This is Dave Canalis OC for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and this is the NFL Report.
Welcome to the NFL Report. James Palmer. Rhett lewis with you. We're gonna have to have Dave Canalis do another one of those because the title is incorrect rhet. Rhett is filling in for Steve Witch. We have a boatload of faces rhet that we are gonna get to, including Dante Hall, the human joy Stay, one of the most entertaining players to watch Chiefs Legend. We also have Oma Owez Stacy Dale's covering us for the NFC side of things. Baldi will be with us as well for Baldi's favorite films.
I'm so glad you joined us on a show where there's so little to talk about.
Yeah, I mean, that's why you had to bring me in, right as the content specialist, as the conversationalist here. This is That's why I'm here. Yeah, man, It's it's exciting, and this is this is like my favorite time of the year because we get to merge you know, my favorite worlds, right which are you know? You get the NFL post season, which is impossible to beat, but it's also the beginning of draft season, right, So we're gonna
have all star games coming up next week. I'm getting ready to head to Frisco, Texas for the ninety ninth annual East West Shrine Bowls. Senior Bowl kicks off next week, and I'm gonna have a little bit, a little bit of a little bit of something for you on some names to watch from those games later in the show.
I like it. I like it. I like it. Let's get to these head coaching changes. I said it, Rhett. Dave Canalis is no longer the offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He is the new head coach of the Carolina Panthers. When this hire happened just a little bit before we started this show, what was the first thing that went through your mind? Right? Wow?
I mean it really was, because it feels like a dramatic star rise and a star turn for Dave Canalis jp one year as the offensive coordinator play caller in Tampa and now is getting his shot as a head coach. And the one thing that I that I know is for certain. I mean, the Panthers have gone through this process, right, they brought in a ton of different guys. We know this is a demanding ownership group, right with David Tepper just hired their new GM under Statemle Ran. Yep, Yep,
probably a little bit. I really like Dan Morgan as a GM. He's been there as the assistant. He knows what good programs are like and how to build them, and he knows what it means to be.
In lockstep with a head coach.
He saw it with Brandon Bean and Sean McDermott up in Buffalo when he was up with that crew, and so now coming here to Carolina, I feel like that's what you're gonna get with Morgan, with Canalis and this brain trust moving forward, trying to get Bryce Young and this Carolina Panthers team.
Movement, and that's the ticket right there. What is your plan for Bryce Young? You know, it was asked to every single guy who interviewed there with David Tepper, and I think what we've seen Dave Knalison, he's been on this show, He's talked to us at length about his offensive philosophies. I think that's gonna be what a lot of us are watching and what he does with Bryce Young. He has Baker Mayfield coming in and the one year.
There together, he's up for Comeback Player of the Year, not only also before that Gino Smith and before that Russell Wilson. What he's conveyed to us r at that I think is so impressive is he said, really, everything we do is molded to our quarterback. His ability to change his offense for the skill set of his quarterback,
I think is one of his best traits. That he continues to find concepts that work and then builds the offense off those concepts and things that just don't work for that quarterback are thrown out, as well as changing other aspects around the quarterback. Look the shuffling he did on that offensive line in Tampa. I want you here. You used to play here, now you're over here, and he changed it all to fit their skill sets, their
body types, and they ran the football better. He was also able to build that entire offense off of a wide receiver like Mike Evans and then figure out how to play what defenses do play off of that. I think it's an impressive offensive mind that has shown us over the last couple of years that he has the ability to adapt and change like nobody's business. All right, let's move on to another head coach, Ratt that is not getting his start. He is an old hat at
this game, coming off of a national championship. And is Jim Harbaugh going to the Chargers. He is back in the NFL, going to the place where you know, he just couldn't get in the Lombardi Trophy in college. It was always the thing that was driving him. He lands with the Chargers. What will we see differently in Los Angeles?
Now?
Yeah, Well, I.
Think you're gonna see offense and team philosophy operated operated in a much different way.
I think this is going to be a gritty, er, tougher team.
I mean, that's that has been the hallmark of Jim Harbaugh coach teams wherever he's been. I mean kind of famously when he was at Stanford, got like all the parents of all the players like locked into that, Hey, bring your lunch, Paale, the work mentality.
You know, we've got blue collars.
We might wear red jerseys, but we're making sure the blue stays with the way.
That we play.
And the interesting thing here is what's he gonna do? What does this look like for Justin Herbert. Obviously, Jim Harbaugh has coached in sane mainly talented quarterbacks before. See Andrew Luck at Stafford now at Stanford. Now, while they didn't put up like ridiculous video game type numbers through the air, everyone knew that Andrew Luck was an immense talent, right, and Jim Harbost.
Brought that out in him.
So how he tailors this offense and his offensive staff to accentuate Justin Herbert's skill set is going to be really intriguing. I think there's gonna be an emphasis put on building that offensive line even more than it already has been. With their two first round picks the last couple of years and Rashaan Slater and Zion Johnson, I wouldn't be surprised if there's another high draft resource spent on that front to get that roll in. And then I think that this is this at number five overall
in this year's draft where the Chargers are picking. I think this squarely puts brock Bowers the top tight end in this class. In the conversation, right, that's high for a tight end.
That's rich, I get it.
But this is a tough, gritty dude. Even though he's from Napa, California. He's a tough, gritty dude. He can get dirty in the run game. He's an insane athlete. He's great after the catch, phenomenal hands. Look at what Jim Harbaugh did jp with the tight ends at Michigan Colson Loveland. AJ Barner is going to be playing in the Senior Bowl. They were dominant Luke Schoonmaker last year. Drafted in the second round by the Cowboys. They're big
pieces of the offense. That's why I think that that could be an opportunity to see brock Bauers come off the board when we get to Detroit.
As you get your.
Hands dirty going after grapes in the soil up there, and now it's fine, you get gritty and listen, tight ends have flourished, especially rookies this past season. We've always seen the run game, even though it was Andrew Luck by the way, He's always had an emphasis on the run game no matter where he has been, and you're right, tight end's always a big part of what he does. Real quickly, I'll say, I think it's an identity, right. I think that has been lacking since this team moved
from San Diego to Los Angeles. They haven't even had an identity in their own building, especially in their own city. Now they bring in a head coach who was essentially, look at us, make sure you pay attention to us. And they get somebody that is going to make sure that they win football games and to make sure that people notice that they're winning football games. And I think, honestly,
that's something that's been lacking with the Chargers. Let's go to his brother real quickly before we get out of here, and look at the Ravens because this is a big weekend for the Harbas. What do you see from the Baltimore Ravens One part going into that AFC Championship game that sticks out to you.
Yeah, one thing that really sticks out to me is the way they've utilized the.
Tight ends this year and obviously Mark and when he got an All Pro type in Mark Andrews. That's easy to do and easy to say, like, yeah, we want
to get Mark Andrews in the football. Well, he's been out right for a couple months now with the injury, although it sounds like he is on his way back again fully participatingly like it just this week there, James, but Isaiah likely has been tremendous as a target for Lamar Jackson, especially in Mark Andrews's absence, and it's stuff you talk to people around the Ravens and I saw it this summer, spending some time with them like they always knew that this is who Isaiah likely was. We
saw it in flashes his rookie year too. He's now just getting those opportunities right with Mark Andrew's gone, So I imagine even if Mark comes back, they're going to find ways to accentuate what Isaiah likely can bring to this team. So I'm getting to the end zone, you know, a week ago, and basically, you know, I think he's been really well developed, both having a stud like Mark Andrews there, his tight ends coach George Gatzi is kind of underrated in NFL circles.
Think he does a great job getting those guys together. And I'm just hoping that they can get.
A dance club scene going in that locker room afterwards, so we can see an encore from George Gatzi.
We need more of it, right, where's Georgie?
Let's fight there?
A moment build right there.
Gatzi just slow playing it just now and there he goes and anywhere's it? Love it from George and they don't run two tight end sets very often rhet so it's going to be interesting to see what they change offensively philosophy wise, if they want to get both these guys on the field at the same time. I'm going to go on the defensive side of the ball and go with me. Maybe the only player in this game that is a member of MENSA that is all Pro safety Kyle Hamilton with one hundred and thirty two IQ.
This is a game full of versatile players that have high football IQs. He might be at the top of all those guys that are playing in this game. He's gonna have the assignment a lot in this game. They're gonna throw different things at Travis Kelcey, but he's gonna have the assignment quite a bit. And what he does against the future Hall of Famer is going to be just one of the things that he does to impact this game. He can rush the quarterback like an hedge rusher.
He can play the safety spot, he can cover deep, he can tackle like a linebacker. He can play about five different positions for this defense. One of the most versatile talented players in the NFL, and he missed two games this year. I know it's a small sample size, rat this defense arguably the best in all of football. The two games he missed, statistically, those were two of the worst performances we saw from a defense this season. And that's just without one player. And that's the MENSA
member in Kyle Hamilton. Well, we got another versat guy coming up. Rap, that's Dante Hall. How about that the human Joycenick. I wonder if that's his favorite nickname. I'm gonna ask him that next on the NFL.
He's gonna be the MVP for a reason. I mean, he goes out there, he leads his team, he scores, he runs, he throws, he does whatever it takes to win. And that's what the great greats do. And uh, like I said, it'd be great challenge for our defense, but also a great challenge for offense going against their defense. So it's gonna take a full team effort if we want to find a way to get a win.
He's a great quarterback, definitely, hall of famer is not even it's a new brain. He's definitely a Hall of Famer. But it's just I believe it's just to to two greats up and coming Greats just going to the two you know, like a heavyweight fight, heavyweight matchup.
That's that's just what I see.
Welcome back to the NFL Report. James Palmer, Rhett Lewis with you, And if you're gonna have a heavyweight fight, I need more trash talk. Maybe Don day Haul the Chiefs great can bring some of that trash talk into this. Listen. Too many compliments on there. I'm not gonna lie too many compliments between those two great players as we're heading into this AFC Championship game. I appreciate you joining us, and I have to get this out of the way
first before we continue. What is your favorite nickname for you, because you have a lot of them.
My favorite is the Humane and the gotta be.
It's just a great name, right.
And before I picked up the golf, I was an avid gamer.
So at the time that Mitch Holtess.
Gave me that monitor, I was like n D playing video games nine I was a day and it also physical playing style, so it works perfectly.
I agree.
I think I think that's I mean it was.
It was terrific because it was organic too, and uh, you know, Mitch is one of the best in the business obviously in the in the radio play by playworld here in the NFL, and so hearing him call some
of your touchdowns was a childhood memory of mine. You know, I love it, and you know you had the opportunity to not only do it on some great, you know, regular season teams with the Chiefs, but you guys got into the postseason two where we're sitting here now, you know, on the verge of the Super Bowl now for the Chiefs,
a familiar spot for him. But like, I go back to that O four game, you know, and I don't I know, you don't want to get into the results of that game against the Colts, but you went off.
They called that the no punt game.
That's right, see, and I kind of believe that that we could see something like that this week with Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson.
The way these two defense I disagree.
I disagree.
I think you got what the number one defense and the Ravens, you got the number three miss and and uh.
Jeeves, I don't think you're going to see a no punt game.
And this particular, I understand why you're going that because of the dynamics of each quarterback with these defenses when we when we played in that Old four game, I think our defense was ranked like thirty and you.
Had to post it.
Some work close by said no, I don't think we're going to see that this Sunday.
So but but I wanted to ask you that too because of the you know, like your performance in that game was incredible. Obviously you had the kick return touchdown, you had the receiving touchdowns, So you know what it feels like to make those big plays in those big moments, and just hearing these two quarterbacks talk about the plays that they want to make and you know the respect they have for each other. What was that feeling like to know the impact you had on a game.
At that stage.
I'm gonna be honest with you, I was, even though I had a great individual performance, I truly felt that year we had a team that can make it all the way to the super Bowl.
We just had to win two games. That era hit.
We started a season ten to zero, so it was very disappointing to not only lose the game, but lose the game and the fashion that we lost it. Peyton Manning comes in and scores thirty eight points in errorhead like that just cannot happen. Even though I had a great game, I did not feel any type of happiness whatsoever after that loss.
Dottie, we know you're still a Chiefs fan. We saw you were thrown on a Chief's hat, you know before we got started. Is there any part of you that sits here and looks at the mind that Andy Reid has and you didn't have him as a head coach and the playmaking ability Patrick Mahomes has at the quarterback spot, and if you went if I would have just played a little later, if I could have been with these two, how could they have used the talents that I bring
to a football field? Did that ever cross your vibe?
Every single Sunday? That crosses mind?
And I'll never forget the first time I went on the road to watch this Andy Reid Chief's offense was in Jacksonville's home opener in Jacksonville, I'm sorry, the season opener. And I remember from this watching them play develop like it's different when you're watching on TV. I'm at the game and I'm saying a guy running over and then up. I had never seen that concept before, and at that moment, all to myself, Wow, I wish I was Tyreek Hill right now.
Yeah, yeah, and Dante, you know, in the post Tyreek Hill era for the Chiefs, I think we've seen some evolution with this offense, right and the way they want to attack defenses, and the way Andy Reid has schemed things up in the evolution of the run game too with Isaiah Pacheco, Like, what has impressed you most about the way that they're trying to find ways in different ways to find success attacking defenses and winning games, just hit it on the head.
I've been impressed by them basically suppressing their ego, realizing the cars that they have in their hands, and playing those cars perfectly. Last week you saw a lot more two three tight end sets, a lot more emphasis on the run game.
I just it just showed me that these guys.
Understand how to win, know how to win, and it doesn't matter if it's DNC and dunks or if his bombs over bag that it does not matter. Like they're going to find a way to win in They're gonna use the pieces that they have. And I think that's a testament to a great coordinating and also great head coaching.
And the staff in terms of developing players dot you
mentioned dink and dunk. The teams have taken away a lot of the deep stuff and you see these underneath crossing routes where you see a guy like Rashi Rice, a rookie kind of be able to kind of work his way across the field, find some of those voids and defenses and then make plays with the ball once it gets in his hands after he makes Because what have you seen from the rookie receiver that kind of has just really just grown and grown himself and as a role in this offense.
Yeah, I remember early on, as far as back as the preseason, he had a case of the drops. So the fact that he was able to get over the drop seas I think I've seen maybe one or two drops in this latter part of the season. So he's continued to get better and grow, and that's all you can ask from a young guy, right, just don't continue making the same mistakes.
He's eliminated that drop passes.
And it seems like to me that he has an understanding and more of the offense because they are incorporating him more in the offense. I think early on he wasn't able to get this much playing time because he didn't have a grass on the playbook, have the trust in Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes. But that all seems to have gotten better and developed nicely at the right time.
Yeah, and Dante, I think you know, in terms of your personal story, we obviously came to know you for your skills in the return game, but I feel like you the further along you got your career, we started to see the nuances of your game as a total package wide receiver, you know as well on the offensive
side of the ball. And looking at that to follow up on Rashid Rice, like what were some of the nuances of the posiition that you picked up along the way that allowed you to become a more focal a bigger focal point for the offense, not just in the return game. Whereas we're kind of seeing some of that same stuff within this season in terms of Rashid Rice's arc as a wide receiver from start to where we're
at now. So, like, what are some of the things that facilitate that improvement from a wide receiver.
So it's like when you first come into the league, right your brain is already moving one hundred miles Fowers.
So your body intends to do with your brain going once you.
Learn concepts where to be, when to be there, landmarks, things like that. So one of the biggest nuances that coach Charlie Jhner, a Hall of Famer. I was very fortunate to have him. He will always tell me be fast, but don't hurry. And it took me two years to figure out what the hell ad meant.
But don't worry.
That basically meant, you know, be fast, but be under control.
You may not want to come out of that rout as fast as you can, maybe speed out of it at a you know, third gear type rate. So little nuances like that, how not to show and tip your hat, whether you're running a short route, deep route, crossing routes, right, they were just you know, teach me when you line up like this, put your inside foot up versus back, don't look where you're going. And then one of the other nuances was obviously just learning how to route run.
And I had one of the greatest guys on my team at that time, Johnny Morton from usc GO with his route and Detroit and with them, so a combination of all of these guys kind of helped me within the nuances of using my speed and my quickness.
I'm looking at different players in this game, Dante, and I'm looking at guys that are just so hard to tackle. Zay Flowers is that type of player, just he's just hard to get your hands on. Lamar is that type of player. But Patrick's that type of player too, where just the way he moves on a field, it is hard to tackle him. You were impossible to tackle. So what makes a player hard to tackle in your mind? Because we have a couple of them to do it different ways in this game.
Well, for guys like myself, Zay Flowers, you know, we just are giving a god ability ability, ability to get in and out of breaks. Just bigger guys can't do, like we can't do. Some of the things big guys can do, they can't do what we can do.
Well, you take it.
You talk about a guy like Lamar.
Who's six two sixty three, able to move like a little guy, and then you take Patrick Mahomes who's a little more girthier, not as fast, but he's very savvy with his no looks, all fakes, little things like that.
Right, I look at him like a steph Curry.
Steph Curry is not Alan Orison Quick, but he's very savvy with his mechanics as far as movement, movement and things like that.
So it's more ways to skin a cat, you.
Know what I mean?
Right, That's right, and uh man, nobody's done it as as good as you've done it. I mean like one of the best, very best in the business in terms of the return game and the impact you can have on a game making big plays. And certainly hope we see some of those in this gave it to me the Chiefs and Ravens on Sunday, Dante, it has been a blast, man. Thanks so much for being a part of the support today.
Man, Really it should have been the whole show. Rep. That's it.
We could have just been done.
That's great.
I love talking what you guys do, so I'll come back on anytime appreciating that.
Man.
Love hold me that with us here on the NFL Report. Still to come on this episode of the NFL Report. You love what the messaging that Dan Campbell brings to the Lions. But what's the tangible effect of it?
Stacy Dalees is.
Going to tell us, and how do the forty nine ers deal with that's omaruiz part.
When we come back.
You're listening to the NFL Report podcast. But you can watch me, Steve Weich and my co host James Palmer on the NFL Report at seven fifteen Eastern time on Mondays and Thursdays on the NFL app and free streaming platforms on the NFL channel on Roku too, be Peacock, Pluto TV and other free streaming apps.
Just the Bay area and the faithful in general, we want this game bad, you know, and they've obviously been hoping, you know, you know, to have another championship come in this organization. Last couple of times we've been in the Super Bowl, we've fallen short. So now we get a shot at it again. So to play at home an NFC championship, it's gonna be It's gonna be sweet.
Yeah, what a difference to your makes right.
Brock perty back in the NFC Championship game as he gets set to have his forty nine ers host the Detroit Lions. Welcoming you back to NFL Report here. Brett lewis at for Steve, which today of course James Palmer with us as well, and we get to say hello to our friend Stacy Dale's and Omar Ruiz here. Stacy's been covering the Lions for US this week, and Omar is in Santa Clara right now, which is where we will play this championship game in the NFC on Sunday.
Stacy hearing for brock perty is a good because it sure does sound like that the good folks in the Detroit Lions defense slash secondary not real interested in hearing from him or talking about him this week?
Is that accurate?
Rett? If they're talking anything about him, it's a whole lot of smack. I mean, I was in the locker room for Championship Wednesday and tried to go up and get a little juice out of CJ. Gardner Johnson and I just we couldn't. He didn't want anything to do with rock party talk or really anything to do with US media members.
That's how salty this secondary is.
I think it's emblematic of kind of the tone and tenor of that defense as they've gotten better and better better. Like Dan Campbell told me on Wednesday, our confidence is going up. It has improved. There's an uptick, especially over these last six weeks. And when I asked Kirby Joseph, a safety for this group, this secondary. What's the most improved thing about your defense? He said to me, fear
And I said, well, what does that mean? And he said, the fear we're putting basically in opposing offenses, given how hard we play and how physical we play, and that's what they're going to take to see rock Perty Sunday.
Oh, you know, they're bringing that physical brand of football. We all remember Chauncey Gardner Johnson and Deebo Samuel having that social media back and forth. Speaking of Deebo Samuel limited in practice today, certainly trending in the right direction.
When we were out there yesterday in the limited role that he had officially listed as a non participant, but while they were stretching, he was running up and down the practice field carrying the football in his hand, and it almost seemed like he was really exaggerating his arm pumps to really test the mobility of that shoulder, and
it didn't look like he had any discomfort. So when you go from DMP Wednesday to limited Thursday, and it looks like he can run and carry the football full speed, if nothing else, he looks like he could be a decoy on Sunday and be able to play. Obviously, time will tell the rest of the week. The forty nine have a more physical practice on Thursday, a little more intensity, and then of course there's Friday to watch, so you know,
we'll continue to monitor the debo situation. But what an impact he has when he is in the lineup, yl Mar.
We know how different of a squad this is when Deebo's not there, the physicality go on. I love how they use a variety of guys though, right to go and fill in for him after he went down in that divisional round. Just kind of maybe three different players really playing different spots that Deebo does different things on the field. Let's go with a guy that's throwing the football to him, Omar And we heard from him at
the start of this segment. And Brock Purdy. What's the vibe right now with Brock Purty and kind of I don't know if the term is getting back on track. I don't know if there is confidence that is high. Where is the vibe with Brock Purdy because he did lead him down the field to win that game last week.
Well, they say they're confident in Brock purity, and I believe that to be the case. There's so much confidence heading into the postseason behind Brock and his MVP caliber type of regular season and just looking to build on that. And you can give a variety of reasons why he might have been off against the Green Bay Packers on Saturday. You can blame the wet balls and the rainy conditions that happen. You can credit the Packers defense for putting
together a game plan that made him uncomfortable. And he said they were taking away a lot of the deep shots early and maybe he was trying to force some of them. We saw the Darnell Savage missed interception, he said, affect him in a way that prevented him from, you know, being maybe as aggressive and being more tentative in that game as it unfolded. But then they all credit Brought Purdy for getting back on track himself and adjusting mid game and being able to lead that game winning touchdown
drive with six completions seven attempts. And then I asked Shanahan today, was that an encouraging sign that he was able to self correct or do you have to continue on that coaching point to take the checkdowns when they're in there. He says, there's no exact science to it. You just have to play the position. Just have to play football. It's not just Okay, they're covering deep, now you have to check down, or they're covering short, now you.
Have to go deep.
You just have to make those decisions.
And he said brock Purty has been the best quarterback that he's been around in making those decisions and executing that part of the offense. So they look to get that version of brock Pritty again.
On Sunday, you know, Omar I mentioned that the secondary doesn't really want to talk about brock Purty, but there are a couple guys that did give me some stuff on him. And I was having a conversation at the Lion's facility and we were talking about this whole mister irrelevant term, Like the only word they're using to describe brock Purdy in Detroit as they prepare for him is mister relevant. That's how much respect. So they're not buying
into all these narratives. When I talked to Alex Anzeloni, who's just such a superstar linebacker, and I heard Baldy break down this defense and he did it as.
He always does so well. But that guy's everywhere.
And he said, you know, basically, to me, we're not buying into the narrative that this guy can't make big throws. He gets the ball in space. We know what he does well. He gets the ball in space. He's extremely efficient, and those receivers are so good, perhaps best in the NFL, with those yaks, those yards after catch and when I had Kittle as we watch him here a few weeks ago against the Eagles, like he said, our bread and butter is yaks. I mean, that's where we make we bank,
we make a fortune on those. And so tackling in open space, Angeloni said, is obviously going to be critical. But they have so much respect for brock Party and think that you know, all this conversation that's happening out there, that he can make the big throws, and look what happened against Green Bay.
They A'm buying into it.
He could throw those daggers, as Dan Campbell talked about this week, and they're going in there.
Though, hungry.
They want to hit him, they want to break his rhythm, do it early and often in this game, to throw off some of that timing with those receivers.
You know, Stacy, I feel like brock Party and the type of player in person he is and the personality that he has would fit in in Detroit right with with their mentality. But they are of course very happy with Jared Goff, who is, to quote Dan Campbell, good
enough for Detroit. But just talking again about the the personality of this team, the grit, right, we talk about it a lot, and you know we've seen, you know, a lot of Dan Campbell's pitches to this team right about his his vision and his plan and all this, and it does feel like there's something tangible about those words,
which you know, by definition are very intangible. Like it feels like they are turning that plan and that vision into something that is real and that you can see transpire out there.
On the field.
Have you been able to put your finger on that?
Mm hmm.
It is real.
It's genuine too, Like the conversations I have, like with Allen McNeil, and if you guys haven't had a conversation with Alee McNeil. This is a superstar interior defensive lineman. He will give you sound bites to use for an entire Sunday football Sunday. He's that awesome. He said, you know there's a clip circulating right now. I think it's hard Knocks. He said, with Dan Campbell at training camp.
They just completed the padded practice and Dan Campbell is really imploring his men that they need to trust in him.
And Alien told me that we bought in, right.
They bought in last year to Dan Campbell and even when he took over with the kneecap stuff. But when he spoke to us that day after a brutal padded practice and said to us, trust me, trust the process. Alien was like, we were completely bought in like this guy. He said, when Dan Campbell talks to you, you listen and you believe it, and they all embody it. I mean it's real, but it's just so interesting. Like when you think about Kyle Shanahan and Dan Campbell and what
they've done right Omar with their teams respectively. Kyle Shanahan, you just believe in him, and that's when you get to this stage. You have to have that in leadership, and I think it shows up, you know, moments like.
This, Yeah, some of their qualities mirroring each other, and that they had the big breakout year in year three after laying a foundation the first couple of years. But you talk about that sense of physicality, the aggressiveness that Dan Campbell coaches with the forty nine ers, sense that Diamidor Lenore one of the more physical corners that the forty.
Nine ers have.
He told me yesterday he likes to be one of those tone setters. If you remember, he's the one that pushed Jordan Love a clean play, a legal play so far out of bounds. Then the very next play he
broke up a big pass with a physical hit. He said he knows that because of how Campbell is a former player, somebody who speaks as aggressively as he does, the Lions will come in here with that physical mindset because he knows if people are going to compete against the forty nine ers, they have to match that physicality. And then Brandon Ayuk telling me yesterday that this is the most aggressive defense that they'll have faced all season long.
Now there's a lot of feast or famine attached to that.
They'll give up.
Big plays, but they'll make big plays as well, and it's a matter of trying to get more big plays for the forty nine ers end than the Detroit defense in that matchup on Sunday.
Omar Stacey, you guys have your hands full, considering we had this entire conversation, this lengthy segment about this game, and we barely barely mention the name Jared Goff in this entire conversation. That's how many storylines we havert. You said it very abruptly, and then you went on to Dan Campbell and you went on to the messages out there. But that's how many storylines we have in this game, and that's everything we're looking at. That encapsulates everything Stacy
and Omar have to cover for this massive game. But Jared Goff, in the way he's playing like one of the best quarterbacks in all of football the second half of the year, I'll give him his credit because he is not on the show right now, is filling in for Steve Wich. Steve said halfway point, I believe Jared Golf is going to be in the MVP conversation at the end of the year, and you know what, he deserved to be the way he was playing down the stretch.
You guys, enjoy a beautiful one together in Santa Clara on Sunday. We have to talk to you after it. Stacey Omar appreciate it. Coming up, Baldy's gonna break down this man and his gorgeous eyes. What No, it's what Patrick Mahomes does with his eyes. It's what Lamar Jackson does with his feet that Baldy wants to break down. Next on the NFL Reports, Welcome back to the NFL Report. James Palmer, Rhett lewis with you. I have my popcorn
and that means it's Baldy's favorite films. Brian Baldinger joins us. Baldy, let's cut right to it, because we got ten minutes to break down the two biggest games of the season, and let's start with the number one seed in the AFC, Lamar Jackson. We saw what Demiico Ryans tried to do, which was essentially almost blitz him every single down to do whatever he tried to do in the second half to get after him. Lamar made some nice adjustments specifically
in that second half. How do you defend Lamar? What are we going to see from Spees Pagnolo in his group?
Well, we'll see something different for sure, But just to go back to Houston in that game because he was flawless in the second half. But you know the big thing was they had an answer for the blitz James. They knew where to go with it. He knew where his hot reads was. One time he backed up and he hit Zay Flowers for a first down. I mean that throw right there against Christian Harris, blitzing right up
the middle at him. You know he found the hot red and then look right here if you don't account for him, like this is a design quarterback draw right there, they just ran, you know, a route you run quarterback keeper until it's not a keeper anymore, and then you flip it to likely for the touchdown. I mean a lot of these are deceptives. There comes a blitz Jalen Petrie right there. You know they hit Jay Flowers right there,
right behind it. You know, every time they had an answer, you know they he ran the quarterback keeper right there on fourth and one. Right here is a touchdown run get behind. Stanley had an answer for everything that he did. Now Bade will be a little bit different. You'll disguise the blitzers. I think better. I think he'll blitz more off the edge than what we saw Houston do, so
it'll be different. But at the same time, I got to see if they can knock the Lamar off his stride because Houston couldn't do it, especially in that second half.
Yeah, on the flip side, while we're on the subject of answers, finding answers against Patrick Mahomes has been very difficult over the course of the last five plus years, Brian Baldinger for opposing defenses trying to deal with number fifteen for the Kansas City Chiefs, and of course that'll be the case for Mike McDonald and this Ravens defense
this week. But the one thing that like they can't really do a whole lot about is stopping Patrick Mahomes from identifying where he wants to go with the ball as quickly as he does. It's like it doesn't matter what you're trying to do. He knows where he wants to go and how he wants to get it there.
Balding, You're right, Rett, and you know, as a former quarterback, I think you can appreciate this well.
Think that just keeps showing up.
It was not just last weekgnainst Buffalo, but when he does either go play action turns back to the defense or the pocket collapses, and he's got a pull a little houdiniak and like right here, like his ability to go find receive rice on his throat and reset his eyes and then make a stick throw as soon as he finds them like that shows up all the time.
And so like this throw.
I mean, they that's seven cut right there, rhet They must run that play that in pregame warm up fifteen times. I mean, anybody that's watched kame and city warm up, they run that same seven cut here it is right here. They run that seven cut over and over again. They all line up. I mean, so it's it's just what they practice.
Like all the time. And then okay, but that's how you have to throw.
You have to throw that kind of timing into a spot against the defense that basically plays matchup zone and takes those away.
Baldy. When we jump over to the other game and we look at what Ben Johnson has been doing with I mean, I think any offensive coordinator would like that group of skill guys, specifically when they're lining up surrounding an offensive line like they have in Detroit. But the way he's dialing it up and the concepts that he's using. What has stood out to you most about the way he's been able to utilize these pieces that we might see on Sunday in Santa Clara.
Well, you know he's got his play chart there, But the thing that jumps out is how he utilizes certain plays informations based on down distance.
Where you're out in the field.
If the ball is on the left hash, maybe we'll put a Moan Ross eight brown on the right hash and let him work a whole bunch of the field. So wherever the ball is placed, it sort of starts his play call. And how they get matchups for Sam Laporta, where they might just do a simple short motion from the outside. You get him on the corner who's nine yards off, and make it an easier throw for Jared Goff. What they've done with Brock right in the deceptive way,
what they did to him last week. In addition, how they run the ball. Montgomery always starts it. Jamir Gibbs is always gonna come in second. And this guy right here I call the motown comment Jamison Williams.
You have to account for a speed.
You have to just account for the speed because he's gonna take the top off your defense and he's gonna make your safeties respect his speed. They don't throw them a lot, but it opens up a lot of things for Aman Ross Saint Brown underneath, uh throughout the season, and to you know, to Josh Reynolds as well.
You know what's even more scary to me is considering this Lions team and like their run is far from over and they wanted to continue into Las Vegas, you know, following this week. But as these head coaching gigs are starting to fill up a little bit, we talked about two of them at the top, Baldy Harbought of the
Chargers and Dave Canalis to the Panthers. If Dan Campbell gets Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn both back next year, my goodness, like this, I mean, look, I hope for both their sakes that they get you know, all the head coaching looks that they want and deserve, But my goodness, that would be incredible for Detroit. Speaking of Aaron Glenn, you know, his tenure as the DC has not been
without turbulence. Right, They've gone through some issues and worked their way through it, and I think something to be said for the patients there that Dan Campbell has showed and trying to get that thing right. But I think what's most valuable about what they do this year and maybe even in this matchup is the different ways that they can account for how offenses want to attack them.
Yeah.
I mean there's plays last week where they had four safeties on the field. You know, they had Chartsy Garterer who got Johnson and ifiat to Mela fan who out there. You know, in addition to Kirby Joseph. You know they'll play for safeties and down in distances, they will match your formations up with various personnel groupings. They blitz a great deal with if heat to Mela Fauanuho coming off the edge, He's an excellent blitzer. Kirby Josh with that
interception right there. Like their ability to mix a match with you, in addition to Alex Angelona who plays every single play, and then the way that they'll do things at the front. Last week on third and longs they played a three man front, they played four safeties, they played eight defensive backs. So they will max mix a match with you depending on game situation, down distance, parts of the field that you're in and so all those things.
I think Aaron can kind of play chess with the best of them right now because they have such flexibility with their personnel groupings.
Body, I want to throw this one at you. This is kind of a broader look at the four teams that are left, and I look at the linebacker position with the four teams that are left, and you look at you know, Rokwan Smith and the group that they have there. You look in Kansas City right now, Steve Spanola is putting Drew Trankwell and Nick Bolton, two mic linebackers on the field at the same time, and kind
of running things in a different manner there. We know the guys that line up in Santa Clara and then obviously the way you mentioned Angeloni and then the other guys to play there in Detroit. What do you think about that position specifically in what way we see these four teams are utilizing that spot that are left to playing.
Well if I was some of the teams on the outside looking in, like let's just say the Cowboys or the Eagles, where they don't seem to put a great deal of emphasis on the linebacker position. Derek Barnes closed the game out last week in an interception for Detroit. Rokwan Smith got traded for from Chicago and the day that he got to Baltimore is the day he took over the leadership ability at that position and the defense
changed the day that Rokwan got there. I mean, Fred Warner gets drafted in the third round out of BYU and literally the day he got there, he put the green dye on his helmet and he started every game since.
Like, there's something about all.
I mean, you see Drake Greenlong get two interceptions last week. I mean, these guys never come off the field. They play every every situation, goal line, third and thirty.
They're on the field. They never come off the field.
So if I'm on the outside looking in and I'm thinking, well, you can find linebackers anywhere, or we can just fill that position with big safeties, you can't. You can't play in the Final four right now without having great players at those positions. And sometimes you've got to pay those great players like Rokwan Smith. But Rokwan's made Patrick Queen better. I've talked to Fred Warner earlier this year, guys, and he was saying, you know, Baldy, this is my fifth
year of lining up with dra Greenlaw. Like, those two guys know each other as well as you can possibly know one another on the field. Like, that's five years of football with a lot of championship level games between those two guys who never come off the field for San Francisco.
Yeah, I mean look at it that that's one of the common threads the other offensive lineman and the emphasis and the valuable resources that have been spent by these four teams to fortify that group up front. I think is really important to look at both in the draft and free agency, different ways to go about it. But that's that's great context, great analysis for us as always,
Baldy Villa South, it's beautiful. Hope you get a little time in the ocean before Championship Sunday, and we will check back with you do and here on the NFL Report when I come. When we come back, I'm gonna give you guys some names to know from the East West Shrine Bowl, which kicks off on Thursday, and some intriguing facts I love about some of those names to know.
Get your popcorn ready.
Hey, it's James Palmer and you're listening to the NFL Report. Podcast along with myself and Steve Weish. But remember, if you want to see our beautiful faces, this is a show at seven fifteen Monday and Thursday. That's seven fifteen pm Eastern, and we are on the NFL app as well as fast streaming platforms. That's two B, that's Roku, that's Pluto, that's Peacock, all of those platforms as well as the NFL dot Com Slash NFL channel. Find us all of those spots.
So why am I holding an East West Shrine Bowl eighty.
Nine, Steve Smith Jersey is because, sir, what does that say? Right there? You are going into the East West Okay, Shrimee Bowl Hall of Fame before the game again February first, eight pm on NFL Network.
Congratulations to you, my.
Friend Mike Carafollow, Steve Smith to friends of the NFL report right there and hopefully Steve Jersey says Steve Smith Senior. There and look at this Thursday, eight pm East West Shrine Bowl and Rhett, you will be hosting, no not hosting, calling that game on NFL Network. So what we want to do is I told you I was going to keep my popcorn from when we were just chatting with Baldy and I want you to give me the five most intriguing storylines you have the inside goods on the
East West Shrine Bowl. Let's start with the running back out of UCLA. And this isn't just interesting stuff guys on the field, it's off the field as well.
Go yes, thank you.
Jane transferred from ball State, where he rushed for over fifteen hundred yards and fourteen touchdowns in the twenty twenty two season, spent this last year almost one thousand yards at UCLA. But you're going to love him because of his pet, which is a five Cardinals Steels pet alligator named Krocky J.
Not sure why Crocky.
Just the name, I mean crocodile Krocky. Well, I'm gonna find that out when I get a chance to talk to him in person. But he's had it since he was eight years old. His parents thought it would be a fun Christmas gift and yes, yeah.
Just like, oh hey, here's an alligator. But it's still with us. And Krocky J.
Is a big deal in the Carson Steel household back in Indiana, and so he is an absolute stud. Yes, yes, he's an actually ever anything like that his nicknames are four and Fabio Fabio bi of his hair or because he could lift the entire weight room like he is an absolute stud of a human being. Can't wait to talk to him, can't wait to see him on the broadcast Thursday night.
Love It, Love It. How about seven qbs you're going to have there? We got plenty of experience with these guys too.
Yes, and every single one of those seven quarterbacks from Devin Larry to Jordan Travis to Talia Tungo Bailoa and everywhere in between, have played at more than one school, okay, thus the transferental era of college football, and all seven
of them have played in more than forty games. So go back to Shrine Bowl alums of recent past, Brock Purdy, Aidan O'Connell last year, Dorrian Thompson Robinson last year, all guys who started games in the NFL this year and had that opportunity because of the experience they had in college. And so I can't wait to see which one of these seven quarterbacks with that type of experience can show us the ability to step into an opportunity if it presents itself in his rookie.
Year Okay, how about you guys catching the football. Taj Washington and Jaden Coker a couple of receivers to keep an eye on.
Apparently, Yeah, good ones here.
So Taj Washington is an interesting one here right here in Los Angeles where I live, home of NFL Network of course, James well usc guy, and in addition to being one of their top wide outs each of the last couple of years, Taj has become known as Chef Taj. In fact, he has his own YouTube channel where NFL report competition. Yeah sorry, yeah, you know, maybe no Huddle kitchen by the way, No Huddle Kitchen. Don't tell James and Steve uh go check that out at some point.
But he's also been a guest chef at a restaurant on campus, and dishes named after him are popping up all around Los Angeles like the dude's a legit chefs. So next time you're in town, will go see Chef taje Okay, he's also a really good love it can't wait to see him.
And then you mentioned Jalen Cocher, who you know.
We love the guys that come from the smaller schools and make a big name for themselves when the competition ramps up. That is the case in the Shrine Bowl for a guy who played at FCS Holy Cross and was a phenomenally productive wide receiver. But he has known James if he wanted to play in the NFL since he was a six year old playing flag football. And in fact, he was so good at sports that parents would come up to his mom, Jenny, and they were like,
we're gonna see your son playing on TV one day. Well, as it turns out, you're gonna see him playing in primetime on national television. Missus Cocher Thursday Night on NFL Network at eighties.
I love it. That used to happen to me at youth sports. How about Tarheem still the corner from Maryland, Real quick on him.
A ton of talent in the defensive back room in the last two years at Maryland.
You might remember Deontay Banks and Jacory and Bennett last year who blew up the combine with four three forty times. Both of them went first two days of the draft. Tealia Tunguebailoa, Tarheb's teammate, told me that Tarheb used to regularly beat them.
Those two dudes in races, so he's got the speed as well. Oh something.
I love it. I love it. Rhett has his hands full. I love it. That's the inside analys you should get from Rett Lewis when he subs in here and we host games, but you also get inside analysis from these two guys right here, James Palmer, Steve that's us Monday seven fifteen. Steve will be back, but definitely Rhet will be returning. I will tell you that. Rhett, thank you so much podcast joining me on this journey. This is also a podcast. As Rhett said, let's do it.
Guys.
You can always catch rhtt on Move the sticks by the way.