Welcome in What Draven nick Wright Episode four oh nine, our final episode of twenty twenty five. Twenty twenty five has been an unbelievable year for the podcast. We partnered with the volume Demons became a father, we added all these great new sponsors, and we really hope twenty twenty six is even better. It is also our second to last show of the year. Did I say it was our last? It's our second last. We have the gambling
show coming to you tomorrow. Last week we saw the real perils of doing an NFL gambling show on Tuesday Wednesday heading into the weekend. But despite the results, I don't mind the process. This week we are tweaking it a bit as Week eighteen as always tricky, but that is coming your way tomorrow. We hope everyone had a wonderful Crew Smith's wonderful holiday season as we get ready for New Year's to Monse. I was telling you before, I keep having dreams about your daughter. She's about to
turn two months old. She'll turn no, two months, she's about.
Two months, like almost a week exactly, in.
Just over a week, and my subconscious must think that she's way ahead of the developmental curve. Because with them, my dreams involved her walking around and talking to me. So I I mean, well, I assume Listen, I'm sure she's going to be smart, and I'm sure she's gonna be athletic since you and her mom were both college athletes. But I just what, what I am really trying to get to evidently is her turning into a full blown person with a personality, and that's going to take a
few months my subconscious to accelerate that process. But we have a ton to do today. We have a loaded show after an insane week seventeen, and this morning one of my favorite things, the NFL Hall of Fame finalists came out, So we will get to all of that, and there's always This show is brought to you by our friends at boost Mobile, and we bring you straight to Voicemail presented by boost Mobile. Yokic left last night
with what looked like a scary knee injury. Now I don't want, as they say in the Poker world, ride the broom on this, but it looks like the preliminary reporting is he avoided disaster that they think it might just be a hyper extension with no real damage. That obviously is season changing and more than season changing. When you're talking about the best player in the league who is just days off of a fifty six fifteen and fifteen so and a guy who's never been hurt, a
guy who's been incredibly durable. It was shocking to see him go down and it made me think, like, have I ever really seen this guy in pain? And I like where he really looks like something something got hurt and I couldn't remember it. So ob Be our great producer, Daniel is a diehard Nuggets fan. Uh, he's holding his breath,
but it seems like dating everything's gonna be okay. Uh. Luca leads NBA All Star fan voting and Bron turns forty one today, which means the numbers are in in his age forty year of basketball and he was twenty five, seven and seven from his fortieth birthday until today. Pretty solid. I understand that some folks would like to make the story of the Lakers, you know, swoon over the last
few weeks that they have a Lebron problem. I would argue, if the plan was ever have the guy with seventy thousand minutes in year twenty three who just turned forty one be our primary lockdown defender. That's probably a roster build problem. Speaking of roster build and like rate, subscribe review to our channel would be a wonderful New Year's.
Gift for us.
Did I I didn't even tell you, guys, I do this very quickly before I get to the football that I didn't even tell you when I was out there, that I talked to Polinka.
No, when I was in a game.
When I was in the game, that's INSI when we were at the game the day after because I have been very critical of Rob Bolinka, some would say mean, and when we were at the game the day after Thanksgiving, he walked right in front of me and didn't like was looking the other way, and I was just like, ah, I was like Rob, and he turned around and saw me and was clearly just my read on it a little taken aback, and I did what I always do, which is made things awkward because I don't want people
to ever say that guy's a coward. So he came over and I was like, hey, man, nice to finally meet you. Congratulations and he said, oh, thank you. And I could have left it at that, but I, yeah, exactly, but so I could have just left the congratulations, but I didn't, and I was like, listen, maybe you know, maybe you don't. I've been very critical, but congrats. I
was like, I was like, but congrats. You know, I don't think I said you got Luca, but I just kind of motioned over to the team, which at the time was rolling and I still think, you know, he is in a really good position. And he was like, oh, thank you for that, and I was like yeah, and I was And that was that. But that was my
Rob Polinka interaction. Now there is this small chance that he had no idea who I was, or that he had no idea I'd been very family talking about right, Yeah, that would have been super funny if he really had no clue who I was, just that I was just a fan where critical but uh but yeah. So uh there's our NBA talk for today as this will be an NFL heavy show, and again, please if you could subscribe on YouTube it really helps us, and definitely on
iTunes and or Spotify. Don't need to do both. Also demand say do you oh no, that's just a light.
I thought you had something in your thought like a little here.
No, okay, no, okay, there you go you were, I talked about your daughter walking and talking and made me try.
It's unbelievable.
All right, let's talk about last night's football game.
All right. So Bijon rolled through the rams last night. In the upset, Stafford messed himself up a little bit, dropped to number two in MVP. He's at plus three hundred. Drake May's now at minus four point fifty after his three interceptions. How do you think last night impacts the MVP race?
So I think last night Drake May won the MVP and I do not like that at all. And it is not because I don't like Drake May. I said on this show and on the TV show two months ago that there aren't five guys in the league. I'd rather have it quarterback than Drake May. And that's not just moving forward. That is right now this moment, I think he is. I been telling Wilds all year, how legit, how much I do believe in Drake May, and he
is having an unbelievable season. And it is not as if him winning MVP I would find it to be a travesty or an outrage. That's not my issue at all. My issue is MVP has slowly started to turn into December Player of the Month amongst the MVP candidates. And I don't like that we saw this there have been listen. Twenty eighteen, MVP Mahomes was a no brainer. He ran away with it. Twenty nineteen, MVP Lamar was a no brainer. He ran away with it. Twenty twenty it was a
two man race, Rogers and Mahomes. I thought it should have been Mahomes Rogers. There was no issue with that. That was a two great candidates. You know, Mahomes rested at the end of the year. Rogers won it fine. Twenty twenty one, Rogers and Brady. It was a legitimate argument. Rogers won, and twenty twenty two, Mahomes ran away with it.
There was no question those MVPs were relatively easy. Twenty twenty three was the first year I saw this phenomenon happen, which was there wasn't a clear cut favorite throughout the year, and then in December two MVP there were games amongst
the MVP candidates, Dak Purty and Lamar. And if I have it correct, and I'm gonna double check to make sure Dak Law, I thought, Dak you know, as far I thought Christian McCaffrey had the best argument for MVP that year, but it doesn't really matter, Like, that's not the point. Dak played poorly in a December game to Buffalo, and people were like, well, he's out. Now it's between Lamar and Brock Party, and then Lamar and the Ravens annihilated the Niners in Party and it was just like, Okay,
Party's out, now it's Lamar's MVP. That's that. And we ended up that year giving MVP to a guy. And again this is not anti Lamar, I promise because if we didn't get Lamar had a better case last year than he did the year before. But Lamar in twenty twenty three was fifteenth in the NFL in passing yards and eleventh in the NFL in passing touchdowns, and while he had an awesome passer rating, it was fourth in the league. He did not have MVP numbers, but he
had the MVP December and so he won it. And then last year, Lamar had been the MVP really all year long, but Josh Allen had the moment against the Chiefs, the sixth touchdown game and a loss to the Rams.
And.
He had the finishing surge and because of that he was the MVP. And this year, from start to finish, Matt Stafford's been the MVP of the league. If we look at if you take this season, demonte and put the sixteen games each guy is played, and you reorder them randomly, and you do that one hundred different times with one hundred different orders as far as the order of the games, and then stack up the MVP seasons. I think Stafford wins MVP eighty five out of one
hundred of those reordered seasons. But because Week seventeen Drake May he throws five touchdowns and Week seventeen Stafford has one of his two bad games that he's had all year, it's now going to be betting wise, it's over and conventional wisdom wise, Drake May won the award even though Stafford has thrown for more yards, has thrown for twelve more touchdowns, has taken twenty five fewer sacks. They have the same number of interceptions. Now Drake Man's a slightly higher passer rating.
One more game too.
No, they played the same number of games.
No, And I'm saying, okay, yeah, fair enough. What do you mean? I guess they've they've both played their Week seventeen game. I was gonna say they've got one more game. It's not locked up, But going into the tea yesterday I would have easily given it to Stafford the Pigs.
No, I mean they both have a they both they both have a Week eighteen game. By the way, do my lights just get really weird? Uh? Okay, can I fix that? I don't know how the hell that happened. I'm gonna keep talking to you guys. Oh, now it's better. I don't even know what. I didn't even touch anything. I don't know what just happened. That was really weird. I looked like I was glowing for a moment. The bright lights is not a good look for me. I
need very just regular warm lighting. No, I I just don't. It feels to me like MVP is slowly moving towards who's hottest at the end of the year, and I don't love that. And I just think Stafford And this is where I do think when it comes to league MVP,
it's totally fair to pick nints. I think the fact that Stafford has done it in the league's toughest division against a brutal schedule where they have played Houston, phil the Niners, Jacksonville, the Niners, Seattle, Seattle again those seven teams, and I'm that's just me listing the teams they have played that have locked into the playoffs, not including games at the time that we thought were big like Indie Baltimore, Tampa Bay Carolina where he didn't play well Detroit.
And Drake Mayor just had his five touchdown game against the Jets.
And again he's still he was. I'm not gonna neck that game. He was perfect in it, and I think he's an awesome player, but I just don't love that. It feels to me this is I guess my general take. It feels the last three years. This is the way the MVP has been done. The first three months of the year are to determine who the actual candidates are and then the award is given based off who has the best December. And I don't love that, and it feels like we are And by the way, Stafford Thursday
night against Seattle, Stafford was unbelievable. That was his second most recent game. They scored thirty seven points, He threw for four hundred and fifty seven yards. He had three touchdowns against that defense and now the team blew it at the end. My lights just did that thing again. I don't know what's going on. We're just gonna the take it to camera now.
Dropped two in a row, yes.
But uh, I know they dropped two in a row, but one of them was one of them was a thirty eight to thirty seven win, all right, thirty eight thirty seven loss. And so I just it is very diff difficult for and I know Drake Man the great comeback against Baltimore, I just don't it doesn't sit right with me that it feels like it's becoming a glorified December Player of the Month. So that's where So right now, my vote would be for Matt Stafford. I don't think
he's gonna win it. And I also think we've talked about this all year that man, it is crazy how thin these margins are in sports. But is there an argument that not tackling Rashid Shahied on the punt return in the fourth quarter last Thursday night is going to cost Matt Stafford a spot in the Hall of Fame?
Maybe because if they win that game and they are sailing to the one seed, I happen to believe if they win that game, they'd come out more ready to play last night because they know we control our destiny for the one seed rather than being locked out of it, as they knew going into last night that they were locked out of the one seed. And I think you
saw that lack of attention to detail early. If they're the one seed and Stafford has the exact same numbers, but in a win, he is going to win MVP and maybe and they are the huge favorite to that moment to win the Super Bowl, and this now impacts the Rams are now demands in a very interesting spot in this regard, and this impacts whether or not we want to bet them this weekend. Here is the situation
for the Rams. If the Niners beat Seattle on Saturday night, the Rams are the sixth seed, locked into the sixth seed, no matter what they do against Arizona. The sixth seed means you're either going to Chicago or to Philadelphia cold weather January road playoff games. That is, if the Niners beat Seattle, the Rams are locked into the six If Seattle beats the Niners, then the Rams can be the five seed if they beat Arizona, and so whether or not they have anything to play for will be will
depend on what happens Saturday night. I still think on a neutral site, I like the Rams better than any team in the league. But McVeigh has not and his Rams teams have not been great in cold weather against good teams, and their road just got so much harder over the last couple weeks. Today's show is brought to you by representing sponsor hard Rock Bet, Florida Sportsbook, and the official sportsbook partner of your favorite Florida teams like
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with it. Gambling problem, Call one eight hundred gambler Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia. All right, deman' say I gotta get on a soapbox here for a minute, So go ahead.
Uh yeah, we now have a half day decade sample of the seventeen game season fourteen game playoff. You said you wanted to talk about this. Do you have some gripes yet?
Well, so they expanded the season shortly after COVID. They expanded the playoffs during COVID, and it stuck with it. I don't love this. I think sixteen game season was better, but I understand everything's always expanded like that is a that is a fight that's not going to be won, and this other one probably isn't either, but I want to get on the record on it, and I've advocated in the past for the seventeen game season via the
international week, so I don't have a huge problem with it. Now, though, that we have a half decade of the expanded playoffs from six teams a conference to seven teams a conference, I think the jury should be in that it was better at six teams of conference. Because anything in life, not any that's too That's what we're stating. Most things in life are improved by a little exclusivity, by a
little bit of man. You could be good, you could be deserving, you could do things right and still be left out, which makes getting in all the more rewarding and gratifying in the greater reward. And when you look at the playoff field this year and what has turned into a pretty ah Week eighte it is because every team that is worth a damn is gonna make the playoffs.
And under the six team playoff field demonse per conference twelve team field, the Bills would be in a situation where we're headed into Week eighteen on the outside looking in, where we have to beat the Jets and get help. The Chargers would be in a situation where they've overcome all this, had this great year, but because they couldn't take care of business against Houston, they have to go win in Denver in week eighteen.
Sorry, they don't like.
No, no, no, that's I'll do it for the whole league.
It's not that, no, no, I get what you're saying, but like the.
Well, I'm just I'm looking at the seven and the sixth seed. I the it's it's really it is absolutely not that. It's that last week's Every game down the stretch, run the last last week and this week has felt okay, they're playing for seeding, but no one was playing for their lives. The Because of the expanded playoff field, the Packers can sleep walk on defense through a game against Baltimore because they know they're going to be in the
playoffs anyway. At nine to six and one, they're locked in, as opposed to the Packers having to win that game to then hope to win this week and have pressure on the Bears to not fall like it again. Every single team that is any good is in the playoffs. That's too much. You want there to be a team or two that was good but not good enough. Every single team in the league this year, with the possible exception I guess of Pittsburgh. If Pittsburgh loses this weekend
that is above five hundred will make the playoffs. That's too much. If the Steelers win this weekend, then every team in the league that finished above five hundred will make the playoffs. That's not what you want, and there would be there should be real stakes to the only Week eighteen games that feel like they have massive stakes are divisional games because the division is terrible. The NFC South and the AFC South. That's it. I'm sorry, the
NFC South and the AFC North. But under the six team format, Texans, Chargers, Bills would all know if we don't win this weekend, we could be out and one of us will be. Under the old format, the Packers would have felt going into this Saturday, if we can win this game, then we can set up where Week eighteen, if Chicago trips up, we're in and they're out and so and there is an added benefit. And I'm actually glad the Chiefs are not a part of this because
people would assume this is a Chiefs thing. The second part, it also was more fair when there were two buys per conference when the one and the two seed gotta buy. The Broncos and the Pats have been start to finish this year, the two most consistent best teams in the AFC. They are likely both going to go fourteen and three. The Broncos reward is going to be they get a buye, home field advantage, all of it. The Patch reward might be the Bills in round one the and that's not
how it should be. And again that just because the way it used to be. I don't know, see the winner of the NFC West is going to get a buye. I personally, I don't think you have, Like this is a year where another NFC team definitively deserves one, but Chicago and Philly going into this weekend feeling like, man, we can get a bye, get some rest and all of that, as opposed to going into this weekend feeling like how important is this game really? I just don't
love it. And so I don't mind the seventeen game season, but the playoff field was better when it was more exclusive and when good teams got left out, like it's if you go back. I mean, the most famous example is probably two thousand and seven two thousand and seven, or sorry, two thousand and seven, two thousand and eight. The eleven win New England Patriots eleven wins absent Tom Brady obviously did not make the playoffs. The there were good teams. That was just like, man, you had, you
had a hell of a year. You should be proud of yourself. Not good enough. The nine and seven teams missed them all the time, obviously, but you would have with some regularity ten win and sometimes didn't happen. A lot eleven win teams miss and that's just never gonna happen again. And that to me. We had the in twenty fifteen, the ten win Jets missed out, twenty fourteen,
the ten win Eagles missed out. Like the pressure the yeah, I just I And it makes the end of the season feel like it just has a little more stakes to it, which I personally enjoy. The twenty ten the Giants were a couple of years removed from winning the Super Bowl. The Giants and Tampa in twenty ten both won ten games, neither made the playoffs in the same conference. I just think that was a superior UH set up and it would have made Week eight. It would make
Week eighteen a matt like Bill's Chargers. Texans, you if you're the Chargers this week and again, and then I'll stop ranting about it. If the Chargers felt like we had, Like if we're sixteen playoff and the Chargers be like, well, the Bills are going to beat the Jets, so they're gonna get to twelve wins, and the Texans are playing Riley Leonard and the Colts, they're probably gonna get to twelve wins. We're gonna be out of the postseason if we don't go to Denver and win. That then makes
Denver have to obvious. Denver's playing for the one seed matters to them. The Patriots all of a sudden, they're like, holy moly, you know we are alive for the one seed. The Jags say, well, if Denver loses were just one, you know we can jump up to the two. It's just the exclusivity is good. All right, Let's talk about that Eagles Bills.
The Eagles escape Buffalo with a win despite not completing a pass in the second half. The Bills had a chance Josh Allen kind of whipped on the two point conversion. With the playoffs coming up. Who was this game more alarming for.
I think it was more alarming for Philly as far as the quality of their team, but it was super alarming for Buffalo as far as their path. Now, right, had Buffalo won, they're gonna be They're alive for the division.
But they again would need the Pats to lose to Miami, which could happen, but I don't think it's likely, but there were the Bills would then be in a position beat the Jets were the five seed, we get whatever fraudulent team comes out of the AFC North, and we'll see if Josh Allen and this Bills team can get its first ever road playoff victory. Now they're in a spot where Round one demons they are playing either in
New England or in Jacksonville on the road. The entirety of the playoffs and their path just got so much harder. And the other thing on the Bills that I will say is this because we just have the fare is fair. And you guys know how highly I've talked of Josh Allen this year early the last couple of years. He's got to be better. In that game, I thought the fumble was a bad call, but you can't stand there and argue about it rather than chase after the fumble.
That's the first point. You got your offensive lineman running thirty yards downfield. You're standing there yelling at the rev. That's the first one. The taking the twenty yard sack, knocking you out of field goal range when that field goal would have mattered. That was bad. And he just missed the game winning play. It was open, It was not that hard of a pass. He just missed it, and that game mattered for them. And so you guys, I've talked a lot, so I don't have to do
too much more on it. How much pressure I think is on the Bills this year. We have We have not talked about McDermott or Allen in these in like this, because the Ravens have been struggling, The Chiefs are out, the Bengals are are out. But man if demonds, the Bills end up with the sixth seed, which that's what it looks like they're going to be, and they go to Jacksonville and lose. Man I wonder or if Sean McDermott survives that like we the we haven't if they
go one and done by losing to the Jags. Even though I think the Jacks are really good, it feels like it when the all the other veteran excellent quarterbacks the field is, you know, are removed from the field. Then you this had this has to be the Bill's moment. Now, I did think their defense was excellent, and the defense has been the question mark about the team on Philly. I don't know what people want me to say. I
they had negative passing yards and a half. Demon's for the third time this season, so they have played two halts teams. Literally, No, they're the only one. You played thirty two halves of football. Three of them you had negative yards passing one in ten. That's insane the end.
No, it's just really weird.
He Yeah, and then you got Sirianni yelling at the Bills fans in the tunnel. AJ Brown's clearly annoyed by him. It's I understand they win, and I I feel like winning in Buffalo, which has been happen It's happened twice in the last two years that a team's gone to Buffalo and win should be like an unimpeachable type of victory.
But that wasn't unimpeachable. They're up thirteen to nothing and then game seventeen second half yards as a team and negative yards passing, And so I we'll see how everything falls seating wise, because they could be the two or the three. And if they're the two, they get the Packers, but if they're the three demons, they get either the Rams or the Niners.
Yeah, and I.
Like either of those teams to go to Philadelphia and win. I understand the weather could be a factor, and but I just feel like those teams have been so much more consistent throughout the year and they don't go through these just inexplicable, indefensible droughts. And and listen, aj Brown was not wrong. His delivery might have been wrong the way he did it, all of that, but his concerns were correct. This the offense has been an issue all year long, and Saquon can't save them. So I I
don't know how you know. On one hand, they're the first defending NFC's champion to win it again in more than twenty years to the defending Super Bowl champion. They just went to Buffalo and one. On the other hand, we just watched that game, and man, that offense goes through droughts the likes of which no other even average team does. All right, let's talk Niners Bears.
Uh party, He's peaking three hundred yards, three touchdowns without all his guys. He had five touchdowns in the game before you were gonna end the party debate after back Jones came in earlier in the season bought out, you know, assistant quarterback stuff. How close are we to reopening that conversation? I got to save Brock parties looked amazing, He's looked great.
There is there is no argument. I mean, he's at back to back five touchdown because he had three touchdowns through the air in two. He's running, He's been awesome. I it is maddening to me that we are somehow, I'm just in an endless loop of me making statements that seem unprovable about the Niners quarterback situation. They then get proven and folks still saying I'm wrong like that that Which is this the Jimmy the original statement, Jimmy Garoppolo,
don't care that he wins. He's not very good. Oh but look at how he wins that he they went to a super Bowl with him. My statement, I think if you dropped any starting caliber quarterback in his spot with that team, they would perform at that level.
You think in the last two games would have like, okay, ahead.
Just hold on. Just They then put literally the last pick of the draft in Jimmy Garoppolo's spot. He performs at an even higher level. They go back to a super Bowl and people are like, see, Nick, you were wrong, Like wait, what didn't we just saw it? Then brock Purty has this run prior to this season. They go to the Super Bowl, we were like, give him more credit, Nick, I'm like, I listen, he's he was underdrafted. He's clearly
a starting caliber quarterback. He might even be good, But I think most of the credit should go to the Avengers on the team. They're like, well, what do you want? You want to see him do it without those guys. I'm like, well, he probably won't ever have to, but yeah, if he did it without those guys, they didn't have
a season where all those guys are hurt. The team goes in the tank and I'm like, see the thing that we didn't think we'd be able, this is the second time the thing we didn't think we'd be able to test we tested, And I was right, We're like, no, it's not fair. This year comes out, he's out for two months, a guy that everyone agrees is not a good quarterback, Mac Jones steps in, looks awesome, the team wins. I'm like, oh, another test, and then Bertie comes back
is better than that guy? And we were like, see, Nick, you're an idiot. I don't know what people want me to say here. Now. Do I think mac Jones is as good as brock Purty? Obviously not. Do I think mac Jones could have done what brock Purty did the last two weeks? No? Do I think brock Purty is proving himself to be a pretty good NFL quarterback? And
does that surprise me? Yes, all of those things. But all the folks arguing with me two months ago when I said, see this is why I wouldn't have necessarily paid Purty fifty three million. We can get that level of production from mac Jones, we're quietly agreeing with me, which is why they stopped arguing with me. And now he's on this heater, and certainly if he's playing at this level, he's worth fifty million dollars. I don't think
this level is sustainable. But he's been great. But my biggest thing is and I know people, and I've done it to myself, so I'm not whining. Look at me as a party hater. But the other way to look at it is I just want the right people to get credit. And the story of this Niner season is not a Rock Purty story. He has played half the games. The story of this Niner season is about two people
more than anybody, Kyle Shanahan and Christian McCaffrey. McCaffrey who has been available and used like a pack mule all year and Shanahan, who has been in his bag to even by his standards, an insane degree. That's the story of the Niner season. Now, the story of the last two weeks, Isy has been utterly brilliant, and I give him credit, but I don't. I can't. I feel like I'm in a time loop on the Niners quarterback arguments, and I keep throwing out their things that I believe,
but I'll never be able to prove. And then somehow we get real life samples of it. Replace Jimmy Garoppolo with mister irrelevant. See what Purty looks like without his star players? See it? What if you dropped mac Jones in the Niners offense what it would look like, and every single time it looks exactly like I say it would. And then people are like, Nick, You're still wrong. I just I'm gonna lose my mind, all right, Go ahead with some follow ups.
You think that Shanahan should win Coach of the Year at plus one point fifty at number two and Cee mc at Offensive Player of the Year at plus two seventy five. They're both numbers.
Yeah, who's number one for both of those? Because those would be my picks. I think Shanahan's been coach of the year. Oh, you know, Christian McCaffrey should win often to play the year over js N as good as jays N's Christian McCaffrey is are the most important non quarterback in the league this year and rave Will's favorite for the other one. No, I would give it to Shanahan and Christian McCaffrey.
The Niners they're playing for the one seed on Saturday. How alive for a real run at the title? Do you think they are? And do you think this should have been a Sunday night football game?
No, I'm I'm fine with the winning you're in game, being Sunday Night football. They want Raven Steelers, Rogers, Lamar. It's fine, and it might not be Lamar.
And I think we're gonna's I mean, yeah, we'll get to that.
We'll get to the Lamar stuff. All Nick's a hater. Nick doesn't know what he's saying about Nicks making things up. Uh I told you so, guys. But let's stay here for a minute.
Uhud, he's hurt. The Okay, we'll get to it. Well, we'll we'll get to the Lamar stuff. The I don't think the Niners defense should be good enough to win a Super Bowl, but with the way the offense is playing, and the with the way the offense is playing, and if they win on Saturday, getting the buye and having all the games come through Santa Clara, obviously they've got a great shot at it. I'm shocked by that. And that speaks what I was saying about Shanahan and McCaffrey
and how will party has been playing. All right, let's talk Bears just for a second.
After it Bears, after Atlanta defeated the Seat after no, oh, yeah, I'm sorry. I was like, what on the Bear side Caleb had a shot to win at the end, but he came up short. Is this a team that you feel comfortable with bed money onto.
The playof listen. I think there's been a great year for Chicago, and I think that if they win against Detroit and get the two seed, I think they'll beat the Packers in round two. In round one, their defense has just as many questions as the Niners. And while Caleb I think was awesome in that game, I don't. I think they're probably a year away from real contention now. It doesn't mean they can't do it, but it would
surprise me. And so if they now, if they fall to the three and they have to play one of those NFC either the Niners again, obviously they can win that game, but that would be tough, or the Rams, I don't think i'd like them. I certainly wouldn't pick them against the Rams, and I might not pick them against the Niners. But this is a great year for Chicago no matter what. The NFC playoff field, just the three NFC West teams, Chicago and Philly, it's a tough field,
all right. Now we can do NFC South.
So yeah, after Atlanta, of setting the Rams. The Panthers Bucks race a little bit more complicated. If the Falcons win next week this against the Saints, Tampa Bay will be out. So it's totally possible that your two Super Bowl picks don't make it to the playoffs.
Yeah, I know. So the Falcons winning was a big problem for Tampa because it's no longer as you explained, a winning your end situation for Tampa against Carolina, because now it's weird because the Falcons can't win the division, but they can get to eight and nine, which is because the Bucks just keep losing awful games. That's where the Bucks would finish if they beat Carolina, and if it if it's a two way tie between Tampa and Carolina, Tampa gets it. If it's a three way tie, Carolina
gets it. So here's the What the Bucks have done since the start of the year is unacceptable on so many levels. Since starting five and one, they have two victories a good win in New Orleans to get to
six and two. So I really should say that since starting six and two and then a skin of their teeth win against a terrible Cardinals team while losing to the Patriots, getting blown out by the Bills getting blown out by the Rams, a bad loss at home to the Saints, giving a game away to the Falcons, a terrible loss to the Panthers where Baker threw a pick at the end, and a lost to quinn Ewers and
the Dolphins. It is unforgivable for Tampa to need help, to need to win and get help to make the playoffs. Now I think that their upside is higher than Carolina's. Who again, I don't know how many people are actually watching the Panthers on a week to week basis. But Bryce just had one of the worst games of the NFL season this year. Twenty four pass attempts for fifty four yards two point three yards per attempt, zero touchdowns,
one pick, and he's had a few. I mean, that was his worst game, his worst game of the year, but he's had a number of rough ones. But neither of those teams, Carolina deserves it more, to be honest, The only team in that division that's playing like it wants to me in the playoffs is the damn Saints. But even Tyler shucked. But they just started, uh, they started too far behind, all right. Let's talk AFC North.
Demanse Pittsburgh had their chance to wrap upon the division against the Browns this weekend. They failed. The Ravens won without Lamar Tyler Huntley. I like what he was doing out there, Derek Henry, just run the ball. Now. The FC North title is up for grabs on Sunday with his Ravens showdown against Pittsburgh.
Yeah, listen. Pittsburgh's loss on Sunday was one of the most unacceptable performances of the NFL season. By the way, Joker hyper extension in his left knee will miss at least four weeks. Not bad, but what it does do to Monsey, it probably eliminates him from being able to be MVP because the six games. Yeah, so, and they're I mean, they were already down three starters. So this has I mean we're about to see right, I mean, they're gonna right, they'll be they'll be fine for the playoffs,
but not fine for seating. And this has massive implications. But that you do have a sigh of relief that he's okay, you know, miss a month maybe more. Uh My guess is maybe they hold him out through All Star that'd be like a month and a half, and you know, then he comes back. But that is and but it does probably eliminate him from being eligible for the MVP, which sucks because he's been playing so great. Helps share a lot in his ability to win a VP,
keeps Lucas Sneaky alive for m VP. It opens up for a lot of people all right back to this, Rogers' performance on Sunday was unforgivable. I don't know if he was just trying to avoid Miles Garrett to bee. It was so bad. And and his decision on fourth and one to throw a deep fade to Scottie Miller, his decision on the final drive to only target NBS. He was awful, and they brought him in for that moment. And if the Steelers had won that game, they're in
really good shape Demons. If they win that game, they are locked into the four seed. They can rest. In Week eighteen. They get a home game against either Texans, Chargers Bills, who will have just come off games that they well, no, it wouldn't be the Chargers, but the Texans are Bills, and again not an easy game, but teams that would have just had to go theoretically, well, I don't know if those teams are gonna go all out.
In Week eighteen.
It doesn't matter who Bills probably aren't, but regardless, a home game and rest instead, you have to win a playoff game to make the playoffs. And I just thought Rogers was awful, just really really awful. I I believed in Pittsburgh this weekend because I thought Shador would make a few just egregious mistakes. He did, and they couldn't take advantage of any of them. It was pathetic, and that to that be a game that you know, it was as if they thought Baltimore was gonna lose the
night before, so that game wasn't gonna matter. But Baltimore won the night before. You knew that game mattered, and you knew if you want it, you won the division. You just can't. You can't score six points. And I know the Browns have a good pass defense, They've been allowing twenty seven points a game in the last month. Like that's just so it's as bad of a loss as it gets. And now we get to Baltimore. Derrick Henry was unbelievable. Snooputley did his thing, but Derrick Henry
was great. And Derrick Henry, by the way, since he's been a raven leads the NFL and rushing yards leads the NFL and yards rushing yards per game, leads the NFL and rushing touchdowns, and is second in the NFL in rushes. He has gotten his fair share of touches. He's been awesome. But the story in Baltimore is Lamar
and Demon's you can get mad at me here. I am just going, like, so, there was that article in the Baltimore Sun that was a torched Lamar yep by a guy who has written at the Baltimore Sun since nineteen eighty three, Okay, a forty two year writer in Baltimore local columnists. Now, it doesn't mean that he doesn't play favorites. It doesn't mean that everything's saying is fair.
I'm not saying what I'm saying, but right, and I have been trying to tell you guys all year that something is off with Lamar and Harbaugh and I'm not just guessing. And what we are now seeing is a situation where for the third time there have been Like I want to be fair here, but I think the fairest way to put it is to just give you the timeline on it in real time, and I will read you exact quotes because people get very mad at me. But I don't know what you want me to say. Okay.
In twenty twenty one, which was the first year that Lamar Jackson was playing for the Ravens, in the midst of wanting and deserving a contract extension that the Ravens were unwilling at that time to give him. And you add to the context, Lamar does not have an agent. And I know everyone says, well, his mom does it for him, which is fine. However, this is an important detail. Lamar's mother is not a certified nfl PA agent. Here's the only reason that matters. It means the team is
not allowed to talk to her. Okay. They she can handle stuff for Lamar once he gets it, but the team can only talk to Lamar. And that has been weird up to an including that we found out through court filings over the summer that when they were trying to negotiate a contract with him the summer, he asked for the trade demons is in the court filings. He said the microphone on his phone wasn't working and because of that they couldn't talk. So like it's been the weird.
It's a weird contract negotiations situation. And as someone as someone who uh has you know, done negotiations. One of the reason you have an agent is you go to you want to make you know, one hundred million dollars from the place you're working. The place wants to pay you eighty million dollars. They are going to explain to you why you're actually not worth what you think you're worth.
You're worthless. That can hurt feelings. It's like, well, actually you're not good at this or is good at that. So the agent does the negotiation, keeps the relationship between both sides, you know, happy where you don't have to say nasty things to each other. Yeah, you don't have an agent, it makes it a little tricky. Again, it doesn't mean you have to have an agent. I'm just giving you, guys the skin the context of it, additional
context that is not lost on me. What was the big one of the big stories of this Ravens season that they removed all those video games and toys from the locker room And what was one of the kind of weird huh pieces from that column for Mike Preston that they think Lamar stays up all night doing what playing video games? So there was a lot of not so subtle what's. And the other thing in that story was Lamar wants a new contract. Ye, he's the back
to back defending first team All Pro quarterback. He's won an MVP since his last contract. A bunch of quarterbacks have passed him in the pay scale. Seems reasonable. Also, the Ravens right now, he's got a cap hit of seventy five million each of the next two years, so they certainly want to rework his contract. He wants to
extend his contract. So I give all of that context while trying to be fair, and then I remind you guys of this in twenty twenty one, when the Ravens were in the midst of trying to make the playoffs and Lamar wanted and deserved, by the way, a second contract. He hurt his ankle in Week fourteen. John Harbaugh said, going into Week fifteen, I'd say he has a chance to play Week fifteen. It's one of those things where
it's an ankle sprain. If he starts feeling good and everything is all right, we'll check him out probably pregame. He's in all the preparations. We'll see where we're at week fifteen. He did not play again that season and the Ravens missed the playoffs. After the year, John Harball was asked about why Lamar didn't play. He said, quote, Lamar felt like he was going to be back. The first week, he thought he had a chance. The second week he assured me, he said, I'll be back. I'll
be back. So in twenty twenty one, Lamar got hurt. At the end of the year, the team thought he would be back. He was not back. He was in the midst of a contract negotiation. He did not get the contract in twenty twenty two. Lamar Jackson obviously deserved a new contract, they had not given him one. He got hurt on December fourth, in a game that removed from the game. John Harbaughs said, it's not a season ending type of knee. We'll get more tests tomorrow and
let you know how long it's going to be. We'll see if he can be back this week. If not, he'll be back sometime after that. Shortly, he did not play again that season. They did make the playoffs. Everyone thought he would be back for the playoff game. He did not play in the playoff game, and then he tweeted after the season that it was a grade two PCL sprain bordering on grade three, which was not what Harbaud said Schefter had said any of it. So in
twenty twenty one, he suffered an ankle injury. The coach thought he'd be back. He never came back. He was in the midst of a contract negotiation. In twenty twenty two, he suffered a knee injury. The coach thought he would be back. Schefter said he'd be back, and I'm not picking on Schefter here, just like meaning the team was telling him he'll be back. He did not come back, and he missed the playoff game. In twenty twenty five, Lamar Jackson evidently has been in a contract negotiation. He
suffered a hamstring injury against the Chiefs. He missed time, the team did not play well. When asked about why the team would be better after the bye, John Harbaugh said, our quarterback is going to be back. That's a big one. Lamar then was not back after the bye. And if you remember, there was the issue with I'm trying to remember what game that was before the weird what was the weird game this year. Oh that was after the
hamstring injury. That's what it was. After the bye when he had when they had to change the practice designation, remember, and they got in trouble for it. It was like, oh, that the about whether Lamar was a full practice or not a full practice. And now Lamar Jackson suffered what his coach called a back bruise in Week sixteen while in a contract negotiation with the team and missed a must win Week seventeen game, and we don't know if he is playing in Week eighteen. That's the timeline of it.
Folks can draw whatever conclusions they want, and folks can act like I'm just being a ship stir for no reason. But I feel like I can say with full confidence that the Lamar Jackson John Harbaugh partnership is ending and it is very likely that Lamar has played his last game with the Ravens as with John Harbaugh being the coach. Let me say that better because I do not think
the Ravens are gonna move on from Lamar. But I don't know that I believe Lamar is gonna play again this season, and I don't think there is any realistic chance. John Harbaugh is the coach next season. And here's the last thing I'll say on it. And this is supposed to be a quick show, but they never are. And we still have a bunch more stuff today. We might not get to all of it. Demands there's to me.
Tell me if you think this is fair. There are two ways to look at this, because Lamar does want a new contract.
Yeah. The either.
Lamar has suffered, by my count, hamstring, knee, ankle, toe, back, five different injuries this year that were legitimately severe enough that two of which he missed games and three of which he missed practices. That a guy who turns twenty nine next week. It's a running quarterback who doesn't run as much anymore and is coming off his worst year, suffered five separate from semi significant to truly significant injuries and wants a new, big, guaranteed contract. That is one option.
Another option is that these injuries are not quite so significant, but because he is in contract negotiation, he is leveraging
his injury status. I don't see, And if the producers do, or you do, or anybody a third door to walk through, I think it is a or B. And my response to that is if it's just a or B. Is that a player that you are comfortable giving a top of market guaranteed contract to either a guy who who is not playing in do word eye games as contract leverage, which is a real indictment that I am not levying, or a guy who suffered five different injuries this year
that made him miss valuable time. Either way, that's a risky investment. And that's where I stand. People can say I'm unfair. I know I'm not wrong, and I know that's your guy demandsay, and I apologize for putting you in this spot.
But yeah, the time I believe, like a year after year December of the contract negotiations, I'm gonna sit out, I mean, and then even just seeing the play where it is where like his back got hurt, it was fast he ran into it.
And seeing hardballs make it clear on Monday this past week ago, it's a bruce.
It's a bad bruise, but it's a bruce. It would be unfortunate if he was just I also like go ahead like leveraging his injury, especially at this time of the season. But I will say that if he does end up playing next week, win or lose, I think that's huge. I just I hope, I hope he plays.
But I but so they're also in a weird spot. If he doesn't play and they lose, that's obviously awful. If he doesn't play and they win, Man talk about pressure on him to finally perform in the playoffs. If you know, if Derrick Henry's rolling and Huntley plays, fine, there's just just a lot there. And I know Marcus Spears and a lot of people I really like don't like any of this Lamar commentary. I get it, and
they think some of it's unfair. I just something's been weird with Lamar and Harbaugh and the Ravens all year. Mike Preston shined a bit of a light on it, and to me, it's pretty obvious where this thing's going. So are you thinking about upgrading to the all new iPhone seventeen Pro, designing the most powerful iPhone ever? But you're also thinking about the traffic on your way to the store and the hassle of transferring all your data.
Good news, when you order a new phone online with Boost Mobile, they'll send an expert to your homer work to deliver your brand new iPhone seventeen pro and get you all set up on boost Mobile within minutes, no hassle. Visit boosmobile dot com to get started. Delivery available for select devices purchased at boostmobile dot Com. Terms do apply, all right, Before we get to our quick hitters, demanse uh, let's do the Pro Football Hall of Fame here.
The NFL announced its finalists for the Hall of Fame class at twenty twenty six. We talked, as we do every year, about it, and you gave out your finalists. The final the semifinalist were announced. Let's take a look at how you did with your.
All right, so the here are the finalists, Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald, Willie Anderson, Luke, Keithley, Terrell Suggs, Jarry Evans, Tory Halt, Eli Manning, Adam and and Terry, Reggie, Wayne, Darren Woodson, Marshall Yonda, and so I. The other finalists are Frank Gore, Jason Witten and Kevin Williams. I did not think Gore and Witten or Kevin Williams would be finalists. They were, but otherwise this went about from the semifinalist to finalists went about how I said I anticipated it.
I believe this will be the Hall of Fame class of twenty twenty five. I said this on the other show. I've thought more about it. I believe Breeze and Fitzgerald are no doubt first ballot guys. I think that they are going to have too hard of a time debating between Keighley and Suggs. Keighley higher peak, Suggs such a longer,
more decorated career. Both similar as far as A plus honors, So I think they put them both in, and then I think they put in one offensive lineman, and you could make the case for Willie Anderson, Jarr Evans, Ri Yanda. I think they will end up going with the person who's been waiting the longest, in Willie Anderson. So I think the Hall of Fame class is gonna be Breeze, fits, Sugs and Keighley along with one offensive lineman Willie Anderson.
Eli Manning's gonna have to keep waiting, uh Mark, you know, maybe Evans or Yond to get in. I bet one of the offensive lineman get in, and I don't see any chance Frank Gore Jason Witten have to get in first ballot, all right, let's do uh the other games quickly. The Jags beat the Colts. It was the first not great Jags game in a while, not great Trevor game, but unlike previous years where they have these not great games,
they won it. Anyway. They are still alive for the one seed, but they would need Denver to lose to the Chargers backups and the Patriots to lose uh to Miami, so they are probably going to be the three seed. I would I was really hoping we would get charge Jags Chargers in round one. It looks like we're probably gonna get Bill's Bill's Jags in round one, which is a bit of a bummer, but is what it is. Cowboys beat the Commanders in a meaningless game to all parties.
Vikings beat the Lions in justin Jared Goff disaster class on Christmas, just as bad as it gets as the Lions season from hell continues. Broncos beat the Chiefs in one of the worst performances in a win a team has had all year long. The Texans beat the Chargers in a game that neither quarterback played well, and if you're the Chargers, you're a little anxious after that performance. Going into the playoffs. Patriots beat the Jets. We talked about it earlier in a game that might have won.
Drake made the MVP. Saints beat the Titans as Tyler Shuck keeps rolling, He's played well, Bro, Bengals beat the Cardinals, show Burrow having fun again, and Giants beat the Raiders in a game literally nobody watched. All right, like great? Subscribe review to the show Gambling Show. We're gonna record it now. It will come at you tomorrow. We will try to rebound from a tough week seventeen. That is tomorrow.
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