Mike Giardi and Will Parkinson of the All 32 NFL Podcast discuss NFL coaching searches; plus, will there be an upset in the divisional round?
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SportsTranscript
00:00It is caught! Touchdown!
00:04The New England Patriots select Drake May.
00:08He's got the ball! And that's the ballgame!
00:12Welcome to the All 32 Podcast. Mike Giardia alongside Will Parkinson.
00:16As always, it is the divisional round. A lot of people will tell you it's the best
00:20weekend of football. Let's hope it's the best weekend of football because the wildcard stuff
00:24was pretty bleh. Again, never considered the best week of football, but I'd
00:28like some better ball this week. Reminder of the show brought to you by PrizePix,
00:32the exclusive Daily Fantasy partner of the CLNS Media Network. In game time,
00:36best tickets, best prices to get you into any event you want to see.
00:40Before we get to the games, Will, let's run through some of the coaching stuff that's going on
00:44as a lot of these searches are entering the second stage, the final stage, what have you.
00:48We'll start with your team, the New York Jets, who I believe
00:52have approximately interviewed 123 people for the
00:56GM and head coaching jobs. I think that's right.
01:00Any sense of where they're at in this process?
01:04Yeah, I think we're actually at 274. The Jets have
01:08interviewed more people than they've won in games combined in the last six years.
01:12Look, I think at the end of the day,
01:16a couple of things are at work here. One,
01:20to be fair to the Jets, the guys they want
01:24are still coaching, mainly Aaron Glenn.
01:28Up until this week, Brian Flores,
01:32Josh McCown, Aaron Glenn, all coaching. Joe Brady,
01:36still coaching. Those are the top four, in my opinion, that have the best shot at the Jets' job.
01:40Two of the four can only interview starting Friday.
01:44The other two can't interview anymore until they're out, until next week.
01:48This is a theory
01:52Albert Breer floated, and I do tend to agree.
01:56It feels like the Jets are interviewing candidates that are maybe not
02:00the right fit for a head coach. Could be a DC, could be an offensive coordinator, could be a
02:04special teams guy, and a little bit of the 33rd team
02:08knowing they're going to get hired to do this again if they get this right, and they can have a database
02:12of guys they've interviewed. So a mixture there.
02:16I think Aaron Glenn's the favorite. I think there's been
02:20a lot of stuff on my other podcast where to me, Aaron Glenn said it's his
02:24dream job. Bill Parcells and him talk every single week,
02:28which is really cool, honestly. Glenn played for the Jets.
02:32First-round pick. He helped turn them around in 97, 98.
02:36He was a scout there. Again, he is a Parcells tree
02:40guy. Parcells and the Jets had a really good relationship those three years.
02:44Only Jets GM and head coach to leave with a winning record.
02:48Pretty cool there. But yeah, I think that's where they're at.
02:52The GM search is the more puzzling one. They've interviewed
02:56I believe 11 of the 15, or no, more than that.
03:00Sorry. They've interviewed 15 or 16 there.
03:04They have not requested second-round interviews yet, and they've done a lot of these in person.
03:08The Titans went virtual, then in person. The Jets went a lot of in-person to start.
03:12Mike Borgonzi, who I think is likely the best
03:16candidate. They have, again, not requested second rounds.
03:20They have not requested any more people to speak to. They just, frankly,
03:24haven't done bleep in two days now. I'm not entirely sure why.
03:28I think from everything you hear, there's three schools
03:32of thought from digging I've done. Some people believe they haven't
03:36been wowed. Some people believe they're
03:40taking their time because they want to time it up where the GM will get hired
03:44right when they can hire the coach. They go from there. They know
03:48they're really only the true GM opening. The other two are a little bit
03:52fuzzy, depending on how you look at it. The other school of thought is
03:56they're just going to make an offer here and not even do second rounds.
04:00I think it's a combination of one and three. I think that there's a chance they don't even do it.
04:04I think there's also a shot where they maybe haven't been wowed. Mike, this is the example
04:08I'm going to use. I'll move off the Jets here. I know there's some other names I want to get to.
04:12The Jets so badly want to win. I think it's an admirable quality.
04:16They have not done a good job of it. People will laugh at that sentiment. There are some organizations
04:20that don't give a crap about winning. I'll tell you that. Woody Johnson wants to
04:24win. He wants to host a home playoff game. All these things are true.
04:28He's a little bit like, at the moment, a
04:32guy whose wife just left him.
04:36It didn't work out. He was fully invested and unfortunate.
04:40It was a messy divorce. He's looking for the next
04:44girl or vice versa, roll or reverse it, whatever you want to do it. They're just looking
04:48for a reason to not pick somebody. Hey, she's great.
04:52All these different things, but this is wrong with her. I don't know.
04:56She doesn't like cheese. Just some stupid example.
05:00That's a little bit what it feels like. Hey, Mike Borgonzi's this and this and this.
05:04I don't know. I don't love this. Alec Halliby's
05:08this. Lance Newark's this. Pick the
05:12name. It doesn't matter. That's just a little bit what it feels like right now for head coach and GM.
05:16I do think head coach feels a little bit easier to figure out,
05:20even though it should be the other way around.
05:24At least out of New Orleans, New Orleans football maga Nick Underhill was like, he talked to some people
05:28close to Glenn who said, Glenn doesn't necessarily think that the Jets thing is
05:32his dream job, but we'll see. He's getting a job in this cycle.
05:36I will, to get Nick's credit, he's as plugged in as anybody, A.
05:40From what I understand, at least from what Rich reported,
05:44Glenn said that a couple years ago when we were down in Mobile
05:48when the Lions were coaching. Things could have changed in the last three
05:52years. I don't doubt that it would be his dream job. Again, this is a guy who
05:56played eight years here, got his scouting start here, his coaching start.
06:00There's a real love for New York and the Jets, but he also had a really
06:04successful time in New Orleans. The Jets job is a better job than New Orleans,
06:08but I would understand there's probably less pressure.
06:12We've talked about this. There's probably more leeway.
06:16Money will talk. Opportunity will talk. I think
06:20those are two openings that Joe Brady in New Orleans
06:24named a watch. Mike McCarthy, a name if he does not
06:28get the Bears job. Did him and Rodgers and Devontae team up down in New Orleans
06:32with a defense that, bad division, pretty good
06:36defense. That's one of those, do they just shot
06:40in the arm this thing and hope they get one year of Rodgers is better
06:44next year playing indoors 17 times? I don't know. It's at least something to think about.
06:48There's the Jets. We mentioned
06:52New Orleans as part of that conversation where McCarthy, Brady, and
06:56Aaron Glenn seem to be the top three, whatever order you want to talk about.
07:00Looks like they're going to lose Clint Kubiak, which is not great.
07:04He will be the OC of Seattle. That seems to be a great thing for Geno.
07:08Really is.
07:12How about this one from Edwarder, who's as
07:16plugged in as anybody with the Dallas Cowboys. He says that
07:20Deion Sanders, currently the coach at the University of Colorado, would
07:24absolutely take the Cowboys job if he's
07:28offered. Off of that, if you're Jerry
07:32Jones, do you offer Deion Sanders that job?
07:36No.
07:40I'm going to be really harsh on the Cowboys here and I think it's extremely
07:44well deserved. What are you doing?
07:48Genuine question, what are you doing? A couple more things. One, timing.
07:52Mike McCarthy did everything that you should have done in
07:562024 to retain his job. You wanted to fire him after
08:002023 on another early playoff exit. Understood. Hey, the
08:04expectations here. You only got to here. You took us
08:08to the third base. We need a home run hitter.
08:12Cool. I would have been totally good with this. It goes back to the Jets and some of these other
08:16organizations. Mike McCarthy with a really not good
08:20Cowboys team this year that basically had nobody play at all all year. It felt like
08:24C.D. was basically hurt the whole year. Weird when you hold out and you don't practice all camp.
08:28You usually get hurt. Dak, who didn't hold out but
08:32might as well have held out, gets hurt, misses a ton of the year. All the
08:36defenses hurt the whole year. They decimated the roster. They lose the
08:40D.C. The whole thing. Mike did a really good job of actually one of his better
08:44coaching years. I really believe that. He's Cooper Rush and Trey Lance.
08:48They were competitive pretty much every week. They had some big time wins.
08:52I don't know. I think beating the Commanders and stuff like they did. I don't know. Am I wrong here?
08:56The timing thing is interesting, too.
09:00They didn't end up working a deal. It was very
09:04unprofessional, it felt like. Then there's the other part of this. I don't want to go too far
09:08down the Bill Belichick road, but as there have been
09:12multiple reports. We're taping this Thursday 4-37 in the afternoon.
09:16There would have been mutual interest.
09:20Dallas in Belichick, Belichick in Dallas.
09:24We can say whatever we want about Belichick coaching college. Belichick
09:28apparently has not signed the contract yet. This $10 million buyout
09:32that exists, he signed the memorandum of
09:36whatever, however they term that. He has not actually taken pen to paper
09:40and done the Bill Belichick and the BBs where he's
09:44got to do all that stuff. He hasn't done it. Does that not come into play?
09:48Maybe, maybe not. Meanwhile, he is and his Mike Lombardi, his henchman
09:52continues to spout about Twitter, which is hilarious because
09:56Mike Lombardi
10:00talks out of both sides of his mouth. He's made a living talking out of both sides of his mouth.
10:04Now he's saying, leave us alone. We're North Carolina. We're recruiting. We're building a team.
10:08Okay, sign the contract.
10:12I think it's common practice. I've never heard this before.
10:16It's been multiple months and there have been reports that even
10:20as far as the ACC commissioner is a little nervous about what's going on
10:24there because obviously it's a boon to have Belichick in the conference.
10:28If I was making a list of the five
10:32most likely people to get this job, I'd probably rank it.
10:36I think Kellen Moore is probably one, which wouldn't excite me at all if I'm a Cowboys
10:40fan. I don't think he's that great of an OC. I think there's a reason.
10:44When you're a talented OC and a former player like that, you don't go to three jobs
10:48in three years. That doesn't feel like that's, just in my
10:52opinion, usually a really good OC. You're either moving up or you're
10:56in one spot for a long time. Kellen Moore would probably be one. I think
11:00I'd put Witten two, which
11:04feels insane. I'd probably put Bill three. I'd probably put Salah four.
11:08I'd put Dion five.
11:12What would be a belief right there?
11:16Very partial as in what, 2004, Mike?
11:20Sure.
11:24As we well know, Jerry wants
11:28someone that he can control.
11:32When you mention someone like Jason Witten, you're a figurehead.
11:36Jason Garrett over again is just a more intimidating looking guy.
11:40We get a report of Jason Witten being too big in
11:44interviews. How about if we get a report about Jason Witten
11:48too bad at television? Would you hire Dion?
11:52Dion does make sense from a brand Cowboys thing, but
11:56he said he'd only leave to coach his sons.
12:00We floated this idea before. The Jets and many other teams would probably jump at the
12:04idea of trading for Dak Prescott. The $104 million, I don't
12:08know if you can convince Dion to take the job, capital for
12:12the number one or number two pick, and eat all that money.
12:16Would Jerry have patience with Dion to say,
12:20we're going to do this thing, you and Shador and Shiloh, who's not an NFL player
12:24but whatever, and we're going to get capital back. If I was the Jets,
12:28I'd trade the seventh overall pick for Dak in a heartbeat. Dak on the Jets next year
12:32with some better coaching, they'd be pretty scary in the division.
12:36That's not romanticizing this team.
12:40The Dolphins, if you want to flip Dak and Tua, I'd feel like a better bet.
12:44Would there be patience? I think that's
12:48what the Cowboys would be tough. Dion's first year, would you be okay being bad?
12:52He was at Colorado, and there was exciting in the beginning. Maybe that'd be
12:56my question. What if they're not good next year?
13:00From a headline standpoint, it's a home run.
13:04It's an even bigger home run than hiring Belichick.
13:08The whole Shador factor, spin off of that,
13:12shows, documentaries, blah, blah, blah.
13:16The question is, is he good enough?
13:20I personally think the idea of a father coaching his son
13:24or sons at the NFL level is absurd.
13:28They made it work in Colorado.
13:32The moment players start to sense that you're treating that kid
13:36differently, kids differently,
13:40what are we doing? What are we doing? That's an interesting one.
13:44Ben Johnson to the Raiders. Seems like it has really
13:48caught some steam. You were all over this. I still don't get it,
13:52but you were all over this.
13:56I wonder about the Bears' power structure, A, if that was a deterrent
14:00or has been a deterrent for him or a little concern for Ben Johnson.
14:04As we've talked about, Kevin Warren, Ryan Poles, Poles not telling anybody
14:08whether he's got an extension or not. Warren Lords over all of it.
14:12He wants to be commissioner of the NFL someday. I don't understand
14:16the power structure there, and I think that would be concerning. I think the other part, if you're Ben Johnson,
14:20even though, again, Roma Dunes, D.J. Moore, obviously Caleb Williams
14:24and all these different sorts of things, and a fairly talented defense,
14:28you're in that division. You could go in that division, and you could be a really good coach,
14:32and you could still end up being fourth in that division the way the division has shaken out
14:36the last couple years, or even if, say, Minnesota takes a step back if they make the switch
14:40to J.J. McCarthy next year, if that's something that happens.
14:44Maybe you win eight games, and then you're still behind. I don't know.
14:48To me, in terms of some of the talent that's available, yes,
14:52but in terms of power structure and division, no. The Jaguars
14:56is another one where we've heard mentioned. That Jaguars team, though, it feels like.
15:00Johnson, Liam Cohen, and maybe Brian Flores?
15:04Oh, no. I think you're missing the favorite. I think Robert Sala
15:08is the odd one. You think Sala's the favorite? I gotta tell you.
15:12How do you know that? I've discounted him in any of these searches.
15:16If Dallas hired him, as you mentioned earlier, like when you were doing
15:20your little run, because that's a Jerry move.
15:24If you're Jacksonville, yeah. How do you sell it?
15:28How do you sell it? Especially for me, if I'm looking at it
15:32as the owner, I invested $250 million in Trevor Lawrence.
15:36He's not a $250 million quarterback.
15:40He's going to go into that meeting and say, apparently,
15:44according to the Jaguars people, he's the one who
15:48got away, which is insane. He's going to
15:52sell them. I never had a quarterback in New York. I only got five games this year.
15:56We were two and three. Look what happened when they fired me. The defense fell off.
16:00I'll make this a top-five defense within 12 months. If you get Trevor
16:04Lawrence, one or two more playmakers, I'll bring DJ Reid with me.
16:08I'm going to bring a couple of Jets guys that are free agents.
16:12This is a winnable division. Look at what I did against CJ Stroud.
16:16He's very good at
16:20playing the part. As crazy as it sounds,
16:24because things went so badly with the Jets at the end,
16:28even though in reality, that's not the real story.
16:32If you weren't paying attention, you could sell it that way. I could see him saying,
16:36look, I'm not going to cause a fuss here. I've worked here. I know
16:40this market. Look, I have my quarterback now. I never had it
16:44with the Jets. Look what I did. I got them seven and ten back-to-back years
16:48with Zach Wilson. With Trevor, now at least I have a top 15
16:52guy. Aaron wasn't held. He's going to do the whole thing.
16:56I just wonder, if you're Liam Cohen, you're a year away from
17:00one more year where you probably have to pick your litter as the offensive coordinator
17:04for the Bucs. If you want the Bucs job, and you want to stick around for that,
17:08the Bulls isn't going to get fired after three straight division titles.
17:12We could get to a point at some point where Todd Bull says, hey, maybe
17:16I've been doing this forever. I might just be done.
17:20I don't know. I'm just speculating. Then the other guys that are up for
17:24that job, Ben Johnson, are you working with Trent Baalke? It seems like Lance Newark,
17:28who's in Washington, was with Detroit for a long time, would be Ben Johnson's potential
17:32pick in Vegas. Another name that's interviewed with the Jets as well.
17:36It kind of gets late early for them.
17:40I wonder, does Flores want to go work for Shad Conn?
17:44I just think Flores needs a job.
17:48I think he needs a job, and that'd be a great hands-off market.
17:52Him and Salah, for some reason, as much as I don't think
17:56they're very different, but both guys struggled with
18:00ownership, quarterbacks, offensive coordinators.
18:04I don't know. It's hard to sell the Jags fans, but
18:08Shad Conn really only cares about the fans that are in London.
18:12Does it really matter? Yeah, it's an interesting one.
18:16Like you said, I don't know how you sell that.
18:20I think they can finish last in that division, if that's what they think.
18:24Like that, easily. I'll take the under.
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19:00Run your game all season long. Alright, let's get into the games.
19:04Of which there are four. And I like...
19:08This is probably the one I like the least. We'll start with the one I like the least, which happens to be the first game on Saturday.
19:12Saturday afternoon, the Texans, fresh off their
19:16beatdown of the Chargers, visit the Kansas City Chiefs.
19:20The two teams played back on December the 21st. Close game, as the Chiefs played a lot of those this year.
19:2427-19 your final. That was the game, of course,
19:28if you remember, Tank Dell getting his knee blown out in the end zone.
19:32CJ Stroud, very emotional. That's his best friend.
19:36Knowing that all he had gone through to get back on the field, and then to see that happen to him.
19:40Brutal. Meanwhile, the Chiefs have basically had
19:44a double bye week, because they sat out week 18 as well, so their injury list
19:48is about as clean as possibly can be. 23 days off
19:52it will be for many of their star players coming into this one.
19:56I guess, first things first, do you worry at all about rust
20:00for a team that, look, obviously, they've lost
20:04twice all year. It's not like they've struggled,
20:08but it hasn't been the same dominating Chiefs team. Do you worry about the idea of rust
20:12with this football team? Yeah, they're kind of the opposite of last year, where
20:16their record wasn't as good last year as it normally was, but you were like, alright,
20:20they've lost some, there's some hiccups. This year it was like they just won every game
20:24they should have had no business winning. Which, to their credit, is what good
20:28teams do. Yep. I will say this,
20:32I'm not like 10 out of 10 concerned,
20:36but I'm mildly concerned where 23 days
20:40off is a really long time, like really long. That is not, we're not
20:44talking, that's over, I mean, duh, but like
20:48we're talking over three weeks off, and no matter what
20:52anyone says, you played football at a high level, played football,
20:56it's like, dude, you're off for a week and you feel like crap
21:00the first time you get back. And the NFL is not the NFL of 30 years ago, where you're hitting
21:04full speed in practice two, three days a week. When's the last time that Patrick Mahomes
21:08got hit, seriously? It's almost been a month, and
21:12you kind of need that to get yourself back into the game, and I don't feel like
21:16they were playing the most elite of elite ball.
21:20So, I think they're better than the Texans, I think they should be
21:24comfortably win this game, but
21:28sometimes you need one performance to snap you
21:32out of it, and I don't know if Houston's got enough horses, I don't know if the offensive line
21:36is going to be good enough, I don't know if they're going to tackle well enough,
21:40but I will say, those pass rushers are
21:44legit, the tackles have been bad, and Joe Thune is
21:48awesome pro, I don't know if he's Hall of Fame level, but he's
21:52really good NFL player, pro bowl level, you'll look back and be like,
21:56wow, that guy was always really good. A little Logan Mankins-ish,
22:00maybe not to that level, but that type of guy where you're like, that dude was always
22:04awesome. He's a left tackle right now, because they
22:08need him to be, and Daniil Hunter and Will Anderson are
22:12top tier one-edge guys. They're not good, they're
22:16elite, and Daniil Hunter's a problem, and
22:20I just worry a little bit of rust mixed with
22:24those guys got heated up last week, and Stingley's going to take whoever
22:28they want out of the game, and you just kind of start going,
22:32and you're like, I don't know, D'Amico, he's seen this offense
22:36once, he's a really good defensive coach, can he keep them in check long enough?
22:40Can CJ? My biggest worry is, Bobby Slough, can CJ?
22:44I'm actually not worried as much, I don't think they're going to get gashed for
22:4831, 35 points. Maybe they will, and maybe I'm wrong, but
22:52I actually feel like my biggest worry is Spaggs versus CJ
22:56who has not handled pressure well this year at all, and this offensive line who has
23:00not been in the same offensive line it was a year ago, that is much more
23:04concerning to me, especially no tank Dell. They're going to have to run the football here.
23:08Mike, I think this game will be closer. This is
23:12the key to this game, at least in my opinion. If Kansas City gets out 10-0,
23:16this game is so over, it's not even funny. I know that's probably obvious, but
23:2010-0 in the NFL is nothing. If
23:24Houston gets out early and can force Kansas City to be
23:28very one-dimensional, and you can start to pin your ears back,
23:32they got a shot, and the longer this game stays tight,
23:36Kansas City's got a lot of pressure. They can tell everybody how, oh, we have no pressure, the fans
23:40feel nothing, and the whole thing. I don't know, man. You're going for a three-peat, we don't
23:44see this stuff happen. My take is
23:48there's things Houston does really well that would scare me as a Chiefs fan,
23:52but at the end of the day, unless they really are really rusty,
23:56they should take care of business in advance on Sunday, or Saturday.
24:00That's kind of how their season has gone, right? Not the same
24:04Chiefs that we're used to seeing. They're just dominating.
24:08They just find ways to win. They're in the game in the fourth quarter, and they find ways to
24:12win the game where they're up, and they manage to hang on.
24:16You mentioned Slowick and Stroud. One of my big takeaways
24:20from the Chargers game was they actually did three-step drops.
24:24Instead of everything having to be
24:28play action, push the ball deep down the field, there was actually some
24:32oh my goodness, not that a three-step drop should be a eureka
24:36moment in the National Football League, but for some reason for Bobby Slowick, they were
24:40Oh, another guy who interviewed for the Jets today. Very deserving.
24:44I mean, if they hire Bobby Slowick
24:48I'm sorry. That's all I can say to you.
24:52Bobby Slowick, Mercer Smith, and Ryan Grigson. Get ready to burn tickets, buddy.
24:56Is there any way they win
25:00this game, Houston?
25:04I don't think so. Look, I think they've had a weird year this year.
25:08I know some other guys stepped up in the game the other day,
25:12but they're still pretty much Neco Collins in the passing game and pray.
25:16The interior of their offensive line, we've talked about repeatedly,
25:20has been bad this year, and Chris Jones
25:24will probably be taken by Steve Spagnola and say
25:28who's the weakest link? Is it the left guard? Is it the center? Is it the right guard?
25:32We're going to move you over them in big situations
25:36and watch you eat or get doubled. Now that you've had all this time
25:40off, this is feeling better on the outside. Some of your other pieces
25:44are feeling better. I'm just guessing there's going to be a little bit more juice
25:48in their pass rush than we saw late in the season. I think this is going to be the game where
25:52everyone picks Casey. It'd be a huge upset, obviously. Next week's
25:56the week where I feel like the trendy pick will pick Baltimore
26:00or Buffalo. That'll be the trendy pick, but for right
26:04now, I just have a really hard time.
26:08Can Houston play four quarter? I think they can keep this close. I do.
26:12We saw Denver keep it close a little bit at times.
26:16Misfield will obviously totally screw them, but
26:20I don't know if they have four. Neco, the one
26:24X-Factor, you mentioned Neco Collins. No one can cover him.
26:28If you look, there's a metric that came out. It was kind of separation
26:32yards per catch, yards per route run versus man in zone.
26:36Neco breaks the chart against man cover.
26:40It's really actually pretty insane.
26:44I can't remember who else was on there, but he's
26:48miles ahead of Chase and Jefferson. It's disgusting. He has every
26:52capability to go 10 for 250 in three touchdowns.
26:56I don't know what just happened. Is Neco Collins the best receiver? I can see a small
27:00path. That's the talking point on first take on Monday morning,
27:04but there's a 95% chance that's not the case.
27:08I think Spaggs will be creative with him as well. I wouldn't
27:12surprise me to see the, I'll say it's the old school Patriots approach.
27:16They're not the only team that used to do it, but Belichick would take the second best corner and shade
27:20the safety over the top on the best receiver and then take McDuffie in this case
27:24and put him on whomever you want on the other side and
27:28go that route. Encourage you to either throw it into double coverage or
27:32I'm going to have my best guy on your second or third best guy and watch my guy
27:36eat. The Tooney thing is interesting too to me.
27:40130 snaps against the pass rush this year
27:44as the left tackle. No sacks allowed, but he did get some time
27:48in that game at left tackle against the Texans and he gave up multiple pressures.
27:52It was like eight snaps in the pass situation.
27:56It was eight snaps, three pressures, so it's not like
28:00there was still stuff being done against him and granted that was sort of, he's been in the role
28:04now more full time the last few weeks or their last couple games, but
28:08yeah, that'll be an interesting one to watch because both of those guys are capable
28:12of completely taking the game over. Let's go to the nightcap.
28:16Commanders at Lions, Saturday 8 p.m.
28:20Can Jaden Daniels continue this ridiculous
28:24rookie season that really had like a two game dip somewhere in the middle there? He and Cliff
28:28Kingsbury, there was a little thing there for like two or three weeks, but before that it was
28:32elite and after that it's been pretty damn elite too. Can they
28:36take that into Detroit against the defense that as we talked about
28:40since the calendar turned to December, they played one good game defensively.
28:44Now that game just so happened to be in week 18 when the number one seed
28:48was on the line against Minnesota and they dominated Sam Darnall and
28:52really pushed Sam into a bad place. They carried over
28:56in their wildcard round loss to the Rams.
29:00But I think they're capable of putting points on the board.
29:04I saw something, it was
29:08something about unders on punts.
29:12Total punts in this game was like six and a half or five and a half
29:16and they're like, take the under because I don't know that either team is capable of
29:20forcing punts and of course we both know that with Dan Quinn and Dan Campbell
29:24going forward on fourth down is if you're within fourth and six
29:28it's on the table. Yeah, this one I've
29:32kind of tried to find a path how Washington beats
29:36them and it's kind of the Tampa Bay path of
29:40the quarterback being ballsy enough
29:44that like they just don't care and can
29:48Aaron McLaurin win two really crucial
29:52goal balls, 50-50 goal balls, contested catches against
29:56Terrian Arnold or whoever they're going to run out there or Nickens
30:00or whoever it's going to be. Can he win two of them?
30:04The Vikings didn't win any of them against the Lions in week 18. Aaron Glenn was fantastic.
30:08I think Aaron Glenn's stock has never been higher but that
30:12pass rush or lack thereof still scares me because I don't think Washington's offensive
30:16line is great by any means.
30:20Can Jayden hurt them on a couple man pressures? Does Aaron Glenn not pressure him as much
30:24because he doesn't want him to run? Their game plan is going to be very interesting here
30:28from a defensive side. From Washington on
30:32defense, they're going to need to create at least
30:36two turnovers I think to win this game. Can he
30:40punch one out? Can he limit Gibbs? We talk about this with the Lions every week.
30:44Premier Gibbs gets loose for two touchdowns. There's nothing more deflating as a defense
30:48than giving up a 75-yard touchdown run when one guy misses
30:52a run fit and he makes one guy miss and it's like
30:56God, that sucked. Can he get one dumb
31:00golf fumble? He trips.
31:04He always has one or two in him. A game, it's just can you turn him over
31:08or do you drop that? Do you miss it? Whatever.
31:12As crazy as this sounds, can Washington
31:16block a kick? Can they hit a 55-yarder in the
31:20dome that they probably wouldn't make outside? Those are just the little
31:24things you need to upset a team like this on one seat on the road.
31:28I always bring it back to that 2010 Jets-Patriots game because
31:32the Patriots are rolling and they had the time off. They felt like they were starting to get healthy a little bit.
31:36Brady makes
31:40one mistake and it's like ooh, we just stole possession there. Can you steal a possession?
31:44That to me is the key because their offense is so damn good
31:48that even with the week off and the way Ben's been cooking
31:52all year long over the last couple years, they're going to score
31:56points. The question is can you... Would you be as aggressive
32:00if you were Washington going for it? Because Tampa tried to match it and I don't know if that's
32:04the right call. You usually are like take the points, man.
32:08Is that how you would approach this?
32:12I guess that's going to be a real early feel for the game.
32:16Immediately you come out with this plan and if they go down the field and score on you
32:20and get it back and go down and score on you again, it's like alright, well
32:24we're going to have to score 35 today. That's the only way we're going to win.
32:28I like the idea of stealing possessions. Not easy to do, but golf will put one in
32:32harm's way. Maybe their front four in particular can create some pressure
32:36where they don't have to blitz and create that sort of thing.
32:40You can get the pressure with four and then force them to make a mistake, but that
32:44offensive line has been really good. David Montgomery expected back in this game
32:48so Sonic and Knuckles, Gibbs and Montgomery back together again. Although you can
32:52clearly make the argument that Gibbs should be out there 85% of the
32:56time, right? You want to put Montgomery down there inside the
33:0010, 15, fine. The two things you mentioned,
33:04Montgomery, can they get some two back stuff and as much as Bobby Wagner
33:08is a Hall of Famer and I know he's like a gazillion time all pro.
33:12He still can bring the boom, but he did get run over by Baker last week which was
33:16funny and he's again a guy that's much more washed than people want to admit
33:20all due respect, but I want Jameer Gibbs and him
33:24one on one in the open field because Bobby does not run anymore the way he used
33:28to and that's OK. I get it. He's again going to
33:32Illinois Canton, but that in. I would just say if I'm Dan
33:36Quinn. At certain points you might take three.
33:40I don't think I think if you get a stop on them. I
33:44know you want to be aggressive and try to get them on a fourth down stop. We got to score a touchdown.
33:48Don't try to like. Sometimes you don't have to beat the
33:52other team at their own game that they're the best in the league at like I know it sounds
33:56maybe kind of dumb, but San Francisco last year I felt like Kyle
34:00didn't fall into the trap and he the lines kind of self-destructed by not
34:04taking three at times and going for it like you just lose possessions and like
34:08as much as it might work. Sometimes it doesn't work other times and the Niners were like stay
34:12in it, stay in it, stay in it, and then they made a couple mistakes and boom they ran him over like
34:16if you're Washington. This is no pressure. This is a
34:20you are like a pig and bleep right now. This is yeah, this is the
34:24the classic. This is the house money you house money game. You weren't supposed to make the playoffs.
34:28Not only did you make the playoffs, you won 12 games, then you won a playoff game in Tampa.
34:32You're way, way, way ahead of schedule. All of a sudden you're a little
34:36you know with Jaden you become like if people talk here in New
34:40England like oh with Frable and Drake May are they are they now an attractive
34:44destination for free agents? Well, they've won four games in each of the last two years.
34:48Jaden Daniels just won 12 games has won six games in the fourth
34:52quarter. Like four of those on the last play of the
34:56game or something ridiculous like that they're they've become
35:00sort of an it team and we'll probably get a good bounce from
35:04that in the offseason. So to your point, it's like if it's let's just say it's I don't know
35:0813 seven commanders. Four to go in the second
35:12quarter, you get a big big stop and I don't know
35:16their lines go forth in two. They you stop them on their own on the
35:20line or your own 45 or the Lions plus you know Lions are in plus territory.
35:24My goal is get points on the next drive so that you're up
35:28to score, you know, it's a two possession game. Don't fall in
35:32love with the like, oh they went for fourth down. So now we have to there's times to go for
35:36it. I just felt like Tampa tried to play Washington's game last
35:40weekend and it killed them and I felt like last
35:44year. Like I said, like San Francisco didn't phone. This is who we are
35:48Kyle Shanahan is not a that's his game is not the
35:52hyper aggressive game. I just I just feel like always
35:56be very weary of like you go on the road and
36:00trying to beat the team at their own game. Maybe not make them play your game. And if you're Washington
36:04you want to get into a really gross dog fight that like
36:08is it's 20 to 16 with three to go in the fourth quarter your ball
36:12you got a shot with Jaden and the ball in his hands 4541.
36:16I don't like doesn't feel like it's really their game.
36:20If you want to go to games, not just the playoff games like you can
36:24still do it. You can wear taping this on Thursday. You could go get your tickets and you could fly out.
36:28You get an airline ticket go somewhere get in your car drive. And of course, there's also NHL
36:32NBA all that kind of stuff going on. Just use game time game time picks filters out the fluff
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36:56guaranteed. Let's get to the Sunday games the early
37:00game Rams at the Eagles. What's
37:04the recipe for an upset here? If you're the Rams and coming
37:08off again a dominating defensive performance against
37:12the Vikings in Phoenix as you had to go through the entire
37:16season era that they're still going throughout in LA with the fires the game got moved
37:20to Phoenix. Multiple planes taking
37:24family dogs cats onto the plane like they went through that whole thing and just an
37:28emotional performance an excellent performance. They get the job done. But now
37:32six days later, you're on a plane. You're back to the East
37:36Coast and you're playing a team that well, they didn't
37:40look awesome. We know the talent of that roster. How do the
37:44Rams pull this one off? Can they not only can they I'm going to pick them.
37:48Oh, of course. Yeah, you're sticking. You're sticking with your guys. I got my
37:52preseason picks all four alive. So I'm going to I'm going to keep it in rub it in
37:56they're very 2021 Rams ish. I know there was more stars on that Rams
38:00team in 2021, but they're the same formula. It's Matt Stafford. It's Puka
38:04more in the Cooper Cup role Cooper Cup more in the Odell role. The running game is better
38:08than it was in 21. The offensive line is better.
38:12They are really good on the road and I know I don't even I'm not even throw stats
38:16me all you want the eye test tells me when they go on the road the defense
38:20plays way different other than the Arizona game this year. They went
38:24into Seattle. They wanted you can say whatever. It's a one o'clock start in MetLife and the Jets
38:28were playing better football and they went in there and like had no business winning that game, but the defense
38:32clamped down when they needed to and they made plays, you know, they obviously went into San Francisco
38:36late in the year and bad weather got the job done. They're they're good on the road.
38:40That Stafford's not going to be flustered by
38:44a crowd. They were really good last year in Detroit, you know this year
38:48and then last year to like they kind of just embrace and I felt
38:52like in 21. I know they were the home team a lot, but there was a lot of like that, you know, the
38:56Bucks game like they had every chance to blow that I popped up on my feed today of the
39:00Brady was like this is what Brady was when he became an anarchist with
39:04the way it was just like this had no business being in that game. They clutch
39:08moments Stafford will be there. I think the emotional
39:12high of it and I know it's very different than you know, the red those Red Sox teams
39:16that dealt with stuff and the Yankee teams and those are very much different things. Those are obviously
39:20man-made incidents versus Mother Nature, but even the Saints and
39:24stuff when he's like weird horrible things happen and these
39:28teams embrace what's going on you play for a little bit more you get this
39:32jolt the extra jolt you get, you know, a turbo boost.
39:36You saw McVay embracing that. I think there's a lot of different
39:40things. I think Philly still like it's like this like grinding your teeth
39:44watching them like last week should have been I know I picked the Packers
39:48but after the first drive it was like the first play like dude this game is yeah, maybe
39:52a disaster. The Packers had every chance to get one stop
39:56there and like this should that should not have been a ballgame. I still think
40:00Hertz is not seeing the field at all. I know Dan Orlovsky
40:04and others put more of the onus on the receivers and stuff.
40:08The A.J. Brown thing is weird and I I just I know
40:12I want everyone wants to absolve it because it's funny and I get it's funny because they're
40:16winning but I don't think it's that funny. Like I
40:20don't it's a playoff game and you're reading a book and you know, it's very
40:24there's just something that's been off for a while. These things have not subsided
40:28so Jared verse the rest
40:32of this defensive line young and on all these guys are
40:36hitting the piss out of the quarterback. Sure, but okay. So
40:40fair 255 yards rushing for Saquon
40:44Barkley when the two teams met Rams team though
40:48to a degree. Yes. Here's my thing with
40:52this though a light up front the that's my concern. The Eagles
40:56are big physical football team who clearly clearly
41:00are a run first football team and a run second football team and the way the quarterbacks
41:04playing should be a run third football team could be that you're going to prove my point though.
41:08I mean they they sort of dialed it back last week. I mean what hurts throw for like 130.
41:12I mean they I think he threw 21 times we go down seven nothing right? Let's just
41:16look at on seven nothing and their first drives three now they run the ball
41:20twice Rams are juiced up, you know early in the game second
41:24drives not great either first down or two. Offensive
41:28coordinators love former quarterbacks. We know this love to
41:32abandon the run. Is there a world in which they can get
41:36a couple stops early and force Kellen more into like we gotta throw the ball AJ's getting frustrated
41:40the crowds get you hear the Philly crowd doing the oh, you know
41:44doing the whole thing like that's the path right? It's get up on them early
41:48and get them get that crowd quiet and restless and almost angry
41:52at the the Eagles and I mean that's how it works there in Philly for sure
41:56look I think the simple answer to this is in terms of the
42:00AJ Brown thing that continues to happen there. I'm
42:04getting them involved early to wide receiver screen just a little simple
42:08my quarterback can't screw that up make a play get some physical contact
42:12maybe you rip off at 1214 yard gain feeling good hype the crowd up
42:16whatever but I'm running the ball a ton and if I'm Sirianni and look
42:20Nick's. Prone to be emotional too, but
42:24if Kellen Moore starts if it goes in the direction you were saying and Kellen Moore starts just
42:28ignoring Saquon in the run game. I'm on the headset saying dude
42:32I don't. Whatever 10 nothing 14
42:36nothing is is nothing in the first quarter or the early second quarter. We can still
42:40continue to run the ball. We need to continue to run the ball. We have the more physical
42:44group up front and we certainly don't want to expose our quarterback to
42:48situations where it's third and long and he has to process
42:52read and make accurate throws cuz it's just not something that he's been
42:56particularly good at this year and they can blame the receivers. They don't
43:00I'm not saying the receivers aren't involved. I don't I don't I have not
43:04like the AJ Brown thing and I'm getting ready for the. Oh for able love
43:08AJ Brown. I mean it's it's already coming. It's already. It's already been
43:12people are able is like. Oh yeah. We'll see I so
43:16and I just would say to that by the way he loved AJ Brown
43:20that was how long ago and how much was AJ Brown making then versus how much
43:24is AJ Brown making now that's two contracts ago for AJ Brown because he
43:28got the new contract to go to Philly and then he didn't like the contract 2 years
43:32in and got another bump in Philly. You know now he's a
43:36$30 million player pick 38 and pick
43:40I don't know pick
43:44107. Would you move for AJ Brown probably right
43:48do the pets. Yeah I think long and hard about it. And if you're the Eagles you probably take
43:52that take the money reinvest it you know a
43:56little bit you know a little bit here a little bit there
44:00I think if you're the Patriots you'd much rather that than
44:04Debo and like Tyreek but he still would have money
44:08Tyreek no I'm even questions even even DK
44:12worries me DK's you want to talk about bad we're talking about AJ with the bad body language
44:16DK had bad body language all year long so
44:20or you try to package both the threes maybe you have you have the extra three to say
44:24take both of our threes and we'll eat the money for the pay I don't know
44:28I just feel like that's the I mean if you could get AJ Brown for two threes
44:32and you felt good about getting you just went for a three but Devante was
44:36older you went for a four condition was a conditional three
44:40maybe two threes and a future four that becomes a two
44:44and the Patriots make the play you know something like that could see that being maybe a package
44:48just because again AJ's making some serious change
44:52serious change and again he may help
44:56transform the offense but then how much is he going to transform the offense I don't I mean
45:00he would a lot yeah it's just there's there's stuff there
45:04I don't know I I think the Rams
45:08will give them a fight but I think by the second half the Rams the
45:12the Rams just they won't be there
45:16so I think by the end of the second half
45:20it's just it's it's I don't know
45:24I'm not going to I'm not going to go for a game
45:28I'm not going to I'm not going to argue about it
45:32but I think at least later this year
45:36it's still going to be a good year
45:40at this team, and look, Green Bay ran the football last week.
45:44Josh Jacobs, like, was really good.
45:47Kyron Williams, if he doesn't fumble, is really good.
45:50He put the ball on the turf again last week, too.
45:52It's got to be...
45:53And now, cold weather.
45:54We're talking, what, 20 degrees, and...
45:56No, he's a Notre Dame guy.
45:58Is he maybe, like...
45:59Rainy?
46:00I don't know. Yeah, this is going to be a...
46:03That's just why I...
46:04The Rams are either going to win this game,
46:06or it's going to be, like, one of those, like, slow death,
46:09like, 27-17, but, like, they run for 275.
46:14Like, that's... There's one or two ways.
46:16Yeah, I'm just... Like I said,
46:18I think my plan would be simple.
46:19I'm just going to keep giving it to Saquon.
46:22All right, let's go to the one
46:23that everybody's been talking about.
46:24It is...
46:26Any good quarterbacks in this game?
46:29There might be.
46:30The guys that'll finish 1-2 in the MVP voting,
46:33depending on, I don't know which...
46:35Who's going to do what.
46:37In Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson.
46:39So, the Bills host the Ravens Sunday night.
46:42Going to be brutally cold for this game.
46:44I think, like, we're talking, like, around zero,
46:47essentially, or a real feel of around zero.
46:51Both quarterbacks, as awesome as they've been
46:52in the regular season,
46:54have a playoff hurdle that they have to overcome.
46:59Lamar is 1-3 in the divisional round
47:02and beyond in his career.
47:04Josh Allen is 1-4
47:06in the divisional round and beyond.
47:08And his only win came versus the Ravens in 2020.
47:13That was the Teron Johnson
47:15103-yard interception return for a touchdown.
47:17Now, Josh Allen's postseason numbers are phenomenal,
47:20whereas Lamar's are not.
47:22So, there's where the cutoff point is.
47:23And as I like to remind people that say,
47:25like, what's Josh?
47:26One, I would tell you he had the Chiefs beat
47:31and 13 seconds happened.
47:32And the 13 seconds had nothing to do with him.
47:34It had everything to do with his head coach,
47:35who is a question mark as we go into the postseason,
47:38as well, because he's had moments.
47:40He even had a moment this year against the Ravens,
47:42in which they called that random throwback play
47:45and almost got Allen killed and whatever.
47:47Just a disaster.
47:49Clock management stuff with him, as well.
47:52Special teams coach was involved in the 13 seconds.
47:55Leslie Frazier was involved in the 13 seconds,
47:57no longer with the football team,
47:59although he did interview for the Dallas
48:00Cowboy head coaching job.
48:02There's a Rooney rule maneuver for you right there.
48:08The Ravens are favored on the road,
48:11as of this taping, again, Thursday 519 in the afternoon,
48:16by a point and a half.
48:18Should the Ravens be favored?
48:21And considering the way both teams are playing,
48:27is this the real, I know they have to,
48:30they will probably have to go through Kansas City,
48:32but is this, as we were talking about,
48:33is this the real matchup for supremacy in the AFC?
48:41Oh, man.
48:43They're both better teams.
48:44The Ravens are, I think,
48:48far more talented than Kansas City.
48:49Not to, well, far, that's a stretch.
48:52They're more talented.
48:53And the Bills beat the Chiefs by whatever it was,
48:56eight, 11 points.
48:57Yeah, it was like two possessions.
48:59Yep.
49:01Man, this is one of those games where like,
49:04just like sit back and enjoy it.
49:06I will be very curious who plays tighter on Sunday.
49:13These, Josh and Lamar can say all they want.
49:16They don't, you know, I don't listen to this,
49:19I don't listen to that.
49:20Yeah, you know what's funny about that?
49:21So I was listening to the press conferences
49:22in the last 24 hours.
49:25Lamar didn't even get asked about,
49:27actually Lamar didn't get asked about playoff performances
49:31and the sort of the hurdle that he has to overcome here.
49:34He didn't even get asked about it.
49:36Josh got asked about just as a team, you know,
49:38the divisional round's been the round
49:40where you guys have had issues,
49:42because of course they run into the Chiefs
49:43multiple times in that spot.
49:47But it just, it was an interesting sort of approach.
49:49Like the Baltimore people didn't even want to go there
49:52with Lamar, because they probably figure
49:55the answer I'm going to get is going to be crap.
49:57Not that one of them went there.
49:59I just, the reason I say that is because these guys,
50:03you know, I just, they love to do the whole,
50:06either I don't read everything or I see everything
50:08and I don't read into it and Josh can talk about the team
50:11and whatever, man.
50:12Like, I appreciate the public statements,
50:15but the Bills and Ravens both have played tight
50:18during playoff games.
50:19They've either coached tight or played tight
50:21during playoff games the last forever,
50:24but specifically last half decade.
50:26I think that's fair to say.
50:27I think Ravens and Bills fans would admit it.
50:29I think, shockingly, Nick Wright and Chris Broussard,
50:33maybe the first time in their life,
50:35made a really nice point and said they could both go
50:3839 of 50 for 500 yards and five touchdowns
50:42and lose in five overtimes.
50:45Whoever doesn't win this game is going to get
50:47absolutely obliterated on Monday morning
50:49on every debate show and talk show around the country.
50:52And it's true.
50:54I think Lamar needs this game more than anybody.
50:57I think if I ranked it, Mike, I'll give you,
51:00you do your top four, I'll do my top four.
51:02I think it's one Lamar, two Sean McDermott,
51:05three Josh Allen, four the Ravens organization.
51:12The reason I would put it that way is,
51:15I think the Ravens, since they won the Super Bowl,
51:18and really, frankly, since, you know,
51:22they had a monkey off their back in 2012,
51:24but there was a 11-year stretch there
51:27where it was like they were amazing every year
51:28and just could not get over the hump.
51:30They couldn't beat New England when it mattered.
51:31They, you know, had some other moments,
51:33the Colts and whatever.
51:34But there was always, like, elite defense,
51:37but, like, couldn't replicate fully what happened in 2001.
51:41They won the Super Bowl,
51:42and it's kind of been the same pattern
51:44of, like, really close, amazing regular seasons,
51:46cannot get it done in the playoffs.
51:50And it starts with Lamar, and until last week,
51:52outside of maybe the Titans game in 2020,
51:56I feel like Lamar's been pretty underwhelming in the playoffs.
51:59He's probably going to win his third MVP this year
52:02and will have not been further
52:04than the divisional round but once,
52:06and in that game, pooped down his leg a little bit.
52:09And, again, Zay Flowers doesn't fumble,
52:10and you can do the whole thing, but the results are the results.
52:13Big Ben doesn't, you know,
52:14complete a Tantonia-Bernadino 10 to just beat the Packers,
52:17and Rodgers has no Super Bowls.
52:18We can do the whole thing.
52:19That doesn't, that's what happened.
52:21So that's why I think he has a little more pressure.
52:23The Joshes had really good playoff success individually,
52:25but they have not gotten, they've really struggled here.
52:28They're always, like, in the game when something goes wrong.
52:31That's just why I'd have Lamar more pressure.
52:33And McDermott, to me, is two, and I could argue he's one.
52:37If they don't win this game, he's probably fired, right?
52:42Like, I understand...
52:44No, no, you know, it's...
52:46No, because even though...
52:50I'm not saying fired, by the way.
52:51I'm just saying, aren't people going to do the whole,
52:53dude, you can't win...
52:54Yeah, they might, but I would just say that the easy,
52:59you know, easy way to combat that is, like,
53:01dude, you thought we weren't going to win the division this year.
53:03You thought we were going to be, like, a 10-win team this year.
53:05We were stepping back, and we went, not only did we not,
53:08we, you know, we locked up the second seed.
53:10We beat Kansas City this year.
53:12Like, no, like, just no.
53:15We went from not fulfilling our destiny
53:21to now being ahead of schedule again on this second turn of the...
53:25Oh, I wouldn't fire him either.
53:27I just, I think people in Buffalo are going to do the whole,
53:29like, dude, you're a really good regular season coach,
53:32but when it comes to the playoffs, you get outcoached by the elite guys.
53:35That's just my one fear for them is, like, for him is,
53:39I don't know, what if Baltimore runs all over them?
53:41And it's, like, they run for 300-plus, and they win 28...
53:45Baltimore should run all over them
53:47because it's where they're coming out from before the season started.
53:50Even past defense off the field, because they're still...
53:53Yeah, they're light as can be.
53:55Just, like, get after them in that regard.
53:59And again, cold weather, like, do you want to...
54:01Not that you ever want to tackle Derrick Henry.
54:03Do you want to tackle Derrick Henry in zero-degree weather?
54:05Like, get him on the outside.
54:09Get him on the edge. Get him to the second level.
54:10Those poor sons of guns are going to be like,
54:13oh, really? I'm going to be the next guy to get run over
54:18or the next guy to get the straight arm to hell?
54:22Yeah, I don't disagree with your ranking there.
54:24I think sort of the Baltimore organization, like, they're good.
54:28They're almost always good.
54:30But we had this conversation about Harbaugh.
54:33Like, it's been a couple moments here since winning the title
54:36where it's like, are they at the end of the road with Harbaugh?
54:39And then, like, you know, they find a way to sort of get out of it.
54:43And obviously, Lamar and...
54:46Harbaugh's a little more Tomlin-ish than people want to admit.
54:49Oh, yeah, there's definitely that.
54:50Like, so you have this, again, same thing.
54:52He raises the floor. Your floor is high.
54:54You're in the playoffs.
54:56You're, you know, you're going to be a good team.
54:59But in the biggest moments, and in January,
55:03there have been a lot of...
55:04A lot of this stuff going on.
55:06Like, they should be a little bit better.
55:08They should have... Should they have won another title in there?
55:10Should something more have happened with this football team?
55:13And so, I just think they're...
55:17There's more pressure on them.
55:19I just think they're the better team.
55:21So, like, if they can weather the early crowd storm,
55:25because it's going to be absolutely banana...
55:27I mean, those people are going to be drinking
55:29from 8 o'clock in the morning until 8 o'clock at night.
55:33And it's going to be cold.
55:34So, they're just... It's going to be...
55:35It'll be bananas in there.
55:37Can you weather that early crowd storm?
55:40And if you can, and Lamar settles into a good groove,
55:43and you're able to run the ball with Henry,
55:44which they've been able to do every week this year,
55:48and they should be able to do against Buffalo again,
55:50then I just...
55:52Buffalo's going to have to win the game 38-35.
55:55Yeah.
55:56And I don't know that...
55:57And their offense is good enough to put up in the high 20s.
56:02Can they get to that next place?
56:04You know, Cooper has been a good ad for them,
56:07but hasn't changed them dramatically.
56:10Coleman's had moments, but he's still a rookie.
56:12You know, Shakir's your best receiver,
56:13and he's damn good. I love him.
56:15I would take him on my team 10 times out of 10.
56:19He's not the game-breaking type guy.
56:20He's not the guy, oh, we can't cover this dude.
56:22You know, like, that's not the kind of player he is.
56:24So, I just think it's going to end up having to be a shootout.
56:29And I just... I would take Lamar and his weapons,
56:32even if it appears, again, we're taping this Thursday,
56:34it appears Dave Flowers is not going to play in this game.
56:37At least that's what it's trending for,
56:38has not been on the practice field
56:40since injuring the knee in the final week of the season.
56:43But I can't wait for the game.
56:44I'm fired up for the game.
56:47I don't want to fast forward through the weekend
56:48because we're running out of football.
56:51That said, that's the game that I've had circled,
56:53and I think a lot of people have,
56:54and hopefully it lives up to the billing.
56:56Just give me a close game, fourth quarter,
56:58and let those two guys ball out and see who can win it.
57:01Yeah, I'm right there with you.
57:03All right, let's do prize picks before we get out of here
57:07and send you on your merry way.
57:08I have four.
57:09I feel outstanding about my picks.
57:12You know, first of all, we'll start with Derek Henry.
57:14More than a half a touchdown
57:15because he scores a touchdown every week, at least one.
57:19I'll give you this one.
57:19Xavier Worthy, more than four and a half yards rushing.
57:24They like to get him his touches.
57:26He's had two or three rushes in every game, it seems,
57:28in the last, whatever, six to eight weeks.
57:31I think he gets that number easily.
57:35Josh Allen, to the script that I'm talking about,
57:39more than 240.5 yards passing.
57:42And then because it's the playoffs,
57:46we see Patrick Mahomes take off in these games,
57:48so I'm going to have his long run
57:49of more than 12 and a half yards.
57:51So there you go, Derek Henry, more than a half touchdown.
57:53Worthy, more than four and a half yards rushing.
57:56Josh Allen, more than 240 and a half yards passing.
57:59And Pat Mahomes, long rush of more than 12 and a half yards.
58:03Who you got?
58:04I got James Cook, rushing plus receiving,
58:07more than 70 and a half yards.
58:09I think the only way Buffalo wins this game
58:10is if they keep Baltimore off the field.
58:13And Baltimore is probably going to do everything they can
58:15to stop Josh Allen.
58:16James Cook should be able to hit 70 and a half,
58:21or less than 47 and a half rushing yards
58:24for David Montgomery.
58:26I just think he'll be a short yardage,
58:28try to have him punched in near the goal line.
58:29There's no way he's fully healthy.
58:31And frankly, the way Jameer gives his playing,
58:32you want him on the field as much as possible.
58:36I'm going to go Nico Collins, more receiving yards.
58:40I think the only way they win this game
58:42is if he's an absolute unit.
58:44So those are my three.
58:45Nico Collins, more yards.
58:47James Cook, more yards and receiving
58:50and rushing yards combined,
58:51and less rushing yards for David Montgomery.
58:55Awesome.
58:56People, enjoy the weekend.
58:57Again, let's hope it is what everybody keeps talking about,
59:00the best weekend of football of the year.
59:03He is Will Parkinson. I'm Mike Giardia.
59:04Remember to like, listen, subscribe,
59:06do all those wonderful things, rate, review.
59:08Wherever you get your podcasts, we are there.
59:10Of course, you can watch it on YouTube as well.
59:13We will see you again on Monday, breaking down the games.
59:16And maybe, just maybe, we'll have another 20 guys
59:20that the Jets have interviewed
59:21for the general manager jobs and head coaching.
59:24And maybe someone else will have actually hired a coach
59:27at that point. We'll see.
59:29They might be hiring John Eric Sullivan.
59:31We'll see if that actually happens.
59:32But Brian Goodican said we will miss him.
59:36He had a second interview today.
59:37He worked with, obviously, the Titans upper management.
59:40So we'll cover that if that happens before Monday.
59:43Absolutely. All right, people, have a good weekend.
59:45See you.