2019 Wild Card Weekend Preview

It's the most wonderful time of the year. I would say another reason to be excited is and I don't agree with the decision they did. They made the decision upstairs to give us a TV show, and we've been waiting for a long time for that. You don't agree with the decision. I don't know if it's the right move by them, but they made the move. Rock Gossweiler clearly doesn't agree. They gave us a show. The on the NFL Podcast, You're on the NFL broadcast that premieres Friday,

six pm Eastern three pm Pacific. Rearers A bunch of times leading up to UH playoff Action and it will air every Friday or premiere every Friday for the next three weeks, starting this week. We're very excited about it. We've been doing a lot of work this week, both in prep and doing some shooting, Ricky stretching, outer director legs Um and UH, it's exciting. We're very much like the an NBA player on a ten day contract, you know we have. We're trying to make it through these

three weeks. Will they resign us for next year? Like that's that's the pressure for significantly less money. But I I heard um from a little birdie that what flipped the switch was that the people upstairs, these guys floating around in their cream colored corvettes on the weekends, that they caught win that we UH were actually named the best new podcast on iTunes in two thousand twelve. When they heard that, they said, this has to be something

that we put on the air and show. And there is there is some some chatter I haven't heard from iTunes since where there I don't know they you know they got There has been some chatter wes out there in the streets, streets talking both on the A T and subreddit and a couple of tweets I've gotten and

maybe some Instagram comments. Some fans, some of the greatest fans of our show, the biggest fans of our show, don't want the TV show to be successful because in what typically happens in our industry is the people that become the TV people dropped the podcast. Now, let's speak to that. Was that's a legitimate concern, that's the answer. Anytime I've been a fan of anything, I've had similar concerns.

But I mean, I've given a lot of thought to this, Like if if my entire personal on this podcast is to watch Game Pass during the season and report back with findings, just wait until we're on TV, and then somebody's haying to me a research packet before we go on air because I don't have time to watch games anymore. I don't know what that answer was, But we're doing the podcast as much as we've always done it. Oh, no matter what, that's always gonna way to colm the

public fears. If anything leimate, if anything falls off, it'll be our writing, So you know, I mean, that's that's that is currently happening. So in the tank all right around the NFL broadcast what's the big deal? All right, wild Card Weekend. It's a good thing. We're not celebrating our success before it happens. By the way, yeah, maybe we shouldn't count our chickens as they say. All right,

So well that's what we're gonna do today. Uh, pretty straightforward. Actually, we're going to dig into all four games of wild Card Weekend. We'll start with the Saturday games, which are the a f C games. I will have a special guest involved, Mike gard who covers the past and does a great job for NFL Network, is going to join us uh to talk uh Tennessee, New England. Uh. And also we're gonna do some news because we do have some I've got some stuff to hit mark, including yes,

more browns, more browns. This is like an exciting playoff format half time news. It's pretty big. Yeah, we're mixing it up a little bit, mixing it up a little bit. So let's get into it. Um, is everybody excited? Yeah? Thoroughly. Is Mike gi already available? Now? Should we start with the Patriots game? I'm realizing that his window availability might not be open yet. Well, we're starting, Why don't we

start with a little Texans. Let's start with a little buffalo at Houston then better known of course as West of This. It's the most wonderful time of the for new listeners. What why why is it West of This? Well, we created the holiday to celebrate the Bengals annual elimination from the playoffs on wild Card weekend five straight years

from two thousand eleven to two thousand fifteen. Since then, the Texans have taken over as the circuit most of his team, they always get that early Saturday window, which is the West of His window, that the game that nobody really wants to watch. They put him in there. The Texans have now played more games on West of US than the Bengals head So it shifts now, is this a is a Texans holiday? We can we can share it. Both Cincinnati and Texas known for chili. I mean,

they've got some commonalities there. Well, you were openly rooting against the Bengals. That was part of the festival atmosphere. Was you hoping the team would Were you rooting against them? So that's that's why it was a party. You're not rooty against Texans. I can't, I can't get behind that's because you had all these friends and family that still supports the team, their chumps. Why are you still your

friends and family? Why are you rooting against the Texans because they're not They're not as good as the Bills. I guess interesting, let's start there, then West. You think that despite the fact that the uh, well, these are two tenants six teams of course, right, and teams that have had some ups and downs. But you know, you could say that the Bills West have been the more

consistent team this season. But is it fair to say at least this was that the Bills as consistent and you know, well coached, and they've been a strong team this year. Their ceiling is not as high as the Texans, is it? I mean? And by that and by that logic, the Texans should be able to win at home a team that has more talent and ability, Well, they they

might not have more talent. The two big factors in this game, and the reason why the Bills I believe are going to win and maybe convincedly, is because will Fuller is a long shot to play according to our Tom Pellicero and J J. Is returning from a three to four month injury after two months of a torn pectoral and will be limited at best. If these two guys are healthy, it changes everything because they're two of

the most impactful players on the field. They're not healthy, one of them probably won't play, the other one will play in a limited fast and and I think the Bills are the worst you if you had to draw up a team that you do not want to see, if you're the Houston Techans would be the Buffalo Bills. With that defense, the one thing you know you're getting in this matchup is a fundamentally sound shutdown defense. The Bills only allowed one team to score twenty five points

this year. That's the lowest figure in the league. They just simply don't have bad games on defense. Since Week eleven, they have become one of the best sacking teams in the NFL. They become one of the best run defense teams in the NFL. You put your Davious White on DeAndre Hopkins, which is the best cornerback in the NFL, probably to put on a receiver like DeAndre Hopkins, and then you have great safeties and speedy linebackers to shut

down Duke Johnson and anything else. This Texans team wants to go they're going to be suffocated by the Bills defense. I believe they're The fact that they gave up the fewest big plays in the league is a problem, especially when you don't have Will Fuller, because now, yeah, you have Kenny Stills who's a factor, and DeAndre Hopkins, but you're gonna need Deshaun Watson to move the ball down the field slowly. He struggled a lot when he played the Bills a year ago, had one of his worst

games in two thousand eighteen against Buffalo. They're basically the same defense, but they also haven't really beaten anyone great

all season. I mean they are a very limited offense, and in the playoff weeks, I always look for the opposite of kind of the cliche, you know, defense when championships, no, I usually just picked the team with the better offense, and the Texans, despite the ups and downs, were top eight in the league and yards per drive and points per drive, and the Bills were twenty four or below in both of those measures. There's no way you can look at the Bills offense and say it's anything better

than mediocre. So you're having weakness on weakness. A week Bills offense on a week Texans defense, and then strength on strength when Watson. I feel like there are there an inordinate amount of Shawn's in the NFL coaching Well, I don't know, because they're all really great coaches. You've got Sean mcveigoh gets talked about endlessly, and Sean Payton for good reason. But Sean McDermott has someone that was essentially like the last interview for a bunch of teams

before the Bills hired him. I think that he has produced a Bills team that is consistent week to week. They have consistent issues on offense, but they don't have that scenario where, oh, you can look back to week when they were blowing their doors were blown off by someone. They seemed to hang with every single team that they deal with, and when they when they go into Dallas and win on the road the way they did on Thanksgiving,

I don't really care where the game takes place. I think with previous Bills teams that kind of got there, you'd need this game to be in Buffalo or wanted to be. It's the Texans to me that I don't know what team I'm gonna get from week to week I stimply don't, and I would have probably taken will Fuller a month ago and put thirty or forty massage therapists around him and just having them, you know, massage that soft tissue area all over what area, whatever area

has soft tissues. But what environment are you talking about? I'm just saying. I'm saying you keep him. His body is prepared. You know, I didn't. I thought I was just thinking other parts of his don't know, cam strings. But whenever, I'm with you, by the way, and in fact, this game, if you put it in Orchard Park or in Houston, it changes nothing about how I feel. If this game would have been Houston going up to Buffalo,

I wouldn't feel any stronger about either team. I think this is destined to be perhaps the closest game of wild Card Weekend. I don't see how this isn't like a fuel goal game, and not a very high scoring one at that, Because I don't. I think it's it's almost become cliche. Maybe it's only cliche to me slash us because we're so close to it. But yes, the impact of a will Fuller not being will Fuller and

what that's meant to this offense. But to me, this has all the ear marks of seventeen and it may be coming down to a battle of kickers, uh and and we'll see how that how that plays out. But I think this is a toss up game. And West created this amazing West of this document and one of the great tenets of a West of his game, the three nothing scenario is a three oh lead to steep to overcome. Right, It's worth mentioning that Texans Deshaun Watson or flat out embarrassed in West of this a year ago.

I mean, it was one of the worst performances, maybe the worst of Deshaun Watson's career was in many statistical the cults. The cults put it to them in a game, and that was not a result that we expected going into it, that it was gonna be that one sided. At the time, we said, well, imagine if Deshaun Watson had good pass protection, what would that look like? And now he's got it. I mean, they by any measure, they've had one of the best pass protecting lines in

the league. They're pretty good run blocking, and when I look at the Bills, they're very sound defensively, They're fine, They're just the defense. I mean, they just gave up the best game to Tom Brady that he's had in about ten weeks. They're fine. I mean they They're not gonna shut down a guy who is making the right reads and his patient and I think Deshaun Watson can

do that because he has that protection. They do not have much of a pass rush there, sound enough that they can send some blitzes and still hold up at the back end. But in terms of Shack Lawson and and Trent Murphy and Jerry Hugh, it's like they're fine. It's a fine defense. One of my if if West of US is my favorite tradition of playoff team, it's the Festival of Slights. It is My second favorite tradition is Greg picking the wrong team in West of This

every single time and misreading the situation completely. There's a game every year where the more I dig in, the more I do research, the more I watched games, it becomes so clear that one team is better than the other. The Bills are better than a Yeah, I'm locking it. The Bills are better than the Texans and what we have with the Willfuller thing. I broke down the stats and Deshaun Watston Statistically is Patrick Mahomes with Will Fuller on the field running a Chiefs or Saints caliber offense.

You take Will Fuller off the field, He's case Keenum numbers wise running a Cults, Lions, or Giants caliber of offense. It's that drastic of a difference with these two teams. I just think the Bills. You take a look at a guy like Devin single Terry and you can be smirched the Bills off and I think it's fullish to forget about what Josh Allen does in short yards conversion in fourth quarters, when he can out athlete a defense. If you don't give him credit for that, you're not

You're doing a disservice to your analysis. Devin Singletary led the NFL in yards per carry. He is the best outside runner in the NFL. The Texans are the worst outside run defense in the NFL since J. J. Watt went down. Almost every single little matchup in this game goes to the Bills. I did think if you just kind of watch their two teams, the Bills have been better over the second half of the season, and most

of the good memories we have of the Texans. A lot of those good numbers are from the first half of the season. They're pointing is worse than the Dolphins, even in their wins. You know the Bucks. The Colts win like some of their bigger wins down the stretch. You didn't watch that and feel like they were at full flight. I'm not someone that puts a ton on momentum. I just kind of look at, like Dan, the two ceilings. I feel like it's a coin flaw. It does make

a big difference to me where the game is. I think Houston uh is A is a pretty good home crowd when they get going, and I wouldn't trust this team the Texans in Buffalo, and I give them a much better chance, And I just don't want I just to me the Bills don't feel like because they're on the road, they're gonna change. I get it what I get concerned if I were a Buffalo, if you get the hot version of Deshaun Watson for whatever reason, and I hear you, Wes, I think it's not a good

matchup for them, especially without Fuller. But they get up fourteen nothing, then suddenly you have to have Josh Allen testing the field because what I feel like I see every game from him or two or three, if not four or five ridiculous overthrows or way off target passes, And what is the who is the guy that's gonna create electricity and pill and pull Buffalo back if they get into a hole. That's your one issue with Buffalo. Don't have that offense. I will I'll say this, I

agree with that you're saying. Even you could point to the Texans biggest win of the last six weeks, which was going into Nashville and winning is not some dominant effort. But show me the Bills win that they've had this season in a huge spot that was bigger than what the Texans did going into Nashville and stopping a Titans team playing as well as anyone in the league. For a reason is that right after the Broncos blue their

doors off. Well, you know, I mean, I just Texans are inconsistent, and I acknowledge you pick one loss in a stretch of five games where they won four though, and I mean they were they were outplayed by the Buccaneers. They they got they got blown out in Baltimore, and at least I agree they're an imperfect team. Deshaun Watson is fantastic and you you can do all the analysis you want and he can make you look really foolish because he's great. Can either of these teams being the

AFC Championship Game in a couple of weeks. No, I don't think so, not unless another teams like goes off the cliff on a bus. Losing to Sean Gibson is a big deal to the Texans lost their starting safety, their deep safety a week ago. I like that secondary is so undiscipplined. They gave up tons of big plays and you don't see the Bills secondary doin anything like that.

It means a lot, though, Even though I don't think either of these teams are going anywhere, it is worth like looking at what this game means to both franchise. It's pretty massive. Bill O'Brien pushed his chips in the table in the middle of the table for this year. I mean, he made those trades and they've worked out. Larry me Tunsel was a great trade and that will help the team for for years to come. But this is an important game for Bill O'Brien after everything he's

done to kind of consolidate power. If you lose twice in a row too, pretty mediocre teams at home in the playoffs. I'm not saying he's important. It doesn't put

his job in No, No, I'm not saying that. I just mean they need they need to show some evidence of of that they're part of the a f C power structure here and it would be very disciplined would I would just argue that from compared to last year, they're no farther ahead on that journey of for me of viewing them as an a pass, well, go go smack down the Bills, get to the divisional round and see what happens, and then you can get there the Bills on the other end, I mean when of the

last time they won a playoff game, It's been twenty years. I mean, this is this would be a massive moment for the Bills and their fan base. It's it's a couple of years ago it was like we're happy to be here. This year, it's like, go go win a game. This is a very winnable game. Haven't beat the Texans in fourteen years and a lot of that stuff just non sense because it's different teams. But I hope J. J. Watts stays healthy. By the way he came back this will be sixty nine, had a big moment on West

Visa before probably a tenant. Well, he's also returned. This will be his third return from major injury, and it's taken him three games each time to get a sack after his return. Not to mention, he's beating the typical time timetable, but by not days, not weeks, but like a month or two. And I would be, you know, obviously concerned. You don't want to see him get hurt again. How long does this return last? Is he pushing it? It seems like an injury that would be very easy

to aggravate. But you know he's a super guy. Happy for him that he's playing. I mean, how many chances in life do you get to play a playoff? The sixty nine days from back from Sunday, he tweeted, my season's over and life is terrible and now here he is playing on Before we get to the Pats, let's pick the game formally with the score mark Bills twenty three, Texans locking it up. No, I know you have wait, were you going to suck it up before we kind of you know, pushed you into that are going a

different Bill. Somebody pushes West into anything. Bill Texans, I like it. I got said as a field goal game. It's a field goal game. Texans seventeen at the gun. I think he'll be a lot of scoring Texans. I don't feel strong about this one at all, feel like this is okay. Let us now move to the Saturday night game. And this is the one that Greg is terrified. I don't even have to ask Greg what his peace

scale is. Uh, it is through the roof. And he'll and he'll do the whole stick, like, well, why I couldn't ask for anything more after all these years, and and it doesn't matter, nothing matters, It doesn't matter East Champions. I'm riding off of that. You, sir, were stung by what happened on Sunday against the Dolbins, as was all of Patriot Nation, and now you find yourself vulnerable. It seems at home against the Titans team that nobody wanted

to draw on the first round. Because a few teams in the NFL are playing as well as the Tennessee Titans right now. So this is a great game. It's in prime time. Greg has a birthday party, earlier in the day. You know what I messed up the weeks there, it's act that's next week. I oh, that's perfect. All day. You just get to sit and stew in it and realize this is this the end after this run that's taken up my entire adult life. Is it all over tonight? Right? Greg?

Is a birthday party in the morning and the funeral in the evening. Saturday night dead, I got. I got some nice tweets where people are like, you really handle that, you know, dance being really hard. You know it's not personal Mike Giardi, who is totally personal, And it's coming back the next time the Jets blow a Week seventeen game and you're all crying and you come up to the studio, I can't do it. If you're telling me that it's like a right fits Patrick Laws, I can't

do the show today. I playoffs, the playoffs. If if there's a scenario where the Jets are playing for something in week seventeen, I'll take it. I'll take that pain. Um all right, Mike Giardi is on the line. Mike does awesome work that Greg doesn't usually do voice work. I mean expect you shoot at Gregg. He's gonna shoot right back. Mike Giardi. NFL Network does awesome stuff and he's joining us for the first time on the Around the NFL podcast. What's up, Mike? Feel like a hug?

I'm good. Greg doesn't like human touches. Is like a warm hug, you know from the Fox Borrow area. Mike, you are as plugged in as anybody into Patriot Nation right now. What is the vibe right now around this team? Do you sense nerves in and around uh the Patriot Way or is this team really buying into the revenge tour? Everybody's against us, so we have nothing to lose. Where Where are you picking up over there? Yeah? I mean I think the fan base is and is like right,

they're they're nervous. You know, this is uh not something they expected. They figured they would have to buy to give that Oneman and Brady a chance to rest up the extra week. Anybody else's some nix and bruises and then you know, you come out a guns of blaze and instead you know you're in. You picked a team

to draw that you didn't want. You get Tennessee, who's been playing propably as well as anybody in the a f C, which is playing something when you consider, you know, the way Kansas City and Baltimore rolling in terms of the locker room, I think they flushed that Baltimore game out pretty I mean, rather the Miami game out pretty quickly. But I do sense that there is a I don't know what we are kind of vibe about them right now,

and that is again pretty unusual. I mean, we've had periods where maybe the offense doesn't know what they are the defense, but somebody had some idea, and I think right now, I don't think they know what they are offensively, and I don't think they know what they are defensively, which is kind of crazy to think after the first you know, seven eight weeks the season, when nobody could do anything against him, when we watched Brady play, and then you look at his numbers from the last three

months where he is among the two or three worst quarterbacks in the NFL. He can't throw outside the numbers, He's terrible, and it's pressure at this point, do you see it as just a testament to his greatness and what he accomplished last January that nobody, and I mean nobody is suggesting he's completely washed up like two thousand fifteen Peyton Manning. Yeah, I think people are afraid and have been afraid, not just with him but with the

team in general, of shoveling dirt on him. Because even last year, you know, you lose those two games in December back to back for the first time since it was two thousand something, outrageous, right, And then you know they get some easy wins over Buffalo and the Jets, and somehow those two games against two inferior opponents, and they were especially the Jets were really bad last year. Somehow bad allowed them to flip the switching game confidence.

Uh um. So I think people are lea of doing that, um, because they have somehow answered the bell and all kinds of different areas in places, and Brady of course being one of those guys. And I just from a physical standpoint, he's not great. What's your gut what's your gut? Feel on his elbow right now? So he an the reporter a few weeks ago he asked tennis elbow, which is it's kind of a broad term, but why is he playing tennis? Exactly? He should be laying off all that

stuff and just worried about throwing the football. But so it's a degenerative condition. But that doesn't mean like, oh, the elbow is about to fall off like Roethlisberger had happened to him earlier this year. This is one of those things where because of the amount of times he's storing a football and the amount of abuse his body has taken over years, that has sort of added up

in some wear and tear there. And the way it was described to me basically was, he's kind of like any of us at this point of our lives, somedays feels better than theirs. So when we saw him against Cincinnati three weeks ago and he was a disaster, uh, throwing the ball all over the place, spraying the football, I mean just ducks coming out of his hand left and right. That that was a really bad day. And then he turns around against Buffalo and everything looks back

to normal. Seventy eight, seventy percent completion percentage. However, there was one little caveat in that he didn't throw a ball over twenty yards in that game. Um, so it was almost as if, yeah, this is what we do well, but we also have to manage him a little bit. And I think again, you saw that last week against Miami where maybe it just didn't feel greater. Now there's more talk of injury. Uh. Scott Zolak, who does the color, comments, yes,

spread exactly. Um, he thinks he suggested that there's something going on with his lower half. And the observation that I made was why he changed footwear, which is very odd for him to do. He's very much a consure of habit. But also he was jogging on the sidelines in the second half of the game, and I can tell you, honestly, I don't ever remember seeing him do that.

Now I'm not saying he's never done it. I'm just telling you that, as someone who usually trains his eyes on Brady, you know, whether it's on the sidelines or on the field, I hadn't seen it. I asked him about that, um, and he said, oh good, you noticed that unopen deal. You know, he continues to insist that'll be great. Not that we expect him to say, hey, guys,

I'm hurt. He's not going to do that. But um, so now you have that specter too, where not just the elbow is at the lower half and mechanically he was very unsound on Sunday, which is very unlike him.

Um and I actually ran up by Kurt Warner and Kurt I gave Kurt like eight or ten throws to look at him basically, and every one of those Kurt was like, Yeah, his mechanics are he's not marrying his lower half with its upper hound and whether that's because of injury or there was some pressure early and as we seeing you know, Tom, especially these last few years, maybe I should get hit early. He doesn't settle into

the pocket as nicely. But so I think there's a lot of play here that you know, I don't know what Tom Brady is gonna look like on on Saturday Night. I don't know that anybody who's watched him consistently over the last nineteen years as the starting quarterback of this team could say the same. Yeah, Greg but Ard, who does a great job writing about them too, said his his lower body mechanics he thought were totally off. And then I noticed you grilling him about it the Ard today.

But you did that thing where you said, you know, long time Tom Brady watchers were pretty interested. Were you kind of just afraid of getting the deaths there from from Brady? There in a big spot. Um, No, I don't worry about him so much. You get the death there from Brady Belocheck all the time. I don't worry about him so much. But we were just kind of

in that mode. He was messing around with Tom Kern's cell phone when he first got up there, and then I asked him the question about, you know, his health, and I pressed him by saying, I know you're gonna love this because hey, I know he's told us before. I think I had. I asked him me a month ago about his health and he joked like, I wouldn't tell you guys anyway, you know. So, I mean we're kind of in that place where, um, do you ever

have that we're trying to do? Yeah, and we know what he's trying to do, so we're just kind of playing off each other. You ever have that moment like in the new movie The Irishman when Jimmy Hoffa's wife is afraid to turn the key of the ignition outside the teamsters in office after like a particularly contentious back and forth with Belichick? Have you ever been afraid to turn the key? Yeah? I mean I definitely look over

the shoulder. Um, you know I've I've had friends take in my car just keep it to try to turn the key. I wait, I gotta go over here for a second. Hey, if mom, Michael Thomas can can break the single season receptions record, nobody right, One question for you. I mean, you know you're your Bill Belichick. You just lost to former employee Brian Flores. Now you've got Mike

Rabel coming in is there? Do you think the Belichick um has to think about these types of games against former pupils that knew all the internal secrets much differently? And uh, and you know, assessing him this week, his irritation level on a scale of say one to one, how irritated is Bill Belichick with life right now? I would say he was about uh seven and a half, which which is no, no, no, how to chat? I was all right, I would put him, I would put him.

I would put him there right. I think we saw him a couple of times earlier this year and the defense is really carrying the day um, and Brady was kind of scuffing along. He was super happy and cheery and like just You're like, why, maybe it's just because he just loved defense so much, or yeah, he's getting secretly he's getting a pick out of the fact that he's he was doing it without Brady being the local point. Um. But yeah, I think it was fairly normal for himself

this week. I mean, you know, clearly the message was we gotta get past Miami. We gotta get past it quickly. I think when he in these games, and I think obviously Flurez and O'Shea and and something they as that he brought along with him had deeper institutional knowledge than Fable because Label has been gone for a long time, Um, but Frabel still has. You know, there are plenty of ex patriots there as well. In TPS was here as well.

So I think I asked Belichick last week about the sort of the game you have to play within the game when you're coaching against someone who knows you as well as Lauras did, and I think it sort of holds true for this week too. It's like, well, you can't just look at the sixty five players they ran last week, because you know that they know that you, you know that whole thing of you know, they know that they saw. Then do I do this or do

I not do this? And I think you get into that place and I think there have been times, for as great as the Patriots have been, um and particularly the offensive side with Josh, where it's almost like they fear you out and you're spinning the dial for a while, you know, sometimes in the second quarter, maybe late second quarter, before they finally decide this is what's gonna work and let's do it. And you know, when you do that against inferior opponents, you're usually not in trouble. When you

do that again as good opponents. And I think Tenney he's a good thing. Maybe that's where you find yourself in some trouble. Michael Girardi will have boots on the ground for Tom Brady's final game with the Patriots. Uh, yes or no? Real quick there, Mike, last game for Tom Brady? Yes or no? Gut feeling, I say this is his last season. I don't know if this is his last game? Okay, interesting, all right? Yes or no? And I like that. I like that. Uh, but do

you think this is the end? Alright? Interesting? Alright? So, like Greg Rosenthal in the bio for his Twitter profile, just as football, and that's a statement. Mike's making a statement like, Uh, first of all, I separate my personal life from my professional life. But also I didn't know there's no bs over here. I'm a football man, I'm a scribe, and I am a reporter that should be respected.

That all checks out, Mike, absolutely all checks Maybe maybe Dan should give Giardi a follow here, I mean celebrated on podcast. It just happened, just happened. I don't know how that didn't happen. But now maybe Mike can follow me back. We'll be well, will be all good anyway, Alright, at Mike Giardi, thanks a lot for your time, buddy, and uh enjoy watching the end of the dynasty. All right, before we move on, let's unpack a little bit there.

Anything surprised us because you were the one that said we gotta get Mike on the air, because you were really taken aback by some of that stuff about Brady's health. The reports from Giardi earlier this week, well you could tell from looking at his tweets that he believed that there was something legitimate going on with the elbow or with the health anyway, and I do think we heard

some things. Some days are better better than others, and we know we know that old gen the aging players over the course of the year do worse in their bodies breakdown. But to me, that's how you can have a game like the Bills game that your body does feel better that day, and it's just it's coming out of your arms smoother, And like, who's gonna doubt that he can muster up a good day after the careers he said, I just don't want to be the one

to doubt him. I'm not either, but I would say that like the like the concept of going into next season and managing this week to week if you're if you're the Patriots or you're Tom Brady and you're these little things are coming up at that age like this does feel like when he said sunset of He's been saying since he's thirty eight that he wants to play until he's forty five. But you don't know how you actually feel until you're going going through those early forties,

and maybe he will that changes. He's forty two and he's starting to feel more and more beat up. He could play the September schedule until he's forty five, but I don't know about a full six and twenty games, can I be honest. I'll be honest here. I will miss him when he's gone. This is not gonna last forever as time goes. If you if your team, if the Browns are the ANFC East, you would also struggle, but with a little bit of distance. I will miss Tom Brady when he's gone, and it's gonna be gone

sooner than we think potentially. Let's pick this game. Let's talk about this. I know he did a little g I mean, this is what we got other teams to get to. Yeah, I talk a little Titans like we didn't even been even talk about. Let's talk about that. I'll pick the game, will share a point mark, go ahead. This one is impossible for me to see ahead of time. I'm gonna go New England Titans seventeen West. What do

you guys, what are you thinking? This was the hardest game for me to pick, and I fall on the Patriots. After listen to Gardis comments, I was sort of going back and forth. I just think there are so many things that Belichick can exploit about the Titans, from their cornerbacks being Mike get A, Dorry Jackson back looks like he's back, which is which would be big. But you know, DeAndre Hopkins and Michael Thomas have taken over games in the last few weeks against the secondary. Julian Edelman can

take over this game against the secondary. The pass frump brush from the Titans, which has been abysmal for the last half of the season. The kicking woes. This is a team that is used to scoring in the red zone. What if finally facing a good defense for the maybe the first time all year, the Titans have trouble in the red zone and after ride out of a kicker who hasn't been tested, this is one of the worst

kicking teams in modern football. Uh. The offensive line. Tannehill has the highest sack percentage of any quarterback in the league. There are so many little edges that Belichick can exploit, and I think they get percentage points from having Belichick, Brady Edelman, James White, Vanoy High Tower, these guys who have done it in January. I'm just not gonna doubt that they can come up with the smoking mirrors that they're gonna need to beat a Titans team that has

feasted on an awful an awfully easy schedule. And Edleman's health to me, is so big though he's looking more hurt than Brady. Uh. I will say Titans twenty two or Patriots twenty two, Titans nineteen. You bring up Julian Edelman, he he says, he's I mean, he's been the biggest January, all hands on deck. I took the Titans to win. I just I didn't overthink it, just because the offense. I always just trust offense. They their offense has been better than the Ravens over the second half of the

season in terms of I get it. But even when they play a halfway decent defense like the Saints, they moved the ball, they get big plays. Some of the throws that Tan Hill like made lastic, Okay, they didn't play they did. They didn't play anyone. They're playing the Texans. The throws he make, it doesn't matter who you're playing against. Three or four or five of those throws were Patrick Mahomes like times where you're on the run and you're

hitting spots. And I trust the Patriots defense to come up with a better game plan and every than everything that happened a week ago. But they they're they've just been fine on defense lately. I don't trust defense in general. They haven't been dominant. Gilmore versus A J. Brown is maybe the key matchup of the game, and maybe Gilmore comes back and has a much better performance. But Patrick Chung is killing them. And the fact that the defense

lost the game against Miami really wasn't the offense. They scored enough, they had good drives, they scored a couple of times late in the game, and the defense giving up. As to me against a premier offense, I don't quite trust it. Does anyone put any stock at all, and I understand will probably in this room just be laughed off. But the fact that Tennessee whips New England thirty four ten a year ago, different teams, different players, doesn't matter.

I think it does because A, the record against his assistance is it's a it's proven. I mean he's against his assistants. But the bigger factors, I think they struggle against big, athletic, physical teams and that's what the Titans are on offense. Their defense isn't that good. So I think if this was Tom Brady's last game, I think he could play very well, and it's a high scoring game. I have it thirty to twenty seven for Tennessee. Naria

laugh in the room there, Mark, I was well. I was I was preparing for, you know, the response to a game from a year ago. I don't. But my favorite brownscheme of all time is when Eric Mangini and a ghost ghost filled Brown's roster dropped a huge a bomb on Belichick. And I do think the people that worked. If you've worked with someone for years and years and you know they're the way they prepare for a game, there is an advantage there if you're good enough to

take it. You know, advantage of that they know each other well. They they spent three days together this offseason practicing together. Like, look, the Patriots have some advantage of knowing how Dan P's attacks offenses as well. That that's not the key. It's more just like I don't know you. It's an old team that the good, that doesn't have like a lot of athletes peaking at the end of the season. This is the only only the second time in the history of our show that you've picked against

the Patriots. Believe that it's a different year around New England. I think I picked him and I picked against him a couple of times in December. Actually he was too, But you're right, it's got the first three um great heavyweight fighters. Little boxing analogy here the what's the west? What's the last thing to go for a great heavyweight as they age, Uh, they'll want to to stand in and take a punch, take a punch, and they could

land a punch. You still have power. Uh. You might lose your feet, you might lose your endurance, but you can still punch. That's the way I look at the Patriots like a little bit of late period Ali this week where not when it got really sad, not really sad Muhammad Ali. And and to continue to use this boxing analogy next week and the week after. If the Patriots were to survive, then you have some young Mike Tyson's up next. So I do not think this is going to last long. But I do think the Patriots

survived this week. I think that this is gonna be a proud team at home with the lights on, the crowd going nuts, and the feeling and the vibe. Uh. This could be Tom Brady's last game. I think that's gonna carry them, uh in a big way. I still think it would be a close game because I respect the Titans and seeing Derrick Henry be fully healthy in week seventeen and going off that that would give any defensive coordinator to prepare for in terms of their running game.

So that's legit. Nobody should be surprised if the Titans drop a bomb and it's the beginning of a new era in the a f C. But I will pick the Patriots as the old heavyweight. With one punch to land, I was the only one to go against to twenty four Pats over Titans. Well yeah, I mean, I firmly believe in Derrick Henry. I believe in Tannehill in the throws he's making. So much of this Titans offense is based on outlier success on play action and that's coming

against bad defenses. I think you take a disciplined, great, not good defense like the Patriots, that play action is not sure to be there. The last, the last thing I'll say at the offensive line for the Patriots are coming out their two best games of the year. Rex Burkhead is also looking pretty good. If they have any positives, it is a running game and is the lack of pass rush for Tennessee. That's why I think it's gonna be a shootout and old school uh a FC. What

the Patriots are capable, you know, I think that. I think it's got me a lot of points. This is when we shift in a weird time in Tannehill's four winds in general, before we will tanneh hills four wins against the Patriots are more than any quarterback ever in the history of the Earth than Pat Manning is the only one of them. But it was only four. I don't care, like maybe he's one of these guys that just not scared of the Patriot basically says that the

trial quarterbacks that lasted more than a few years. All right, let's take a breathing here from these incredible game previews to to hit some news. First of happy Thanksgiving everybody. What was that from? I mean Daniel Snyder, Redskins owner, opens his press conference announcing the hiring of Ron Rivera by wishing everyone a happy Thanksgiving. I mean that is I guess even billionaires that have conquered the business world can get very nervous. I've never heard anyone wish anyone

a happy Thanksgiving in early January. What's never too late. It's America's greatest. That's a good way to think, and uh, it's good to spread that year. I do wonder if you're Ron Rivera sitting down, you know, about to be introduced, and your new owners just basically wished everyone happy holiday from a month plus again. You know what I'm doing. I'm running to the bank to make sure that check clears. Heaven. Thanks for Heaven. All right, let's get to it. Uh. Sadly, Mark,

we gotta start with the Browns. How did we get back here? We're back. We're back to the Browns being the Browns. They have fired yet another general manager. UH. Cleveland parted ways with John Dorsey after two years on the helm. The team announced UM made that move official after it was reported in multiple places. The decisions move on from Dorsey comes just two days after the Brian Brown's fired head coach Freddie Kitchens at the conclusion of

the regular season. UH. Dorsey had a meeting with Jimmy Haslum, the team owner, earlier Tuesday. The two sides, according to Tom Pellicero, UH, we're talking about possible structural changes that would curb Dorsey's authority as GM. But when the two sides can't come to an agreement, Uh, it was over. Mark. Uh. It feels like Cleveland, even though with the better rosters back to square one in terms of dysfunction and just in general question marks about the present and the future.

And I can't even begin to understand how you must feel the frustration of it all. Well, I'm of two minds, because the first is there, it's just you know, more proof that the Browns, the constant mode is sort of uh developing farce. I mean whatever, whenever you think that they've turned a corner, if they're actually just going in

a circle back to where they were before. And there were just a lot of you know, disturbing reports and whispers coming out of Cleveland that the ownership and we know this is not it's not shocking when you think about it, but but they continue to just to be very impatient with all their decisions and the people they hire.

And so the question now, and I think that the I've never seen the fan base this deflated because of where they were a year ago at this time or let's say, seven months ago to now, but because it just doesn't almost seem to matter to most people who they hire. And it's two, it's to the energy easy

to get excited about filling the blank coach. And from the other side, though, I will say this had they kept John Dorsey, it would have narrowed the candidate list of who was gonna come and work with that next

team by a lot. So I think, you know if you're gonna keep doing this, But do you agree that Dorsey wasn't the right guy to be leading the charge because everyone seemed to be an agreement that he was a guy that came in the obviously inherited Sashi's bountiful gifts and had some hits, had some misses, but had some big hits that to me, it all feels a little premature to to take him out of the equation. But also this organization is done, is a straight firing, right.

They just they couldn't have different visions on how they saw the football operation going for I think they wanted to keep him, and they talked about how much they liked him, but that John Dorsey is probably very prideful. It's not going to take it. What is it? What is when you're changing title it to demotion? What else

is it? And the thing is he he it's it was his decision number one too to go with Freddie Kitchens and they ignored Paul deep A down does recommendations of Kevin Stefanski, Um do you Podesta also wanted Sean McDermott in the past, so I think what they were kind of saying was we kind of trust Pauli Podesta's voice in this at this time around. And that's not something that just again it's a it's a super fired Dorsey for hiring Kitchens more basically, and I think you

have to deal with it's a stunning fall. Though. We were at the owners meetings and uh, at that point, John Dorsey was the toast of the NFL. I ranked him in the top five of my GM rankings and no one, no one said, oh, that's that's too high. I mean, like it was very recent that who was five? I mean, oh, who was right behind him? Thomas de Mittrof was five, Kevin Colvert three. But it is amazing how much a talent he acquired in a short time

and he's gone. But I think they've gotten it wrong so many times of not having the GM in the coach aligned that act. I do like, I like, I think that needs to be on the same page at every time, So I'm fine with it. It's deflating to the point of heartbreak for for Browns. Fans that last year, at this time, this job was seen as one of the most coveted in the league with a young, talented nucleus,

and you're finally gonna bring the winner to Cleveland. And now it's seen you're reading stories that executives say, that's the one place I would not go, and you're right back to where you were. I think it's like, if you know some of these coaching truths scenarios where Kyle Shanahan has a number of people interviewing with the Browns, he was there, he's he he demanded his way out

of the building. You've got you know, the Bill Belichicks of the world are gonna be telling these guys be careful because yes, it's great for you to go on and get a head coaching job, but the d n A here is that you won't be there four days. Hasn't made it clear in his press conference to Thursday that the coach would be part of hiring the GM, which sounds weird, but at the heart though, that's fine. But it means that the coach is ultimately the GM's boss.

If you get hyper and that's fine as long as the find ahead of time. If that helps them get McDaniels or Stefan's gear, whoever it is that they want in the door. That's fine. It's makes it clear that it's the coach that's in charge and function and dysfunction always starts at the top in sports. And since the Hasms joined there on their fifth took over the team there on their fifth coaching search in seven years, and John Dorsey is the fifth different person or group heading

up the football operation in that same seven year. That has to be unprecedented. I mean there are at least at least the third that only had one year, really, which is while all right, Uh, We'll continue to track all the Browns news and I'm sure there will be a bunch of it. Um. I can't believe this. On Monday, we did our New Horizons Monday podcast detailing the comings and goings of coaches, gms and whatnot, and we were a Jason Garrett that's not done yet, and we were like, oh,

I wish for the show was taped later. We're taping tomorrow. We get no, it's still as of right now, Jason Garrett is still employed by the Dallas Cowboy. There's been multiple meetings Jane Slater uh, friend of the show has been tracking this closely, and there's a meeting scheduled for today Thursday. It just it just doesn't end greg or does it. And there's also now their speculation are they trying to keep Jason Garrett with the organization. It all

just feels like the most Cowboys thing possible here. Well, he's been there, Jason Garrett for his whole career as a player a coach. It's probably the person other than you know, his son, that Jerry Jones is closest to that's ever been in that organization. So I don't know, maybe the team passed the role is open, you know, put him in the front office. I don't know Garrett, it's it's taken so long that some people are wondering

maybe he could coach. But I do think that Jones is after these big name probably from the college ranks coaches, and for that reason, he's not in a hurry and he likes me. Are the Cowboys The question during this week are they actively looking for a new coach? And that's just trying to iron out Jason Garrett's role if he has any, or they there's this whole thing playing out and dragging out, and the Cowboys haven't started doing a real search for a new I'm convinced that Mike

simmer is he's on the radar of Jerry Jones. It's one. It's it's someone where when he when he made you met you mentioned this the other show, Greg that Jerry Jones said, I'm feeling patient. I'm not feeling impatient, but I think Bill Barnwell nailed it. Getting more and more convinced, he tweeted, Jason Garrett is going to come out of these meetings as the new Cowboys starting quarterback. Jerry who knows what's going to come out of this. Jerry knows he's the bell of the ball. He has his pick

of suitors. They're the Dallas Cowboys and there's no other Dallas Cowboys in football. He's in no hurry, so he enjoys being in the headlines, even if it's a story like this. Of course, Oh yeah, I think he also it seems like the type of boss that doesn't want to be seen as like the mean boss, especially the Garrett. It's like he can't bring himself to fire this guy here.

We're not you know, we're family. He brought him up like as soon as he was done playing, he put him in there and said, let's turn you into a coach. Jason Garrett turned down the Ravens head coaching job just to stay and assistant in baltim and Dallas. We're going of for John Harbaugh. Move for everybody. Uh, let's move on. You know, it felt like the end of something. UM. Mitchell Robinsky's Week seventeen game for the Bears, the former first round pick who really flamed out in year three.

But guess what if you take his word at face value, General manager Ryan Pace uh is on board of the idea of Trabinsky being the team's starting quarterback in twenty twenty. Let's hear what Mr Pace had to say. But the first thing that comes to mind from me is just consistency. You see, you see moments, you see games, Um, but for him stringing together a better consistency, so you have to piece them Nelly's we just need to flatten that out. You need to flat it out. West. What were you

surprised to see? And hear this well from the from the standpoint of having gone through that Bear season and watched all their games. Um, that's surprised that they were, I guess, so steadfast in their decision to stand behind Mr. R Biski. But you're not surprised when you realize how much these people have invested in the person and the player.

And I look at a guy like Baker Mayfield, who when I watch him play terrible season, I still believe because of what I saw last year that he's going to have a great career and I'm not even invested in him. Take somebody like Ryan Pace and Matt Maggie who are invested in Mitts Drabinsky, and it's not surprising to me that they still have that belief that what

they originally saw is there. Well, the one, yeah, and I think you know he picked him, So it's it's it's on Ryan Pace if suddenly two years in your you know, to stay it on your record forever. If you cut ties now, it might be, but it's a bigger stain to keep him and then I'll get fired next year, which is what's going to happen. That's I

totally agree. And I think this is like the the number one thing I would want in in my GM is someone because listen, these guys are it's a crapshoot, Like all these draft picks you have, you don't know if it's gonna work out or not. You've you've given him two years, you've given him thirty something games. It acknowledged that you've made the wrong choice at quarterback and say I'm here because I'm gonna be I'm gonna be big enough to say we're gonna get a new quarterback

or at least bringing competition. That's exactly what I don't want to hear, is this confirmation of a bad decision. And we just believe in him and he's got to be consistent. We're gonna hear a whole offseason about his footwork and him you know what, Mitch Robinsky from the

neck up, and I elam already exhausted by it. Maybe it proves that they to be untruthful and that they do sniff around at Cam Newton or picks, and then I would understand that more because it seems like it's so rare that there's just an obvious right and wrong decision from the outside. Keeping Rabinsky and going down with the ship is the wrong decision. He started forty one games. I mean, he's been the starter for two and a

half seasons. You've seen enough like the ceiling is so low, and I think more guys get fired in paces position by sticking to the wrong decision. Instead of just admitting that it's right, I would just say we should be aware not to take this too much at face value, what he's saying right now, and how they actually go about their offseason planned, because I think what makes the most sense is, I know there's so much Mitch Robinsky

kind of exhaustion. It's like, get him off the team, get him out of the league, get him out of

the country. But what probably makes more sense is to do what the Titans did this year, which is you take your failed first round pick, you keep him in the building, you go get a better backup, like Andy Dalton say, you gotta do better than Chase Daniel, and then you let it all kind of sort out and maybe the backup hits maybe somehow Trabinsky puts together and you give yourself a chance and maybe even save face

in the process. That's I would be stunned if that's not the route they actually take, especially after what we saw how it can work in Nashville. It's always a conundrum with young quarterbacks, because I go back to this Mike holmbring quote from like five years ago when he's talking about developing young quarterbacks and choosing one. You find the one you believe in, and no matter what happens, no matter what, you stand behind him every time you talk about him to your team, to the media. This

is the most important part of quarterback development. Always stand behind that quarterback. And if you bring in and Andy Dalton, you shatter that a little bit. And the Titan said, we don't care what we do to Marcus Mariotta. It's reached the point where we can't rely on him. Let's bring in someone else. All right, let's move on. Cycling back to the Redskins. Yes, they officially named Ron rivera

head coach. RIVERA fifty seven is the seventh head coach hired hired by Daniel Snyder um big Thanksgiving Fan Washington, of course, fired Jake Gruden after that oh and five start after five plus seasons. Bill Callaghan greg thought he did a nice job. He was three and eight the rest of the way. And in other news, Jack del Rio, I mean he improved the winning percentage by an diffinity.

Now you're right, Jack del Rio is taken off the Bristol roster at ESPN and installed as the defensive coordinator. He of course is the d C for the Panthers in two thousand two and the Broncos from when John Fox headed up those teams super Bowl winning dominant defense of Jack del Rio's in two thousand fifteen with the Broncos. I wonder what this does for our friend Rob Ryan, who was coaching the linebackers, and maybe maybe maybe he stays with Jack del Rio. I don't know what we should.

We should have Rob on the show this year this offseason if he would allow it. I believe there's some family in the lob Roblos area. I've seen them walking around uh An Monica at some point. You've seen Rob Ryan walking around many years. It was before we had worked with him, so I did not you see more people walking around than anyone I know. There's gotta be twenty five of these anecdotes of like semi famous people's been living on the streets for the pastor I thought

it was interesting. Ron Rivera and Snyder have been speaking for three weeks, have had pretty in depth conversations. It sounds like about every part of the you know, facility, how to run an organization, this and that, and then they talked to Dave Gettleman the Giants GM on Thursday. He was speaking with the me you and he said they asked him about Rivere and he said, as far as I knew, I turned my head around, the Redskins

were already done with him. So it does such. It does help to get rid of your coach early and move early. I think the Redskins got Rivera in part because they didn't have a head coach in place in Rivera just took the you know, the first committed to Speaking of Getleman, did you guys hear Gettlman referred to his new analytics staff as computer folk. Yeah, he's got we got four computer guys, computer folks. Like, well, why

he learned his lessons? Does that install competence? No? Uh no, I mean all right, um, like the guys are the best buy, you know, it's like the geeks. Yeah, we got the gee we got the geeks. He called them computer folks. Don't ever change piece. I think he does some of those things for effect. It's just my guests. The Jaguars, by the way, make it official. They do keep Doug Marone installed as their head coach and Dave

Caldwell as their GM. So, as we kind of speculated on UH Monday Show, Uh, Tom Coughlin ultimately is the guy that paid for the sins of the past two seasons. I remember when he was the guy who was going to come in and save the sins of everyone else. It's amazing, It's true. And finally in the news some sad news. Well, the next person that sees anybody for anything on this field pouring them out, get him out of here. You don't let the crowd. One of the

greatest moments in NFL history. And we'll we'll cycle back to that because I I could use a refresher on the background of that, and I know that West and Mark, uh you will have that for us. But yes, sad news. Sam Wish, who coached the Cincinnati Bengals to an appearance in the Super Bowl also coached later on with the Bucks, died on Thursday at the age of seventy four. The Bengals confirmed White's death Thursday with a statement from team

owner Mike Brown. According to a report on the team's website, which which died at his home in South Carolina. The cause was melanoma. That was a brief illness. Uh. One of the great personalities west of the NFL in the eighties and uh into the nineties. Uh. How do you remember Sandwich. Well, you hear him raise his voice there and you know that fired up the Bengals crowd. I was watching that game as a as a kid when it How was the background of that? What is the

story there? Cincinnati and Cleveland are big rivals from the same state in Ohio. Cleveland in the northeast, Cincinnati in the southwest, and Cincinnati has sort of this blue collar, down to earth image and they see Cleveland as this kind of elite Shaker heights. We've got all this money. You can't even control your lake, which is on fire all the time. It's you know, your downtown is falling apart. And sam which sent that to the crowd, but it

belied who he was as a man. Were people throwing things on the field, yes they were, They were active. The game was shut down for a period of time, and there's just like a hot mike sitting around or whatever it was. But this is a man who used to on Sundays before games would stop by and visit the homeless community of Cincinnati and help out on Sunday mornings.

He's a guy who was very soft spoken outside of football, and even after that clip right there happened, he went to Cleveland and sat in a dunk dunk tank for charity and had Bernie Cozy Bernie Kozar knocked him off and put him in the water. I mean, that's the

kind of guy got he was in football. He was sort of this mad scientist offensive genius who developed Joe Montana and San Francisco developed the nohadle offense at Indiana University, brought it to the Bengals and gave them an advantage over every defense in the league for five or six years straight. And the best years I think of the Bengals franchise came under Sandwich. Yeah. I don't think that

I would. I literally don't think i'd be here or even have an interest in working in football if when I fell in love with the Browns it wasn't just Cleveland, but that a f C Central before they realigned. The whole thing had Marty Schottenheimer and Cleveland Sam Wish and Cincinnati. Jerry Glanville, who is one of a kind in Houston at the time, and Chuck Noll, who somehow was drowned out by the other three because the Steelers were hot

and cold. But Whish for all his charitable offerings, and you obviously everyone knew he was just this wonderful guy. Glanville and Wish had this bitter few that every single weekend it seemed like the Oilers and Bengals are clashing, and like Glanville won a game or two, like fifty one to three, when he like a more classier interaction between the two, you would have settled the offenses down that moment with with the Cleveland thing. I was on

my couch and they broke through. They broke into like the NBC broadcast just to show that. And I had no news sense at all back then, but I remember thinking that clip is not going to go away for a really long time, which through a sixty burger on Glanville after all that happened. UM check out. I wrote about sort of a love letter to Sam Wish and in the seventies and eighties Bengals NFL dot Com Ohio River Offense. Check that out for a view of Sam

which that you might not get anywhere else. I interviewed him for that piece, and he was a nice, nice man. He's a great example. It's a shame sometimes where you just wish he won that Super Bowl. So I mean that if Montana doesn't make that drive in the end, people think of champions so differently, but the impact that White had in terms of the offense, like, it would have been great if you won that one and was remembered that way, because that's that's the kind of legend

he was. I remember this was years ago. This was after the failed Buck's tenure which just never got off the ground. It was when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were a laughing stock for twenty straight years before Dungee got there. He gets fired. He has some health issues, including something that took away, uh the strength and power of his voice. And I remember watching an old Inside the NFL feature on him in the late nineties and he was working at a local high school as a coach. He just

seemed like such a cool, down to earth guy. He had a heart transplant in so obviously he went through a lot in his later years before cancer, and um, you know it's just sad, just a person of my age and Greg's age, and this for me is like these these guys that I grew up watching too. It's one thing when we're talking about Barts, parts parts Star passing on and you're kind of digging in the history trying to learn about it, like I remember which when

he was a key figure. It's sad to see uh hours hours after former NBA commissioner David Stern passes another figure from our childhood. It makes it makes you evaluate and I think Sam, to Greg's point about not getting the proper credit for the ideas and the innovation he brought to the league. When I talked to him, he had sort of made peace with that that he looked throughout history and the credit doesn't go to the idea man.

It goes to the people who make the money and have the victories and celebrate and stand over it while the man has forgotten. Sounds familiar, settle so familiar. Dan says like that, Sam Wise dead at the age of seventy four, Rest in peace. Alright, that's what's happening in the news. And now back to wild Card weekend. Let's move now to the Sunday games in the NFC. Before we do that, I just want to let's do a little I I just want to check the temperature of

the room here. Uh. We have the big four announcing teams all in action this weekend. Okay, So of course you have Seattle at Philly, Al Chris and Michelle. You have Minnesota at New Orleans, Buck Aikman, Andrews and Myers, you have at New England are thrown in there for the he's on the sideline. I gotta give him the respect. Uh Tennessee at New England Nance Romo Wolfson and then UH Saturday at Houston Tess, Booger and Salters. Who's your pick of those four teams? If you give one team

to call the Super Bowl? Who would you pick out of those four? Mark? I think Romo is the best thing going right now. But I but the emotional side of me, and I know a lot of people don't seem to like the Buck Troy Aikman team. I see people complaining all the time. People got a condownable. I would just say that it's like we just talked about someone that is someone I grew up with in football. I just grew up with Troy Aikman being the thing for so long, and I think he does a competent

job I know, I do. I think Romo is better. Yeah, but I for me, the emotional side is Aikman. But you're picking Romo and Wolfson, now, yeah, picking Aikman, I thought, I'm picking Aikman, the Aikman team with Buck and Buck, Aikman, Andrews and Myers. Al Right, West, I bet you well. To me, Romo ranks with John Madden as the best ever and he has heading shoulders above anybody currently doing it.

That said, Troy Aikman, I think has improved a lot, and nobody pulls more information from the pre production meetings than Troy Aikman and just dropped little nuggets throughout the broadcast. He's really improved a lot. Good call, and I think he still went with Yeah, Romo is just in his own league. You mean he danced Romo own Wolfson. Romson's great too. Wilson's got that's super Bowl classics. I'm going CBS. UH, it's a tight one over NBC. The production at NBC

is uh is pretty special. Like everything along with the name Chris al everything. Michelle like, that's all great, that the production, the presentation, I love it all. But I'm with West in terms of Romo carries a day because of him. Uh, And I think Joe Buck deserves a lot more credit than he gets. I think he's excellent at what he does and he's gotten better. But to me,

it's Al Chris Michelle. That's when I hear them. I'm watching a game that matters and is important, and Al, despite his advancing age, he still to me, has his fastball Collinsworth to me a second to none. I like that folksy pff vibe he's got going on and Defoy is knocking it out of the park on the sideline. That's my pick. That's we're all over the mat. All right. Now, let's get back to the game because it will be Buck, Aikman, Andrews and Myers. I got Rodney and picking games too.

That's a big advantage for that's a moment. Give me more Rodney throwing his own son under the bus for his poor game. Matt Casey producing Football Night in America. Have a couple of pops with Casey in Miami, is my guests. All right, let's uh talk about the game at the super Dome. So you have the Vikings tenant six West coming off. You know, a no show on offense, against the Packers at home in week sixteen. They rest

everyone in week seventeen. We had to talk in this very studio last week, you really want to rest all your guys after what you did in week sixteen. Well they said, we have nothing to play for, we're locked in and we just want to get right. And you can't really argue with that either. But now they get the Saints, who who was humming more than the Saints was forty points per game their last four weeks, and it just seems like a total team uh soaring right now?

What are your thoughts on this one? If I've learned one thing from Greg Rosenthal over the last six seven years, it's that when every single person in the football watching world is on one team, look out, look out for the tricks coming your way, for the opposite to happen. So I'm almost like you. You prepare for this game and you just you start looking for reasons why the

Vikings can compete. Because the Saints are not only the better team, they are so mentally tough, They avoid letdowns, they compete every They overcome injuries to their quarterback, they overcome injuries on on defense, they overcome a string of terrible calls that go against them, and they just stand there and take it with toughness. But I can make a case for the Vikings if you want me to.

I would love to hear it. Well. The forty Niners run a similar offense to the Kubiak Stefanski offense with play action and rollouts. They dropped forty eight points on the Saints a few weeks back, so they're susceptible to that offense. And while Kirk Cousins record it's terrible in primetime games, his stats are actually quite healthy. In primetime games. He has a near one passer rating, sixty seven completion rate. And I think the title of cousins memoir should probably

be numbers that be lie the reputation numbers. Uh, here's where a second playoff game. Here's where I stand on this one wash And you and I have had well what seems like differences, but then what it turns out

where maybe not so far off. And Kirk Cousins, I think Kirk Cousins is in a great spot this weekend if you want to play that game of like, Kirk Cousins doesn't come up big when it matters most Uh, there there's the Vikings can play that nobody believes in his card this week and legitimately because nobody believes in them right now, and they're not nearly as bad as they looked. Uh in the last couple of weeks. They

couldn't be. They couldn't be. And what has happened here the deflation of their expectations combined with the Saints rising the way they did over the last few weeks puts put its Cousins. I feel like in a spot where he could be loose and free and just slinging around. It's not the worst matchup be there against the Saints secondary that's deep, but they've been fine. They're missing two

of their defensive lineman. It hasn't showed up, maybe because of the opponents, maybe just because Dennis Allen is scheming except for against Tennessee that this run defense especially should be vulnerable without Marcus Davenport and Sheldon Rankins. I mean, if you think back to that Minneapolis miracle game. I mean, Sheldon Rankins was reckoned shop in that game. He's no longer on their team. And the biggest thing with the Vikings is they're not the same team as they were

even two weeks ago. If Adam Theland and Dalvin Cook are actually Adam Theland and Dalvin Cook, it's the first time they've been on the field together since Week six. This is the most balanced team that's playing this weekend. If you just look at who's in the top ten of of d v O A like, it's the Vikings and the two teams with home field advantage. They're They're a pretty high ceiling team. And I do think Cousins can keep up in a shootout. It's just can the

Vikings defense keep up. I don't know about that Cooking. If those guys are healthy, and that's a huge everything's different. Well you could say it, but all right, well, I mean, but he's and Alexander Madison is practice. You got your full backfield back. The Saints have not allowed a hundred yard rusher in forty two games, which is the longest streak in the NFL. And I hear about the injury

they started two of the last few weeks. I mean, the Titans ran on them pretty good with without that's fine, but I look at an offense that is absolutely fire. And also I'm locking the Saints up. Let's start right there. Do you know what the problem is with his Vikings team and or five problems with him a defense that that is not as good as its reputation and starts with the cornerbacks who allow us seventy three percent completion

rate and one ten passer rating on the season. Xavier Rhodes is having one of the worst seasons by a cornerback that Pro Football Focus has ever recorded, and the film backs it up. He looks slow, He's getting burnt every week. I like, what like this time of year two? I mean, coaching advantages matter and Sean Payton is at the top of the game, and Mike Zimmer to me, that's fine, But like I he, I just don't trust the Vikings to go into the into New Orleans and

win this game. There's nothing about what the Saints are doing of late that suggests to me that they're gonna just get dropped in this. Well. They're an example of, like I think, the risk of building around defense. So so many of those guys have been paid so much and they've been together so long, but if they show up in New Orleans and they can't hold them under thirty,

it's like, what's the point. They are not the same team on defense either, because it sounds like they're there's a real chance they're gonna be missing their most valuable defender I think this year, which was Eric Kendricks, and that's that's a pretty big time injury. And you look at what the Vikings do well on defense, it's Kendricks

and bar but it's really he's pretty good. It's it's the guys on the edge, it's Hunter and Griffin, but they're going up against the best tackle combination in the league. I mean, Ryan ram Checks on your All Pro team, Terron I'mstead's top five left tackle according to PF Eric McCoy, who came in and everyone was worried about, Okay, we're gonna have to replace Max Hunger has been a huge upgrade. He could have been a pro bowler. This is at least the top two or three off iNTS of line.

You don't get to keep them all together forever. And like this is the time for the Saints, I mean Drew Brees with time and Sean pay and cooking because like you say, Minnesota, you called the Vikings the most balanced team in the playoffs based on dv O A and other numbers based other than the off other than the computer focus. Would you call this anything less than a utter shock? If the Vikings won this game, I

would be shocked. I would. That's why I'm locking up the Saints too, But I wouldn't be surprised that if it's if it's back and forth, it's competitive. The Saints have given up a lot of big players in the passing game, and I do think the Vikings can be a big play type of So I could throw a hill Mary, lock the Vikings and have a lock off with Greg because I'm one behind them right now. But I'm gonna save that hill Mary for down there. But you don't have to do that your game, I'm saying

I do. I'm waiting. I'm waiting. I'm in a different situation. I'm two games out and now the two guys ahead of me have both locked up the Saints. You could be in fine shape. I would have locked up the Saints as well. But now from that standpoint, where does it get me? And you might need to make a decisive move in a memorable move. I'm gonna hold for now. I have to think about this further. We got to hold. Um, let's pick this game. I think we know kind of

the direction where everyone's going. But go ahead. Uh, Saints fifty Vikings twenty four wes. Uh. My eye test says Drew Brees is an exceptionally high functioning game manager right now, and the stats have said, I don't care about your eye test. He just broke records for December on how well he played, and they're scoring thirty five points every week. I think they're gonna score thirty five again. He had

something like fifteen touchdowns and zero interceptions in December. I mean, if this guy's in decline, may we all be so lucky? I do believe that, like I said, a free and loose Vikings team that isn't supposed to win that will work their to their advantage. New Orleans defense is not um invincible, So I think there's gonna be points scored in this game. But to what you were saying, Mark, can I imagine a scenario which another this is a special Saints team, a one and done in their building? Uh?

In a in an all time revenge game potential? Like when you factor all that in, this team to me seems destined to play championship Sunday. So how would I ever ever pick the Vikings. So I have to go with the Saints, Uh, thirty eight to thirty one. Yeah, I got a thirty six seven Saints. Curious to watch generous Jenkins, who had a very good game for them a week ago against the Panthers, and I think it's gonna be their starting corner right in in Eli apples here.

I feel bad for Mike Zimmer. He's a cornerbacks connoisseur and once was caught on Mike by NFL film saying I could get a cover two corner anywhere. I can go down to seven eleven tomorrow and get a cover two corner. And now he's got bad corner a seven eleven near my house. All right, let's let's wrap it up with the late game on Sunday. It is at

the link. Uh. The Seattle Seahawks eleven and five. Uh just barely missed uh winning the NFC West and the home game that would have went with that, But they got stopped at the six inch line. Remember the name Dre Greenwood. Remember that name down the line made the tackle was Dre Greenlawmber the name, well, no one else I didn't jump in to save that side, did you know it? No? I didn't even know what you were talking about for a second, but you actually no, I

stand by it. I was talking about this you right. They think you're talking about the football player. You're who is what is this? He's a groundskeeper who did really good work and led to the Jacob Holiser losing his footing on that play. Dre green Law different guy, great tackle, but from the backer anyway. Um, the Seahawks travel to Philly because they lost that game. They get the Eagles and Eagles team that got hot in December to make the playoffs. But where does it lead, gregor where does

it go? Is this an Eagles team that is a Cinderella story or does it end this weekend? Where are you coming from on this game? This? This is the game that I've gone back and forth on the most. I think for every point you make on one team, you could come up with another. And they both have a lot of weaknesses. I could at least make the argument that they're the two worst teams playing this weekend.

I think it's at least possible. I mean, certainly two of the of the best quarterbacks, but in terms of what they're missing that defines so much of this game, Like are we getting the real Miles Sanders. I mean, if you're not, that's massive. We know they're because he's missed practice. Low grade, low ankle sprain to me doesn't sound serious, but he's missing practice. He's missing practice. I think there's some confidence he will the writers seem to

think he'll play. But to your point, to what degree right? And so Brandon Books has gone. They're missing seven of their fourteen highest paid players. And even the strength that you kind of think of the Eagles having have been a little up and down. It's not like their defense has been there, uh, each and every week. Whereas the Seahawks they lose Michael Kendricks going into this they're still

without Dwayne Brown. Travis Homer is clearly the better running bell and probably will continue to get most of the carries. I mean, Marshall Lynch isn't gonna save you. And they have they kind of defined themselves on being a great offense for the first half of the season. They have not been a great offense the second half of the seame. I would just say, like that's I feel like there's because maybe they're very banged up. There seems to be this sort of anti Seahawks or people down on the

Seahawks sentiment right now. And this is a team that beat the forty niners a month ago, nearly beat them obviously days ago, and closed out a win a seventeen and nine over the Eagles just back in late November in that game. To me, there were a lot of big plays by Seattle that game against the Eagles defense. They're vulnerable and what did the Eagles do? The hot Eagles simply mode through a totally milk toast NFC East.

I get it that the Goals are playing at the height of their powers, but this game has as many injuries by both teams as any playoff game in history. I believe it is if if it, depending on who plays, it could be Week one starters. It could be the most missing of any playoff games since the merger. Both teams without their leading rushers, probably unless Sanders plays and

plays well. Both teams without their best offensive tackle. Uh the The Eagles could be the first team without at least fifty of the receiving numbers if Arts doesn't play there. This isn't I don't even know about Lane Johnson. I mean that that's a huge one for them. Too. It's outrageous. And the guys that are on the field, you're not sure, Okay, is it Jenevan Clowney that we saw against the forty nine five weeks ago or is it the one that we saw last week? Because he didn't do anything last week.

He did not look like Jenevan Clowney. Their best pass rusher is Quinton Jefferson right now, which is to me a problem. And it's amazing how when Russell Wilson drops back to past it's never simple anymore. Every play he makes, he has to navigate inside the pocket before making it. So they they are a team, it's likely the game's one on the trenches. Their trenches are terrible. They don't they don't right, they don't rush the faster, and they

don't protect Wressell Wilson. Well, you better get ready for the blitz because it's coming. Russell Wilson has been blitzed more than any quarterback in the NFL this year. Defenses think that's the way to beat him. Jim Schwartz blitz with these two teams played in Week twelve, Jim Schwartz blitzed him more than Jim Schwartz has ever blitzed any quarterback ever, it's gonna happen again. So that's gonna be the battle back to the injury. Talk. First with jadeveon Clowney.

This is his contract year. Um, he's playing under the tag this year and he we've talked about that he steps up. It seems in big moments he could. The Seahawks could really use Clowney stepping up in this game, and he could really use it in terms of a payday. And then I think the the injury to Brandon Brooks kind of went under the radar a little bit in week seventeen, but that is the shoulder injury that takes

him out of action. He was ranked by PFF ahead of Quentin Nelson, uh and I'm not saying he's better pla um, but he didn't finish it. But at one point, to my point, in one of the best run blocking guards in the entire league. And that's like a type of position that no one really pays attention to. But a team that needs to and wants to run the ball, you take one of the best run backing blocking guards out of the mix, that's something else they have to get tend with it. At what point does do these

subtractions eventually take out the Eagles. I'm kind of with you guys that or some of you that this is a tough one to pick because you could look at it and then you squin and it's a different outcome, and then you take a step back, or like, oh no, it goes this way. I'm way on the fence right now. And it kind of comes down to, like, for it's gonna doesn't this seem like it's going to be a last drive game one of these quarterbacks seems But yes it does. Yeah, is this the brother in the NFC?

Like we just we agreed before that the Bills and Texans, there's no a f C title game participant in that game. Do we feel the same about this game the NFC? I do, unless they got lucky and the Vikings you know, one on you know, earlier in the day, and then the winner is going to Green Bay and that's a different route. But most likely the winner here is going to San Francisco, and that would be great for Seattle already. I lean on the fact that Seattle has been in

a lot of tough games. I've picked on them for point differential throughout the year. It's like their point differential would be a lot different if they didn't have the second hardest schedule in the league, if they were playing cream puffs like the Patriots and Eagles were playing. I mean, are only in the playoffs because of their division? I

mean that is that is it. They beat the teams in their division, They only get in because they had nine wins in their division, where Seattle's played good and bad teams very close. I would say this though, it's like you, no matter what the record or how they got there, it is a huge game for the evolving story of Carson Wentz because now you're here. Now you're at the place where you didn't have a chance to beat because of Nick Foles. And it's not fair because

the team is uh compromised in many ways. But think about Philly media and the Philly have the counter that. Though you don't think it's a big deal, I think, like talk radio people are gonna care if he wins because that's the way talk radio is. But like I feel like what he was able to do in these final four weeks and really put the team on his back, and it's a obviously, like you're saying, a limited banged up Eagles team unless he totally as the bed, I

would think he. I don't think he would get destroyed if they went one and done. I feel like the season on some of them. For the Eagles, it went from huge expectations to everything's lost to wow, we're in the playoffs and we want our division. It feels like they kind of won the season, and with all the injuries, like Carson Wentz has done a really nice job over there. I look at the opponents over the last month too, But Carson Wentz could use a few signature wins, and

beating Seattle would matter a lot. I agree, eventually, maybe not entering year four of Carson Wentz so or more. All right, let's pick this game mark Seattle nine Eagles six. WHOA not even close. I don't think it's gonna lock it up. No, I already locked up. No, you want to move off that locking over to this lock No. I kind of like how that played up, uh Seattle

Philly one. I'm impressed with the way the Eagles circled the wagons and found a way to get to the dance, but I'm not impressed that they had close games against the Giants. Twice and the Redskins to get into the dance. I just I just think they're playing a better opponent. And like Greg said, oh, come down to the final drive. I trust Russell Wilson with the game on the line, I'm with you. I think it's a close game. I

think it's a low scoring game. I think the Seahawks drive down the field late, uh and and take this one on the road sixteen to fourteen. I hate that. I I picked the Seahawks on my game picks column. I kind of immediately changed my mind. But it feels like you can't do that. You're not allowed to change. I don't like it. We can't go into the system and change. All right, I'll take the Eagles on the show,

the Seahawks and the picks. I'm kidding. That's not what I'm gonna stick with the Sea I that was my that was my gut pick. I just don't like that all four of us are on them. That feels uh, that feels ominous. There is something, and I know it doesn't There is something to the fact that the Eagles have been great, played their best in the biggest game. Like guys like Brandon Graham and Fletcher Cox has been

very quiet, uh the last few weeks. Uh, you know, can they show up for one home playoff game and just to button up the locks? The more I think about it, yes, there will be a time where I need to be desperate and take chances. I'm gonna save that for divisional round where the games get more and more. Uh toss up uh like, and I will lock up the Saints with you guys, because just give me the W. I'm gonna eat the W. I love. I'm balling right now.

Anybody that's watching knows I'm balling. By the way we all lose suddenly, West, is it right? Yeah, I've never felt more confident about a game this year. How many weeks are left? Four weeks total? You have three weeks after this, so if I'm too out two behind you, I still have time. But it gets really tricky. Uh, but it doesn't. You still have the lock trophies sitting on your desk despite having not wanted outright uh in eons, but a shared win in a couple of year before last,

I shared win. I shared it with you. You shared which sticks in your crawl, which I love because because I charitably went like I could have just taken it like a like a someone that really wants to take their foot and just stick it on the snake Steck. I could have done that, but it's like it's like it's not good for the podcast, so we've got to go against each other. And then like then suddenly I got got a big wooden trophies, the good angel and

a bad angel on you. When you were deciding this, I don't remember how it went, but I remember feeling kind of like slightly pressured into anyway. So yes, I am the two thousand eight seventeen champion champion. That was the same thing. I could have picked the Patriots and tried to tie even picked against the Pagriots last year. I flat out to drop a bomb on you. Everyone

sat on it, that the president. But I do love that it sticks in your crawl that you didn't win that title well, because to be the two time outright winner, like it's like there's only one wooden trophy. It's sitting on your desk and everyone walk around. Now you have a trophy too. That one's bad luck anyone with that one. We know, but you won last year. I know, but I don't. I don't. But then you know I do. I'm not want to be. I don't collect trophies. I just stick it back. I stick it back in the

other side of the room. It's like, where where are my trophies from back to back game picks when we would pick every single game for this happen by one of those two. Peyton Manning Steve McNair shared an m v P in two thousand four. I believe two two three. I don't think it eats Peyton Manning alive. Nobody thinks of it that well, it didn't help to Eavy help McNair, so we'll see. I think two. That's an ugly side

of you coming out more. I'm just saying like, it's like it's not gonna end well, probably if we are sharing trophies from here until the end. Okay, Now, this is what you need to know. A reminder that Tomorrow Friday, the Around the NFL TV Show and NFL Network premiere six pm Eastern three pm Pacific, and then it re air throughout the weekend. Set your DVR watch it, give it a shot. It's fun. It's it's not just like what we're doing here, although this is great, it's a

mix of this and other stuff. And Ricky's doing a great job and everybody associated with our show behind the scenes. If you like Cats the new movie, you'll love this. You love the prosthetics that we use. Uh, we really spared no expense. And last but not least, he send a happy birthday out to Colleen Wolf. The history is very rich here Connie Fox. I'm finally doing this thing the Tiny Box. Oh yes, she is celebrating a birthday today. In fact, we saw her just this morning. We're doing

a shoot for a segment for the network show. That she was nice enough on her off day. Although you know, Connie sneaky has a lot off days. She came in and uh and helped us out with a segments so you could check out Colleen on our network show as well. So good times and exciting times in the NFL season and for us here at the podcast, a very happy birthday, she said at all. I don't know about the sneaky off days. Oh, you know, it's not bad. It's not bad. Yeah,

that's the awe. We're getting there. We're getting there better than us. All right. This is Dan Hands a signing off for Quiet Storm, The Mailman, The Old Boss Rick Hollywood, Ryan Barlett, and the whole gang behind the glass. Playoff football is there? Tell Saturday