Christmas Games Recap + Broncos Fire Hackett

it's very there's a very similar vibe to that show. Um, and what we're about to bring to the listener right now. I hope you had a good Christmas too. We texted a little bit late at night. Um, there was NonStop football starting here on the West Coast at ten am until deep into the evening. And I think that's how the NFL wants it. It was a lot of football. It's not gonna be like that every year. It is rare that I guess Christmas will fall on a Sunday.

I did go back. I noticed last time it was on a Sunday, it was two games though, so they did push it a little farther In seven years. I'm looking forward to the podcast when there's seven games on Christmas Sunday. Yeah, Justin Graver also with us. Dan uh is sitting this one out, and Uh we'll be back with Dan on our regular least scheduled Tuesday show. I hope everyone out there had a great Christmas, including you,

Justin and Uh. Let's get to the first game. Let's start in the a f C where the biggest games were really played. I think the best game that we haven't covered. We have Christmas Eve to cover and the three Christmas games. The best of those games was played in Miami. Chucking down and six now for Miami. The thirty one yard line of the Dolphins, snap two and looking running Peza right side, Sucker, Sucker pro souls Douglas and there is your Tucker. The Packers defense coming through

in a big spot out of nowhere to twenty. That was to a tongue of Viola's third interception of the fourth quarter alone. My god, what a mountdown after the Dolphins raced out to a twenty to ten lead, had a chance to go up even bigger before halftime, and then it all fell apart in the second half mark.

The Packers are alive in the playoff race, and the Dolphins let you down because I know you wanted the Dolphins to win this game, right, you know what I want to see was just the Dolphins kind of um proved that the last the troubles they encountered over the last you know, three three plus weeks outside of the Buffalo showing were a typical of them, that they aren't that team that they had that they had a chance to, you know, as a young in a young system, first

year head coach, come back and show they were the team from the early part of the season. I mean, instead, it keeps Green Bay completely alive, and I think this is a very different Packers team then I feel like I was watching, you know, weeks ago, they've kind of

changed themselves, especially on defense. But um, the narrative around to Uh, I think it's really fair just to look at his body of work over the last you know, three or four games and say there are a lot of questions about to like he was in the perfect environment, the perfect scheme, and you know, like they didn't use the Packers didn't use a ton of man to man coverage the same way that we saw early on with the Niners game and then against the Chargers it was

a lot of zone and they still figured him out. He seemed to sort of lost to me. I thought all three of his picks were really on him. It wasn't one of these situations where if you watch it, it's bouncing off of two people. He admitted each of me went through one by one by one each of the picks and just sort of said the last one

was a communication issue. But they were onto uh and it and it's sabotage the Dolphins, who really had no business losing this game with all the big plays they got early on right, Like you mentioned it that the Packers defense in the first half of the game. It was the Packers defense we saw a year. They had two hundred and seventy yards at halftime. The Dolphins, I thought they could have had about thirty five points at halftime.

And two it was playing great. I mean, he was throwing the ball with anticipation and he was right on the money. You had the eighty yard or to Jalen Waddle at one point to a had completed five passes for a hundred in ninety two yards, which is just wild. And they were up twenty to ten, and the defense for the Packers looked like they weren't going to get a stop and Geron Reid caused a fumble right before halftime.

It was twenty to ten and the Dolphins were theoretically driving UH to go ahead, maybe twenty seven to ten. At that point in the game. The only way the Dolphins had stopped was penalties and like mistakes. To actually fritzed out and fumbled the ball on the third down early in the game. That was a little canary in the coal mine for what was gonna come, because there was a a couple of times in the game he

just did not show much poise. But they recovered that fumble, they kicked the field goal on that drive UH and the Packers seemed like they had no answer. They forced the fumble there, they get a field goal before halftime, it's only seven points, and then the second half defensively was totally opposite. This is a major league concerning game. For two, We'll get to green Bay quickly, and we're not gonna like make this an hour long show. Mark.

I know you don't want it, but I do think the one thing about green Bay that that felt to me like they Aaron Rodgers for all the little items that I find annoying about him at times, Um he seems locked in on the fact that like their playoff chances are real right now. He mentioned it over and over. Everything went right on Saturday for green Bay, and I thought they approached this game where they kind of win or die situation. They went for five fourth downs, Um,

I think they converted three of them. They had that bizarre fake punt from their own twenty, which um was a box job. But to their credit, the defense from their own twenty allowed just to field gol to Miami. That could have been like a backbreaking kind of situational problem for green Bay right there. Not that they were very aggressive. Aaron Rodgers didn't look perfect to me, Um,

he made just enough throws. I think you lose. We gotta see what goes on a Christian Watson because it's a hip injury, and you know that, to me, losing him is a major issue for green Bay if he goes out. He's been a star for them. Yeah, it was weird because they actually weren't unbelievable offensively. Off all those turnovers four turnovers, they scored nine points, so they didn't get a touchdown off the turnovers, and then they

had the kickoff return to start the game. Which returned the ball to about the ten yard line Keshan Nixon, who also got hurt. So two explosive players for the for the Packers, Watson and Nixon got hurt and they only got three points off of that. So Rodgers was up and down, and I thought it was telling he had told the announcers like, I'm glad I can really

play quarterback this week. I hated the way where the Rams played us, and what that meant was like Rogers was gonna just hold the ball forever, try to make a play, make some hero ball plays, and he hit of you hit a bunch of them, and he missed a bunch of them too. He did not play well in the first half, but he got it done. And the to a the two interceptions you mentioned, how he

went through it one by one. Okay, the third one to me was by far the most concerning because at that point he had already been picked off twice in a row to start the fourth quarter. First one was just like a bad throw where he tried to force it in there between four guys and it would have had been perfect, and it was just a bad decision and a bad throw. The next one where he mostter and him weren't on the same page that that One's

hard to really know what happened there. But uh, another play where it seemed like to a predetermined what he was gonna do, and that was what happened on that last play. Some smarter people than me pointed out to a you know, has the open receiver underneath here. The coverage dictated he absolutely had to throw it to the underneath receiver. It would have been a first down. And it was like he was already in his own head and was gonna throw the deeper throw and the Packers

read it and picked it off. And uh, I give I give them credit for making a bunch of plays, but to a oh Man to have that sort of confidence issues coming into the home stretch. Mike McDaniel was asked about it after the game, and I thought what he said was pretty telling. It's a challenge, but it's also something that, um, you know, every quarterback really goes through.

It's a you know, it's kind of one of those uh, you know, necessary things that you have to that you have to really figure out how you you don't let mistakes snowball. Um. And that's one of the reasons you know that the approach and and the and the way we've gone about things has been so intentional in that

regard because you can't you can't let past influence the present. UM. And I think that you know, there could be something some portions that that have to that have to do with you know, him kind of snowballing um in his own mind. UM. But he's such a strong individual that you know. The good news is that I'm very confident that he'll he'll be able to get through that. Um. It's just that this team UM needs him. It's a

chunky sound bite there. You know. Sometimes I'm like Daniel feels like you're driving across the country with someone and he's riding shotgun and you realize he just talked for six straight minutes and you're just focused on the road. But UM, I am that person though. But that that uh, that Sutbay was concerning though, Like I think he was kind of saying, like, yeah, I am a little concerned.

That was a question about to his confidence specifically, Well, I remember, you know, to a first of all, on the on the monster throw, he said that he might have called he was wondering if he called the wrong play which is you know, that's a concerning thing, December. I don't know for a quarterback, if that just stuff happens here and there, I would imagine it doesn't you

were your way out of it. But this is a guy that, like that story came out mid season where he was asking himself a year ago, do I suck at this? Like? I mean, I think there is um, maybe not a steel confidence there with him. In Secondly, you look at this offense and the way he's been helped by Tyreek Hill and Jail and wild just like pointed the Cats stuff where it's like if he had to pedestrian White outs, Um, you're getting the two of

from other years. And so I doing his game has been elevated by that, and teams have figured him out to some degree. I think there's a competence thing going on, and like Mike McDaniel sounds a little down there. They've got the Patriots on the road and then they've got the Jets who have Mike White back in the finale. So their their path to the playoffs, which seemed assured, is in hot water right now. Right they've lost fourth straight, they're still in good position. You win those two games

you get in. Even if you split those games, you

have a decent chance. But there's a whole mess of things going on, and the fact that the broadcast talks so much about like he had to rebuild to his confidence, Like I love the honesty and love like these guys being open and vulnerable, but sometimes you almost don't want you want your quarterback to have its blind confidence in toa was also you know, quoted earlier this year or in some reports that like after that concussion, like he had talked to his family about his future as a

as a pro um. And it's just it's a lot everything feels like on the precipice for this team, playoffs, future of this team. We don't need to get into all that now quickly. On the Packers, Uh, they're at seven and eight. Everything that needed to happen for them this weekend did happen. The Lions lost, uh, the Seahawks lost, the Commanders lost. Even the Giants, who in theory could uh, I guess being in that mix of falling out of

the playoffs lost. The Packers have a good chance to make it to the playoffs if they win their final two games, which will not be easy. Against Minnesota in Detroit. There's a real chance, Mark here Detroit green Bay is the final game of the year on Sunday Night football, although about four things need to happen for that to happen, and that would include that the Commanders and the Seahawks

losing in Week seventeen. That would set up a winning in like playoff game between the Lions and the pack I'm willing to accept at this point that the Green Bay Packers are probably going to the playoffs and some poor division winning team, well, I guess would probably be I don't know it's gonna be the some poor division winning team is going to have to deal with Aaron

Rodgers um who's becoming San Francisco. I know. I just think that's sort of sort of a hot mess for whoever stood confront Green Bay in January out of nowhere. And we'll talk about it during the week. I'm not totally buying that they're gonna pull this off, but I gotta admit I think they make it more interesting. So I enjoyed this result, if only because it makes the a F c Rest race messier and the NFC race messier. Let's go to the other a F c game. Uh,

someone locked up the Dolphins. Grave digger, How is your Christmas? It was great. We had a really nice Christmas, Yes, and I with some family FaceTime calls. But I did lock up the Dolphin, and so they kind of ruined by Christmas a little bit in the morning, but enough time to get over it later in the day. I don't get didn't even watch this game. I watched the last bit of I said to his last interception, I

love I love Graver, He's a football guy. I don't get the sense that losing this locker that the Christmas Day results. Uh, we're getting him too worked up. And that's to your credit, justin that's a compliment. You're also so far removed from the top slot that the drama around you winning or losing on a weekly basis has been um diminished. Yes, I'm five games back of Greg. Now I'm in last. Even though I lost this week, so he didn't lose any ground. He's still in the

eight to eight to play. Uh, you're not in it at all. You know who is in it, just barely, the Pittsburgh Steelers. Let's get to their game. Shotgun snap four. Maron Rush first for the h Steelers with just forty six seconds weft chump. Yes, oh yeah, pick at the Pickens, pick at the Pickens. That was w d V. Bill Hargrove on the call along with Craig Wolfley. I don't think I've ever read the the call letters before. This

is you know, new times here ten years in. Totally forgot on the Dolphins game to George Pickens capped a stirring finish on the fiftieth anniversary of the Immaculate Reception in the week that we lost Franco Harris. Kenny Picket had a drive that he's gonna always be remembered for. I kind of hope he has a great career with the Steelers, just so that we can look back mark on this one as like the moment it all took

off and they knew that pick it was their guy. Yeah, it's a second fourth quarter comeback of his rookie season. And I mean this was I mean, we forget because it seems like a million years ago, but that's Saturday cluster of game is that was so impacted by weather. That was absolutely true in this one too. I thought it was just absolutely frigid out there and both offenses were pretty much asleep at the wheel for large chunks of time to so see picket to go do that.

At the end, UM was commendable. I think that if you're the way that they got to that thirteen to ten result was a Raiders offense that the things that have worked for them completely dried up. I mean Davante Adams fifteen yards on the day Josh Jacobs held a forty four. It's the first time he had a hundred under a hundred total yards from scrimmage in seven weeks. That's sort of been the the key to their offense in general. And you have Derek Carr completely melting down

UM when it mattered most. He was one for nine with thirty four yards and an interception that passes of ten plus are yards. So they had really very little vertical attack to speak of. UM In the Raiders, which I thought were a fraudulent team, although they were getting a little spicy UM in a big spot against the Steelers team, they really should have viewed themselves as a better than Pittsburgh in general. UM, I don't know if they are. I think the Steelers are gonna end with

a winning record. They're gonna do it they're gonna be in Baltimore, in Cleveland, and this whole Tomlin first leading record business is not gonna happen. They would be funny if they went eight and one again, like they get a tie in one of these two games and do that back to back years. The Steelers are not out of the playoff mixed yet at seven and eight, but unlike a lot of a f C teams that are seven and eight the Patriots, for instance, the Steelers are

buried in tiebreakers. There's still only eleventh in the conference. Their percentage, according um to five thirty eight to make the playoffs only went up from one percent entering the week to three percent coming out of the week. And it's because they're two and seven or now they're three and seven in the conference, and they basically lose every

single tiebreaker there is. And uh, if the Dolphins or Chargers, Uh, if the Dolphins win another game, basically they're out, or they each win one more game, so they still almost certainly aren't going to make the playoffs. But I think you can remember this game if you're a Steelers fan. In the end of this season as something encouraging. Cam Hayward was awesome. You mentioned the defense was dominant the Raiders last nine drives after they had the touchdown drive

to start the game. They had a total of seven first downs in car through three interceptions. In the second half of this game, Mark the Raiders had fifty yards in three first down So you're right, like, even though Picket got his chance to do it and he did make good, it really was a good drive and he played a good fourth quarter. They had three points entree in the fourth quarter and they scored ten in the fourth quarter. And the weather was absolutely a huge factor.

It's still is something that pick it in the big moments, made some big throws. He had one on the sideline of the touchdown was a rip. Certainly he made good decisions and cards didn't man that last interception like the guys open. And you mentioned Jared Goff struggling in the call the other day. Derek Carr's numbers in weather under forty degrees is like, is outrage a slee bad And this was the story of the Raiders season. And these late season results I think have impact on what's going

to happen moving forward. And I just don't think the Raiders are gonna have Derek car next year. I completely agree with you. I think this is the kind of thing where and if you go listen you could you can look find this on Twitter pretty easily. Josh Jacobs what he had to say about essentially the entire offense, UM, the plan, what's told to them before the games, and what the results are um seems so dejected and down. I I doubt that Josh Jacobs is back. I don't

think Derek Carr is back. Well, I'm saying, you know, they could offer him money and no one else does him. Maybe maybe he changed the tag for him. Sure, but I just I I listened to him speak and he just seemed um and of course you know it came after loss, but extremely dejected. And I'm with you. I don't know how you can really roll out the concept of Josh McDaniels and Derek Carr next season when it's as easy to get out of his deal as it is depending on what comes their way, Like if it's

a Tom Brady situation, check your later, Derek Carr. But if there's nothing avail boil, then they run it back. Perhaps, Yeah, they could probably get a a good pick for Car, I think, But I do think this has probably been cars worst season since the first season after his broken

leg where he started. He kind of struggled when he first came back, and then since then it had been a slow build and he's been he's been struggling, And um, I loved for the Steelers to all come to the stadium wearing the thirty two jersey and they have the emotional halftime celebration. It just felt like the most Steelers

thing ever. This is why you knew. You knew, Mark that like the steel You've watched enough Steelers over the years that the Steelers, even though this is a weird Steelers season, We're going to create something magical and im like I said on the fifty at the anniversary of that game, they scored ten points in the fourth quarter just to win thirteen ten Um fifty years ago, they scored ten points in the fourth quarter to win thirteen to seven. Like on a day with absolutely no offense,

you locked it up. That was smarter it. I felt it was one of the rare times where like I switched my lock and I just felt like, wait a minute, this is a home run. Because there's so much weight on this franchise and not a negative weight just to pat like a total absolute passion to go win this game after what happened with Frank o' harris and I was gutting it out. I mean, it was just you know,

it was it was tight. But somehow you just believe in Tomlin and the Steelers and situations like this, and again, I think they beat Baltimore, who is a compromised team right now, and they will beat Cleveland and they'll end up nine and eight and we'll see what happens from there. This is an absolute Steelers esque end of the season, absolutely, and and their young guys stepping it like Naj Harris

having the big game. He had a hundred and five yards from scrimmage was the key guy pickings friar Muth ended up having to get the They have to feel about as good uh ending the season as any team that there really has no shot to make the playoffs just because of their young players. And and anyone that jumped in with the rainmaker by this weekend is by the way, this week it is feeling good too. We're

rating down money on Christmas Eve, it was close. Some might say, why didn't I lock up the Steelers if I was gonna, you know, go Rainmaker with a two and a half point favorite, but you know what, they won by three, so it rained just enough. You're in your own way. You're a very much a Santa esque figure to the people that followed your advice on this one. Well, I know Dan would have gotten on me eventually for a losing streak here, so I think the Rainmaker I

had lost track of what my record is. It's like six and three something like that for this inflated because we don't know either, Yeah, nobody knows. Let's take a quick break and we'll get to the other two games. All right, we're back. Let's head out to State Farms Stadium in Phoenix. One yard field goal to kick your board by suck Up? Is it good? It's good, It's it's it's it's good. Have the Bucks beat the Arizona

Carginals in overtire? Buccaneers beat Arizona Anot. Tom Brady engineers an overtime drive that gets into the range of Ryot suck Up, who just made his fourth deel goal of the game. Now the Bucketeers win nineteen to sixteen. Oh Geen Decker half. Even Jean didn't give like a full throated this is a miracle victory on Christmas. He knew this was a weird game. A nineteen to sixteen overtime

victory for the Bucks. That's that was on w f U S Dave Moore also involved, and uh, they're making people work extra on Christmas Mark they're playing extra football. Tariko's there, Collinsworth is there, and the Bucks are just replaying the same game that they play all season, making a ten point come back in the fourth quarter to narrowly be one of the worst teams in the league. They've done this exactly three times now, but get the victory. Yeah.

I don't know if it's the plan, but they are following the blueprint UM over and over, and it's like Tom Brady, you know, a turnover machine, completely asleep at the wheel, with an offense that you know, lost another Josh Wells it lost another tackle. He was already in there for Donovan Smith. So they are compromised. I think that affected what they even thought they could do on offense. It turned into like just to get rid of the ball kind of game for Brady. UM totally unproductive until

that overtime drive. I think hit six six straight throws and you get another one of these um sort of Brady esque patented last minute victories. I do feel like this season, and maybe you know it's just a feeling, but so many bad games have gone into overtime, not good games going into overtime where that you want that, But like I texted you, like late in the night, you and Dan and Grave Digger thinking, are you seriously

taking this into more time? This game which I actually watched, I might have been one of the twelve Americans that watched this game, and uh, it was an unrewarding STU late in the evening. I have to admit I did catch up on this game after the fact, and yeah, it was a lot of bad football. That's what Tom Brady said earlier in the year when he watches football around the league, a lot of bad ball. And most

of this weekend was about the weather. And there have been a lot of fun good teams, I think not in the primetime games, but we keep getting these teams like the Bucks and the Cardinals as repeat visitors, and we've just seen this Bucks game before and it's kind of like they keep doing the same thing. They have these sequels to like what was not a great movie

in the first place, which was Bucks Rams. I think that's really where this started, where they were absolutely terrible and at the very end they go hurry up and Brady wins the game after getting like seventeen chances to win it. And now they're having like the sequels and they're not like they're getting a little worse each time.

There was the Saints one that was that was a crazy comeback, two touchdowns at the very end, and then this one where it was against I believe, the worst team in the league, and it just makes you wonder, why do they have to wait till the very end to go hurry up? There's such a better team when they go hurry up. Brady had his best two throws of the day in overtime that you mentioned, uh, two really nice throws, one to Gauge and one to Mike Evans, both outside throws it but the rest of the game

like he was off target, he missed throws. They were out of sink on third and short. At one point, they tried to run the ball three straight times on second and one and could not get a yard. And that's like what this season has felt like is just like looking at Todd Bowles being like on the sideline, dumbfounded, being like, man, I can't believe we can get a yard?

What's going on? But they never can get a yard. Yeah, It's like I mean, if these are sequels, so they're not exactly pack them in at the mall Um Fair. But it does kind of leave me a bit mystified with this whole journey with the Bucks because the whole calling card coming in the reason that it would be good to get Bruce Arians out of the mix um. And again, I think we've said it all year. I think there's a there's something missing without Bruce Arians playing

his old role. But it was meant to be a positive because Tom Brady and Byron Leftwich could mind meld um on a micro level during games and as the as you know, forming the game plan. And they look more lost than ever and they haven't adjusted the way out of it, Like even from drive to drive, it seems like all they're able to do is go out and process things the same way and produce the same sort of milk toast results. It's like, is where's Brady in this? Like where's left Which in this? And why

are they still in these issues um post Christmas. I find it really strange for that kind of quarterback after what we know about Brady. Well, because I think it's it's everyone. It's such a team sport. I mean, Mike Evans had one catch for five yards until the very end of this game, he had six targets. He ends up making a catch or two of it. It's like they have a million different problems and Brady is one of them. Like the two intercept He's not used to

throwing interceptions, and he threw two in this game. Both were on him. One he just kind of threw up right because he was about to get hit, and then the other one he was like really late on an open receiver and that got picked off by Marco Wilson. And I was like totally on Brady, and we sound so negative. They did win the game, they set up, uh, you know, a winning in scenario for themselves next week

against the Panthers. The Bucks clinched the NFC South with with a win next week, but if they lose that game, the Panthers have control going into Week eighteen. And my feeling watching this Mark was I I have I have given up. I'm sure everyone else has too in terms of them like having the light switch on. But I kind of feel like they're a little bit like the Patriots and that they just are asking to be put out of their misery. And you know, spoiler alert, I'm

picking the Panthers this week. I I don't know if the Panthers can close it out and win two straight, because the Bucks will still have a chance to win the division even if they lose in week seventeen if the Bucks. If the Panthers then blow it in week eighteen and the Bucks win, they're all division games. So like, the Panthers do not clinch the division by winning this next game. But this feels like a team that's not having fun and it needs to be put out of

their misery quickly. I'm just gonna throw to a Tom Brady sound because I think I think the way he sounded after the game sums up what I'm talking about. Defense really stepped up. This is a great way to uh, you know, down ten on the fourth court on the road. It's a great final way to win. What's going on here? Is he? Okay? I don't know. I listened to this.

He sounded so old. He does not sound enthused. I will note that the Panthers um when they played the Bucks um the first time more towards the middle of the season, did run for a hundred and seventy three yards. I think this Panthers team, when they get weird and when the ground game is working as it has, and when it's exploded a couple of weeks like you could compromise the Bucks because I just don't see them really able to put up more than sixteen seventeen points. And

the Panthers defense has been solid for the past month. Yeah, we'll talk about that later in the week. And you're right, the Bucks run defense isn't quite the same shot. You know. Credit to uh, your guy Trace McSorley. He he fought, he almost got it done. They were up ten in the fourth. He had a thrower too. He he has a big arm. I was rise by that. Unlike that, Hail Mary and a couple of things. J. J. Watt played great. Their defense has been playing hard, but it

wasn't enough. What a painful season for the Cardinals to like go through all these different ways to lose painfully in prime time, kind of like the Raider season, but in in a different even more pathetic way. We can talk Bucks later in the week. But finally let's get to the final game we're gonna cover. That was the Christmas afternoon game Broncos and Rams in l A. Rams have three takeaways on the day, all of them interceptions. Can they get a fourth down? Stop on downs and

cement this week? Sixteen hit time, ripping, hassle Rams rush fourth row goes to the right side, hits intercepted the fifth team. Tommy Durrance down a sideline fifty forty thirty all Gas, no Craikes touchdowns. Tommy Durrance to cements a Christmas game win to the Los Angeles Rams. I love it. We're getting bogos on a Monday morning. I didn't even know that was possible. I do love hearing our friend j belong Uh with KSPN. Get to hear him having fun and man, this was fun for Rams fans and

Rams announcers. Kobe Durant there, yeah, with the eighty five yard interception. He had two interceptions on the day of the three that Russell Wilson through. It was crazy. It was fifty one to four Rams. It was like thirty one to six early in the second quarter, This thing was absolutely insane and I couldn't have been the only one Mark that watched this and thought, oh man, I don't know if they're gonna wait to the end of the season to fire Nathaniel Hackett. Now, and as we're taping, justin,

we got some breaking news here. Let's hit it. Yeah, the Nathaniel Hackett era is over. The Broncos announced their coach has been fired after only fifteen games. Sad way to go out and we can talk this game a little bit in a minute. Give the rams and oh that was banned. We're not giving any flowers. Beat that out justin. Uh, but let's talk hack it. It's over

for Hackett. That's that's the bigger news now. Yeah, it was inevitable, and I think this is the kind of late season game where, um, you know, any coach in his position, this is sort of the everyone gets at the exclamation point, Uh, floor falls out. Russell Wilson, who you came in to develop, I mean kind of everything that Hackett, who you know, understandably seems like an engaging

personality and like a likable dude. There's no It's not really like Mike Zimmer burning out because of your personality situation here. It's just that what was your calling card. I'm gonna come in and flip the switch on Russell Wilson, the most exciting quarterback higher of the entire offseason, and Denver's sort of hope and hope and pride for the future, looking like the worst quarterback in the league. UM looking as loss as ever, which has been um consistent all

year long. There were those reports that he was calling out Seahawks uh, you know, audibles at the line. It just seems like he's never really um understood what's going on in this offense. UM that that extends to everyone else. And then the defense, which you've wasted entire year on, absolutely like crumbled yesterday. And I think it's use You're seeing a lot of like flare ups on the sideline, a lot of lack of accountability, UM in house issues.

There were all the actual game situation issues early in the year, and it's like Hack, it seems completely underwater and in control of none of it. So what as a head coach are you're offering at that point? UM?

I think there's a bit of Peter principle for some of these play callers, Like you're kind of meant to stay at the play call level head coaches for a different type of personality and different type of I guess you know, ability to control a varied group of individuals, and the Broncos have seemed out of control since the word go. Yeah, it gives the team a chance to

get a headstart and the rest of the league. In theory if depending on who they wanted to hire, if if they wanted to go non NFL, you know, they could start that process right now. It's a little more complicated if you're just trying to hire NFL assistance. They did announced George Peyton the GM will remain with the

team and lead the coaching search along with ownership. There was yeah the owner George Penner had that and yeah, when you when you lose like that, it felt like the defense led by their coordinator as zero ever o Graver check check for me if we know who the interim coach is gonna be. While we're recording this is all happening, but I'll continue on it. It felt like this was the game where like both sides just kind of gave up and Sean McVeigh, who had everro on

his staff for a long time with the Rams. He was in, you know, a defensive assistant with the Rams forever. It's like he somehow knew exactly what to do, and um,

it's putting them out of their misery. And yeah, this was a Christmas game where one member related to the Walmart uh clan dynasty, Stan Cronkey, who married into it, who's the owner of the Rams, was going against another um couple of members of the Walmart money and apparently they were like seeing like hugging, you know, before the game or saying hi, they're they're related through cousins and

all this stuff. And uh, I think when you lose like that on what's probably one of the most watched games of the year, you lose to a four and ten team fifty one to fourteen, the worst offense in the league like that, I don't care who you are, how new you are to the league. That had to be so embarrassing that they were just like figuring out what the statement was going to be this morning, like during that game and just that it was over for Hacket.

That's sad. What a what a touching tail like? Um, you know, even the losing billionaire ownership teams still floating away and they're like cream colored Porsche is before deciding to fire the coaching stuff. I mean, it is, it's a tough it's a tough business. It is. It is. They get paid a lot, but it is a tough business. How how do you like? Honest question? Because I think like this didn't cut out the cancer for Denver at all.

The cancer is the quarterback in the quarterback contract. Like, I really am interested to see which coach um thinks they can come in and fix this. They're saddled with this, and they're gonna have to have immense belief that the fact that all of what we've seen about Russell Wilson has nothing to do with him actually just becoming a bad quarterback, that it's totally fixable. I don't I don't think. I think you're you're looking at No one's gonna no

one's gonna think that that it's all on Hackett. This is the move sort of they had to make. I'm with you, we'll talk about it in the coming weeks.

That everyone saying that you have to keep Russell Wilson, that he has all this guaranteed money, that it's gonna crush your cap Marcus shaking his head, and I saw him uh with a really well worded tweet on Christmas Night saying that he doesn't he doesn't need that, he doesn't need anyone convincing themselves it's gonna work with about Wilson, and I'm with you, I don't think they necessarily have to do it. I think there is an argument for

taking all the salary cap pain. Now. You could actually make him a post June first cut and it would only add seventeen million dollars to get rid of him on next year's cap. And I think, like taking your medicine if you're convinced the dude can't play, is actually the better move. And in Sunday's game was maybe the worst he's played all year. The interceptions were just we're

just ghass lee. There was one clip someone showed on the All twenty two on his third interception where Sutton is on the sideline wide open for a first down, and he's like literally waving at Russell. Wilson waving, waving, waving, and on the broadcast, Tony Romo points out, oh, he could have run for twenty yards for the first time, but instead Russell Wilson's like trying to be a hero and he throws it deep and while the balls in the air, Courtland Sutton doesn't even look to see what happens.

He just starts jumping up and down, upset and turning to the sideline and walking away from the play as if he's Steph Curry uh shooting the three and knowing it's gonna go in, Except in this case it was Russell Wilson and Courtland Sutton knew it was going to be an interception, I guess, and just like walked off the field and was so mad and it was an interception.

So I think that's like to your to your point about my point, about your point about my point about not sticking with Russell Wilson, is like this is a there is a human element to this, and I think it gets forgotten and all the metrics and all this business that like this locker room is totally lost and they're totally lost because they don't like Russell Wilson, I don't think at all. And when you're not good and you're unliked, like you got is more than anything. Well

that's that's it, all's all mixed together. But you don't get a feeling like, you know what, we're watching this guy that we've gone to war with that we love, like fading. It's like this was your first experience with him. He's been a mess the entire time, and like I am of belief that you could. It's not. You can't moneyball at like baseball, but you to your point, take your medicine. You deal with the money part of it.

It's one a one year situation. It's not that different in a different universe had they traded for like Geno Smith instead, who would have cost a lot less on a one year situation, and you get through it. You might just get better results with a locker room that is not from the word go with a new loss,

with a new coach ready to stage insurrection. I just it's the only problem with it is they're keeping George Payton, who made this trade, So you just get into like, as he would he be willing to admit that mistake. Usually a move like that, it's hard to even say usually because there's almost no precedent this. This is on track to be, you know, one of the worst trades in NFL history. It certainly has been. Now now their draft pick, by the way, gets even worse. So Seahawks

fans were loving this Rams victory. They I saw a couple on Twitter that, you know, the Seahawks are following apart, but at least they're enjoying Russell Wilson blowing this pick. I mean it was tough. It's why back in week ten or eleven when the Broncos were only scoring seven ten points in a game and people were like, oh, the Broncos have hit bottom, and I We've done this job long enough that it's like when they're seven or eight weeks left with these bad teams, it's like, no,

there's some you can hit a lot more bottoms. And this was truly bottom because the coach got fired. They gave up a fifty burger on Christmas and Russell Wilson got roasted by Patrick from SpongeBob. So there's rust wilsonption interception. He said, that's what they call an interception, and I mean he had a good line there too. Uh, that's not what Russ wanted to cook and even mentioned that

Wagner was his teammates. I did flip over to the Nickelodeon broadcast for a little and they were having fun over there. I think that was the probably the most appropriate way to watch this game, more fun than Broncos fans. I would say, like, you know where we were seven weeks ago about mentioned where we were at the Broncos like Sean McVeigh was in a dark place, Baker Mayfield

was being talked about like Russell Wilson. It's kind of crazy what can happen to you in just a couple of weeks, Because I think, if nothing else, Baker Mayfield proved, like Anna Sean mcveighs system, if he's used right, he can play, and he's totally a viable, very leading, almost plugged in candidate to be their number two quarterback next season.

I think they want that. And McVeigh, who was you know, we're a question if he's gonna even come back, and coach, I don't know, I mean, who knows what will happen with that situation. But the last couple of weeks have been a very different vibe around a Rams team that it got real ugly there. Absolutely, I'm glad you pointed it out, because even though I'm saying, like there's a long time left in the season, you can always hit bottom.

You could have said that about the Rams too. Uh, but they are going to feel better about themselves the way they're ending this season. They've had their best couple of games now in a three week span. Their competitive cam Akers is running the ball really, really well, had a hundred and forty seven yards from scrimmage, three touchdowns, just playing with a lot of juice. Mcveigh's showing that he can be that coach again. Maybe give himself some confidence.

Baker finishes for two thirty and two touchdowns and yeah, most of them, I think eighteen of those throws where five yards or less. But he had a nice touchdown versus the Blitz. He was very controlled. Tony Romo said, how like under McVeigh, he's using to use his eyes a little better in terms of not being as predetermined. I saw him get to like his third read. He just looked like a very competent quarterback. To me, this

was way more encouraging even than that Raiders. Uh come back when and like other guys are stepping up for the Rams, like Wagner as a leader and Hoy and and just things. He can just feel better about. Putting a fifty burger on feels good. No matter what your record is. Yeah, they didn't waste their final four or five games, which you see teams do nothing changes, you don't grow like they've used at the develop younger players find a backup that they can trust and I think

you're right. Gives Sean McVeigh a sense going into the off season like I haven't lost my fastball here and give their fans something. U all my daughter I'd asked for for Christmas was a Rams win, and I know that place wasn't like super Rocking. Yesterday, I texted our our friend Jason Kleinman, who was there with his family. Perfect, perfect, perfect Sunday for the Kleinman's. You go see a fifty burger. Probably it's such a blot you can leave early. He was.

He told me he was right behind the Broncos sideline. So he texted me about the fight that was happening before I even heard about it on the broadcast. He was like, they're arguing on the Broncos sideline. Someone just pushed Brett Rippon and he was right, that was an offensive lineman and Brett ripping the backup quarterback. So he gets he gets to enjoy that victory. JB. Long our friend gets to enjoy it, and then you know, the

Klineman's come home and they celebrate Hanukah another night. Uh, you know at night perfectly, just one bull's eye after the next with the Kleineman family, all right, that this is our closest thing to a bulls I hear Mark, I think we did it the what did I call it at the beginning of the show, the the Cold and Dark podcast The Dark and Cold podcasts. It's like that sounds bad, though, HI had fun. I enjoyed it,

you know what I enjoyed? Uh. I think the broadcasters yesterday try to have as much fun as they could, including Jim Nance. I gave Jim Nance some credit for being as Jim Nancy as possible to start that Rams Broncos game, Russell Wilson and the Broncos about to take the field and Los Angeles to take on Baker Mayfield and the Rams, and Santa's gonna find out which quarterback has been naughty or nice on CBS. It never gets old. I think he used the same line and it probably,

you know, hit the same way. So I don't know why that when I heard that, it really made me laugh. Santa's gonna find out who's been naughty or nice. I guess Baker has been nice and Russell Wilson has been naughty, all right for Mark Uh, this was a pleasure for Justin Graver. I'll be back. We're doing a Monday Night recap tonight with Jordan Rodrigan. We'll be back on Tuesday with a special guest. And so the train keeps moving on. But until then, he'd the call m