Speaker 1: Yea from the Los Angeles Convention Center site of Radio Row.
Speaker 1: It's the Around the NFL podcast. I'm Dan Hansas. I'm
Speaker 1: gonna set filled with heroes, Mark Sessler, Greg Rosenthal, Ricky
Speaker 1: Hollywood now deep into her thirties. Am I right? Sean
Speaker 1: Payton's walking by with the whole crew, a walking talk,
Speaker 1: A walking talk with Peyton, free agent coach, and you
Speaker 1: know what, perfect timing for the other man on the couch,
Speaker 1: Ian Rappaport, who just came by. We're gonna get into
Speaker 1: the whole. This is the game preview show, so get excited.
Speaker 1: We're gonna dig deeper. Also gonna have Derrick Henry on
Speaker 1: the show. That's gonna be awesome. But Ian Rappaport's a
Speaker 1: great rap sheet buddy. What's going on is that the
Speaker 1: next coach of the Dallas Cowboys. Let's start there like
Speaker 1: literally next year. Sean Payton, Yeah, I hadn't heard of
Speaker 1: those rumors. Off it feels to me. I don't know,
Speaker 1: but it feels to me a little too like on
Speaker 1: the nose. But a lot of times when those those things,
Speaker 1: it's like everyone assumed for so long that Aaron Rodgers
Speaker 1: is gonna get traded to the Broncos that it almost
Speaker 1: feels to me like it's not gonna happen because everyone
Speaker 1: has just assumed, you know, like that everyone has named
Speaker 1: him the coach of the Cowboys. I'm sure Rosen Dalston
Speaker 1: not a snarky tweet about it right after. It's like,
Speaker 1: it's like Ian just assumed he could come onto our podcast.
Speaker 1: We were just about to start. He walks up and
Speaker 1: he's like, where's my invite? Where it was correct? Essentially
Speaker 1: just walked onto the set, forced his way on and
Speaker 1: has been texting for the last five minutes. Ever said,
Speaker 1: that's not brand. He's he's not the only guy that's
Speaker 1: allowed to do that, so you gotta take advantage of it.
Speaker 1: Is weird though, because like I am generally not that polite.
Speaker 1: I think that's fair to say. And it's almost like
Speaker 1: I have license to be not polite because I'll be
Speaker 1: in a conversation and I'll hold on, I got a
Speaker 1: text and it could be literally my wife and people like, oh,
Speaker 1: dear thing, my dear thing. Like if if Pallisero tried
Speaker 1: to pull the same move that you just did, he
Speaker 1: would not be on the podcast right now. Wow, you
Speaker 1: know that I've and I've said this before, like I
Speaker 1: knew Ian before he was rap sheet and Ian was
Speaker 1: always like this, there's a there's a demeanor. So you've
Speaker 1: always kept it real. It's not like fame and incredible
Speaker 1: wealth from being an NFL insider has changed you. This
Speaker 1: is who you are. Respect that. I was built for this.
Speaker 1: I've been kind of like rude, slash dismissive really since
Speaker 1: I can Cecily, you said you had a follow up. No,
Speaker 1: I mean we've had We've had Ian on a number
Speaker 1: of times. Calmed down there, it could be a professional.
Speaker 1: You're thirty now, Oh, I guess he actually doesn't look
Speaker 1: that imposing like we had justin Herbert on the show
Speaker 1: and he looked like an actual god amongst men. Right, No,
Speaker 1: you can go Ian whenever you feel comfortable. But like
Speaker 1: no one's ever been like, oh, Mac Jones physical specimen,
Speaker 1: Like it's crazy to be in the room with that guy.
Speaker 1: What I mean, the best the best Jones picture was
Speaker 1: him right with the shirt off smoking I think a cigar, right, yeah, something,
Speaker 1: isn't it? And Patriots fans like remember Brady's combined photos,
Speaker 1: So you know number two, it's not gonna happen again.
Speaker 1: That's just what is Hey, what is the following? I
Speaker 1: mean I always check in with this situation. You're a
Speaker 1: you're an UM internationally known news breaker. I think you're
Speaker 1: one of the recognizable football faces on the planet. Where
Speaker 1: are we with like the the groupie the female groupie scenario?
Speaker 1: I mean, is it? I always like just to see
Speaker 1: where we are. Um. I don't get a lot of
Speaker 1: d m s from females. Um the same with these boys.
Speaker 1: You should see our live shows. It's a sausage factory.
Speaker 1: Know that. Actually that's on brand UM. Not a lot,
Speaker 1: but some right, I've had not a lot of Mark's
Speaker 1: response to them, Like the rate is very high. It's
Speaker 1: like say yeah one literally. UM. I will sometimes go
Speaker 1: through my uh you know, there's the three there's the categories.
Speaker 1: There's like the categories of the people I know. Then
Speaker 1: there's the categories people I kind of know. Then there's
Speaker 1: the randoms. Sometimes I would go through the raindos just
Speaker 1: to see and uh, really nothing is there ever? Like
Speaker 1: you get maybe one of every once in a while.
Speaker 1: Oh and Adam Schefter couldn't even carry your cell phone charger. Yeah,
Speaker 1: I like that. I get some of that yeah, I
Speaker 1: like it, and then move on hurrying favor with you. Yep,
Speaker 1: your guys ms are a lot different than mine. What
Speaker 1: yours like? Mine are bad? Mine are like bad meaning
Speaker 1: good like bad yeah, yeah, yeah, alright, know what I mean.
Speaker 1: But like like bad or like you've shown us something.
Speaker 1: Some of them are pretty pretty crazy. Some of them
Speaker 1: are like just like you're hot. Some of them are
Speaker 1: like shows. I would say with you, certain people go
Speaker 1: from zero to sixty very quickly with the Yeah. I
Speaker 1: feel like everyone should be subjected at some point to
Speaker 1: what women in the media have to deal with. It
Speaker 1: would all lose their damn minds. It's so true, just
Speaker 1: like do nothing and get random insults for no reason.
Speaker 1: It's just I've been told him, like too fat for
Speaker 1: an audio podcast? What the you're a woman? Really forceful
Speaker 1: peace signs? He's like, yeah, that was me, waved as
Speaker 1: they were going by. Is a lot going on here,
Speaker 1: and I know you're a busy man and we have
Speaker 1: a lot to get to but I want to ask
Speaker 1: you this. You have been the insider and you gotta
Speaker 1: answer this. Honestly, this is gonna be hard hitting question.
Speaker 1: You've been doing this now for years about two thirteen
Speaker 1: or so at NFL bec as the insider. That is
Speaker 1: a job that ages you and what the hair dye
Speaker 1: obviously has kept it from showing. But why do people think?
Speaker 1: But I'm just saying, at what point do you walk
Speaker 1: away from the insider role and find something else? Because
Speaker 1: I imagine that the stress level, despite being a high
Speaker 1: visibility gig, it has to be immense to the point
Speaker 1: where maybe I want to put down my phone at
Speaker 1: some point, maybe I want to hold my son who
Speaker 1: I've never met before. May me there's these things like
Speaker 1: does this go through your mind now that you've done
Speaker 1: this so long? I try to hold my son he's eight,
Speaker 1: and he doesn't like it very much. If I get
Speaker 1: like one hug a week, then it's it's very lucky
Speaker 1: as long as I don't mess up. But didn't think
Speaker 1: it's cool what you do? It takes after the old man.
Speaker 1: Uh yeah, his hair is amazing. No, Uh do they
Speaker 1: think it's cool? No? We My wife ended up talking
Speaker 1: to my oldest son, Max's teacher yesterday and she was like, oh, yeah,
Speaker 1: into the super Bowl and the teacher was like, oh,
Speaker 1: that's cool, Like is this his first one? And She's
Speaker 1: like oh no, but he's you know, on TV, and
Speaker 1: she's like, oh really, Max had never mentioned it at
Speaker 1: one time and he's been in school for five that
Speaker 1: never came up. And it says a lot though that
Speaker 1: you think that surprising, like that you would have assumed
Speaker 1: he has told all of his friends, you know, the
Speaker 1: names of our two cats. But it goes like you'll
Speaker 1: you'll hear Tom Hanks say the same thing, like my
Speaker 1: kids do not care. It just it filters all the
Speaker 1: way down. They care if they care if they are
Speaker 1: on TV, like when I'm doing like the Mac if
Speaker 1: you show or something, I forget to lock the door
Speaker 1: and they wander in. They're like, how many people are watching? Like,
Speaker 1: oh my god, it's a good it's a good name
Speaker 1: to bring up, because I think when you think like
Speaker 1: two of the most you know, premier American everyman, you
Speaker 1: think Tom Hanks and then rap Sheet like those guys,
Speaker 1: I think that's probably true together, all right, anything else?
Speaker 1: Do you want to share anything with our huge Don't
Speaker 1: you have any news? The only thing I had I
Speaker 1: put out this morning, you know, But it's like the
Speaker 1: dregs of the assistant coach world, you know, like coach
Speaker 1: well You've saved a real gym for us. Thank you,
Speaker 1: Tom capers has. Do you have anything planned though for Sunday?
Speaker 1: You try to save some bomb drops for Super Bowls?
Speaker 1: I don't know if it would be a bomb drop.
Speaker 1: It's tough. Supero week. We've got some stuff. Did you
Speaker 1: ever get you ever come up with it? Like they
Speaker 1: have the woad bombs in the NBA? Do we have
Speaker 1: a we have a term? I kind of don't like that,
Speaker 1: you know, okay? I rap sheet is your version of
Speaker 1: the wold. You've got a brand. Well and you said
Speaker 1: it all. Are you looking forward to the halftime show? Yeah,
Speaker 1: it's gonna be awesome. The only the only thing I'm
Speaker 1: really looking forward to. I don't get stressed. I get
Speaker 1: stressed a little bit about work, but not a ton.
Speaker 1: By now I am nervous. I'm not going to get
Speaker 1: any good pregame selfies. I have a really good streak going.
Speaker 1: Me and Gaga got a great selfie usher, great one,
Speaker 1: Steph Curry, great one. If I don't get like snoop
Speaker 1: or something, I'm gonna be like really bumped. Um like chef,
Speaker 1: I could not hold your cell phone charge here, um,
Speaker 1: Steph Curry knew who I was sure? I think? Did
Speaker 1: he did? I met? I had a good moment. Did
Speaker 1: he was? Because he was trying to buy the Panthers
Speaker 1: when they really remember that like story little storyline though
Speaker 1: that did not happen though, no alright, picked the game
Speaker 1: before we take by uh Bengals win with the Joe
Speaker 1: Burrow drive at the end. Uh Ricky Hollywood was on
Speaker 1: the red carpet of the Honors yesterday and I couldn't
Speaker 1: even get Mac Jones, Patriots quarterback, to pick a winner
Speaker 1: of the game. My least favorite trope in any sports.
Speaker 1: I was just talking to Kevin Clark, who had Herbert,
Speaker 1: and he said, D asked Herbert, who's gonna win? He said,
Speaker 1: the City of California. I'm glad we didn't ask. We
Speaker 1: had Herbert too. It was a much better interview with us,
Speaker 1: but he said the city of California. Oh, we gotta
Speaker 1: scrub that from the public record. Alright. In best of
Speaker 1: luck to you, buddy, good seeing you, Thanks for letting
Speaker 1: me come on guys, goodbye. All right, there he goes
Speaker 1: the Great rap Sheet, A busy man, always in demand.
Speaker 1: And now we turn our attention. Let's get around applause,
Speaker 1: and there he goes, Alright, great show today, we're gonna
Speaker 1: get to the breakdown Bengals Ram Super Bowl fifty six. Mark.
Speaker 1: What you've been with the NFL for well over a decade? Now,
Speaker 1: what's your level of excitement going into the the big game?
Speaker 1: Because I have to say one of the reasons why
Speaker 1: I love my job is that I still love I
Speaker 1: love the season, I love the the the story of
Speaker 1: it all, and the story ends on Sunday night. I
Speaker 1: think this is the most um that I've been looking
Speaker 1: forward to the actual game in years and years, and
Speaker 1: it's because of the Bengals and because of everything that
Speaker 1: we've been through with that journey. I think it's just
Speaker 1: one of the more intriguing NFL plot line slash narrative,
Speaker 1: slash team ways to get here of any club I've
Speaker 1: I can think back to. I mean, so, I'm my
Speaker 1: excitement level is high. I don't need to be um.
Speaker 1: When I leave downtown l A today will not be
Speaker 1: returning to downtown l A for roughly seven and a
Speaker 1: half years. Wow, Downtown in l A, great restaurants, Koreatown
Speaker 1: taking like a big fire here. I think your players
Speaker 1: say it's like it's like, once the love of the
Speaker 1: game is gone, that's when I'll know it's time to
Speaker 1: walk away. I think if you allowed to play, that's
Speaker 1: another one. Sunday's super Moore. Sunday to me is never
Speaker 1: is never remotely disappointing. The exciting, the excitement of being
Speaker 1: at the stadium building up and the goose bumps you get,
Speaker 1: and then once the game starts that's always amazing. The
Speaker 1: week leading up to it, that's where our jaded side
Speaker 1: shows somewhat, and you always find skipping ahead to the
Speaker 1: game if you could, or if they just let us
Speaker 1: fly in on Saturdays. I personally would do that, but
Speaker 1: everyone is different. I've liked the home Super Bowl. I
Speaker 1: like sleeping in my uh at home and seeing my
Speaker 1: kids and stuff. It's made I didn't sleep not in
Speaker 1: my bed because Emma has had him on the couch
Speaker 1: for two years. You get home too late. It's like
Speaker 1: now you're staying out there, stay together for the kids.
Speaker 1: I like, I don't know, it's like I I it's
Speaker 1: gone by faster at home, which I like it has.
Speaker 1: I we don't need to do all this because it
Speaker 1: is minusha ultimately, but I do. I love the whole
Speaker 1: vibe of Super Bowl blo week. It's a little different
Speaker 1: when like Daddy has to go coach the Gators on
Speaker 1: Wednesday in the first baseball practice, Like it's a little
Speaker 1: it's a little tricky to thread the needle. But we
Speaker 1: have Ricky happy birthday once again. Thank you. You you
Speaker 1: look wonderful. You're glowing for someone the morning after their
Speaker 1: thirtieth birthday celebrated. I know, I feel like I've let
Speaker 1: my personal sort of reputation slash brand down. So I
Speaker 1: got many texts justin next to me, Aaron over there,
Speaker 1: I was like, hey, are you okay? How are you feeling?
Speaker 1: Like everyone's calling the local more. Everyone's like, oh, Erica
Speaker 1: definitely did not make it through the night, or she's
Speaker 1: going to be looking like a hot mess this morning.
Speaker 1: Like I feel really great. I kept it to just
Speaker 1: wine last night. I had a great dinner. My little
Speaker 1: baby brothers in town, U me Jett and him and
Speaker 1: my friend Sarah, just the four of us went to dinner.
Speaker 1: And because you know, I we had a big show
Speaker 1: today and you look sharp. M I sense a higher
Speaker 1: level of maturity emanating from you. Thank you. Yeah, I
Speaker 1: feel just you had a Princess Leah style dress on
Speaker 1: the red carpet, which umla oh the white Wait a second,
Speaker 1: Wait a second, Princess when she's fighting the Jaba monster,
Speaker 1: I know that outfit that wasn't white, the job monster.
Speaker 1: That's me. Thus you I am Leah like that scene
Speaker 1: that's not on, that's not she was like a brown outfit.
Speaker 1: This was white. I don't know how to move Dan
Speaker 1: off this because we we discussed it prior and he
Speaker 1: cannot hear. You guys have been talking about my Princess
Speaker 1: lea outfit like since yesterday. I don't know. The honors
Speaker 1: is amazing. We started Connie was wearing a wild outfit.
Speaker 1: Everyone was really dressed to the tease. Did you guys go?
Speaker 1: I was at the NFL experience with my two sons,
Speaker 1: my wife, my buddy Bob. They had a great time. Again,
Speaker 1: usually on a Thursday night to be getting loose somewhere
Speaker 1: at a super Bowl city, maybe I'd be out to
Speaker 1: dinner with you, but I mean maybe certainly. Yeah, it
Speaker 1: was very strange. I was at work because we taped
Speaker 1: our show there and then I had a couple of
Speaker 1: things after that, leaving and everyone from work like putting
Speaker 1: up makeup in that like at their desk, and everyone
Speaker 1: that you are normally working with wearing like beautiful gowns
Speaker 1: and suits. And as I'm walking to my parking lot
Speaker 1: and parked my car in the parking lot, like Zeke
Speaker 1: Elliott is being dropped off looking all nice and everything.
Speaker 1: It's very strange that was our workplace. But no, I
Speaker 1: went to I got out of there. Well we went.
Speaker 1: I like how gred he describes it as my parking lot.
Speaker 1: It feels like I know, but there's there's people that
Speaker 1: have access to that office, which is across the street
Speaker 1: from Sofy Stadium, was certainly bustling. At one point I went,
Speaker 1: I went into the like the dressing room area, and
Speaker 1: there's baldy like looking literally like a Hercules character changing.
Speaker 1: You have Nate burleson around the corners, Kyle Brand like
Speaker 1: that's the shirt didn't come off around these gentlemen. These
Speaker 1: were this. This was like a go change in shame
Speaker 1: in the local laboratory. I'd be happy to I'd be
Speaker 1: happy to go topless in the in that I'm very
Speaker 1: proud of what I'm presenting. We all know, okay, just
Speaker 1: lathering yourself up like that would be your number two.
Speaker 1: Option Number one would be wearing the Princess Leia outfit.
Speaker 1: You know, that would be like your biggest dream. What
Speaker 1: was it? Like, really gotta get going, but I've always
Speaker 1: wondered what's what's It was very um, it was very empowering. Yeah,
Speaker 1: I felt pretty cool. I really liked it. I wasn't
Speaker 1: sure if I could pull it off. It was a
Speaker 1: little bit I needed a couple of confidence boots. I
Speaker 1: was in the hair and makeup chair and the girls
Speaker 1: were really gassing me up, being like you like bomb
Speaker 1: af you gotta wear now NFL Honors that was you
Speaker 1: were on that red carpet and we're gonna get to
Speaker 1: all the award winners and the games, and our sandwich
Speaker 1: props are game picks, uh, guest galore. It's a it's
Speaker 1: a big show. Um. They did do a in memorium
Speaker 1: section of the show and it was very nice and
Speaker 1: also still surreal. H that Chris Westling um our man
Speaker 1: who should be sitting next to Mark right now. Uh,
Speaker 1: beautiful photo of him from the super Bowl in Minnesota.
Speaker 1: I still remember for that photo when it was taken.
Speaker 1: And also are great friend Tara Deaker, who we also
Speaker 1: lost to cancer this year, so to see them as
Speaker 1: part of that uh, goose bumps moment and still yeah,
Speaker 1: still very strange, really is it was a surprise. I was.
Speaker 1: I always think of, like, what would Chris think in
Speaker 1: these scenarios, because it was like all these players that
Speaker 1: he knew better than all of us. It was, you know,
Speaker 1: these guys from the sixties and seventies. It was like
Speaker 1: Marty Schottenheimer and certain in all these different players, and
Speaker 1: I was thinking like, and then up comes Chris in Tara.
Speaker 1: It was it was uncanny. And when things like that happened,
Speaker 1: you just realize that it's just it's bigger than just
Speaker 1: our friend that we lost our friend, that he's had
Speaker 1: this sort of impact. I ran into someone on the
Speaker 1: way into radio Road today. He's from Iceland. He's his
Speaker 1: name is uh. I don't even know how to say
Speaker 1: this name, but Irker Askas, and he works for a
Speaker 1: television station. He works for a television station in Iceland.
Speaker 1: He said he's here because of Chris, that he's a
Speaker 1: die hard fan of the show, a die hard fan
Speaker 1: of Chris. He's a fan of the Bengals. Normally, Iceland
Speaker 1: would not be sending any coverage to the Super Bowl,
Speaker 1: and when Bengals made it, he he's been following us.
Speaker 1: He was a little emotional too and just saying that,
Speaker 1: like I just felt like he'd the call, like if
Speaker 1: ever I should be at a super Bowl, I need
Speaker 1: to be at this super Bowl. So he started emailing
Speaker 1: the people that he knew within the NFL offices. He
Speaker 1: started pushing all the people at his icelandic TV station,
Speaker 1: and he said he is here today because of because
Speaker 1: of Chris. How cool is that? It's amazing? And we
Speaker 1: get questions all the time, like how do you get
Speaker 1: into sports? How do you get into football? And like
Speaker 1: I think if anyone that looks at the journey that
Speaker 1: West took from beginning to end, um, there's no one way.
Speaker 1: And his way was as unique as anyone I've ever met. Absolutely,
Speaker 1: we got to we celebrated Chris. This past weekend. We
Speaker 1: were at Hanano's, the famous burger joint there in Venice,
Speaker 1: where we spent many days and had many pictures and
Speaker 1: great greasy burgers on that griddle. Sometimes if you use
Speaker 1: a griddle enough at the griddle itself, I wish you
Speaker 1: could taste this mark. I know you're not a meat guy,
Speaker 1: but the flavor of those patties, um, it's just special.
Speaker 1: But that was that was where we had so many
Speaker 1: great moments with West. Also Deaker, who was such a
Speaker 1: great woman and we miss her a lot too. That
Speaker 1: was the last time we ever saw Deeker was at
Speaker 1: Colleen's uh Dad's summit. Post the boat trip. We went
Speaker 1: to Hanano's last spring and that ended up being the
Speaker 1: last time we saw Deer. So that was It's been
Speaker 1: an emotional roller coaster obviously, as we've talked about on
Speaker 1: the show, and it was just nice to see both
Speaker 1: of those special people remembered in such a public way.
Speaker 1: I would add that I've had the grilled cheese there
Speaker 1: and I'm sure it's not cooked on a pure um
Speaker 1: that's basically a cheese burger exactly, So you know I've
Speaker 1: been there to some degree. All right, let's uh speaking
Speaker 1: of honors, that is the uh platform, that's the delivery
Speaker 1: advice device, I should say, for the awards now, And
Speaker 1: they moved at from Saturday, where it's always been as
Speaker 1: long as we've been doing the show, to Thursday, which
Speaker 1: helps us because I've always been a little frustrated as
Speaker 1: the host of the show that they give out all
Speaker 1: the awards on Saturday, the night before the Super Bowl.
Speaker 1: We're talking Super Bowl Sunday, that we're taking a few
Speaker 1: days off, and somehow these awards fall through the cracks
Speaker 1: on the show. Not this year and hopefully not uh
Speaker 1: any longer. So let's go through it. Not a lot
Speaker 1: of surprises, Greggy, but let's I'm gonna tick through it.
Speaker 1: Aaron Rodgers one easily, m v p um. I believe
Speaker 1: he got thirty nine votes. Yeah, Tom Brady got ten,
Speaker 1: which actually was more. Thank you to those ten people.
Speaker 1: I think that was the right vote. That was more
Speaker 1: than I expected. And Cooper Cup got the other vote.
Speaker 1: Cooper Cup was not shut out, though he got Offensive
Speaker 1: Player of the Year, not a surprise. And the rest
Speaker 1: there's no real surprise to be found here. We have
Speaker 1: t J. Watt Defensive Player of the Year, Jamaar Chase
Speaker 1: took Offensive Rookie of the Year, of course. Mika Parsons,
Speaker 1: Mica Mika Micah Parsons took Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Speaker 1: Are a grave digger, grave digger, you've been laying low
Speaker 1: ever since that Titans playoff loss. Let's be honest. He's
Speaker 1: on the couch right now. We didn't set up a
Speaker 1: microphone for him, but the digger comes. He is. This
Speaker 1: is the first time he's on Mike since you know,
Speaker 1: the middle of the playoffs, your boy, Mike Rabel. I
Speaker 1: thought they did a good job at this because Rabel
Speaker 1: took that team to another division time. I know it's
Speaker 1: a soft division, but you know they won eleven games
Speaker 1: and had so many injuries that they dealt with. Uh
Speaker 1: and he just got a contract extension, so that's well,
Speaker 1: it's well earned right for the Titans. I think he
Speaker 1: was the the obvious candidate to win. Erica made a
Speaker 1: nice bet with William mc ginnis as we were walking
Speaker 1: over to the red carpet that he wouldn't win, and
Speaker 1: then got to talk to Rabel about her bet on
Speaker 1: the red carpet. That's cool. Yeah, where can we hear
Speaker 1: all that stuff? Um? I don't know, Actually it's something
Speaker 1: some of it will be on Greg show game debut.
Speaker 1: There there um something there and it'll it'll be all over.
Speaker 1: But yeah, I bet Willie mcginnist my West Hollywood house
Speaker 1: for his Long Beach mansion. That but you don't own
Speaker 1: the house in West HOLLI but right, so he's but
Speaker 1: he's getting my rental now, so he has to acquire
Speaker 1: that monthly. Where where are you going to be relocating
Speaker 1: to turn Willia into a slum lord? Yeah? Um? And
Speaker 1: how are you justin that that that was a bitter
Speaker 1: playoff loss to the Bengals? Uh? Did that one? That
Speaker 1: must have hit your herd right in the belly. It
Speaker 1: was a disappointing game when your team gets nine sacks
Speaker 1: and loses. It's just how's that? Even Jeffrey Simmons was
Speaker 1: a god and all those performances will just be lost
Speaker 1: to like the ether. No one's ever going to talk
Speaker 1: about Jeffrey Simmons getting three sacks in a playoff game,
Speaker 1: like who cares they lost? It doesn't matter. Are the
Speaker 1: Titans properly respected at this point by the football people
Speaker 1: out there? I think, like the thing is like they
Speaker 1: weren't that bad because they played a pretty good game
Speaker 1: outside of the quarterback like three. I don't know that
Speaker 1: when I rewatched that, and then I didn't think it
Speaker 1: was as much on Tannehill as I did the first
Speaker 1: time around. And they probably should have won that game
Speaker 1: to Derrick Henry in forty minutes, right, But they didn't.
Speaker 1: I think giving you know, I won't say this to
Speaker 1: Derrick Henry because I'm afraid of him, but giving the
Speaker 1: ball to Derrick Henry over and over and over and
Speaker 1: over and over again. Uh, and not having any success.
Speaker 1: That was a pretty big part of the game, especially
Speaker 1: when the backup running back had three runs that look
Speaker 1: better than any of those runs. You're putting Tannehill in
Speaker 1: a bad There was a lot of problems. There's a
Speaker 1: lot of problems. We don't need to relitting that this game.
Speaker 1: But he threw three picks. One was on the first
Speaker 1: throw of the game that's set up the initial points,
Speaker 1: the second ones when they're going in for a touchdown
Speaker 1: that would have changed the game. And the third was
Speaker 1: that basically sealed their fate. He was he was late,
Speaker 1: it was rough. It was a terrible offensive performance. Is
Speaker 1: everything is OK? Go ahead? I want you to share
Speaker 1: that point. I just want to say that if you're
Speaker 1: gonna lose to a team, the Bengals were the team,
Speaker 1: I'm glad. I'm like, as a fan, I'm glad to
Speaker 1: have lost to that team because I feel like there's
Speaker 1: something really special about the Bengals and it's just good
Speaker 1: very noble of you. Now, strict parameters were laid out
Speaker 1: privately or publicly. I believe by Grave Digger about his
Speaker 1: personal life and what we can and cannot talk about it.
Speaker 1: So I won't ask about you know, the thing I
Speaker 1: saw her last night at honors, that tible rider as
Speaker 1: a date I did do I have to redact that
Speaker 1: she's moving into her own apartment. This is apartment of
Speaker 1: the future. This is rapidly moving forward here. Well, we're
Speaker 1: not allowed to talk about it, but it seems like
Speaker 1: not everything is bad for grave Digger. Not everything all right?
Speaker 1: There he goes play him out, Ricky. That'll help a
Speaker 1: playoff plus. But she was all dressed up to she
Speaker 1: looked nice. She looked real nice, real good. It's a
Speaker 1: good job, I Grave Digger. They listen. There's some hurdles,
Speaker 1: there's some barbed wire, but you just you throw an
Speaker 1: old coat over the barbed wire and you get over
Speaker 1: the fence. All right, Anyway, what is this show about today?
Speaker 1: Coach of the Year, Frable, Comeback Player of the Year,
Speaker 1: Joe Burrow beats Stack. Some people a little bit surprised,
Speaker 1: but everybody calmed down. Deck was okay this year. That
Speaker 1: was clear that was that was the one chance for
Speaker 1: injustice happening, and I'm glad that's good. And then the
Speaker 1: Walter Walter Payton Man of the Year award went to
Speaker 1: Andrew Whitworthy, left tackle that his speech, by the way,
Speaker 1: I thought was one of the best moments of the
Speaker 1: night where he talked about Derek Barnes from the Lions
Speaker 1: ran up to him after they played Detroit and was
Speaker 1: like he threw Andrew witt Worth with Worth off after
Speaker 1: the game. He's like, I just want to know that
Speaker 1: You'll let you know that when I was a kid
Speaker 1: at the Boys and Girls Club, you used to sit
Speaker 1: down and talk to me and tell me that anything
Speaker 1: was possible. And I'm here because of you. And like,
Speaker 1: Whitworth is one of the best dudes in the league.
Speaker 1: And I thought he nailed that speech. Very oldest tackle
Speaker 1: in NFL history, still one of the best players in
Speaker 1: the league at his position. That that was an an
Speaker 1: awesome moment. And you do realize, like how much these
Speaker 1: awards do mean to the guys like you. You think
Speaker 1: it's a team game and it's all about inins and losses. No,
Speaker 1: like you could tell how much Amentum Mike raable. You
Speaker 1: can definitely tell how much it means to Aaron Rodgers
Speaker 1: to win a fourth m v P. I think that
Speaker 1: was a goal for him. Wash his hair, that's how
Speaker 1: important that right. You definitely are getting the vibe. But
Speaker 1: from his postgame the post speech press conference too, that
Speaker 1: he's going to be back in Green Bay. At least,
Speaker 1: that's the vibe I got. And I think it's funny
Speaker 1: that there's a post speech press conference, right, but it's
Speaker 1: good that it's good it's been available, and I think
Speaker 1: t J Watt was rightly rewarded for this three year run.
Speaker 1: I don't know if this was even his best year,
Speaker 1: but he's kind of been outshine because he's going up,
Speaker 1: going up against Aaron Donald every year, who's at the
Speaker 1: peak of an all time greatest player every career. Chris
Speaker 1: was so mad in nineteen that t J Watt did
Speaker 1: not win. He thought that t J Watt should have.
Speaker 1: I remember me and him going back and forth. I
Speaker 1: thought it was Donald and this three year run is
Speaker 1: is about as great as a pass rushers as anyone's had.
Speaker 1: So he's a Donalds, a total stud. But this wasn't
Speaker 1: one of those Donald work with they had twelve and
Speaker 1: a half sacks um his usual assortment of knockdowns of
Speaker 1: the quarterback, but it wasn't one of those otherworldly Donald DearS,
Speaker 1: at least statistically um. And it should be just historical
Speaker 1: context before we start digging into the game. For Rogers,
Speaker 1: he's won the m v P now two thousand eleven,
Speaker 1: two thousand fourteen, two thousand twenty, two thousand twenty one.
Speaker 1: He's gone back to back, and I know the bloom
Speaker 1: is off. The Rodgers rose because of some of the
Speaker 1: assinine comments he made during the year and all the
Speaker 1: appearances and then of course another one and done playoff oustair.
Speaker 1: But at the same time, I don't know how you
Speaker 1: can get furious that he won MVP. He was awesome
Speaker 1: again this year. You know, he was great and and
Speaker 1: it is a regular season award. Ultimately, I think the
Speaker 1: three guys that got the votes were all legitimate options, Brady,
Speaker 1: Cup and Rogers. I would have voted Brady, but you
Speaker 1: can minus Brady. But I with you that Rogers deserved
Speaker 1: and they also a non SD the Hall of Fame
Speaker 1: just quickly, guys, happy for Tony BASSELLI, Leroy Butler, Sam Mills,
Speaker 1: Richard Seymour, Bryant, Young, Cliff Branch. They put an official
Speaker 1: in the Hall of Fame, Art McNally, I didn't know
Speaker 1: that was coming. And then Dick ver Meal Seymour was
Speaker 1: literally the best player on a Patriots team. That was
Speaker 1: Joe Cleco in the Hall of Fame before we put
Speaker 1: in a referee, and all due respect to that zebra,
Speaker 1: But how don't we get Joe Cleco the only defender
Speaker 1: to ever be All Pro at three different positions. So
Speaker 1: my high school locker room outside where the football coach resided,
Speaker 1: how did Joe Cleco letter? Joe Cleco had written the
Speaker 1: type written um. I think was actually like one of
Speaker 1: those tapped out things like a transmission for some reason
Speaker 1: from George. Yeah, it was all it was. It seemed
Speaker 1: almost military like, but I used to look at it
Speaker 1: all the time. Joe clecka was a dominating force. Don't
Speaker 1: forget Andrew beck Salute to Service award. I don't even
Speaker 1: know what what's going on there, but nice job by him. Oh,
Speaker 1: I'm sure it's certainly worthy of I know you're trying
Speaker 1: to make light of it, but I'm not. I'm looking
Speaker 1: at the winners. We didn't mention that Andrew Beck won
Speaker 1: thet You didn't mention the Fan of the Year or
Speaker 1: like the ground and Pound FedEx Player, So it's you know,
Speaker 1: there are some awards that get a little less. The
Speaker 1: military matters to me, Greg, and that's why I mentioned it.
Speaker 1: You can certainly find other areas in the NFL media
Speaker 1: breakdowns of the FedEx Ground and Air Player of the Year.
Speaker 1: We steer if you must, unless they pay us, if
Speaker 1: fed Excellence to cut a check, we will play that
Speaker 1: up harder than the m v P. That would be
Speaker 1: the only thing we talk about. Jonathan Taylor, what a winner?
Speaker 1: All right, let us um get into the overall discussion
Speaker 1: of the big game. It is the Bengals, it is
Speaker 1: the Rams. It is a matchup of two number four seeds.
Speaker 1: I don't know if that's ever happened before, has it?
Speaker 1: Of all the data, no, Greg Digger shaking his head. No.
Speaker 1: Uh So, this has been an unlikely journey, obviously more
Speaker 1: so with Cincinnati. And I think one thing that's been
Speaker 1: lost uh here, Greggy, is the Bengals are an incredible store.
Speaker 1: I think they are going to be. In fact, we
Speaker 1: know it to be true. They are I think the
Speaker 1: team that most people want to win this game. Uh,
Speaker 1: but the Rams. It's a great story in Los Angeles
Speaker 1: to the Matthew Stafford angle. Um, this the rise of
Speaker 1: Cooper Cup, a guy like Andrew Whitworth getting another crack,
Speaker 1: the guy that played forever in Cincinnati by the way,
Speaker 1: um Odell Beckham, Sean McVeigh getting a chance to, um,
Speaker 1: you know, exercise some demons after he kind of had
Speaker 1: a letdown game in his first Super Bowl appearance. Like
Speaker 1: these are major figures of the modern NFL on the
Speaker 1: l A side of things. So it's just a great
Speaker 1: set up for a game, right, I think it In
Speaker 1: terms of your rooting interests, it's like you could either
Speaker 1: root for the fan base and the story and the
Speaker 1: magic of sports and underdogs and and that the Bengals
Speaker 1: have all that, or or you can you're a fan
Speaker 1: of the sport and you root for greatness. And the
Speaker 1: Rams have three first ballot Hall of famers on their
Speaker 1: defense alone, name of I mean, Von Miller is a
Speaker 1: Super Bowl m VP, Aaron Donald is maybe the greatest
Speaker 1: player of all time. And Jalen Ramsey I think is
Speaker 1: gonna get there. I mean he has to keep keep
Speaker 1: knocking those out. But there's only three cornerbacks in the
Speaker 1: history of the game that have made first team All
Speaker 1: Pro three times in their first six years, and he
Speaker 1: is He's one of those three. So so he's on
Speaker 1: his way and a coach that took us by storm
Speaker 1: when he came into the league. And I think, even
Speaker 1: though I pick on his game management, sometime doesn't get
Speaker 1: enough credit for all the stuff you don't see behind
Speaker 1: the seams in terms of building that organization, coaching up coaches,
Speaker 1: coaching up players, actually being a teacher. Like they are
Speaker 1: one of the defining teams of the last five years.
Speaker 1: So yeah, you don't have to root for the owner
Speaker 1: or the fan base, but in terms of just like
Speaker 1: greatness and the players, and certainly throw oh b J
Speaker 1: and Cooper Cup into that mix too, Like there there's
Speaker 1: a lot to love and their their approach to how
Speaker 1: they built this roster. I mean, the Rams do things differently,
Speaker 1: and I think that they were a team that entered
Speaker 1: this season with as much pressure on them and around
Speaker 1: them and on Sean McVeigh and less sneat as any
Speaker 1: team in the league because more on themselves in the
Speaker 1: middle of the season with those moves. Absolutely, I mean
Speaker 1: but they jelled, they've worked out, and I think it's
Speaker 1: like instructive that there are a lot of different ways
Speaker 1: to um construct a roster. And there's was about his
Speaker 1: wild West gun slinging as you could find and here
Speaker 1: they are. I think that's well put. I think the
Speaker 1: if you are somebody who has been following our league
Speaker 1: for years and watches NFL films properties like all or nothing,
Speaker 1: they all are nothing season on the RAMS um when
Speaker 1: Jeff Fisher was fired and he was waved holding a
Speaker 1: little white dog and waving goodbye to the team. But
Speaker 1: first ever, like emo NFL Films season, it was just
Speaker 1: kind of sad and that and that and that was
Speaker 1: a dreadful RAMS team. And the last episode of that
Speaker 1: particular series was the introduction of Sean McVeigh and he's going,
Speaker 1: you know, being introduced um around on the team complex
Speaker 1: and he you know, he seemed very sharp in that
Speaker 1: in that brief cameo, and then he turned out to
Speaker 1: be everything they could have ever wanted. And he has
Speaker 1: built that program with less sneed there as well. Their
Speaker 1: team building has been unorthodox but effective. And then yeah,
Speaker 1: it's just like what we saw from Sean Payton in
Speaker 1: New Orleans. How you could change that culture just by
Speaker 1: having a really smart, dedicated football dude on the sideline
Speaker 1: and behind the scenes. And I think McVeigh is such
Speaker 1: a powerful figure, and yet Mark the Rams are not
Speaker 1: the biggest story here. One of his disciples, Zach Taylor,
Speaker 1: is the head coach of the Bengals, And on some level,
Speaker 1: if you have to like talk about how this game
Speaker 1: is gonna play out, you could see this as in
Speaker 1: forty eight hours a coronation of Joe Burrow is one
Speaker 1: of the biggest stars in America. Yeah, because Joe Burrow
Speaker 1: is magic. He's magically there's something about him that you
Speaker 1: look at the way these two teams sit right now
Speaker 1: and kind of everything logically points to the Rams. They
Speaker 1: have the better roster. I mean, the Bengals don't even
Speaker 1: I would say the Bengals have like the fourth best
Speaker 1: roster in the a f C, fifth or something. It's
Speaker 1: like that, it's not what stands out about them. And
Speaker 1: they've gotten here in a in a wonderfully um story
Speaker 1: driven way, and they do have that angle to them.
Speaker 1: But Joe Burrow kind of everything that you would say
Speaker 1: against the Bengals, Joe Burrow kind of wipes it all
Speaker 1: away because you just believe and what he what's capable
Speaker 1: and Joe Burrow has not had the greatest games to
Speaker 1: get here. They hasn't been They've been more of a
Speaker 1: field goal offense in many ways, they have not completed drives.
Speaker 1: I mean, we've talked as much about their field goal kicker.
Speaker 1: I think Zach Taylor is under for eleven in the
Speaker 1: red zone in the postseason. Yeah, I mean, it's just
Speaker 1: that it hasn't been the explosive version of this offense
Speaker 1: that they unfurled against a number of teams like the
Speaker 1: Ravens and the Steelers in the regular season. I really
Speaker 1: want to see what happens on early downs in this
Speaker 1: game because I think that they've really pressed Zach Taylor
Speaker 1: with you know, running the ball on first down. And
Speaker 1: I don't think you can be a Bengals team in
Speaker 1: this game against the Rams where you're into obvious third
Speaker 1: and long passing situations. This is a team that probably
Speaker 1: is gonna have to go for it on fourth down
Speaker 1: in some situations where others would not um pedal, foot
Speaker 1: on the pedal, hyper aggressive and that's on Zach Taylor,
Speaker 1: who you know, Sean mcveighs under an think more pressure
Speaker 1: in this game. We don't really know that much about
Speaker 1: Zach Taylor. Still at this point, he's gonna have to
Speaker 1: show us that he can basically put this offense into
Speaker 1: hyper drive. I I really wonder. I think that's the
Speaker 1: question of the game of how aggressive they'll be, because
Speaker 1: it's funny they come from the same coaching tree and
Speaker 1: yet neither of these teams look like Rams at all.
Speaker 1: Like how much are the Bengal Is gonna go out
Speaker 1: of empty because that's what Joe Burrow does best, and
Speaker 1: that's where he's most comfortable. Against the Titans, they did
Speaker 1: at the whole game, and he got sacked nine times.
Speaker 1: Against the Chiefs, they barely did it at all. It
Speaker 1: was hyper conservative, six seven man offensive lines that didn't
Speaker 1: work that well either. Now you're going against the best
Speaker 1: pass rush that you've face. I think the Rams are
Speaker 1: even better than than the Titans, that they're good throughout,
Speaker 1: and there there's like no right answer. But when you
Speaker 1: think of like the outside zone of what Todd Gurley
Speaker 1: was doing in eighteen and in CJ. Anderson, and then
Speaker 1: you think of the play action and and Zach Taylor's
Speaker 1: on that steps like that's not here for either one
Speaker 1: of these teams. It's very different. And I think ultimately
Speaker 1: the Bengals, to your point, Mark, are gonna have to
Speaker 1: kind of just put the ball into Burrows hands because
Speaker 1: I don't think they're gonna be able to run that
Speaker 1: well against the Rams. Anyways. The Rams just shut down
Speaker 1: the forty niners in that outside zone, so they've seen
Speaker 1: a much better version of it. They just shut down
Speaker 1: the Buccaneers, and they're running game like as good as
Speaker 1: von Miller and Leonard Floyd are rushing the pastor they're
Speaker 1: better stopping the run. I think it's gonna have to
Speaker 1: be creative, but it's also gonna have to be very
Speaker 1: past first, and that's like a high risk reward scenario,
Speaker 1: and I think that's where they're at. But in their
Speaker 1: you could say, well, Angles have this potential generational quarterback.
Speaker 1: He's like the new name of just let him throw
Speaker 1: it forty times and carry the victory. I don't know,
Speaker 1: that's not what you're saying. It's not that simple, but
Speaker 1: it's almost like the big mismatch in this game and
Speaker 1: how the game gets wrecked potentially for everyone that wants
Speaker 1: a Cincinnati fairytale is that they're not gonna be able
Speaker 1: to protect Burrow. And if you it would take another
Speaker 1: worldly performance by an offensive line that is not very good.
Speaker 1: It is especially um vulnerable in the middle and you
Speaker 1: and you just wonder if as much as they want
Speaker 1: to say, let Joe cook here, they're gonna know, like,
Speaker 1: we need to mix things up. We can't have these
Speaker 1: We can have Von Miller and Leonard Florid Aaron Donald
Speaker 1: pinning back their ears knowing that this team is just
Speaker 1: going to be a pass happy offense for four quarters.
Speaker 1: I wonder if that has to be more balanced game plan.
Speaker 1: And maybe that's why it was against the Chiefs, because
Speaker 1: they don't trust their offensive line to pass protect right.
Speaker 1: And they were I don'tn't even say they were balanced
Speaker 1: against the Chiefs. They were conservative. They were set sometimes
Speaker 1: eight man on eight guys on the offensive line. They
Speaker 1: were so afraid. And yeah, they they don't think they
Speaker 1: could protect Burrow. But I think you can throw the
Speaker 1: ball quickly and that's it. I mean, he also only
Speaker 1: got sacked one times against the Chiefs. I think both
Speaker 1: of these defensive coordinators are gonna play as conservative as
Speaker 1: humanly possible. They're gonna back up and they're gonna give
Speaker 1: up five yard throws to some a J. P. Ryan
Speaker 1: and mixing and slants over the middle, assuming Zama can
Speaker 1: play in this game to Azama and Tyler Boyd. And
Speaker 1: it's a lot of Joe Burrow just getting rid of
Speaker 1: the ball and maybe that's not really that fun and
Speaker 1: at some point he's gonna hold the ball and make
Speaker 1: the first guy or two miss, But I think it's
Speaker 1: a lot of short passing and that that's the way
Speaker 1: that they can do this. Yeah, I think, like to
Speaker 1: Greg to your point, like this rams front versus the line,
Speaker 1: because it's like we typically spend um two days preparing
Speaker 1: and talking about sixteen games, but it's like all this
Speaker 1: this has been two weeks talking about one and the
Speaker 1: Bengals offensive line seems to be the huge X factors.
Speaker 1: There's just no way around it. I mean, I know
Speaker 1: the Titans game happened in this gape that the nine
Speaker 1: sacks scenario, but in the five other games where teams
Speaker 1: compiled five or more sacks against the Bengals, they were
Speaker 1: one and four, and it did change what Burrow was
Speaker 1: able to do and and how quickly is to get
Speaker 1: rid of the ball and like a chemo Dnity and
Speaker 1: Isaiah Prince on the right side. I mean, you could
Speaker 1: just stack Aaron Donald von Miller, Greg Gaines on that
Speaker 1: side and n Robinson. I know, it's like completely different.
Speaker 1: We're all supposed to like love Zach Taylor and he's
Speaker 1: done a good job. But if you wanted to criticize Active,
Speaker 1: the number one thing is they haven't fixed the offensive line.
Speaker 1: It's not really any better than a year ago. And
Speaker 1: a lot of it I think it is game planning
Speaker 1: and coaching that they haven't come up with ways like that,
Speaker 1: the same sort of communication problems. When you watch the
Speaker 1: coaches film and stuff, a lot of it is just
Speaker 1: guys don't know what to do, that they're not cohesive.
Speaker 1: Two guys are blocking one while another guy's just coming
Speaker 1: in free. And we talked about and we've talked about
Speaker 1: the nine sex in the divisional round and he was
Speaker 1: only sack Burrow one time in the a f C
Speaker 1: title game. But that doesn't mean like he was sitting
Speaker 1: back there all day. He the reason, one of the
Speaker 1: main reasons they pulled off that incredible comeback was his escapability.
Speaker 1: That he was able to dodge pressure, pick up huge
Speaker 1: first downs with his legs. Now Here's here's one thing.
Speaker 1: The Chiefs weren't known as a pass rushing team. Is
Speaker 1: he gonna be able to scrambles effectively an escape when
Speaker 1: you have Aaron Donald prominently involved, that von Miller who's
Speaker 1: playing at a prime level, he's crankked back the clock.
Speaker 1: And Leonard Floyd who hasn't done as much in the
Speaker 1: playoffs but still as a presence, who's had two weeks
Speaker 1: off to get his body right. I mean that is
Speaker 1: it's that's the game to me, Like, how does Burrow
Speaker 1: handle that? Now, these teams don't Neither team is gonna
Speaker 1: be blitzing a lot, as we understand if you look
Speaker 1: at like their traits and the fact that Stafford, Stafford
Speaker 1: and Burrow both light up the blitz. So this is
Speaker 1: gonna be like does the natural pass rush of the
Speaker 1: Rams rec havoc on the game? It's the only way, Greg,
Speaker 1: I think the Rams this turns into everyone is everyone's
Speaker 1: predict ding. You know, a game that's anywhere between a
Speaker 1: one and four point finish in terms of margin. The
Speaker 1: only way this thing's go sideways If Cincinnati has a
Speaker 1: wretched game and Burrow starts throwing it up for grabs
Speaker 1: and bad things happen. Right, It's testing Joe burrows superpower
Speaker 1: to the end degree. His superpower is his pocket movement.
Speaker 1: It was the first game of his career and it
Speaker 1: is now. It's him not worrying about that first pass rusher,
Speaker 1: moving subtly and making it happen. I sort of disagree.
Speaker 1: I either think the Bengals are gonna win this game
Speaker 1: in a come back and it'll be close, or the
Speaker 1: Rams win convincingly. I I sort of t I kind
Speaker 1: of trusted, right, That's what I I mean in terms
Speaker 1: of like predicting the game being one to four, it
Speaker 1: wouldn't surprise me. Those feel like the two outcomes. I
Speaker 1: I like the Bengals in a spot where they keep
Speaker 1: it close enough and it ends up coming down to
Speaker 1: the end. And you and you do have some mismatches.
Speaker 1: You have Jamaar Chase can beat Jalen Ramsey on a
Speaker 1: go ball, Like if if Jalen Ramsey has a weakness
Speaker 1: that it like Tee Higgins against Darius Wims, that's a
Speaker 1: huge size of mismatch. Like this secondary for the Rams
Speaker 1: has has been good, but I think you can still
Speaker 1: go after their safeties and like it could happen or
Speaker 1: or what you're saying, it's true and it's there, just
Speaker 1: overwhelming and it looks like last year's Super Bowl, except
Speaker 1: that's what playing the role the chief because when we
Speaker 1: were sitting well, we weren't on radio role last year
Speaker 1: because there was a like a disease that ruled um.
Speaker 1: But that was as much as we were talking about
Speaker 1: how injuries were a thing for the Chiefs on their line,
Speaker 1: and their line was a question mark. Nobody could have
Speaker 1: predicted what would happen when the when the stakes were
Speaker 1: at their highest. The Bucks just took over that game
Speaker 1: in the trenches and turned it into just they just
Speaker 1: abused Patrick Mahomes. That can happen here, and I think
Speaker 1: the I think with the Rams, that's where I see
Speaker 1: obviously the mismatch, you have it there and uh, if
Speaker 1: they can win that battle, things are very different now
Speaker 1: on the offensive side of the ball for the Rams,
Speaker 1: they're they're arry interesting team. I think they are. They
Speaker 1: ranked in the league uh in the regular season from
Speaker 1: a rushing perspective that has not gotten better in the playoffs.
Speaker 1: In fact, cam Akers came back from the Achilles and
Speaker 1: it's a great story, but he's averaging two point seven
Speaker 1: yards per carry. He had two wretched fumbles that almost
Speaker 1: ruined their season the divisional playoffs. Um, maybe Darryl Henderson
Speaker 1: and Sony Michelle give them something the super Bowl. But
Speaker 1: a lot is gonna be on Stafford's shoulders here. And
Speaker 1: there's nothing mark that we've seen in the last three
Speaker 1: weeks of football to tell us that he won't answer
Speaker 1: the bell. But he's also throwing some balls up for grabs.
Speaker 1: Jaquis Tart, how are you doing? But literally, how are
Speaker 1: you pale? If you're listening? Um, So there will be
Speaker 1: opportunities for Cincinnati even if Stafford continues to play at
Speaker 1: this level. Yeah, I mean the Bengals have only lost
Speaker 1: two games all year. Wasn't we keep on? Like I
Speaker 1: was on Sky Sports this morning and they had the
Speaker 1: Tart replay and starts like driving down the I five
Speaker 1: today to go get a coffee. The hair you know
Speaker 1: it's sunny out that you know, climate change is made
Speaker 1: eighty degrees in the Bay Area. And then he's listened
Speaker 1: to his favorite podcast and suddenly Dan just drops a
Speaker 1: hammer on him and his very he has never listened
Speaker 1: to this show in his life, the climate change a
Speaker 1: little you know, dig in there too interesting, getting political? Mark,
Speaker 1: I know you threw your arms up. Listen. It's a
Speaker 1: conversational show sometimes what things happen. I did, Yes, you did.
Speaker 1: I I apologize. I want I thought I wanted to
Speaker 1: extend the Tart conversation a little bit more. Be my guest.
Speaker 1: I mean I I'm at the point now where like
Speaker 1: if this has felt like a four hundred day week,
Speaker 1: I want to be taken out of here by ambulance.
Speaker 1: Um uh yeah. I think that the Stafford mistakes. Stafford
Speaker 1: mistakes are a key because I mean, when they've melted
Speaker 1: down and it's been a while, because he's been rather
Speaker 1: pristine in the playoffs, and I kind of believe that
Speaker 1: this Rams team that you know, you added pieces, you
Speaker 1: added O b J. They've gone through some ups and
Speaker 1: downs in terms of jelling, but now they're here and
Speaker 1: the only thing that concerns me about the Rams is,
Speaker 1: you know, Sean McBey talked about the two week period
Speaker 1: before that Patriots Super Bowl that he started to get
Speaker 1: into a mode of overthinking that they got way too
Speaker 1: tight preparing for that game. In that game itself, and
Speaker 1: what concerns me is that if they had one of
Speaker 1: these scenarios where Stafford makes early mistakes and the Bengals
Speaker 1: are loose and feeling themselves, do you get the tight
Speaker 1: version of the Rams, which we've seen a couple of
Speaker 1: times they've been blown out in the in those scenarios.
Speaker 1: They absolutely have And so it's like, I, I, you know,
Speaker 1: the Bengals. What I was going to mention was they've
Speaker 1: only lost two games by seven or more points, so
Speaker 1: they're not a team that, um, I think will get
Speaker 1: blown out. I just don't see that in this situation.
Speaker 1: I mean, other than the game they didn't play their
Speaker 1: starters as much as we see. It's a talent mismatch
Speaker 1: in theory. The Bengals just beat the Chiefs twice in
Speaker 1: the biggest two games of the year in a row,
Speaker 1: and they beat the Titans. Like, I don't care how
Speaker 1: I'm just saying, like this is a bit different. I'm
Speaker 1: just saying, uh, in their biggest games of the year,
Speaker 1: here's what they did. They put a forty burger on
Speaker 1: the Ravens. They beat the Chiefs to win the division,
Speaker 1: and then they just rolled through the a f C.
Speaker 1: And I know they haven't won these games, like incredibly convincingly,
Speaker 1: but they beat the one seed, they beat the Chiefs
Speaker 1: two times. It's like I at this point, whatever it
Speaker 1: is that they're doing, it's working, and I think it's defensively.
Speaker 1: It can start on the outside of their pass rush
Speaker 1: Hendrickson and Hubbard against Whitworth and Havenstein, and that actually
Speaker 1: is the strength on strength. It's the strength of the
Speaker 1: Rams offensive lines certainly. But Whitworth was coming back from
Speaker 1: an injury. He's now gotten a couple of weeks to rest.
Speaker 1: I think that's a plus. He was not the same
Speaker 1: in the NFC Championship. He had a rough game of it,
Speaker 1: and he was playing against a great opponent in Fort
Speaker 1: nick Bos forty. But this if if Hubbard and Hendrickson
Speaker 1: can have a game and they don't come off the field,
Speaker 1: So I think the extra week is good for them
Speaker 1: to they just stay on the field. They're gonna play
Speaker 1: every single down and it's gonna be up to those
Speaker 1: two guys if they can get some pressure on Stafford.
Speaker 1: Because you're right, Dan, to your point about Stafford versus
Speaker 1: the Blitz. Staff it's good right now versus any everything.
Speaker 1: But he's especially good versus the Blitz. They're gonna need this.
Speaker 1: He is the highest grade against the blitz of anyone
Speaker 1: in the next gen stats era. So I don't think
Speaker 1: that's you know, that's not a deficiency on any level.
Speaker 1: It's the opposite. I want to dig in a little
Speaker 1: bit deeper on the matchups here um and talk about
Speaker 1: the number two, number two wide receiver on ball teams,
Speaker 1: the number two cornerbacks on ball teams, because I think,
Speaker 1: obviously and I think it's gonna be so exciting to
Speaker 1: see it. Cooper Cup having an all time season, He's
Speaker 1: over two thousand yards now regular season in playoffs, I
Speaker 1: think he's closing on like two hundred yards or something
Speaker 1: insane like that. And then on the other side, Jamaar
Speaker 1: Chase and those guys are gonna eat. We know they are.
Speaker 1: But what does te Higgins do, especially if he is
Speaker 1: lined up against Darius Williams, who is a guy who
Speaker 1: is surrendered a passer rating near one hundred and it's
Speaker 1: not at an interception all season. Then you look on
Speaker 1: the other side of the field and there's Odell Beckham,
Speaker 1: and Odell Beckham is coming off his best game as
Speaker 1: a RAM and guess what Odell Beckham could see a
Speaker 1: lot of coverage against Eli Apple, who is the very
Speaker 1: definition of a journeyman cornerback. These are mismatches now. Jalen
Speaker 1: Ramsey is an interesting guy in this all this too.
Speaker 1: He's the best defensive player uh in either secondary and
Speaker 1: who does Jalen Ramsey cover. He could end up covering
Speaker 1: both the top two receivers for the Bengals. But either way,
Speaker 1: one of those guys is going to have a matchup advantage,
Speaker 1: and if the qbs on each side have a chance
Speaker 1: to tear up those mismatches, that could change the game
Speaker 1: as well. It's been interesting to see how they've used
Speaker 1: Ramsey in the playoffs. It's been totally different than the
Speaker 1: rest of the time he's been with the Rams. He's
Speaker 1: been an outside corner again, he's been what he was
Speaker 1: in Jacksonville. The whole idea with Ramsey and l A
Speaker 1: was like, we're gonna play him in the slot and
Speaker 1: that way he impacts the running game and he's in
Speaker 1: the mix and and everyone who was getting all worried
Speaker 1: worked up about that. That That hasn't been the case in
Speaker 1: the playoffs. He traveled with Mike Evans, but he was
Speaker 1: also on the outside against the Bucks and the Cardinals,
Speaker 1: it's kind of been a sea change. I think it's
Speaker 1: Rheem Morris, who's had a great playoff run, by the way,
Speaker 1: he hasn't gotten a lot of pop for it like that,
Speaker 1: and if Championship he was great. Yeah, I think it's
Speaker 1: really it's like, hey, let's just use Ramsey for the
Speaker 1: thing he's best at. And to me, that's just following
Speaker 1: Jamar Chase around. It's not being in the middle and
Speaker 1: trying to stop seven yard catches by Tyler Boyd. I
Speaker 1: think I think you'll see that sort of matchup and
Speaker 1: you'll see Stafford lean on what I think he's done
Speaker 1: so well here, which is make the whole read go
Speaker 1: through his progressions, get to his second and third guy,
Speaker 1: get to oh b J. It's weird because Stafford I
Speaker 1: felt was like overrated compared to his numbers throughout the
Speaker 1: course of the regular season and in the playoffs, he's
Speaker 1: been almost underrated. He's been the best quarterback in the playoffs,
Speaker 1: um along with Josh Allen. Like I guess he's not
Speaker 1: like at that that that insane level, but his three
Speaker 1: game stretch is easily better than any three games stretch
Speaker 1: that he had during the course of the regular season.
Speaker 1: I think the next factor is Joe Mixon in the
Speaker 1: receiving game, because if you've got this scenario with Jalen Ramsey,
Speaker 1: I mean, first of all, pressure on Burrow, the results
Speaker 1: of that could take away the chance for deep shot.
Speaker 1: It might be more than We've seen a lot of
Speaker 1: yards after the catch from Bengals receivers number one, but
Speaker 1: mixing has you know, the run game has not been
Speaker 1: dominant on any level, but he has been very effective
Speaker 1: catching the ball, and I think you can match him
Speaker 1: up against some of these Rams linebackers and make some
Speaker 1: hay there. Um. I want to talk also about the
Speaker 1: Cincinnati strategy here on defense because they were able to
Speaker 1: save their season. I think Lua and a Rumo guy
Speaker 1: who started uh this season all back in the summer.
Speaker 1: You know, we had some fun with lou and we
Speaker 1: had some fun with the Bengals in a lot of ways. Um,
Speaker 1: just as they were kind of a no name, no
Speaker 1: name staff and Zach Taylor, what is he gonna show something? Well,
Speaker 1: all these guys have showed something. Their ability to transition
Speaker 1: and find a way to slow down Kansas City is
Speaker 1: to me like the craziest thing that happened in these playoffs.
Speaker 1: I still can't believe it happened, uh, even a couple
Speaker 1: of weeks later. And will they will they try to
Speaker 1: replicate that formula against Stafford, which is a lot of
Speaker 1: three man rushes. You drop a ton of guys into coverage,
Speaker 1: and you try to close up the lanes for Stafford,
Speaker 1: because again, Stafford, even in this great playoff run, he's
Speaker 1: gonna throw the ball up every once in a while.
Speaker 1: There is there's a scenario I could see where he
Speaker 1: could struggle with that type of defense. And look how
Speaker 1: they got here because they had that big interception against
Speaker 1: Derek Carr in the wild card game. Obviously they unspooled
Speaker 1: the Titans with the three interceptions. I thought that to
Speaker 1: stop against the Chiefs right before halftime, cause psychological damage
Speaker 1: to that offense and put Patrick Mahomes into a strange place.
Speaker 1: I mean, we keep talking about Joe Burrow. They've won
Speaker 1: three playoff games by thirteen points and it's been the turnover,
Speaker 1: so you almost offense, it's been the defense. You almost
Speaker 1: have to project a Bengals win including a Matthew Stafford
Speaker 1: interception or fumble recovery or something. They play so hard
Speaker 1: on defense. I think that's they play a pretty simplified
Speaker 1: defense where they're not going to try to confuse you,
Speaker 1: and and you get guys who are cohesive who communicate
Speaker 1: that play at the end of the first half you
Speaker 1: mentioned Mark, When I rewatched that, I realized, like, actually,
Speaker 1: that wasn't a bad read by Mahomes at all. Tyreek
Speaker 1: Hill had leverage when he threw the ball. Eli Apple
Speaker 1: just made a play. Eli Apple made a play. Jesse
Speaker 1: Bates made a play on that interception, and overtime their
Speaker 1: defense has been stepping up. And I think to what
Speaker 1: I mentioned sort of when we started this talk that
Speaker 1: Zach Taylor knowing Sean McVeigh and just watching how the Ram,
Speaker 1: he's gonna just beg the Rams to run. And I
Speaker 1: don't know in that in that place to the Bengals weakness.
Speaker 1: They're a bad run defense and they're a good past defense.
Speaker 1: And yet I think they are going to do some
Speaker 1: of that which light boxes and all that stuff, and
Speaker 1: just say, if you want to beat us trying to,
Speaker 1: you know, run six yards at a time, you probably
Speaker 1: could do it. And that's what we'll ask you to do.
Speaker 1: And I think Sean McVeigh will be very tempted because
Speaker 1: that's sort of what he is. Uh. And I think
Speaker 1: the Bengals want to just get to keep that game close,
Speaker 1: and I think that's like the way they can win.
Speaker 1: All right, So there you go, there's a deep dive
Speaker 1: on the game. We got so much more to get
Speaker 1: to here. But why don't we take a little break
Speaker 1: from chopping up Super Bowl fifty six to welcome in
Speaker 1: a big time guest. Let's do it. Ricky alright joining
Speaker 1: us now. I said we had big guests, and we
Speaker 1: got a superstar in our Mythsty is the running back
Speaker 1: for the Tennessee Titans, Derrick Henry. Welcome to the Around
Speaker 1: the NFL podcast. Thank you for having me. Good good.
Speaker 1: Derrick Henry joins us today reminding you to try new
Speaker 1: Old Spice Gentleman's Blend deodorance and body washes crafted to
Speaker 1: be gentle on skin with ridiculously long lasting freshness. You
Speaker 1: could buy Old Spice Gentleman's Blend in stores. Now did
Speaker 1: you get all that really things coming from out of
Speaker 1: your mouth? I I'm an old spiceman going back to
Speaker 1: my father, Derrick Henry, how are you sorry, we know
Speaker 1: we Uh coming off season, that was another division title.
Speaker 1: You had the unfortunate foot injury. You made it back
Speaker 1: for the playoffs. Uh didn't go the way you wanted.
Speaker 1: And now that team is in the super Bowl. You're
Speaker 1: gonna watch the game. Yeah, I'll watch the game. Is
Speaker 1: it is there more of a frustration when you see
Speaker 1: the team that took you out in January playing or
Speaker 1: is it you're kind of really frustration with the team,
Speaker 1: but you know, frustration with how we played in and yourself.
Speaker 1: I mean, they were just a better team. You can't
Speaker 1: be frustrated with him. You're watching from home or you
Speaker 1: go you go into the game. I'll watch him home.
Speaker 1: Ain't go into the game when you're watching the game
Speaker 1: with like just regular citizens and you see and know
Speaker 1: so much more about what you're observing. Is that? How
Speaker 1: is that? Do you know? It's just hard not to
Speaker 1: un unleashed tons of knowledge on people about what you're watching. Yeah,
Speaker 1: sometimes you might have to because this get outrageous sometimes,
Speaker 1: but most of the time you just sit there and laughing.
Speaker 1: You're still in tuning with the game. You just just
Speaker 1: watch the game. But if you hear something outrageous, is like, what,
Speaker 1: well I was gonna say, because then there's the other thing,
Speaker 1: like sometimes you have to educate people who might not
Speaker 1: know what they're talking about, but then they're like, oh,
Speaker 1: there's Derrick Henry. I'm gonna try to sound like I
Speaker 1: know what I'm talking about, and then they don't. Do
Speaker 1: you just keep that to yourself, you'd be like, actually, bro,
Speaker 1: check yourself. That was a zone. You're not even plugged
Speaker 1: in on the game at all. On the bank, Do
Speaker 1: you feel guilty at all just for outshining us so
Speaker 1: much with your sneakers? I just it's hard for me
Speaker 1: to not just stare at these Louis Vuitton sneakers. I've
Speaker 1: never seen anything quite Greg. Greg fancies himself no, not now,
Speaker 1: not not at all compared to that. His nickname is
Speaker 1: sneaker Head. Okay, what is that you got, like the
Speaker 1: crazy closet with seven thousand pairs of shoes? Do you do?
Speaker 1: Is this like a week where you're going around I
Speaker 1: don't know if you're going to any No, that's where
Speaker 1: I'm going nightlife and everything. And you've seen a lot
Speaker 1: of other players around where it's a little bit of
Speaker 1: you checking out what the other guys have you're trying
Speaker 1: to outshine them, well not really all shine him, that
Speaker 1: feel like I so, um, let's see what they what
Speaker 1: they're coming with, you know, if I need to stuff
Speaker 1: about game a little bit. But but yeah, I'm always
Speaker 1: checking out fashion. A love fashion and love shoes and
Speaker 1: I've got a lot of them. What about Joe Burrow?
Speaker 1: Because usually quarterbacks, you know, a lot of them are
Speaker 1: a little buttoned up and they they don't like, like
Speaker 1: you said, drippy, They don't like to do the swag thing.
Speaker 1: And yet he he's all about it. Now Tannehill your quarterback,
Speaker 1: Maybe maybe I'm missing it. He doesn't seem to go
Speaker 1: down that same path. Is there is there a drippiness
Speaker 1: to Bryan Tannehill? Uh? Yeah, Tannehill be dripping Sometimes you
Speaker 1: come in to lock around and like, okay, I see you.
Speaker 1: How important is that? Like is the guys really uh
Speaker 1: is everyone really plugged in in terms of like trying
Speaker 1: to one up each other? Like how big a part
Speaker 1: of that is that within the NFL sphere? Um? Uh,
Speaker 1: It's It's funny because you know some guys, you know,
Speaker 1: they really you know, like like to look good and um,
Speaker 1: you know pull it to the game fresh, and some
Speaker 1: guys are like, man, put some sweat song, let's go
Speaker 1: play football. But you you usually know the guys who
Speaker 1: usually bringing each and every week and you look look
Speaker 1: forward to seeing what they what they have on when
Speaker 1: you so, Mike Rabel wins Coach of the Year. Very deserving.
Speaker 1: He was definitely someone that we thought was did an
Speaker 1: incredible job with that roster that went through so much.
Speaker 1: Do you do you like, do you have text threads
Speaker 1: with him? And are you texting him or do you
Speaker 1: do you feel pressure to call him up on the
Speaker 1: phone when he does that or do you guys a
Speaker 1: little more radio silence in the off season? Oh no,
Speaker 1: I text him last night and UM, total congratulations. I
Speaker 1: was actually sitting in front of him, UM during the show.
Speaker 1: I text him last night and UM, total congrats. Um.
Speaker 1: He definitely deserved it, like you said, with everything that
Speaker 1: went on this year and what what what he was
Speaker 1: able to do. Um, with him and the coaching staff
Speaker 1: and with everything how and how they played, and um,
Speaker 1: you know, it was definitely cool and to see him
Speaker 1: get the award. Is he funny behind the scenes or
Speaker 1: is he very serious? Man can be funny, but he
Speaker 1: could be serious, but he's funny too. I wouldn't want
Speaker 1: to make him mad. He feels like he would be funny,
Speaker 1: but when he'd be funny, he might be kind of cutting.
Speaker 1: Like he does. He ever take people down a little
Speaker 1: bit when he's showing, uh, maybe players that weren't so
Speaker 1: great from Sunday and he's just making fun of the
Speaker 1: players in front of everyone. Uh No, I mean that
Speaker 1: they're not a circle. Greg. You don't get that answer.
Speaker 1: That just comes with the territory. I mean, when you
Speaker 1: play a game on Monday, you gotta go watch the
Speaker 1: film and um, you know, see what you did and
Speaker 1: what you need to do, what you need, what you
Speaker 1: need to do better. But I always tell him, I'm like, man,
Speaker 1: I wish you put them past him. Yeah. Yeah, I
Speaker 1: just assumed, like Rabel, you know, he's a Patriots guy
Speaker 1: at heart, And I always assumed, like anybody that comes
Speaker 1: out of that building, they have a sense of humor
Speaker 1: just scrubbed out of them until there's just no personality anymore.
Speaker 1: Back Jones, their quarterback, was on the red carpet for
Speaker 1: honors yesterday, and our producer Erica asked him who wins
Speaker 1: the game? And he goes as I don't want to
Speaker 1: say we personality is important, Derrick Henry. We need more
Speaker 1: of that, don't we. Yeah, I mean you you gotta
Speaker 1: have a personality. I feel like that brings you more opportunities.
Speaker 1: You know, and people see old school you really are
Speaker 1: old spice and things like that. But you know that
Speaker 1: that patriot, that patriotarch can sneak up, you know a
Speaker 1: little bit, you know, if you're being around it for
Speaker 1: a long time. One old spice question, like do players
Speaker 1: put on deodorant before a game or do you want
Speaker 1: do you want to maybe smell as bad as possible
Speaker 1: to keep up keep people away from you. I know
Speaker 1: I want to smell good before a game, But some
Speaker 1: people have different strategies, you know. It makes it so funny,
Speaker 1: Like some players take a whole shower for a game.
Speaker 1: I'm like, you've been a shower to get right, What
Speaker 1: is the point of that? I agree? Also, if they
Speaker 1: go down this road, let's just go down the road,
Speaker 1: because you like, like Tony Saragosa tells stories about guys
Speaker 1: that like, don't even go to the bathroom. They gotta
Speaker 1: go to the bathroom. They just right there. They don't
Speaker 1: even go back to the locker room. Is that the
Speaker 1: thing in your ut I really don't know. I don't
Speaker 1: want to know if you Pete or getting the betune
Speaker 1: yourself at all. You keep that between yourself and who
Speaker 1: who are we playing against? But Olde can save that.
Speaker 1: Everybody has crazy. I mean you, you would be surprised
Speaker 1: in the crazy stories that you hear. What guys do
Speaker 1: this strategy wise? As far as game days, everybody's different, Derek.
Speaker 1: We've been on a journey with Titans fans this year
Speaker 1: just in general, and we've appreciated the team, but there
Speaker 1: were so many injuries there there was times when there
Speaker 1: was certainly doubt of like whether the Titans could keep winning.
Speaker 1: We we have a big time Titans fan here. He
Speaker 1: actually has a podcast. He's also a producer at the
Speaker 1: NFL Network, justin Graver here, and he he represents a
Speaker 1: group that I think come came after a lot of
Speaker 1: national media that they weren't getting enough respect throughout the year,
Speaker 1: and I feel like the Titans fans they almost became
Speaker 1: a little annoying. What what is your relationship with the
Speaker 1: Titans fans? Do you think they they come too hard
Speaker 1: at us or you like them having your back that much. Yeah. Man,
Speaker 1: they just they profited about the team and it wanted
Speaker 1: to get the recognition. You know. You know usually we
Speaker 1: really we don't. I guess this is a small market.
Speaker 1: But and in the day, we love the unendowed mentality.
Speaker 1: You know, we don't need a recognition. We just try
Speaker 1: to go out there and play on Sundays or whatever
Speaker 1: day wherever other day it is, and let that speak
Speaker 1: for ourselves. But you know, Titans really much recognitions. Y'all
Speaker 1: know that you should we should share. Great for the
Speaker 1: nickname that you came up with for the Titans defense
Speaker 1: with Derek. Yeah, oh yes. What do you think of
Speaker 1: the Tennessee tickle monsters as the nickname for the defensive line?
Speaker 1: I don't think nobody on the even line laughing at
Speaker 1: all at home. Yeah, just you gotta drop that. It
Speaker 1: doesn't seem to resonate with it with the You gotta
Speaker 1: read the rooms at the Big Jeff and Bud you
Speaker 1: called them tickle monsters. Don't see that? Gave it a
Speaker 1: shout out on Instagram. Big Jeff was very anti Jeff
Speaker 1: was so mad he nearly killed Joe Burrow in the playoffs. Jeff,
Speaker 1: before we let you go dark. I need to say, um,
Speaker 1: we love watching you play. You just turned twenty eight,
Speaker 1: you have prime years ahead of you. Do you think
Speaker 1: maybe the Gravers Titans are giving you the ball too much?
Speaker 1: I know running back loves the rock, but these three
Speaker 1: hundred carry seasons, these four hundred touch seasons, should we
Speaker 1: just dial it back so you have the juice in
Speaker 1: your mid thirties or are you different than everyone else anyway? Um?
Speaker 1: I mean I had a fortune unfortunate injury this year. UM.
Speaker 1: I think it comes with the style of play, you know,
Speaker 1: And um, I feel like as a game goes on, um,
Speaker 1: I just get stronger and I and I get into
Speaker 1: better rhythm, whether that's two carries or running backs, just
Speaker 1: like come up to and be like, how do you
Speaker 1: do this? Man? Because there aren't really a lot of
Speaker 1: running back There aren't any running backs literally in the
Speaker 1: last fifteen years. It's done anything like that. Yeah, they
Speaker 1: always be they always say something, um about about the
Speaker 1: areas you know, which you know in NFL. I mean,
Speaker 1: you're gonna be sorry, your body's gonna be bande up
Speaker 1: a little bit. But it's about the recovery process each
Speaker 1: week to get your body filing right. So you can
Speaker 1: go out there performing. You just tell him like I'm
Speaker 1: tougher than you. Sorry, man, you just tell them asking
Speaker 1: like I'm just tougher than you. I guess I tell
Speaker 1: him it's all in the I don't know. I don't
Speaker 1: know if you're happy with your representation or not. But
Speaker 1: I just want to say I don't have any experience
Speaker 1: in the agent realm, but if I was your agent,
Speaker 1: I would build in massive escalators for every game that
Speaker 1: was over thirty touches, like you want him to touch
Speaker 1: about thirty times. Million dollars in week seven, two million
Speaker 1: in week eight. I'm just from there and there. What
Speaker 1: do you think that's not too bad, Derrick Henry, we'll
Speaker 1: talk business off, Mike. Thank you so much for joining us,
Speaker 1: and enjoy the rest of the radio road journey. Yes, sir,
Speaker 1: thank you, Derrick Henry. Give it up right up there,
Speaker 1: he goes Derrick Henry. They got a little weird, and uh,
Speaker 1: I don't have a problem with it. I think sometimes
Speaker 1: you have to hit the hard hitting questions and I like,
Speaker 1: I like getting weird with the you know, in these interviews,
Speaker 1: it's been good. How did you did you feel a
Speaker 1: connection there? Um not? The same way I did with
Speaker 1: Justin Herbert. It was just special. There was a special occurrence.
Speaker 1: I mean, it was a delightful guest and I'm glad
Speaker 1: that you know, Grave Digger could yeah, pashed out with
Speaker 1: a bit, comported himself. Well there and you got a
Speaker 1: photo his eye. Henry's eyes lit up when I mentioned
Speaker 1: that you had the podcast and suddenly he was he
Speaker 1: was much happier to be here that. I think that's
Speaker 1: where the correction was. It was between you two, so
Speaker 1: you can't we can't be greedy about the connection stuff.
Speaker 1: It's I'm a little bit. It was, and I appreciate
Speaker 1: you guys for greg thanks for saying all that, making
Speaker 1: it known to the king who I was. I guess, yeah,
Speaker 1: although then you had to do them up on that. Yeah,
Speaker 1: I wanted to know what a Titans player would think
Speaker 1: of he actually was. He almost had a visceral reaction.
Speaker 1: I think I think that should to be the ultimate decider.
Speaker 1: I know he's not on the defensive side of the ball,
Speaker 1: but I agree. I think even my incredible video promoting
Speaker 1: the nickname is not enough to overcome down on this
Speaker 1: podcast in a big spot, in a big spot, all right,
Speaker 1: let's get into Oh yes, it's a tradition. Sandwich props.
Speaker 1: Go get my lunch. Your monster, you tickle monster? What
Speaker 1: is it? Yeah, tennessee tacko monster. Oh listen to that,
Speaker 1: uh marker, miso miso. Phony must be really triggered. I
Speaker 1: do not like that sound. I never have. I still
Speaker 1: do not. Okay, let's work through it. We're gonna each
Speaker 1: make two propositions connected to Super Bowl fifty six and
Speaker 1: see how it all pays out. I will get us going.
Speaker 1: I have like a more traditional one here, but I
Speaker 1: really want to hit it again. Boys that it is
Speaker 1: tremendous that we get two put chill. Both have a
Speaker 1: long way to go, but they have Hall of Fame potential.
Speaker 1: And Cooper Cup and Jamaar Chase and both coming off
Speaker 1: just spectacular seasons. The star um playmakers on each side
Speaker 1: of this game. So it's two parts. Both Jamar Chase
Speaker 1: and Cooper Cup go over a hundred yards receiving. I
Speaker 1: feel very confidentbo, both those guys are gonna eat. But
Speaker 1: I've gotta I know it's a super Bowl, so you
Speaker 1: gotta raise the steaks. One of those two men will
Speaker 1: get there by halftime. I love it. I love it.
Speaker 1: That is, um, you know, a field full of illegally
Speaker 1: grown onions, like they're putting h h into these onions. Um,
Speaker 1: there you go. Onions are sitting on top of the right,
Speaker 1: on top of the ground. Put them on the ground
Speaker 1: and it's like then it's like the size of the
Speaker 1: convention Center because that's big. You try to use onions,
Speaker 1: you'll like them, the real sweet onions. So I definitely taken.
Speaker 1: I wonder if that farmer knows that he's part of
Speaker 1: the show. I wonder if he's with us at this point.
Speaker 1: Found that clip, um, because even I might have even
Speaker 1: taken they both get over a hundred. Football is hard.
Speaker 1: I think it's gonna be a defensive game. And wouldn't
Speaker 1: surprise me if one of them is eight five yards
Speaker 1: in this game? You know, well, Dan is the ultimate showman.
Speaker 1: So I loved the the adam there and I'll take
Speaker 1: you on it because it's that's how you do that.
Speaker 1: I also wanted to set the bar here. This is
Speaker 1: the super Bowl, so now I need let's go big.
Speaker 1: Do you want to break? Do you want me to
Speaker 1: throw it to Mark first? No? Alright, it's fine, um
Speaker 1: Joe and have at least eight, Karen, Let's do right,
Speaker 1: Let's do something more creative. It's more like I was
Speaker 1: doing like over unders and you know, reasonable ones. How
Speaker 1: about to be more creative, Jamaar Chase will deliver a
Speaker 1: meaningful block in this game that people talk about. Have
Speaker 1: we moved on to Sessler? How many? A little? A little? No?
Speaker 1: I mean, not like it's gonna make the news. You know,
Speaker 1: it's a cheerleader, you know, being in the news. For instance,
Speaker 1: Actually in the a f C Championship game, one of
Speaker 1: their touchdowns, Jamaar Chase, it was on the p Ryan touchdown,
Speaker 1: made the key block to get him into the end zone. Now,
Speaker 1: maybe not everyone's talking about that after the game, but
Speaker 1: I would show it to you and say, like, Jamar
Speaker 1: Chase made the key block. He does that often. He's
Speaker 1: been known for a couple of monster blocks down the
Speaker 1: field throughout the course of the season that would have
Speaker 1: qualified for me. Uh and I would then point it out.
Speaker 1: So it's a little tricky in terms of how you
Speaker 1: judge this, but Jamaar Chase makes a memorable block in
Speaker 1: this game. That's crucial. I am not taking you on this.
Speaker 1: It's far too it's far too vague. It's like it's
Speaker 1: unprovable that it's um swept the nation as you say,
Speaker 1: it's not going well. No, you guys. First of all,
Speaker 1: First of all, you act like street when I do that,
Speaker 1: and it's like, I, I don't know how to judge this.
Speaker 1: It's two. It's hurting my mind. I like the concept.
Speaker 1: Take you up on it, because I think that. I mean,
Speaker 1: he is a very good football player. He's just not
Speaker 1: a playmaker. But the chances that he makes a big
Speaker 1: tangible impact in the game will be remembered as making
Speaker 1: a play with the ball in his hands. I would think, right,
Speaker 1: I'm saying a block like either on a touchdown or
Speaker 1: a decisive like a block, it could be they're done
Speaker 1: or where's the onion? Guy? With this one, it's not
Speaker 1: an onion that is it is I was trying to block.
Speaker 1: I was trying to yes, because how many times the
Speaker 1: wide receivers make memorable blocks. Not too often, but he
Speaker 1: he is one of the best blocking wide receivers. And
Speaker 1: one thing about him is like he has always I
Speaker 1: love for a superstar receiver. Ball to the wall, a
Speaker 1: hundred miles an hour, always the first guy celebrated, always
Speaker 1: the first guy like running after your I wish the
Speaker 1: best for you on this, Greg, I hope it's an
Speaker 1: exciting journey for you. All right up next? Oh okay,
Speaker 1: Mark Cecil, I'm trying to decide what to do here. Um,
Speaker 1: I'm just gonna start with this one. A non QB
Speaker 1: will complete a massive pass in this game that is
Speaker 1: talked about, Well, then we're then we can make a
Speaker 1: tag team on that to learn your thirties are filled
Speaker 1: with disappointment. Seriously, I would literally just slack down being like,
Speaker 1: oh I got a really good one. That's it. I'm
Speaker 1: keeping that nice and simple. I mean, it's and it's
Speaker 1: one that we will be talking about tangibly pass. It
Speaker 1: would be like it could be as like earth shaking,
Speaker 1: um like chain moving first down or potentially even a score.
Speaker 1: I'm not seeing a has to be one of those.
Speaker 1: But it's not gonna be a three yard completion or
Speaker 1: something that's to be like that's not like a little wildcat.
Speaker 1: I think we're talking like a surprise play to some degree,
Speaker 1: a trick play to some degree. But I would imagine
Speaker 1: on like a fourth a fourth down type thing. Well,
Speaker 1: it's a non QB completing a pass that we think
Speaker 1: is a pivotal I'll take it. I'll take you out
Speaker 1: of just because that's the way to win this game.
Speaker 1: But that's what the NFL is now, like the offenses
Speaker 1: have changed and trick plays aren't so tricky anymore. It's
Speaker 1: part of the basic playbook. You at some point these
Speaker 1: teams both have it in their playbook. They want to
Speaker 1: try that, want me to replace it with a different one.
Speaker 1: Tyler Boyd. Tyler Boyd's good at it. O v J
Speaker 1: is good at it. It's one of the most popular
Speaker 1: props to bed on. Actually is is non qbs either
Speaker 1: complete a pass or completely a touch. I'm going for
Speaker 1: mass appeals. So I'm not I'm I'm not taking on
Speaker 1: or trying to take out your prop. I'm just saying, like,
Speaker 1: if that happens, it wouldn't be one of those like
Speaker 1: that's a strain on this on the sandwich, Greg. No,
Speaker 1: it is not like the wide receiver is gonna block someone.
Speaker 1: I mean, what are we doing here? But that that
Speaker 1: is that is when when is anyone talking about a
Speaker 1: wide receiver block? That is fairly rare. It's fairly rad
Speaker 1: All right, there we go. So you you took I'm
Speaker 1: taking you on. Yeah, I'll take you up on as well.
Speaker 1: All right, one more round, I will move move. I
Speaker 1: like to talk about the halftime show, So let's let's
Speaker 1: hit the halftime show here. Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, Eminem,
Speaker 1: Mary J. Blige. It's the first hip hop, the true
Speaker 1: first hip hop halftime show. And um, I was going
Speaker 1: through the list of songs right that that should be
Speaker 1: in the playlist, and it's crazy because it is. It
Speaker 1: really is hip hop, especially in nineties two thousands of
Speaker 1: hip hop is the new classic rock of of our generation.
Speaker 1: There's just so many memorable hits that it's gonna be hard.
Speaker 1: It's a twelve minute halftime show. So what I'm gonna
Speaker 1: do is I came up with like twelve songs that
Speaker 1: everyone would know as soon as they started playing Uh
Speaker 1: Jin and Juice, Drop it like It's hot the next episode,
Speaker 1: The Real Slim Shady Forgot about Dre, Lose Yourself, Humble,
Speaker 1: Family Affair, and nothing but a g Thing, Like all
Speaker 1: songs that I think would make sense. Hit that again, Ricky,
Speaker 1: but I'm gonna say the opener and the closer I'm
Speaker 1: gonna predict I'm gonna nail it. This is one of
Speaker 1: the most memorable, instantly recognizable musical cues in the history
Speaker 1: of hip hop. It is still Dre off his chronic
Speaker 1: two thousand one comeback album. This is how it opens.
Speaker 1: Place blows up as soon as you hear this. Okay,
Speaker 1: So this is the opener, and then I think it closes.
Speaker 1: I think it closes with California Love because I think
Speaker 1: it's it's one of the great hip hop songs ever.
Speaker 1: It's the super Bowl first Super Bowl and Southern California
Speaker 1: in thirty years. It's all about West Coast hip hop.
Speaker 1: Open still Dre close California Love. Maybe we get a
Speaker 1: little Tupac hologram action. That's just speculation on California Love.
Speaker 1: But we'll see. I think nailed out. I'll take you
Speaker 1: up on it. The California Love things tricky, of course,
Speaker 1: because no Tupac Um. I mean, I'm just saying you're playing,
Speaker 1: you're closing with the song where the key the key
Speaker 1: member is no longer alive. So that that that's why
Speaker 1: I think there's some shenanigans a foot potentially. Um, I'll
Speaker 1: take you up on it. I agree with the opener
Speaker 1: I if I had to pick a closer and we
Speaker 1: could do some side sandwiches under I'm gonna go all
Speaker 1: right by Kendrick Lamar. I think I know that closing.
Speaker 1: First of all, Kendrick Lamar is the biggest and most
Speaker 1: relevant person there. I think, well, Greg likes wrap, so
Speaker 1: you have to. I'm just saying, but I'm saying of
Speaker 1: this crew of who's on top, now, who's the who's
Speaker 1: the kid of the most recent big hit with I mean,
Speaker 1: come on, uh, the Legacy Acts, he's the guy. My
Speaker 1: point is that was like the anthem of the Black
Speaker 1: Protests from two years ago. It's the most meaningful song
Speaker 1: maybe from any of their catalogs. It's also instantly recognizable
Speaker 1: and gets everyone singing, and I think it goes um
Speaker 1: with everything that's been happening in this country and and
Speaker 1: what they're wont might want to leave you with. So
Speaker 1: I'm going all right his family though everyone altogether. Family
Speaker 1: affair might close it to everybody would like a medley.
Speaker 1: They're not closing with Mary. We're getting the headshake, and
Speaker 1: he's not into my points. I like, I like my point.
Speaker 1: I think they're be a social justice component to the show.
Speaker 1: I'd be surprised if there wasn't Um. However, to make
Speaker 1: it the closer, I think they want to close with
Speaker 1: like even like Listen. I don't think Eminem would close
Speaker 1: the show. I Thinkdrey is closing it, but like lose Yourself.
Speaker 1: That could be like a song that they closed. That's
Speaker 1: like become a sports anthem with its own right, It's
Speaker 1: very can't wait, we're gonna will there be a surprise performer? Well,
Speaker 1: I either Tupacs still alive or I mean Warren g
Speaker 1: came out and did regulate at the playoff game, right,
Speaker 1: and he's had a wild card. I appreciated that was there.
Speaker 1: It was great. I will take you um minus commentary. Okay, um,
Speaker 1: you're more in the Chris Russo Vayne you have you
Speaker 1: have nothing to say just now. I just I see
Speaker 1: the um. We have the fantasy show trailing us in there.
Speaker 1: It's starting to get their faces are starting to grow red.
Speaker 1: So I don't need to add part of our career
Speaker 1: where we were like, well, Damna, check, get off the stage.
Speaker 1: It's our time now, like he's going forty minutes late. Yeah,
Speaker 1: that alright? This episode all right, here we go one
Speaker 1: more for each of you boys. See, I had another
Speaker 1: Marcus type one which was like the noise will create
Speaker 1: a key offensive penalty, because I think noise will be
Speaker 1: a big effect. I don't want to go with that
Speaker 1: as a standard. I'm gonna go Joe Burrow. It's is
Speaker 1: sacked less than three times, so two or I love it.
Speaker 1: I'm taking you to two and a half. Yeah, two
Speaker 1: and a half is the number, so you has to
Speaker 1: be under that. Oh yeah, I think Donald love to himself,
Speaker 1: So I'm giving some love to the Bengals game planning
Speaker 1: and Joe Burrow. It's a good one. I'll definitely take it. Okay,
Speaker 1: it's a good one though. That's a lot of I
Speaker 1: really recovered from the block that you guys didn't make.
Speaker 1: I think it was good. I think happened. You know what,
Speaker 1: You're gonna have justice because I think it's going to occur.
Speaker 1: I think it's gonna occur in the gaming. You're gonna
Speaker 1: you misunderstanding me then, because it probably would have only
Speaker 1: occurred three times in this season that that like twice.
Speaker 1: I'm trying to tell you that I think this is
Speaker 1: and the one you were just about to go there
Speaker 1: is like the crowd noise that the Super Bowl is
Speaker 1: gonna cause a false start. It's like, all right, we're
Speaker 1: back on track. That's a compliment to you, buddy, Mark.
Speaker 1: All right, I want to take you back to a
Speaker 1: date in time, February seven, the Saints called Super Bowl.
Speaker 1: Remember how they came out of after the halftime show,
Speaker 1: forty minute long halftime scenario on side kick. I was there.
Speaker 1: Sean Payton, who we just saw walk by us all
Speaker 1: week long before the game, said we're calling it ambush,
Speaker 1: and we're gonna do it. If the situation is right,
Speaker 1: We're gonna do it. I'm telling you right now, the
Speaker 1: second whoever kicks off in the second half is going
Speaker 1: on side kick ambush. The sequel, Okay, I mean it.
Speaker 1: I'll definitely take you on and put it in the books.
Speaker 1: It'd be funny that if they named it after I'm
Speaker 1: calling it that play from the Saints, then they have
Speaker 1: no connection. But it's it is a sequel to that.
Speaker 1: I'll take a terrible special teams um group with the
Speaker 1: Rams definitely their weakest part of their game, uh in
Speaker 1: their team all year long. So maybe the Bengals take
Speaker 1: advantage of that and catch them by sues. I like that.
Speaker 1: All right, there you go. Those are the sandwich props
Speaker 1: for Super Bowl. Make sure you check out. Go get
Speaker 1: my lunched up. Do you have? I was gonna do
Speaker 1: the past, but then I was also thinking that with
Speaker 1: the Acres news and everything, that Sony Michelle will score
Speaker 1: a touchdown. Oh that's good. I like that because Henderson
Speaker 1: is also playing in this game. It's definitely some onions there,
Speaker 1: but I like that. I think they would trust him.
Speaker 1: I'll take you up on it, just for the spirit
Speaker 1: of the game. I like it. Before we get to
Speaker 1: the all important locks, you guys gotta decide whether you're
Speaker 1: taking her. I will take it. I mean, I think
Speaker 1: it's a Sonny Michelle. Nice nice operations, Sony Michelle. What
Speaker 1: is it. I'm not gonna take you on. I'm not
Speaker 1: taking you on it. I don't know why. I just
Speaker 1: I just don't want to take it. You gotta feeling
Speaker 1: in the onions about it, Yeah, deep in the onions.
Speaker 1: All right. Before we get to the all important uh
Speaker 1: lock and game picks a special guest here, especially for
Speaker 1: our international listeners. We know you're out there, loud and proud.
Speaker 1: Jordan my Latta, one of the great success stories of
Speaker 1: the International Pathway program for the NFL. Sat down on
Speaker 1: the couch with us, very large man star for the
Speaker 1: Philadelphia Eagles. Here's that conversation, all right, very excited to
Speaker 1: have this man with us. He is Jordans my Latta.
Speaker 1: He is a star tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles. But
Speaker 1: with a different type of journey, you know. Jordan's first
Speaker 1: of all, welcome to the Round the NFL podcast. Everyone
Speaker 1: talks about on and on about Tom Brady on nine
Speaker 1: overall pick in two thousand. You went to thirty three
Speaker 1: in two thousand eighteen, and now you are a star
Speaker 1: offensive lineman in the NFL. Had already I would say
Speaker 1: you've had a better career, but it's if people are
Speaker 1: not aware. This is one of the great success stories,
Speaker 1: um for when you look at the league from an
Speaker 1: international perspective. Jordan is Australian. He came to the league
Speaker 1: via the International Player Pathway program, which are a man
Speaker 1: handsome Hank Henry Hodson. There is a major figure, UH
Speaker 1: with that. And you went from playing rugby in Australia
Speaker 1: and not even playing a down of American football to
Speaker 1: four years later signing a massive extension with the Eagles.
Speaker 1: How did you do it? How did you manage this
Speaker 1: the way you have? Ah? Man, it was it was
Speaker 1: a long journey. It was a long journey. Wasn't easy. Um,
Speaker 1: But with handsome Hank's help. Funny, I mean in Australia
Speaker 1: you call him handsome too. I'm gonna now I have
Speaker 1: not a choice to now. I didn't know that he
Speaker 1: is handsome. You were saying, yeah, he looks like in Hollywood. Yeah,
Speaker 1: people don't know. Henry actually spends the entire offseason walking
Speaker 1: up and down the streets in various countries and he
Speaker 1: just saw you in Australia and he is the one
Speaker 1: that that really discovered you. But how did how does
Speaker 1: it happen? Because I don't think any of us sitting
Speaker 1: here could can speak with um real knowledge of the
Speaker 1: Australian the rugby. But how did you learn? We hear
Speaker 1: all the time about office. Fine, it's a tacticians game.
Speaker 1: You have to know how to use your hands, how
Speaker 1: to use leverage, how to how to play the play
Speaker 1: the position. How did you pick it up so quickly?
Speaker 1: Was there a connection to the previous sport that you
Speaker 1: excelled in? Um? Now that you confently translate anything over
Speaker 1: from rugby. I think it's just a whole different skill set,
Speaker 1: two different sports. Um. I think the one thing I
Speaker 1: did carry over from rugby, it was probably my my aggression.
Speaker 1: Um yeah, but that that came after I learned how
Speaker 1: to play. I'd like to think that I had some
Speaker 1: sort of i Q before I came to the sport
Speaker 1: in order to learn the sport. You know, like you
Speaker 1: just said it's a tactician's position. It wasn't. You're in
Speaker 1: a cave when you just said the word aggression. Mark
Speaker 1: actually like started to lean back because you guys are
Speaker 1: next to each other. It's quite a picture, I I personally,
Speaker 1: I mean, just you could destroy where we going. No,
Speaker 1: you know, I just I just like to think that
Speaker 1: I had some sort of street smart and book smarts,
Speaker 1: you know, to allow me to to learn the game.
Speaker 1: It had to be the intellectual element of it had
Speaker 1: to be huge to kind of getting ramped up. Yeah.
Speaker 1: I think the more repetitions I got reading over the place, um,
Speaker 1: and then going out on the field just learning the technique,
Speaker 1: it's kind of just excelled my learning. And that's really
Speaker 1: how I liked learning, was just doing it physically that
Speaker 1: you talked like the playbook you said was just like
Speaker 1: picking up a completely foreign language. I mean what an
Speaker 1: NFL playbook is dense, it's thick, it's um involved. Like,
Speaker 1: how how do you even begin to pick that up
Speaker 1: coming in as an adult versus starting, you know, youth football. Yeah,
Speaker 1: it's basically like a dictionary. Dictionary and the source all one.
Speaker 1: It's like, when I first saw the playbook, can they
Speaker 1: open the binder folder? Well, this is a bind a
Speaker 1: fold of the I don't know. I think the Eagles
Speaker 1: had like a little folder. And when I saw how
Speaker 1: thick it was, I was I was like, come on,
Speaker 1: this is a joke. This is come on, man, Like
Speaker 1: I think this is not some university. I didn't go
Speaker 1: to college. Guys, Come on, man, what does what they have?
Speaker 1: Is there like something similar like playbooks or like how
Speaker 1: does it work? Oh? Yeah, but probably like three pages
Speaker 1: three pages just showing where the backs are, just so
Speaker 1: you line up and show which hole you want to hit.
Speaker 1: What were those first days like in Philadelphia You're suddenly
Speaker 1: on a team with you know, future Hall of Famer
Speaker 1: like Jason Peters. You're going up against some of the
Speaker 1: best pass rushers and defensive ends and practice. Like when
Speaker 1: you're actually starting to play football and there you are like,
Speaker 1: here's this guy, uh, you know hasn't played basically ever
Speaker 1: and you're going up against the best in the game. Yeah.
Speaker 1: I think my first couple of days there had Jason
Speaker 1: Kelsey and Lane Johnson hit me up just letting me
Speaker 1: know that I'm going to be in safe hands. And
Speaker 1: then JP I saw him in the Luca introduced himself.
Speaker 1: He's like, I know who you are, you know and
Speaker 1: you okay, we just dropped it from Australia. I was like, cool,
Speaker 1: that's cool. It's cool environments get into until the til
Speaker 1: the ball started rolling we actually went on field and
Speaker 1: just being able to see the Vets do their thing,
Speaker 1: I still had no idea what the hell they were
Speaker 1: doing because I was like, what is that technique? So
Speaker 1: I still had to learn on the on the role
Speaker 1: and learn on the ball. So I was just thankful
Speaker 1: that I had those veteran leadership in the room and
Speaker 1: that you would be to use a football parlance, here
Speaker 1: a project. I mean you you have the size, obviously,
Speaker 1: the strength and the intent bowles, but I don't imagine
Speaker 1: they thought it would come together as quickly as it did.
Speaker 1: You followed, you followed PFF. By the way the Pro
Speaker 1: Football Focus the grades they do in the trenches, you
Speaker 1: were graded as the third highest graded tackle in the
Speaker 1: in your second season in the league, you jumped up
Speaker 1: in and again that's these are all arbitrary rankings, but
Speaker 1: it's more to illustrate the point that you, your star
Speaker 1: has ascended year after year. So it's just like, what
Speaker 1: are you twenty four now? Right? So it's saying I
Speaker 1: imagine the Eagles are pinching themselves and they're as much
Speaker 1: as you were happy with that contract, they're probably saying, damn,
Speaker 1: we're happy we locked him up because he's just getting
Speaker 1: warmed up and he's already this good. I don't know
Speaker 1: what the thing they probably are. I don't know, um,
Speaker 1: but that was a question. I was just it's wild. Yes,
Speaker 1: it's just been a crazy journey man, Like I think
Speaker 1: I wouldn't have gotten here, you know, with the people
Speaker 1: in my count and my girlfriend supports me so much
Speaker 1: off the field. Girlfriend from rugby days, No, like three
Speaker 1: weeks when was that Philly? She's not She's not from Philly, alright,
Speaker 1: it's Anchorage girl from Alaska. You know what I don't
Speaker 1: think I've ever met an Anchorage girl. Yeah exactly, I never.
Speaker 1: I didn't even know Anchorage was a place. Into elk,
Speaker 1: what is Like? What is it? What's what's an Anchorage girl? Like? Into?
Speaker 1: I want to see she does. She's like brought up
Speaker 1: animals before. I was like, there's no way you guys
Speaker 1: eat that. That's some movie stuff. Come on, now, this
Speaker 1: ain't the Revnant. Come on, come on, it's a movie.
Speaker 1: Speaking of food, have you eaten meals bigger than Greg?
Speaker 1: We're talking calories or we're just saying like plates, which
Speaker 1: how many of me do you think you could bench press?
Speaker 1: I suppose like how many? I almost saying I'm a
Speaker 1: say three? Okay? Can you bench press Greg right now?
Speaker 1: Three times? I don't want to do this, probably could?
Speaker 1: Can you put can you put your hand next to Mark's?
Speaker 1: Like just put it up to his crazy? Okay? So
Speaker 1: large man. I want to hear more about Henry. I
Speaker 1: know that sounds weird, but you're like about the international
Speaker 1: because we who knows when we're going to get to
Speaker 1: talk to you again. Henry is one of our great friends.
Speaker 1: Sounds like he's one of your great friends. Act like
Speaker 1: what what what was that like, Um, the process of
Speaker 1: getting to know the NFL and the international player pathway
Speaker 1: and what Henry like, what's that? What's that relationship been?
Speaker 1: That's been an awesome relationship. Um, well, I think the
Speaker 1: word it's kind of like home, like a home feeling.
Speaker 1: You know, you come here, foreign land, here American excellents,
Speaker 1: and then you hear a British accent, You're like, oh,
Speaker 1: that's it's close to home for me. So and then
Speaker 1: meeting Henry, the topic guy that he is, you just
Speaker 1: care so much for the program and the plays in it,
Speaker 1: and he doesn't care that you're a player. He cares
Speaker 1: that you're a good person first. And that's one thing
Speaker 1: for me that resonates with me as my character, like
Speaker 1: I don't give, I don't get here. You are as
Speaker 1: as long as you're you're a good person, you have
Speaker 1: good morals. That's all I care about. He did warn
Speaker 1: us you swore a lot in front of his son,
Speaker 1: a moment. That was the first. That was the first
Speaker 1: one you dropped. That's a plus plus, Like he's a
Speaker 1: he's a handsome guy. The the eyes they bring you
Speaker 1: in come down before exactly before before we say goodbye,
Speaker 1: so we know you're a busy man um now that
Speaker 1: you are established as a star offensive lineman in the NFL,
Speaker 1: and you've been around the Eagles for seven several years,
Speaker 1: and you you're obviously a very affable, nice guy, but
Speaker 1: also an imposing presence. At what point do other Eagles
Speaker 1: players know, don't try to do an Australian accent. Don't
Speaker 1: you dare make fun of the way I talk. I
Speaker 1: will eat you, keep you live hot off the field.
Speaker 1: Many and they can do all that stuff. Lane does
Speaker 1: it all the time. Lane does it all the time.
Speaker 1: Does it? Henry hates at the office when people talking
Speaker 1: to faux British accent. But you're much more, I guess
Speaker 1: Henry Hodgson like that. Oh my god, if I close
Speaker 1: my eyes right, oh my god, if I close my eyes,
Speaker 1: I can hear him. Go have some fish and chips,
Speaker 1: okay them anyway, Jordan's thank you so much for coming on.
Speaker 1: We have we are so blessed to have a thriving
Speaker 1: international audience ourselves, like in Australia from England. All we
Speaker 1: met some people from Brazil today and took a photo
Speaker 1: and they were big pants like it's it's one of
Speaker 1: the great honors for us, and so we're connected to
Speaker 1: you because we want to see the International Pathway program
Speaker 1: continue to thrive. And you're like the shining sun of
Speaker 1: the program. So no pressure, but keep going to you know,
Speaker 1: the Pro Bowl and getting high PF grades. Thank you.
Speaker 1: That's what it's all about. Jordan my lotta. Everybody snap
Speaker 1: snap snaps. We only use foul language, not bad, not bad.
Speaker 1: That was great, nice man, that my latta. That's another
Speaker 1: scenario where in about an hour they're gonna put these
Speaker 1: photos out of us standing next to them, you know,
Speaker 1: in a group out and Greg and I look like um,
Speaker 1: toddlers and adult clothing next to this man. So it's
Speaker 1: you know, well, you can't you can't feel bad about
Speaker 1: that because he is six eight three seventy or something.
Speaker 1: He's like one of the biggest NFL players, not just regularly.
Speaker 1: I mean it sits with me. I don't like being
Speaker 1: my height necessarily. I don't feel that at all in
Speaker 1: the NFL scenario. Um, you know when we see NFL players.
Speaker 1: I feel it every day when I'm walking home with
Speaker 1: my kids from school and I passed the middle school
Speaker 1: and there's many young men and women that's who are
Speaker 1: bigger than me. And that's when I that's like high
Speaker 1: eleven year old girl and you know, waving up to her. Women.
Speaker 1: The men there, they're well, I guess they're not allowing.
Speaker 1: They're more like grade. But yes, there are Yeah, those
Speaker 1: girls I walked by the every day. I had a
Speaker 1: sixth great girlfriend who was like, legit, like thirteen inches
Speaker 1: taller than me at that time. No, not not, It
Speaker 1: wouldn't have been later in life. But I was like
Speaker 1: the one that was just worried about the fantasy guys.
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, let's go that is and I would like
Speaker 1: to see a photo of that er To Erica's point,
Speaker 1: they developed quicker those girls. All right, now it's getting weird.
Speaker 1: I don't even the word developed. I don't know if
Speaker 1: you need it. It's time to lock it up. It's
Speaker 1: and everyone knows if you follow this podcast, that there's something.
Speaker 1: There's some serious drama foot. I had a nice cushion
Speaker 1: exiting the regular season in our locks competition, and it
Speaker 1: just got whittled away because I tried to. I tried
Speaker 1: to get behind the favorites, as I think it's a
Speaker 1: smart play when you have a lead and try to
Speaker 1: just run out the clock essentially. But I got burned
Speaker 1: because this was the year, this was the year the
Speaker 1: underdog four seed verse four seed, and I picked the
Speaker 1: wrong horses. I picked Aaron Rodgers in the divisional round.
Speaker 1: I then picked Patrick Mahomes in the championship round, and
Speaker 1: somehow both those guys blew it. So it is now
Speaker 1: a tie between Mark and I and we should get
Speaker 1: you should get maybe the opening I'm the opening act
Speaker 1: here out of the way first, Yes, I think it's
Speaker 1: time now. And I did say uh and again, and
Speaker 1: this is just a showing of character for me. But uh,
Speaker 1: I don't want to just go into a lock with
Speaker 1: Mark necessarily and ride it to a tie. And I'm
Speaker 1: not interested in that. If if I'm gonna go down
Speaker 1: three Falcon style, I'll do it. I'll do it, and
Speaker 1: I'll take my I'll take the medicine, okay, uh you
Speaker 1: know on the other side of the dime. Listen, if
Speaker 1: I could somehow escape with the title in my first
Speaker 1: solo trophy after a near meltdown, allah the rams, that
Speaker 1: will feel all the more rewarding. But yes, let's start
Speaker 1: with the appetizer, the shrimp cocktail. Yeah, hey, I've had
Speaker 1: a good playoff run here for the most part. I
Speaker 1: had that those rams in the first round. That trophy,
Speaker 1: by the way, is sitting on your desk. I brought
Speaker 1: it in and I tried to put it in a
Speaker 1: neutral ground and mark Um encourage me to put it
Speaker 1: on your desk. Is a lintal warfare and said, Dan,
Speaker 1: we we have these glass pubicles. He attempted to rest
Speaker 1: it on the edge of it between It's like in
Speaker 1: the like uh eight six World Series, where the Red
Speaker 1: Sox had already tarped up their lockers to celebrate with champagne.
Speaker 1: That's what this feels like. I don't like it, Yeah,
Speaker 1: I I do like how I felt this week, and
Speaker 1: how I felt since the Bengals won that Divisional round
Speaker 1: game is when I started to believe, and I am
Speaker 1: taking the Bengals to win this game. I think it's
Speaker 1: gonna be a more of a defensive game than people expect.
Speaker 1: I like the under. I have a twenty three to
Speaker 1: one Bengals with McPherson hitting the kick at the end,
Speaker 1: and I do believe it, not just because of what
Speaker 1: I just said about what they've done the last five
Speaker 1: or six weeks against really good opponents, and not just
Speaker 1: because there's something more a foot, uh with the Wesleyan
Speaker 1: brothers and and everything. I think they will play this
Speaker 1: game like another game, that they they will play this
Speaker 1: game loose, uh, and that they Football isn't about like
Speaker 1: who has the best resume, who did this, who did that?
Speaker 1: It's how you play in that one game, that one performance.
Speaker 1: And I worry about Sean McVeigh a little bit, having
Speaker 1: some game management situations that Rams fans remember forever. And
Speaker 1: I just believe in this team. I'm not just doing
Speaker 1: this with my heart, although it's certainly with my heart.
Speaker 1: I truly believe this game is gonna end, and we're
Speaker 1: gonna go find those Westley brothers in whatever section they're in,
Speaker 1: and we're gonna give him a great big hug. And
Speaker 1: that's how this season ends. Okay, I like that, all right?
Speaker 1: Speaking to the Westling brothers, you know, Aaron Rodgers received
Speaker 1: a regular season m VT. I guess Joe Burrow will
Speaker 1: just have to settle for the Super Bowl MVP. And
Speaker 1: I'm lucking you know. Nick here, you three podcast bosos
Speaker 1: have been talking trash about the Westling brothers all year long.
Speaker 1: Say we're at each other's throat. We can't agree on anything. Well,
Speaker 1: guess what We're all in unison this week. The Bengals
Speaker 1: win the super Bowl. Lock it up. The Bengals are
Speaker 1: gonna win the super Bowl, and I'm gonna lock it Wow.
Speaker 1: That was awesome and I love that Tim definitely had
Speaker 1: a few drinks before he cut a dog in the back.
Speaker 1: All Right. As I said, Mark, I am uh due
Speaker 1: to my collapse in the playoffs. I am letting fate
Speaker 1: do to me what it will. So I will be
Speaker 1: blocking up against you, and I give you right of
Speaker 1: first choice here, all right. And I'm not gonna go
Speaker 1: where logic would take me here because I think that
Speaker 1: would guide me towards the Rams. Um. I'm going to
Speaker 1: lock up the Bengals. I've seen my mind in nineteen
Speaker 1: to sixteen win in overtime, and I think this is
Speaker 1: the beginning of Joe Burrow being in our life for
Speaker 1: the next fift seventeen eighteen years as one of the
Speaker 1: greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. It gives me kind of
Speaker 1: like Tom Brady Um Patriots Rams vibes, where it's there
Speaker 1: the clear underdog, but they just don't know what they
Speaker 1: don't know, and I worry about the Rams getting a
Speaker 1: little tight, a little tight butt in the second half.
Speaker 1: If if Sean McVeigh, you know, things aren't going well.
Speaker 1: It just seems like they're susceptible to that where the
Speaker 1: Bengals are riding this dream wave and I am taking
Speaker 1: Cincinnati to take this game in the Super Bowl title,
Speaker 1: You're gonna lock it up. I am locking it up,
Speaker 1: all right. And I think this is the way it
Speaker 1: should have played out, because it maybe there would be
Speaker 1: a little bit it would feel a little weird if
Speaker 1: I didn't believe what I was about to say. But
Speaker 1: I am going to pick the Rams. I loved the
Speaker 1: Bengals story. I'm gonna lock up those Rams. I love
Speaker 1: the obviously the Westling brother component to it. Um. But
Speaker 1: you know, talking to Lakisha last week and this this
Speaker 1: gave me some peace of mind as well, And I
Speaker 1: asked her, what do you want? How do you want
Speaker 1: Sunday the playoffs? She says, I don't care no matter
Speaker 1: what happens, just the two teams getting here. The fact
Speaker 1: that we had this amazing run, the fact that it
Speaker 1: led to Chris's brothers being in town for the game,
Speaker 1: which is such a beautiful thing. Um, it's okay with
Speaker 1: her whoever wins, and I got a feeling you can
Speaker 1: never know. I think West is cool with that too. Chris,
Speaker 1: I know he would love his brothers to be happy,
Speaker 1: but his wife being happy if the Rams win the
Speaker 1: Super Bowl. Link is not old enough to really pick
Speaker 1: a side at this point. So I feel like I'm
Speaker 1: in the clear and just saying I think the Rams
Speaker 1: have a better roster. I think they are battle tested.
Speaker 1: I think, yes, they've gotten tight butts, but remember what
Speaker 1: happened in Tampa Bay when the world was caving in
Speaker 1: three they found a way to stay alive and take
Speaker 1: that game. I don't like the idea of mc fearless
Speaker 1: being involved in a close game, so I'm gonna say
Speaker 1: it won't be that situation. I think it's gonna be
Speaker 1: a four point game. They'll need to get a stop,
Speaker 1: and Aaron Donald, like he did in the NFC title Game,
Speaker 1: is gonna make sure it happens. Rams get that Super
Speaker 1: Bowl in their building. Lock it up. I'm gonna channel
Speaker 1: what I believe Nick Wessling would say in this situation,
Speaker 1: which is, thank you. You know you've picked against the
Speaker 1: Bengals for three straight weeks. Why change the mojo? It's
Speaker 1: treat the stank on their opponent. And absolutely that could be.
Speaker 1: That could be how it played out. But like I said,
Speaker 1: I have I have failed throughout the off season the postseason.
Speaker 1: Let's see if things change. I don't know, but I'm
Speaker 1: at peace with it either way. If I lose and
Speaker 1: collapse and the Bengals are one of the great stories
Speaker 1: of all time. Hey, that's all right, that's all right too.
Speaker 1: I will be piste. It is the greater thing that
Speaker 1: has happened to our show this entire time, that we've
Speaker 1: gone through this really rough year plus after losing West,
Speaker 1: that the Bengals, who were two and fourteen in a
Speaker 1: lost cause just a couple of seasons ago, are here,
Speaker 1: and so I just I don't know. Life is very strange.
Speaker 1: Ricky's here crying. I feel for you, Ricky. There's a
Speaker 1: lot of emotions. It's gonna be funny because it's West
Speaker 1: of Us and I if the Bengals lose, I can
Speaker 1: picture West laughing his ass off. Right, we still don't
Speaker 1: know what he thinks. And we're a year removed from
Speaker 1: the worst show in our podcast history that that was
Speaker 1: our super Bowl show, and now we're a couple of
Speaker 1: days about doing a very different post super Bowl show,
Speaker 1: but still still strange, still feeling every emotion possible that
Speaker 1: his brothers will be there, that he won't be But
Speaker 1: we're gonna we're gonna find joying it. I know it'll
Speaker 1: be a special special Sunday. We tried to celebrate West
Speaker 1: one year ago at the Super Bowl and the most
Speaker 1: tragic of circumstances two days after he passed away. Now
Speaker 1: we get to celebrate him again after this Super Bowl
Speaker 1: um and uh look forward to it. So thank you
Speaker 1: to everybody for following our shows all week and check
Speaker 1: out are around the NFL broadcast Super Bowl Preview on
Speaker 1: Saturday on NFL Network, check your local listings, and then
Speaker 1: of course, yes Sunday Night, the flagship program, we recap
Speaker 1: everything from the big Game. Thank you to everybody, Thanks
Speaker 1: to our guest today and our guests all week and
Speaker 1: until Sunday night. Super Bowl fifty six is decided and
Speaker 1: there was a champion and there's a trophy being hoisted.
Speaker 1: Both it's so far and inside our building he the
Speaker 1: call M. S.