play in the snow and or did you ever get to play in a real snow game? Would that be something we're in the locker room dudes would be excited about because you know, like I remember being in college, for instance, and we would play, we play games, you know, just sad every Saturday. We
are Sunday, we get out and we play. I went to school in d C. On the fields down there by the National Mall, and a couple of different times when we were in college, we got to play tackle football in the snow. And you know, you're twenty one two years old, it's like you feel like you're nine years old again, right, like a kid in the snow. Is it still like that a little bit in the locker room? Did you ever get to play in a real snow game? And was there a different vibe or
a different field to it? You know, I grew up on the East Coast, so you know, planning of the snow I'm playing in the code, uh, wasn't a problem. I was used to it. But I played my last couple of years in Buffalo, and that's a different kind of code because you know, you got the wind coming off to the lakes and it's just a completely different atmosphere. Planning the code is never a problem. Um, you know
I remember playing with the Charges and playing against the Bills. Uh, they had this I guess what do you call it? A ritual whatever, you you know, a tough man thing where oh yeah, we're gonna make them cold and they're not gonna be playing the code. So during the week what they'll do is go out and have a couple of practices in the cold. Well, you know, scientists will tell you your body doesn't get used to the code. You just you can't get acclimated to the cold. But no,
it was never a problem. The only the codas game I played in was in two thousand and seven against the Patriots, THEFT Championship game. There was eleven or twelve degrees outside and the below you know, belay below zero and it wasn't snowing to the snow doesn't bother you. It's the code and the win. When you have the code and the win, it changed the ball games. Your fingertips, your nose, your toes, and you know I spent half the time on the sidelines fighting over the heaters because
you know they have two heaters. At the end of the spaces and yeah, I'll never forget. I I almost gotten a physical fight with Nate Katie, the kicker who was over there. I said, you know, you got to move your ass outer way because you know you only got to play about tennis snapp this whole game, and uh, you know, and I got so close to the events and my my gloves actually melted on my hands a little bit because I wasn't fighting trying to get It was so cold out that it's never really the snow.
It's it's always the cold. It's funny you mentioned that we do UH every year, and I did local radio in Nashville. We would do a toy field. It's a great thing they do at the local station here at the Titan Stadium, and everybody can bring their gifts and you try to fill up as much of this field as they can put in front. And one day we were there and it was so good. I don't know
what it's been like, ten or fifteen degrees. We were doing an outdoor show and they had those big space heaters, um you know that the things that put off a ton of heat. Right, So every commercial break we'd run over there and you know, get lined up in front of it, and my pants caught on fire, you know, like I mean, it literally melted, like I had, like, you know, like a couple of different layers on, and when you got different layers on, you don't feel it
as much. And I looked down, I'm like, man, I'm on fire, and I had to put it out. And that's how cold it was. And those are still some of the same stuff as the same exact stuff that they use on the sideline. Um and and it's pretty wild too to see how that gets shaken out. All right, speaking a while, So I took my family down to Universal Studios, had an amazing time early Christmas present for
my boys. And I was in line and you know, I'm checking my phone while I'm in line, and I see that Dwayne Haskins, who is you know, first round draft picks supposed to be the future of the Washington franchise. That in addition to the fact that they lost the game on Sunday, he then went to a strip club and got photographed in the strip club in the middle of all this COVID stuff. Everybody's got teammates and co
workers who have done dumb things in life. What do you think the locker room reaction is when you're starting quarterback. I mean they stripped his champ, his captaincy, right, I mean they pulled it right off, gave it to Chase Young, who's a freak. And we talked about last week, I
think or the week before with you. What do you think the locker room reaction is when they see that not only went to a strip club, which obviously you shouldn't be doing while everybody's trying to avoid testing positive for COVID, but did it and got his picture taken there as well. It gets out and then he gets benched as the football team, uh loses against the Panthers this weekend. Yeah, and so this is how I feel
about that obviously. Um. Yeah, I know Dwayne Haskins, he's you know, he grew up in Maryland, and I've been hearing about it for a long time. Great kid, great do, great person. Um, but what we're seeing is a lot of immaturity and your team captain, and not only your team captain, you're a quarterback. See, it's a different you have a different outlook from the rest of your teammates from your quarterback. If there was a linebacker or a
defensive linement or cornerback, wide receiver. You're frowned upon. It. Guy in the shrimp club, he's putting people at rest, he's frowned upon. He'll get fine. Uh, you know, maybe a little bit of locker room chatter. But as a starting quarterback of a franchise, you're the CEO of that franchise. You leave that whole franchise. You have to act accordingly. And it's unfortunate because we're we have you know, all
of us and I've been there, all of us. Is you have to watching him grow up in front of the pub a guy. So we're watching all these young, dumb mistakes. And unfortunately, in today's time, those are the things that people are going to associate what you Those are the things they're gonna remember about you the most, especially especially when you're not playing well. Now, if you're out there, you're just killing it. You haven't adjusted herb the type of season. Uh, you're a young guy. You're
playing extremely well. Uh, and then you go out and make mistakes. Okay, You'll still slapping the back of the red and say, hey, don't do it. You don't get stripped your team captain. You may get fine a little bit, but then you move on to the next game and people forget about it. It's the connection with him not playing well and also not being a team leader that is really uh is gonna prompt him faster uh than
a lot of these people. And I don't want to make these comparisons at all, but you know, you you have to when you're first round drafted, your top ten draft pick. But you know Jamacus Russell, you know he's a guy that came in with a ton of talent, big arm, very skilled, could have been a great pro, but just didn't take things seriously. And uh or Ryan Leaf, right, Ryan Leaves another good example, right, Like Ryan Leaf comes in, has the ability to do everything falls apart. Yeah, and
you know these guys are more than talented. I mean, look, you don't get drafted that high um for any reason unless somebody's see something in you, period, and you've are proven UH players, And we know he's capable. We've seen it this year. We see splashes that he can go. He can play, but he's not consistent, he's not playing well, and on top of that, you're being a team distraction.
And that's where UH people are really gonna start coming down on him, and he look, he's I'm not gonna say he's gonna be out the league and discontinues or anything like that, but you know, we can very much watch him be a backup quarterback until he, uh just learns mature a little bit and learns to understand that you're the CEO of a franchise and the whole team, the whole franchise, the organization is relying on what you do.
We're talking to Shawn Merriman. Uh all right, so let's break down some of these division races and what we saw Seahawk to get the win over the Rams. Jared Goff. I mean, it seems to me like Sean McVeigh is just thoroughly disgusted with him. Right. They came out and lost last week to the Jets, and then you think, okay, well we'll see how they perform going forward, and they don't score a touchdown, they can't get into the end zone.
What do you think going forward of Jared Goff and what is the significance in your mind of the Seahawks winning that division? Well? Going for Jared Goff, and I've always said this about him, Um, he's not going to play well unless you put the piece to the puzzle around him and they're playing well. When when they're playing well in offense, they're running the ball effectively, you know, they're making some big plays and catching and stuff like that.
He looks I mean, he looks like a good, really good quarterback, but he's not capable in my opinion, he's not capable of going out there winning the game by himself. You know, if he has to get great play from the office line, he has to get great play and then running the ball, they have to dialup Sean McVey, have to dial up the right plays the call and not him and go out and play well. He's not going to go out and vow you and anything miraculous himself.
Now he's gotten away with it because that defense they turned the ball over over him. They got Jyalen Ramsby and Aaron Donald and all these got to get out the guys up the end of front seven. So that builds them out a whole lot, and they play well in other phases of the game. But if he if it's if it's on him, if the game is on his shoulders, he's not gonna go out and win you a ton of football games. We're talking to Sean Merriman breaking down some of these big division situations. The Steelers
come out of nowhere. They were down twenty four to seven, they had lost three straight games, looked like they were headed for their fourth straight. Then they suddenly get hot in the second half. How significant was that outcome in your mind? And did it allay any of your concerns about the Steelers going forward or do you still have the same concerns. I still had the same concerns, but you know, it was really good for them because right now, the last thing you want is we lose a fourth
straight hid and into the playoffs. That is the last thing you want. Because the locker room is like a funeral. Uh. You walk around there and it's not a good taste. And you guys got a really good record. I mean it's nothing. You know, you've been playing well. Lost season, but the momentum will be going the other way. So it was important for them to get this win. But I think over the last you know, four weeks, they've
been exposed in certain areas. Um you know, I think that there's obviously in my team and this is just my opinion that advential distractions what you do and um and just adding the field to the fire. And I don't think anything. Well, I like you as a as a person. I like Juju as a player. But you know, when you play on the team where you're putting the other ten guys in jeopardy because of something you're doing, you're becoming Bullington board material. Then you have to think
about stopping. You know, you have to think about stopping. And it's ultimate disrespect, no matter what everybody want to say, it's ultimate disrespect to going dance on anybody's logo. Now I get it. They'll say that. You know, they were winning off season, nobody could play, nobody saying anything. But now that it's become more of a public matter, Um, you become they become bullets at Boar material. And look at the guys and what they how they celebrate the
things they say. Um, after they make a big hitt of jujuo after they beat the Steelers, you know, it's always mocked because of what he's doing. And you know, fortunately they came back in one this game and the scenes like they got things back on trick. But I do believe the last four games. They have been exposed in sum areas. Do you think Uh? And Seawan Merriman with us encourage you to go listen to the Lights
Out podcast. The Chiefs are on an unbelievable run. I think they're what twenty three and one in their last twenty four since November the eleventh of last year. They've only lost one game, that was to the Raiders. But they've won now I think it is seven straight games by six or fewer points. Are you concerned at all
about what you're seeing from them? They beat the Falcons seventeen fourteen, or is this just a team that feels so unthreatened in terms of when they're playing against anybody that they are waiting to just be able to flip a switch. No, I'm not concerned about them at all. In fact, you know, we're just making a joke about my charges that they want some of these games by six points or less. They don't want to extra four games this year. They'll probably be sitting around at you know,
eleven and five by the end of the season. You happy to just be able to win those close games. I know that they have a great team over there. For some weeks, Uh, you're gonna have to just squeeze a few of them out. And that's how what championship teams do. And look this team that the Chiefs have. UM, I don't think we've ever seen anything like this and
this explosive. Now. I'm you know, we've had the greatest show on Turn and we had some explosive offenses, but with these guys, and including Andy Reid, who DALs these plays up to be explosive, We've never seen a package like this before ever. Would be three or four guys on offense who could possibly, you know, end up in the Hall of Fame somewhere one day, and then a Hall of Fame coach like Andy Reid who can tenuously
get creative every week. They have a new wrinkle that you would have to worry about, and they dialogue place specifically for what they can do. They're the most explosive team in football. So if I was them, I wouldn't be too concerned at all. We're talking to Shawn Merriman breaking down everything that happened in the NFL. Uh. When you see Alvin Kamara go for six touchdowns, I know it was on Christmas. He had his green and his
red cleats, on. I mean, I feel like, if anything, that's being under discussed in terms of how good he was. And then also Tom Brady going out and getting his team in the postseason. Again, how would you break down both of those guys. Those are games that happened before Sunday, but I feel like they deserve a little bit of talk as well. Yeah. I never understood the underappreciation for Alvin Kamara. I just never understood that because you as
a former defensive player. I'm watching them and he's always shot out of a out of a canic. Mean, you see him touched the ball, he just looks faster, more explosive. Get the way he gets through the whole how how balanced he is his uh you know, the way he gets yards after first contact and the way you can catch the ball out of the backfield and do so many different things. I just I think that, uh, you know, we're underappreciating, undervalue and how good, how great he really is.
Probably because you got a Drew Brees over there, and you've got you know, Sean Payton who's a great coach, and you got some play neils, some pieces around them where uh you know, Michael Thomas and wide receiver, and we're not really appreciating the greatness surviving Camaral because this guy is he's a game breaker. And what I what I say by that is every time he touches the field, you have to concentrate on and he have to worry about what he what play he can hurt me on display.
You know, you start paying attention to him, and now you know, Michael Thomas or somebody else gets getting involved, and Drew Brees is doing this thing, and also that defense or front camera. Join. These guys they're getting after you there there, I mean Davis the linebacker. They're they're getting after you all over the field. And he's guys, they're they're they're probably not it's hard to call them
a sleeper because they're they're a great team. But I don't think that they're being um put up there enough with the other great with the other great organizations. Right now, the Browns lost to the Jets. Jets have now lost two games in a row. And so this is the
last question for you as you break it down. When you look at the Browns having to play without all those wide receivers, do you just toss that to the curb and say like this game is not in any way a normal game, or do you go back in and say this is a game that the Brown should have still won. No, No, I mean, look, you're missing that many pieces to the puzzle. And I don't want to give them a pass at all because they didn't
play well. But it's hard to to play with the It's hard to play well when you're listening to the key pieces to your game. Um, And we've always said that. I've said the whole season. When they played great defense and they're running the ball, they're unstoppable. They can play with the best of them. Every every NFL team in the league will have a problem planning when they're running the ball well and they're playing great defense. But that
opens up for those wide receivers. And when they're not there, now you you totally your mindset is not, Hey, these guys hurt us on a big passing player, the wide Reso's gonna come and do something together against us. Let's take away what they're great at and let them these wide receivers is in there find a way to beat us. And they didn't find a way to beat us. Beat them without you know, they keep key components. Shawn Merriman,
outstanding is always my man. We'll hopefully talk to you next week and have a better big picture by then of who's gonna be in the playoffs and where. Have a good New Year's and we'll talk to you next week. You gotta as well,