Week 15 Postponed Game Recaps with, WHO?

And of course we have, um, you know, a nice little off day tomorrow from games, but then we have a game on Thursday, Friday, Saturday's, Sunday and Monday. Is that all? Check out? I don't think there's a there's no Friday game. Yeah, let's yeah, TVD on that. Greg don't be uh you know, let's I was thinking about them. We're talking about the NFL slogan and biggest season ever, and uh, football was family. But then I was thinking about,

you know, football is family. What if football actually replaced family? The football is family? Like well, I mean it kind of became family tonight. Well, we were all at the Rams game together with their families in the same section. Dan was with his in laws because he's hit a doubleheader at a so far on a Thursday and at Tuesday night. But Mark with his family, me with mine, and you with your in laws. I mean that that is football just bringing us together pretty good. I was

just asked though, Like I mean, I'm old school. I come from the unsolved mysteries world, where you know, daddy has two families. What about my second family? They weren't there. Do they feel left up? I was wondering, and I was looking around because I didn't realize that. But now I book ended this never ending week of NFL action. I was at the first game, in the last game UM at Sophi Stadium, and I was looking around for

you Mark and your second family. You're like six ft one amazon blonde wife and your triplets that you have with that family, in addition to your beautiful family with Simone and the two boys that we shot tonight. Well, no it's not. It's not taking away from the primary unit. Um they could that conglomerate, but the second family, they were in the five sections. So I had to like, at one point, if you saw me not around, I had had a maneuver to the other side of the

state and they can't be close together. So you've got it's a lot of maneuvering. Den. Well you were you were a hero dad here you did a great dad, you know you Colton and Simone had to come a little later. Um, but you got some quality time just

Luke Luke early. And I could feel like this inner toy turmoil with Mark because you know on this podcast he's given the Rams the business sometimes over the years and here we are enjoying, um a Rams game, you know, some seats and um, you know, kind of as NFL employs, we got to we got to go there, and um, you could feel the termoil. I wasn't feeling any turmoils, just a nice night with the family, wets some football. Mark seemed to be feeling like he had been owned

by by corporation. The Rams have one. I think both of my children in this primary unit family family one. Uh, these two boys are Rams fans. I cannot speak to the triplets, um birth of the giantessts that that that the whole in the world of organized crime. Friday nights or for the Gumar Saturday nights, for the wife Mark, you know, Monday nights or for the club Sunday nights are for what club seats? I don't know. You tell me, I will tell you, probably not on this show. I

will tell she's so much taller than you. By the way, it's legitimately off putting when I see you together you go up to her arm. Tit beautiful woman. That was That's something that she was very she found very appealing. So what am I supposed to tell you? All Right? So you know, it is a long week. It is Christmas week, So we're gonna try to move through the last four games with some level of urgency. But we're also going to hit the games the way you deserve,

the listener. So we're gonna hit the two Monday night games including Mark the Browns, I'm sorry, and then the two Tuesday night games, and finally we'll put a bow on week fifteen. So let's start with the game we were at tonight in Hollywood Park in Englewood, California. Whose house is it Ram's house where he looks initially gets Rich Rocks the ball down the right seat fully Cooper Cup with I can touchdown of the second half high side. Cooper Cup was at it again for the Los Angeles Rams.

The wide receiver caught nine more passes for a hundred and thirty six yards and both of Matthew Stafford's touchdown passes and a twenty to ten win by the home team over the Seattle Seahawks. Bye Bye, Seattle Seahawks. It's over for you. You're five and nine. Mark. I mean, you've had many takes that have gone sideways in recent weeks, but this one, I know, was one that you wanted

to get right. You got this one right because the Seahawks aren't coming back and and fitting to this season mark for Seattle where really, I mean you can't even go before Russell Wilson's finger injury, but really certainly after it when he came back, things were never right. And this was another game where the Rams defense dictated the flow of the game. Uh, they got after Russell Wilson. Wilson missed on some throws and at the end of the day, Uh, Seattle scoring ten points in a must

in game. They were a punchless and I'll take any contest at this point where you go in thinking something will happen and it actually happens. Um. This was not This was not the Rams victory from a couple of weeks ago where we're thinking, like this is the Super Bowl streamer. It's like they are what they are, and like, uh, they took care of business tonight. Um. I know at one point, sitting behind greg who is he pulled his little notebook out and he's taking notes about the game.

And Luke, my child asked me like, why aren't you taking notes, daddy, And it's like, I'm just not the same level of professional because in the green jacket, living in the moment, right, that's so not true that that actually did happen. That actually did happen. He's like why because my you know, my child is very into what Dan and Gregor are doing. It's like, why is Greg taking notes? Not? It's like everyone's got its own everyone's

got their own thing is is is? Every time I turned around during the game, he just likes to say, I, I have no idea what's happened in this game. I'm watching my children. I'm not sure exactly what's happened. I'm like, you've got the general idea. You know, there's only six points in the first half that Dan, damn. Dan summed

it up nicely. I was didn't start watching or started thinking in the second half of this game, like, how how much could more could a receiver due to try to win an m v P than Cooper Cup is doing right now? Like the two throws that the two throws that cut caught down the field. It wasn't like he won on those two routes. He just he He just won and had the confidence of Stafford that he

was gonna go make a play. And that's great, Like we've seen receivers like that, But they're also using him in so many different ways, like in the screen game, in every sort of way possible, and the numbers are just outrageous. I think I would have a hard time doing it. But it is a weird year where quarter backs haven't totally been as good as they normally are, and like this game, like they don't win this game without Cooper Cup. They looked a little sluggish. They didn't

practice much because of all their COVID issues. I think we think because most of they got these guys are back, they were still missing four or five stars. Everything's fine, I don't know. The play was a little sloppy in general across the NFL offensively this week, and certainly the Rams had these penalties and mental mistakes. But they got over it in large part because they have Cooper Cup on their team and no one else does. Yeah, we're not here to carry any water for the league. I mean,

you gotta call it like it is. And COVID is rampaging through the sport right now, and just the nature of this new variant, you're just seeing it every day, name after name after name. And yes, some of these guys are asymptomatic. Some of these guys are able to clear before kickoff. But you're taking people out of practice, You're taking teams out of routines, and I think it is causing uh. I think the last two days there was not a lot of good football in terms of

what you see. The Tuesday afternoon game at four pm, you know, which the whole thing just how could it not feel weird? It was? It absolutely was. And and the Rams placed up to twenty nine players on the reserve COVID nineteen list over the past ten days. They played without three starters. Now Seattle's missing some starters to

including Tyler Locket, who I think was badly missed. But I want to point out to me the play of the game, and it really spoke to so much of what has kind of haunted the Seahawks and what's now a lost season. It is seventeen to ten the Seahawks at a ten three lead early in the second half.

The Rams even it up on a cup touchdown. They go ahead on another cup touchdown, but Seattle has a chance to draw even and on a third and fourteen at the Seattle thirty eight with seven and seven fifty six to go on the fourth quarter, Russell Wilson drops back to past. He gets protection, which was not a case throughout the game, and he has dk met Calf, who has Jalen. Uh, he has Jalen Ramsey beat by a few steps. And you guys, you were there in the stadium. Two were in the same section. Uh, that

is a touchdown. If I don't know if it's Russell Wilson's finger, I don't know, if Russell Wilson just having a bad year. I don't know what it is. But he hangs up and we all know. Our old producer TV famously said, Russell Wilson throws a sexy deep ball. If he puts a little more into it and leads his receiver, it's seventeen seventeen at the midpoint of the fourth quarter and the Seahawks are in business, and instead

he hangs the ball up. Now that's a tough throw, but that's a throw that that Russell Wilson has made a thousand times. It's the type of throw it's gonna put him in the Hall of Fame one day. And I just thought that made me think he hung it up and allowed uh Ramsey to get back into the play. Knock it away. They punted it, and that was the closest they ever came. That really stood out to me.

I agree he you know, he mislock it lock. It's been the true one, not Metcalf, you know, since since Russell Wilson came back, but really throughout the course of this season, Metcalf gets twelve targets tonight, a lot of him in garbage time and not a lot of production. There is some part of me that just thinks, no matter how hard Russell Wilson threw that ball, that Jalen Ramsey will somehow just like sprit and catch up with it.

Because I I spent the the game watching that matchup, just watching Jalen Ramsey basically every snap, So I felt like I was missing a lot of like nine yard Rashad Penny runs, but there was Jalen Ramsey on DK Metcalf. I would say about two thirds three quarters of the snap. Someone with stats will prove me wrong, but just watching it, that's what it felt like. And my god, like his like closing speed and his ability to kind of guess

what Metcalf was was gonna do. Is like DK Metcalf is not the type of route runner that's gonna give Jalen Ramsey problems in general. Maybe he was beat on that play, maybe he wasn't gonna catch up in general, but that was watching a guy Dalen Ramsey just like at his absolute peak, pretty much dominating another great player. And then and then to your point, Dan, that one play, no, no, no, no, you're right he had him beat because it's a different

game and it's a dead story around, right. That's one play though in general, like they're trying to sell these inside moves and stuff, he's not biting and his closing speed. It was just it's just crazy. This team has the best receiver in the league, the best cornerback, and the best defensive tackle on the same team. I think also another story for the Rams, like Sony Michelle games in a row now has dominated carries and been good for them, and tonight it wasn't you know, he wasn't the story

of the game. But it's like they've found something on the ground in Sony Michelle, which was, you know, not not someone they knew would come in and dominate. He's been a big part of with their offense and it gives them some balance. All right, So there you go. And yes, the Seahawks, it's it's pretty much a rap now. That is their ninth loss. So any chance to get back to the playoffs, they have to win out in

some crazy stuff. Rams have a chance here to get up to like I mean, they could get really high, but they're tied with the Cardinals in the division. Uh, they don't have the tiebreak now, but the Cardinals have a tough schedule, so do the Rams the next three we but they can go win that division. Are there any like I know, we'll go through the other games quicker, but were there any uh kind of like experiences at the game mark that that stand out to you in

this one? Any or any like like game experience. I'll point out one when Jim Everett. Um as they were trying to snap the ball. They were already coming back from commercial and Um, I believe it's Kirsten Watson Um who was doing the you know, the in game. She works with with Henry. You guys bet her the other day. She she's like trying to take the microphone back from Jim Everett because the game is about to start, and Everett it's like grabbing the microphone being like I've always

wanted to do this. Whose house? And I'm just thinking, like, are they already back on Fox, like waiting for this delay in the game. I enjoyed it, and I was enjoying it. I was getting some Susie Colber vibes off the whole thing. And I'll leave it at that. It's a It is very interesting again having gone to the Thursday game against the Cheese where there was Chargers they're set up, and then going Tuesday for the Rams game they're set up. It's a very different, very different fan experience. Um.

And I think, uh, that's by design. I think the Rams and Chargers, I mean just the Rams flex in general. Their whole slogan is whose house is this? It's the Rams house that is a very pointed I think very pointed, not just to get the fans pumped up, but hey, Chargers, you live in our house. That's that that's kind of fun. I I like the heat you sense between the Rams and Chargers, whether it's the billboards or how things are presented. It's fun and it's a beautiful stadium. It really was.

That was a lot of fun. I think they grabbed that slogan UM early and with authority, and that was good for them. I mean, my my one note would be that this was the first time that I took my two boys to any NFL game and you had that experience, um, both of you in previous times. It's just like, uh, that was pretty crazy. And that's why I think I'm a little bit in another world right now, because they it really really affected them and they loved it,

and so they did. They were having a great time, and they gave all all children or I guess adults do. I didn't grasp on to mind, but they gave all um humans like little flags to wave if you wanted to wave them, and I gave mine to I mean, our children had all all the flags, and like they love that. So but I'm a mess, Like I'm a mess. I had a great night, and like, honestly, I don't

really care that much about anything. It's like, after what happened with the Browns game, which we'll get into, it's like I need football to eat equal, something positive, something at all that it has meaning, and tonight did so I really appreciate that we got to go to that game. Wow, that was emotional. Perhaps Mark, you're waving the white flag on your issues with the Los Angeles Rams as a

football organization. I have put my issues with them, which were largely you know, um, yes you could, but I have put them in the past. So it's like, you know when sometimes like when Hulk Hogan and Randy Macho Man Savage back in seven to that handshake in the middle of the ring and everyone could feel it. Maybe that's what's happened. Maybe that's what's going on right now. Maybe maybe Mark, all right, let's all right, Well whatever

I can sign I can sign off to. If you two want to have a real conversation about that, we need to have youcause we're heading to Cleveland next. This will be a forty eight yarder for the wind Dead on Yes, Sorrayters side on explodes. I give a jackpot partner, Jack, Hey Musburger, come on, Bud. I know, listen, we're all tired, but that's a big win for the team that you've covered and link at Kennedy's telling you to hit the jackpot in the big spot because Daniel Carlson stepped up.

That guy's a good ass kicker, drills the forty eight yarder at the gun, allowing the Raiders to escape, and I stressed the word escape the dog Pound with a sixteen to four team win a game. Speaking of COVID nineteen obviously played a big role here. It's why the game was moved to Tuesday. It's why Nick Mullins was the starting quarterback for the Browns. That's why Jarvis Landry wasn't anywhere near the field, It's why so many players were out and yet Mark Sessler Cleveland really did put

together a strong effort here, especially on defense. Mullins I thought played well. He played within himself. Um. But ultimately, when they needed to get one more stop and they were missing yet another player Myles Garrett was banged up with a groin injury, they couldn't get that last defensive stop and Derek Card. He get he deserves credit for

getting that team set up for the game winner. Yeah, and I think the stop came after a Brown drive that, um, I think fairly has received some criticism where they ran the ball three times in a row. I get what's happening, Like, you don't have Kevin Stefanski there. Alex van pelt Is in their calling plays and he's not gonna go, um, you know, uber creative or create some sort of controversial type call. I think that's you know, a little bit

of a factor. But uh, the Browns on that drive I thought were a little conservative when they had a chance with Nickmullins, who was warming up at that point. This was a but you know, I know they lost. It was a courageous um performance by the Browns. And I don't say that in a cheesy way. I just think that they with all the stuff stacked against them, like, it had the feel to me as a you know, forty year Browns fan of a game that they were gonna win. I really felt that up until the very end.

You tweeted it out when they were down, like I can't remember what the score was, was it ten nothing? At the time you tweeted that out something like that or four. It was like thirteen three, and you were like, the Browns are winning this absolutely, you're right, You're absolutely right. I felt it and like, um, it didn't happen. Um in it obviously pivots Cleveland season to such drastic um

measures because they would have been leading the division. Not that they deserve to, um, but not that they deserve to be last in the division either. Because I think they're plucky. I think they have fight. Um. You know, you look at who they did not have in this game. I thought the defense for weeks in a row has carried them, and they carried them in this game too.

I thought, you know, if you look at the first quarter plus, you would have thought that maybe Derek Carr and the Raiders would have just taken control of this game and won at to ten or something. That they were moving the ball well. But Cleveland's defense heated up, Nick Mullins, heated up. Um. They just they didn't have enough guys. There have enough dudes like on the field, and like enough stuff happened to counter they're they're apparent attempts to to win this game. Um, it broke my heart.

I think this is a Browns game that hurt me more than the Chiefs lost last year in the playoffs and many many losses this season that have been frustrating. It just was like the quintessential attempt at all the odds stacked against you. You've got a chance, They had a chance. I thought they made the most of it. Um, you don't have your head coach on the field. How many times can that happen to Cleveland? That twice in the last you know, seven calendar months. Well whatever? Uh?

And I you know what I I I left. I left a little broken and and and then and then it was like, now sit down and watch the Bears and Vikings please. I I honestly, it kind of it kind of slapped me over the head and said this season is over. But actually, and you know, it was Greg who sent us a text in the minutes after this game that said, I see a fight in this team, this Browns team. I'm not sure the season is over.

And I kind of take something from that because the a f C is so weird, it's so convoluted, it's so beguiling that who knows what will happen over the next three weeks. I don't count them out yet, but I'm not pleased with what happened with what occurred yesterday. I'm not sure the better team won on any level. This Raiders team is a floating ship. Of course, you can't count the Browns out because just like said, if they won yesterday, they would have been in first place

and they lost, so there in last place. So that division is so wide open even by you know these people say that all the time. Oh, it's a wide open division. No, the a f C North is a wide open division. So that is far from over. Um. You know, the Browns have been such an up and down operation all season, uh that I think in a weird way, putting their back against the wall with all these injuries made them more likable and made them kind

of back. They're kind of back in that underdog corner, which I think Mark, you were you and so many other Browns fell in love with this Baker Mayfield BRANDU, so you were back in that corner. Now, I'll say this because I think the the Raiders on this podcast were counted out by a certain host after last week. And here's the thing. I'll give the Raiders credit, uh for winning this game, but I think the only way the Raiders are seven and seven right now is an

act of God. And let's count I don't know who's God, but let's count this COVID nineteen variant as that act of God, because I think the Raiders are still ready to go home at seven and seven, but they just happened to find a team that was so beat up that they were allowed to hang in that game. And credit to Derek Carr, who looked like he had thrown the season away with the interception, he gets another chance, takes him down the field. I thought, here's the thing.

The Browns. Yes, they played a strategic brand of football. On their last drive. They said, we're gonna kill the clock as much as we can. We're gonna get rid of the time outs. It's a basic game plan that we've been hearing forever that maybe is not as popular anymore. The only reason I disagreed with it, Greg was the

Nick Mullins. I know he's was just on the practice squad and has barely played in a year, but he was so smart the way he played, and he wasn't taking crazy risks, and I kind of trusted him in that spot to either make the play or not make a hideous mistake, and they just didn't give him the shot there. I I would have liked to seen it. But I also didn't have a problem with the play because it was third and three, because they had gained seven yards on the on the last two runs, you know, like,

and they were giving it to their best player. If it was third and six, they would have thrown it. It is a shame because Nick Mullins is the master of the four to five yard throw. I mean, that's what he did the whole night. He played within himself. You said it, you know, until he really needed to play out, like on that fourth down. Like he had a really clean, nice game, and yeah, if you had done some sort of play action or something where he has a couple of options quick, I would have trusted

him to do it. But the reason they got back in that game wasn't Nick Mullins. It was Nick Chubb going over left tackle where Joel Betonio was playing out of position on those sweeps and stuff like. Those were the big plays, and so they went back to what had been working and we got them seven yards on

the two previous place. So I I didn't have a huge problem I just think it didn't work on that play, and that was that was also so unfortunate because at that point when they interset to the ball, and in Mark's first words, he said to me at the Rams game today, we're just like I'm broken. I you know, I don't know if I can get back to football after yesterday. I felt so so bad, so said, But I get it because it was an inspiring game. The Raiders did not deserve to win it. They went out

of their way to freaking gag it. I mean that game should have been over so many times earlier. Car fumbles, you know, it's a good play. J Ok has been amazing for Cleveland. Just what a player I've been using meaning to say like he is a home run, uh draft pick. But they they're dropping it mostly wasn't car, but they're dropping passes. They're making all these mistakes. And then and he fumbles the ball, they give up the

lead to Mullins. Then he throws the interception and you only have to get one first down to win it. At that place, at that point, Cleveland was on fire, like Shook was killing himself that he didn't go to that game down the street. Uh. And then a few minutes later, he was like, yep, that's why I didn't go. I appreciate you saying that, Like I mean, I like j OK number one I think is um I know we missed some games and that kind of took some of the heat off of his uh you know, Q rating,

but like what a player he has been. Um, I this game hurt me to the point where today is not is totally surreal. What happened after it is totally surreal. It's like, how quickly can I get an uber that I ordered to drive off the I TN where is the female assassin? Like it's over? Like you feel like, here's the thing, here's the thing, the North schedule, and it's like I don't want to hear about it, Like I don't care. All they gotta do is go win their last two games in the North, which is what

Steelers Steelers Bengals. Even if they lose to the Packers, if they if they win those even if they lose to the Packers this week, if they win those two division games, I think that's doable. I think they've shown some fight these last two weeks. I do a fight,

they do a fight. But that's just simply to set me up to get pulled back in because I I already know everyone's like they're gonna get romped by the Packers, will probably beat the Packers, and then I will be so far pulled back into this um anti matrix just hit me with a bow and arrow. So can we just mark and you know, we all and I know the listeners do appreciate your fandom and how passionate you are and how you you live and die typically die

with the Browns. But can we just dispense with the charade in future seasons about when you go through those things where you don't care about the team anymore and you don't really it doesn't matter because you've been down on this team all year and now you're saying your life is basically up in flames because they lost last night to to fall to seven and seven. I and I'm saying, I'm all for your passionate, I'm just saying, just this is your This is the one of the

most important things in your life. This football team. We know it. You don't have to tell us that it's not true, because we know it, and you hear it in your voice right now. It is. It is important to me, Um, I have multiple defense mechanisms up. Obviously, Um, there there are a charade to you who listens to this, but to me, they aren't like they do. That was

to now now we're getting to it. They they had been up and they came out like they came all the way down for that Mullins game, like when they entered, especially by the time they intercepted that pass and had the ball, they were down. The walls had been on fire and then suddenly the enemy. Well, that game hurt me because like the idea that Nick Mullins, who I've always kind of loved Nick Mullins to be honest, Um, the idea that he would pull it off, and he

came so close. It almost became one of my favorite Brown's wins of all time. Like I'm talking top three, top four, top five, and it turned into Satan's baby inside of my mouth. Gross. All Right, we better stop talking about this game. It's getting a little weird. Um, Raiders. Raiders get drew locked this week, They're not. They're probably gonna lose, and the Browns, Yeah, the probably lose at Green Bay on Christmas, probably, but you never know. In

the season, don't even know who's gonna be playing. Don Madikowski could be quarterback for the Packers by Christmas. Who knows, So don't assume anything, but yes, Greg is right. Um, they have two division games against teams that are no better or no worse than them, the Browns to wrap the season. Um. I thought it was so sweet Mark when Gregg complimented your rookie linebacker and you went, thank you for saying that, because you know what you know,

Greg and I have talked about that previously. It's just like, I don't know anybody else that would respond to a football compliment like that, Like it was personally like somebody had complimented you about something you had done. Well, it matters to me that Greg sees what I feel I've been seeing and like we've talked about it's good j okay before and we agree, let's let's take a break and we're gonna bring in a special guest to talk

Eagles Washington. And there he is. You know he is, Well, you don't because I haven't announced it yet, but maybe when the podcast is out, you're gonna see it in the little summary. Maybe Ricky gives him the headline the name of the show. Maybe he's in that. I think he deserves it because I think he's a big Yeah, he is the great John Gonzalez. Gonzo, what's that baby? Gentlemen, good to see you. What's up? Man? How are you you? You performed? We are lying on you so much. Eagles Washington.

You know game here because you know we were at another game, so you could see anything happened. The dictionary definition of out of pocket uh for Washington Eagles. So let's hit the highlight and get into it with Gonzo. The native Philadelphia Hurts again is rolling. He's looking, Hey, here's firing touch Hey gonna to Greg Ward who spun around and what it was? Chucked? Ah? The great Merrill Reese with the call. Jalen Hurts was back in the lineup and he said, darn mean shoo. That's a nice story.

But I'm that guy. I'm that kid. He ran for two touchdowns through for another. Eagles come from behind to beat the COVID nineteen ravage Washington football teams seven to seventeen. Uh. Eagles moved to seven and seven. They are alive and well in the playoff race. Washington now fading at six and eight. Gonzo, you watched this from Um Gonzalez manor with perhaps your lovely wife Connie Fox the tiny box.

What were your takeaways, uh from this? I think anytime you can beat a quarterback that I hadn't heard of before he started on a Tuesday great NFC East really really up there with all of the other Tuesday night games that they played. The last time they played a Tuesday night game, Rosie tweeted at me about this, they lost to Joe Webb after a blizzard. Uh, and the then governor, Governor Rendell had called everybody wusses for not playing the game, which then launched a book called Nation

of Wusses. So this Tuesday night game greater than symbol that Tuesday night game. This was better. This was better than the night when um Michael Vick's m v P Dreams went to die. Come on, your Eagles are seven and seven. This is a frisky, little, frisky little outfit here. Ganza at least got to be getting behind this this team, because absolutely what was the wreck? They were like two and five and now they're seven and seven and they're

maybe the best running team in the league. That you would think that's a team that the the Eagles could get behind, that Philly could get behind. I'm so something that I've learned through um years of watching this team is never believe. Like it's with the exception of the year that they won the Super Bowl and we were all there, Uh, never believed. And specifically, like you said that they are first each team who have they beaten

that's any good? The Saints is their best win. And if they could end up with ten wins this season, because they've got, you know, the three division games left, and there's a chance that who knows, the Cowboys sit their starters in that last game, but then they'll have ten wins, nine of which are largely hollow, and then the other one is the Saints. So I don't know. I don't know how frisky this. Do you trust them even if they make the playoffs? I don't, I'd ask

you this. I mean, I don't. I'm not sure any team is good in the NFL this season. But secondly, like they did go through a metamorphosis where they said we're just gonna run the ball at everyone, and and tonight again against this Washington defense that I know there they were covid stricken um but they did get some guys back along the defensive line. Before this game, Philly still ran for two thirty eight yards. It's like, we're

gonna do this every week. They did it again. It's like, you gotta give him a little credit for the fact that this is their identity. They lean into it and it works. It's working, Gonzo. I've got a little history. Maybe this will provide some perspective and maybe you will start to get a little more exciting. I think he's just nonplus because he was he was like watching us talk about the Browns game. He was like, let's get on with it. He's like, I've got something yards rushing.

They became the first team with a hundred and seventy five plus yards on the ground and seven consecutive games since wait for it, the nineteen eighty five Chicago Bears. Now that Bears team was known obviously for its great defense, but obviously they did some things right offensively as well. Now, well, you're gonna tell me, Gonzo, I guess is that because the opponents have been so bad, you can't put too

much into the running game. But the fact that they imposed their will upon opponents week after week and they have this exciting kid behind center that makes people miss and could throw the ball a little bit too. I mean, this is more fun than last year's Eagles team, right, I mean, everything's relative more fun than last year's Eagles team is a low bar. Look, the running game has

been fun. You're absolutely right about that. And this is something that early in the season was driving Eagles fans insane because they weren't running the ball as much and everybody was clamoring for them to run the ball. And then all of a sudden, they start running the ball and they have some success. So that parts to the

good I'm all for that. The part about the exciting kid under center, Dan, you just revealed how not Philadelphia and you are because that the jury is still out on that one and that Gardner Minshew game, nobody looked two things that Philadelphia loves run the ball and the backup quarterback. So as long as there there is a backup quarterback existing, somebody somewhere in Philadelphia and frankly several someones, lots of someone's will be clamoring for that guy to

be the quarterback. So yeah, like Jillen tonight was, he was good the early like early in the game, he made some bad decisions which he's wont to do. There were turnovers that led to those first ten Washington points and after that he settled down and they got going. Um. But also I said, they beat a guy who what was he doing on Thursday before they signed him on? He was on the Patriots practice squad, Garret Gilbert? But

you know he doesn't play defense. They put they put up five hundred yards of offense against a Washington team that's been pretty good. And I know they were missing some players, but they got most of them on my Gilbert Godfried callbacks, you know the Godfried callack like, so, gonza, what's the vibe at the house? Are you guys like just ain't super? Is there a lot of negging going on, a lot of like negative energy about around the Viking or the Eagles? Are you excited about what You're more

still emotional about the Browns conversation you got. I'm trying to find out what what the vibe is where you're I mean, you seem to be coming in from a bit of a a little bit of a down said to you take you take a win anytime you can get a one. Let's put it this season has been consistently uh, results oriented in terms of feelings. So after Giants loss, they're the worst team in the NFL. They're not going anywhere. And after the Jets win, sorry, Danny

ramovs uh, you know what, book your tickets. You're coming out to l A because maybe this team could go on a run there or maybe they're they're frisky, like Rosie said, so at seven and seven, it's like it's been every single weekend has been a roller coaster. I mean even going back to uh the Falcons game, which is their their first game of the season, which they won, and we thought, okay, maybe there's maybe there's a little

something to this team. Ultimately, it's hard for me though, to like really believe in the Eagles because there's just been so much conditioning over the years. Like with the exception of one year, it usually turns out terribly. Um and people should also know it's past nine pm on the West Coast right now, so it's John's bedtime as well. Just a bad I think, so if he seems a little like low key that that plays in as well.

Look I'm up and energized for you guys. I had a full day of doing stuff and working and hanging out with Connie Nightcap. You've got You've got your sports illustrated podcast starting soon, don't you? Mid January? Yeah. So, by the way, Gonzo and I did a cross country trip from well across half the country from l A to Houston for a super Bowl and he stayed up quite late many of those nights, and we had adventures

that we can't speak of here on the show. So I love that all of a sudden, I'm being painted as old man Gonzo, who, well, you'd like to take We've been there, We've We've done weekend trips with you. You're a guy that likes to get his seventeen hours. Oh I love a nap. I mean, who doesn't like a nap? And nap is it can be uh really rejuvenating. Um before we let you go? And this is this is kind of a we're like overarching question and I feel it would be a good like profile story, but

it's probably already been written so doesn't matter. But you mentioned it that why why does Philadelphia love the backup? Why? Why don't Why are they always looking past the guy that is probably the guy to the guy that probably isn't the guy, but hypothetically could why what is the psychology behind that? For the city. It's a sickness. We

all have it, We've all caught it. It's a quarterback covid for us, going back to Randall Cunningham with Jim McMahon right up through basically every backup that was ever a backup for McNabb. I mean, like the greatest quarterback in in franchise history, they wanted to replace him the entire time. I don't know. I don't know what it is. I mean, like, I think I think it's part of, um, the lack of success. Like again, I keep saying that the one season where they won the Super Bowl, but

they wanted with the backup quarterback. So, um, maybe we're onto something, maybe we knew. Maybe it's like a lack of self cont inner self confidence. I don't know, civics, civic wide before before you guys cut me loose though, um is, does Rosie always make those faces as you guys are as you other two are talking? Oh yeah, that's the approving faces, the resting Greg face. Don't reading that I'm because I'm making I'm I'm making conversation with everybody here and all I see is a pained look

on Rosie space. There's a big there's a lot of smiles. It's a lot of smiles personally, and like I start to then I start to rail on it verbally. I think, you know what I am pained is because you're because

you're just like dismissing. Jalen Hurt says, I like, go over and look and look, say, oh, Reagor had a thirty four yard or I haven't watched this game at devote Smith got he has forty five seven for one thirty five, Like I always wanted to watch an athletic quarterback, like Jalen Hurts is one of the best running quarterbacks uh in the NFL. And he's a second year starter, like a second round pick, Like what more? What more

do these people want? And you get all excited about Gardnerment was like yeah, yeah, Scot, you get all excited about Gardner Mint floating a couple of seven yard passes that people run with after the catch, you cannot win. Greg is coming at you with a minor nuclear bomb that's gonna land right in the middle of your head. Uh, Dallas Gott it looked good. Jalen Hurts made a couple of really nice throws, one of which was to Greg Ward. I like, I honestly, I was like, my god, I

forgot about Greg Ward. He's still on the team for a touchdown, so that was good. How are you happy now that he's saying these things? Greg's just make you happy? Will you sleep tonight? But Greg, I'm honestly of like Philadelphia, Uh, Philadelphians who have watched every Eagles game this year. Despite the way that you're interpreting this, I'm probably higher on Jalen Hurts the most. So that tells you where everybody else's rights are proving grunts and noises from him. You

can find it now formally of the Wringer. Now he's over at s I. He's got a podcast that's coming out. He's storyteller. Make sure you fall him on Twitter at John Gonzalez. Yeah, you know who it is. It's Gonzo. John Ron Gonzola Sport March twelve nine is an American sports writer who was married NFL media broadcaster Colley Wolf. John, who was a Pisces, resides in Los Angeles with his wife and two dogs. Also, I look forward to my mentions being full of that tomorrow. That bit still wan't die.

So thank you, and I also we all want to thank you. In the time where you never feel like you could trust anything anymore, things are always changing underneath our feet. We never have to change that drop, but always all the bio information is exactly the same as it was five years ago. We should actually we should add that he got the J and J shot because we are brothers and the J and J and we've

been through this adversity together. I feel like that's like the next the next most defining aspected guns of life. As far as I'm concerned, it's It's depressingly true, Dan, none of the information has changed. You're right, we like we can care. Everything is exactly the same, all right, buddy. Thank you for staying up and doing the with us. We really didn't need, did need the help, and you delivered it. Buddy. We'll see you soon, all right, Love

you guys. There goes Joan Joanni Gonzalez. Love that guy. We have one more game to hit. Uh. It wasn't the best game of the week. In fact, it might have been the warst game of the year on the primetime slate. We're gonna do it. Anyway, hit it Ricky Pats j K hands caught touch down justin Jefferson. That's left to the end zone. It's such a twelve yard touchdown. Hits number eight this season four j J Man, Paul Allen, you can make anything sing. Even that game seventeen nine.

The Vikings won, uh to keep their postseason hopes alive. Greg and I locked it up. That's a good job by us. But it was a game. First of all, the Bears just a total mess. Uh. Five personal vouls anyone by the head coach. I could have swerved, but frowns. Late in the second quarter, I thought that Matt Maggie was leaving the stadium the handcuffs. I guy was certain he was going to inflict bodily harm on someone and run a foul of the law. That did not happen,

at least not that I know of. But ultimately, the Bears as an operation are just as Mark we called them, and perhaps a floating course. So they are now four and ten, uh, and they are just waiting to get to the finish line. Now the Vikings, Greg, this theme is interesting, UH every week except for this week when they played the Bears. So the Bears obviously have some

type of magical power. I thought taken out of this game as someone who has kind of rooted for the Vikings and has enjoyed the Vikings this season, who was a little disturbing for Kirk Cousins to have a second Dog game in a row in December and finished with eighty seven yards passing a career low against the Chicago defense missing so many players uh that they were calling

up guys from the practice squad to play defense. Their entire defensive backfield was on the COVID list, are injured, and yet Cousins could do nothing And it doesn't seem to bode well for the Vikings offense, or am I putting too much into it? Because the Vikings week the week completely reboot themselves, right like next week they have the Rams who are going to be on a short week and you can almost see Cousins it'll be indoors, you know, throwing for three thirty again. And yet I

can't like this these this last month. It's really if you look at his season, it peaked about mid season and and personally he's been a little on the decline since, but this was outrageous. He dropped back to past twenty eight times. They average two point two yards per play, and like Zimmer had no confidence in him by the end of the game, But who could blame him? And what did it matter because his defense wasn't given up any points. It It was just kind of crazy crazy.

It was partly his interior offensive line, which has been a problem all year. It's partly Adam dealing being out. But he just gets in those modes, like when he threw here the ball out of bounds on the hail Mary and to end the first half because he didn't want to mess up his touchdown to interception ratio. I thought, like, that's a that's why people don't like Kirk Cousins that play, because that's what he did. He didn't want to mess up the TV to the interception race. You know who

tweet all about that former quarterbacks. Former quarterbacks are the ones saying that, Like everyone's saying they'll move there when quarterbacks don't want to do that, and like Tom Brady would do the same thing on some level. Two, I believe that did you throw underneath, but he's great to back it up. Son. You can throw underneath and then they get you know, forty one yards and get tackled at the fourteen and the half's over anyway, so the defense doesn't care. That would have been the move if

he was really looking out for his stats. Yeah, I don't know. That's yeah, I like it. I like the theory, though You're You're probably right. No one play over ten yards in the whole game by their passing game. I don't know that. Like I know, I know that. Um, you know, the Bears are a thing of the past at this point and we don't need to focus too much on them. But like you said, Dan, to have your entire secondary wiped away by COVID, I mean this team was all of all of these games happened because

these teams were wiped out by the coronavirus slash omnikrown. Um, I get it. But I mean the Bears defense, I thought, put forward like they put forth an incredible effort in this game. They really did. I mean, it's like, um Acheam Hicks was all over the place. I mean just it's it's lost in the shuffle. But the their offense finished the game with three drives um that ended on downs, and they had a terrible missfield goal in this game.

They had a terrible bumble by the quarterback. I mean, there had a couple of turnovers all over the place. It's like they allowed the Vikings just to continue to pound on them. When had they gotten a even vaguely vaguely competent performance by the offense, they would have been fine with what the defense didn't score. They didn't score. They didn't score, I don't care. It's so that's fine. But they moved the ball. But it was like, and

you know, they're they're coaching staff also impacted. So Matt Naggi is calling the plays again. Bill Lazer is out of the picture. And yeah, they they out threw in terms of passing to fifty five to sixty one. They out gained Minnesota three seventy two one ninety three. UM. And they just had so many mistakes and and some you know, bad luck with certain things, getting feet down

in the end zone, bobbles, things like that. UM. But when you just added all together the whole stew you know, there are like fifty thousand Bears fans that went to that game, and they were just subjected to just continual disappointment possession after possession. So, yeah, the Bears are a mess that the Vikings are the relevant team here. But I just think as I just don't know how much longer the Vikings will be relevant because I don't know if I buy Cousins snapping out of this slump. This

this has been going on for a while now. It's been a little bit under the radar because he keeps throwing two touchdowns every game, and so that keeps fantasy owners uh satisfied, and they're winning more than than they're losing the last month or two. But they are not the same offense and he is not the same quarterback. And I think that to me is simplified as it may seem. Was the big thing that jumped out to me,

like I'm not the Viking. The Vikings have been very entertaining an interest in I think they could snap back. It would be very typical of them. They have the Rams and the Packers the next two weeks to at least win one of those, but get to get get to Week eighteen with like a little bit of hope and then lose to the Bears in the rematch. That that feels like the way this like, let's these are two teams that are part of our previous existence. They do not exist right now, Mark, get him, buddy, I'm

forking both of them. They're both out. I mean, we already forked the Bears back into this could have working the Vikings right now. I'm forking the Vikings right now. Coming after that Rounds game, these teams were both they had the bulls eye on them for at Sessler Nation. Now this was that this was the worst primetime game. I think I had a weird memory. Um back in like two thousand and five or two thousand and six,

when I lived in l A. Knew nobody. UM fell into relations with this one UM young starlet type girl that was forget about it, I mean, and then it went start. She was a successful actress, had that vibe to her. I'm just saying back then, and the whole thing ended. And it was a two or three week scenario that ended UM in a bar fight in Culver City. And I'm just gonna leave it right there. But like I spent the next two weeks, you know, it was the football season. I'm watching football and it was just

like nothing had any meaning. And that's how I felt about this Vikings Bears game watching it. It had zero meaning. My heart had been broken earlier in the day, Ricky, can you jump in a second? Nothing mattered on any let's go on with Mark nothing. Yeah it was. I feel like we should probably just dropped the show. I'm

just saying, don't try to come at me. Yeah, the Bears Vikings game that is now, You're right, we don't need to spend a lot of time on this more after that and stuff like Starlet's leaving you at a bar fight, and there's a lot that we need to unpack as like a family here. So I feel like we should just like hit the outro music and Vicky just like we gotta end this. This is already tricks, like we gotta we gotta plane to catch in the morning. And you know, I'm getting up at three forty so

I'm getting up in like six four hours. More games, sixty minutes. That's how we do it, all right. So Week fifteen is in the rear view. Mark is gonna be okay. I know some people might be alarmed a little bit. Yeah, he's fine. Today's show, He's gonna be fine. And he's got he's got three games left with his Cleveland Browns, uh and they have a chance still to win a division makes the noise. They're not like the Vikings or the Bears. They're not dead. They're alive. They'll

tell you that. Just just wait, just wait for Christmas morning when Mr cecler unwraps a Brown's game with his family. Good luck, Let's go brown We're all Browns fans. Did he really need to put the Browns on Christmas? Rod? You know yet? We got to pick up the boys, guys. We gotta take your eye anyway. So this is our obviously functions as are. It's a little different than a

regular Tuesday episode, but that's what it is. Thursday, you'll get the preview of week sixteen, and then we'll be back Sunday night, which is the day after Christmas, recapping everything in Week sixteen. Let's just cross our fingers because things just seem to get worse and worse because this virus is just so contagious that I just don't know. I I worry, knock on wood here, I worry how

we're going to finish the season, even with the different protocols. Well, hopefully things get calmed down and we get a normal week of football next week. But there's a lot of indecision in the world. But we can tell you or a lot of things that we don't know right now, we can tell you we will be here. There could be sixteen games next week, there could be zero games next week. The Around the NFL podcast will be here for you. Unless you know other things dictate that we're

not here. It's all up in here. We will we will be here. You can't imagine here until they tell us hit the street, hit the bricks. All right, that's it. I am sorry for us stepping on the godfree joke. You know, um a bad habit of mine personal growth. I want to improve on that. But everyone could have been a great, great call back, to be honest with you, if if we went back to the replay, I might have kind of come in off the turn buckle on it.

And maybe what I wanted you to do is like step out of the way so the Gottfried elbow drop could land. So that's not something you have to do either. So it's just maybe one of those things where we both could have been a little bit more delicate with it, and we just we're used to being in the studio. We're used to being together in the studio. By now that we're um, we're back to like working out the Kings. Look at you too? How cute this is? So? Who's

the starlet? Kirsten Dunns, a young Dominique Swain? Who are we talking here? I mean not there was no actual, you know, professional attachment to that now, but like if you had to compare her to someone like Molly Ringwald, Christina Molly Ringwald throwing the names out, we gotta go. We got maybe a young Bardo. Yeah wait, no, Mark, who was that actress from from your time? My time? She was really vague and uh Betty David, you know in like the twenties in the What does that mean?

What do you win? Oh? Yeah she was. She was good when they made the transition to the talkies, right yeah, yeah, yeah, when they went silent film to color not color, no, god, no, not color. When they yeah yeah, right, that's who you're really saying. You're old, Mark, But I think you look great for your Well that's fine, I'm not I won't respond. Al Right, we are going down. You get what you're trying to do. Dan Anon signing off for Quiet Storm, The Old Boss Gonzo Ricky Hollywood Hills, The s