
Dan Orlovsky Breaking Down Super Wild Card Weekend, Notre Dame Advances, Picks And Preview + Fyre Fest Of The Week
Pardon My Take- 97 views
- 10 Jan 2025
Wake up the echoes the fighting Irish are off to the National Championship. Drew Allar had an all time stinker and Penn State falls short again (00:00:00-00:19:33). Weekend picks and preview for every game of Super Wild Card Weekend and PFT is feeling confident about the Commanders (00:19:33-01:07:42). Dan Orlovsky joins the show to talk football, what has changed on the Ravens Defense, Chargers/Texans and tons more (01:07:42-01:44:27). We finish with Fyre Fest of the week (01:44:27-02:06:04).You can find every episode of this show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. Prime Members can listen ad-free on Amazon Music. For more, visit barstool.link/pardon-my-take
Hey, pardon my take listeners. You can find every episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. Prime members can listen ad free on Amazon Music. On today's part of my take, super wildcard weekend, we're still saying it. We're gonna talk about every game, Saturday Sunday preview.
We also have an instant classic Notre Dame Penn State that we're gonna recap at the top of the show. We got a good friend, Dan Orlovsky, on the show to break down the matchups for the super wildcard weekend, and then we have Fyre Fest to finish this off. And we're brought to you by our friends at DraftKings NFL playoffs playoffs. We're talking playoffs. You bet we are because getting on the action at DraftKings Sportsbook, an official sports betting part of the NFL, Scoring touchdowns is key to winning in the NFL playoffs, and the key to you scoring big is betting on them at DraftKings.
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Okay. Let's go. Welcome to part of my take presented by DraftKings. Score big during the NFL playoffs with DraftKings sportsbook. Download the DraftKings sportsbook app and use code take.
That's code take for new customers. Get $200 in bonus bets instantly when you bet just $5 only on the DraftKings sports book. The crown is yours. Today is Friday, January 10th, and wake up the echoes PFT because the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are in the college football national championship.
What's that sound, big cat?
It's the echoes?
Yes. It's the echoes, but also there's another there's a second sound. What's the sound? It's Lou Holtz putting in his biting teeth. Ah.
Licking his
lips. And it was an instant classic. Yep. Like, such a great game. We I thought it was gonna be a snoozer.
First half was, neither offense really did anything. Penn State went into halftime up 10 3. Whatever Marcus Freeman did at halftime, he deserves all the credit because that game was won in the Q3 and how Notre Dame came out, and they took it right to Penn State, took the lead. Obviously, there was you know, Penn State came back. They've traded some drives.
And the big story, as much as I would like to do the narrative that James Franklin can't win a big game Mhmm. Drew Aller was horrific.
I agree, but I disagree on 1 point. I think the game was won in the late Q2 Oh. When Angeli came in.
Steve and Jelly. And Jelly. Angeli did get him a quick 3.
Angeli got in, and the whole vibe changed. It's true. Entire vibe flipped. Max got taken out by an Italian sub. Oh.
People were saying.
Man. And it was I mean, listen. That game back and forth, Riley Leonard made a huge mistake. Penn State takes a lead, and then Drew Auer makes a like, Drew Auer threw 3 3 interceptions today, and and only 1 of them counted because the other 2, Phantom well, the first 1 actually was a real hold, but the second 1 was just it was such a bad throw. They shouldn't have thrown a flag because it had no impact on the play.
But bad throw is bad call too. Yeah. It's a bad call.
I mean, I get that he didn't turn his head around. Yeah. And then the fans had a little University of Texas moment.
Yeah. You know how mad you have to be
to make an Irish guy throw his
beer? Seriously.
Like, pretty far
on it?
That's a bad call. Yeah. That's a really bad call. And so but yeah. He he came back and, he he had some really bad interceptions.
Really bad interception.
The last 1 was just 40 seconds left.
You can't you the 1 thing you can't do in that situation is make a throw like that. And he was so bad that even the last lateral, of the game, he overthrew and threw out of bounds. But I like, Drew Aller was was horrific. And and by the way, do we have a a little, do to do with Brandon Walker? Because I think on this show on Wednesday, he said Drew Aller doesn't turn the ball over, and that's why Penn State's gonna win the game.
Mhmm. That's our college football expert. We apologize on behalf of our college football expert. He's embarrassed us 1 1 day into being our college football expert.
Who and he didn't show his face here to be on this show to take responsibility for that mistake either. See, it's crazy. He's ducking it. Yeah. Very, very bad interception at the end.
They got the ball back, and it's like, okay. You have a chance. But the 1 thing that you can't do is turn the ball over and try to push too hard because then they're gonna be in field goal range. And that's exactly what he goes on and he does. I actually think that a big impact on this game was when Tyler Warren got taken out.
You remember that on the sidelines?
From the concussion.
So they kept him
out for a little bit, and he looked
like he was very concussed just from what you saw in the clip. And then he comes back on the field. He didn't look like the same guy when he came back.
Right. He didn't. And and, he told the
the team doctor they're trying to do the concussion test. That's a HIPAA violation. Yeah. Like, good point. Get back in there, son.
Yeah. Play ball. And then he goes back in. He he seemed like he was out of sorts around the line of scrimmage. He didn't look right.
He wasn't running fast. He wasn't making heads up plays. I think that there was that that to me, when you take Tyler Warren away from Penn State, then you take away all the threat of their their physical passing. Because their wide receivers can't catch a ball. No.
They can't catch a ball. He can't get open. I mean, yeah, Tyler Warren is so much fun to watch because he is like, if you need 3 yards, he's gonna get you 7. Yeah. Exactly.
Contact. But so Marcus Freeman was incredible. I thought he coached a great game. I thought that play, at the end of the game where they had 3rd in whatever it was 5, And the conservative thing would be to just run the ball again with Riley Leonard, and they they rolled out Riley Leonard. He hit that perfect pass to Faizon, I believe, who ended up getting, like, 15 yards.
And Riley Leonard, he wasn't great, but he made big plays at big moments.
Mhmm.
Like, he made that throw. He made a couple big runs, alluded a couple big time sacks that would have been, like, you know, very detrimental. And it I don't know. Like, I Marcus Freeman, I'm a believer. Like, he last game when he when he pants Kirby Smart, this game, how they came out of halftime because I I think we all agree, like, halftime, it looked like Penn State was gonna win this game easily because they were just bullying Notre Dame on both lines.
Well, it took him a second to figure out the fact that they could get their lime and shove people over. Right.
And they were and they were in the backfield when they were on defense, and they were just running the ball down Notre Dame's throat. And then Notre Dame came out shot out of a cannon and but, oh, we gotta mention Jeremiah Love, 1 of the 1 of the best, like, second effort, 3rd effort touchdown runs.
3 dudes hanging up, maybe even 4
or 5.
That was a great run. Also, Penn State's running backs, all
of them.
Yeah. Had some great runs too. It was a really good football game.
It came down to the quarterback. Yeah. It was and now it makes sense that Drew Aller is staying in school. Like, I think people scratch their head. They're like, that man that's not that doesn't make any sense.
He's he would be a 1st round pick. He's got some things to work on.
Yeah. Who said he would be a 1st round pick?
I think there were some people that were saying I've heard people say that in this quarterback class especially.
I've heard people say he's, like, consensus, the best, NFL prospect remaining.
Yeah. It's like a Christian Hackenberg. Yeah.
Hey. 2nd round pick. Right?
Canyon Arm. Canyon Arm. So we should talk to Max. Oh, by the way, I wanted to mention, Colin Cowherd. So I I said this to you right before we started.
He tweeted, you see Riley Leonard. I see Josh Allen.
That sounds racist. Yeah.
That's I was like, okay.
The only explanation for that is that he is he's a virulent racist.
Yeah. The the running style, I guess, but, like
I don't know. There's literally nothing about it.
I don't I I think it's so I think it's bowling people over running the football. I guess maybe. Yeah. And maybe I guess if you gave But
Josh is a little he's way more elusive. Yeah.
He is. But I I think that might be the only thing, but he sees he sees Josh Allen. So, Max,
I muted Colin Cowart a long time ago. That was
I actually blocked him. Fake soup. Hell yes. That was, that was a bad 1.
Yeah. No. Drew Allard just can't play it like that. The defense made enough plays to keep you in that game. You get that sack when Notre Dame is driving to kick the field goal to take the lead, and that play was so long developing, and there was nothing there.
Just throw the ball out out of bounds. You don't need to be a hero. There's 20 seconds left. The chances of you going down and actually winning that game are so slim. Just take the stack.
But that's just like a college quarterback who doesn't know what he's doing yet. Like, he's still a dumb kid. Yeah. Like, I I felt He also asked what was on the like, that that pick that that Yeah. He had in the 3rd or 3rd.
4th quarter when when just didn't see him.
Yeah. Notre Dame looked like they were taking control of the game. We put together a nice drive, tie it up. I don't know. I'm all over the place, but it's it's disappointing, but I don't know.
That last kick was kinda weird too, wasn't it?
That last kick was crazy. It it was going right the whole time. Yeah. And then right before the upright, it just came back left.
It was very, very strange.
And and Mitch Teeter Mason Crosby type. Yeah. He's been bad this year. He was injured, but he's been nails in the playoffs. I think he's 7 for 8 now in the playoffs.
And Notre Dame listen. I don't know if they can beat Texas or Ohio State, but he okay. You're shaking your head, Max. Notre Dame's just coached really well, and they've I like, I don't know. They they, Riley Leonard did make some mistakes tonight, but if he doesn't throw any interceptions, like, they're a team that can just kinda hang around.
I think they're good. I yeah. I mean I mean, it's gonna be they're gonna be, like, 8 and a half point underdogs probably to Ohio State if Ohio State
I don't
know that they can hang around.
We'll see. We'll see. I I just give a lot of credit to to Notre Dame tonight. Marcus Freeman has I think he's coached an incredible playoffs.
James Frank, they they they went up 10 nothing and took their foot off the gas. Yeah. They were dominating the game. And then I don't know what
It was that first drive in this in the third quarter. It was the first drive to start the second half. Notre Dame just went right down the field. And it was, like, all the juice they needed was in that, and then they got a 3 an hour.
And then Penn State went 3 an hour.
Yeah. Yeah. And it was just like, this game has just flipped on its head. Whatever Marcus Freeman just decided to adjust or do at halftime, it worked because they came out a completely different team.
I think Penn State had 7 plays in the 3rd. They went 3 and out, then Tyler Warren got, like, a 20 yard catch, and then they went and then they were the 4th down on the next 3 plays.
Yeah. And now James Franklin, I mean, we're we're not doing the narrative, but should we? He can't win the big 1 because they although is it not the big 1? I think
this was this was a big 1. But hold on. It's not his fault.
They went from underdogs to favorites right before kickoff.
Yeah. That was weird. That was weird. So well, it's Drew Aller being on a yacht, which was a fake rumor that was put out there, we think.
We had Notre Dame flu.
Yeah. The we had Notre Dame flu. We also had Penn State having diarrhea.
Yep. And then Drew Aller on a yacht.
Drew Aller on a yacht. I don't know if any of those were true, but I would say, big cat, it is a fact that this was a big 1.
Yeah. It was a big 1.
Did he win it?
Win it. No. They didn't beat anyone good this year. It's not his fault, but it is a fact. Yeah.
I mean, they they beat they didn't beat anyone on their level in terms of, like
Illinois beat South Carolina. You if they beat South Carolina, which is
Illinois should've been in the playoffs.
Yeah. Yeah. That's that's all I got.
You you know that, like, they didn't I mean, they had
I I don't play
This was their second big test, and they or they they're 3rd because they played Oregon, Ohio State, and Notre Dame, and they lost all 3.
It would be nice to have wide receivers.
Penn State's wide receivers are atrocious.
In the modern era
0 catches.
In the modern era
of football,
you typically want a wide receiver to catch the ball.
0 catches. And, like, I'm I'm not gonna go back and watch the film. But if you were to go back and watch the film, I don't think there were any, like, missed wide open wide receivers. No. No.
Like, they every time that you they did that little replay where you can look out on the field, he had nothing out there except for Tyler Warren.
Yeah. Nobody's rooting for him. What are you gonna say?
What are you gonna say?
In IU. No.
I was just sad you're not gonna watch the film.
Yeah. I'm not gonna watch the film.
Why not?
You gotta get better. Know how to watch film. Hank, what are your thoughts, though?
Hank, do you know how to watch film? Yeah. Tell me how to watch a film. If I wanted to go back and watch y'all 22, tell me how I would do it.
Ask Gruden. Google
Yep. Film. PSU film. I'll I'll look into that.
Okay. I'm gonna Google that right now and just see PSU. Seriously, though, what
are your thoughts on the game? I had Penn State. They choked at the end. They choked at the end. That was an absolute choke job.
Like, there's no world where that shouldn't have gone to overtime.
Did you listen to our college 1st football expert? Is that why you took Penn State? Yeah. Oh, no.
In Jeff.
He's ruining he's ruining us.
Brandon Walker. That actually known right then.
My parlay wasn't that bad.
No. I know. And and it went to overtime.
If it
went to overtime, all we knew is Tyler Warren touchdown and touchdown. Drew Eller. Oh, if we go to Drew
Eller. Yeah.
And it goes to 2, 3, 4 overtimes, he's gonna get 1.
True hour.
So I'm I was I was I was mentally, like, in overtime already.
Oh, no. When you look up PSU football film, the first thing that comes up is Paterno, the film. Oh, no.
Have you
seen that film?
I
don't think
I've watched that. You should watch that 1. Not great. No. You watched it?
I actually did. Yeah.
Wait. The the Chino. The you have Chino 1? Yeah.
Chino 1? Yeah. Chino 1? Yeah. Chino 1?
Yeah.
In it. Is he? Yeah. He's in the opening scene. He he's, like, he's, like, in the front row.
They use, like, footage from a game. It actually wasn't terrible. I watch anything with Pacino. Yeah. Yeah.
Alright. So 2 other things, not college football related. Do you guys Ohio State tomorrow night? You bet in Ohio State? I'm
I think I'm gonna take Ohio State. Yeah. I like
strictly, it's gonna be Ohio State, but I think the Texas Notre Dame championship is more fun for vibes.
Why is that?
I don't know. Just just is. I never really liked Ohio State as a non college football fan, but I just Ohio State's just not never been my favorite.
Is it the scarlet? Texas.
I think it's the gray. More than me.
This is the scarlet and the gray.
Yeah. Mostly the gray. It just I feel
like they're always really good. They're never really fun.
But this team's more Cardell was fun. Yeah. But it went 59 nothing against Wisconsin in the big 10 championship game.
Yeah. Was there yeah. Was that where we're at?
No. Now the 1 we're at, Wisconsin only lost by, like, 7. So 2 2 other things. 1 is we already taped our preview. We obviously didn't know because they reported it later in the day, but, the game in LA is being moved to, Arizona.
Obviously, we hope everyone's okay that oh, actually, we didn't talk about that game. So we'll talk about that game on Sunday.
Yeah. But we do hope everybody's okay.
Yeah. Yeah.
We do hope everyone's game. But, yeah, that's I don't know. It's gonna be weird. I I don't know if there's enough I mean, there's gotta be
It's the first game 1st playoff game that has changed location since, like, 19 thirties.
Oh, shit.
There was a game. It was, I forget who was playing against Boston at the time because Boston had a football team. But then they moved that game to the Polo Grounds
Mhmm.
Because Favorite stadium. Because there weren't enough tickets sold.
Polo Grounds is such a fun stadium just to look at.
Yeah. They should have played that
game in Saint Louis.
What?
Oh, they should've.
That would've rocked.
For the Rams fans, that would've rocked. Yep. Yep. You're right. They should've played that game in Saint Louis.
Fuck.
That would've been cool. Yeah. That is weird. Like, you think a bunch of people from LA are gonna be able to go to that gate? They're probably all just worried about their homes and figuring out what to do.
Yeah.
I don't know. And then there's probably a decent amount of Vikings fans down in Arizona, maybe for the winter. I don't know.
Yeah. Or retirees. Yeah.
Right. Mhmm. So in weird weird setup. The other 1 was a a stat that, came from zanb21. And we should've we should've seen this because it should've been in the preview.
But since 2017, Sean Payton is 30 and 12 against bald head coaches.
It's a pretty big sample size.
He's going
up against Sean McDermott on Sunday. That makes me very nervous because I love the Bills in that game.
Yeah. So you you read them off earlier. A number of those were Dan Quinn games. A lot of them were taken. A lot of them were Dan Quinn games.
Yeah. There was a was there a Caldwell in there?
There was a Caldwell. The only so zan b 21 only showed he he basically was like this bullshit. He's like, you don't think I did my work? So he showed 2017 through 2019. There was a Caldwell.
There was there was a Sean McDermott. There was a Todd Bowles. There was 4 Dan Quinn wins.
You also mentioned Mike Tomlin. I don't think Mike Tomlin is bald. Or at least I don't think that he was bald. Like, he's he's definitely thinning, but I don't think he was bald at
the time. He's pretty bald.
He might I think he shaved his head recently. But if you go back, like, 2 years ago
Okay.
I think Mike Tomlin had hair.
But Mike Tomlin 2017. Can you even find that? Mike Tomlin 2017. Yeah. You're right.
He he had a little more hair there if if this is correct. So maybe zan b 21. Maybe we shouldn't trust his stat.
I don't know. I like the stat, though.
It's a great stat.
I appreciate the legwork that he did. It's the kind
of stat you need. Okay. Let's kick it to ourselves for more, football talk. We're gonna preview every game for Saturday, Sunday. Max, are you okay?
Birds now. Birds.
Yeah. Birds.
Birds. Mhmm. Birds.
I like I'm a Penn State fan, but I'm
This is an Eagles.
This is an Eagles.
Connor Griffin.
I feel I feel bad for Connor that He's devastated.
That was 1 that I felt bad I feel bad for Connor Griffin. I feel bad for my older brother. Yeah. That's that's basically how
Jeff D'Lo? Jeff D'Lo?
Feel bad for Jeff D'Lo. I feel bad for myself a little bit, but I feel more bad for them.
What's that like feeling bad
for yourself? Like, you should you feel bad for yourself because you rooted for the same team as them is what you feel bad for.
Like, it wasn't for you. Calling you a loser.
I am a loser.
Like, if you weren't rooting for Penn State, then Connor Griffin and Jeff D'Lo might have won that game.
Yeah. Yeah. But if I had to lose this game to win on Sunday, I I I will take that trade.
How do you even say it?
Oh, is that what the trade is, though?
That's not how it works.
It is it could be. You don't know that.
If that is true. Such a loser that your mere presence made other people lose a game, then do you think rooting for your own team is gonna be better?
I you can't help it.
You guys are gonna win.
It's a I don't know what you want me to say.
Eagles, it is, but shouldn't laugh like that. Drew Allard's gonna be your next quarterback. Oh, man. No. Meme
just kept saying he wants Tyler Warren to be his next quarterback. I mean, he's
the next Josh Allen. Corey Cowan.
No. That's Riley Leonard.
Riley Leonard.
Oh, fun. Yeah. Yeah.
I could actually imagine Riley Leonard running a Browns offense better than DTR.
Oh, well, anyone could.
Yeah.
You could. I think Tyler Warren could
run that. Absolutely. DTR. That's a low bar. Alright.
Let's kick it to ourselves for some weekend preview, then Dan Orlovsky talking more football. Okay. Let's get to our weekend preview. It's brought to you by our friends at game time. It is football season.
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We're not allowed to call it super wildcard weekend. The NFL has nerfed super wildcard weekend. It is just back to wildcard weekend.
Fuck that. I'm gonna call it super wildcard weekend. Insane. I'm gonna do it. Do it.
Stop me. It's the biggest wildcard weekend of them all.
Do it. How do I say it?
It's super wildcard weekend.
Thank you. We're not gonna let them take the super out of wildcard weekend. Yeah. What is it? Just the bowl now?
That's good. Listen. They take the super out of wildcard weekend. The next thing is gonna happen. It's gonna be just the bowl.
It's a slippery slope. Freedom of speech, Roger.
Yeah. So, that that news, that was also brought to you by, our good friend, Mike Florio, which I I love that he was on the beat for that. He was like, the NFL is slowly taking away the super word in wildcard weekend without anyone knowing.
Wait. Did they slowly take
it away, or have they taken it away? Right. I'm pulling it up. Super wildcard is no more. This is from Florida.
Wildcard weekend is no longer super in name at least. After noticing on Tuesday, the conspicuous absence of the name that emerged when the NFL added 2 more playoff person created a 6 game opening round, We asked the league if Super has been 6. Super debuted during the 2020 season playoffs when the NFL introduced a new wildcard format and the addition of a team from each conference making the playoffs. The first change since 1990. The league said via email, I just love that Florio emailed the league about this.
Super was used the last 4 seasons to help differentiate from the previous 30 years of the Saturday, Sunday schedule and to further drive awareness of the 3 days of wildcard games. It served its purpose as fans have responded well. While it has been retired, there's no doubt the wildcard games will continue to be super. This is the best story ever. Okay.
I mean, Florio just saying, wait. Where the fuck is the super? I gotta email the league.
That's a that's a eagle eye that he had right there. He noticed.
Yes. Mike Florio is a
king in noticing shit like that. I what do you think the NFL is taking it away because they're going to move the word super to something else that they're planning on innovating? Yeah. And that was confusing? Yeah.
Like, the 18 game season, is that gonna be the super season? Yeah. Because you can't have
super season.
Season? Mega this should how about mega wildcard weekend?
I'm in for mega wildcard weekend.
Let's get mega with it.
Do you think they're ever gonna go to 8 teams? I hope not. Oh, actually, that would be kind of fun.
When they put the team in London and they put the team in Brazil, then I think we might go to
Yeah. Yeah. More football, more better. Should we say real quick before we get into the games? It is super wildcard weekend.
We still say that on this show. Do we wanna do a real quick updated what teams do you think can win the Super Bowl this year? Okay. I I have I have 5 teams, and it might look stupid.
I think they all can.
They all can, technically. I have 5 teams, and it might look really dumb when, 1 of the 1 of those teams is not in it and the other 1 wins. So, but my 5 teams are the Philadelphia Eagles, the Detroit Lions, the Baltimore Ravens, the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Buffalo Bills.
Okay. I got the Kansas City Chiefs, the Buffalo Bills, the Baltimore Ravens, the Philadelphia Eagles, the Detroit Lions, that's 5, the Washington Commanders
You got to.
And the Dallas Cowboys. Okay. Because Micah Parsons just said that they've got the best team, and going into next season, they should be Super Bowl champions. It just didn't show on paper this season.
Just need it. No scoreboards. They're they're the winners. Also, an update from Dallas. Apparently so the the cowboys blocked the interview with Mike McCarthy to the bears, and then it was a report that Jerry Jones and Mike McCarthy spent significant time together Tuesday Wednesday.
Mhmm.
They're getting shit done.
That's great.
It's a power meeting. That's awesome. Do are you happy that they blocked Mike?
I am happy they blocked.
Like, thank you to Dallas.
Right? Thank you, Dallas. It's also just, like, kinda fucked up what they're doing where they're putting him in limbo. And if they don't resign him, he might miss his window to get another job. Yeah.
I don't Like, at this point, you have to resign him.
If you put Mike McCarthy in limbo, buddy, that floor is gonna get broken.
Yeah.
So I think I think what's gonna happen is they're gonna resign him. I don't think that they would deny him an opportunity to look for a job and then say, yes, sir. We're actually not gonna resign you because Dion just agreed to come down. So good luck out there, Mike. I agree.
Have fun. Go get him, Mike. Speaking of, speaking of Deon, I know that he's been connected to the Raiders at some points. The Raiders also reached out to Hank's good friend, Bill Belichick. Tom Brady sent out an olive branch to Bill to see if Bill would be interested in joining the Raiders.
I don't know if Bill's responded. He is, I guess, busy on the recruiting trail right now. I saw a couple pictures of him meeting with recruits. So he is actually, like, going boots on the ground Mhmm. Meeting with prospects.
Mhmm.
But, Hank, how would you feel if Tom Brady and Bill got back together 1 last ride, but it was for the Raiders? I'd be happy. I'd be happy to see it. It's you know, I was saying it to you yesterday, PFT. It's like parents getting divorced.
You know, I'm I'm grown up. It's no longer, you know, my childhood, but I would like to see them come together and and and bring that joy and love to another fan base. That wouldn't bother me.
That's very big of you Yeah. To say that. Yeah. I think it's actually a fucked up move for the Raiders to do this. Like, embarrassing for the Raiders to do this.
Yeah. To have the the 2 guys who are responsible for your saddest moment, your most heartbreaking moment, the tuck rule, that you're still angry about. Now you're like, hey. Can you just come fix us
Yeah.
After you broke us?
Yeah. We, yeah, we need your help. Also, if you look
at the Raiders coaches, they've had, like, 16 coaches
Yeah.
In the last 30 years.
I think it was 12 and 20. It's insane.
So I think they're they're averaging 1 and a half years per coach
Yeah.
Which is absolutely nuts.
Not a way
to do it. No. But, yeah, that would be fun. No. I'd obviously be fucked for college football if Belichick was just like, yeah.
You know what? I'm I'm going back to the NFL. But as fans of storylines, which we are
Would be incredible. Would be incredible. Maybe you can coach both.
Yeah. Saturdays Sundays.
Yeah. Feeder system.
Okay. Let's get some games. I'm excited for these games. I'm excited. This is this is I know I I have a bunch of top weekends, but in sports, like, walk super wildcard weekend is is very high up there, especially because we have college football playoffs too.
Like, this is a weekend I look forward to all year.
Yeah. When you say that, like, feast week is your favorite week week
week week week week. That's our week. 7 favorite sports weeks.
You got feast week. Hand up.
Hand up.
Feast week feels like the outlier. The others are conference championship week.
Yep.
1st week in the March Madness. Yep. 2nd week in the March Madness, but really first weekend. The Masters. Kentucky Derby, usually, when
there's a big fight and there's the NBA and NHL playoffs. Yep. Wild super wildcard weekend, divisional round weekend. Mhmm. Conference championship weekend.
I'm usually more of a fan of divisional round weekend, but for some reason this year, Yeah. The super really it it got to me. Yeah. Okay. It is super.
And and then just throw in a random, like, October weekend when the slate is just insane, and it's, like, you know, 5 awesome college football matchups and 5 awesome NFL matchups.
Yeah. No. I'm I'm very excited for this weekend. The game should be awesome. And, Yeah.
This is just it's exciting time to be alive.
It is. Alright. So first game up, chargers at Texans. I updated my lines last night. Let me make sure they're all good.
Chargers at Texans, I believe. Sorry. This is bad. Charge to Texans. I think the Texans are 3 point yes.
So 3 point underdogs at home over under is 42a half. This is a tough game for me because I the chargers should win this game. The Texans offense is not good. It is proven to be not good all year. They are 31st in early down success rate, but the Houston defense is very good.
And we also have a fun matchup. Ladd McConkie is going up against his former teammate, Kamari Lassiter, and I think Ladd has said that he is the toughest quarterback he ever played in practice at Georgia. But I'm I'm I'm believing in the chargers. I'm just a little hesitant because I do think Houston's defense is that good, and they can keep him in this game and muck it up.
So is it gonna be against Lasseter, or is it gonna be against Stingley?
It depends on where he goes. I mean, if he's in the slot, it's gonna be Lasseter. Lacer.
Yeah. I was thinking, this this game is you know what it is? It's strength for strength
Yeah.
All around because you got good cornerbacks against Ladd, and then you've got some other wide receivers who are gonna have to step up. I actually like Josh Palmer in this game a lot. Oh. But, then you have the 2 defensive ends for Houston. You've got, Hunter and Will Anderson
Mhmm.
Going up against Alton Slater.
Yep. Strength on strength.
The anchors. Strength on strength game. And then there's just a lot of stuff a lot of cool shit to keep your eye on in this game. The Texans, according to SportsInfo Solutions, 25th in the league with a 0.22 EPA per play when opponents are targeting the middle of the field. Mhmm.
But they are first in the NFL with negative point 11 EPA per play when opponents target the perimeter of the field, which would seem to say it will be a tough day for Ladd to eat. Yeah. The Ladd's not gonna eat on on Sunday. Yeah. And then That's kinda why I like Josh Ballmer.
On the reverse side, the chargers, do play a lot of too high safety. And when Shroud goes up against these 8 touchdowns, 7 interception, and his, passer rating is 31st in the NFL against that type of defense. We also have Jim Harbaugh knowing Nico Collins, which is the only weapon the Texans have. Yep. Recruited him, played for him.
Here's another 1 I had. Houston versus top 10 DVOA defenses because the chargers ranked 9th in DBOA. Minnesota, the 2nd DBOA defense, they lost 3 47. Baltimore, the 6th, they lost 3 1 2. Detroit, 5th, they lost 2623.
And Green Bay, 7th, they lost 24, 22. So they are o and 4 against those top 10 DBOA defenses. And like I said, chargers are a top 10 DBOA defense. Everything we just have said is just like, you should just take
the under. I was I was just gonna say, did we become an analytics podcast?
A little bit there. Listen. Touched on it.
Alright. How about this? Let's let's just get anti analytics.
I have a I have a dumb analytics, stat for you.
Okay. Yeah.
It's just looking at game logs. JK Dobbins, when he's hurt or, he left the game against Baltimore, the chargers are 23 when he's healthy. They're 9 and 3. Okay.
I like that.
Yeah. It's just dumb I literally just looked at the game logs like, oh, you didn't play there. They lost.
Okay. Here's my dumb analytics. Jim Harbaugh hates losing. Hate I think he hates losing more than Damico Ryan's hates losing.
Jim Harbaugh also claims that he remembers Dave was born.
Yeah. Yeah. I I remember, wasn't this a a thing, a story that we heard, like, over the summertime? But then Justin Herbert brought it up at a press conference. He's like, when I knew that I liked Jim was when he told me that he remembers being born.
Yeah. Just put his head down hitting daylight. Yeah. Maybe hit the c gap if it was sliced open. But, there's there's a fun thing in this game that we always do every year.
It's the MVP game.
Mhmm.
This is the slime time game on Nickelodeon. We gotta give the MVP to Harbaugh if they win. Right? Is that a possibility?
He would love it. He would he would Yeah. He would cherish it. Earnestly accept that with just so much, like, love in his heart.
Yeah. He'd be like, this is what happens when you dedicate yourself, you put your mind to it, and you you fight with a ferocity that no one's ever seen. Yeah.
It would
be good for kids.
Yeah.
It would be good for America and America's children if they could see Jim Harbaugh win the MVP.
Yeah. Yeah.
He'd probably have it presented to him by Spongebob.
He would be in trouble.
A fucking dream come true.
Tarbox would be starstruck. He would
be like, okay. 1st, I'm I'm gonna move, my championship trophy from college football to the side, and the MVP goes right there because Spongebob gave it to me.
So is everyone where's everyone thinking in this game? I do think the chargers win. I'm a little nervous about 3 just because it does feel like it's going to be a low scoring knockdown drag out fight.
Yeah. There's a pattern for me this weekend, and that is there are a lot of teams that it it seems like every single analyst out there is picking the chargers. Yeah. That makes me think, what what if the Texan just play like they played last
year? Right.
That's stupid because we've been waiting for the Texans to do that.
That Browns game is kind of a similar spot. I think the I think the chart I think the Texans might have been on underdogs in that game. I can't remember. But that was yeah. They kicked the shit out of the Browns.
Mhmm. And I think we thought last year, this might be the last time we see the Texans in this time slot.
Right. But the Texans also, you kinda are what you are. They have not been a good offense this year. So last year, there were a lot better of an offense. I also we should say I mean, the the fires in LA are, like, horrific.
Really, really sad. Hope everyone who's in AWL is safe and and okay. I wonder if there is is there a human element? Because, like, the you're living in a city if you're a charger, and it's burning down right now.
Yeah. You're wondering if your house is okay while you're gone.
Yeah. I don't know. Just something to throw in there. I I just more hope that everyone's okay, and and and all anyone who listens is is doing okay.
Yeah. Agree with that. I I do like the chargers, though. I can't I can't talk myself into the Texas. I will talk myself into 1 of these other teams, but I'm not doing it for the Texas.
Max, we gotta win this game, and then we can cash out our future
if we want.
Cash out it. I that's what I was just looking at.
It's It's it's not great. It's even right now or a little less. Right?
It it's a little bit less. Okay. Now the chargers are 30 to 1.
But this was the plan. Chargers win 1 playoff game.
I'm I'm holding for the chiefs. Okay. Yeah. I think the charge if if the chargers play the Chiefs' divisional divisional opponent, I'm holding for the Chiefs.
They got a chance. Okay. Next game, Saturday night, Steelers at Ravens. Ravens minus 9a half over under 43a half. I'm very interested to see if Zayflowers plays.
That's a big 1 because I don't there's nothing that tells me the Steelers can win this game unless the Ravens have their number 1 receiver gone. So Jay Flowers has, 24% target rate, so a quarter of the targets, and he also has a quarter of the team's total receiving yards. If he doesn't play, maybe it's a Tomlin muck it up. If he plays, I like, where's the Steelers offense coming from? They've looked so bad.
It's nonexistent. What about this? Tomlin surprises the world starts Justin Fields. Probably not any better.
No. Probably not. But I do think that, if Ze Flowers doesn't play, then that plays obviously into the hands of the Steelers who are very, very good against the run.
Mhmm.
But the Ravens are different against the run. They're there also, this the Ravens' defense is since making the change Yeah. And since moving Kyle Hamilton back to more of a free safety role or playing them deep, the Ravens' defense is, like, number 1 in every category.
Yeah. So we're gonna talk more about it with Dan Orlovsky because he breaks it down what they changed. But since week 11 when they made the change, they have the top pass defense in the NFL. So that's pretty crazy.
Yeah.
They were 30th 1 weeks 1 through 10.
I think top pass defense, maybe, top scoring defense since making that change.
They're just a all around sound team, and, I want like, part of me so so if I was gonna make the case for the Steelers, it's Ze Flowers being out. It's Justin Tucker being a little shaky. Like, this is maybe the this has gotta be the first time in the Ravens, Justin Tucker history that the other team has the edge in kicking. Chris Boswell has had a better year than Justin Tucker. And then the Ravens are second in the league in penalties, 132 penalties.
Mhmm. And you've we've seen it. They've had games where they've been right there and that, like, little, you know, thing will happen. It's, like, not fully sound, not buttoned up. So that would be my case for the Steelers, but I feel like that's not a very strong case, and the Ravens are gonna win.
I think that there's a path for the Steelers, though. Give me give
me the path. Let's close our eyes and
do this this
is me
talking myself into the into the Steelers. They play very, very hard against the Ravens.
K. I'm close my eyes.
This is not a good first round matchup for the Ravens.
How cold is it? Let's do a set of
Windy. Mhmm. The flags on top of the Gold Coast swirling Okay. Like Aperture Stadium. TJ Watt, what's his hair?
TJ Watt has a fresh bully cut. K. He looks healthy.
K.
Justin Justin Fields is coming in not just on 3rd and short.
Okay.
He's coming in on 2nd down sometimes.
I don't know why I still have my eyes closed.
Okay.
Lamar may be wearing a little too many, undergarments.
Yeah.
Yeah. Like, a
little too hey, Lamar. You're, like, you didn't need all those layers.
Yep. Mike Tomlin has, 2 hats on. Putting a hat on a hat, 2 wool caps on.
Mhmm.
And the opening kickoff, return
by
the Ravens. Mike Tomlin steps onto the field and lays that
motherfucker out.
Sets the tone. It's Pittsburgh football.
And that's it. What's the weather, Max? Cold game.
Too quick for me.
So I I Also, Rusty, like, George Pickens has to do something. Yep. And 25 to 28 degrees.
Oh, kinda nailed that that degree.
Yeah. It doesn't look
like today.
Oh, that's today. Alright. Give us Saturday.
41 and sunny.
Oh, fuck.
No. Wait. Wait. Wait. Game.
It's Nike. Max,
you dummy. That's Sunday.
That's that's Sunday. It's 30 not.
31 degrees at 7:30.
Okay. Okay. It's pretty close.
Yeah. That was.
Probably in
Not a lot of wind, but we could we could manufacture wind.
Yeah. We've seeded clouds. Just have 1 side of the stadium fart at the same time. Yeah. So there is, there there's some bulletin board material going around.
Okay.
Have you seen the we gotta get Jerry on this case, actually, because it involves cologne. Oh. So Lamar Jackson has his own Really? Yeah. He's got it.
Lamar Jackson has his own cologne.
Okay.
It's for men and women, so whatever that is, unisex cologne. How does that work? I don't know. They pass it around the locker room in Baltimore, and you can hear guys in the background talking about the cologne as being passed around. They're asking, how does it smell?
How does it smell? And, 1 guy says soft. Smells soft just like George Pickens.
Oh.
That's been going viral. And you know that George just he needs something like this to lock himself back in. Now it did come out later, I should say. They weren't talking about the cologne. It was somebody in the background talking about another thing related to George Pickens.
They're looking at a picture of a guy. Okay. And they're like, yeah. The profile looks kinda they were just saying this guy looks like George Pickens. But it doesn't matter because the clip already went out there.
So don't pass do not correct nobody show George Pickens the community notes on
this. Right.
If you're a Steelers fan.
Right. I also George Pickens might be the 1 guy that you would wanna talk shit to because he probably is now just, like, all I have to do all I wanna do is fight. Yeah. You know? You can get him out of his game very easily.
This could be art of warship from Harbaugh here. Yeah. I'm excited for this game, though. I hope it's a close game. I don't want this is this is the 1 game that I'm very nervous could be a blowout, just just because this I mean, the Steelers I think it's happened twice that a team has made the playoffs on a 4 game losing streak.
Both teams lost. And and so I don't
Their offense sucks.
Their offense sucks.
They can't do anything.
Their defense got a little bit better.
Their defense is pretty good.
I mean, they held the they held the Bengals out of the end zone for 57 minutes of that game.
Yeah. So there there is a path here if they can some if TJ can get a couple turnovers from Lamar Bully cut. Bully cut, then it could happen, potentially. But it's it's unlikely. There was also a video of, I think it was a hard knocks of Cam Hayward and Russell Wilson after the last game.
Russell going up to him on the field after the game being like, okay. We just gotta we just gotta win 4 in a row now. That's on us. Gotta win 4. Mhmm.
And Cam Hayward's just like yeah. Yeah. Just like completely Oh, no. Can you can you pull up the video? I would like to I would like to listen to this video again.
Hey. It's very stupid. Hey. That's what we're in the last 4. Alright?
Look at let's go. We can do it. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? Yeah.
Don't doubt now. Yep. You feel me? Alright. Let's go win the last 4.
Oh, no. Yeah. Cam's just like it's like a
Russ' leadership is starting to maybe wear a little thin.
It's like a fly buzzing around the horse's eye.
Yeah. The horse
is just like, get the fuck away from me, dude.
And they're and, like, Cam really wants to just be like, hey, dude. How about just throw over the middle of the field?
Yeah. Yeah. We we just shut down Joe Burrow.
Yeah. We held him yeah. We held him to 19 points. Can you please just try
to win this game? Please do something. I I do think that Justin might get on the field a little bit more.
It would be cool. Add an element. Yeah. Okay. Sunday.
Sunday. Sunday. Sunday. We have the Broncos at the bills. Bills might say half over under is 46 and a half.
Very funny when when reporters asked Josh Allen what Joe Brady has brought to the offense this year, he said because they were asking about him interviewing for head coaching jobs. He said nothing teams should stay away from him. I think I love the over in this game. I love it. Okay.
Love it. Love it. Love it. I think that the I mean, the weakness of the bills is their defense has not been great. They've had games where they've looked good, but they they just have not like, they they were that Rams game, that Lions game.
I know they won the Lions game, but if you ask any Bills fan, that's that's the concern is their defense has not, been in, you know, up to snuff for the back half of the year. And Josh Allen has been playing out of his mind, and I think that he will not be stopped either. So I like the over.
I think the Bills are gonna do everything they can to not let Bo Nix hit any deep shots.
Yeah.
And make Bo Nix if you're gonna score against us, you have to take you have to take your offense down the field.
Yeah.
I'm gonna need, you know, 7 completions out of you on this drive and and baton with stuff underneath. Yeah. That to me is is the Bills game plan is because Denver's gonna try to run the ball. They're not that good at it, but they're gonna try to do it. The Bills rush defense is pretty good.
And then if you can make Bonex play if he can make 1 mistake, then I think the Bills are definitely gonna win. If Bonex plays a mistake free game, they have a shot.
And we got a shot. So this is, 1 of the there's 3 of these QBs making their 1st playoff start versus QBs who have playoff experience. The QBs making their 1st playoff start in that in that situation are 34% against the spread since 2002. Mhmm. So not great track record.
You gotta think I think 1 of the 3 quarterbacks that are making their 1st playoff start this year, Jaden Daniels, Bo Nix, Sam Donald, 1 of those 3 is gonna win the game. I think the other 2 might be in trouble. I don't know how to pick those. Mhmm. It's kind of like a whack a mole.
Which one's gonna show up in in the other 2, but, like, statistically speaking, a guy making his 1st playoff start versus a guy who's played in the playoffs before, it's a disadvantage for the guy making his 1st playoff.
It's also disadvantage to be playing against Josh Allen Correct. Buffalo Bills in Buffalo. Correct. All all true. As good as they are right now.
All true. All true. Yeah. I love I love Buffalo. Is Von Miller maybe revenge game here?
Oh. He says it's a full circle moment. I don't know what that means, full circle. What is that what is that button on PlayStation? He went full circle.
Spin move? Spin move. Spin move. So look for Von Miller's spin move. That's what he means.
How is this a full circle moment? Von Miller?
Yeah. He's just It's like they beat Bill's
in the playoffs when they won. Won.
He's just playing the Broncos?
He's playing against the Broncos.
Yeah. I know. But Full circle. When full circle be if the Bills were playing against Texas A&M? Like, if the
if they beat if the Broncos beat the Bills, you know, in their original run
Yeah. Right. Then it'll be full circle. But
Full circle moment is just playing against a team that you used to play on.
Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Full circle moment.
I don't think it's full circle.
I don't know. I don't know what what shape it is.
Yeah. Like yeah.
I like the Bills. I like the Bills as well. I mean,
we know what they didn't.
Alright. Packers and Eagles, Eagles minus 4a half over under 44a half. Max, do we have any reports?
At
the time of this taping, we're taping this at 10:45.
By the time that you listen, Jalen Hurts will be out of concussion protocol.
Let's go. But wait. Max.
Max, you told me several times this week that when he woke up on Thursday morning, he'd be out of concussion protocol.
He is. They just haven't reported it yet. He's awake right now. He doesn't have symptoms. How do you know?
I know. You don't know? Me and my guy, we I know.
You don't know?
He doesn't have symptoms. He's he's good
to go. You said when
he opens his eyes on Thursday, he's gonna be out. Correct. Because all all he needs to do is wake up without symptoms, and I know that he woke up without symptoms. They just haven't reported to the media that they woke up. Nick Sirioni is trying to keep everyone guessing.
Alright. Why would he give up information earlier than he has to give out information?
I think he does have to give out information today, though. Today? Yeah. Yeah.
So by the time that the listeners are listening to this, he will be out of protocol.
I actually agree with you. I think he's gonna be fine.
Yeah. I think he's gonna be fine too. And I like the Eagles in this game. I here's the problem. Here's the thing, Max, that we can't have happen.
The Eagles cannot start slow. The Eagles are
They always start
slow.
I know. They're 21st in but especially in this game, they're 21st in in Q1 scoring, and the packers are 4th in Q1 scoring. That's not good. You don't wanna be down and have the packers be able to lean on Josh Jacobs and and have them be able to control this game. And there is a little here's here's my biggest concern.
Jordan Love is not I mean, I I think last year he was ascending at the end. This year, the packers are probably a better team overall, but they didn't they weren't playing better towards the end of the season. Like, last year, they were playing well towards the end of the season. That game against the cowboys was crazy. He played perfect football game.
That was his 1st playoff start. I'm worried that, like, that guy's gonna show up.
They're the only 7 seed to win a a playoff game. Yeah. The other 7 seeds are 1 in 7 all time. So
they Okay.
That team is the only 1 that's done it before.
So That's my that's what I've been saying all week. What's your biggest worry? It's nothing really about what I'm what I've seen on the field the past couple weeks. It's really just the the vibe of the of the Green Bay Packers as a 7 seed Yeah. Coming off of last year.
Yeah. But the Eagles are better than the Packers in almost every category of the of the game, but it's still the Green Bay Packers. They're still they still have a really good coach, and they beat this and they've done it before. Yeah. And they know and they're not scared.
Right. That's what I that's what I'm scared of Yeah.
Is that we're
not play we're not playing a 7 c that is scared of of the big of the big guns.
Yeah. So let's do a guy off real quick. Is there anybody at the same position on the packers who's better than on the Eagles? Quarterback.
I would take John Hertz. Running back. I would take Shaquon Barkley.
Left and right tackles?
I would take our guy. Like
Yeah. No. You guys have a better yeah. Kick Kicker. Kicker.
Mhmm. Well, yeah, you guys have a better and better wide receivers. Better cornerbacks.
Yeah. What about the coach?
Great. Best winning percentage in the NFL.
I you didn't answer the question. I didn't.
No. Not coach.
The, I also think Vic Fanja is gonna have a little bit I mean, I think he already has an edge because Christian Watson being out is a big deal. Like, that's I know that he's, you know, Packers are like, well, he he doesn't he has stones for hands and but he's a field stretcher. He is the guy who can who can get open deep and you have to worry about his speed at all times. That definitely changes the dynamic of what the packers can do and what the eagles can do in terms of defending the packers.
And if you even if you go back to that week 1 game, the eagles still won that game. Jair Alexander was playing in that game.
Mhmm.
AJ Brown torched torched him, but then Jaden Jaden Reid torched Avante Maddox, but Avante Maddox is no longer our nickel corner. Cooper DeJene is now our nickel corner who's been 1 of the best in the league since he's come in. So the Eagles won that game, and they're in a better spot now than they were week 1.
Mhmm. Yeah.
So, like, everything points that the Eagles should take care of business, but it's the Green Bay Packers
Yeah.
And they beat the shit out of the Cowboys Yeah. Week 1 last year. It's the only thing I'm scared of.
Okay.
It makes sense. So not afraid.
No. I'm what? Not afraid. I just At all. I just explained to you why I'm afraid.
But you're not afraid. I mean, I'm I'm confident, but there if there's still worry. Yeah.
Yeah.
Like, I'm I'm not gonna go in here and say we're on
the week 2 or we're
we're on the divisional round.
Super divisional round?
Yeah. We're on to the super divisional round.
I'm gonna give Sirian a compliment. That was a good decision that he made last week. Yeah. Got your guys a little mini buy. Yeah.
He created his own buy. Yeah.
Had to.
Because if
you're not gonna get the 1 seed, you need you need that little small little break for yourselves to get get a little bit more fresh for Super Wildcard.
Assuming Jalen Hurts is healthy, week 1, all 11 starters on offense and defense will be playing in this game for the
Okay. And I I just hope he's because that's the the slow start and the fact that he's missed, what, 2 weeks now? 3 weeks? 2 weeks? 2a half.
Just gotta find a way to start start fast. I'm worried about the start. Have to find a way to scheme something up and and get in a rhythm early because that's where I'm gonna start getting nervous. If the Eagles come out and they're, like, 3 and out and the Packers go down the field, And now you're playing a different game because the Eagles are a incredible team to play from ahead. We saw it in that Steelers game when they had the fucking, whatever it was, 13 minute drive down the field to end the game.
Counterpoint, though, they've been playing from behind all year. True. Even if they do start off playing from behind
Yeah. They can
It's just playing from behind in the playoffs is definitely a different story.
In the playoffs. It's different in the playoffs. But if it like this like, the Eagles have found found a way this year to start to play from behind in every game and still win by 2 scores in Right. In almost every game.
Right.
I think with the Packers, that that would be the 1 way that you could go about it, though, if you could just start handing the ball to Josh Jacobs.
Yeah. We started behind in Naki.
Yeah.
I'm pretty pretty sure.
Did you guys see that you you added another Georgia bulldog? I think there's 11 total playing in this game.
Who is it?
Who's North? Lewis, scene. The former 1st round pick who was cut by the Vikings. I think he was on the Bills practice squad, and he got added to the Eagles, active roster. So it's it's a significant amount of Georgia bulldogs.
I love that.
I'm let's go win a football game, Max. Let's go win a football game.
Max, can can you give me a quick breakdown of the Howard Eskin stuff?
Oh, shit. That was my
fuck. Woah.
So I He gave
me a he gave me a homework assignment that I that I that I
that I I've
I saw a headline, and it said Howard Eskin, like, the the reporter in Philly, got banned from the facility and then gave himself his own press credential
Oh.
And tried to sneak in like he was still on the job.
That's a horny guy who posted the, the Yeah. Picture of his daughter, I think.
But there's some other horny stuff in
here too.
Yeah. I think I think horniness is to be I I did not I've not done my homework. I didn't I hand up, professor. I did not do my I did not do my homework.
Alright. So we need it for Sunday night show.
Yeah. Okay. That sounds like you're not gonna do it then either. Yeah.
It sounds like I have to put it
How about this? How about by the end
of class?
I can get it by the end of class.
For sure.
By the
end of class. Mhmm. Okay. I have it on my desk.
Okay. Yeah. I I like the Packers. I I I mean, sorry. I like the Eagles.
I I I think the Packers are
gonna win.
Yeah. I
get something to that.
The Eagle I already bet the Eagles.
That was a Freudian slip with it there, Max.
I like the Eagles. They're gonna win this game. Just don't start slow.
I'm not promising they're not gonna start slow, but you're more worried about starting slow than I am.
Okay. I would like very much for the packers to win this game. Very much.
I would like very much for the commanders to lose their game as well.
I'm aware. Oh. I'm aware. Nice.
Alright. Let's talk about that game. Commander's at Bucks. Bucks minus 3 over under 50a half. What are we thinking, PFT?
How are we feeling?
I told you I had a path. Right? Yeah. I told you I I had this whole thing figured out from doing a deep dive into the all 22. I think Jaden is going to run the fuck out of the football.
Mhmm. And
I think Austin Heckler is gonna run the fuck out of the football. Mhmm. I think that Todd Bowles is going to if he tries to blitz Jaden the way that he did in week 1, it's not gonna end up well for him because Jaden will take off on him. He's a different quarterback. Fun fact, no team has ever beaten Jaden Daniels twice in the same year
Oh.
Ever. That is a fun fact. Right?
I think it's just 3 teams this year Wait. That had the opportunity to do it.
Did he he didn't play in an SEC championship. Right?
Did not play no. When they when they lost, it was Alabama and Georgia.
Okay.
Okay. Yeah. So no teams ever beaten him twice in the same year That's awesome. Which is pretty good. Dan Quinn has never gone 1 and done in the playoffs.
Okay. He's I think he's 2 and o in that. The Bucks were 0 and 4 in primetime this year as well. This is Sunday night game.
Okay. So
they haven't won a primetime.
That Cowboys game was bad.
It was very bad. Now counterpoint, if you're a Bucks fan, listen to this. You can say, hey. We beat you when you were the Redskins in the playoffs. We beat you when you were the football team in the playoffs, and now we're gonna be the only team to have beaten you when you're all 3 of those playoffs.
We haven't won a playoff game since 2006, which was against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Okay.
And Chris Simms.
Okay.
But I think I think the way that Todd Bowles is gonna attack this is going to be start off blitzing, get damaged a little bit, by Jaden's legs.
Mhmm. And
then he's gonna drop back more into, more of like a rush 4, take his foot off the gas a little bit blitzing, and then expect Jaden to be looking like he was in week 1 passing the ball. But Jaden is a lot better. Now this is a different Jaden Daniels
that we
saw in week 1.
Yeah. So I think
I think there's a path to it. Now the the downside to the all this is that our defense is still not very good. Our defense is, I would say, medium bad, which is Medium bad's not good. Which is also it's not good, but it's also a significant upgrade on what the Bucks saw in week 1 True. When we were bad bad bad.
True.
Maybe worse than the league bad.
True.
I think I said after that, if our defense can just get medium, then we'll be a decent team. Or defense is like medium bad. They have an opportunity to escalate to medium.
Yep.
I think there's gonna be a lot of points either way.
I do too.
I think that it's gonna be a shootout.
But Which would be awesome.
Weird stuff happens with the commanders at the end of games. We've won a lot of games, some against bad teams that we shouldn't have won. But for some reason, Jaden at the end just figures shit out. Yes. He's a big figure shit out guy, and he doesn't get too excited.
He doesn't get too emotional besides happy.
Yeah.
So I I like our chances. I think that we have a very good chance of beating the Bucks.
Yeah. I I I do too. I think this would be a great game. I think the Bucks are not like, the Bucks' defense has not looked great. They also have a lot of injuries.
And I don't know. I I think it actually helps that Jaden Daniels has played them before. Like you said, like, it's like, you know, the unfamiliarity of playoffs, a lot of pressure. It's like but we've been to Tampa. We've played them.
That was the first game of the season. I would be a little worried about the run game for the Bucks. I feel like Bucky's gonna have a huge day. Yep. Probably gonna ladder his overs.
I would agree with that. We're we're gonna have a very hard time stopping Bucky Irving and Rashad White. Mike Evans, I don't know what to expect. I I like I like Lattimore's chances more than I would like Benjamin Saint Jude's chances
Yes.
Lattimore or against Mike Evans. So, yeah, if you look at Todd Bowles, he's got, like, 2 ways of playing defense. He will blitz quarterbacks that he does not respect.
Mhmm.
And then he will take away the deep ball against quarterbacks that he does. Mhmm. That's what he did to, to Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl.
Yep. Where he just
did he just stopped blitzing entirely.
Right.
So I think he's gonna try to blitz and then realize this isn't working, and then Jaden's gonna have his way.
Okay. I I I think you guys are gonna be in this game. I'm rooting for you to get a playoff win. I've told you. I've been honest.
I I I if you won a Super Bowl this year, I'd be like, that's fucking bullshit. I would like you to win this game, especially because it's against Stephen Shea.
Yes.
And that would be very nice for you to win against Stephen Shea. I will probably do a friendship bet on the commanders, and ride with you because I want you to just rub it in his face.
I appreciate that. Yeah. And so so the the path becomes here's what I'm also worried about. If we do somehow happen to win this game, I'm gonna the the next week, I'm gonna treat like we just won the Super Bowl.
Oh, you have to.
Because in in all likelihood, we're then going to have to play against the Lions. Right. In which case, I think the Lions are gonna score 70 points if they play the Commandments.
That would not be a great matchup for you.
It would be a terrible matchup for us, which is why I'm rooting so hard for the Packers. Yes. But, yeah. This is gonna be fun.
We're in the playoffs. Let's go.
I'm fucking Let's go. I'm I'm above the moon, the fact that I
get a Above the moon?
Above the moon that I get a playoff game.
Above the moon? Yeah. Damn. Okay. I that's it.
We'll we'll do the Monday night game on Sunday. Yep.
Hank, by the way, we had 12 wins this season. You bet us to not make the playoffs. 12 wins.
12 wins is a lot of wins here.
Yeah. It was
a bad bet. You guys good team. I I have the Super Bowl future. I'm hoping for this path to come through. Wait.
You you said on Monday
that we were not a good team. No. It's actually Sunday. Yeah. Sunday, he turned to me during the game.
He said the commanders are not a good team.
Yeah. You just said you're a good team.
Well, you made the playoffs.
You got 12 wins. There's I'm not gonna I'm not like, you're not I don't know.
Well, we made we made the playoffs a week before that. We beat the falcons.
Listen. I'm rooting for the commanders. I don't think they're, like, that good of a team, but the the numbers state otherwise. The win state otherwise. You guys made the playoffs.
Like, I'm just a hater. I don't I don't I'm I'm definitely hating. Yeah. And you guys basically lost to the bears. You basically lost to the saints.
Like, you barely beat the Cowboys.
It sounds like a lose Those
are bad teams. You have to fight to beat bad teams. Basically lose. I don't care about it. Like, you guys are gonna get smoked in the playoffs, but
I to Kenny Pickett.
I Hank Hank, you basically dunked.
Yeah. Exactly. I actually did basically dunk. That was pretty close. No.
I
mean, it was it was pretty close. At no point. I have no problem admitting that I was wrong. And for the sake of this podcast, I want Commander's Eagles, and I the best case scenario out of that, I guess, I have the Eagles future. But I I want the Eagles to make a run for the sake of the show.
I don't care if that makes me look wrong. Do I think it's gonna happen if you gave me, you know, true serum? No.
Mhmm.
But at this point, I I'll I'll I'll take my licks and say I was wrong and and somehow hope the commanders, you know, make a run.
No. That's fine. Well, the the reality is the NFL was very bad this year. There were a lot of bad teams, and we beat a lot of bad teams, and we beat a lot of bad teams by And you
barely beat a lot
of bad.
A narrow margin. But we also narrowly narrowly lost to several good teams.
You are
what your record says you are. Exactly. 12 win team.
12 and 5, I'll take to the number 12 next to the win column looks pretty good. I did put in
a future, on drafting sportsbook. Ohio State parlayed with Ohio State to win the national championship, parlayed with the Eagles. I think it's 13 to 1. Eagles Super Bowl. Alright.
So I'm with Maxey.
Me too. And I'm just I
I do I think the Eagles the best team in the NFC. I've said it for months now. That's a fact.
I think the Eagles are are walking on a on a minefield to get to the Super Bowl. Why? There's a lot of good teams in the NFC.
I think there's I think the AFC's
well, the
AFC's is tough. The the lines are tough. The Vikings are tough. The Rams, like He's
not gonna say commander's.
Mhmm. No. Mhmm. That's fine.
He's used to the packers too.
He just named Everything. He just named,
Every commander the Bucks. Yeah.
Yeah. He named 456. That's am I wrong? 457. Am I wrong?
No. Listen. Hank Skip 6. Hank's not wrong. I think
that all those teams have a better chance against
I think alright.
So In my dream matchup, I had the Buccaneers. In the Buccaneers dream matchup, they had the Commanders.
Here here's here's what I was saying in PFT's defense, and I I I because, like, you know, he's not he's not trying to be cocky about it, but I think the what the Commanders are is they're not a finished product. They're not a great team. But the way Jaden Daniels has played this year gives you a chance
in any game. Any game. That's that's really what
it comes down to is you got a guy that is so dynamic that if he is if he is hitting his long balls, if he's running, you know, when he needs to run, he's a matchup matchup problem.
I would say even if he doesn't hit the long balls and he's running well and hitting, you know, Zach Ertz and Zaccheus and and some of the other receivers on, like, intermediate stuff, he's still gonna keep you on
the games. Right.
And if he hits the long balls, that's when we win. That's that's if he's connecting on long balls and running well at the same time, I think we win the game. No doubt about it. But, you know, anything can happen. Anything can happen.
Anything can happen.
Be his own foreign prime time.
Memes, you got anything on the playoffs?
I'm I'm all in on Steve Spagnola right now.
Oh. Okay. I thought 2nd chance. You guys are interviewing a ton of Italians.
So many Italians.
Yeah. We lead the league in Italians.
Do you think the Rizzler is in on any of these interviews?
I saw somebody say we interviewed Mike Francesca for the GM job. Oh.
Eagles definitely lead the league in Italians, by
the way.
Yeah. But the Jets are are
They're trying
to copy Cataly.
They are. They have been trying to copy Cat League, the Eagles for a while. Mhmm.
Yeah.
Sure. Just because they got Joe Douglas.
Do we
have an Italian off? We might have to. Might have an Italian off.
I mean, big Dom is counts as, like, 10 Italian.
That's true. He's he's the Dom. He's a starting 5 for Italians.
We have Eagles there's just Eagles hats that have the Italian flag on the side of it for the whole coaching staff.
That is true. Must be Italian to coach you.
My brother
at Like, that is your terrible tell.
You can My mother
has has asked me so many times. He's like, can you get me that Eagles Italian Hag flat? Because you can't buy it. Only the coaches get it.
You gotta get it for him. Yeah. You gotta get it for him.
Memes, are are you rooting for Max?
No.
You're rooting for Payne.
Yeah.
Yeah. Be honest. What are you rooting for?
Anybody to win. I want everybody to lose.
But But if you're rooting for maximum, for the podcast listeners, we need to spread out the losses. Like, if you guys both lost this weekend, it would kinda suck.
Mhmm. Yeah.
You know? Eagles are gonna lose in the Super Bowl in horrific error. No. They'll probably lose in the NFC championship in horrific fashion.
Okay. No confidence. Yeah.
Lose lose lose lose their talk.
You say that, and then you just don't look at me.
Loser
look at me.
Talk. Loser me. Speak like a winner. I'm the captain now.
I am a loser.
In
what in what way you're like, oh, this is shocking. Max is acting like a loser?
Max, you're acting like a loser right now.
Yeah. I am a loser.
Wanna win?
Did you beat Hank in
a suit with an act like a winner?
Not on this show.
Yeah. This is bad. You're just in a bad tone.
Alright. Let's, we have we have a same game parlay for the people. We actually have 2 of them. So DraftKings this weekend with NFL teams playing to see who's the king of the grid iron, get in on the playoff action, see who's the king of the end zone at DraftKings Sportsbook, an official sportsbook, partner of the NFL playoffs. DraftKings has been the number 1 place to bet touchdowns all season long, and the NFL playoffs aren't keeping them out of the end zone.
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Okay. What is your guys' pick? Well, let's do ours first because it's, the first game. Max and I are doing the packers eagles game, and we have a plus 575 parlay for the people. It's eagles money line, Devante Smith, 70 yards receiving, Devante Smith, touchdown, and Saquon Barkley, 80 plus yards rushing.
K. What's that down? It pays 575.
Okay. Hank and I teamed up on this 1. Hank's a winner. Max is a loser, so teamed up with Hank. We got Terry McLaurin, anytime touchdown.
Mhmm. Terry McLaurin, 60 plus receiving yards.
Mhmm.
Jaden Daniels, 40 plus rushing yards.
Mhmm.
And Baker Mayfield, over 18 and a half rushing yards.
Double dipping with Terry.
Double dipping with Terry and quarterbacks. I might just bet on every quarterbacks over for rushing yards in the playoffs. Mhmm.
Because they
start to run more.
Yes.
So all that parlayed together is plus 750. Seems like a winner. I like that. All Terry does is catch touchdowns.
Bet for bet. I'm bet you're parlay. You don't mind.
Come on.
So go to DraftKings Sportsbook. They got everything this weekend. It's great weekend of, football. Okay. Let's talk some more football.
We got our good friend, Dan Orlovsky, on the show breaking down the wild card super wild card weekend matchups. PFT, you got a couple of ads before we do that.
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And now here's Dan Orlovsky.
Okay. We now welcome on our good friend, Dan Orlovsky. You can see him on ESPN. He's calling games now, doing a great job calling games. He was calling that Ravens Browns game the other night.
It is playoff time, though. We wanna talk to Dan about some playoffs. We wanna break down these games. Dan, I'm excited. Which which matchup has you the most excited out of the 6 this weekend?
Because I figured I'll I'll follow your lead, and we'll start there.
Yeah. I I really do think it's Buffalo Denver, because, 1, I think it's the game that most makes me feel like a real upset could actually happen. You know, I don't think that the Vikings beating the Rams would be like a quote, unquote upset. And I think that, you know, for Buffalo and Denver, obviously, Josh has had an outstanding season, and so it's elevated the expectations. And he falls into that category like, hey.
You gotta win a Super Bowl, man. You you can only get so many opportunities this quickly in your career till we start to have the worry of, like, are you ever going to get there and or win 1? I also think that it's a really favorable matchup, or interesting matchup for the the underdog, for Denver. I think Denver's got a guy that could be the defensive player of the year in Sertan, and he's as close to a thing, to Darrelle Rivas that I've seen when it comes to, hey. You go by yourself and shut down the field.
And, you know, without getting too deep into the weeds of, like, the x's and o's, like, schematically, that's a huge part of this game because Buffalo gets into some unique formations where they try to kind of overload 1 side of the field, and Sur Tan takes that away. And so and then Sean Payton. I remember Sean Payton went up there last year with Russell Wilson and beat him, and and he's so well such a good coach, and he understands how to attack these defenses and get them into certain situations that are favorable to them. And so, it would be a massive upset, but I I honestly don't think I I would be surprised, yes, but I wouldn't walk away going, oh my gosh. I did not accept foresee this at all.
So if that does happen, we're big road map guys. Give us the road map of of how it happens. How can the Broncos outscore the Bills?
Yeah. I think 1 number 1, it starts defensively for Denver. I I just talked about Certan. So, like, what Buffalo does, and every team in the playoffs does is is they get into these 4 by 1 formations. So they take 1 person and put them on 1 side of the formation, and they take 4 guys and put them on the other side.
And it's very simple. Like, the quarterback, he says, if I like the 1 on 1 matchup, great. I'm gonna throw that. If not, I'm gonna throw something to the field that's easy. It's like a a little flat route in RPO, and we have numbers advantages because defenses are usually trying to be, like, symmetrical.
You don't wanna vacate 1 side of the field. Well, Sir Tan can go there by himself. So you you Buffalo don't have the numbers advantage to that 4 person side, and so that might stunt their offense a little bit. And then I think the second thing is Denver led the NFL in sacks. And, you know, they got dudes who are unbelievably big and talented.
You know, Jonathan Cooper is fantastic, Zach Allen on the inside, and Benito's the the 1 for me because when you're playing against Buffalo and you're playing man coverage, which Denver loves to do, Josh is gonna be a runner. Benito's big enough, he's fast enough, he's athletic enough, he's physical enough to kind of that's what he's done with Patrick. He's a little bit of a spy, so I think defensively they match up well against Buffalo. And then, you know, if you were gonna ask me how to attack Buffalo, you're trying to get Buffalo into, where Taran Johnson, who's an unbelievable nickel, has to defend the run. They play he plays every play.
So, like, you can get £320 offensive lineman blocking him if you formation the right way, and Sean Payton absolutely will. And I just think that's beneficial for Denver to kinda control the game, run the ball. They are heavy RPOs, and they've been hurt a little bit by quarterback run. Bo Nix is really athletic. So, you know, I I that's the way I see it.
They'll get into beefy, beefy dudes on the field to run the football.
So the only question I have in this week, we could maybe use this to jump to to the Jaden Daniels, Commander's Bucks game is, obviously, rookie quarterback, 1st playoff start, especially on the road, not the best record overall. What is that? Is that just simply like this is just a different this is just a different level of football that they are not you can't prepare yourself. There's just no way you could have a great fantastic rookie year like Bo Nix and Jaden Daniels did, and then you get in that playoff environment, and it's just a totally different ballgame.
That, yes. And also, the playoffs become so game plan specific. You know, the the regular season is so week to week to week to week, and you only get you know, you have all this evidence now, and it you become so game plan specific because you know it's it's win or go home, and so you're a little bit less kind of like this is what we do, and you're a little bit more of we're gonna take away what you want to do, and and that's the focus point. And it has all your attention, and, you know, guys are just more hyper focused in the playoffs because you you know that it's, again, it's win or go home. And so I think that's a big part of it as well is a lot of teams that go in with rookie quarterbacks, it's not you know, they they don't have the plethora of a wide open playbook more often than not.
There's things that they do well, and they live in them because that allows the quarterbacks to not play poorly, and kinda to play to a quote unquote strength, and defense has just become so much more focused on, alright, they really love to do these 3 things in this formation, or these 2 things in this formation. So we're gonna take that away and then force them to kinda play to that c game or d game. That's a huge part of it.
Yeah. So, 1 dude that I feel like America should know more or at least discuss more on the Broncos is Quinn Miners because that that guy is a beast, and he is he just looks like a dude. You talking about, like, getting your beefy boys going?
Yep. I feel like I feel like Dak
is he the leader of that offense? I mean, obviously, Bo Nix, a lot's been put on his shoulders as a but I feel like they get some of their attitude from that from that strength on the inside.
There is no question. Him and Bowles. You know, Garrett Bowles has become a, again, a high end left tackle. The Quinn Miners versus Ed Oliver matchup is gonna be awesome to watch, you know, because those 2 dudes are outstanding. When they play their best, their units usually play their best.
That's the thing. You know, we fall in love with the pass game, and Bo Nix and Sutton have been really good. They, you know I don't wanna sit here and pretend that Denver's Philadelphia running the football, but Sean Payton wants to run the football. And then what happens is, like, you just become obsessed with stopping the run, and they'll get a perimeter screen to go 50 for a touchdown. But minors, he's a stud.
He he's a monster at guard.
Yeah. Miners versus Oliver. That's, like, the most country matchup that you could possibly get except, like, 1 is the country of
Canada, basically. Dan, you called that Ravens game, last week. Yeah. And you mentioned something on the broadcast, and I think that people have been watching the ravens all year have seen it as well. But they have adjusted their defense, their secondary specifically, and been playing really good ball down the stretch.
What what has happened? And do you think that that is what was needed to like, they're now a very bonafide. Like, they're gonna win the Super Bowl. They're 1 of the best top 2, top 3 teams in the playoffs.
Yeah. Kyle Hamilton saved their season. So there's the butterfly effect to it. So they were really bad on defense because the secondary was just blown coverages, missed assignments, poor communication, ball going over their head, and so their best player on defense was closer to line of scrimmage. They had Kyle down near the line of scrimmage, a little bit like what the Rams have done in the past with, like, a Jalen Ramsey and whatnot, which makes sense.
The Chargers do it with Derwin, but what they did was they say, okay, the worst part of our defense is the secondary. Let's take our best player and move him back there. So once they move Kyle back to the secondary, 2 things happen. 1, he communicates at such a high level. He gets everybody in the right positions, and we often say that and don't think it's meaningful.
It's enormous because in an era in football offensively where teams are constantly changing with shifts and motions, you know, those guys' rules change. It's not like the defense goes, hey, cover 2, ready, break, and it just stays that way no matter what. And so everybody's kinda rules change once offensive shifts, and so Kyle goes back there, and he he is the quarterback of the defense. He gets everybody in the right places, everybody on the same page. And then what happens is Roquan Smith, their linebacker, no longer has to bear that responsibility.
So then his focus is solely on the front 7, and the backers in the rush, and getting those guys, because their rules change as well. So, like, getting those guys into the right alignment and right set. So that's that's the trickle down effect of Kyle going back there. I think the second part of that is twofold. It allows Marlon Humphrey to go inside, because Marlon is an all pro nickel.
He he struggled on the outside. As a nickel on the inside, he's as good as anybody in the league, and then really Nate Wiggins, their 1st round pick from Clemson, has really played good football. And they
Mhmm.
And what down there, when you talk to Roquan and ask them about Nate Wiggins, the first thing out of his mouth is, Nate thinks he's the best corner in football. You know, and you just imagine down there in Baltimore with that kind of off defensive, like, swag and moxie and mindset. So Kyle going back there has been huge. Van Noy has been phenomenal for them. So I I agree that that defense is plenty capable of going to Super Bowl.
Yeah. And when you get Marlon Humphrey on the inside, you also let him play more run support.
A 100%.
He's there to impact the run game a little bit, and I feel like that's a big difference too for that team. Because if you look at what happened, was it after the Bengals game when the where how many Yeah. They got gave him a voice, 45 points.
Yeah. So Jamar Chase had, like, 200 plus years.
After that game, they've been 1 of the best defenses in football Yep. Across the board. Yep. And it's a it's a simple as just moving Kyle back and then the, the following adjustments that happened because that wave. So on the offensive side of the ball, Trey Flowers or say Zay Flowers, excuse me, I feel like Zay's injury that that adds the 1 little, like, ding into the Ravens' offense that could make me believe that Pittsburgh might be able to beat him, like, in a weird world, just because he's that much of an impact on offense.
Do you think that he's gonna play this weekend?
I hope he does because I agree. It's a huge it's a huge injury. You know, calling that game, once Zay went down and Cleveland's good, defensively. Once Zay went down, the pass game wasn't nearly what it was with Zay on the field, naturally. Right?
And so, I have no idea if he's gonna play because, you know, we haven't gotten a ton of information, at least to my knowledge, of kind of what the injury is. I know he's day to day, and so, if he doesn't play, that really hampers their pass game just because he does so much for their pass game, both down the field and the intermediate routes and kinda winning 1 on 1. I do think Bateman's good enough to kinda fill that void a little bit. I do believe that Tylen Wallace can step in and handle some of the role. Their tight ends are really good.
I it's interesting because, like, the way to attack Pittsburgh defensively, Cleveland actually exposed this, like, 6 or 7 weeks ago. It's, like, you spread them out sideline to sideline, and you try to minimize Queen and, Cam Hayward and and TJ a little bit because you don't wanna play those guys in a small space. You wanna play them sideline to sideline. So we'll see if he plays. If he doesn't, I do think the game's closer than I would have if he if he plays.
Yeah. What about the Texans and the the chargers? That game, I just can't I can't get to it with the Texans in in the way they've looked offensively this year. Even when they had all their guys, it was never, like, clean and and I I can't think of 1 game where I was like, man, the Texans looked awesome. Yep.
Their defense is great. But are they gonna get enough offense against a good chargers defense? And and, like, what is the fix when you're watching the tape? You're like, they're if they could do this or this, they might have a little more success.
Yeah. 1, the fix is gonna be in 2025. There is no fix right now. And then 2, I honestly believe the Chargers would be a team that I would sit here and go, like, that's a dangerous team
in the long run out of the AFC.
I do think the AFC's that 3 team race in my gut. Yep. But I think so here's the thing for the Chargers before I touch on Houston. Like, they just there's no they don't have negative plays on offense. And they they they're always, like, moving the ball forward.
They're so efficient, and, like, there's never, oh, 2nd and 12 or 3rd and 8. And so, like, they control the game in that regard. Obviously, the defense is phenomenal, and and they're disguised as crazy. I'll go back to Houston, and I remember the first game of the year against Indy. And watching it and going on TV the next day and being like, Houston better figure out their pass protection because CJ was running for his life, and it never got fixed this year.
Their interior of their offensive line has been the weakest weak weak part of their football team, all season long. Obviously, Nico missing time, but then, you know, Steph and Tank Dal not being there. I just don't see how this offensive line can hold up against the Chargers defensive line that's gonna send crazy type of stunts and and pick games and pressures against them. So, I fully expect the Chargers to win that game.
Yeah. Yeah. I mean, they send impact free agent Ezekiel Elliott. Who knows what that guy's gonna be able
to do? Give him
the ball. Accomplished so much.
Jerry. Yeah. Yeah.
Shout out Ezekiel.
Ball this year. Yeah. Alright. So, yeah, that that makes sense. If you go to if you go to Sunday now, obviously, Jalen Hertz, whether or not he plays, he looks like he's probably gonna play.
I think Max reported he he was gonna play, and everything would be fine. The Eagles look right now like they are 1 of the most I I'd say maybe 2nd best roster in the NFL, depending on how you look at the Chiefs, but they have a a shitload of talent. Yeah. And, going to this game, it feels like things have been clicking very well for the Eagles this season. The Packers, on the other hand, the injury concerns like Christian Watson, obviously, and then we don't know how healthy Love is.
Should should the Eagles be worried?
I don't think Philadelphia has to get worried if Jalen Hurts practices today. If Jalen Hurts practices today, I do think that Philly is
I agree.
I think Philly is the most talented roster top to bottom in the NFL, I would say, along with Baltimore. As long as he's there today and he's able to kinda sharpen over the next 3 days, I think Jalen's proven enough that he's he's 1 of those guys that can figure out a way to get plenty capable to go play, good enough football. I do think the the interesting no Jair Alexander's a big deal. I thought Jair was 1 of those corners that could try to play AJ in 1 on 1. They don't have that guy anymore, so they're gonna have to play a little bit more zone defense.
Playing against playing zone defense against Philly's offense is a problem just because, obviously, the run game. I think a huge key in the game is Edron Cooper. He's a freaking problem at linebacker. He's athletic and, like, slippery enough, so the the best way to kinda hope if you're Green Bay defensively is that he has, like, an all world game, has a bunch of tackles for loss, but I think Philly's just so good. And without Watson trying to stretch them vertically, I don't think there's a ton of fear in Philadelphia's defense going against Green Bay's offense that feels a little bit sideline to sideline now without Watson.
Dudes, so speaking of quarterbacks, Jordan Love, I think he's good. I obviously hate the packers. He does throw off his back foot a lot. Time. What what what is so what's said in practice?
Is that something you're trying to coach out of him? Is that something you're saying, like, god, dude, you gotta stop doing this? Because there's sometimes they're incredible plays. Yep. But sometimes it looks like he's just doing it when he could easily plant and go forward.
Yeah. I mean, I won that's way more of an off season thing than it is in season. You you very rarely can you fix that. I think you can get it a little bit better. I'll never forget being around a coach that 1 time, you know, kinda made the comment of, you never wanna take a guy's stinger away.
And I thought that was, like, an all encompassing thing of, like, you never wanna, take a quarterback, like, a quarterback that's really aggressive, or he he wants to push the ball, or he thinks he can make all these throws. You know, Stafford was the guy that they were referencing, you know, and we had coaches that were constantly trying, because Matthew used to do it too, and they were constantly trying to get Matthew to be this mechanically, like, flawless guy, Drew Brees type of player, and, you know, it would frustrate Matthew to a point where Matthew would almost, like, shit I don't wanna say shell up, but it would make him be a lesser player in my opinion, and I think you gotta walk that fine line with Jordan. Like, yes, you want him to become mechanically as sound as possible, but I think that's a little bit more of 1, off season, and 2, as he gets older in his career, I I right now, I I still believe that he's such a physically talented guy that you really want him to I'm not saying be sloppy, but you really want his kind of natural athletic instincts to be the focal point of his pass game.
Yeah. Mhmm. Yeah. That that does make sense. And I when you're talking about Matthew Stafford, I thinking about Jared Goff and what he's done in Detroit after Stafford went to LA, that is the the best example of a win win trade of all time, I think.
I don't
think it could've worked out any better for either franchise. And I still think that the Lions are are probably the team to beat in the NFC. What do you think? Do would you put it like, if you were to pick your winner out of the NFC right now, are you going with the Eagles or the Lions?
I think I'm going with Detroit. You know, my wife is gonna be pissed off about that. I think them getting homes home field matters a ton. Angelo I'm
gonna text I'm gonna text her right now, Dan.
Yeah. They do. Well, hopefully, you don't. You should tell him. Sorry.
I've heard him. Real quick. Uh-huh.
We are supposed to have Dan on yesterday, and I wake up at, like, 7 in the morning, and I have a text from a number I don't see. And it says, hey. It's it's Orlovsky. My phone broke. I'm texting you from my wife's number.
And I was like, oh, okay. And then we just texted on like, I texted your wife's number for, like, 2 times Yeah. Back and forth communicating. So I'll delete the number. Don't worry.
Yeah.
Thank you. You gotta sit
around the office just
because end up
FaceTiming her.
She's an Eagles
fan, isn't she?
Yeah. Which I'm gonna
tell her. I'm gonna she's an Eagles fan.
Right? She is a maniac, dude. Maniac.
So I'm gonna I'm gonna have to text her.
Yeah. I asked her I asked her the other day. I'm like, hey. Sunday, Eagles play 4:30 in Philly. You wanna go?
And she was like, I'd rather wait and just go to Detroit when they go there. I'm like, okay.
You're already Okay.
You're already booking it. So, okay.
So why Detroit?
I think that she thinks, oh, why do I like Detroit? I I getting healthy. You know, Anzalone, getting healthy, matters a ton. I was so impressed with the way that they played on the defense side of the football. I think Detroit all comes down to can they get like 2 takeaways a game?
If they get 2 takeaways a game, and you could say that about everybody, but that's that's not really real because I think they're going to have to score 30 plus to beat anybody, and, because the defense is still beat up, and so I'm banking on Detroit. I think it's they're as well coached as anybody. I think they understand, like, hey, we gotta win 2 games. And, you know, I do believe that they match up well versus Philadelphia as long as 1 of those corners is gonna have to play out of his head, kinda like he did the other night against, Minnesota. Like, Robertson or if Carlton Davis comes back or Karrion Arnold, like, 1 of those cats versus AJ is gonna have to play out of his head.
Yeah. Mhmm. Yeah. So with Tampa Bay, Washington, I'm obviously Commanders fan, so I'm gonna be biased in how I perceive your answer, and I will put you on the enemy's list if if you I don't think that you answered fairly. In week 1, we saw the Commanders and the Bucks, and that was a a very different team, I think, probably for both teams Yeah.
But especially for the Commanders. And Todd Bowles did his thing where he just blitzes the hell out of you.
Yep. And
he put Jaden under a lot of pressure. Jaden's grown a lot as a quarterback since then. Are we gonna see more of that Todd Bowles signature, send pressure, pressure, pressure, pressure, force him to make quick decisions and, you know, and see what happens from there? Are we gonna see the Todd Bowles where he takes his foot off that gas and ends up playing deep coverage to take away the deep ball from Jaden?
I think that you'll get a little bit more of that softer deep coverage protection. Well, 1, in that first game, you know, Washington did not run as much no huddle as they have throughout this season, and that kind of mitigates trying to get to all those pressures. I think 2, you gotta be worried about Blitz and Daniels right now because if you leave McLaurin 1 on 1 versus these corners, you in my opinion, advantage Washington. I don't think Tampa Bay can run with McLaurin on the outside. And 2, you know, kinda what happened in week 1, if you don't get home, he's gone.
You know? He's gonna get 80 to a 100 on you. And so, I don't love the matchup for Tampa Bay. Honestly, I think they play way too soft on the outside. I think Jaden's gonna have opportunity to create a ton of easy completions.
I would be very aggressive down the field with McLaren if I were them. I don't think either of these corners can cover him on a consistent basis. So I don't think that Todd comes after him that much early on, and they try to just see if they could play really, really good, red zone defense.
Okay.
I I like that, and I agree with you because I've been watching the tape, Dan. So I'm thinking and when what you saw in week 1 was Jaden, when he did get pressured, since it was all, you know, the game speed was new to him Yeah. His first NFL game, he would he would either try to take off or there were times when he would try to just, like, drop back in the pocket a little bit. Yep. Because he didn't have that he didn't have the confidence necessarily to just go forward, step up in pocket, and take off.
So we try to escape the pressure by, like, backpedaling. Boom. He gets hit. They got a couple sacks that way.
Yeah.
I feel like this
is a very different team. And then on, on the defensive side of the ball for the commanders, I love if he plays, I love the Marshawn Lattimore matchup Mhmm. Against Mike Evans. Historically, that's been a very good matchup for Lattimore.
Yeah. Yeah. Lattimore's had the opportunity to have some success against it. I don't I know keep people keep saying that, but I don't know. The 1 time we saw Lattimore was versus AJ, and AJ had his way versus, both in success and penalty.
So I know he's fresh off the injury. We'll see how healthy he is. For like, I I don't feel the same way about that Marshawn Lattimore kind of performance as it did 3 or 4, 5 years ago in New Orleans. So, I think this game's high scoring. I really do.
I think this game could sniff both teams getting close to 30. I think Washington's gonna struggle to stop Bucky Irving and Rashad White. You know? And, you know, I think that this is the team this is the game where both defenses are reeling a little bit versus offenses that are hot, man.
Yeah. Yeah. I I actually think in a weird way that this matchup, it's a good matchup for both teams.
It's gonna be a fun game. Yeah. How do you I I do. I I think the Bucks are gonna be able to run the ball.
I agree. Yes. Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah. I and and that's gonna open up a lot. Like, I think Bucky Irvin's gonna have a big day.
He's so good. He's
so good. He's so good. And that's, I mean, that's been the difference. You know, coming down the stretch, he became just a real dude.
Yeah. It reminds me of, like, Brian Westbrook years ago for the Eagles. You know, it's like he's big enough where he can make any kind of run, but then when he gets the ball in space, it's like he's shifty, but low to the ground and strong and tough. But he's a really big time player.
We'll get
back to Dan Orlovski in a second. The playoffs are here and every game counts. AWL's know that when it counts, you can count on Chevy Silverado. It's a dependable partner with strength, capability, and true grit. Whether you're looking for a spacious interior to comfortably get in the game, the functionality of the Multiflex tailgate to get the most out of tailgating, or the technology to make driving, towing, and parking all easier, Chevy Silverado has got your back.
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Alright. So Monday Night Football, will be on ESPN, so we'll see our our friends, Joe and Troy. Sam Darnold, I saw the clip. You said you think you thought he missed 5 touchdown passes on Sunday night. Yeah.
Is this, a hey. The lions had an incredible game plan. They they did something that the Vikings weren't expecting. That's an anomaly. That's 1 game.
Or is this, hey, this is a big problem. And and Sam Darnold, as great as he's been this year, like, you have a little bit of doubt going into the playoffs. Yeah.
I think it's a little bit more of a tip of the hat to Detroit. I really thought Detroit's game plan was awesome. That doesn't mean that Sam didn't miss those throws, but I do think, you know, just from a quarterback's perspective, when you get some of those defenses that you don't wanna expect or, 2, necessarily have clarity of what you're looking at, you can start to kinda chase stuff. And whether it's getting your eyes off the, you know, the guy too soon, or, you know, you're anticipating 1 thing, and then it's another thing. So what you might be anticipating and doing something with your eyes to try to move a guy isn't exactly that, and so you're quote unquote doing the wrong thing.
So I think it's a little bit more of a tip of the hat to Detroit. I'm not overly concerned about it. The thing that I'm honestly, like, more concerned about in the game when it comes to this matchup, Minnesota offense, and the Rams defensive line is awesome. And I what part of the reason that I think Sam played that way, and I I thought that Lions defensive line kicked the crap out of the Vikings offensive line, and so, you know, with a young, violent, physical, nasty defensive line with the Rams, with Vers and Fisk and Turner, like, that's a little bit more has my attention rather than do I think Sam Darnold's gonna play poorly again. So I fully expect Sam to bounce back.
It's a different defensive structure, way more zone than man than, obviously, Detroit runs. So I think he plays a lot better, but I'll have my eyes more on their offensive line.
I I I got a question about this game as well. Can you explain just how good Puka Nacua is and how, like, how does he get open all the time? And I know that you you you can't, like, just leave you know, Cooper Kupp is is a worry, but Puka is it just feels like every time they need a big pass, he's there and he's open. What the hell do you do if you're a defense?
Yeah. He I mean, he reminds me so much of TJ Huismanzata. You remember TJ back in the day with Chad? Like, we we would be playing against them, and you would obviously have your attention to Chad, rightfully so. But TJ would just get open all the time, and you would, like, be like, what the fudge route was that?
You know? Like, that's not even a route, dude. You know? And he just has this great ability to understand. Like, I do think he's crazy strong.
He has this really good understanding of, like, how to use his body and his strength to lean into guys, to get him to kinda be where he wants you to be, and then he has a really good feel for space. I think he's crazy smart. Like, if you ever watch him, I remember last year when he was starting to break out, I thought 1 of the things he did as good as anybody in the league would, as he gets to the top of his routes, he's always starting to peek to where the defense is and, like, gaging, okay, where is the corner? Where's the safety? Where's the backer?
So he kinda knows how to get out of the cut, and is he going full speed? Is he going slow? Is he going deep? Is he going high? And so he's got a great kinda feel for that stuff.
I also think, you know, I I talked about this a little bit this year, like, the Rams do and Sean do with him better than anybody double motions, you know, where they motion twice before the ball gets snapped. They'll set the formation, and they'll motion him over, and he'll get set, and then they'll motion him again, and so, you know, they do a really good job of kinda creating some leverage for him or, getting him into some soft spots, and he takes advantage of it, and Stafford and him have gotten just countless reps together. So he's a problem. He's a problem to
stop. It's just crazy to watch.
It is. He's so fun to watch, especially without the ball too. Yeah. I I just love they should do it all 22 except it's all 1, and it's just
Just follow him. I like that. The where's Waldo of Puka.
Yeah. Yeah. So what about the Rams offense, though? Because since that Bills game, the Rams offense hasn't looked great.
Yeah.
Are you concerned at all with your boy?
I am. He hasn't played well in the last 3 or 4 weeks. You know, he had he had that unbelievable game, specifically on 3rd down where he was just off the charts. And so, you know, since then, I think that they fought a little bit of an offensive identity as well. You know, sometimes I'm like, you know, I love their keeper game where they bootleg him, and I love their play action game.
And then sometimes it's like, woah. How come you're not running it? And then I live in the world of I love when they stack Puka and Cooper on the same side, but then, like, well, you're getting a little bit too predictable with that. And so I think that they fought a little bit of exactly who they wanna be. I also know that there's such a good run game, you know, that you you it's a challenge and it's a battle of, like, hey.
It's almost like Baltimore as well. Like, we're really good running the football, and we wanna run the football, but we don't wanna become so obvious and predictable where teams just tee they get paid as well defensively, so they they just tee off on us. And so I think they've battled that a little bit. I don't believe that Matthew's thrown the ball incredibly well over the last 3 weeks, so, I think, like, if you were gonna ask me the 1 thing that has to happen in that game for the Rams to win, I really believe Matthew's gonna have to throw the ball better than he has the last 3 weeks. I feel differently than when they went on their Super Bowl run.
You know, when they went on that Super Bowl run, I remember the last 3, 4 weeks of season, I was like, they're gonna win it. You know, like, he's just playing too well or too good. I kinda feel the opposite where I'm like, he's he's gotta be the person that plays better for them to win.
Yeah. Alright. Yeah.
Big Cat and I were big fans, at least at times on the Simpsons broadcast. I love the Simpsons. Huge fan. Grew up watching it. The only thing that we had I think we were saying that the, the play was too far behind
Yeah. On the broadcast.
Yeah. A lot of game was and I know that they do that because it's like a whole animated thing, but that must have been a lot of fun to participate in, on on your part. What was your prep like for the Simpsons game?
Yeah. It was cool. Football prep wise, you know, wasn't nearly what it is, you know, when you're calling an actual game just because we knew, 1, the game didn't really have any playoff implications or, you know, kind of, you know, the results of it mattering a ton. So we leaned into a little bit more of the let's live in the moment and the animation of it and the Simpsons part of it. So football wise, not a ton.
Simpsons wise, a lot. You know, the writers helped us out a lot. You know, they gave us a ton of kinda notes just to refresh our memories because I'm a nineties kid, so I grew up in many ways watching the Simpsons. I have a son who's autistic, so anything that has to do with animation is, like, his superpower wheelhouse. Part of it is because he thinks that they're actually real, no matter if it's a still shot and animation.
So, you know, when he found out, it he was the most intuit person on the planet, and so he was constantly drawing. He wanted to watch it a ton, so we started having allowing him to watch it a little bit, and so I would watch it with him, just trying to refresh my memory with some of the episodes. And so the writers were great, you know, catching up on a ton of episodes, you know, kind of trying to make sure that I was up to date with some of the jokes, some of the 1 liners, some of the kind of the personalities of it. So it was cool. It was really cool to be a part of the technology.
It's nuts.
Did they have any any prep with you on what they would do if there was, like, a fight on the field or if, like, somebody got injured? No. And it's like No. That's Ralph Wiggum that's laying out there.
No. They didn't. I think that they were prepared. They had so many elements built in. You know, some of, like, the cutaways of Moe and, you know, obviously the jokes and whatnot.
They had so many elements built in that that my thought would that they would, like, go to that. The only thing that they really had us kind of pay attention to in that regard was, like, when they brought somebody in the game, we more often knew, hey, that person's gonna impact this play somehow. So Right. Yeah. If Lisa comes in at running back, it's like, woah.
I would give the ball to Lisa here. So, like, that was the only thing that they kinda hinted to us.
It's embarrassing. It took me, like, 2 quarters to pick up on that.
I was
like, no. Everything was up right now. She called touchdown.
You know, it's like, yeah. We we
knew what he's up
to us. So
alright. Dan, I got 1 last question for you. By the way, also congrats on 1 of the best clips ever with Shannen Sharp the other day. Yes. You had that locked and loaded.
You know? The and for people who missed
it Did you see
how kind of,
like, that came out? Like, or how it came to be on Pat's show when, I hit up Hembo? I was, like, it just during the commercial break at Get Up, I was like, I wonder if and I texted Hembo, who's the stats guy, and he's so good at ESPN. Has this ever happened? He just texted back 1992 Sterling Sharpen.
When Shannon started talking, I was like, there's no fudging way that you're going here right now.
So Yeah. So for people who missed it, Shannon was like, when was the last time a a guy won the Triple Crown and didn't make the playoffs, and Dan was just like your brother, 1992? He was like, well, like, it it completely got him.
It was
just a great moment.
Yeah. Yeah. It was, I had there's been, you know, the Internet when when it's not on your side, it sucks. But when it's on your side, it's it's awesome. And so the Internet had a field day with that 1 in a good way for
me. Yeah. That was very funny.
The look on your face afterwards is priceless.
I'm such
a prick.
I'm such
a prick, dude. Yeah. You got it. No. But you you know you nailed it.
Yeah. Yeah. You got you got to take a victory lap sometimes.
Yeah. Because I have plenty of moments when the opposite happens. So
Yeah. Alright. So my last question, Rhoback question, rhoback.com promo code take 20% off your first purchase. Q zips, polos, hoodies, joggers, shorts. Rhoback.com promo code take.
I wanna do so I won't make you pick against the spread. Yep. But can you give us what you think is gonna be your winner for all 6 games Yep. Wild card weekend, and then give us your Super Bowl?
Yep. So I think game 1 is Houston, chargers, I believe. I'm taking the chargers in that that game.
Yep.
I think game 2 is gonna be Baltimore. Whether Ze Flowers plays or not, I feel confident saying Baltimore wins that game. I don't think Pittsburgh's offense is good enough. The 3rd game is, Tampa Bay and Washington.
I'm gonna take Washington. I think Jaden Daniels sniffs 80% completion in
that game. Here we go. I Jaden Daniels sniffs 80% completion in that game.
Here we go.
I just don't think Tampa Bay's defense is good enough on their perimeter hold up with them.
You pick, Dan.
Thank you. Game number 4, Philly, Philly Green Bay. I think the Watson injury is huge for their offense. I think Philadelphia comes out. The only thing that gives me reservation is the 1 thing that Philly's done a lot of times this year, a little bit less in the second half of the season, is start slow.
Jalen not plant practicing for a long time. If they start slow, it does give me if I was Green Bay, I would just bombs away early on in that game, see if I could grab a lead and control the game. But I am taking Philly, and then in Monday Night Football, fudge, dude. I'm gonna go Yeah. This is the toughest 1 for me.
I'm gonna go Minnesota on the road. I don't think that same darn good place too bad games in a row. Great game, but I'll go Minnesota on the road. And then I think the NFC title game is Detroit, Philly. I think the AFC title game is Kansas City, Baltimore.
And I'm going to pick I'm gonna pick Kansas City and Detroit in the Super Bowl, and I'm gonna say Kansas City does it.
That'll be 1 of those maps where, like, what what is the country rooting for?
And it's
just 1 circle in the middle for Kansas City.
Picking Kansas City because you're just afraid of of not picking Kansas City? Or do you actually believe that they're good enough?
I'm I'm afraid of not picking Mahomes. No. I don't really Yeah. Like, you know, you you've done this long enough where you realize people hate you no matter what type of stuff. So,
like Facts.
I just, I think that that's a different group when it's win or go home. I really do, and I do think that they're a better team this year than they were last year. And so I just think for some reason, 15 finds away, man. And they're plenty good enough. It's not like, you know, he's dragging a team to the Super Bowl.
They're they're a really good team.
And they got healthy in the secondary, which is gonna be huge.
Healthy in the secondary, for sure. Watson coming back is huge.
Bills, Broncos, did we do that 1?
Bills? Bills, Broncos, I did not do. I'm taking the Bills, although, again, that that game has my attention.
Okay. And then, obviously, the Ravens over the Bills.
Yeah. I think the Ravens over the Bills. I just, dude, there's something about Baltimore after I've been around both teams this year. Obviously, I think they're both really good. There's something about Baltimore where Todd Monck and their play caller said to me, as long as we stay ahead of the schedule, we're unstoppable.
Like, that's their philosophy. And I just think that they're in a unique place where, like, they can line up and say, hey. Here it comes. Stop.
Yep. Yep. Yep. Yep. They run it down their throat.
That's what happened in the first time they played this season. Yep. Alright. Well, Dan, thank you as always, man. We love having you on.
Love talking ball. We appreciate it, and, I'm happy you got your phone back.
Thanks, boys. Always good to be with you guys. Enjoy the weekend.
Dan Orlovsky is brought to you by Amazon Prime. Prime exclusive wildcard game this Saturday. It's TJ Watt and the Steelers taking on Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. Join Al Michaels, Kirk Herbstreit, Kaylee Hartung for this AFC North playoff showdown that you don't want to miss. The Steelers and the Ravens, this is going to be a great game at night.
Good matchup. Can't wait to watch it. These 2 teams, they're they're gonna play each other tough. I don't know what's gonna happen, but you know that the Steelers, this is a Tomlin game.
Mhmm.
He's a little bit disrespected right now. Everyone in the world is picking the Ravens. Are they 10 point favorites?
They are 9 and a half point favorites.
I'm taking the Steelers. I don't know if they're gonna win, but that's a lot of points for this matchup. Not a Prime member, not a problem. Simply sign up for a 30 day free trial, and you can cancel at any time. Watch the Steelers and Ravens at 7:30 PM EST, Prime's exclusive wildcard game powered by Verizon, and it's only on Prime Video.
Restrictions apply. See amazon.com/amazonprime for details. It's Amazon Prime. Watch this game. You're gonna watch this game.
It's gonna be incredible. Football. Super wildcard weekend. Danorlowski was also brought to you by Experian. For all the AWLs who really know us, you know how responsible we are with our money.
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Henry, you're up.
Couple Firefest. Brandon Walker, cuts me out of my chair. Mhmm.
I I like that. You have a cutcher?
Vannie Woodhead chair. No. I had the Vannie Woodhead chair in here, but I got, outvoted. So back back to the couch. We should actually have Brandon sit in
that chair and watch.
And then I posted I posted a a jumpsuit picture from my condo and people just you know, it's it's the Internet, but they're just roasting my my interior design. Oh, no. Said it looked like I lived in a timeshare in Florida.
Oh, no.
Old woman's home. Why do you have to why the Christmas tree's up? I I like the Christmas tree esthetic. Yep. I'm keeping them up till after the Super Bowl.
Yep. That's that's when winter ends for me. I don't I don't care if people get mad. I don't take them down after Christmas. Yep.
Super Bowl is the end of winter as far as I'm concerned. That's the end of our season. Go on a golf trip the week after Super Bowl, and then when we come back, that's that's the sign of spring.
Mhmm. And
that's when I will take down my Christmas tree. I'll probably keep posting my Christmas tree just to piss people off, but it's winter. It's still winter. It's Christmas tree season.
Yep. I agree.
I I love keeping the Christmas tree up.
So people are saying you gotta take your Christmas tree down?
People said I gotta take my Christmas tree down. They said which I I guess I I was reading, like, oh, it looks like you have a timeshare home. Looks like a vacation home in Florida. That's the vibe I'm that's the vibe I want.
Yeah. Yeah.
I doesn't wanna who doesn't wanna live where it's vacation all the time?
Yeah. You have a minimalistic vibe going in your place.
Get some Jimmy Buffett stuff
out there.
You know what? You don't need
But it it's 1 of those things that I I I I get in my head because it's just people and I shouldn't because it's random people on the Internet that that I shouldn't let it bother me, but it kinda did. But it's like, why and you realize, you know, you can't anything you post, people are gonna get mad about. Anything you say, people are gonna get mad about. But I've never I I love where I live. I I like the vibe I have.
But now then I get I I start second guessing myself.
Yeah. So the Christmas tree stays up. Christmas tree stays up. To decorate your house.
You have the water. Right. With the
water, that that covers all the interior
design. Yes.
You don't wanna try to take away from the water.
No. The water is is, what is it? Zen? Yeah.
Zen. Yeah. Yeah. Peace. Tranquility.
If Marie Kondo went up to your apartment, would she say throw away the water? Mhmm. Throw away Lake Michigan?
No. No. She wouldn't. And the the the trees bring me joy, so I'm gonna keep them up.
Love it. I like it. Hey.
Yeah. To you. Yeah. To you. Fucking.
Absolutely. Fuck them. Fuck the haters.
PFT or Fireflies?
My favorite festival
I'm all set of jumpsuits.
Oh. Okay. I am too. So can we mix in some non jumpsuits if you're in there?
If you're comfortable doing that.
I don't know.
I started posting these videos every day. Now I'm like, I don't I don't know how to stop.
What if people just send us more jumpsuits?
Yeah. That'd be cool. That would be cool. I got more jumpsuits.
Woah. It's Jamie January. But yeah. It's called 1 piece.
You look like the you look like the Easter bunny the
other day.
Jamie January.
I was I was the coziest boy on earth.
You look show I
love Jamie January. Every okay. So the Fyre Fest was wearing that the cozy jumpsuits, which I got a lot of feedback on. Positive. Many of much of it positive.
Some was negative.
But I thought you looked cute. I did
look cute. I looked I like I said, I was so cozy. The problem with wearing such a cozy jumpsuit slash pajamas is that everybody comes up to you and touches you. Like, I got touched by so many dudes
Oh, yeah. You can't have that.
Last week. I think it was Jersey Jerry sat down next to me on the couch. He was just like, squeeze.
Give me
an arm squeeze. Oh, hey. What's up, Jerry? I didn't see you there. Yeah.
But, yeah, I I still have some jumpsuits, but my FireFest is that none of them are as cozy as the ones I was wearing this week, which were all 1 pieces. Mhmm. And, also, Hank got me sick. Yeah. PFT feels sick.
Yeah. Now I feel sick.
It's my bad.
It's okay.
It's okay. I you know what? Do you know if we're getting a flu shot by the way, New Year's resolution got a physical, so we're halfway down. Also got a flu shot. Didn't know that take getting a flu shot makes you sicker.
Well no. It it get you get a little bit of the flu.
Yeah. I didn't know that. That was like I I was like, I got a flu shot. I feel like shit. They're like, yeah.
That's the point. They inject you with the flu.
So you were already sick with
the flu, then you went to the doctor, and you're like, hey.
Can I
have a flu shot to take? Little late, so I I was getting I
was getting my physical, and I had to get a prescription refilled. They're like, do you want a flu shot? And
Yeah. They just hand them out.
Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah. So I said yes. And then, yeah, I got sicker afterwards.
Yeah. We've done a pretty good job. Me and Big Cat have done I should rephrase that. You and I, Big Cat, have done a very good job of not getting too sick on show.
This now. Don't say this. This now.
Because I I had that 1 day when, high's been Saturday. Yeah. I was I could not hold anything down. I was puking, like, 15 times. It happened on a Saturday.
I was able to get back on a Sunday, and and I felt like shit, but we show up. Do your job.
There have been so many times where Thursday night, I drive home and I'm like, oh, I feel sick. My body just knows.
Yeah.
You're you're off the clock for a day and a half.
Yeah.
It's okay to get sick now, but, yeah, Hank got me sick this week. Sorry. Yeah. It's okay, Hank. I'll fight through it.
Okay. Alright. My fire fest, I got a big 1. People who've probably watched surviving barstool. It has not been a fun week for me.
But there's 1 thing I want to kind of address because I've obviously seen it in the comment section. I owe it to AWL. So I think a lot of people knew this, but I'm just gonna say it. Let's just fucking do it because I don't know why I don't know why I've been living in shame. Like, I don't know why I'm ashamed of this, but, yeah.
I I was I was born and raised in Newton, Massachusetts. I so growing up, I have family in Chicago. I would come here once a year. Michael Jordan was my favorite athlete. I kinda rooted for both.
I did root for the patriots. I moved away in 2003 for for high or for college. Never moved back. Long time ago. Long time ago.
Wasn't like a diehard patriots fan, but I rooted for them. I moved to Chicago right after college, and I love the city of Chicago. I loved it I loved it when I was a kid when I would come visit, and my uncle would take me to games and stuff. I I loved it. I always loved it.
So it's kind of like a this is the city that, you know, it's the other city. Like, my my uncle was loose I think he might have lied to me when I was a kid. They're, like, loosely friends with Phil Jackson.
That's such an uncle move.
Yeah. And I was just like, that fucking awesome dude. Because they they used to, practice right by where they live. So I I always love to see Chicago, kind of just moved, yeah, moved out in 2003, have not lived in Massachusetts since then. Still, you know, rooted for the patriots a little bit.
Rooted I've never was really hockey. And then I you know, when I moved to Chicago, I started falling in love with, you know, the city of Chicago and, the teams and everything. And so it was a slow gradual thing where I started writing about it. Dave hired me, and he I remember asking him right away. I was like, should I just say this?
And he was like, no. Just just do your job. Just blog. And go ahead.
No. I was gonna say I'll let you finish. There is context, I think, and this is so long ago, like, when I started, like, the 2012, 2013 Barstool was writing city based. There was a Chicago person that was the Chicago writer before you. He was not from Chicago and
Either. Yeah.
Fans basically, like, ran him out
of town. I forgot about that part.
And we have other writers who there was a writer from Philly who was from Philly. He all he did was live in Brooklyn, and people found out he lived in Brooklyn. They kinda ran him out of town. So there was, like, there was definitely and and, like you said, you asked Dave about it, and I think there was definitely, like, a you you know, you we want people to identify with you and Chicago.
Right. And I was ashamed that I'm voicing
the the writers. Like, we had, you know, k Marco, like, is from he I always thought he's from New York because he wrote for Boston, New York, and then I found out he wasn't from New York. And I was like, wait. What? Because Yeah.
That was, like, how it was supposed not supposed to come across. You're not lying, but, like, there was there is a lot of context with that that I think people will have never understood, especially with the Moe and, like, the Neil. Like, all that stuff. Like, there was a lot of that where it's, like, that was a big thing back in the day.
But I I don't know why for so long I've let it bother me and, like, been ashamed of it. It's such a stupid trivial thing when it comes to, like, you know listen. I I'm sure there'll be some people who are, like, fuck this. I hate them. I'm not listening to PMT anymore.
Fuck big cat. I get it. I I would say to you, yes. I I used to, you know, root like, I I have I have a complicated, like, Chicago teams are always kind of my second teams. I rooted for the patriots.
I I moved away in 2003. So, basically, all the all the winning happened after I moved. Probably was probably a curse. I was gonna say, would you say that that would be
a a good choice to make if you were just trying
to
be like
I wish I didn't make that choice. I wish I had just been, like, you know, but I fell in love with the city of Chicago and the teams, and and I listen. This is why I moved back here, is why I'm raising my kids here. I just you know, and my my fandom of the Chicago teams are is genuine. I've been doing this for 14, 15 years now.
You think someone would would subject 14 13 years?
To 13, 14? To the Bears over the course of the last, like, 15 years?
So if people
They didn't
care about the Bears?
Yeah. I mean, well, the my other FireFest is I I did get my tattoo. Thanks, Tyreke Stephenson. Finally got my tattoo. Paid that bet.
So thanks a lot for not paying attention. But so I I listen. I've been, I I have I think I've talked about it on the show. I I've I started seeing a therapist a few months ago. That was not that's not because of this.
That was because of the pressure of having an office where everyone gives you their problems and I never give anyone my problems. I never tell anyone my problems. But I I I it's something that I shouldn't be ashamed of. It's something I should just embrace. I had a great childhood.
I, like, I I don't know why. I I I just it's part of the context. Hank said, it's part of, like, I just don't want people to to hate me and that's another fucked up. Like, I actually have talked to my therapist about this being a people pleaser. You can't do that.
But I I I should just stop. Like, stop being ashamed. That's the story. I, like Rip the Band Aid. Rip the Band Aid.
My teams are the teams, for the rest of my life now. And and I don't know, you know, I actually my uncle, I was looking at it because I was just, like last night, I was just kinda, you know, I was wouldn't feel great, wouldn't feel awesome. So my uncle passed away in 2018, kinda tragically. It was cancer very quickly. I looked it up because I was just, like, going through, like, kind of memory lane or it was actually 2019.
And my last text to him is, the bears are the bears again, an unbelievable defense and a maddening quarterback. Time is a flat circle. I'm starting to think Trubisky will never be the guy, which is so damn frustrating. So, like, it was it was just funny. I was laughing about that because I was like, shit.
Like, but he, you know, he was part of why I always would, you know, have a second team. Like, oh, yeah. You you know, Jordan and everything. So Which
everyone when they're growing up. Like, I I was I was I was born in LA. I moved when I was 3. But, like, when I was growing up, I was a girl. I was born in LA.
LA. The Dodgers are my 2nd team. Like, I mean, that's just like a thing.
And I still rooted for the patriots when they were, you know, like, when I was, like, 18, 19, 20, a little bit out out of college, but then I slowly was like, I I'm I'm gonna be a bear like, I wanna be in Chicago. This is the city I want to be in for the of my life. I love this city to death. I wanna rep this city. So yeah.
That's it. And then also, the weirdest thing, I I I get I get this all the time. Yeah. I was I was in a couple plays in in high school. I did play sports growing up.
I just sucked after so when I was 12 years old, 13 years old, I tore every ligament and tendon in my ankle playing basketball, travel basketball, like, whatever the AU equivalent is. And I just was never I was never good at anything after that. Like, I just sucked. I mean, I I think people understand I did play, like, little league soccer, basketball, that shit. When you see me playing sports when we do competitions, I don't look like a guy who never played a sport.
Also, wait. I I don't think that being in a a in a play is anything to be
ashamed of. No. I I mean, listen. If we're being totally honest, I was a way to try to get chicks. Okay?
I'm like, didn't work that well. Straight. Wasn't really fucking a lot. Straight. Guy in theater.
Yeah. I
was a theater guy.
Yeah. I mean but, you know, people will pick it in in I my problem is I let it I never just said it, so then I let it bother me. And I'm done letting it bother me. I have a fucking awesome life. I this show is the best thing in the world.
I I love it so so much. Someone asked me the other day, PFD, on, Twitter. They're like, how long are you gonna do this show? I was like, dude, I'll do this show for as long as people will listen. Like, I I and I truly mean that.
And I know that it's it sounds corny and shit but, like, I will do this show with these people for till we're 60, 70 if everyone wants to do it because I love it that much. And letting something like this bother me just it it affects other parts of my life that I shouldn't let it affect. It makes me not as good of a coworker, boss, father, to husband, all that shit. So I'm done with it. So that's it.
And, if people are gonna hate me, I can't do anything about it.
I don't think anybody's gonna hate you.
No. I know.
But I
I think
I think that the the and, obviously, it's, like, it's it's something that has been, like, in the back of your mind for a while, but I think the the the fear your fear of the percentage of people that are gonna be like, fuck. Big Adam. I know. Show is, like, minuscule. I know.
It's 0.001%, and it's like those type of people, like, listening to the show, who gives a fuck?
Like Yeah. No. They that fear, yeah, consumes me.
But that's also not no one's listening. It's gonna be, like
I know.
Slamming their fist against their their steering wheel being, like,
ah. And I appreciate everyone who's had my back. You know, everyone in this room, everyone in the booth. You told
me most
fans on
that. Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah. I have talked about it before, but I've never said that, like, you know, I used to I used to root for, you know, the like, I used to have a kind of a complicated I root for both teams kinda thing and and not, like I wasn't a full, you know, Bears fan when I was 8, 9 years old. And then I, you know, was like, you know what? I'm gonna be a Bears fan. I'm I'm staying the rest of my life in Chicago.
Obviously, we went to New York for 7 years, but we came back, and my kids are gonna be here. They're gonna be raised in Chicago, which I'm happy about. So yeah. And I think a lot of people yeah. I mean, there's multiple times I've said it, but there's just say, I I I should've just said it.
I should've just said it 10 years ago.
You told me in 2016 when we first started
the show Yeah. And after having
been around you for
8 years and seeing you probably more than anybody else, I can fully say that you are a die hard Chicago sports fan. Yeah. Like, that's why it wasn't a big deal. It's
like Yeah.
Okay. Yeah. A lot of us were born in different hand up, I used to root for Duke basketball when I was a kid. Hank knows that until I read coach k's
I did root for the Braves. Dork. I did root for the Braves a little bit. Terry Pendleton, shout out. Badass.
So did I. That's just because They
were on everyone.
They were on everyone.
And I root for the Cubs because I was
wasn't gonna run with that.
I was well, yeah. He is. I was on the Cubs Little League, team, and then they I could watch Cubs games too. So I would watch Cubs games and Braves games. The but yeah.
Go ahead. Sorry.
No. I was gonna say I yeah. TBS watching Braves every day in the summertime. WGN watching Chicago. I didn't have a baseball team
Yeah.
Closest with the Baltimore orioles, which I kinda like. But yeah. Listen. People people change a little bit as
you grow older. I know. It's just I'm in my own head. You guys know me well enough that I my probably 1 of the faults I have is I do care, like, not to sound like Michael Scott. I care too much, but I do.
I do a little bit where it's like, Hank tells me all the time. He's like, dude, like, Hank will text me. Be like, dude, you have an awesome life. You have a a a beautiful family. You you you make an incredible living.
Like, why do you care? It's like, I don't know. Fuck. I just still care because I I want I want people to like the show that we do, and I've always been like, oh, fuck. They're gonna stop liking me.
People I mean, you're not that good of an actor. Like No. Like, you you watch you watch what you do after a Bears loss. It's not Yeah. Who could possibly think that you're faking Right.
That you're faking?
I put
my emotions and everything into it. And it's like I yeah. And I get triggered when you guys say, you know, we should get Mike McCarthy as a jet. Like, that's real. I wish it wasn't.
And, yeah, I probably should've just stuck with Positives. My life would've been a lot better. But, yeah, I, you know, we just had to say it.
And then
That also wouldn't have that's where it's, like, the context of the old like, that's like, that just wouldn't it's not a thing.
Yeah. No. I know. I know. But I I I feel good that I'm even saying it right now.
So, you know, that's it. I just hope that, you know, people still like me. They will. They will. I've got that too.
Tyreke Stephenson. Also, just, I was never obviously a a credible athlete. I don't think anyone in this room actually, Hank peaked when he was
Mhmm.
Well, Max was
Incredible. The the my my worst
memes was all American.
14 home runs a green push.
That's a good point. Memes all American.
My baseball highlight was in a when I was 11 in the city series I pitched. I was the 3rd pitcher on our team, and they started the game with me. And the, our first pitcher only had 3 innings that they could pitch. And I pitched 1 hit shutout 3 innings, and my coach pulled me for the for the, number 1 pitcher, and we lost.
Mhmm.
And I've never lived that 1 down. I've I've been so upset ever since. I had unlimited imminent. And it's
They should've kept you.
I was the 3rd ace,
not an ace.
Taken state. Yeah.
3rd ace.
It's also gotta be said that the the 2, like, 2 biggest podcasters, Joe Rogan, big cat.
Yeah. Yeah. Same tag. Yeah. Yeah.
That's true. Although, yeah, I don't he doesn't really talk
about much. I don't know
if he talks about it.
John Krasinski?
Oh, yeah. That's true. How old is Joe? He's much older than me. Okay.
10 years older.
What is that?
It is funny. I didn't even I didn't even connect that. But yeah. Alright. That was my fire for us.
And, yeah, I got a tattoo. So I finally paid my bet. It's, a Grateful Dead lightning bolt. I think I'm already ready for another 1, PFT.
Yeah. We're kinda low key addicted to getting tats.
Commanders and bears, I hope part of hoping that we do this show forever, is that we get, you know, 25 years down the line, and we both have full sleeves, and it's just like, alright. That was 20, 28. Yep. That was 20 you know.
That that's how they used to write down history, like, way back in medieval times. It's like a giant tapestry. Our bodies are gonna be tapestries of losing important battles. Yeah. And so that'll be nice
Yeah.
To see.
Yeah. Alright. Well, thank you everyone to all the fans. I really do love all of you, and everyone has had my back. Should we finish with numbers?
4511.
Yes. You want 3?
8. 8's gonna hit.
I'll do 3.
Do people in Newton not have accents?
4? My parents are not from Boston. That's what I So that was that's why I've never had an accent. Okay.
My parents are both from Massachusetts. They it's all everyone I know that has accents because their parents have accents.
Yeah. My
parents are from even
being from Massachusetts didn't really have an accent, so I didn't.
Yeah. So neither of my parents are from from Boston.
When I
did the Dixie tour was down south, I would wait on thick.
The Boston?
I'm from Massachusetts.
From Boston. From Boston.
Can you help you with the ladies?
No. Oh, what was your number?
Not at all. Okay.
And you thought
you're coming in there, like, speaking of stuff?
Something. Yeah. I was like, you know, a little something. You didn't Exotic.
You didn't anything. Yeah. 99? 96. Woah.
Close pug. Close. Love you guys.