They Around the NFL podcast struggles through the pressures of fatherhood but still looks great. Baby from the Chris Westling podcast studio. It's around the NFL. I am Dan Hansis I got heroes here, Greg Rosenthal, Mark Sessler, and it is Wednesday.
That can only mean one thing.
Ten fifty one club in the house, Colleen.
Whoa, Hey, guys, Hi, I left my house today and immediately texted Dan with the GPS e TA, which was just about ten fifty one.
Yep, as was he. So we're really.
Aligned right on the money.
It's your precision is incredible to Greg and I.
And it's naughty too. It's just it is.
That's it.
Consistence, Yeah, and accountability. It's ten to fifty one club forever. How's everybody done? Midweek show? Hump Day?
I thought it was Thursday when I woke up, so I don't.
Dance spilled water all over the place.
Colleaen days just feel lighter, they feel better, you know.
See I have the opposite feeling, yeah with me dread.
Is it the Homicide Division sweatshirt that I'm wearing?
The Philly Homicide Division hoodie? Is I guess?
With a great line They came up with a great plane. There.
Our day begins when yours ends.
Goodness, Chris arose.
It's accurate.
I'm in the Christmas spirit.
Does that mean they work at night or does it what I think it means.
It's there's a grim reaper literally as.
Part off the clock.
Yeah, like when your day meeting, your life journey ends.
Yeah, that's what they saw.
You can die by the way, Maybe that would be a good slogan too.
Then Mark, maybe you get some residuals.
Let's say you're allowed to, and then we'll probably handle it. If it seemed.
Years Detective Murray will be on the case.
We care about you and we care about who you were.
All right? Coming up today? NFL odd couples, how about that?
What are some pairings in our league that, on the surface anyway, don't make sense or not.
What you expect? Good one, good seg coming up.
I think Greg came up with that, but he did good job.
So the pressure is on Greg to make it sick. I choose not to accept that pressure.
We also have a bunch of previews to hit because we have a Thursday night affair Chargers and Raiders, and I see in a rundown you sent out, Greg, you had la ex hyphen lv is that because the charges are already ready to fly home?
Got it?
Greg enjoys when he does the rundowns, and we think, I'm glad you do because it's like you wake up and they're there. But there's always like an in saying spelling mistake in one of the things that he's done.
Where is this rundown that you guys are talking about?
All right?
Now you have access to it in the slack you can always do. I know you don't check, so I texted.
You, Oh the potential news. I got that, okay?
And uh, first though, let's start by getting caught up on where we're at Placo.
On fourth down and three, play clock is in five.
I don't know if they're gonna snap it. Play clock is in two. They do. He rolls right, He throws the bit on a twine open down.
At the twenty five. At the twenty.
Fifteen ten five touchdown, hitch David.
Dow what a call.
Oh my goodness, they forgotten to cover David Bell.
It was the parting of the Red Sea Jim David Bell, who has been searching, yearning, desiring to get into the.
End zone in the National Football League.
Well desire no more, my friend, This first rear touchdown and couldn't have come in a bigger time.
What a gutsy call and what execution.
Flacco to Bell and the Browns are up two scores.
Oh what a call by Jim Donovan, Nathan Segura w k r K Cleveland Browns Radio. Onside kicks are cool though too.
I mean, Dan, you have to be the most annoying person I've ever met, because you've been sitting on this for forty eight hours. Multiple people have reached out and said we like the anti direction you took to go with an on side kick.
And nobody, no one reached out to you. Zero people. Show me who reached I.
Will spend time and get it to you.
But like, this is so important to you that I'm just gonna you just keep going, keep going.
It's so important. It so great to hear that call because David Bell, what a moment in the game.
Donovan and Zigura bring the energy. It's great to see Donovan back in the mix. He's a legend in Cleveland. So no one honor is saying that it's not a good play call.
Not.
No one is saying they didn't go to do good job, you know.
So watching that video of the call so fun, Like I don't know if I've ever really watched a radio call or a broadcast call like that in the booth, it's awesome.
You were actually asking for the joke who call?
Though?
So that was the David Bell call?
So many options?
Was that was the last touch on?
And I'm not saying this to be annoying, although my competitive spirit, you know, got a little offended when you said Dan's the most annoying person.
In the room. But now I like it, is it eligible? Is that play eligible?
Because it wasn't on the show, And yet when I heard that call, immediately I thought that should probably be on our top ten calls of the year long list.
I think it's eligible. It's now been played on the I've done I've done my best to exhume these different calls from a great Brown.
It's on the call. What if what if.
We put it I'm the last eric, I'm making the call.
Put the on sites kick on the list.
Let people you know we're gonna keep that one out.
Yeah yeah, figure, all right, we can move forward with that now we're good now now we're good.
Okay, we're good.
Uh not good, not good at all.
The people that didn't listen to the recap show have no idea.
What what are they doing?
You're not wanted here anyway?
Then actually pause it, go back listen to the recap show.
Then how rich would this opening segment be of went back and listen to that part of the show.
If not the whole.
Show on the Sunday Flagship show comes straight to our show and away we go.
Like a pod with directions.
Demands. Justin Herbert is done.
Bad news, bad season, bad season for Herbert, the Chargers, the idea of Los Angeles football, you know, getting some juice.
Nah, bad, bad, bad bad.
He is going to undergo surgery on his broken finger, and they are playing on Thursday night, obviously, so we're gonna.
Get easton stick yep.
We are including Colleen, who is the anchor of NFL Networks coverage when the Chargers face the Raiders. So there's that, and then there's the general question around the future of this team. Herbert and Brandon Staley probably played their last game together as coach and quarterback. And when we see what the future is, I assume it's Herbert leading the way mark, but this, I feel like this organization has a lot of unanswered questions as they head into the off season.
Yeah, I mean, I wonder, you know, by Friday afternoon if the coaching staff hasn't been largely whittled down. It just seems like a really real possible rosibility at this point. With Herbert, It's like there's no question he is the futures, and there's no question that this is a good roster. In a lot of ways, they're mystifying because of how underachieving they've been. But I don't like the situation for Herbert in general, where we're looking at like his fourth core.
It's gonna have like this fourth new offense to learn it Like this was pitched as like Herbert and Kellen Moore, who are friends that did like I think car commercials up in like the Northwest.
Yeah, like they just like they're like pals.
It's like and all off seasons, like we're really gonna tailor this around Herbert's strengths, and it's like none of that looked like to happen at all.
It's the worst Herbert's worst one.
Some of it, though, is like, so we said, like, you know, it's a shame that Herbert can't get that continuity. But if him and Callimore take off and have a big year together this year, then probably none of this
is happening. Well, the injury you can't control. But I think this is where I get a little bit frustrated with the Herbert experience and where he's seen is you can't just tell me because Mike Williams got hurt this year that the Chargers offense is where it is, like, yeah, this is this is a team wide issue and the quarterback has to be a little better too.
So I just think that's what I mean.
I still believe in Herbert, but just kind of a lost year for Los Angeles.
It always is a lost year for Los Angeles.
This is this is the constant theme with this team ever since I started working at NFL Network.
It's like, I every off season love the Chargers.
And I'm all in on all of the moves that they've made and all of the way that they set up their team, but especially with justin Herbert, and it's just such a shame because it just feels like they're such they're just wasting his career at this point, he's young, he's in his prime. He should be among the top quarterbacks in the league with like the the Joe Burrows and the Mahomes and the and everyone and even like
the Trevor Lawrences and Josh Allen's. But like he's just not because this team can never put it together.
Wait, the Chargers wasting the prime years of an outstanding quarterbacks career.
It's exactly what what I really loved Mike Sandos article in The Athletic this week that was putting saying that it shouldn't just be coaching records, there should be owners records.
And they put up the owners records, and you know that's right, That's that's where you see the through line. You know they didn't know what they wasted Drew Brees, by the way, you know, a Chargers quarterback. They wasted Rivers who still had a great career and everything. And I don't think they're wasting Herbert, and I don't think this year was a disaster for him, But his best
year was twenty twenty one. I think even Herbert, you know, big fans like myself, would say his best year was Staley's first year, his second, only his second year in the league and so ted then have your next two years be worse than that individually and as a team is quite disappointing. The only thing I'd push back slightly on is like, is this roster that talented? I am
very curious how this goes in the offseason. Kind of the core players that they have, they all seem very up in the air to meet Khalil Mack, Joey Bosa. I think Bosa might be gone. Irwin James hasn't had a great year. Certainly, the line didn't play as well, and Mike Williams and Keenan Allen are both good players, but where their future, So there could be a lot of change.
It just reminds me a little bit of like when the Cowboys made a switch at defensive coordinator and Dan Quinn came in and all the same players got a lot better.
I think there is talent on the roster.
I mean, for me, they have spent only two teams have spent more to form their defense cap wise, their number three behind Buffalo and Pittsburgh, and they're one of the worst defenses in the league.
That's rough.
In other news, big news, the NFL is always looking to expand it's reached internationally and we will be heading well I don't know about we, but that'd be cool. Better know, we being the NFL will be heading to South America for the first time. The NFL has already played games each year in the United Kingdom and Germany. This year and in twenty twenty four, it will be Sam Paulo Brazil.
The league announced on Wednesday.
The date and time of the game and the teams that will play it have not been announced. It was chosen over Madrid, but I would imagine Madrid is in line as well. So that comes on the same day it was announced that the Super Bowl in twenty twenty seven, which will be sixty one, will be played here at SOFI Stadium.
Nice Sott a West Coast super Bowl. Again, the international expansion is afoot. So you get Brazil, which you know, was news to me that they're the third most pop you know, it's the country where there they have the third most amount of NFL fans behind the US in Mexico and maybe and it's partly because it's a lot of people there, but there are we we've heard from our friend our fans in Brazil and obviously there's a language difference, but the English speakers, we have a lot
of listeners. We had a remember they sent us uniform I forget who was it was a unifor I still have that in my closet of like a Brazilian football team. So that is very exciting, and it was part of an announcement that they can now do up to nine international games as of twenty twenty five, so that will not be next year. Uh, technically the Wembley Stadium Jaguars game does not count as part of the series, so
does work. I didn't know that because because basically they do it every year, and they're saying, you take that out of it. And on top of that, we can we can now do eight a year. In the past it had been four a year, and part of it is just a scheduling thing. They're now saying, well, instead of making you give up a home game, you know, with that seventeenth game every four years, now we can do it every or every eight years. Now we can
do it every four years. And so it's happening. And I think the idea Mark, I'm serious, what you think kill at least three of us on the raw is to just have that early window, because they also even said publicly that eight might they might go up for eight. I think the idea might be that early window. Six thirty on the west coast, nine thirty on the east
coast of the US is just a new window. And that's like maybe at some point that's a weekly, weekly game because the numbers it all make sense, you know, the seven, you know, sixteen games.
I appreciate the enthusiasm in your voice, Greg over this development. It causes me slight anxiety, but I would say that if they and I hope that they send us to Brazil, we do have a lot of people down there that listen to the show.
You know.
The same way that we built a bridge for Goodell and his friends over to Europe, we can build one to South America.
Bare hands.
Yeah.
Shout out to pick six dot com. I don't know what's going on on their website because you know, I can't I can't read it. But they got in ten thousand followers and they said, just book the live show right now.
I like that tweet to us this morning.
So you guys are really driving there to do You're driving the international expansion, and you should be proud of them.
These are the hands that built the international expansion brick by brick Well.
Henry plays a role as well.
Do you think we would all return from Brazil if we went to Brazil?
The answer is no, I mean.
Way, what would I'm sorry, what would happen?
Why would anyone?
Why would return to the United States if they sent us to presil Oh?
Well, a good time, just saying like it sounds like a nice.
Who got They gotta go big with the teams they said there too.
I wonder fan based out.
Well, I read that they don't know anything about it, like you know how different teams have.
Dan doesn't want to go.
They sort of like own, well, I'd like to return. I would go. Why wouldn't we return? That's what I just said. Yeah, he wants to disappear.
I like gent off of stay for like three months and see what like real life is like. That could be anywhere pounding back home eight hour like oh the game in it you're on a midnight flight an hour later to come back to LA and like you know, grind around the streets. We're never sure if you're gonna even get on Like the flight back from Indianapolis for the combine.
So it's yeah, my favorite.
We'd wait three days for you in Brazil Mark and then uh and then we'd get shook on a plane to La and we just have to move forward.
And I don't think anyone we complained, but I just I'm saying, like, it seems like we could pack in like a couple extra days in South America after the game.
Absolutely, Oh yeah, yeah.
It always got us out like eight minutes after. It's like you're rushing in the taxi with your bags to the airport.
You got another show to do.
The thought of a six thirty am kickoff window on the regular.
I mean it already there was five this year, right, Yeah, it is on the regular. It's like it's happening.
I do like a home.
Doing the pregame shows for that on the West Coast is selfishly, from my perspectives, it is tough.
I'm not gonna lie.
I mean there's a lot of there's a lot of complaining going on at this game. Maybe we would cancel the whole thing.
It's over, We're turning the car around, we're going there.
Get it.
Tell on the phone, we got to there's too many entanglements in other news. I'm just going to keep tracking this because it's fun. The MVP odds race in Vegas per DraftKings, Dak Prescott has now jumped ahead in the race.
I have some data points here.
Dak after his big game in primetime against Eagles, is now at plus one fifty. Party's odds actually went up as well, but he drops behind Dak at plus one eighty five. Lamar's at four to seventy five, Hurts its plus six fifty, and then Tyreek and mahomes deep distance at sixteen hundred and CMC gone at four thousand right now, so it could be turning into and these things changed quickly. But in Vegas that's starting to point to is this a two horse race between.
Dak and Purty.
Things do change quickly, because sure, there's what four weeks left the season. I think four weeks ago Dak was something plus three thousand. I always remember the year he got in on that it was like vic or tom Brady vicor one of bet tom Brady's best seasons ever.
And then like literally with three weeks left of the season, and then tom Brady became the first ever unanimous MVP, even though there was like even with three weeks ago, but Vic got hurt and had a couple of bad games and Brady finished strong, and so it's all about that closing kick. I think Lamar still has a pretty decent chance here.
I think there's a pretty big drop off to Hurts this time around.
Yeah, well, especially with this stretch, and it's all about the narrative and what recently happened.
But never made I never thought he made sense there because to me, he was getting out played by too many quarterbacks this year. Even though he's really good. It's like a top five quarterback, top six quarterback.
It's also like kind of hurt, like whatever's going on with him? But every single Cowboys fan I talked to is like, no, Dak will never win this award because it's Dak Prescott, And like, well, I don't understand, like the Cowboys lead every conversation award.
Because he's a Cowboy, So I don't know.
Right, Finally in the news and this.
Would be the third large and create one long trans continental flight home for the Chargers. Leywan Jacksonville can set their sights likely on Kansas City.
Here we go for the win. Got it, But there's a flag down.
There's a flag down as everybody's running out onto the field, but there's a penalty marking. Oh fuckfense, and they call it on the defense.
Unbelievable.
That is unbelievable.
That was the call from Al Michaels with Tony Dungee of last season, last year's wild wild Card game between the Jaguars and Chargers, a game that the Jaguars wiped out.
What was it a twenty seven? Nothing? Was that game? Yes?
And that might be the last call Al Michaels ever makes in a playoff game, because it emerged yesterday in a report from of course our guy Andrew Marshan of the New York Post that Michael's seventy nine years old now will not be on the air when NBC has a primetime availability or has a playoff game availability. So he was in line to, like last year, call one of the playoff games, and it came out that they're going to actually use their college guys, Noah Eagle and
Todd Blackledge, so they sideline Al. And this was a surprise to Al because in an earlier conversation with Marshon about a month or so ago, he had no idea that that was even a possibility, So I'm sure he's.
Furious about it.
And it's this is the way Mark, you know, they you know this this whole insider like media reporting business with these guys. It's kind of an ugly way for al Michael's legacy to be wrapping up here with being told he's benched at being reported this way. But I felt it was a noteworthy because we've been talking about al and and how he's not quite the same the last couple of year.
Yeah, I think like anyone can see that, you know, al Michaels, who for as long as we've been alive has been like the a number one legend and his career largely pristrie, pristine, and he does it all. You don't get guys like this that announce every sport and
have an ability to do it all really excellently. And like I just made me think, like when I saw this, like nothing ends well half the time, Like it's hard to be the person, the rare person that your final moment is, you know, Peyton Manning and a bad season walking out with a super Bowl title, and it's like it's tough when you're your job is to be enthusiastic to bring fire, to be on that call, which was so lacklustering, got so much attention and there was confusion
like age affects all that, and it's like you're finally starting to see like the dotting up of age and like you know, how like are you the center of this like call all this like game this moment And it's not been the same al Michaels. I still think though, when you hear him interviews and stuff, there is this thing to him that no one else has, and I kind of hate it because he's been in our lives and in our ears and on our television sets for the entire time.
The crazy part is NBC actually has more playoff games this year. They have three on wild Card weekend. One of them is just on Peacock, which is the most. You know, They've never had three games like that, So yeah, something goes on. It is sad he hasn't been set up well at Amazon, you know. Listening to watching some of the college football playoffs, I was like, oh, this is fun seeing Kirk carve Street excited about a football game.
It really bothers me.
It's like, this is the number one sport and I know college football and the NFL is the same sport, but it was the same reason why I always didn't like cost this on NBC. It's the number one sport in our country. You got to have guys that it's their number one sport. That's a Herb Street side point. But it's been on my mind, and I think it hasn't helped out out, But also the schedule hasn't and he hasn't helped himself out. I think I think it's deserved too, but it just I.
Think you definitely should have Al on the call while he's still around. So I disagree fundamentally about this, and I think it's not a nice thing to do for a guy who's absolutely still capable of calling the game.
And I also want to say, just like.
There's better guys out there, like I an Eagle, Kevin Harlan, a lot of guys. To me, there's guys way ahead of Al that it's like those guys should be on.
But don't do that.
The problem is now we're all talking about it, like let him do the playoff game and then you make your offseason change.
It might be a.
Personal it might be a personal thing.
Though there's things that we don't know that often affect these sort of things, and it's like, you know what I mean, like you said about walking away at the right time, and I think ego is part of that too. John Madden did it perfectly, But you got to be really looking forward to that next part. You got to be just ready to like give all that up. And it's a lot to give up.
Even when he's like not excited about the games though, it's it's still al Michaels and you still have that that comfort in the familiarity of watching so many games with him over the years.
So I'm not saying that the better choice or whatever at this stage, but when you Owl was only gonna be around a couple more years doing this, and so as someone who's grown up with him, I'm perfect perfectly comfortable giving him that playoff game and letting him enjoy it. And like you said, make that change, uh if you want,
after the I don't know. I just don't like the way it was handled, and I don't like that if that was his last game, they gave him Dungee, and Dungee was more the problem than Al on that telecast, and a kind of got dragged into it. Dungee was brutal. He was so boring and dry. Uh whatever.
I don't know why they thought that was going to be a good idea in the first place.
We're gonna we're gonna definitely getting texts from our friends here the business on this one.
I like it.
That's what's happening in the news. We'll be right back. Hits some odd couples, right, Welcome.
Back, Lessen.
I love his sting. I love his sting.
This thing has been a regular part of the shows. Yeah, it's uh, it just feels feels a little more official.
Uh huh. I like it. The production value, all the bells and whistles. You guys are doing great.
Let's hit it again.
It's so fall Just hit it again, all right, Welcome back around the NFL. NFL odd couples. Okay, what are what are some unlikely bedfellows? How about that Greg is your brain child?
Well, I really give Colleen credit.
We're we're on a text thread and she sent us the Trench and Update yesterday with the headline looks like Kevin Kostner and Jewel really are a thing, which was news to me. I didn't know there was there was news about that. I clicked on the link. There's some pictures. Pretty surprising now.
I said this because I know that Mark has always really enjoyed Jewel, and when I first moved to la in twenty fourteen, I lived across the street from a karaoke bar called the Gaslight, and Jewel famously had been there singing before in disguise. I believe, yes, Mark told me about that, and I never forgot about it. And now anytime I see anything Jewel related, I have to send it out.
Now, there hasn't been a lot lately, but this, well.
She she did have an NFL connection, one, stated Charlie Whitehurst.
Yeah, that was weird. Former Seahawks and.
Down in Rocky Top.
So that was a bit of that was a bit of an odd couple. I would say, Jewel and Costner definitely an odd couple. And look own I owned the CD Pieces of You back in the day. Who didn't, and so I was trying to I was thinking we should think of some NFL odd couples.
Yes, Jess of you, I did. I did. I think it was part of an achievement.
It was like a massively I didn't know many teenage guys that had pieces of you.
That pieces of you.
I wasn't, yeah, but it was.
It wasn't just like it was like, it wasn't just for girls. It was Yeah, I was a freshman in high school. I think I got it as part of that. You remember you get the eight CDs from Columbia House.
Sure, Penny off.
The brakes a little bit here. First of all, jewel isn't just for girls. But I I follow music pretty closely, and I know a lot of people that love I've never seen a guy that had pieces of youelcase.
I just would like to point out she's just sold over thirty million albums worldwide.
Who Soul?
Yeah?
I think names I meant.
A bad song on that album?
So who? So? Who is?
I'm surprised by your take.
Dan, Yeah, what's my take? What's my take?
Jewel?
You said, I love I love jewels.
Guy would never have a jewel that I've said her in what case?
I said?
I never?
I never met I never met somebody a man that had Jewel City. Maybe they just and this will be now turned around to me being some type of massage. Now I'm just telling you from my human experience, that's cool.
I ever know manologizers think they did own They did own it, but their own internalized misogyny and their fear of you. They didn't tell you about it. They were ashamed everybody about the sun Jewel fans we're taking over twenty twenty.
Everybody give themselves a round of applause for being so open minded jewelheads.
So who is the jewel Kevin Costner couples in the NFL. That's what I asked, And I'm going to start with someone that's maybe around Jewel's age. I don't know how old she is. It's Joe Flacco. Him being back in our life with Kevin Stefanski, to me was the first
thing that came to my mind. And I think you could even extend this to Joe Flacco and Mark Sessler as an NFL odd couple, and the Browns fans writ large finding themselves in twenty twenty three rooting for Joe Flacco, the guy who ripped their heart out for so many years,
dominating them with the Ravens. All this cross pollination and these two guys and Kevin Stefanski having a quarterback that is gonna make some mistakes, but also we'll just throw the ball to where Stefanski wants to open receivers, and it's a rare couple. And you see couples out there like this that kind of look alike. Something Joe Flacco was asked about this week, but he was saying that last week.
I mean, you know, I'm a guy with a beard.
I could shave it off and look completely different tomorrow, so I probably should.
It's just playing into the fact that I'm an older quarterback.
If I shaved this off, it would probably take five years off. I love this.
His accent is so good. It reminds me of home.
I love this.
Oh yeah, yeah, uh huh, Autoba, New Jersey.
They're like around the same age, the Fanski and Flat a couple couple of years apart here, and it's a great one. It's a it's a moment in time and we'll see where it goes. But I think they're a pretty legitimate timough they have some injuries, and I think Stefanski loves showing I am a good offensive coach.
I think Flacco has helped him.
He has been good.
He's brought out the best and his unlikely partner.
They've lost three offensive tackles they just lost another one. There's not I don't know how deeper into the NFL, you know, free agent circles and stuff you can do to solve that. But it is a little different than the like Big Ben was twenty six, two and one against the Browns and largely like probably the most hated opponent for Browns fans around, just because of how like he'd led to stick it in their face.
Flacco was never that way, That's all I'd say.
I mean, he also was eighteen and three, the second best record at the point when he won in Cleveland.
He was eighteen and three against the Browns, and you're saying it wasn't that bad. So I'm saying compared to everybody, yeah, that's eighteen and three. I would just say praise as much as I distaste, much as distaste I had for the Ravens, wasn't like Flacco based so much with a bunch of other knuckleheads on that team that drove me not to see he's just kind of crazy. Though if you had said this before the season.
It's a totally on site.
But I would say it's done a nice job of like in his stuff, like in the locker room, last week.
He's very happy to be there.
And there's a different kind of field to Joe Flacco, and he's been a different athlete than we saw on the Jets.
I disagree with that.
Well, at least like he looks fresh. He has a better offensive line around him. I think that matters out. I mean, he could throw, he could always throw.
I like it.
I'm enjoying seeing him this way and we'll see if it keeps up.
It's just so weird to see him in a Browns jersey, and it's like Joe Flacco being a brown is the most twenty twenty three on brand thing for the NFL. Like all of the different quarterbacks that we've seen. I think it's this week when Nick Bolton, when Nick Mullen starts, and when Easton Stick starts, it will be fifty seven different starting quarterbacks this season.
Being problematic putting ten rookies, which is but they've been.
Some of the more fun quarterbacks. Actually they have.
Actually Easton Stick one gorgeous throw the other Colleen, I want to hear yours because you said you had five.
Okay, so this one.
I cannot stop following all of the like everyone else right now. But I'm completely in love with the DeVito family and Tommy DeVito and everything that they have following them, And so for me, the odd couple is Tommy DeVito and the rest of the NFC East fans, because I know that I'm not alone in this, and I feel I felt so strange watching Tommy DeVito and almost rooting for the Giants on Monday Night. It felt super wrong, but there was something exciting about it at the same time.
And just like having been in New York last week, I went over to Brooklyn. I got some pizza. You guys know, I love sandwiches.
Like I feel like I essentially grew up Italian because like that's just our Our family is not Italian, but we act like Italians and we love everything about Italian Americans and Italians in general.
So it's like this story is so fun.
I'm currently trying to convince the network to like send me to the Giants Eagles game on Christmas Day so I can tailgate with the DeVito's because I really really want them to do the seven fishes in the parking lot.
Do it the seventh Fishes. Look it up if you don't know.
I have a take on that I think because Eagles fans hate the Giants and vice versa.
Yeah, it's it's more so than the Cowboys.
Yeah, have to play them twice here down the stretch and they are playing twice, that's right, And but here. I think part of it makes this Divito thing so kind of fun is that it's also kind of a safe thing because you know Divito. It's not like if Divito was actually the guy that is here to save the Giants, you probably be more afraid of them or like,
oh god, this is they found somebody, it's amazing. But instead he's more just like this like twenty twenty three fun found story that you know is probably a moment in time.
So it's like, oh, I root for this guy. He's not right.
The Giants are bad, so it's not it's easier now.
If you were like battling for first place right now and he was actually bawling out on a high level, I think it would be a little different, maybe.
A little different, a little different, And I probably will feel different if the Giants beat the Eagles on Christmas Day, Yeah.
You might feel a little different then, But.
In the lead up to it, right now, I mean, my heart right now is with the defeatos very nice and the agent the whole thing.
The agent is, Oh, I hope he's busy. I hope he's been doing his job. That's all I'm saying.
The agent, Yeah, oh, I mean he's got a lot of jobs. You kidding me? That guy.
He's getting up early, he's got.
Waste management, he's got tow trucks.
I'm trying to Obviously, he became a big story immediately on Monday night, and then Tuesday he was everywhere and doing media and everything. And then I clicked into his instagram Sean Stillado is it.
My agent was with them that night too?
Yeah, hello, and that's funny. And there was like an Instagram post from I think it was like months ago, and it was like welcome Sean Stillado to the Boston Italian American Hall of Fame.
And am I what am I missing?
Here?
Is this guy a well known person? This is before any of the the Vidomania.
Hall of Famer.
So he's obviously done things in his career. I know that. I mean, that's established. I'm just curious what his other successes in life.
Some under the radar, I imagine, all right, Mark uh I want to double back on something we were mentioning earlier with this, which is the Chargers and I have been doing some research and I would like to file a report on the Chargers. Okay, So not every coupling is just like, hey, one person in the other person, we're having a great time. It's like, think, you know, we live in a multifaceted universe, right, So I look around the league, and I look at the Chargers, and
I spot up polyamorous relationship on the Rocks. So it you know, it always it started with an air of adventure, right right, and these thy they always do these things. There was so much to like, a star quarterback and Justin Herbert, a bright, young, new thinking coach, and Brandon Staley, Joey Bosa, Derwin James, talented bodies on both sides of the ball, all living together and sharing meals and passion and you know, one shared vision of love on a
grand scale. People say, we can't live like this, but they don't know, as the Chargers said to themselves. But then little attachments and jealousies started to form. Some became self interested, and internal questions began to rise, asking if this polyamorous arrangement you know, Herbert Staley, Kellen Moore, Tom Telesco, Keenan Allen, he always banged up, Mike Williams. An ownership group that left its fan base to wither in the
San Diego dust was functional or fantasy. And right now, I imagine them all gathered in the living room of their large group home talking about why they began this love experien in the first place, to live in a way nobody thought possible, to cast off the old, petty, toxic qualities that ended all their relationships prior.
But it's just not working.
It was just a phase in life, an exploration of boundaries, a time they'll never forget. But the breakup is overt and imminent.
I hate that for them.
I can't go forever.
Yeah, but they thought it could.
They thought that they could have this lifestyle that everyone said no, like, this is why most people don't do it, this is why it doesn't work out.
And they said no, look watch us. And now they're in this situation.
Where everyone everyone thinks they're a special little flower.
Yeah right, it's like true.
This is what you learn.
You know at the end of every you know, multi part docu series about a cult. But It's like the Chargers were hoping for like eight episodes and they only got three, you know, just shortened down to.
Real tough sitch. But it's weird.
We didn't never got the like the the honeymoon phase with this team.
Just it's just so.
A bunch of games to make the playoffs.
It was over before it started, all right.
So I kind of went Connie here and and I took nfl odd couples to mean something a little bit different, but this will work. So the odd couple for me is the Kansas City Chiefs and then them being in cahoots or in the role of.
The bad guys. It's not happened before. This is new.
And this is after a Sunday in which Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid both got after the officials and you know, bemoaned how they're being targeted or you know, failures by officiating or happening over and over again. And this comes from a team that's had nothing but monumental success for years. Do you have Mahomes To Mahomes' credit, when things calmed down and he realized that, you know, I got it, I should probably hit the accelerator a little too hard.
He spoke to the media with regrets about how things played out.
This was yesterday.
Yeah, I mean, obviously you don't want to react that way. I just I mean, I care, man, I love it, I love I love this game, I love my teammates, and I want to go out there and put everything on the line to win. But obviously can't can't do that, I mean, can't be that way towards officials or really anybody in life. So probably regret acting like that, but more than anything, I mean as I regretted it the way I acted towards Josh after the game, because he had nothing, nothing to do with it.
And that's the drive Odystly six y ten Sports Radio.
Uh.
He appeared on and said that, and you know what, good That's fine with me. And I love I love Mahomes the player, and I think he's good guy, and that him saying that, I don't carry any ill.
Will at all toward him.
However, I just think you heard so much a vitriol toward them and the reaction to that that people are just sick of the Chiefs.
And this is a.
Team that hasn't won eleven hasn't won less than eleven games.
Since twenty fifteen.
Patrick Mahomes, as everyone knows, has never played a road game in the playoffs. He's They're always a top seed. The last five years for the Chiefs have gone AFC Title Game, super Bowl win, super Bowl loss, AFC Title Game, super Bowl win. The regular season record in the Mahomes era entering the season sixty four in eighteen. Mahomes obviously
multiple MVPs, multiple Super Bowl MVPs. Andy Reid, the head coach, was a guy that you rooted for because he never got over the hill, never got over to the mountaintop.
He's done that now twice.
And in general, the there is this vibe that everyone is okay with the Chiefs getting their come up and because they've gotten some calls over the year themselves. I remember that Jet Sunday Night game. I was mad about that game, and it was like, why did the Chiefs always get the calls? Was like it always used to be the Super Bowl? How about the Eagles and the Super Bowl? So it's like, uh, that makes sense too, that there's a growing sentiment like.
Enough of these guys.
Well, It's like when I was watching Patrick Mahomes at the end of that game, I thought to myself, that is the reaction of someone who is not used to losing.
And it was it was all over the place.
He was so furious and I could not stop watching. I wish that there was more camera shots of him.
I want toomes it's like from.
Sides of buildings to see every single shot of him, because we're just not used to seeing anything really negative with this team, them really face any true adversity and any any real flaws come out, and now we are, and it sort of makes it easier to be like, well, let's let's see more what happens now when you put even more pressure on them, and and will they break under it.
I think about like that eleven and five Patriots team that started oh and two and like they Belichick was on the rocks, and when they went and beat the Rams in the Super Bowl, like vast amounts of the country were delighted by that because they had been that team that were on the outside and like they were lovable winners and it was this great time, like you.
Knows are superpower at that point they.
Weren't, and so that you know, it was just post nine to eleven, it was just like something felt kind of pure and great about it. The next year they don't even make the playoffs, so it's like they're not bothering us. But then they go win two straight Super Bowls and never even two thousand.
And three year.
People weren't like sick of them then because they never expected to do it that two thousand.
And three, like they they had not made the playoffs.
He was like, the Chiefs have been as close as we have to the next dynasty, and they've been perfect, and like even last year, it's like, oh, Mahomes has like a high ankle spring and then he's like, oh, I'm gonna have my greatest rushing game in the playoffs. It's like not whatever adversity they faced by Sunday, like they overcame it. Like this is a different place, but it's just exhaustion in sports, Like we're always craving. If you're lere Chiefs fan, you want a new story.
It's it's tough.
I think it's tough for Tony Roman to say the same stuff about Patrick Mahomes over and over.
So it's like, show us someone new.
Tommy DeVito is a fascination because it's like no one expected the human being to be in our life.
They hate us because they ain't us. You know it, no matter who you are at the top, it's gonna be like that. And the Chiefs are a great test for it because they are about as likable. Like in the end, Andy Reid is still going to be the guy moving his fingers trying to get those little nuggies.
You know you're not gonna not like Andy Reid. You gotta love them.
And Mahomes is a nice guy.
The next day he's apologized, even like Tom Brady when you really pull it back, was like a tough guy to truly hate, but he was easier. He obviously had the flake Gate and all that stuff, but like in interviews and stuff, but Mahomes is even more difficult to dislike.
Patriots were perfect for the role because they were great for longer, they were in multiple scandals, and Belichick is Belichick. It was it was kind of everything wanted to everything made sense, so they were easy to hate. The Chiefs not as easy. And yet I feel like these people are starting.
To you just get bored, just want something new, especially after last year.
Who wants to go? Who's got another one? Okay, I figure we're only gonna I'm only gonna go a second time, right, So this is it?
Greg?
Make it count right? The speed?
What round of the ones they pat you know, Alan and Diggs, I think was kind of a fun one.
That thing is still going on. That's weird.
Uh, Mick mc Mike McDaniel and Mick Fangio would be a classic sort of buddy cop thing where it's the young wise crack and the old curmudgeon coming together to do a great coaching job. But I'm gonna go. Jake Browning and Zach Taylor just showing us like they're not just uh guys that were made by Joe Burrow and they're doing they're making each other better. These It's like it's like a couple where like maybe neither of them caught your eye and then suddenly they're out together and
you're like, damn, they're both pretty hot. Like this is a totally different what Bengals, I don't know, different, This is a different Bengal offense completely than it was with Joe Burrow. And it's I know it's not gonna last like this, but the numbers are the numbers. Two of their three best offensive games of the year, really their two best offensive games were by Jake Browning, they weren't by Joe Burrow. Like that is pretty crazy by EPA,
per play by yards, everything like that. They've actually done better in the last two weeks than any Burrow game this year except for the forty nine Ers game. And no one's saying, obviously that they can stay at the level or he's anything like Burrow. But I give Taylor a ton of credit because instead of it being Burrow's offense, where it's five, you know, everyone's spread out and I'm
just gonna figure everything out and I'm sort of the coach. Ultimately, it's back to what Zach Taylor came from, and this matchup will get into it, but I just want to point them out. Especially this is a great matchup for it because he's part of that McVay tree, and it looks like those teams. It's way more play action, it's way under it's much more under center. It's screen game, and you know what, Like it's kind of helping some
of the people around them do their best. Again, it's not a long term thing, but I really admire the way they've adapted those two, specifically as a couple, because Brownie's playing great. We thought he was gonna he was an example of Oh these garbage backup quarterbacks that don't deserve to play. They knew something, and Zach Taylor's showing us something with what they've been doing.
This is the year where like a lot of coaches have had to deal with this and some have survived, like Shane Steichen and Gardner Minshew have survived, like this pair have survived.
They've survived like with terrible, not terrible, but poor quarterbacks.
A contrast too, I.
Can think of a couple teams where you lose your starter. It's like curtains. It's total curtains, and it does. There are a couple of coaches that were hired to develop quarterbacks stables doing that right now. I'd say Stefanski's done it where it's like it's you're in the mix, it's working. You're interesting if you're not in the mix because you haven't gone total floughts of jets and a quarterback and you.
Did it a different way, which I guess they didn't. They've done that under Zach Taylor. They've closed strong, they've kind of adapted during seasons, and I'm pretty surprise to see them putting up, you know, four hundred plus yards and thirty plus points back to back weeks.
It's pretty wild.
Against against decent defenses too, not against like trash bag teams.
Anybody else want to throw one out, I have a.
Quick one and I will keep it quick.
Like we went down David Tepper Avenue with a lot of vengeance and a lot of fire, and I get it.
Engines well, just like that it was fun.
No no, no, but just like I mean, the whole the whole football world was like it the brand important? What no, I mean that we I think we've handled it with in a ginger and informative way. But I would say this, I think in that conversation, but so that like in that conversation, one name never came up, and I never really heard this person's name come up at all. And it makes me wonder about the coupling of David Tepper and Scott Fitter, because Scott Fitter is
one of the more anonymous general managers around. And I guess you can say he has no power, maybe temper Temper's just doing everything fine, but I don't think that's the case. Like Scott Fitter is thirteen and thirty four. Uh, he made the trade to bring Bryce Young. I know it wasn't just his pick, but he is the guy on the phone negotiating a trade that looked pretty ridiculous to me.
He went and got Sam Darnold. That didn't work.
PJ.
Walker, that didn't work, Cam new He brought Cam Newton back in that weird little dose of time.
That was weird.
Baker Mayfield, who's gone to Tampa to be functional, melts down there and they cut him mid season. It's been totally chaotic. It's been an absolute nightmare. Visually, it's optically one of the worst teams in the league. Their future is strange. It's gonna be tough to get a coach, and no one brings up the fact that they have a general manager that has done nothing correct.
Is this an episode of Better Be Better? Well, it's a sad situation.
Mark.
I just think he's you know, skated by And why has he never bought.
Up the new Trent Balky Because I feel like Balky a few.
Years ago was getting all you know, no one wanted to work with difficult.
Now here's my take on Federer Be Better at this episode, Federer probably has the worst life.
In the world right now of any NFL figure.
After what we were heard was happening with poor Frank Reich getting called into the office and just getting buried every Monday morning, maybe there's a reason we're not hearing from Federer and maybe he's in a dungeon somewhere.
Fitter doesn't rhyme quite as easily, but it is fitter, And yeah, this feels like a pilot that's in a dark place.
Fitter be better.
Literally, I don't think it's making it to season one anything, so one spin off there, Well.
He could land somewhere else and then that we could reboot it. So good app though, good app that's good anybody else you.
Guys already hit on Mahomes.
Mahomes and his receivers was one kind of odd couple Belichick and losing, but also Robert Kraft and Meek Mill is one that they are always it seems like they are at events, they have been on the jet together, and they seem to genuinely enjoy each other's company. And I would just love to be there for a conversation between the two of them, because I bet it would be kind of hilarious.
Yeah, do you wonder if Robert Kraft was just a day to day Hammon Eggar, like a barber shop guy just cutting people's hair, Like does Meek Mill care about him?
That there might be something else check as.
A barber would be interesting.
I don't think if Meek Mill is cutting hair that Robert Craft would be particularly interested.
Is to be powers both ways, power magnet like I want Robert Craft listening to dreams and nightmares.
I want to That's what I want to be present for.
By the way, odd couples teenage and twenty something men having pieces of you, I will say, I think I had jagged little pill Alanis.
I had that, Yeah, but.
They seem very different from me. But that's that's a step in the right direction. I guess if that's what we're.
Again, it's not the right direction. I don't know.
I don't know.
I can't rise to your guys level of like you didn't have to get there. I can't get there.
But why does Alanis MORI set like we don want to say anything about it.
I can't get there we had it.
I can't get there to where you are, Greg. But I'm just saying I think I had Alanis.
That's all I'm saying I didn't have Alanis, but I was a big list Fair guy.
You know there.
I don't think she's stuck, but I had a album.
I've seen that as well.
I just hate that Dan hates Jewel.
I just don't spark know why I liked I had Tori Amos Amos you would see some amos. Yeah.
My brother went to a torri Amos concert and he's Scott. He was somehow in like the second row, and he told me that like she spent the entire show not out of attraction, like staring right into his eyes.
Like there was a little bit of anger in some of her music.
And I think like maybe she like or something.
She'll pick one person and like focus on that.
I've heard of that. Yeah, I think you do that at our live shows.
At our live show, I can't see anything like it's just like and also, you know, a lot's happening to Carlton.
Was she in that time?
That was later?
I feel like I Carleton bought tickets and attended. I don't know which year it was, but it was definitely whenever Liz Fair was there the Lilith Fair with my girlfriend. Wow, yes, Wow, Greg, I think it was probably ninety seven.
Find pictures someone.
I'm not like, I'm just finding I just comfortable.
Man. Greg Rosenthal went to Little Fair too and had the jewel cy d anything else you want to add to your resume, your CV, that's about it.
I think, uh, I think Sarah McLaughlin was running that thing. Oh you know who was there, miss Missy Elliott because I remember when she walked to yeah, she went by you could touch her inflated outfit. I remember like she came up, you know, the aisle and you could get touched them that.
Let's please move on that that.
Sarah McLachlan album that had the building mystery.
Bangers all over that one.
Yeahdle Surfacing I believed also.
A little affair. We're all work, all right? Where are we at? We good with this? Please? All right?
Yeah, we're out here.
Let's finish up with a fun way to hit these previews because we got four to hit. There's a there's a Saturday triple header, so that's starting now and we have Thursday night football. So all right, do you have like how we don't want to clock it? Is that what we want to do three minutes? Is that what we want to do three minutes is good?
All right?
How about this just so we have a little bit, let the person set it up and then start the clock. Okay, and let's start with Thursday night football. So let's go in order here time wise.
Greg, I feel like I want to donate one of the minutes to a different game.
Is that allowed? We already talked to Herbert, Yeah, do your best. Here we go Chargers Raiders go ahead.
Okay, so we got easton stick starting against a quarterback to be named later. We think it's no it is eight and o'conna one last time. I guess that would be where I start. If he doesn't play. Antonio Pierce has indicated, you know, maybe they'd go back to Jimmy Garoppolo despite the risk that they would be taking injury wise, and what that would mean for their contract.
Why, I know, because he wants to win game.
But it's same ownership that benched Car for the same reason, isn't it.
That's a good point. So maybe it's just idle speculation by.
Raids in a murky spot like that's not a I mean.
I think it's I think they want to win AOC, you know, AOC versus Eastern stick, big type Eastern stick, had a couple of dimes. He also had some terrible throws in that one. Jimmy G is also like mister Glass. So the idea of like Derek Carr is one thing you can't even if you tried to kill Derek Carr, you can't do it.
People have been trying to do it for weeks now. But Jimmy G is like, that's a real role that I send. What's for what cost?
I don't know. I don't know.
They're both five and eight, so they're technically not eliminated.
I think if you're Antonio Pierce, like this matter like that a lot. Like I think he has a chance to not hopefully just be like a token head coaching.
And they hurt. I mean last week hurt, but it's still got time.
It did.
But like they they've been a but he's they've been a better right and their defense was good, but they've been a better team. I mean, I don't know, it's like at this point both teams are kind of drifting away, Like how about if you're the Chargers and you're thinking about, you know, even next year. Like Quentin Johnson came off a game where had ninety one yards. They woul go off two big catches late, but like show us what
you can do for the next month. Nothing matters, so you know the pressure's off, the pressures off, just go like a couple of these guys like we know, like you're gonna be there for the next coaching staff.
Nothing does matter at this point, especially for the Chargers. Their offensive line is also a disaster.
So I was looking to see who the backup is to East and Stick and it's Max Dugan.
Dugan, Oh yeah, the TCU National championship guy.
So uh, hopefully it doesn't come down to that.
But I mean watching Max Crosby, who was hurt in that game. He still is coming off a knee injury, and he played well in that game. I think he had two sacks and so now he hasn't practiced all week either.
But going up against the East and.
Stick, I don't know, guys, dotsh Jacobs might miss the game too. There's a thought that maybe they'll rest some of these guys at some point, but not yet.
And Devanta Adams, who's one of my favorite players to watch in the league, it's just said that he's just being wasted right now, and he had some comments this week that it was embarrassing what happened to three nothing loss? And how long did it take him? Get over it? I mean, I'm moving past it. I'm not over it,
but I'm past it for sure. He I think he's gonna add a lot of intrigue to the offseason because I think he it makes so much sense for them to trade him, and it's gonna it's gonna give them a premium draft pick, and it's him at age thirty one or whatever. It is going to a contender and unlikely a quarterback who can get him the ball. So he's I think in his final games as a Raider two anything else.
Yeah, Rogers Raiders guys, you can watch the Thursday night Game Day kickoff on NFL Network. We get started at six pm Eastern. It's a two and a half hour pregame show.
So they're add a couple of you and Steve sit talk about.
Steve the best.
Two and a half hours.
Yep, all right, all right, let's move to Saturday and a game Vikings Bangles.
What's a good one? Good one?
It's an important game for two playoff hopefuls who lost their franchise quarterback. But they're in different stages right now, and it's good that you you brought up where things are of Cincinnati and the optimism.
But I also think that's interesting to keep an eye on.
Because the Vikings lost Cousins to the Achilles, they trade for Josh Dobbs, who balls out for two weeks. Expectations go way up in Minnesota, then they crashed down to Earth and Dobbs to the bench.
Now Nick Mullin's starting, So now that.
Overflowing praise that was once reserved for Dobbs, that's been shifted in some way to Jake Browning, who has hm balled out for two weeks to raise expectations in Cincinnati, and now he has to see if he can make it go more than a couple of weeks and helped takes Cincinnati to the playoffs.
This game is huge for the Bengals, obviously for the Vikings too mathematically, but the Bengals are gonna walk into a buzzsaw after this.
It gets tough.
They are seven and six, they're exciting, and they're very intriguing, like wild card option, but they have Pittsburgh on the road after this. Then Kansas City on the road, then the Browns to close out the season. So Jake Browning is not out of the woods on any front. But I just find them watching the last two games, it's like we've lost all these teams, We've lost all these
storylines and narratives and quarterbacks. It's like one of them just got revived, like came out of the grave and is like not just marching slowly towards us, but sprinting towards us.
And that's why the Bengals are fascinating to me.
But that's my point, like just a little bit of caution because two games, sample sizes are still small, right, and I've been hurt now by the Vikings and toobsh who is so much fun greg and now he is ancient history on that team.
He might be the third quarterback this week. It is going to be Nick Mullins, who can kind of operate the offense and has been in the offense frankly for multiple years. They brought him there in a trade to be the backup quarterback, and he would have been the quarterback, not Josh Dobbs, if he wasn't on IR at the time.
So I get going to him.
I still like the Bengals here because their defense has played well the last couple of weeks. They've had a history of really improving late in the season. Like I met, their screencream has just been insane. So I do feel like the Jake Browning has shown a little more sustainability in terms of the way they're running their offense, but he's playing a very difficult opponent Viking sixth and Dvoa now defensively first in points allowed since week one.
Well, the Vikings.
And there was a quote last week from Aidan O'Connell which I think applies here, which he said, they just make it so difficult to do our normal stuff. So this is like an ultimate test here for how hot Browning is and a nice little assignment for our buddy Chris Rose, who's on the call for NFL Network.
We got it.
There's five games here. I'm going to be a company man, but this is a fact. There's five games this week that have two teams with winning records against him. We got three in a row on NFL Network. They lucked out with the last schedule here.
I like that Zach Taylor is not only coaching the team, but now he's coaching the fans as yeah, we have that, do we.
I do challenge our fans. We got outstanding fans to you know, drink one more drink and rush in the stadium and be as loud as you can humanly possibly be when Minnesota's offense is out there and help our guys.
And and that challenge is one that I would accept.
If I was encourage binge drinking there. It's also a one game, so let's go.
It is like the counter opposite of Samwich telling the fan base to settle down and stop throwing garbage and items.
Yeah, so Zach Taylor.
And then also Nick Mullins throwing for more yards in the fourth quarter relief effort that he had that Dobs did all game that game was such true. Let's see a little bit of something in this game from them, please.
And justin Jefferson his back and that's great, and please God, please Vikings win this game, because if you don't, the team of atl becomes.
No, well.
We can't have that. No, I can't.
I think they're going to lose this game, but they'd still be in the playoffs, they'd still be the seventh.
The second time the Vikings did that to us, under the team of eight.
I think then they can rally. But I think this is a tough spot. You know what foolis once, don't now you?
You can't do worse than we twice.
Can't get fooled again?
All right? Next game? Uh, the Steelers and the Colts marked it up. All right.
It prepared like a little I like to hear this because I made a little pregame show. Sets the table for you a feast. Let's hear Let's try this. If Colleen wolf Ice, skating alone at the rink and quiet darkness before school, did not dream of feeling a perfect score at the Horsesham Pennsylvania Ice Skate Fiesta, then the sliding doors nature of this life would not allow Colleen to be here today to tell us that Mitch Trubisky was a nationally televised disaster against the Patriots less than
a week ago. If Greg Rosenthal had not toiled by lamplight in his teenage bedroom crafting lines of rebellion for local Massachusetts Emo Sensation Delaware, he would not be here to inform you that Pittsburgh is the first team in NFL history with a winning record to crumble and back to back outings against teams sitting a full eight games
under five hundred AUCI. If Dan Hansis were not once in a parked car his tenth grade galpal Rachel Haines Saint Clair sitting shotgun listening to Z one hundred knightsoot from the old coal towns steaming up in the valley below, he would not be here right now to suggest that TJ. Watt and Alexander Highsmith are both the little banged up ahead of a skirmish between two seven and six teams. That absolutely matters to human beings who care about the AFC playoff race.
Clocket well done. I like the pregame show.
I don't believe in either one of them.
Colleen said that Colleen is, I can come on your premiere show. I know Steve Smith would want to hear more.
Come on that.
Come on over, hey, we have we have a lot of time, two and a half hours, so if you want to come by and times start.
You don't get invited on anything.
Let's be honest. This is we're in our safe pace here. That's about it.
This TJ.
Watt story has gotten surprisingly little attention that he got clocked in the face to start that game. Then days later, one of the most respected coaches in the league is asked if he even undertook a concussion desk, and Mike Tomlin's straight face answer in front of the mic was I assume.
So he didn't have an answer for that four days later.
If this was four years ago, this would have been the raging story we're all talking about. But everyone sick of like blowing it with concussions, right, And he had to change his visor to a tinted visor that game. This is one of the superstars in the NFL, and we're doing so wrong by them, and people have I shouldn't do The people have given up because we are
the people like. It's crazy to me, and I hope the NFL comes down on this a little bit they like and he's I doubt he's going to be in this game, which is quite a big deal when at.
The moment that the player says, I'm okay to play, but I need a tint ad visor because the lights are an issue for me. After that hit, I took to the head someone who's got to be thinking bigger than we need to win this game tonight.
And then that obviously wasn't happening there.
In this same matchup, Like there was a hit that Gardner Minshew took last week when he got up, it's happening he folded to the So I don't know, like I think it just seems like I will get you on on where Tomlin should have been four days later, but like during the game.
But that's on the NFL, that's on the spotter, that's on the whole system, which it really feels like has taken a step back for the first time and until.
You've covered as well.
Yeah, I mean the Steelers in general are just completely self sabotaging at this point with the back to back losses against really bad teams. And I know traditionally, even when Big Ben played there, that was always their thing. They would lose to bad teams after like beating up really good teams. And now they're in this race where they can't afford to lose because they're racing for the
wild card. Pittsburgh, Houston, the Colts, they're all in it together, which makes it kind of a fun game here.
Yeah, I think the Cults are the type of team that they're always going to play close games, So part of me wants to totally right off the Steelers, because that's as bad ache five day stretch as you're going to see in terms of a team like telling on itself and saying, oh, we're not for real, like you had your suspicions and then we prove proven all those.
But like it's the cults.
Like so, there is definitely a scenario where they win a game by three points here and they won a twenty one eighteen game and they're eight and six and in good position for the playoffs. Just that's just the state of the.
Seven and six mayhem it is.
It's chaos.
We still don't have to take him seriously though, now neither of these teams I can. It's weird mentally, like played I thought okay last week for once, and they scored one touchdown and usually he plays terrible and they scored like thirty points.
The team makes no sense. What was the name of what was the name of the girl, Mary Claire.
It's factual, so you should know, but it was my memories Froggy Rachel Haynes, Saint Clair, Rachel Hayne from the Saint Clair family from THO.
So was that a Rachel Haynes was one of those two Naghbers or that's their middle name.
That's the Haynes, like the fortune right, Yes, those airs combined, the Saint Clair Fortune Haynes.
And you were like long.
Time since then, I guess it just got foggy.
You weren't into the money part of it. Yeah, No, that wasn't important to me, all right. Finally, Connie gives a little uh Detroit Denver breakdown.
The prime time game of the triple header.
Where you going to be?
I will be there, Oh, Detroit, I've never been. I've never been to Ford Field. I'm actually very excited about it. Nice but for many different reasons, including that Sean Payton is visiting his old pal Dan Campbell. And if you guys miss this, it's a nice little primer for this game. This is what Dan Campbell had to say about Peyton visiting him.
It means we better be on our stuff because he's going to come here to try and embarrass us. That's what it means. And so that's our motivation. That's my motivation, and it's about winning.
Now.
All we got to do is find a way to win. Yes, we're gonna have to be at our best, and we will be at our best.
We didn't do that, but that was just naturally underneath that can't whatever.
He speaks, Yeah, I mean, just like when he orders his.
A speaker that was implanted in his biceps, that just rips that song out.
Yeah.
So, two teams with the longest play off droughts, and what was last time that the Lions have been this good this late in the season.
I think it's been since the sixties.
So or last week, but yes, I mean before this.
The New York Jets have had a longer playoff draft, well two of the longest two.
I mean they're up there.
It's been very long time.
Yes, So I just am.
Excited to see Ford Field filled with a ton of excited Lions fans for this team.
Great.
This game matters so much for both of these teams. The Broncos are one game back from the Chiefs. They actually have a shot, there is a path for them to win the division. They're obviously in the wildcard race too, and then the Lions are just kind of going through it right now. This is the time of year that you want to be playing your best football, and they've lost two of three, including that huge division game to the Bears. So It's just I like the student teacher connection.
Sean Payton and Dan Campbell, they go back so many years. Peyton was the Giants quarterbacks coach and then the offensive coordinator when Dan Campbell was drafted by the Giants.
Campbell, if you guys didn't know, third.
Round hasn't started running it?
Oh my god, that's okay, start the clock. No one else go no, I want.
To hear more about that.
The line.
Or certainly, yes, they were together in New Orleans, although Dan King I can vamp. You need to vamping for two and a half hours on Thursday in the pregame show.
Take Us Home.
So Dan Campbell, he did.
He was on that Saints team, but he was hurt, I believe in training camp. However, Sean Payton made sure that he got a ring. They were together in Dallas and then obviously together in uh New York with the Giants. But he was a third round pick in nineteen ninety nine. They've been friends ever since and now they're frenemies.
And he learned how to coach from him too, you know, being on that staff, and I think he's such a good coach. I love the way he put it on Monday about his players, He said, I feel good. I think it's a positive because so many of our best players let us down on Sunday, which is just like such an interesting way to go. Like he said, like it was the players that always show up, our toughest best players who didn't show up for him. So who's
he talking about? A Hutchinson thought had a really poor game. Couple big mental mistakes, gave up big plays. Jared Goff thirty fourth out of thirty four quarterbacks over the last four weeks according to PFF, one of the worst against the blitz in the NFL. Third worst against the blitz according at PFF. And Denver does a ton of blitzing and their offensive line stunk, and that's kind of what they are known for. Frank Ragnow and Taylor Decker, who
were both banged up. Missing Ragna, who's their center, was a big deal for them, and they're both back at practice. So I think it's a good matchup for Denver. I'm surprised you're such a big underdog, but this would be a spot you'd love to see the lines.
Respect two ways this goes right.
The lines Either crater Now and we've begun to see them go down and then they're gonna end up kind of blowing their season here, or like a lot of teams, there's peaks and their valleys, and maybe a prime time game is a chance to kind of get right and flush the last few weeks of frustrations. I'm leaning closer to that because I don't think they just became a bad team overnight.
I think they're in a slump. But if they if they.
Don't get out of it now one minute, then you get really concerned that you know this team is on the wrong track.
I like that they don't play a game outside the rest of the year. I think that this this is good for them. But they they aren't a bad team, and I love their coaching, and I think some of it's correctable. But since like Week ten, it's legitimately been
like a terrible defense. I mean it's shown and like they are thirtieth and points per game allowed thirtieth on opposing passer rating twenty ninth on opposing third down twenty eighth, and sacks thirtieth and turnover direct differential, and golf's been up and down after being so clean for so long a season plus back and you're dealing with a Denver defense that might be the difference maker here because they're allowing less than sixteen points of game since week seven,
and they've been creating turnovers left and right, and golf has I think, what's six turnovers and right?
He's been a turnover.
I hope it is like it was.
It was against the Vision opponents who maybe know him well, but man, he he struggled. It's a nice matchup because the lines give up a lot of deep passes and that's what Russell and Sutton are so good at.
That's right, good work.
That's gonna be a fun pregame show and halftime a postgame. Mike Garatfolo will be up there on the desk with us, Maurice Jones, Drew, Michael Robinson.
Good good group. Yeah, you and Mike g got that good chemistry too.
It's like he's my brother.
Yeah, I could see that Italian is exactly there you go again. Huh, Colleen, you've said it all.
Thank you.
Anything else you want to plug m panic panic? You could just say no, I think that's it.
Really.
Check out Colleen on NFL Network Thursday and Saturday.
Oh you know what, I do have something guess what.
I maybe I think I'm gonna be flying with the Thunderbirds. Uh, who are the like basically the Blue Angels equivalent of the Air Force.
WHOA? What a flying with it?
I'm got to go up in a fighter jet, O Colleen.
I have to wear I do have to wear a G suit because, like you have, you have a bunch of g's and I'm.
So excited about it. Network on behalf It'll be like super Bowl related. So I'm going to go up with one of the pilots that does a fire.
Jet fly over.
I got medically cleared yesterday. Let's go.
Whoa that is?
Yeah?
I can't wait.
Can you see if Greg can go to Yeah? Would you go? I would go?
I'm like, really worry throw up?
Yeah?
Do you not eat for a while before him?
I don't know.
I need to find out if anyone has any tips about flying in a fighter jet.
You don't want to be.
Kind of a niche a part of the audience, but there's got to be somebody out there.
Yeah.
Yeah, I on the network showing this clip of Terrell Davis completely passing out when they did and he just was out, don't.
So what do I need to do to prepare myself.
Somebody out there, there's got to be somebody, a listener out there that has experienced in the fighter jet what Colleen would know not to pass out and then become you know, a clip they use seven hundred times in this Now.
They don't have like a burrito like right before.
That's a good one for dms are open. Feel free to China anything you have.
All right, We will be back tomorrow Thursday with our triple header, a week fifteen preview in Bulk NFL plus Dreamatorium Thursday Night Football Recap.
Oh, it's all coming, It's all coming till then heat the call