NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal - 2016 Conference Championship recap

Episode Date: January 23, 2017

A room filled with some heroes – Dan Hanzus, Marc Sessler, & Chris Wesseling – recap all the action from the 2016 Conference Championship games which included a dominant performance from the Falcons high-powered offense, and yet another AFC title for Brady & Belichick. Plus, NFL Network’s Gregg Rosenthal joins us from Gillette Stadium to help recap the Patriots win, and give a quick look ahead to what he expects in Super Bowl LI.Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comNFL Daily YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nflpodcastsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. The Around the NFL podcast is really into coffee and Danishes. Welcome back to another edition of the Around the NFL podcast. My name is Dan Hansus, and I am joined by a room filled with some heroes. Mark Sessler and Chris Wessling. What's up, boys? Hey, Dan. Championship Sunday in the books, boys.

and it my goodness it followed a theme that has taken us through the playoffs here's a quick nugget from NFL media research the last time before today that both conference championship games were decided by at least 19 points was the 1978 season

which was a very long time ago boys you want another fact this one the old Zeus or took out the old calculator all 10 of the games that have been played in the postseason this year. Average margin of victory in the playoffs, 15.7 points. Take out the Green Bay Dallas and Pittsburgh, Kansas City games.

The only games that had fourth quarters that were, there was some juice. There's that number again, 19 points. I'm, to begin with, I'm stunned that you did that amount of mathematical work. I'm not saying it's right. Oh, it's, okay. But it was basic. I added 10 things, and then it divided by 10.

That's how you do it. I think you might have nailed it. Where I might have gotten in troubles when I pulled out those two games. I had to pull out the margin, which is two and three, and then take out two from the 10 to make it, probably botched that. Let's just be honest. But you got the basic point that we have not been treated to good games and we weren't today, but, you know, let's be fair. Congratulations to both the Atlanta Falcons. And of course, it pains me to say this, but the New England Patriots, who both advanced to Super Bowl 51 in Houston two weeks from today with

convincing wins. The Falcons laying the wood on the Green Bay Packers and the Patriots easing past the Steelers. So you have your the first time we've ever seen these teams play in the Super Bowl, which the Patriots are very familiar by now

in this game. Mark, we've been working here. This is our seventh season and the third time we'll be traveling to cover the Super Bowl where the Pats are around. First time for the Falcons West, a man of history, since the 1998 season. So that's 19-year. years ago. Yeah, I think this is going to be, here's a number that I thought was funny. It doesn't

sound like a huge number at first. Tom Brady will be under center and 14% of all Super Bowls in history. Which is when you, 14% does not sound like a huge number. Oh, it does. When you add up everything that's happened, that is ridiculous. That is ridiculous. Yeah, so Brady is, you know, the one constant in this millennium, it seems like, whether it's the conference title game or making to the Super Bowl, so we'll see him again. And a lot of the familiar storylines that we've been hearing about all year will now come to the service with whether it's his attempt to become the first quarterback ever to claim five Super Bowl titles.

Deflategate finally kind of coming to a close in a way with the Patriots having a chance to win the Super Bowl in the year that Brady was suspended for his alleged, Wes. make sure so you don't get too upset role in the deflation of footballs about seven years ago and another AFC title game. Well, you know, I've been on this Falcons team all year, but there's nothing that will make me happier in two weeks than watching the commissioner hand the Lombardi trophy to Tom Brady. Well, we'll see if that happens. But we've got some business to take care of here in today's show, what we do every Sunday.

This is our final Sunday night show from the podcast studio. we've done what this is the 20th of the season something like that that's that's correct uh you know we will be in houston next week we got a couple more shows here from california uh but we have the games to talk about now and of course this podcast is sponsored by mr flames economics class in the hague the netherlands mr f and uh west we we have a gift from uh mr f uh do you want to explain to the audience what i'm holding in my left hand right now This is a bottle of single malt scotch whiskey from Oban, which apparently is about the best whiskey you can get, best scotch. And I had several people reach out on Twitter and say, do not dare put that over ice.

You might put a few drops of water in it, but you don't want to dilute it. You don't need it. I mean, it was amazing the response. Obviously, we've got some of the people that listen to the show are well-versed in alcohol and liquor. and they gave us, well, they gave Mr. F quite a nod for sending that alone. Classic Maltz of Scotland, the manufacturer, aged 14 years. 14 years. Delivered on a commercial break in the second quarter of the game, Mr. F, quite a guy.

Here's a little note he sent too. Happy Championship Weekend, Heroes. You are in the Super Bowl of Podcasts. Oh, that's nice. This is what I drank on our walk in Scotland, lift a dram with me after the games. All the best, Mike Flame. I like the idea of Mr. F getting ripped to the tits walking through the Well, I think he is probably much more of a slugging straight out of the bottom.

I think he's a sophisticated drinker that probably stops by like at the bottom of a ski hill and has a nice glass of whiskey before continuing his hike. 14 years ago, where were you, Mark? That'd be 2003. Well, it was not a great period for me. I will say this. I was trapped in a incredibly hot town of Phoenix, Arizona, and not sure what my next move was. Wes, you were at the law firm, correct? I was at the law firm probably on my third or fourth college playing softball four or five nights a week and getting all sassed up every night.

Very little has changed. I was a part-time news reporter covering the swimming and diving championships of Rockland County. Cindy, where were you in 2003? Oh, about the third grade, third, fourth grade. She's just a kid, folks. She's just a kid. All right. Let's start, folks, with the game played at the Georgia Dome, the final NFL game played at the Georgia Dome.

and they sent out the building a big winner. Matt in the gun on the near Hashmark. Takes a snap, play fake to Freeman. Ryan wants to throw Jones to catch 40. Flag down, midfield, Julio into Green Bay Territory, a stiff arm into 15, 10, 5. Touchdown, Atlanta. A crossing route to Julio Jones for 73 yards.

That's West Durham of WZGC. Julio Jones is 73-yard touchdown in the third quarter served is the knockout punch for the Atlanta Falcons who piled up nearly 500 yards of total offense. What else is new? And a 44 to 21 win over the Green Bay Packers. Oh, we got a lock up. Who got it?

Oh, a double lock. A couple of people did. Oh, no. You know, I was thinking about this. I don't know why I did this because I definitely felt more strong about the Patriots who I picked, but I think we'll get to it.

But I wanted to be on the magic carpet ride with Aaron Rogers and have fun rooting for him. Sure. But it was not a good decision. Matt Ryan, brilliant again, throwing for 392 yards, four touchdowns, no picks. Jones finished with 180, nine catches, two scores, and West. The Packers were simply outclassed by Atlanta's attack, which is making a loud case now to be recognized as one of the NFL's all-time best offenses.

That's going to be a big talking point for the next two weeks. It has to be. Speaking of talking points, everybody wanted to talk about the Packers heading into this game. They wanted to talk about the Packers for three quarters of this game. The story of this game is the same story it's been for four months. The Falcons are flirting with juggernaut status on offense, and it's fun to watch a play caller like Kyle Shanahan using a guy like Matt Ryan who does not get enough credit for his pocket movement and ball placement,

which were on point Sunday. And Julio Jones, who not only shows the total package, the run after catch-73-yard touchdown breaking tackles, the balletic toe-tapper in the end zone for a touchdown. touchdown. The ass over tea kettle, flip and catch over the middle. What was that? Tail over tea kettle. Okay. Go ahead. The sliding third down conversion on the opening drive to go eight straight consecutive games with an opening drive touchdown. The way they use all of these elements, and you can see it all working together, it's so hard to stop these guys.

I couldn't agree more. And the Packers, I can understand, Dan, why you would have picked this as a potential hero pick, because the Packers. Packers sort of felt like a team of destiny, but I think the Falcons have just been overlooked by a lot of people, frankly. And this game for the casual fan was an utter wake-up call to what the Falcons have been, not just in the playoffs, but going back months. And what I loved about this game, and Connor Orr, who wrote up to what we learned on this, did an excellent job of describing coming out of halftime if the Green Bay Packers were going to find their way back in this. They're dangerous enough to think there was enough time for them to come back and even the school. or maybe turn the thing around, that right away Atlanta's defense squeezed them with a three and out.

And he talked about, they looked to Dan Quinn, the look on his face, a smile that said, this half's going to be like the last half. The Falcons, after scoring just before halftime, scored three more touchdowns in the second half before finishing the game with a meaningless punt. I mean, they are one of these teams that know how to lay a hurt on you and not let go. It was a fascinating game. It was not the boring game that we got later. there were elements where this team is fun to watch.

I was wildly disappointed in this game, to be honest with you. I guess it was a better game from a watchability standpoint than the late game. But the fact that the Packers, and it really is, it's a testament to how good Atlanta really is, and they've now won eight straight games. There isn't, you know, I wouldn't call this, and I think a lot of people, a lot of football fans are rooting for the Packers in this game because the Packers had the built-in storyline of Aaron Rogers and the more recognizable roster.

And the Falcon's a little loose on the charisma. Not a lot of guys on that. This isn't the dirty birds of 98. In fact, after the game, when I was kind of looking for some good sound bites for what we could use, there was really nothing kind of saucy to me because these guys are kind of lunch pail guys,

but their offense isn't lunch pail, Wes. I mean, do you think if they go and finish this thing out with another 30-point plus effort in the Super Bowl and win this thing, are they going to be talked about? In that historic way, like the Rams and the Patriots of 2007, that level? Yeah, here's what I would compare it to. The best offense I may have ever seen is between the 2007 Patriots and the 1998 Vikings.

And nobody really puts the 98 Vikings in that discussion because they got knocked off and they didn't finish the job. Well, for that matter, the 2007 Patriots didn't either. But this offense ranks with those, I think. And you're going to stay in the discussion if you win the Super Bowl. It's funny because in that 98 season where the Falcons went on and got romped by John Elway's final game, a Super Bowl win, that so many people wanted it to be Randall Cunningham and the Vikings versus that incredible Broncos offense. And we didn't get it.

This is a completely different Falcons team. And you can't get out of here without talking about the way this game started, though. I think Green Bay, it's a frustrating game for Packers fans to look back on and review. Because after your first drive, Atlanta zooms down the field, as they always do, with their opening touchdown, the Packers miss a field goal that they should not have. It's the first kicker to miss Mason Crosby in the entire playoffs. And then on the next drive, when you are driving again, and Aaron Ripkowski gets down to the 11-yard line of the Falcons and fumbles the ball away, it felt to me that the game was over because

you have to go punch for punch with the Falcons, and instead Green Bay is giving away possessions. That was, I also, I kind of, I thought that was a little bit of a more questionable play than the Fox team putics. They didn't really make any note of it. But that was a play where the ball was knocked out. And then it was recovered right around the one yard line. And I thought the momentum, who had the recovery again? Jalen Collins had the recovery. It looked like he might have rolled in.

I thought it was either going to be at the one yard line or the, or it would be a safety. Instead, it got moved to the 20 of the touchback. And the Falcons went right down the, right. down the field to make it 17-0-0 game over. And you're right. I mean, you cannot fall behind that many points to the Falcons because you can't make enough stops to catch up at that point. I mean, two drives later, they have a three-and-out, which was just uncharacteristic for what we've seen from Green Bay. And then Aaron Rogers throws on a long third down pass a pick. And this is what you needed to do to Atlanta for any chance in the Georgia Dome, the final game there, to keep this

thing close. I've been skeptical of the Falcons defense. And I do think that the Packers shot themselves in the foot several times today. But the Falcons deserve credit for putting heat on Aaron Rogers for coming up with big game-changing plays. And this team reminds me a lot of the Peyton Manning Colts, with Matt Ryan distributing so well, making smart decisions, being so accurate on offense. And then they count on playing with a big lead, unleashing some pass rush, and then coming up with big plays as you get desperate. And Connor really did touch on that very well in the recap of this game.

He did, and I think when, you know, this stuff happens in games and it goes unnoticed, guys like offensive linemen who don't get a lot of attention. But when T.J. Lang was hurt and they continued to get banged up scenarios with their offensive linemen. I think it was a sack and seven hits on the quarterback, if I'm not mistaken, that Atlanta finished up with. That was the factor that when we went into look at this game on Thursday, we thought it's going to be one of these 41 to 38. We were not expecting one of these defenses to lay a hurt on the quarterback the way they did on Aaron Rogers. And it shouldn't be forgotten. And time probably will forget it now because the ride ended before the Super Bowl. But Aaron Rogers went on a truly special run in the last two and a half months of this season.

And I do want to pull up one bit of audio here because Rogers is very measured in what he says. He doesn't let anybody in, really. We know the issues with his family and stuff. He's not an easy got to figure out from our perspective, let alone people close to him. but when when people asked about Jordy Nelson playing in this game, which was a wild thing that Jordy Nelson played in this game and had an impact as well, 6 for 67

and a touch, this is how Aaron Rogers responded. I'm so proud of Jordy. I mean, it's incredible that he was out there. Aaron Rogers is getting choked up talking about Jordy Nelson. But you have Jordy Nelson there. you get Devante Adams, who did not really have a big presence, although I did score a touchdown.

Randall Cobb made some plays and still wasn't close to enough because the Falcons, you know, after they blew out their divisional round opponent, I said to myself, I can't pick against these guys. I got sucking into the romance of the Aaron Rogers run. But now I'm thinking, again, as well as the Patriots, and we'll talk about them played, how could you pick against the Falcons when they are peaking at this level right now? They're a total team. Yeah, but the Patriots haven't trailed in a game since week 12. I know, you're right.

They have, since Brady came back, they have the best record, the best point differential, the best defense. They're a well-balanced team. Is this it? Unstoppable Force, a movable object? I don't think the Patriot defense is an immovable object. I think Big Ben actually, we'll get into this later. Big Ben actually passed pretty well today. Well, I think at least for what has been a rough month for playoff football, if you enjoy close games.

If you like kind of blasé blowouts that are kind of over by this late second quarter, then you've had a great time. But with the way it's played out, I mean, I do feel that we've gotten the two best teams right now going up against each other. And in Green Bay, it was a hit. You thought that today, too. We're either in for the best Super Bowl ever in terms of being overdue for a good game or it's going to be Chargers 49ers. It easily could be. And Atlanta has the power to maybe do that. I mean, except that they're going up against the coach that no one is better than Bill Belichick when you give him.

And not just him, Nat Patricia and Josh McDaniels and the rest. Well, yeah, I think you mentioned McDaniels, and there's so much we can't know about this matchup. But one thing we do know, one thing I'm pretty sure of, these are the two best play callers in the NFL and Kyle Shanahan and Josh McDaniels. Yeah, and it makes you think about what happens with Atlanta beyond this year because Kyle Shanahan, by all accounts, is heading to San Francisco. So I wonder, you know, there's no such thing as needing more urgency when you make to the Super Bowl. But the Falcons may never be this good again on offense when Shanahan leaves. So you better take advantage of it now. So, Julio Jones, that toe thing, obviously, not a big deal.

Nine for 180 and two touchdowns on 12 targets. Yeah, so everything clicking for the Falcons. And they're fun to watch. They're so fun to watch. Did you hear the details on Julio Jones' toe? He's three different foot injuries. Two torn ligaments in his toe in a mid-foot spring, according to Jay Glazer. He goes over 180 for the second time in a conference championship game,

the only player to ever do that he's going to be in the hall of fame someday and i i think really he gets two weeks now by the way to get healthy yeah and if this is him with a messed up foot but i think he once again reminded everyone and it's a fun to bakes there are a lot of talented guys that he's the best in the league i think i i think he is the best wide receiver in the league during a time when there's a lot of great wide receiver just incredibly dominant when he's on and there was no way in green bay's defense i mean i'm sorry but i i tweeted this this five minutes into the game, and it only became more, I think, severe and real, is that it feels like every late January we're getting these, you know,

Fox shots up to the booth of Dom Capers, kind of, you know, bemused, a little bit confused, what's happening down on the field, and it continues to keep this role. You know, though, West, I think you made a good point, I think, on Twitter also that, that doesn't, I don't, I don't, Capers is Teflon Dom, I get that, but this is a special offense, and Dom Cabers is the first one. Everyone's getting bang. Yeah, I mean, the Packers' defense did not play well today by any stretch of the imagination, but stop trying to discredit the Falcons.

They do this to everyone. And Julio Jones, if you look at the two offenses I mentioned, the 98 Vikings, 2007 Patriots, what's the common denominator? Randy Moss not only beats you deep, he clears out so much space for guys like Wes Welker or Chris Carter to work with. Right. The Patriots are – or the Falcons are so dominant because Julio Jones clears out that space for Taylor Gabriel and Austin Hooper and Mohamed Sunu.

He is such a big factor beyond what he does catching the ball. No doubt. I still look at Green Bay and say that there's some loyalty with the coaching staff there that it extends beyond this game against a great offense. It seems to be that Green Bay, you talk about we've been here since 2010, Dan. Yeah. That's when that first Super Bowl we were here, you thought that Green Bay and Aaron Rogers would have another two or three by now, potentially,

and they have been incredibly frustrating the play. You, Wes and Greg, not on this podcast, I think in the newsroom, they're a little bit of scientist heat because Greg made a comment, which I kind of agree with that on some level, there is a twinge of disappointment to this Packers run with Aaron Rogers because now another year has passed. And with the mighty Aaron Rogers, they have just the one ring. And now another opportunity gets away from them. I mean, what do you think they need a little post-morten on them before we move on to the second game? What do the Packers need to do to improve and get back to the stage that they haven't been now? Aaron Rogers said that they needed to reload, I think was the word, that they probably, you know. Definitely push for them to re-sign Jared Cook.

But when you look at that team, the two differences to me, primary difference is look at Atlanta's backfield versus Green Bay's backfield, which they didn't use at all today. They were a one-dimensional offense. And then if you look at their defense, Julius Peppers is going to be 37 years old. Matthews used to be a defense visible this whole playoff. He used to be a defensive player of the year candidate. Who do they have now who's at that level? Nobody. And their cornerbacks got worked over.

Their cornerbacks gave career games to several quarterbacks down the stretch this year. I don't see the development on defense. It goes back to what we're talking about. I think on offense they find a way to do that because a guy like Aaron Rogers also makes players around him better and things happen with Aaron Rogers on the field that no other quarterback could duplicate. But their defense, look at it, I get that they're not.

going to hold the Falcons to 14 points, but they gave them zero chance to win this game today, zero. Will you be covering the Falcons Super Bowl week? West will, I believe, is covering the Falcons, and I am covering the Patriots, I believe, for the eighth time in like nine years. Wes, my task and my dream is for you to call something extraordinary out of Matt Ryan at one of these, like, press gatherings, something saucy, a Nameth-like guarantee, something that really shakes the foundation of the football world because like, whoa, Matt Ryan said that?

Who got that out of him? Chris Wessling nailed it. That'd be great. Get right on that after I squeeze blood out of a turnip. All right. So, as we said, Packers go home. The Falcons go to their second Super Bowl. And unlike the first one where it just seemed like a total disaster immediately and with the, the falcons squeezing by that historic

Vikings team and then FC title game and then getting just wiped out by the Broncos who went back to back that year. And Eugene Robinson getting popped for having that with ladies in the night right before the game where he picked up the man of the year award. That was an ugly little story.

In Cincinnati we call that pulling a Stanley Wilson. Stanley will, yeah, pulling a Stanley Wilson. This Falcons team is going to have a chance, but it's going to be a tough battle because we know who they're facing. But before we get to that team, It's time.

And now, a real commercial for a real CBS procedural that millions of people watch every week. This Monday, the earth will quay, the ground will sink. If this sinkhole widens, the silo will fall in. And if the chemicals get into the sinkhole. A humanitarian disaster. Not good. Well, this team of geniuses will have to sink or swim. I got one last big breath that I'm under, kid.

I'll have you out of there in less than a minute. Trust me. Faster! New Scorpion. My favorite line is the not good. I figured we've been doing this all season now. I haven't started watching it. And that one of my on my to-do list for the off-season is just sit down and binge watch all three seasons of Scorpion only on CBS.

No, why not? 10 p.m. 9 central time. 10 Eastern, of course. Here's a little synopsis courtesy of Wikipedia. If you guys want to jump on board, maybe we could have some. some viewing parties together, get some popcorn, get under a blanket together, I don't know. Scorpion is said to be the last line of defense against complex, high-tech threats around the globe, drawing on a diverse set of skills and experience.

The team tackles a variety of problems, many of which are extremely complex. Now, we know that from these commercials. While they are frequently called into service by the Department of Homeland Security, they also accept work from private individuals and organizations, so they could be a shadow group as well. Because after listening to what, seven, eight of these so-called ads, previews, no sense of any character, no sense of anyone in the show that's sort of a standout individual, it just seems like a hodgepaja people that are looking for a chaotic situation to dump themselves into. One thing that does stand out for me is that Robert Patrick, who's best known as the T-1000 from Terminator 2, he seems to be, he gets banged off. He's the guy that got killed. and they had to regenerate him.

And he's the guy in this new commercial that was like, all right, I'm taking one last breath. And then they sent him underwater in a grate that was locked for like a minute straight. He seems to get completely banged on the show. Patrick. Good old Bob Pat. Yeah, old Bob Pat. We'll let you take a look at the first couple episodes, if not seasons,

and then report into us and see if it's weather for us, you know, if it's worth getting on that couch together. Catherine McPhee is on the show, a little American Idol. I know, Mark, you're a McAfee fan, aren't you? I mean, I can pretend to be for the sake of this, but I really could not pick her out of a... I don't want you to be playing a character like West does. Yeah, I want you to be yourself.

I've heard the name. I don't have a beat on her. Here's where I go with that. Bid McPhee, Hall of Fame second baseman for the Cincinnati Reds, played in the 1880s before they had gloves. Okay. Not on the show. Not on the show.

And with that, let's roll into coverage of game two of Sunday. And I'm in the flanker, right, two receivers left, Brady pulls right, give the Dionne Lewis. He tosses it back to Brady and a footballer. He had Mitchell open. He throws it stuck for Hogan to the right. Touchdown. Patriots.

He has two choices. And he finds Hogan for the second time. High fives for everybody. Oh, please. Sounds like the press box at the Super Bowl. That's Zolak again, who definitely doesn't do these games with a shirt on. Bob Sosie, Scott Zolak, WBZ. Let's take a trip to the throne of ease.

Why don't we, said? Tom Brady threw three touchdown passes, two to the immortal Chris Hogan, and the Patriots rolled to their seventh AFC championship in the Brady-Belchek era, a 36-17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Brady was on target all game, and Hogan, you know, a useful minor player everywhere else in his NFL career, went off for nine catches for 180 yards and two touchdowns. In fact, that is the exact same stat line as Julio Jones. So in the world we now live in, the world that...

We operate in now as humans in society. Trump's America, Julio Jones, equals Chris Hogan. That's where we are. I think if I ever call for a good for you, to the Patriots. Good for you! Mark. Yes. The Steelers lost Levon Bell early in this game, but that is not the story here.

The Pats were by far the superior team. And that's why they're going back to the Super Bowl yet again. 100%. We watched what happened with Tom Brady last week where he was rattled a little bit against Houston, had some turnovers, and the question was, wait, is this a, you know, a look ahead to what will happen against a much, you know, just an equally good Pittsburgh defense in another way? And I think we all agreed, no, it's not what's going to happen. And it's not what happened at all. The Brady led patriots were utterly efficient. I do think losing Levi-on-Bel was obviously massive. But the Steelers, came out wanting to throw the ball too. I think that they were never in rhythm, and it's such a taller task than maybe to be perceived to go into New England,

which is not a feared venue the way that some of these are, just to go in there and take control of the game. It's so rare, and Pittsburgh was not up to the task on any level. I thought this game was as dominating a performance by the winner as the first game. As unimpressed as I was by New England's performance last week against the Texans, I was equally impressed with how they played in this game. And you're right.

Sammy Coates let that ball go through his hands on the first. Right away. Kobe Hamilton drops a touchdown. Kobe Hamilton, I mean, we've seen this a lot in the playoffs where teams that on paper, it looks like we should have a good game, they just don't execute. And then the team that has their crap together dominates. And that's what happened, West. The Pats played a complete game.

and the Steelers made mistakes. I thought for three quarters, Ben passed as well as Tom did, and he was hurt. They were hurt by Lev Bell's injury and Martavis Bryant's suspension because they were never able to get that second receiver while Malcolm Butler was doing a great job on Antonio Brown. Lev Bell's not there for, he's the best receiving back in football with David Johnson right there, but they didn't, you know,

those heirs by Kobe Hamilton and Sammy Coates, and then Jesse James not being able to get over the goal line on that one play. He also had a third down drop where Patrick Chung, might have actually pass interfered with them. But I just thought that the Patriots had too much. And then look at it at the other way, never should anyone pick the Steelers to beat the Patriots. Tom Brady is now 22-0, touchdown to interception ratio,

with a passer rating near 130 since Mike Tomlin became the Steelers head coach. The best numbers he's had against any head coach in the NFL. Here's Robert Kraft, the Patriots owner on the riser, after the win. for a number of reasons all of you in the stadium understand how big this win was but we have to go to Houston and win one I mean from a factual standpoint alone he is correct win one more is that the new do-your job i just just let me know i don't need to need the big story i mean it feels bland enough to be their new their new man try right and then uh old billy bellichick speaking of a charisma vacuum he steps up to the riser next let's hear what he had to say about his seventh trip to

the super bowl with the patriots it's got the players played hard they played smart we took care of the ball played good defense hold his team to nine points for 50 minutes pretty good electric um all right so Tom Brady. What can I say? I said he'd have a slight regression this season. Well, that blew it, all right? What do you want from me? How many times I have to say it that I got it wrong?

It's not an easy day for Dan specifically because it's, I think it's, you know, it's something that you've dealt with week to week from September through January, but then it's also their high achievement. Year to year. Year to year. It's been going on since Y2K. Tom Brady had 10 incomplete passes. This is from Nathan Junkie of.

PFF. Three were dropped, two thrown away, one spiked, one spiked. And I recall just one bad pass. I believe Hogan was the intended guy. He threw it behind him. It should have been like a 20 yard gain. But other than that, he was absolutely a perfect in this game. And again, Chris Hogan, he plays Julio Jones great in this game. And a little another nugget for you guys. This is from Artie Stapleton. Good boy. Like Artie of the record. Hogan had more yards tonight. AFC title game than he had his entire collegiate career one year at Mammoth College in New Jersey, 147. So it just, he takes, and we talked about this. We were on this, and we're not geniuses, but we were on the Patriots inevitable Super Bowl trip this summer

because it just all seemed to be really syncing up for them this year. And Hogan, the pickup, we had fun with that, that, oh, obviously this guy was going to come in and immediately become a big-time playmaker for him for the Pats. And he is. He led the league in yards per catch, and he was a superstar today. And it's the one, I remember writing the post in May when he was a restricted free agent and they put a deal on the table that the bills were not going to match. And the nugget coming out to some of the beat reporters was that Belichick,

A, we know he's obsessed with former lacrosse players. That's in there. I love those little Belichick nuggets. He loves lacrosse. And secondly, that he found that Chris Hoke Hogan's football IQ was a rare find, and it fits that receiver position in New England is not easy, and Hogan has not been a week-to-week 100-yard type guy, but he's had a couple big games, had 94 yards against Houston and blew up today.

And turn your volume down to zero if you're a Bills fan right now, because maybe you forgot about this. But on March 11th of 2016, the bills declined to match that offer sheet to Chris Hogan. How much it would have cost them to do? 12 million total. You think he would have been a useful part in Buffalo? I'm not saying he would have been this good, but I think they should have held out to him

and kept them away from the bats. Cover your ears, Dan, because I'm about to lavage some heaping praise on Belichick, who gets tons of credit for his strategic mind, but he's the best team builder in the NFL. It's not the best 53, it's the right 53. And he does that better than anyone. When he trades a guy like Jamie Collins,

who won't agree to an under-market contract, he brings in a guy like Kyle Van Nuo, who made a huge play today, and they've been a better defense with Van Nuoy than with Collins. He picks up Hogan. He signs Dionne Lewis off the street. Nobody else wants to le Garrett Blunt. He picks up Eric Rowe for pennies on a dollar in a trade.

These guys are all playing huge rules. I think if you look at this roster, the guys who are making big plays, nobody is above a third or fourth round pick. Everybody signed off the street for nothing or an afterthought-free agent. That's a testament to his ability to plug guys into the system.

I have my fun, obviously, with the Patriots, but I never questioned Belichick's greatness. And you're right. The fact that late in this game, you know, the Nansen Sims are talking about how Logan Ryan was one of the rising stars at cornerback. We already know that they found a gem and Malcolm Butler. And I guess you can be overly critical of the Patriots

and just try to have fun with it or try to have too much fun with it and say, oh, well, they have Brady and Belichick. And that's a big part of it. they have all these pieces that they keep rolling in despite having low first round picks or none at all. Well, Brady's the glue. It works because you have not only the greatest quarterback, but the greatest quarterback who takes a pay cut to stay there and sets the tone by holding everyone else to his standard. When a guy like that, I've heard Damashik in the newsroom go off and say, why does Brady get to act like a jerk on the field? Because he's the leader. He's earned that.

He's earned that through 17 years of getting in that building first, holding himself to a higher than everyone so when he goes off on you you're going to take it he's more invested than you are tough day for damage check by the way well i feel i mean i could you could see you could see he put out a bunch of tweets like you could tell he was not having a great well he and he he spent the week and this isn't piling odd day but this is just part of the story of this game uh you know building this game up as a big legacy game for both rothlisberger and brady and here's brady now going to get another super bowl and big ben's going to be fine big ben's got two titles uh you He's going to have every passing record if he doesn't already have it in Pittsburgh history,

and he's in no doubt Hall of Famer. But if there was ever any question about where Brady and Rothesberger rank in the hierarchy of all-time quarterbacks, another reminder that Brady is just on another level. Yeah, and Big Ben, look what he's going to have next year. Hopefully has Martavis Bryant back. You bring back every other skill position player. Maybe Laderius Green comes back healthy. The offensive line, which was right there with Dallas is in Oakland's is the best in the NFL.

And then the young defense that got better throughout the course of the season, there's no reason to believe the Steelers aren't going to repeat as AFC Central champs or AFC North. Well, this is the same story for them year after year. They go out of the playoffs without Levion Bell in the lineup and without them being at full power, that same thing happened again. I would say that it was a week ago that I was calling Keith Butler, potential assistant coach of the year. And here's the problem.

Their zone defense got eaten alive today. So you've got to find a way to go and map. match up with Belichick and make adjustments to get out of a game like this in the future. All right. You know, there is one more member of the Around the NFL podcast, and his name is Greg Rosenthal. I say, is that NFL Networks? Greg Rosenthal. That guy slave me.

Yes, NFL Networks. Greg Rosenthal now joins us from Foxborough, Massachusetts. Happy Greg Rosenthal, because his little boys are going back to the big dance. His little boys, how derisive is that? This is my favorite. I want you to know, by the way, you haven't heard that I've been on my best behavior because the Patriots is, you know, why fight the obvious that this was a Patriots team, Greg, that played close to a complete game as they've done all season,

and, you know, they earned everything I got today. How about me? You are the hero. It's funny. It's like I, you know, we talk to Malcolm Butler, you know, Chris Hogan, all of these guys that I thought were the stars of the day, but actually was Dan Anderson's modesty, which really is what I'll remember. How about this? Listen in on this, Greg.

This is Tom Brady, who was asked on the podium after the game after some weeks where they didn't quite put it all together, was this more the type of Patriots offense that he expects on a week-to-week basis. It was a good day. We're going to the Super Bowl, man. You've got to be happy. you're happy now. Brady drops the brown word. That's how you know he's in a good mood, Greg. I mean, he's enjoying it. He said it. There's no guarantee that they'll ever be here again.

There's no guarantee you ever get to this spot. You know, your boy, Martellus Bennett was definitely token in the surroundings, running around the field, dancing with the cheerleaders. I think it's great that we get to spend another couple weeks with the Bennett brother. I know that's what you're excited about. I like Martellis. I've actually interviewed him past Super Bowls. He I believe lives in Hawaii and plays one of those little guitars called. The ukulele. So he's going to be a star of Super Bowl

Week. But otherwise, you know, the Patriots, Greg, more than any other team, know the drill of Super Bowl Week. And between, geez, now that I think about it, between the Patriots who are, oh, and what is this, Greg, what is this thing? One more time. What is that? Is that your thing? I don't know. I don't know. There was like reporters even asking players

about that slogan. I guess that was some like marketing slogan, but... Let's hear from Robert Kraft one more time. For a number of reasons, all of you in the stadium understand how big this win was.

Listen up, Greg. This is your army. I know. But we have to go to Houston. and win one. Is that your new thing, Greg? Look, you don't try to pin this on me. It was like one more game.

I guess that was their slogan all year. One more game. That's almost as lame as blunt force trauma. All right, so you're in the... Let's go back to the game, Greg. Enjoy the seventh AFC champion. You should, and I'm really happy for you. I'm really happy for you.

But in the locker room, you mentioned it. A little bit by touching on Bennett was the only guy really jazzed up. Robert Klemko of Monday morning quarterback said that it was a very subdued Patriots locker room. I assume you got down there. Yeah, I mean, he's right. Half of them are just speaking in cliches. You know, Julian Edelman, like, you know, I asked him about like to hurry up offense for instance that they kind of broke out a little more today to beat the Patriots.

And he had the ultimate Patriots saying, which is just like, you know, I'm, you know, Josh, Josh McDaniels is the one leading the herd. I'm just part of the cattle. One more game, man. One more game. And that is the Patriots. They weren't getting too crazy after the game. But it's also well after that celebration on the field.

They hold the locker room. They keep the media out. And then by the time the media gets in there, it's kind of, you know, they just want to get out of there and do their business. What are some other takeaways you had from the game, Greg, being there in person? uh you know i will remember the scott zolak being up on the scoreboard with the sign that says you know the poorly written sign that said uh where is roger but didn't have a question mark on it i mean the crowd probably went crazier for for that uh than any other moment of the entire

crowd i mean you guys probably heard that they were still singing the bon jovi lyrics during a kickoff i mean that was that was i have a question about that was memorable the crowd was rocking You know, the Fox broke out gets a lot of grief, but when they're up early... Mitten Clappers! Is this still special to Patriots fans? I mean, you know, I am in with you a bit during the game. You sounded like people were there were acting like it was one of the first playoff victories. They were genuinely into it.

Yeah, I think that, you know, you forget maybe, I shouldn't, but the fact that Robert Kraft alluded to it, the fact that this is the first, you know, that the season started with the flake gate, that this is the first Super Bowl trip. um since he's been suspended and everything that resonates like the fans were all i think all about that they just want to ask the nfl i mean the the the chance of roger and everything like that were just were we're kind of crazy and i think that's i think that's what makes it a little different and and i think people finally realize you can't count on tom brady doing this forever that that you would think this has got to be one of the last the last if not the last chance

i don't know about that that's my theory that's not going so No. Brady's just halfway through his career. Shut up, boss. But, by the way, yeah, Brady said after the game, he did not hear the where is Roger chant. That's what his claim was anyway. But he did hear the Bon Jovi chant. And I'm just curious, again, you being, you know, the spokesman for that region and you're back in your hometown or home state today. When did you co-opped Bon Jovi?

I thought that was a Jersey thing. Well, he's been friends with Belichick forever. But co-opting Jovey, though, that's an iconic New Jersey song, I thought. You know, it's a song that, let's face it, popular with a lot of middle-aged whites everywhere. I mean, the Steelers used to use it. I watched their pep rally on Friday. I was at work. They did a pep rally, and that was their theme song in their pep rally.

So we got to get some new songs. That song literally came out 31 years ago. It's got to be something else out there. There's nothing about the Belichick Brady. Patriot is living on a prayer. Well, that's a fair point. It really made no sense. I mean, that was the thing, I think that was the thing that struck me in person, like,

how much of a better plan that they had. You said it, Mark, in terms of the Steelers not, like, adjusting out of that zone defense. But in the end, like, the Patriots were doing a lot of the same things defensively that the Steelers were doing, kind of dropping eight and coverage. It just worked better for them. And when they, the Steelers, I think, really tried to stop the running game early. And the Patriots just were like, okay, fine, we're not going to even bother to try to run the ball at all.

We're just going to play like four or five wide and get filed and it works. Don't you think they do that better than anyone over the last 10 years? If you take away something, they don't bother with, all right, we're going to try to run the ball. It's okay. We'll just shred you with our passing game. Right, exactly. I think they adjust on the fly. Like people talk about halftime adjustments.

Like they're making adjustments very quick in that game. I think they saw what the Steelers were doing instead of dropping people out into coverage. and it was like, it was easy pickings. It was too much. I think they were really confusing the Steelers secondary with the route combinations and everything. It was amazing. Like, it just seemed so easy on that for them on third and six, third and seven

to find a zero. I don't want to understate, however, Levyon Bell's injury and all this. He goes out with a groin injury, I believe it was the first quarter, six carries or 20 yards. He tries to come back in for one play and then goes back on it. You see that shot you see when a player tries.

to go back in and you see the look on his face that he knows he's done and sure enough he had the jacket on the rest of the way DeAngelo Williams who's a fine backup and had a little bit of juice in his legs on their first possession or first touchdown drive but he couldn't do much after that you have to there is a bit of a what if with this and I know the Steelers had a terrible day on defense a what if would the Steelers have been able to make a run and put some points on the board if Labion Bell is healthy and by the way this is becoming a familiar refrain for Steelers

fans what if we had lev bell healthy in our playoff loss yeah i i agree i think it the game was a lot closer in the first half than the score indicated they were both moving the ball up and down the field the the patriots were just kind of better in this each situation like the at the goal line stand at the end of the first half was massive and just every little part of that game but that's kind that's kind of the patriots them out they don't like kill you in terms of yardage but then you look up at the score, and it's out of control. They had an interesting game plan where it seemed like they had like five guys on the line of scrimmage at all times, only one linebacker behind them, and they were double and triple

teaming Antonio Brown. People say, okay, they did the same thing with Butler and Brown. I mean, they basically had McCourt. They had their best two defensive backs on Brown for most of the night, because it was mostly McCordy and Butler, and I remember one sequence when they were trying to score. on the goal line. They had three guys on Brown. So they were just like begging Kobe Hamilton and one of those other guys to step up and they couldn't. A very quiet seven for 77 for Antonio Brown. Well, and it's, it becomes very tiresome. It's just because there's so many

different media voices and outlets saying it this week hearing about Bill Belichick taking away the best player. But he actually did exactly that. He did exactly that. He got help with one of the other best player being injured. But I don't know how much of this of the Falcons game you got to see, but you know who the Falcons are. And you've now lived through, and you've seen a bunch of different Patriots Super Bowl matchups. Where do the Falcons, and the way they stand today after rifling off the Green Bay Packers,

where do they stand for you in terms of P-level with all the Super Bowl matchups you dealt with? This one seems different to me. And let me, before you answer, let me make it clear what the P-level represents. One, your underpants, flawless. Your jeans, no worries at all. You're in a great zone here.

You've got to use the bathroom. you're going to find a bathroom all set 10 your pants are soaked the underwear not redeemable they got to go in the trash can you're done where you at it's pretty high it's you know i haven't had it above three all year i would say it'd be a seven hey uh sit let's pick up some uh adult-sized diapers go ahead sure not sure that's part of my job description but i'll do what i can okay do your best we're gonna get you get you some diapers Greg for Super Bowl week i think we're going to I need it because, you know, you said rank them, you know, compared to the other Super Bowl. Well, it's easily the best offense that they've played since, you know, the first Super Bowl,

which the P-level wasn't even that high because you just assumed that the Rams were going to run up and down. I mean, this is one of the best offenses since then, and I think it's exactly the type of offense and team that can just go up and down the field on them. I mean, Rothesberger played pretty well today, and I don't know how they come up with the answers for Atlanta. I think it's just coming up, you know, we'll get into it, but it's going to be coming up with a few plays,

and it's going to be having a perfect game on offense, which they're capable of do. Are we assuming the Patriots are going to be slight favorites in this game? They are. They are. Which shocks me. I don't think of them that way. Really?

The Patriots. I think that, you know, I know we don't get into that. But I suspect they will become less of a favorite as we get closer. But, yeah, they opened up as favorites. That's weird. Watching the Atlanta team, how can anyone be favored? I'm with you, Greg. I'm with you.

They didn't play a defense today, the Falcons. Sure. And Seattle is terrible outside of Seattle. So who have the Falcons been tested by severely? I don't know. I don't think the Patriots have been tested either, but Patriots have been the best team since Brady came back, so that doesn't surprise me that they'd be favored.

All right. Greg, you're going to have a chance to, you know, reconnect with any past flames before you get? get on a plane to come back west? I got a right, baby. I haven't even started writing up this dandy. No, my flight's literally in like eight or in like nine hours. All right, well, you get to work.

You're a true professional, and you could read Greg's column when it does land at some point in the middle of the night at NFL.com slash Rosenthal. Yes, he is NFL Networks, Greg Rosenthal. I say, is that NFL networks? Greg Rosenthal. But he's nice enough to always make time for us. Thanks, bud. Oh, please.

That guy says an unbelievable thing to see. All right, there you go. So the Patriots and Falcons will square off on February 5th, two weeks from tonight. And I think we're all excited for that game. And hashtag blessed to be there to cover. Mark throws his hands up, not excited. No, I'm very excited. What was that?

Saying, of course, I mean, goes without. insane. No, I, I, the Falcons, I honestly, I'll say this, I'm kind of like, I think the Packers are like the hot girl in school and like every guy likes her. And I'm like, no, I'll, I want something different. And so the Falcons to me were what I wanted, something different, a different type of team. And I think that they make this, they put a little bit of an intriguing stamp on this. I'm done with Aaron Rogers. Go home. Okay. There you. You finally got your wish. It took longer than you thought. It always takes longer. But Aaron Rogers took your precious dirt nap.

All right, before we go, a couple of things. I don't wish a meal. I'm glad that you got that in. Well, I don't. A special thank you to Derek Hackett, who is the public information officer for the city of Minot. Oh, wow. He sent us just a massive care package,

a box filled with shirts, frisbees, coosies, pens, lanyards, dots, home-style pretzels, which is a North Dakota class, classic, some city literature, and we have our new official mascot of the Around the NFL podcast because Derek sent us Cooter, a beaver, that sits right now, is perched right at the nexus of all of our cubicles. Yeah, and we're going to have to, I mean, unless we're absolute jerks, we would box up a big portion of this and send it on to Connor Orr, because without Connor Orr, there is no

relationship with this city. Yeah, of course. City of Minot is the home of Minot's state. State University, which potentially, or actually not potentially, in reality, in Connor Orr's very unique reality is the new head coach of the Minot State football team. Go check out our podcast for a couple weeks ago. That doesn't make any sense because it sounds like a fever dream. But thank you, Derek, for that.

And with that, gentlemen, we're going to take our Oban Scotch, but we're going to make our now annual pilgrimage after the final Sunday night show. of the season from the studio. We're going to head over the cozy, have a couple drinks, reminisce. Do they let this in? Do they let this kind of bottle of good stuff in there? Do we have to... I don't know.

We're going to put it under your jacket. I think you've never snuck whiskey into a bar before. No comment. Sid, you're welcome to join. I know you don't like going on in the watering holes like we do. Yeah, I mean, I can hang. That's why we call our new money. All right.

That's it. This is Dan Hansa signing off. Congratulations to the Falcons and the Patriots. Good job, guys. Dan Hansa is signing off for the Quiet Storm, the mailman, the boss, and money behind the glass until Tuesday. This is an IHeart podcast.