2020 Divisional Round Recap: Here comes Brady vs. Rodgers

listen to that. I like that? Hey Dan West? Well, hey after that, Introy, I gotta bring a little bit yes West joining us as he did last week for the lead off game, and we're incredibly thankful to have the whole gang of heroes together on the Visual Round weekend, pound for pound, the best weekend of football in the NFL. Maybe the games weren't classic this weekend, but every game was a lot of fun to talk about leading up to it and dissect after it. It's through and that's

what we're gonna do on today's show. And of course, uh Mark Sessler. Um, really he has become one of the more famous Browns fans. I would say in the country. I think you could actually say that at this point when you really break it down, it's you, Well, it's Drew carry first, right, um, And then like I feel like it's kind of out of the mix right now. Now carry's doing prices right, Let's be fair. Um, that's a huge game show still but number two is a bit of a dog fight. And and then Mark is

obviously well known for his Brown Brown's fandom. Their season came to a conclusion today, but the dogs went down, Uh, growling and fighting. Uh and Mark, how you feeling right now? I know the audience wants to know I'm doing fine. Um, it's you know. I I think part of it is I'm forty seven years old, so uh, win or lose, I've got a lot of other things happening in life.

I thought they the better team one, and um, I think that helps when you lose a playoff game when there's not a lot of questions about who the better team is. Um, but I'm proud of them. And Uh, there's it's the start of something. I hope. If it's a flash in the pan and the window got shut, then I'm annoyed. But I don't know that that's the case right now. It's true, you never know. You never know. The big assumption and the mistake fans make all the time is out. We'll be back there next year. You

never know. However, you know, Mark and we talked about this privately after you know, it feels like things are on the right path in Cleveland. This seems like a nucleus that's in place. We have time to get into all that. When we talk that game, we're gonna go like last week and super wild card weekend and not super divisional around though. See how that's when the bill

comes to. If you build up wild card round is super, you make the divisional round look like Hell, they've kind of they've kind of got the whole best like weekend and football thing. They should trademark that since everyone just says it. Anyways, and Sunday came through for us. It was looking a little shaky. The Saturday games didn't quite live up to Sunday came through. But you're right, I mean they got to think about that, Marcus. I mean,

this is what they've started. They've opened up Pandora's box, all right. So we'll go in reverse chronological order, uh, starting with the game that just concluded at the Superdome. It was the end of an arrow Buccaneers defense. Four band drunk dropping breeze, breeze dropping of the Pastel. It's intercepted, picked off by tab and White to the forty shops. A guy and I was waiting inside the thirty tib and White down the sideline. The Bucks have the ball.

We're in business, deep in States territory. Drger Off w f us Yes, the Bucks collected three picks from Drew Brees and what was likely the veteran qbi's final game, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers advanced to the NFC Title Game with a thirty the twenty win over the Saints at the Superdome. The Bucks are back in the NFL's version of the fine A four for the first time since their Super Bowl season of two thousand two and

Chris Westling. This was a wonderful showcase for their defense and the man that intercepted that past the second interception which really put the clamps on the Saints, their young star linebacker Devin White. Devin White was everywhere and that's no you know, that's no coincidence. He he is often everywhere. He's not often in the right place at the right time, but he's one of those young linebackers who has sideline to sideline range. He can get to anywhere he's a playmaker.

He sometimes makes mistakes, but in this game he was everywhere. I saw you tweeted it, Dan, and it was a case of Drew Brees is generosity. Really, the Bucks were able to just sit at the sticks, dare ni to throw beyond ten yards. Hey strike the field like they're playing against Matt Castle. Castle haven't heard his name. I mean, that's tough that that was a dirty word from Westbeck

in the days. But I mean we're talking about the end of one of the great careers ever and we talked about it in this West is one of your famous lines that probably one of from one of the trillion football books that you've devoured over the years. Um, But actually I think it was a quote from someone's father. I'm getting there. Um, careers don't end well, they rarely do. Maybe it's Tom Brady's dead, um. And that's what happened with Drew Brees here. He turned forty two on Friday.

And and if this is the end, Greg, it ended in a sad way because you had the interceptions, yes, but just you saw the physical inability for him to really lead this offense with any level of aggression. It was sad because it ends not just the Drew Brees era, but this last four years of the Saints, which is a really unique eek one where they were one of the five best teams I think in the regular season all four years. Um, you know they were record wise

and they weren't able to really capitalize on it. And I think the Bucks defense, which has some flaws, this is this was the perfect matchup for them, even though I know they lost the last one thirty eight to three. It was just they're a team that you can beat over the top. They play this aggressive style. They don't have a great pass rush. It was a little better today.

Guys like Devin White, who had a terrible game. I think he was like the l v P the first time around, have grown up a little bit throughout the season, and Breeze was the last quarterback that could take advantage of these aggressive corners. I mean, even after Carlton Davis left the game and you got, um, you know you've got journey men in there, he just he couldn't push

the ball. And I I don't think you can be too shocked if you've watched Breeze since the moment he came back and they had some better results offensively, but they were coaching around him. I think losing Tastom Hill hurt, you know, even losing Latavius Murray maybe hert a little bit. Like on a day like this where you need the

running game, they could have won this game. I mean, it was a weird game with turnovers, Like if they played it ten times they would have wanted sometimes, but you play with such a margin for error when you've got that big of a disadvantage at quarterback. And I know it wasn't Brady's best game, but it was a big time disadvantage when you were matching up what Breeze

can do and what Brady could do. I mean, just a quick shout out to West here, because it's kind of like the day before you come down with a like a cold, and you kind of can feel it um at like two o'clock the day before and like something's not totally right with me and I'm gonna get You can feel it by that night that you're not feeling well and the cold's coming. And that's how I feel like West diagnosed the fading arm strength of Drew Brees and someone tweeted and said, you better talk about

this tonight because he said this is past offseason. West, You've been saying this for a long time. I feel like you've seen little hints of it for a while. And tonight, looking at Drew Brees his face staring at the Microsoft tablet or whatever it's called at the end of the game, I really felt for him. I mean,

you could just see this amazing career coming to an end. Well, it reminded me so much of last year's playoffs playoff loss to the Vikings, were the only way they could move the ball was for the backup quarterback in that case Taysom Hill to come in and hit a couple of shot plays down the field, and in this case Jamis Winston to hit the touchdown. And I guess you don't do it to a legend, but I wondered if Sean Payton would pull Drew Brees at some point in

the fourth quarter with your season on the line. I mean, you owe it to the other fifty two players as well. Yeah, that's a good call, West, because this was such an important season for the Saints. It was an all in year for them. There's so many changes potentially on the horizon beyond just quarterback. This roster was built to win in and that put Peyton in a very difficult position.

I guess if I had to critique one thing about how Peyton called the game, was, you know, bravo on the trick play that led to the wide open uh tray Kuan Smith touchdown from Jamis Winston. I could have used a couple more of those bad boys anty out the play. But it's something like you saw Josh McDaniels do with the Patriots in recent years when they were cupboard was bare and they needed to cook up some

ways to score points. This might have been the game to just say, all right, I could either bench my quarterback, my legendary quarterback uh in his last game, or I could get weird. And he didn't do either, and and you saw how it turned out. Well. I think losing Deonta Harris could have um hamstrung them. There went man, he was like he had he played the whole game, who knows how this would have turned out? Right? He was the exploding you know, it wasn't just Breeze that

was coming off an injury. Michael Thomas, you know he's not, you know, known as an explosive receiver. Um and I think that was the minute. Harris is a guy you could have imagined maybe they had some plays for It's like if that that that Um block in the back that that was early in the game on the Deante Harris touchdown, I mean that that was huge when it

was only six nothing. We we did our sky hit Dan and I remember talking like I think the Bucks had to be thrilled it was only six nothing at that point because it felt like the history of this matchup and the matchup advantage that the Saints had in certain ways. Look, they did shut down Evans again, Antonio Brown gets hurt, he doesn't do anything for a while. You know that. You know, they did a lot of the things that the Saints do. They got pressure on

Brady Um, but the Saints offense couldn't take advantage. That's the crazy thing. If you give Drew Brees this defense and running game like almost any other time in his career, they're they're winning some games that he only won two games in his career in a row in the playoffs one time. Shows you how hard it is to win games even when you do everything right. They put together this roster a couple of years too late. Michael Thomas shut out in this game, zero catches on four tar gets.

I mean, who would have thought that this whole thing, you know, you get these things get drilled into your head down the stretch of the season. And when they put Thomas and I are um for the final three games of this regular season, was okay, we want to get this guy right to make our super Bowl run

and get to the playoffs. Done with the season. Online market doesn't even have a catch well, and we did our end of third quarter hit on Sky and mentioned that Antonio Brown, Chris Godwin, Mike Evans, and Mike Thomas Um combined had thirty four yards. So it was not what you got. You spend all week predicting, And I thought that Jared cook catch and fumble was um immense. I thought that that really got the Bucks rolling because

they had a short field and punched it in. I mean, it's like one of those games where these two teams they just dislike each other. I know that the Saints in the Bucks haven't been you know, the the falcons in the Saints especially you know in some in the playoffs, but the nastiness, you know, Ryan Jensen and these guys just all. C. J. Gardner Johnson, who is who I'm not sure he's ever been in a good dude for a day in his life. Seemed annoyed the entire game too.

And let's talk West. I want to see you up on this. Let's talk Tom Brady. Now, I know this wasn't obviously his greatest game ever, but something by something said by Joe Buck at the end of the telecast was just stunning to me when you think about how hard it is to get to Championship Sunday, which is where the Bucks are heading for the first time since they won the Super Bowl was twenty years ago. Tom Brady is going to his conference championship game the first thirteen,

obviously in New England. And what a unbelievable uh. In addition to being an all time great quarterback and no one has more rings than him, the deft move to move to the NFC, moved to this particular team and now be in a position to get back to the Super Bowl with a date against Aaron Rodgers of all people, in the NFC title Game. I mean, there's just never

been a career like this, dude. No, We've We've sat a number of times the most amazing thing about his career is you could split it in half, you know, at two thousand and ten, and he'd have two Hall of Fame careers. And that's just an unbelievable statement about a player. He could have two Hall of Fame careers, fourteen conference championship games. Amazing. UM. And I'll let Greg speak a little bit more about it, because that's been

his guy, up close and personal. Well, I think what you saw tonight was you know, it wasn't his best night, but there were a couple of throws. That throw Godwin couldn't pull in for the touchdown before half, um, the Tyler Johnson throw that Johnson made an unbelievable play on

on third down, a back shoulder throw. I mean, he's got the arm strength, and I think his ability to adjust in games, and you know, you have to give his coaches some credit with that too, but you know, I think it's more Brady than the coaches is unparalleled. If you keep it. When they were stopping him over and over, eventually, I just was like, they can't stop them all game. And I think it was the running game that was a huge, huge part of that. And

that's Brady. You know, at least get some of the credit. They're changing the plays and continuing to run. And Aikman was all over with Rojo and Leonard Fournette to me, starting with the second last, the last drive in the second quarter, like he started just taking profits instead of going bombs away on third and short, which they did like four times, and it was not working. They started getting those five and six yard games. It was his

old sort of game manager stuff. I mean. But the thing with Brady, I think that gets over looking people be like, Okay, you know he didn't really have that good game. Brady's lucky, but he got them to this game to let the defense in running game gets I mean, that's the thing is you like survive each week. You you get them, you're gonna carry him some weeks. Look at the Bills, it's like their defense carried carried the show.

Like that's what great quarterbacks do. They figure out how to get you to the next week and and and they'll probably not getting to the super Bowl unless he puts up thirty or forty, and so next week is the week he's gonna have to lighted up. It was vintage though. It really if you've been following this guy's career. UM. And I say this both in a positive way and and and you could view it as a negative way. There were some balls that if he wasn't a more

fortunate person, Uh, this game could be very different. Didn't work out with some interceptions that were dropped or plays that were called back and review things of that nature. UM. But at the same time, and I texted Keith Hansas, uh this um in the fourth quarter once it got just like Tom Brady has been winning this exact type of game in January for literally two decades, and you just kind of had a feeling, well, well, yes, that's that's fair too, but Brady has done this for so long.

It didn't It didn't feel like it was a forty three year old quarterback hanging on. It was just like, no, he's gonna he's gonna take this team where it needs to go. It wasn't he wasn't the driving force behind this win. But he played his role as he always does.

M I mean, like the like when he was us and throw us the gronk like for a second and started feeling like, Okay, maybe he's a little older and they they're both like, well into the Gabbard zone, Breeze and Brady, um, you know, four to five yards per tempt, you know, two and a half quarters in the game. But then Brady makes makes the plays late. And when I sat when people got in my mentions about about like it's like Brady is looking at his a like

he's throwing the ball like a fifty year old. It's like watch the games like that is the difference between him and Rivers and Breeze and and Ben Roethlisberger. His arm is awesome. I mean he's throwing dimes out there a weekend week out. I'm not saying he's exactly the same player, but he if you protect him, he his arm strength and even his foot feet look okay right now, like rage, you know how Twitter works, Greg, It's just people wanted to get off their Geezer Bowl jokes and

all that at the expense of actually analyzing what was happening. Well, that will be their last comment to Greg because he is a muter and he's probably muted four or people. I mean at the end of the game, that wasted Brady is like high fiving thet or attempting to by the end of the game. So I mean, it couldn't have been a different final image of these two quarterbacks. West before you do go, I'm curious who you'd rather see in another Super Bowl. I'm guessing Rodgers now that

I asked the question. But oh yeah, without question, it's been Rogers all year, from week one. Yeah, that makes sense. He's been playing quarterback, honestly, at a level to where you can almost count the number of mistakes he's made. This year's one hand, and we're gonna and we're gonna get to that. It's it's the first time really cheesy you think about it with Aaron Rodgers. We're gonna get

to it. But he's gonna be a favorite. They're a prohibitive favorite, I think going into this game against the Bucks, even though you saw, you know, great performance Tampa Bay defense, it feels like it's Green Bay's conference to win now. But you don't discount the Tom Brady team in January. But some of those some of those Aaron Rodgers mistakes came against these Bucks, right, and that feels like five years ago. But yeah, I don't. I don't put two met into that game, but it does. It added so

much value for Brady going to the Bucks too. I'm with you, Dan, I mean, I don't think it would have gone well in New England, and I'm enjoying watching him play like this more more even than I expected. But it doesn't add so much value that you're getting this Brady Breeze matchup in the playoffs, that you're getting this Brady Rogers thing. It's like it's like Lebron going to the Western Conference, and it just makes the whole setup I think fresher and more exciting. Talked about it

on the Network Show on Friday. This is kind of the end of the old guard for a lot of guys. Philip Rivers on the way out, Big Ben on the way out, one and done, Drew Brees obviously his career is now looking to be over. But then you have Tom Brady holding it down for the old guys and Aaron Rodgers on his way uh to the Super Bowl, potentially last thing before um you go West. I'm gonna ask Greg a question and then you tell me, uh your thoughts as well. Greg. Now Bill Bill Belichick in

this game. No, no, you don't know what I'm gonna ask. Bill Belichick is watching this game because guy loves football. One love well, Linda. He loves Linda, but his his truest love, his deepest love, is the game of football. So he's watching the divisional round playoffs? Is he rooting for or against Tom Brady? That's a tough one, and I thought you were going to say, like, is Belichick exposed? Um, that's not what I was doing. Although I don't know

what kind of question. I don't know, it's a hard one. He keeps you, well, here's why, because I think he keeps the public, including me on so so far on the outside that I have no idea what this man is actually made you uncomfortable this question. That's how I know. I'm gonna say he's rooting for Brady. I mean, he's not a breeze guy. I think he's like, he is

absolutely rooting for Brady. They have too much invested together and they're both successful enough, big enough man, if they can look beyond any differences they caused the break up and appreciate what they had together for two decades. I have been doing this podcast. I've done episodes of Greg. I've never seen him so happy. Is uh? Well, I played it. I played it perfectly because here West gave West giving the answer makes it like way more legitimate than if I had said that and then it ended

up being perfect. I don't Dan, I don't think you were expecting that as the outcome maybe or were you or we know, making Greg squirms Great. I'm not surprised exactly with Wes's answer. I don't agree with Wes's answer, but really how Greg reacted to Wes's answer, the whole thing was just a big w Ultimately, Ums, you've said it all. You're the king and we love you. Well, have you guys too? Alright, got some rest out there. Another m v P performance by the Mailman. We're just

getting started. Let's now dig into the first Sunday game and the last game sadly uh for Mark's favorite team. They snap it, they're going for it. They clipt it right caught Tyreek Hill Station Browns the same play that they closed the game out against New Orleans. They do it to Cleveland and Chad Henny out of the pulpen. Incredible job on a third and fourteen scramble for fifteen they called thirteen and a half comes back on a roll to the right side, taking Cleveland into thinking they

were gonna run the clock. And they find Tyreek Hill in the right flat. The Cans of City Chiefs are going to advance in the a f C playoffs. Mitch Holt. This pumped up as you'd expect for w D A F. Andy Reid, big red, bigger onions, the Patrick Mahomes in the locker room with a concussion. Andy Reid risked it all with a fourth and short pass attempt a journeyman

Chad Henny, who rewarded his coach is faith. Will they strike at Tyreek Hill to send the Chiefs back to the a f C Championship game for the third straight year. The final score Chiefs twenty two, Brown seventeen at Arrowhead and mark your boys from Cleveland. They nearly pulled it off. They fought, they battled back from nineteen three, but it just wasn't meant to be. Yeah, I thought it was

a case of almost student meets master. In terms of Kevin Stefanski, Um, I think all year long regarded as an aggressive um play caller, a talented play caller who put the Browns in good situations. Uh, and Andy Reid the master. I don't think Stefanski won this matchup. Uh. There were too many just little mistakes for the Browns, and you know it watching this thing. When they lost Jed Wills their left tackle on like the first play out of the out of the gate, that was concerning

to me. Um that I don't know if that caused total problems, but there was a lot more pressure on big er Mayfield this week then there was last week against Pittsburgh when there was essentially none and it was just a little things. You know that when watching this team all year, when they're when they're flowing well and when they're in sync, Um, their best players are doing things that Browns fans haven't watched players on that team

do a long time. That wasn't the case today. I mean, they made a couple of plays, but it was these uncharacteristic sort of back to back drops by Nick Chubb that I thought just killed them. Um, a couple of moments where they're wanting defense just couldn't get to the edge to shut down the Tyreek Hills of the world

of the world. And uh, you know to Stefanski, Um, there was I thought a catch he should have challenged where they didn't get the flag out on time, and a catch they shouldn't have challenged where I think they just did have a good look at it, and they did and they lost that challenge. Uh there were time out in the time out situation in the fourth quarter where Baker Took was forced to take a time out

because they were disorganized. Um. I thought that it just all those little moments um served to really uh reek havoc on them in their chance us to win. And I'm not even talking about the biggest play of the game, which was the Donovan Peoples Jones or sorry, the Rochard Higgins Um catch and fumble that went out of the end zone where to me it looks like a helmet to helmet hit there. There were a couple of things happening there. I'll let you guys win on that. That

rule bugs me, but I think it bugs everyone. Um. But that's the way it is. I think the better team one and the way that how aggressive they were with Henny Um. It says a lot about the Chiefs and it gives a lot the Browns a lot to

think about during a long offseason. I mean, it says so much because everything you say is is right, Mark, and yet it's their third and fourteen there with you know a little over two and a half to go and Chad Henny's at quarterback and you're thinking, well, Baker is going to get the ball back with enough time, um to go, try to win the game with a touchdown. And for any ready to call a pass on that play, is is ball's ear? To me? Then? Calling? Uh the

fourth and one call where Henny throws it. How about a call that he trust Chad Henny to throw it on second and eight to play before that where they're running it well, where Henny does take the second That that that to me was almost like you're getting crazy here. You're showing a lack of faith in a run game that struggled all year but actually was shot on first at the fort with a chance to get an all important field goal and drown the clock. Now now that

that too like it was all crazy. I mean like there was all I don't think it was crazy. I think it was Andy Reid doing what the Chiefs do best, which is throw the football. And Henny earned some of that faith because other than that interception, he played about as well as you could have wanted. There was a third and five where he made a great decision to keep that winning drive going, or that final drive going

to Damian Williams. There was another baby to Travis Kelsey over the middle that that set up their field goal. I mean, Henny made some nice made some nice throws, but man, Andy Reid, to me, he's just like the ultimate past. First, I'm gonna I'm gonna go down passing because the numbers say it it's a passing league, and I don't care what you say. I'm gonna keep Brian Westbrook on the field all the time and key situation.

People have been killing Andy Read about this for twenty years, and I feel like the NFL is kind of like starting to catch up with Andy Read. The rest of the NFL now looks more like the Chiefs. You say that what the Chiefs do best is throw the football. Yes, with Patrick Mahomes. After Mahomes goes out of the game with that very strange, by the way, concussion, because we've sadly seen it, seen hundreds and hundreds of concussions over the years enough to know the telltale signs whether it's

a helmet helmet hit or a helmet smacking the turf. Uh, Mahomes hit was strange. But he came up and he looked like Uh, he was, you know, in another universe. And he was out of the game the third quarter. So when you enter Chad Henny, who before the week seventeen meaningless start hadn't played since two thousand four, it's crazy. And then you're putting the game in his hands in

that situation. Um, I tweeted right before the third and long at the end of the game, there I said, Chiefs fans, everybody wants Andy not to throw it, hand the ball off and if you just play conservative, you can get the ball back to your defense. UM up five with the Browns hopefully inside there on twenty with no timeouts and eighty seconds to play, and and yet he said, no, I'm gonna go for it. It was

onions at a level that arrivals really did anything. A little bit of all gone huge onions that I can remember. And after the game, Honey Badger, who by the way, played awesome when where he gets to the Chiefs performance from their stars on defense and a second, here's what Honey Badger had to say about Andy Reid's play calling at the end. Hey man, that that's why we love Big grand you know, he's always on time, you know, Uh, he's like, oh, spirit warrior out here, you know, beyond

the scenes. You know, he's always firing U stuff. But we always though he got one play at the table, you know, one play in the chamber. M M. I love the point. Romo made great job all day by Romo too. I mean, build it. God, I love, I love listening to me. Just learned so much. But the way that they, you know, approached that play on fourth and one and intentionally tried to look lack of days ago. I mean that's practiced that that was part of it. They tried to look lack of daysicle coming into it.

And I and I do believe what Romo said where it was if they got a certain look, which is basically you know, Tyreek having leverage on the outside to basically anyone like if if that was the lineup, go do it. You know, chat at. He's a professional. He's actually looked. I know it's such a small sample size, but when he came in late in some of these blowouts, he looked. He looked good this year, and maybe that

helped give a little confidence. You know, Matt Moore coming in last year playing well, it's like it's not just Matt Patrick Mahomes that makes this team go. And uh, I think that should be a lesson for coaches because you do what what what got you there? And there were some offensive teams like like the Titans and to a lesser extent, the Steelers. Who I mean, the Steelers didn't punt in that situation down two scores with fifteen minutes left to the gate. But it's like, I mean,

the Steelers did put in that situation. It's crazy. Did you have a problem with Cleveland punting when they did with about five minutes ago. I didn't hate it. It wouldve or so it was it was fourth and nine, No, But I hated how slow that they spent almost four minutes to go eleven yards. And that was from from the first second. That seems so obvious, like you're you're playing like your head I know, Chad Henny's on the

other side. And I did think when they punted, I wonder if they would have punted if Mahomes was still playing, I would think, No, well, I don't think you could. And also the it had Mahomes been playing the whole time, it would be a different game, right, I mean, that's the thing is like from a Cleveland side. You gotta come out of this scene. There's no question the better team one. Um, you know, it would have been a little suspicious. I think, uh, you know, going forward for

the narrative of Cleveland one, because Chad Henny was in there. Um, I think this is a Browns team that fought this Chief's team. I mean it is. It was kind of my first experience watching the team I'm rooting for. Deal with the Chiefs, and like, I mean, Travis Kelsey was driving me nuts. Tyreek Hill was driving me absolutely crazy.

And I know you guys, I love Romo too, all right, but when you're on the wrong end of a game and Romo is like a giddy schoolgirl at the end of the thing, I was like, get this guy off. I mean, someone's like I thought, you love Tony Roon like I do love Tony. Romo's driving nuts right now, get him out of here. Like, I don't want to hear about this guy because but yeah, chi and he's a quarterback and he said it twice I think in the first quarter alone, Um, he's in love with Mahomes

as a quarterback. And he mentioned his instincts, specifically his ability, and I thought it was Oh man, it was sad to see him first get hobbled with a toe injury and you don't know what that is if that's turf toe, which is can be a debility to injury for anyone. And now he's got the head injury. So that's, you know, obviously a big subplot now as we head towards the

a f C title game, Mahomes's availability. I I would think, I don't want to read too much into this and be the Twitter neurologist, but the fact that he was tweeting, like repeatedly after the game and doing bits about Chad Henny on Twitter that anything is possible. I thought that if you're if you're anything Twitter, maybe you are. Somebody said he's a little young for dad jokes, but the point is that he wasn't you know, Uh, curtain's closed

in a dark room, not knowing where he was. We'll see, hopefully we as much as we respect with Chad Henny did today, we don't need to see anymore Chad Henny in our lives. Um Mark, did you have any other issues with because I didn't. Yeah, I would think this is a game I'd like to kind of go back and watch. I feel like Stefanski, if he could do some things differently, he would. Nick Chubb did not have

a good first half. He had those drops, Canna get things going on the ground, and Cream Hunt wasn't in the game plan at all. That that was on my radar a little bit. Did you have any issues with how he deployed some of his plans? I totally agree with you. I I my thought, you know, because this wasn't a game where I took extensive notes just because I was like, I'm gonna this could be over real soon.

I want to just experience this. But my one thought, you know, throughout the game was that the Chiefs defense, which was just nasty. I thought today when it needed to be, had a better plan for Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt than the Browns did. I mean, at least the way it played out in the Wash. I mean there was a couple there was a pocket of about ten twelve minutes um where Chubb really got going and Hunt had a couple of plays too. But you'd have to say overall, um that you know, I think they

like combined twelve eighteen yards at halftime. There's games like that where they have not. They just not followed the script you'd expect. And it's not because they were smarter than the competition and so, um, it's a it's a stepping stone, but they met the best team in the a f C. And I think maybe the Chiefs felt a little bit. I don't know, maybe we just put this on these teams, but it's like, oh, maybe the ray can challenge the Packers and like, look at the

Browns are frisky. Maybe they gets like and the Chiefs are. The Chiefs are kind of like, um, yeah, we haven't played in a while with our starters, but don't forget about us, because we still controp the hardest tammer in the league if we want to. Well, I think that I think the Chiefs taking the early lead was significant

because you know, the Browns do shorten games. That's a cliche, that's true, but you short when you shorten them and you're behind, and they shorten him on both sides because they play a slope paced defense that sort of asked the other team to go on these long drives and they couldn't. You couldn't hold up in the red zone, so that the Browns had three drives in the first half.

They only had seven in the whole game, and and you're right, you kind of look at the run pass balance and Baker ends up throwing thirty seven times and under average. You know, I thought Baker threw the ball great, but the average under six yards per attempt, so ultimately wasn't a great, you know day throwing the ball Landry. I mean, he had seven catches for for twenty yards. You know, Hooper makes that one play finally, but they got a little out of balance, but it's partly because

you're you're behind. I do think it was a missed opportunity that I'm with you Mark that the better team one um. And what I just don't think the Browns were gonna win the Super Bowl with this defense. And

I think that that that showed today. That said, when Matthew got the interception and it's nineteen three and the Browns force of three and out, uh and they missed the field goal, Like, the defense showed you something that the Chief didn't score a touchdown the whole second half, and so the defense kind of did give them a their offensive chance. They're entering the fourth quarter, you're only down five, and Mahomes is out. I mean, they had they had a chance here to to win this game.

At least it would have been I don't want to twist the knife, but on the other end of it when itv and hen he throws that punt and Lamar Jackson pumped his fist because it's no longer the worst interception of the playoffs. Uh, it felt like it was. The everything was aligned at that point and I thought, I thought for sure Baker Mayfield was going to lead them down the field there, and they don't. They they moved the ball methodically and then punched away and never

get of the ball back. And I just before we we move on, we should touch on the Richard Higgins play, because it was sixteen three late in the second quarter. The Browns are getting the ball on the other side of the half as well, and Mayfield throws a strike to Higgins, who loses control of the ball just shy

the goal line. Sputtered out of the end zone and through the back through the you know, side of the end zone with a Brown by the way, it should be noted crashing in ready to scoop the ball up, but it bounces the wrong way and it's a touch back. I know there was um heat about. They thought it was a dirty um hit by the Chiefs H Daniel Sorenson, dirty Dan, as he's known by some. Um. I didn't see it quite that way, but I can understand why

someone would see that, see that as an illegal hit. UM. But mostly I again not to be labor this, but that's such a bad rule. It's just gotta be changed. It's way too it's way too aggressive a penalty on a team. Uh, and it cost the Browns in a big way. That could have been sixteen ten with the Browns having the ball to start the third quarter, and

yet it wasn't. I thought Bill cower Um had a good suggestion, and maybe he's not the first person to suggest this, but that the penalty could say the offense instead of the defense getting the ball at the twenty, the offense gets pushed back to the twenty. And it's like, all right, look, it's it's it's it's a really steep penalty, and it would be like it's rare, and yet you're

it shouldn't swing the game the way it does. And I'm not saying it's a dirty hit, but just it was a helmet to helmet hit and It wasn't dirty, but it was a penalty right just by the by the I think a lot of I watch a lot of helmet to helmet stuff, and I'm like, you try to teach, like we get it. You're trying to teach a defensive player soaring in to move his head. I mean, it seems ridiculous you're gonna get these penalties. But Sorenson, he's got a little bit of a it was he

dove different reasons he dove. I, um, you want to give some you You mentioned Honey Badger. It occurred to me during this game because someone tweeted about it, and I was like, oh my gosh, that's right. Like he I think someday, I think he might be a Hall of Famer. Like he's got to keep like going through this, but doing this in Key spots, man, he was all over the place. And they pay a few guys so much money, they're so top heavy their roster. Honey Badgers

one of them, and like he earned that. And Chris Jones. I don't think he dominated today, but I thought he got pretty good pressure and he made the two key plays that stopped that fourth quarter drive. And so it's like, well, that's why you pay him million dollars and uh, and I do want to apology a lot of people in my Twitter mentions, I've been asking all playoff long, Austin Hooper, make a play, make a playoff. My god, he made a play to keep their season that they could have

been moving on because of that Austin Hooper play. So the Browns came close, but just the beginning, hopefully. Mark. Again, you can't make assumptions and just assume an organization is just gonna contin in you on an upward trajectory. But history and all sports, all the great teams almost always

and well almost always is strong. But in many, many cases there is that crushing playoff loss when the team's on the rise, and then you grow and you build off that, and then you're back in that spot the following year and you find a way to climb the hill. Hopefully that's where the Browns are. And Mark, this is more because we all love Tony Romo and we love football, and it was an exciting end of the game. This is you can feel free to take out your earpiece

for this part. Romo's call with Jim Nance was excellent on the final play with Chad Henny, so I asked Ricky to cut that as well. Let's listen right here, Andy Reid, really smart. Send everybody out there. You got cuts right, You're trying to try them draw him off sides. Kick a time out, check it down, let the talk click, try and draw him off sides. Pick Henny in the gun, rock up the time. You're gonna go ahead and quarterback sneak and motion back, trying toll the moost sides, and

then take the time out. You walk up there and say no play everybody, don't there's no plenty. Just look at the body language can take that. There is any rolling out throws to the championship, gets shock. There's no way. He's everybody. He's number one, He's my number one in the power. He does that stuff like, I mean, can you see my point a little bit? Though? In my house, I'm just like, you know, he loves well. I hear is Mark sucks, Mark sucks, Mark sucks, like that's all

I'm listening to you. But when I hear that, I think Andy Reid onions for days and days and days. Let's move on, Lamar Jackson. He's gonna try and get it to the end zone himself, burning goal at the nine for the snap on our Jackson back to throw. Now it's Greg's lowest zone intercepted by Taren Johnson and he brings it out and he's still on the run. He may go all the way. He's when your team does two and fourteen, you can never get hurt. Touchdown.

Johnson goes a hundred and two yards with an end zone interception, touchdown Buffalo John Murphy with a call w g R. Yeah, it's the biggest wing playing football. The end zone interception that then goes back all the way a hundred yards to the house. Tehron Johnson pulled it off that fourteen point play for the Bills, the deciding play in a seventeen three win over the Ravens and

raucous Orchard Park. It's just like ten thousand fans there, but they really announced their presence with authority in a big spot. Lamar Jackson was the man who threw that killer pick and then when he was forced out of the game on the next series with a head injury, that a shotgun snap that went over its head. He gets slammed down in the end zone. Tough situation and hate sid Uh, that is the latest disappointment of his

playoff career. Greg Josh Allen has been the face of Bill's glory this season, but it's the defense that got them to the champion. Yeah, it was that play, that play in the injury. I mean, they're the drive leading up to it, which you know, there's only two drives in the whole third quarter. The Bills get that first touchdown of the game to get to ten three and Lamar makes a you know, bad read, it's a pick six,

and that was that was it. It was like, it's very I would have liked to see what Lamar Jackson could have done down two touchdowns there. You know, definitely robbed us um of any chance of that. And this was a team that almost lost to the Colts because of bad snaps, did lose to the Patriots because of bad snaps. And then the guy they brought in for the bad snap guy comes in and he was having bad snaps all last night. There was you know, three or four of them. Uh, it's disappointing. I mean we

had a weekend where Mahomes and Jackson get concussed. That said, like it wasn't happening for the Ravens offense they had they had three points there through through three quarters, and they didn't really have um a move to go to in terms of their outside running. I was so surprised they kept going with these condensed formations running up the middle and it it just it wasn't working. I thought they would spread them out and try to run. Didn't

do that. They obviously weren't able to throw the ball. Neither were the Bills, frankly. I mean, the Bills had two twenty yards, they got out gained by a hundred plus. Again in a game like that was by far the worst game by the Bills offense all year. I think it was, you know, a great performance by the Ravens defense, but the Bills defense was better and they didn't their quarterback didn't make the killer mistake Lamar did, and that

was it. I mean, if someone told Wink Martindale, Ravens defensive coordinator, you're going to allow ten points to the Bill's offense, right, you'd be thinking this will be a crushing um. But the Ravens and it's you know, it was a different game than their last playoff loss, but the mistakes came from all over the place. And the win was a huge factor in Justin Tucker missing two field goals UM, but he also just missed them. They had a terrible shank to punt UM. J K. Dobbins

had a terrible drop at one point. There was a really costly personal foul. There was Lamar Jackson interception. I don't know. I mean, it's like they didn't play a complete game. And I think Leslie Frasier, the Bills defensive coordinator. I mean, these two coordinators both came in with great plans. And Leslie Fraser, who I you know, I don't think he's gotten mentioned on our show once all year. And I get it because you know, he's sort of like

the head coach. Well, there wasn't much of a story, but I mean, but when they needed, when they needed that defense to step up and play it's best game of the year, UM and really to scheme really well against the Ravens and understand what the Ravens do, diagnose it and execute. UM. That that's what the Bills defense did. I mean, this was not this was a below middle of the road performance by their offense. It was it

was a costly performance by their offense. Until I think that the one little thing and then I'll then I'll shut up. The one little thing is that the confidence that Josh Allen has and Stefan Diggs seems just to dig them out of so many holes in time, because it was like it took so long to get going, but he found him and Diggs started to make huge plays, and so it's like it was enough. It was enough um on a night where it wouldn't have been at

the Ravens been less mistake prone. Yeah, I didn't mean that in a negative way towards Leslie Fraser. It's just that when you've talked about the rise of the Bills, it's been about Josh Allen entirely and Brian Dable and what they've been able to do, and and Fraser has flown under the radar, and like Wink Martindale for instance, like you said, you know, if you ask him how he feels right now, I shut down the Tennessee Titans with their two thousand yard rusher in the forty touchdown quarterback.

I completely shut down the Josh Allen Bills had been unstoppable. I I'm getting introduced to somebody else's head coach next week. I'm I'm looking forward to that. I'm picking out a new suit. That's not happening. But that's just the way it goes to an interview. Yes on the on the raven side and again the dysfunctional offense um, And you're right, Greg, we were robbed as fans, and Lamar Jackson was robbed of the chance to find a way to dig out of that hole and find a way to win that game.

But there's also the chance, based on evidence we've seen that they just weren't gonna get it going in that game. And part of the reason is because you saw Tyler Huntley in the running game get it going a little bit at the end, and just the Bill's defense hasn't been shut down all year. That that that you're right if if if you had just told me then I was like, well, he wasn't coming back anyways. But after watching them move the ball with Huntly, then you're like, oh,

it would have been nice. Right. They nearly got this game to seventeen ten with Huntley and then all of a sudden you put the pressure back on the Bills, but they couldn't punch it in. Here's what Hollywood Brown said today when talking about the offense. And this I think speaks to well for Hollywood talks a lot, so you gotta keep that in mind. But also something has When players speak out to the media, it speaks to

something going on in the locker room. Whenever you're the number one rushing offense and the thirty something passing team, that's not right, that's not balanced. We got to find a way to balance our game, even with our great rushing attack. We got to be able to throw the ball and be able to move the ball through the air. And and the truth is, Hallywey Brown is not part of the problem, but he's a great number two. I

feel like they need a number one wide receiver. Though usually we give guys credit for playing their best in the playoffs, and he had two big and not just the playoffs, and like the whole stretch run when the Ravens got hot through the playoffs, Brown was great. But

they do need another receiver. And whether it's on Greg Roman or on Lamar Jackson, and really it's on both, they need to find a way, uh to to shed this image of a team that doesn't know how to pivot when things go sideways, because look it happened again now, Greg, I know he's your boy, and I know people it happens on football. Twitter excuses seem to get made for Lamar Jackson three years in a row. You you're asking

questions about this offense at the end of their season. Absolutely, I think there there might be time for John Harbaugh to make a Bowld change. And it's it's tough because Roman I think has done a good job. But sometimes like you make the change then before it goes really south.

People a lot smarter than I. You know that. Actually we're on NFL teams you know, really talk about like look, they brag about how they have five thousand running plays and there's a reason why they're so good and diverse. It's like that's what they spend their time on. Like that takes away the time, especially in a year like this where you are not building up your passing game to be as diverse and have as many levels to it. And I think that's that's what they're gonna need ultimately,

uh eventually, And and it wasn't there. I mean you do blanch a little bit at because you see it's like, Okay, he threw for seven yards. Pert like they weren't a great passing game last night by any means, Jackson, but they made about the same amount of lays passing as the Bucks and the Saints and and the Bills and like all these other teams. But they are too one dimensional. Hollywood Brown is right. I mean, if you're that easy

to self scout or to scout, that's a problem. The Bills were off the confident coming into this game, and they did a great job shutting Lamar on the ground. That was really the key for the second straight time. They did it a year ago too. It does seem like certain teams come in on defense feeling extremely confident about stopping Lamar Jackson and this team and this team at times, and you know, another offseason in another year, is this offense going to grow and going to continue

to trick people? Change him? Change? Willie Sneed said it was a wake up call for Lamar Jackson, and they're very close friends, and he was just like, I think this game served that for him. So I don't think he escapes without critique. Um it's you know, maybe maybe just by the nature of their offense, he's given a little more bandwidth than others. But after after this latest disappointment, it's that I feel like what we're gonna be talking

about is change the offense. Fix it, make it more explosive, get better playmakers, change up the scheme a little bit. So Lamar does have that cover. If they do do that, and then he continues to struggle on the stage in January, there's gonna be no one else to blame but Lamar Jackson. Just it was like in this game though, it really was that one. It's crazy that it's that one play

because they had such a similar drop. That's I know, but I'm saying some downs to that absolutely, But like the Bills get down in the red zone, they run it in there quickly, and that the Lamar gets the third down and he and he makes he makes a bad throw there, makes a bad read and suddenly and it happens to be returned and then the game, the game is over. He's also knocked out by concussion, which

we mentioned, but it's like he did he what what if? Well, what if he had been in at there at the end and change this He just Tucker has got to hit those kicks, like you know, there's there's just a little there's a little bit of everything that happens in these playoff games. That's why we love the playoffs, as we end up like dice acting every little thing and what is that game like? You know, if they don't make some of the mental errors, some of which were

absolutely on Lamar too. Thanks for bringing it up. Greg, Let's head into the Kicker Club. I'm always surprised. I have to say legitimately on this club is a mess right now. I mentioned people really are interested in the Kicker Club and what's happening and who has status and who's going in and out? Check it out right now, listen to this place. It's the upside down. When Justin Tucker puts two off the uprights, people are saying, kick Justin Tucker out of the Kicker Hell no, he's my

co owner of the place. I mean, that is the greatest kicker ever. But that just speaks to the strange, strange vibe around the Ravens in that game. Eerie eerie stuff in the Kicker Club. Wendy was windy. Do you ever have like the backyard let's sort of courtyards, secret parties at the Kickers Club where the wind is gusting like fifty miles an hour. That's sort of the scenario that Tucker found himself in. I know, I it actually does.

It didn't cross my mind after the second Miskick is like, it's Justin Tucker my favorite player in the NFL because I was legitimately hurting definitely, I mean definitely the non Jets and I don't even know, I mean, because they're just being so you know, terrible. I don't. I mean, I love San Donald. I wanted to succeed. Um, but I think Justin Tucker is like in terms of star players, like who do I root for? It's it's a kicker,

I think. Anyway, so weird stuff. We should give the Bills fans a little more love and the Bills too. I do feel like we've gotten negative. It was a weird game. It was a great defensive performance. Um Like mc dermott built up this defense from seventeen on and this is what I think his he's made his money doing in Fraser and Brandon Bean and those guys they drafted all came through with huge performances. So that's that

is how you win a Super Bowl. Is like when you had different ways, Like the first game, you give up four dred and seventy five yards and you're you're like, you know, all pro type quarterback wins the game by himself for you. The next game, the defense goes and wins. How how are you gonna win the next one? Like that is how you get through four rounds? And Milano and Jerry Hughes who has been there forever, and Edmonds and Trey White had a good game in the safeties,

like they they stepped up and won the game. And so that's a credit. I know Bills fans, they don't that's how they I don't care how they're gonna win the game. They are loving this game. I will say that is glass half full. The glass half empty look is that they've won two playoff games. Uh, and you you know, either game could have gone the other way

because they combined in the two games. So are they vulnerable to be picked off on Sunday this upcoming Sunday by the Chiefs because they're not playing at that same level anymore they were at the end of the regular season or is it just a matter of And I'm

probably more on this side of things. The competition shoots through the roof in January and you're the big dog that everybody's gunning for is the home playoff team, and those are hard games to win, and they've found a way to beat two very good teams in the Colts and Ravens. There is a little part of me and the Chiefs fans are some of the best in the in the world, but I would have loved to see an a f C title game in Buffalo. Um. The the the amount of noise they made when those kicks

went sideways by Justin Tucker. I don't know, it's because you know, you're used to know fans and suddenly you have ten thousand. But everyone there was like it sounds like seven earthquakes are occurring here. And that's the Bills fandom and they'll get talked about a lot this week as they should. All Right, there you go, So the Bill's Brown's a f C title game would have been nice, Mark, I know I am ultimately saying that more as like the Bills crowd, I'm not understand in the back door

with that. It really would have been nice, though. It would have been if there was a scenario where the either the Browns fans or the Bills fans were getting ready for a Super Bowl, but also looking at this way, Mark, how about this tough loss, but such a sad, strange year, uh in in in this country, in this world, when the Browns get over the hump, you want to have that true vibe or the stadiums packed all season and maybe you have a home game in the n f

C title game and you and you see like Baker and you know Jarvis and maybe even O'Dell and Miles going around the concourse slap in five and it's a it's it's not this strange, speaking upside down world we live in. But it has been nice, I'd say, to get some fans in these stadiums. Hopefully it's in a safe way, and these aren't people getting sick from going in these games. But to get the ten fifteen thousand people in there has made a difference in the postseason.

I am with you, and I would imagine that's actually what Cleveland's plan was. Let's slow play this and get back there next year when the fans are in the stadium. Yes, all right. Our final game was the first game played early Saturday. Rogers take Spakes, the hand off looks a lot of that stuff, Parkers. Why man, that's Wayne Larvey w T MJ. The Packers offense is just you know impossible. Aaron Jones and Jamal Williams combined to go over a

hundred sixty yards with a touchdown. Aaron Rodgers was his masket, will self you have three touchdowns and the Packers kind of cruise to a eighteen win over the Rams at Lambeau. Green Bay punches at stake into the NFC Title Game for the second straight year, where they will host the Bucks next Sunday. Yes, Aaron Rodgers against Tom Brady. How do you like that? For the right to go to

the Super Bowl? Mark the Green Bay offense, which rolled up nearly five hundred yards against the stout Rams defense. It can be a beautiful thing to watch. I I enjoyed this game a lot more than I thought it would because of that exact um factor that there's something about the Packers when they are clicking the way that they are an athlete that West just spoke perfectly about Aaron Rodgers in his season that you could count his

you know, gaffs on on on one or two hands. Um. You knew early on that this was gonna take something dynamic from the Rams on offense to keep up and nothing about the Rams offense suggested that was the case. And you throw in the fact that Aaron Donald just um you know, limited snaps, uh, you know, in a lot of pain, was not himself ended the game shedding some tears. There's the play where Davante Adams, um just got the best of Jail and Ramsey. The Rams this year,

at this time are built around that. They're built around that, and they're built around Brandon Staley cooking up defenses, um defensive schemes. And Brandon Staley is now going to this to the Los Angeles Chargers. So a lot's changing as

we speak with that team. But um, you know, I I like, can't you know, cam Akers amazing effort lost in that is just that there are too many you know, too much pressure on golf and got thrown to the turf so many times and it just uh, at no point, after about a quarter ended, I thought this, this thought

this game was had a question. It was just so Green Bay is too powerful, right that the Rams kind of like the Browns at least before Mahomes you know left, you know, felt like they were the inferior team and actually showed, you know, some of the reason they're in this spot and they're fighting spirit to to even be competitive, because I think if you play that game ten times with Aaron Donald not at a percent and no Cooper Cup, I don't know how many of the Rams are that competitive.

I mean, I just just wasn't gonna happen. I was still surprised to see how easily they went through the Rams defense, how consistently they did. This is the defense that didn't give up more than four hundred yards one time all season. They gave up fo eighty five and it was only in like eight or nine drives. This was another game that that was kind of shortened the game, like golf did everything it could and it didn't matter. I think why West, you know one of the reasons

he loves riders so much this year. It's such a combination of you know, his athleticism and everything we've always loved about him, and his and his you know, mental side of things. It's it's kind of even the easy guys are guys are either open or he's just making decisions Like I just you've never seen guys this open for Aaron Rodgers and he said it in the post game,

like they missed a couple. Even though they only had eight or nine drives, they really could have had two more touchdowns in this game, one of which turned into a field like they could have put up forty on the number one defense in the league. And I know it didn't play out this way all all weekend, but I'll take great offense over great defense any day. I thought about that you're saying that, you know, throughout the months, and it just came to mind, and golf played pretty

well in this game. I mean, statistically, it's kind of a bummer when you look at this weekend what came out of it. When you had Patrick Mahomes going out of the a game we were all pumped to watch with the concussion. Lamar Jackson essentially takes the air, the air is taken out of the balloon with his cushion when that game was seventeen three, and you know, Cooper Cup's one thing that's a big loster their offense. But you take Aaron donald Um and put him in such

a compromised state. Uh in that game, He's coming in and out of the game, obviously struggling with the rib injury, crying after the game as the clock ticks down to zero is because I think, you know, I don't want to play psychologists here, but you get the vibe that, like he knew to get this team past the Packers into the super Bowl, they needed him to deliver the type of performance that's that he's been doing his whole career. It's gonna put him in the Hall of Fame. And

he physically could not do it. And that had to be so deeply frustrating on top of just the feelings of knowing that your season is now over. And the other thing to take away from the game, and and some comments that have come out of Los Angeles since the loss um make me think about it even more, is so, yeah, los Angeles defense, which was great all year, didn't have what it took to hang with Aaron Rodgers

in this game. Without Aaron Donald Um. Okay, now in the past, with a Sean McVeigh offense, all is not lost because it's okay, okay, so the defense isn't gonna carry us. We're gonna score points and we're gonna get in a shoot out. But at no point did you feel like the Rams had that ability in them? And I would guess, and you get the vibe. Sean mcveay sick of that. Like he's like, I'm Sean McVeigh. I should be able to get into a shoot out if need be. And here are some comments McVeigh made right

after the game. When I asked about Jared goff and the future, he said, yes, Jared Goffler quarterback right now. And then uh, he was had a Zoom conference the day after the game and talked about the future again at quarterback. Everything's being evaluated. I'm not ready to make any sort of statements with regards to anybody, you know, starting position or not. We're gonna have a level of competition at everything that we do. And then he was asked, would God be on the roster. We're we're in a

situation that we're in evaluation mode. Um, you know, all the those things are things that you know, we're we're moving forward, we're looking forward, and and I can't you know, answer any of those questions until, like I said, I take a step back and and you evaluate everything that is in the best interest of the Ramps. Here's the translation to me, Greg, and tell me if I'm wrong, because I know you're very good at translating. Coach speaking,

I'm sick of this. I am sick of this, and I want to be able to run an offense that can keep pace with the way the league is going right now, and having Jared Goff behind center isn't going to do that. Yeah, translation is like, we're gonna try, We're gonna try to replace Goff. I don't know that we can. I don't know how it's gonna look exactly. I mean, Sean McVeigh is very intentional and everything he does and everything he says, he's probably sick of scene.

You know. On the other side, like you know his guy that he probably thinks he's a better coach than scheming up open receivers for a Hall of Fame Aaron Rodgers quarterback. The contract is is tricky. But anyone in Goff's corner, and there are a few in the media, Um there's thinking if there are pleased on me who they are because I have not seen any of them this season. Um you know there there are the reporter

Melanie Goff. I'm not even gonna go there. My point is that they made it out like the people were making a bigger deal out of this whole, like golf and Wolford and everything else. Thing than then was warranted because of Goff's injury, and I think mcveigh's comments show that it was totally warranted and that will be a huge part of their offseason. Yeah, tough, tough way to go into it. Losing Staley to the Chargers. Is Mark mentioned he is the new head coach, kind of kind

of interesting to steal the guy in the building. There's a little bit of a sneaky big brother little brother rivalry there, I I think behind the scenes, and I mean he doesn't have to like move homes, his kids can stay in the same schools. I do wonder a little about these playoff games because you know, we are all the whole world is watching one game and the result is so paramount. Like if a game like this happens in week eleven, does everyone come out of it

thinking like, we're gonna reboot our offense. We're gonna we're Baltimore, We're changing our offense, We're Seattle, We're gonna run a ton more, We're gonna dump this quarterback in that quarterback. I mean, I know it's also just the end of the season, but like, I feel like that's so under the microscope that it creates um larger, a larger than life sort of decision making process for some of these coaches. Well, with Gothic Kate was coming for about six weeks that

was the thing, or six or eight weeks. So that's that's with him in McVeigh. At least, we're gonna dig in deep on the Brandon Staley higher by the Chargers and of course Roberts Sala Sala going to the Jets and Arthur Smith going to the Falcons. We'll dig into that our next show on Tuesday and anything else that happens um around the NFL as we do. Just the heads up, but yeah, that that's the Rams are an

interesting place. Next they gotta replace that. It's funny with I just said I'm gonna we're gonna talk about it Tuesday, but I have to say it because it Brandon Staley. It almost now is an advantage to not have experience. It's like just put one good year on tape and

then they're going to get behind you. It's the Sean McVeigh model, like we're willing to gamble that you are the future of the league rather than you have to show it multiple years It's kind of funny the way thinks, Like if you're Wink Martindale and Leslie Fraser, you're thinking, wait a minute, they just hired that guy. He's been doing this for five months. He just they just hired

the guy whose defense gave up. And this is kind of one of these silly stats, but for the first time in playoff history, a team had four hundred and seventy five yards um total, hundred seventy five yards rushing, zero sacks, zero turnovers. So like about as efficient an offense that has ever existed in the postseason is what the Packers just did to the Rams. That's like when Matt Patricia got the Lion's job after the Eagles Super Bowl win. That's what I kind of felt about Arthur Smith.

And it feels a little unfair, But when I rewatched that game, and man, the Ravens had their number. We should give Packers fans a little little cheese to Nivlon.

By the way, they had a lot of nice things they could have won this and by like forty they like Rashaan Gary and Kenny Clark stepping up big, Aaron Jones had a nice game and then just like Rogers how like calm he was when he's just like yells to Alan Lazard on that touchdown, just like hey, Alan, and then throws him like a sixth yards that he's just like chilling in the end zone before he throws

like a thirty yard you know thing. And while most quarterbacks would be freaking out taking his safety is pretty awesome. He's so Yeah, he's so unique. I don't think we'll ever have another quarterback or player in the NFL like Rogers to have his abilities. But also he's such an interesting personality. And you're watching him in these interviews and are you're watching on the field. They had did a

nice job catching him just grinning under center. He's just completely It actually gets me a little bit mad that someone could be that physically talented and that's smart. The guy's gonna be hosting Jeopardy uh down the road and

in the near future. Uh. He's just such a unique character. Um. And for him to be playing at this level and this Packers team, which is actually now going to go into this game as a favorite, Like I said earlier, I assume, um they should get back to the super Bowl, and if they do, it's rogers first trip back in ten years, so he's overdoing it. Might be his best chance to get back to the super Bowl. It is this first one, first one at home, right, certainly the

first one home since then. I'm trying to think, all right, any other thoughts about this game. I'm looking to update you on the situation for next week in terms of they are four point favorites. By the way, nothing nothing crazy, but that's about right. Yeah, yeah, that's about right. Maybe four and a half a little more. I love their

chances against Tampa Bay. I'd lay a little more Oak there. Personally, I think I'm the touch, you know, as I realized watching the Browns, and I just want to pick the games of what I want to happen. I don't like Rudy against what I want because I did want the Browns to win, and but you had the whole lock situation. I don't like these conflicting things. So I think I know I'm gonna be wanting Tom Brady to win another game,

and so I'll probably just pick them to win. There's a there's a tea for you and uh Mark, just like you did. We we did um a lot of work with sky Sports overseas. UM this weekend and last weekend as well. It's been a lot of fun with Neil Reynolds and Jeff Rhin Bold, Sean Gail and Brian Waldinger. That's it's been a lot of fun. Leslie Fraser's teammate

on The Five Bears, Sean Gayle, how about that? That's true? Uh, Patrick Crowley, the producer over there, Alex Mason, It's it's been a great relationship we've had with that whole gang there. And and the fact that you mark right after the Browns game, seconds after you went on Sky Sports Live comported yourself professionally and did the same thing here today. I just I tipped my cap to you, sir, well, thank you. I mean part of me is like we I would do show is when they captain know in

sixteen seasons. So um, I'm not saying this is it's you know, it's different levels of annoyance. But uh I, I've actually really enjoyed these past two weeks doing the guy with you guys and having having the chance to have wess on. Um, the Browns are just part of it. There's a lot of other parts and um, it's like another thing and I think we all hear from our

listeners in so many different ways. I have never experienced anything like all the people reaching out with UM, you know what, wishing you well over a game or now there's a couple of a holes in there. But I think they're actually not from our They're not from our podcast. You're pushing Drew Carey pushing them. I don't know if I would really want that as an identity, because I think like the same thing that's also happening is like all the big wigs and they coming like, oh, yeah,

he's that Browns fan guy. I don't put it. He's he doesn't know how to talk about anything else. It's like, yeah, I might kind of, you know. It's just like Nick Shooks, like I'm super logical guy, like that might be the way to go here, and boy, it's a hideous I entity. So it's you know, I'm gonna I'm gonna use the next couple of months to get away from that. The fans love you, Mark UM, we love you, and the

UM listeners, including one named Jimmy from Toronto. He he got ahead of it a little bit, just in the in the off chance that things didn't go well for UM. The Browns. We've been playing the Cleveland Browns um Fight song from when they re entered the league, so figured a good way to close out today's show is to listen to Jimmy from Toronto's version cover version of that very song. What's the song called again? Well, here we

go again, Here we go again. This is actually true as of tomorrow, but yeah, this is a stripped down version to reflect the events of today. And before we play that. Yes, thank you to Chris Westling for joining us. Uh ricky Hollywood behind the virtual glass. We'll be back Tuesday with another show in a full, big show, a lot to talk about everything in the news, including slas La Salah, so make sure you come back for that and Cleveland Browns Rising rising, taking that next step this

time next year we see it. But for now, the season comes to an end. We'll see you on Tuesday. So here wait again, It's brown It's first, So get on your feet, let the games again. Here go again, m kill Tuesday, all right,