All right's still a few days away from Super Bowl fifty nine. But never a bad time to talk football. I never know where our next guest is. He could be in Hawaii, he could be in Germany. He could be golfing, he could be grinding on tape. I'll let him tell us, Scott Mitchell, where you're at.
Not a Thursday afternoon, just sitting in the living room on the couch. I'm actually building a studio, Spence, So wow. Yeah, I think I'm going to be joining the ESPN network of stations here in a couple of weeks.
Do you have something Do you have something you'd like to I was going to say, do you have something you'd like to announce to our audience and quite frankly all of us over here.
Yeah, So the old Sister station, I guess, I guess you'd call it that nine sixty. I'm going to be doing a show in the UH in the afternoon from one to two, so on that station. Yeah.
Do we have a name? Do we have a name in place? Scott?
I don't know. I'm thinking the hour of power, or the power hour, or the lunch hour, or because it's only an hour and I gotta you know, I got to swing for the fences with the hour. So I'm gonna I'm gonna bring the best to deepest cuts and takes and just fly off the rails for about an hour on the radio. That's what I'm gonna do.
I like it The Power Hour with Scott Mitchell. Let's do the Power Hour with Scott Mitchell.
I like that. Okay, all right, and you know what, Rail, you.
Know, you know what, Scott, Just for you, I'm gonna workshop some things tonight and I'm gonna send you a couple of ideas.
How about we do that.
I would love that. Okay, yeah, fireing, Let's do it well.
Very exciting, very exciting. All right, Scott, let's stock a little super Bowl. But before we get there, let's stock a little.
Let's stock a little conference champs Conference championship games, and then we'll move on. Let's start with Philly and Washington. We had you on last week. I thought you did a good job of articulating just how exciting you're one for commanders fans. Well with Jayden Daniels under center, I thought Philly would win, but I thought it would be close, and they smoked them. So takeaways NFC Championship, Philly moves on, Washington goes home.
Yeah, And and really it's football is about the trenches, and it always is. I mean, you can talk about the marquee players and the stars and the superstars, but it's it's the guys up front. And and Philadelphia might be the best team in the NFL up front right now on offense and defense. They had guys injured on their offensive line and they were they were still being very, very effective. And you know, on the other side of it, you have no rookie quarterback has ever taken their team
to the super Bowl. So it's it's a tall order. But when I hear stats like that, it just tells me it's about time someone did. And that that's kind of why I picked Washington, and I you know, I've just been so impressed with Jayden Daniels. But this fell Philadelphia team, Uh, it's they're gonna be a tough out.
They're they're really really athletic in the secondary, and they've just they've been like glue on on the receivers for the teams pretty prolific offenses, and they've they've really stepped up their game. And you know, It's going to be interesting to see how well the Chiefs handle that, you know, because it might take Patrick Mahomes doing a little running magic and he's done more of that into the playoffs and uh, but it's it's going to be a tough out.
And then you know sa Kwon Barkley, as you know, he's such a talent. And I've heard people say, oh, look, you know the the running back is now pack in the NFL, and and I don't. I don't believe that's necessarily true. What I believe is what is always the case, and that's talent. Talent always finds a way to rise to the occasion, no matter no matter what position where it is. And Sakuon Barkley is a special talent. And he's a guy that they figured out how to, uh,
you know, how to be explosive. And coaches in the NFL they don't care like they're just like, wherever I can find production, wherever I can move the ball, wherever I can have a mismatch, That's where I'm gonna go. And and they have that ability. And part of it is Jalen Hurts is a guy that can run as well as throw the football and and so there's just
an honest factor with him in the game. And you kind of saw that where they really played off of each other so nicely and so so they're they're gonna be tough offensively and and and you know they've been there before and and so they're not this moment isn't bigger than them for the Eagles. Uh, you know, it'll be. It's gonna be hard. It's gonna be hard for for Kansas City to actually win this game.
I always roll my eyes when I hear people say, well, the running back position is dead or the center position is dead in basketball, like you know, every you know, for for a long time, everybody's saying, well, if you do not have a six seven, six ' eight wing, dominant wing in pro basketball, you can't win a championship.
Small players, point guards don't move the needle. And then Steph Curry was like, oh yeah, I mean, ultimately, the top end talent, you cannot blanket a position by saying this position is dead because the top end talent at any position, Scott will always move the needle, running back, right.
Guard, whatever it is.
If you can have top end talent, then all the conversation about a position or group being dead is just dumb.
No, it really is. And it's a great point. I mean, these these athletes can't they can't go excuse me for being this body type or being this position type, and and it just it just how it's just how it is in the NFL, and they they just find a
way that that talent. And I'm you know, I'm sure the same thing is is the case in the And you know, you think of Michael Jordan coming along, and like they've never seen a player like Michael Jordan, and now you see a lot of players like that, and and and Steph certainly, you know, he he kind of changed the whole whole dynamic of of how the game's played and the position and and you know, it's it's it's really about I just remember early on in my
career and Gene Upshaw, who was the president of the Players Association, and they were trying to ratify this whole idea of free agency, and he just said, there's always going to be stars there, and they're just they're they're going to come from all different kinds of places and positions, but there's always going to be stars. And this league ultimately is driven by those stars wherever they come from.
And the league knows this. You know, they're going to promote the heck out of out of whoever is that is that star. And they don't they don't care what what position it is. I mean, you look at a guy like Taysom Hill, undrafted, but just the guy has talent and they figured out how to put him on the field. And quite frankly, Jalen Hurts who's in the super Bowl, was initially drafted because the Philadelphia Eagles thought
he was the next iteration of Taysom Hill. They drafted him to be kind of that specialized Swiss army knife guy. And lo and behold, he actually turns into a quarterback and Taysom Hill didn't, you know. So so the talent is one of those things. You know, Puka Nakua, who's one of the top receivers in the NFL, he it's because he's good and and and so there there's always a place, there's always a position, you know. You I
think another guy who's done that is Vilichick. And you you know, you get some of these, you know, Wes Welker's or Julian Edemans, and they go those guys are undersize, they can't play, and they go, no, they can. You put him in the middle of the field here and let them let their talent shine, and they'll get open and they'll catch the heck out of the football and they'll make your offense so much more explosive and dynamic
and productive. But it's just it's again, the NFL will find whatever nook and cranny, whatever position, whatever uniqueness it is, if you can play, you will stay.
Let me ask you, Yeah, you know that's good. That's good.
I just stay tuned one to two on our sister station coming soon, The Power Hour. Scott Mitchell, since I asked you about Jade and Daniels last week, let me dig into your thoughts on Jalen.
Jalen hurts so Philadelphia.
Last year, only Carolina, Chicago, and New England have fewer passing yards per game. Jalen was number ten in QBR. He's the last ranked quarterback of any qualified quarterbacks in the postseason in QBR. But for some reason, I still really like him. I feel like maybe I'm on an island here, but it's interesting that we have a team in the Super Bowl where the coach is in question. And the quarterback is in question, thought to be the two most important pieces of pro football. But what do
you like about Jalen? What bugs you as somebody played that position?
Well, I don't. I don't like Jalen Hurst. I love him, actually, and I'll tell you why. Here's a guy who went to Alabama, leads him to a national championship, goes back and gets benched in the national championship game for TUA, and then Stace doesn't transfer, doesn't pout, doesn't complain, takes his medicine, finishes out, and then goes to UH Oklahoma as a grad transfer and and really turns it around
because Jalen was not a good passer. And then he goes to the NFL and he goes, as I said earlier, as this novelty and then he can you know, he kind of converted himself into a guy could actually throw. And it to me, it was really remarkable because I really did think he was going to be like at Taysom Hill, where you know, he couldn't really throw that well, and and there are people that say, oh, maybe he
still can't do it. But the guys why I love him is because he's stuck through all of that stuff. He looked at where he was weak and he figured out how to make it actually a strength of his And he's a winner. He's he's been a winner. He's a guy I like these guys that you know have have kind of been through some stuff and got a little bit of a chip on their shoulder. And and he just feel like he's kind of that guy that like,
don't count me out. And and the worst thing you could ever do is like tell me that I'm no good, because I'm gonna I'm going to prove you wrong. And and that grit and that toughness is part of why this team is in the super Bowl and why they're there and why they can why they can win it. And he, I mean, he's got enough around him, I mean as a whole football team that you know, he doesn't have to be Josh Allen. He doesn't have to
be this superstar guy by himself. He's know, he having a second fiddle in uh Saquon Is has probably been a huge benefit to him. And yeah, I just I just wouldn't count out Jalen hurts it all.
Speaking of Josh Allen's go over to the AFC, championship game, and on Friday of last week, I said, I'm riding with the Bills.
It feels like it's Josh's time.
But I fully anticipate sitting on my couch on Sunday evening going you idiot, what are you doing?
And that's, uh, that's what happens.
So your takeaways of Kansas City just doing Kansas City things, finding ways to win, and what's your take now on yet another exit from Josh Allen and the narrative around him moving forward.
It's a tough one. And it's tough because I mean, Josh actually played pretty decent, uh, you know, in the game, and but you could just tell that that anchor still on his around his neck. You could see when the game got closed, or you know, they'd show visions of him on the sideline. You know, most most guys are
like stone face. You know, they don't give you any expression and you can just feel the worry or they're like, oh my goodness, here this goes again kind of thing, and and it kind of impacts your your your ability to play because that last drive when they just really needed it, whether it was calling plays or what they were doing. Uh, you know, it just it was kind of it was playing kind of small, you know, it's
almost almost tentative. Uh, you know, Kansas City goes, look, we're gonna There were two different plays and two critical situations. One where Patrick Mahomes rolls out and actually runs for the first down. And then there was another play that's really it's a zone and a man concept and and that you know something that that they you know, called probably a million times, and he throws the ball to the back out of the backfield and it's it's the clincher.
And and Nannie Reads talked about this and every code, you know, every play they have these plays, you know, for those situations like, you know, unveil your best play in that critical situation. And one that's you know, it's instead of well, let's just run our quarterback for a quarterback sneak three or four times. And and so I just I think in order for Josh Allen to get over that hump, there's got to be more play to win.
You know, damn the torpedoes full speed ahead. You've got to be more bold and more creative in some of the things they're actually doing. And hopefully it will because he's you know, he's a really good talent, and they're a really good team, and they're really close, and it's just unfortunate you have to play Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes at their very best. That's that's hard to hard to get over.
Speaking of that, we'll move over now to Super Bowl fifty nine Caesar's Super Dome, New Orleans, Louisiana, and it's a rematch of a game a couple of years ago that felt like Billy was on their way and then Kansas City, you know, they did what they do, They came back and they wanted again in Kansas City is a slight favorite. I thought this line would move and it hasn't at all. Uh for the for seventy two hours now it's the Chiefs minus one point five the
over unders forty nine point five. What you gotta tell you, Scott about this game coming up on Sunday the ninth.
And I'm sure that slight advantage is just because of the experience of Patrick Mahomes and and and Andy Reid, and they just they just understand. It's almost like they you know, they just expect to be there and this is just just this normal territory for them. Winning a super Bowl is really hard, and winning a second one is harder, probably the hardest thing to do. And and now the third one is you know, it's it's kind of house money. It's like who cares at this, you
know this point. So there's I don't think there's any pressure on Kansas City extra. I know a lot of people are going to make a big deal about a free peat because you know, it's never been done in ball, But I just don't think it's really gonna bother them. They both of these teams are are pretty complete, you know, on both sides of the ball. And I just, you know, I just I just feel it's going to be a good game. I don't think anyone's gonna get blown out
of this game. I don't think the Eagles are going to be like overwhelmed, you know, or intimidated or or anything like that. I feel like there's energy and you know, gas still in the tank for the Chiefs, because that's an emotional thing to go through and win seventeen games in a row, not just seventeen, but in a row by one point one score or less. That just kind of, you know, after a while, gets on your nerve. You
think of that old gunslinger. You know, he's been in that gunfight so many times that now he just he just kind of has this little tremble to him or or you know, saving Private Ryan. You know, for a while, it just you get the yips, you know, you get you know, it just the nerves just they just take over and they and it doesn't feel that way for the Chiefs. They feel like, cool, we got a chance to win. We know how to do this at the
end of the game, and they do it. And so I just I feel like something in me just says this is going to be just a really good football game and something that a lot of people will win. And I really think it's just going to come down to at the end of the game, you know, who manages the best and who who can find that way to just get that drive, that one drive laid in the game that seals the deal. That's what I really think this whole game is going to come down to.
All right, Scott, before I set you loose, get ready the way too early. Twenty twenty five, twenty twenty six twelve team CFP projection from Bill Conley of ESPN with his sp plus data and out of the Big twelve representing the conference in Bill Conley is the University of Utah in the twelve teams CFP next year. Give me a Scott Mitchell hot take on that.
Well, the covers weren't there, you know, I think it felt that way. I mean, there was just a painful season. Utah was in every game pretty much, even the Colorado game that got away from him in the end. They were they were it was a it was a it was a winnable game until you know, they just kind of could get nothing going offensively. So you have a defense, it's going to be good. It was really good last year. It's going to be as good, if not better again
this year. And then and then you just add some offense, you know, just just find some production offensively. And and I really like what I really like, uh, Jason Beck. I've had a chance to talk to him, you know, quite extensively, actually, and I like what he's all about. I like his his style, his philosophy, and and and Coach Whittingham is putting him in a position to really implement what he knows, what he believes, and he's got
his quarterback that he believes. So so there's not even though that you have these new players coming into the program offensively, they're not new to what's going to be going on, so so you're really you're not going to have that longer like learning curve that you would if you just brought a bunch of athletes in off the street and they go, Okay, we're gonna you know, if you're way ahead when the quarterback knows the offense very well, and uh, and then these other people can come along
and and and there are some players offensively, they have some weapons. They're going to play to who they are and what their strengths are. And the Utah gets any kind of offense next year, they're gonna they're definitely gonna be competitive and can win every single game they play in next year. So I don't think it's that far fetched actually.
All right, all right, I love it, Scott. Thanks for the time, buddy. You have a great week and weekend and get you on soon. Okay, all right, all right, Scott Mitchell. Before we catch break, I want to tell you about my friends at Prize Picks best place to get real money sports action, with over ten million members and billions of dollars in awarded winnings. Prize Picks has
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