TNF Recap Raiders Chargers & The Black Cat Call with Kevin Harlan

against Oakland, and that's gonna take the pick away. Rivers throws cast caught me and touch Standler gets the touch d They're down in a long one. Jacobs clack in the game, no rookie from the touchdown. Rivers airs it out. Allen Pecks his packs intercepted by Carl Joseph, and there you have it. Karl Joseph with the game deciding interception of Phil Rivers, one of three picks thrown by Rivers. He had another two that were taken off the board.

It was like a Joe Namothan nineteen seventy four performance, uh for the great Charges quarterback who wasn't so great tonight, And it wasn't so great for the Chargers who fall to the Raiders to twenty four at the black Hole, araucous black hole. Here I am in the throw throwback podcast garage, as legally obligated for me to call it that. With the great Mark Sessler, Mark, this is a fun a f C West showdown, a little sloppy, but an enjoyable game and a great atmosphere. As I said, well, yeah,

I mean it. This is what you think of when you when the Raiders are going to be a team that is a factor in the a f C. And they certainly are right now at that at this point. And it was Eric Harris with the two early picks that made up for a Raiders team that really didn't have a lot of offense for the first part of this game. Early pick and then the second one to drive later. It was you know, Rivers had three two picks in his first five passes, and that second one

Eric Harris for a pick six. This was a strange game. I you didn't you go in with three hours of pregame action listing all the offensive players that are going to be a big factor. Very few of them were, very few of them were. I mean, it just really was quite I thought the Raiders secondary down the stretch and that second in the fourth quarter played a good job game. I thought it was interesting. Everybody knows by now it's one of those stats that that get thrown

out wildly and repeatedly. Um going into a new week. But a week after the Raiders had four touchdowns in a win, and each of the four touchdowns where by rookies. It happened again. Uh, not all scores, but the fact that the rookie class, the baby Raiders as I'm calling them, had a big impact in this game. Max Crosby, a

fourth round pick. He was living in Philip Rivers face in this night, on this night, right down to that last a on the inner interception that Hurry decided it and Josh Jacobs, who was quiet for most of the evening, had the big touchdown run to put the Raiders ahead with two minutes to play, less than two minutes to play. So again, you gotta give it up, you gotta give it up. Sessler to the Mayok Mayock Routen brain trust, which just hit a home run in their first year together.

And I think one of the big stories in the NFL season continues to be a Raiders team that was largely written off as a joke, even all the way through the hard knock season last year, during the four and twelve and no victory lap here Mark, But I feel like there was a lot of hate on the Raiders last year. I think they went four and twelve and everyone was just having so much fun saying that

Ruden couldn't hacken in the modern NFL anymore. But what they should have been realizing was when you tear down an entire organization, you gotta kind of throw out that first year because what they need to do is tear it up, tear it down before they can build it up. And they've built it up pretty quickly to the point

where they're gonna be playing all of in football in December. Yeah, I think I think it was the Gruden personality and the persona and the Monday night aspect of Gruden that when he rolled in and rolled back into coaching for the first time in a decade after probably three or four years in a row where there were rumors of Gruden being corded or wanting to come back only if he could get the quarterback of his choice, and he rolled into Oakland and it was you know what, Gruden

and car just don't seem like a match. Gruden and player X don't seem like a match. And Mayock rolling in from television, these two TV guys. And you know, we've looked around the league at a couple of teams trying to do things differently, and I think that the the Gruden Mayock pairing was probably something that people didn't really want to work. I was certainly critical of it

a year ago, and they've absolutely turned it around. And you're getting stories now of Gruden as the coach being someone that has I think absolutely turned the switch up on this team. And you're right, it's the rookie class and you get these you get these teams where the rookie class flips and it works, and you get this kind of thing. And it's the Chargers that hours ago we were looking at it saying they they are the a f C team that we now trust. They're getting healthy.

You know, Bosa is absolutely a Defensive Player of the Year candidate, and this is the Chargers team that you have to be concerned about. Not that this was a bad performance by them necessarily, but here you are, You've lost your four and five and you are not necessarily

a team that I can trust week to week at all. Yeah, I thought it was a tough performance by Los Angeles because for the reasons you just said, and we speculated the possibility of them going on a run, and who knows, at four and six, maybe they still have it in them. But once you get to that six lost range and you're before and it's before Thanksgiving, you've really backed yourself into a corner. Uh, Philip Rivers, and you you know we mentioned Joey Bosa. He was completely erased in this

game by Trent Brown. He had his first tackle with I think it was midway through the third quarter. You just never heard his name. But Philip Rivers, this is one of the worst games I've seen him play. And the fact that it happened in primetime in a big division showdown, that hurts. I just want to go through mark the seven play drive that the last charges drive of the game, because it was wretched. Because what happens is the Raiders get the touchdown from Jacobs to go up.

Then Daniel Carslon, because this is what kickers do, they blow it. He pushes the extra points. So instead of it's it's two point game and you could just picture it. You can picture of the Chargers kicking the field goal are winning, although it's hard to picture of the Chargers doing that because they're usually one that missed. They missed the field goal. Uh up down two points, But that's beside the point. It never got to that because with a chance, all they had to do is get into

field goal range. Seven plays. Here it comes Rivers incomplete, Shotgun Rivers incomplete, deep pass, Shotgun Rivers incomplete, short past Kyle Allen, then a penalty back to first and ten Rivers incomplete, shotgun Rivers incomplete, Shotgun Rivers incomplete, and then finally shotgun Rivers intercepted by Karl Joseph Keenan Allen the intended receiver. I think that's over seven with a pick

that is wretched. Yeah, And in the Raiders secondary, like we mentioned, I thought showed up big time at the end and you saw Rivers trying to fling passes. Two guys like Andre Patten. They just didn't really have the weapons tonight. Mike Williams, you know who. I think he had a good game last week, two catches, Keenan Allen shows up as always, but they just didn't have This is a different offense too, when you have at this point Melvin Gordon with twenty two carries and a bunch

of touches on the night and Austin Ekeler. This is not his offense anymore. And I guess I would have to ask if that's the way they want to go down the stretch. Well, okay, I see that, Melvin Gordon looks, he looks again and maybe think. I don't know if it will be by the Charger's probably not, but I think he might end up getting paid anyway. I don't know if he'll get the contract if he was hoping last summer, but if he continues to play the way he's playing the last two weeks, he's going to be

a very good free agent. Uh. You know, target for anyone but the Chargers. You know they lose Russell o'koung as well. I mean it's I don't know, it was just so Chargers. I mean, this is their seventh um. This is how many losses now six losses. All the losses have been by a touchdown or less. And just when they start to get healthy, now Okong, he leaves with a growing injury in the first half. Uh, they have,

you know, a ton of penalties. This game had twenty penalties, by the way, which continues to be a thing in our league. Our league, and it's a league you know that you and I know well we we've toiled in. I wouldn't say on the field necessarily, but this is a very a f C West prime time matchup, and you know, there was caution. I thought when we got a little hot on the chart just coming out of the Packers game on both sides, was was that really the Packers team from last week? I don't think so.

And was that really what we could expect from the Chargers going forward? Definitely not, because when have they really ever done that week after week? They are a hot and cold operation right now. They've got a lot of talent, but a night like tonight, they basically could not add up to the some of their parts. The Raiders, to me, I don't care what's going on. They're a fun team.

Derek Carr, this was not the Derek Carr of the last couple of weeks, but he is certainly playing like a good quarterback and I believe I trust him down the stretch to guide this team. I think they're gonna be right on the edge of the a f C playoff picture going right into late December. It's a successful season no matter what happens, unless the wheels fall off. But I just don't see it happening. They have the Bengals at home next week, then they go to the

meadow Lands to face a bad Jets team. They have a tough game and Arrowhead, but that could be measuring stick game. Then you get two more home games against the Titans and Jags. So they are set up here and I think they could be seven and four two weeks from now. It will be interesting to see I think two teams. If I had to guess, um, the Raiders and Bills are going to be fighting for that last wild card spot. I would not be surprised at all.

Any final thoughts from your notes, Mark before we move on, because of course we have Kevin Harland coming up after this discussion. I think we're both just a little edgy and excited about that interview, which you know, I wouldn't say that we don't know what's not going to happen, because it already happened and we can promise it that it's exciting. The you know, the this is the final Chargers Raiders game in Oakland and I and I know that I'm much more sensitive than some about teams moving

from city to city. I think the Raiders organization is lucky that they have a national fan base that would follow them if they became the Moscow Raiders. I believe that you'd still have people dressed in silver and black in Eastern Europe, deep Eastern Europe. I just believe they're lucky that that's the case, because this is kind of crazy that we're not going to have a Raiders team in California for the first time ever at this point. And that's to me. I get it, that's the NFL

moving forward with its business. But I'm goin to kind of miss this field with its dirt and it's grime and it's a bit of a messy stadium. I get that. But the fact that they're leaving northern California to me, is problematic and it's being a bit maskes masked over. It's a total dump that facility and the Raiders and

the and the city of Oakland. They could never get on the same page, and the NFL, for whatever reason, wasn't able to step in the way they had to or needed to or should have or whatever to get it done and keep that team there. So it is what it is, and we're not even talking about the Chargers side of it. It's two teams with strange stories on that front. Um, Like Luke Wilson says, Mark, it is what it is and it's not what it's not. But at least they have the team now, and we've

talked about it on the show. It's such a credit to Raiders ends who are filling that building for every home game. And this could be uh the last primetime game ever at that stadium unless something gets flex. There's always the chance of a flex, and the fact that they are in the playoff race makes you think it could be. And that is a thought, by the way, to the people at NBC. You put a Sunday night football game with a lot on the line, I mean, that would be a great environment for al. Chris and

Michelle totally agree. I mean, the crowd was a massive factor tonight. I thought, just it's you can't say that about every NFL stadium, It is certainly true of the black Hole this evening. Neither Joe buck Buck nor Troy

Aikman have been to West Point. That was a a weird aside in the game, very weird, unnecessary, potentially uh Strangely, Troy Aikman said that Richie Incognito does things as a guard that he hasn't seen since Larry Allen, his Cowboys teammate that went to about forty seven Pro Bowls and was elected to the Hall of Fame. I mean, that's that felt strong a lot happening. But at the same time, whether or not you believe that Richie Incognito deserved another

chance in the NFL, well he got one. So you got to give it up again to the Mayok Rooten team because that was not a move that was greeted with any level of enthusiasm. And I'll take Eigman's word from for it as a former quarterback in the Hall of Famer himself, that they have one of the best guards in the league and Incognito not bad. Big old d g a f by the Raiders. They don't care what anyone thinks or what anyone says. They're gonna go do it their way and so far, when it's working,

it's working, and they look like champions tonight. In terms of their decision making. We'll see how it plays out. It is what it is and it's not what it's not. I will say one thing. Kevin Harlan actually texted me, we're gonna hear this interview really yeah, and the question there too that I asked me. He He said, thank you for the for cutting through the haze and the fog of war to ask the true question. He referred to

our interview as the fog of what. Well, just he said, you know, it was a lot coming at him and these guys that were on too interview with our with our podcast, you suddenly have four males coming at you with their questions. He said, thank you for asking the question that mattered the most to me. I asked the question I asked too. So I don't know which one he was referring to, but it was one of the two. Well,

that's exciting. So that is potentially if you were planning to, you know, click out of this podcast originally, now you got to stay in there because Mark changed just changed things. He changed the temperature of the entire industry with one question. I wouldn't normally bring that up, but I just thought it was it was relevant from an industry giant it was the right thing to do, all right. So that's it. That's the Raiders. They're playing relevant football the Chargers. Was

this a dirt knap game? No, not at all, because the chart is as annoying as the Chargers can be with their miss kicks and all their business. They're gonna find a way to, Like two weeks from now, we're gonna be hyping them up again and talking about how edgy and talented they are too. So I'm not in talent. I'm not ready to bury them yet. Now it's of band laws. Thus they got the Chiefs next week, who have their quarterback back. All right, So there you go.

Now let's throw it. Mark and I as well as West and Greg got a chance to speak with the great Kevin Harland, who is obviously one of our very favorite broadcasters in the league. So enjoy that and we will see you on Sunday night. Now a police matter. State troopers come on the field and the cat runs into the end zone. That is a touch town and the cat is elusive, kind of like Barkley and Elliott, but you didn't know where to go. Look at their trying to corner them, and they got him in the

end zone. There are State troopers all around this cant which now climbs up into the stands and the fans are running for their lot. Now that goes back down the field again and it's running in the back of the end zone and it runs up the tunnel. Oh there. It is the call of the year so far. And if someone's making the call of the year, you know it's got to be Kevin Harland, one of our very favorite broadcasters in the game right now, maybe our favorite.

And we're so lucky because for the first time he's joining us here on the Around the NFL podcast. Kevin, what's up? Well, thank you for your kind words. Great to be on with you, guys, Thank you very much. It's it's it's fun to join you. And in the aftermath of the Black Cat at the stadium in the in the middle ends, So is it is it like you hear when players when there's a big play and they have a huge game and they're like, oh, yeah, it looked at my phone and it's just blowing up.

I can't even like pick up my phone without the mentions piling up to the point where my battery is running out. Does that happen to you when you have a viral hit like you had today this week, Well, um, you know what happened in the first half in the game was a good game because the Giants were driving again and they had a lead over Dallas. And so you know, you're so focused, especially in radio, where you've

just you've really got to keep your focus. You're gonna get messed up with all the sub packages and substitutions on on both sides of the ball. And and and here was an important drive and they had just completed an important play to Evan Ingram, their their their young emerging tight end, and the cat was standing at the

fifty watching it. Then they stopped play. And that's when we diverted our attention to the cat and watched its movements down so as it was really and so it happened, and then and then I forget what the Giants did. But but but you know, the game's going on. It was in the first half, and I never looked at my phone unless I called my wife at halftime to say good night. And that's what I was doing. I was calling her and I go, what are at least texts on you? As I put my I put my phone.

I put my phone in the in in my briefcase. So um I called her and and and and she said, hey, people are texting me about this. Can't call. They can't call. And then it just from that. And then I still put it away after the call with her because I thought, I mean, they're in trouble, okay, and so you never know. Don't be humble by the way, Kevin, you're being too humble. The greatness and we we talked about it on to our Tuesday episode. Was not just It wasn't like you

were calling the game and then you went to the cat. No, Harlan, he won full flex on the entire industry because you called two events at the same time. You called the Ingram play as it was developing, and you called the cat when you throw the sponsor read in. You had to have we had to have like known in the

back of air had this is magic? Oh well you know listen that Howard dinner off is our was was her producer, and he was giving me the card because the Giants at the other end, we're about ready to enter the cd W red Zone. C W people, you can count on that check. Uh So I had it

right there. And then I'm looking at the cat and the card is in my hand, and I get a nudge and so I read the card as it turned out, So we didn't want to miss a sponsor a couple regardless of who was scoring the cat or the giants, it's been so good for the league. I think that that. You know, we all have kids, and they absolutely loved watching this wildcat run around the field. Would you it was good for you as well? Would you be an advocate of saying the NFL introducing more wild animals into

game situation, maybe an angry deer, two hundred mice or something. Well, if we can have the cats chase the mice, that might be good. You know, it's weird to have an animal on the This is actually my my second animal and then third um interruption of a game when I was at ESPN back in the early nineties, rabbit ran on the field. This was an Elvis gerback Michigan quarterback team against Halloween in West Lafayeenne, Indianna. And I was working with Craig James um And and the rabbit was

at midfield. They stopped playing. The rabbit ran right down the middle of the field. Like a back and uh and then cut like at the five, then into the end zone and I called that. And then we had the drunk guy on the field in San Francisco a couple of years ago. Another animal that was another animal. Wait, Kevin, can you pause right there. Let's let's listen to that's that's what really like. We've known you for years as football fans and sports fans, but that's when he became

a legend on this podcast. Let's listen to a little bit of that call. Hey, somebody is running out on the field, So I'm goofball on a hat and a red shirt. Now he takes off the shirt. He's running down the middle by the fifty. He's at the thirty. He's bear chested him, banging his chest. Now he runs the opposite way. He runs with the fifty, he runs with the forty. The guy is drunk. But there he goes the twenty. They're chasing up. They're not gonna get him,

waving his arms, bear chested. Somebody stopped that. He comes to the blue coat. They got him here? Comes from?

Were they talking calling about the forty yard line? That that's performative, though, Kevin and I and and in the best way, your your sense in that moment, and just like what happened on Monday night, you're rising to that occasion, right, you said it that you have that's some that fun with their Well, that guy ran right through the rams slot receiver positions, so it was like here, he ran right through the offense, through the defense, and the players

just stood there and looked and did not move, and no security guys came out to chase him until the very end of his romps. So he was out there for a good minute plus. And the cat, you know, had some staying power to the cat the other night, stayed on the field for a long time. And the fact that it went to the fifty as the play

was going on, watching the play. Then play had stopped and they all looked at the cat, and then he retreated and went the other way, you know, made it for you know, when they're on there for a while, you've got something to kind of work with. And and you know, I listen, I don't want to be known as the guy that calls you know, animals and drunks

on the field. But they've just kind of happened, and they both happened on radio I should mention, you know, because radio is all about, you know, being the eyes of the listener and gribing what you see. And if I'm in the stands or watching on TV, what I see is a drunk or what I see in this case was the black cat. They didn't show the drunk on TV, but they didn't show the cat. And if that's what we're all watching, then I felt, I guess,

compelled to call it, and and did. And I think, listen, I think a lot of this was powered by a lot of animal lovers out there, to a lot of cat lovers, and and they enjoy their pet, and they enjoyed watching the cat. And hopefully there was nothing malicious that happened to the cat once it left. And we're

still looking for and yeah, I'm sure they are. Do you ever have telemarketers call you on the phone to try to sell you product X, Y or Z and stop cold when they realize matching the name with the voice, Because even just listening to you, it's like I'm just suddenly in game mode listening to you announce. It must happen occasionally, Well, at airports, maybe sometimes it will happen. If I'm talking to a friend or at a restaurant

with my family. Um, but that real use only. Yet, you know, they know my voice probably more than they know me because our stand ups on CBS are very short, and I t n T for the NBA very short, and then a lot of them know me for the two K NBA video game. And then again, of course that's a voice only too, so so a little bit from that. But you know, I don't know. I I'm

not sure how there's a nice Uh. It's always nice to be you know, somebody, Hey, I know that voice or something like that, but it's uh, I do when I'm not on I just soon be a dad and husband, just to reach just a regular guy. When when we're talking to you now, you're in your hotel room, you're

preparing for your T n T basketball game. I don't know if you you've noticed Kevin that Joe Buck every year now with Thursday night football and World Series, he gets a lot of pop from doing you know, huge series game after game and then he's got Thursday night and Sunday night and everyone's wow, well, this is the hardest working guy in the business. But I know your schedule and you you're doing NFL on Sundays, you're doing NFL Radio on Mondays. Then you're doing like Lakers Clippers

on Tuesday, and another NBA game on Thursday. Do you sometimes think like Buck is a little soft compared like you deserve a little ahead? Only only because they worked with Joe and Fox for those four years and know him. I would say, Joe is a tough guy and like his dad, you know, his dad was a workhorse like this too. It's funny, you know in this you know what Tom Brennaman and Kenny Albert over at Fox and and Joe, all three of their dads were in the business.

My dad was in pro football for thirty seven years with the Packers and and um and ran the team for twenty one of those years. And I you know, grew up in in in that environment and pro football and know what, you know what what kind of an endless clock it is, and and where there really is no beginning or end of the season. It's like just one continuous season. And maybe some of that has carried over to broadcasting. I don't know that any of the four of us would say that we purposefully try to

work as many events. I guess it's more for me and I'll speak for them. It's that we all kind of love the business so much. We love the business now if it ever gets in the way of our families, then it becomes another story. Luckily, you know, we all four probably married the right gale who could you know, put up with the schedule, and and if we're lucky up being able to take you know, family and our wives with us when we go to these games, and for instance, at the super Bowl, when I do the

Super Bowl, I always we always bring it. We have four kids and we bring them all in with their spouses and now a grandchild and flying to the super Bowl and have a kind of a celebration and more of a thank you for putting up with a kind of a tough schedule for the fall. But they've aren't grown up in it. And and my kids, we have three girls and a boy. But my girls, who all were cheerleaders in high school. You know, I always made it a point to be there on Friday nights and

never missed a game. Or we have our our sons, our baby, and and never missed any of his games. So I'd like to think that they never thought you had dad was busy, but Dad never missed any of the important events. And I think they'd all say that. So I do feel kind of good about that. And all right, Kevin, you have a better dad than us. Way to go. You nailed it, Hey, Kevin, that's not that's amazing. When uh, when I get a Tony Romo game, I like to get out of bottle of wine and

just enjoy the show. And you know, we're big fans of John Madden. But with your dad being in football and your fandom probably going back a long time, is there a play by play guy who's a personal favorite of yours, either from the olden days or even now. Well, I I was attracted the voices first, and and really when I was a kid, um, when I was about eight nine years old, I remember distinctly because um, when I heard the voice, I automatically started paying attention to

pro football. And the voice was John Facenda, and I just, I just I had heard his voice, yes, and heard his voice narrate UM Highlight show, and have always been kind of that in the back of my mind. I always hear Facenda his voice. In fact, before I leave my hotel room on Sunday mornings, for the stadium for my CBS game on Sunday afternoon. I always on my phone. I've got a clip of him saying that the the Raider's poem, that the autumn wind, and and it's not

necessarily to get me thinking voice. It's me to be in the moment of how lucky I am to be doing the NFL, and I think his voice, and I think about where it all began for me, and here I am in my late fifties, and as an eight year old, I remember distinctly hearing his voice in NFL films, and it just kind of kind of it's me on points my compass in the right direction when I hear his voice. I've always done that, and I hope I do it to my last broadcast in the NFL, and

this my thirty fifth year doing it. But uh and and but but voices Summer all Jim Simpson, Crookie, you know those are the voice obviously, Race Scott, you know, I guess those voices are the ones I remember the most in my mind when I think about what I want my voice to sound like. It doesn't sound like any of theirs. Unfortunately, You're kind of you're kind of given what you're given her and and so. But that,

in my mind, that's the void. Those are the voices I hear and I that brings a smile to my face, especially Facinda, who I dealt with briefly when I was in college. I used to produce the Chiefs Radio Network pregame show. And I was like a sophomore, junior, and

senior in college at the University of Kansas. And I called NFL Films one day and just on a whim, you know, this is like back in the late seventies, early eighty and I called NFL Films and I asked if I could talk to John Facenda and said just them, And I called and I talked to him, and Mr Facenda, would you mind if you if I sent you some copy and would you mind taping the open to this radio network show that we do three hours before the Chiefs game. And he said, and he said, send me

something and I'll be happy to do it. So I sent him something, and about two weeks later, I get this reel to reel uh thing back and um um and and I stick it on the machine and I threaded in and I hit play, and here is John Facenda saying, you're listening to a chief someday on k CMO Radio and the Chiefs Radio Network and on there, But on there, there was a moment where he wanted to change a portion of the copy, and he changed it and read it the way he wanted to be

and goes, ah, Now that's a horror that I can ride. And I just loved that. I just I think about him, and I think about the voice, and I think about how kind you was to me as a young aspiring broadcaster. So I play his I play his clip of that raider poem every time before I leave my my room on Sunday. Wow, that's awesome, Kevin. I mean, you've you've had an incredible career and you've got a lot more to go. In fact, you've called nine consecutive Super Bowls

for Westwood One. You're only trailing Jack Buck actually, who's had seventeen. So we hope you actually break that record and we get to hear you for years to come across all the sports spectrum. So thank you so much for joining us, and uh we'll continue to enjoy your calls, not just the drunk animals and the other animals and also the smooth, prepared way in which you approach all the sports you've covered. Thank you, thank you. You know I would love a drunk animal to get out animal.

I will have a call ready for a drunk animal will break all awesome. And why don't we, Why don't we play out today's episode with the Autumn Wind as we say goodbye to the great Kevin Arnold. Thank you guys, thank you n The Autumn Wind is a pirate blustering in from sea with a rollicking palm. He sweeps along, swaggering voicelessly. His face is weather beaten. He wears a hooded sash, with a silver hat about his hand and

a bristling black mustache. He growls as he storms the country, a villain, big and bowls, and the trees all shake and quiver and quick as he robs him of their gold. The Autumn Wind is a raider, pillaging just for fun. He'll knock you round and upside down and laugh when he's conquered and won.