Let me go ahead and bringing a guy who gambled occasionally on the defensive side of the ball, trying to figure out what the offense was doing against him. Shawn Merriman. You can hear him at the Lights Out podcast fresh off a trip to Mexico. My man, I saw some of the videos. It looked like a good time. It was a great time, man. Uh. Unfortunately, I have, you know, a couple of friends that's placed all over the world.
So it's definite for me to hop on a flight real quick or fly somewhere and go see a couple of people hang out. Especially we've got that downtown, and I encourage people to travel. I've been. I mean, I've been doing the same thing. I mean, there's so many people who are hurting in the travel and industry out there. And if you feel you are young and healthy otherwise, I mean, I went down to Florida, took my family to UH Universal Studios right before Christmas. I was talking
to you off the air. As soon as the Super Bowl is over, I'm headed down to Mexico to the Mayan Riviera, which I think is one of the most beautiful areas anywhere in the world. Uh, to be down there for a little while and chill. And so if you are young and healthy and uh, and you're trying to keep the economy rolling, I think there are a lot of people out there who would be able to in the travel and tourism industry appreciate your your business. All right, Let's dive into a bunch of questions. How
old are you? Sean now thirty six? So when you see forty three year old Tom Brady, obviously the positions are different, but when you see him running around on the field making the plays that he is. Let's start with Brady Bucks get to eleven and five. I know there's concerns about Mike Evans health, but Antonio Brown making plays, Chris Godwin, Gronk, that's a pretty explosive offense. They should be able to handle the first round against the NFC East.
Can they make a run? Could Brady go on the road three straight weeks in your mind through Tampa Bay and make it back to Tampa Bay to play in the Super Bowl? Yeah? Absolutely. Look I've said it before, and obviously I think that people out there and know them a natural platy hated myself, but man and watching him, uh and some of the things they would pull off. And one of the things I wan say is, uh, guys retire not because they can't play anymore, because they
can't recover. So him playing this well late in the season, at the four sixteen weeks, not really having that much of an all season, you know, Thorn and Antonio Brown in there late in the middle of the season, all these things, Man, to me is watching them just work is incredible because you know how hard it is. I mean, God, after my eighth year or in my a year, I was so sore playing on a Thursday night football game.
It was just your body goes through it. And for him to still be put at the members of these doing right now is incredible and absolutely they can make a run, especially as they're getting Antonio Brown back in the groove right now. Uh. When you look at not only the Bucks on fire, but man, the Bills put up fifty six on the Dolphins, I mean fifty six on that defense. And I know too it didn't play fantastically well and Fitzpatrick was out with COVID related issues.
But when you sit back and see fifty six, Uh, the Bills and the Chiefs I think are clearly the class of the a FC. But how good are the Bills? I mean, Bills fans have been long suffering. They haven't had a playoff win. I think it is since is this their year to really make a run? Well, I'll say that so the cancer by Chiefs are the most explosive team in football right when when obviously when uh Patrick mahomes on the on the field. But the scariest team to play is the Bills. The Bills because it's
the type of football that they played. Their excitement, they're energy in all three phases of the game. Um, you see guys on the offenside of the ball when they're not up and on the field there on the sideline. You should see them running onto the field when the defense make plays or a big special change played. This is this is a team right now there's playing um incredible football because there's their rugged. You know, they fight
for every inch. These guys finished blocks, their attitude mess up the scariest part playing guys like this because going into the playoffs when they have the best momentum and they have the most most confidence and you can see them, you don't put up fifty six points. Uh Dolph is not a bad team and Tour played terrible, but he's not on the decent side of the ball. So they put up fIF six points against a pretty damn good minded team this year, and I think they're going to continue.
That's on the playoffs right now. They're a scary's team in the FC for sure. When you how many times do you play in the playoffs? Uh see my first, my first two years, my first three year, three you were four years so you hear a lot about playoff intensity versus regular season intensity. As a guy who has been there, what does that feel like? Well, you know, you watched the preseason, right you see guys just kind of going for the motion and getting loose and getting acclimated.
And in that last preseason game you start to see guys, you know, pick it up a little bit with My god, that first kickoff game one, the speed is so damn fast. You're like, hold on, I've just seen this team on Phil you know two weeks ago. This is not the same team because it speed is that much better. When you get into the playoffs, guys get so scrappy and they start fighting for every damn inch and the intensity
the emotions to go with it. You can't really laying it. Uh. And you see why teams UH, like like the Patriots of all the Pittsburgh or TEAMSUS used to go into the playoffs, you see why they're so damn good because they realized how they need to pick up. I think that's what some of the teams I played all the charges.
So that what the reason, the main reason why we did to get a championship is because we had some guys didn't understand the level of how hard it is to get to the playoffs because we automatically assume that we're gonna get there every single year. And teams like the Saints and Drew Brees and the Seahawks, and and and just one deep in the postseason, they know how to pick that intensity up. And that's what's happening. That's
what's happening right now. You want that momentum going into the playoffs to be at the at this all time high. We're talking to Sean Merriman. Encourage you to listen to the Lights out podcasts. The Ravens are playing really really well, speaking of intensity at an all time high. They're now eleven and five. They're going on the road against the Titans. They are a small favorite in that game. Certainly, the Titans knocked them out in the divisional round last year.
Lamar Jackson oh in two so far. Both of those games were played at home. How much pressure, if any, do you think he feels after losing in the first round two straight years? And what do you expect to see from the Ravens in that matchup against the Titans. Well, this is the thing, Lamar Jackson. We watched him over you know, his his short career so far. He likes the pressure. It's not there's no doubt about it. He likes the pressure. He likes the ball in his hands. Um,
what I hope that don't happen. This has been some of the times that they had lost this year. Is that he feels that he needs to go out and make the most exciting play ever every time he touched the ball, he doesn't He needs to go out to be Lamar Jackson. That ball, he's got a long ball. He threw. His egg was right on the money. It proved a lot of people that he hasn't harm. He can't be accurate, he can't make those big plays. But he needs to understand he doesn't need to do that
everything every single snap. He didn't need to go outen make the big player use his legs. It's okay to go to a guy a checkdown, right, Wow, It's okay to throw a five or six yards out. It's okay to do these things because that's what you need to doing playoff football. It's as soon as he understands that, he's gonna be great, man. I mean, he's gonna be a great quarterback because he's showing us already he can do it. When you look at the NFC, you've got
the Packers as the number one seed. I believe the Saints as the to the Seahawks as the three. Should the Packers be a substantial favorite in your mind, given that theoretically the road through the playoffs runs through Lambeau. Absolutely, Aaron Rodgers right now, what he's doing, um, you can't even really put it in the word because here's a
guy that you know. They go out and they traft the younger quarterback and obviously whether they're getting ready to move off Aaron Rods or they brought him in because uh, maybe injury or whatever that reason is. So he's coming in and I'm and I'm telling you, as a former player, I don't care who you are. You understand the organization gott to move forward, but not when you're playing this damn great. So you know what he's doing this year, I think was was a big part of that. You know, hey,
I can still go. I'm still the best quarterback. You know people you know talking about it. He's made several comments about pastor homes comes from these Nolan passes, and every time tax Bulbs make a big play, everyone's screaming and shouting like it's defense thing. He's you know, the people that ever saw. But whatever is doing this year is legendary. You know, this guy that they didn't draft to pick wide receive but they didn't bring any big
main guys. Savante As is playing exceptional, but no one really expect him to do what he's doing now. And Aaron Rodgers Man, that organization has just been relying on him for so damn long, and he's standing up to it. The Jets have fired Adam Gaze, Uh, they are moving on redoing that franchise. What have you seen out of
Sam Donald? Do you think that he is the guy that you go ahead and maybe consider trading that number two overall pick instead of taking a quarterback or as good as Justin Field's play, Do you try to pretend you're going to draft him, see what the value is? How would you, if you were GM of the Jets, assess the decision they have to make, particularly at the quarterback position, given they have Sam Donald, but they also have the number two overall pick. You know, always said this,
I don't think Sam Donald's a bad quarterback. I actually think he's a damn good quarterback when he's put into it, put into a good situation. But the problem is that when you play for organizations that it's bad across the board. What do we do We throw the quarterback you know under the bus. Yeah, yeah, we we throw them first because it's his fault. We're not wanting because it's him and the whole none. I mean, you know, I think it's just unfair. We've seen times and she's tough as him.
He plays hard, he's a good leader, and all these other qualities that he has. I don't I just don't think unless you have a number one pick, you've got your guaranteed Trevor Lawrence, you don't move, you know, and get a quarterback and it against Jessic Shields. Don't get me wrong, he played a maculum and he played great. But I just don't see, uh, you drafting him and hoping for the best when you have a quarterback that's more to Catin would have gone out there winning your
football games. It is interesting, um, as you make decisions. I know there's a lot of people out there who are Chargers fans and uh and they're disappointed about the way the seas and went and who knows what exactly is going to happen in terms of the leadership there. But wouldn't you say, overall, if you had known that Justin Herbert was gonna look this good, that the season was kind of a success just because of how phenomenal
he has played. Well. Yeah, for one, if you're a Chargers fan, you have to be excited about the future, right, I mean you have to. Justin Herbert Man, he's he's fun to watch. He's he played hard, uh as you see every time he he ran the quarterback sneak today in the offensive linement and people just surround him. Man, he has this energy. That's one thing. When I used to love a boy playing with Philip Man. You used to love to play with Philip. You knew he was
gonna fight. You never felt like you were at the games. You know he's gonna lay it out all on the line. And Justin Herbert has it and I think that he'ven better because he has better mechanics, he's fast and more athletic, and still it was. So he's just gonna be fun to watch man for the next five seven plus years. He's gonna be uh something, someone that they can base the entire organization round. They can really start the feeling.
So regardless of what happens with coaches or moving forward to the organization, and there could have be there could be a lot of other movements going on to not just what coaches. I mean, it'll be players and and front office. I think they could be a lot of movement during this off season. You have to be excited about the charges to Justin Curbers. You just mentioned Philip Rivers. The guy's entire postseason career just oftentimes seems star crossed.
Crazy things seem to happen. Team gets to eleven and five, they are sitting around, I'm sure watching on television. When the Titans make a field goal off the upright to win against the Texans, so as a result, the Colts have to go on the road against the Bills. We were already talking about how hot the Bills have been. Any reason that you feel like the Colts can pull that upset off? What would you expect to see in
a game like that. I just think right now the Bills of the scary team in football, I really do, and not just because of the fifty six points they put up today. I'm just talking about their style of play. Uh Now. The only difference I would say, and coming out to this, is that the Colts match up well against what the Bills do exchange with the Cults. Also, they have a very pretty uh stingey defense, and they like to get after their linebackers. They'd like to get
get after you up front. They've got great pass rushers, so they could actually do uh some of the things. Forbid Josh Howard for playing excellent, But other than that, man, I just don't see anybody beating the Bills right now, especially this early on when they have this much momentum. Last question for you. Here we're talking to Sean Merriman lights Out podcast, part of the I Heart podcast network.
The Browns get into the postseason after forever. They now are going to have a tough position, tough game no matter who you get in against. But it's also a very winnable game that's an immediate rematch against the Steelers. What do you think about the Browns chances to not only be in the postseason, but to pull off an upset over the Steelers. Well, what the Browns have to do is realize that this just start, right. I mean, it's been so long that they got there, and everyone's celebrating.
I know, I know, Shure, it's health Cleveland this. You know, they're they're excited about there. So they have to understand, Okay, this is the start. This is the new norm for us. So as soon as they feel that way and everyone's not satisfied by the getting in the playoffs the first time, they're gonna be fine. But also they're they're they're scary team.
They know play defense well and they run the ball, and when they're doing that, it just opens up so many things for these guys and it also makes them dangerous. But if they keep this chip on the shoulder, Baker may feel these guys, Hey, you know, everybody thought we shouldn't be here. We shouldn't we should never got into the playoffs. We don't deserve to be here. They they find a way to create that in the locker room. They can also be scary to play. Sean Merriman, good
stuff has always helps to talk to you. Next week after wild Card weekend should be a lot of Really, this is gonna be so much fun. I mean, you got, for the first time ever, three games on Saturday, three games on Sunday coming up this weekend, and then on Monday Day night Ohio State going up against Alabama. That is seven world class football games. Uh, nice little start one for a lot of people out there. Oh yeah, it can be a lot of sit in front of the TV man, So I'm prepared for it, no doubt
at all. That is Shawn Merriman. Appreciate the time with him.