NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal - 2019 Championship Weekend Recap

Episode Date: January 21, 2019

A room filled with heroes- Dan Hanzus, Marc Sessler, Chris Wesseling and Gregg Rosenthal dissect championship weekend. The Patriots won in overtime against the Chiefs in Arrowhead in an absolute nail biter (4:12). How much does luck have to do with the Patriots dynasty? (11:24). Dan and Marc argue over how to address millennials (18:27) before diving into the Saints painful loss to the Rams at the Super Dome. (28:30) Sean Payton says “we’ll probably never get over it” (33:45) referring to a no call at the end of the fourth quarter. The biggest question of the night, will Marc be the star of the live show? (52:11).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. Hey, everybody. Daniel Jeremiah here. And I'm Bucky Brooks. On Move the 6th, we take you inside the game from breaking down college prospects and NFL rookies to evaluating team building philosophies, coaching trends, and how front offices construct winning rosters. We study the tape, talk to decision makers, and give you a perspective you won't find anywhere else.

It's everything you need to understand the why behind what happens on Sunday. Don't miss it. Listen to the Move the Sticks podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The Around the NFL podcast hopes the Patriots make the Super Bowl. Welcome back to another edition of the Around the NFL podcast. My name is Dan Hansis and I am joined in a room filled with heroes. Mark Sessler, Chris Wessling, and Greg Rosethall. What is up, boys? Hey, Dan. Hey-hoo. Championship Sunday in the books.

A historic championship Sunday. Two overtime games played. Sudden death football with the Super Bowl on the line. And almost, from my opinion, almost a perfect day of football. It didn't quite work out. The Patriots are moving on again. Well, so your team, Dan, is moving on. I got the lock.

So I covered that. Support them? You threw your weight behind them? I threw my weight behind them, and I did get the lock. But there's an old Bill Simmons, you know, who's one of the more influential Boston sports writers of the last 25 years. He used to say it over and over again back in the day before Boston started winning titles in every sport every year.

When he would lament the existence of the Yankees, he said, rooting for the Yankees is like rooting for the house in Blackjack. It's a great quote. And I think that Greg and Erica on this special day, I would never take it away. any of this from you because you get to enjoy another trip nine trips now for tom brady uh to the super bowl but if you if you're ever wondering wait why is dan why is mark why is so much of america salty is that nobody likes to see the house clean out good people on the other side of the table and that's what happens it feels like every january it was remarkably similar and yes for our

listeners despite the lock dan was living and dying with that game as a chiefs fan not as a patriot's I don't blame you at all. If you didn't, Wes nailed it, it was satire on Thursday and a bit of a reverse jinks. And if you thought I was actually rooting for the Patriots, you are listening to the wrong podcast or mentally deficient. I mean, read between the lines. I will never root for the pets. So I was rooting hard for the Chiefs. And it got to the point where Greg disappeared about midway through the fourth quarter.

And it took a couple seconds to figure out, oh, he's probably upstairs with Ricky Holley. About three minutes left. Yeah. Doing the docey dough up here. I mean, it was about three minutes left. Temposi hits me with the slack, like, you should just come up here. And I was like, oh, yeah, like come up here. It's wicked fun up here.

Life is short. Do I want to sit in this newsroom, like result good or bad? This might be the last time they're in this spot in this newsroom where everyone is against them. And, you know, it's just like annoying sort of being surrounded. As you guys can imagine, I mean, for big jets or Browns games. Or do I want to come up here with a charming, energetic Patriots fan here who I could enjoy them? I totally see why you should. shifted seats.

My dog, Mark with a C. At first, when you got up, like, and you were, like, in your little sports coat and you, like, darted sheepishly down the aisle with your laptop. With your laptop, I thought, where is Greg going in the middle of this, like, critical Patriots tribe? Then it was like, okay. And you know what? I don't blame you because you were surrounded.

Like a little ferrette shooting down the hallway. No, but you were surrounded by people that did not want your team to succeed on any level. You mean America? Just the whole newsroom, I think. Like, there was, like, when the Patriots won, then there was an audible. like nothingness in the room just a few groans and no response. Well there was one moment

where I thought it would be nice to be down there and that was when gronk made that catch down the sideline because I would have liked to hear Chris Wesleyan's guttural enjoyment because he was he loves a good gronk and Brady moment. I came alive on that play

but I was screaming and yelling at overtime astonished at Tom Brady being in the zone and just unfurling one after another impeccable ball placement on all of these throws. All right. Great setup, Wes. You set the table nicely there because the way I look at it, since I'm hosting the podcast,

let's get this out of the way. All right. And talk about the Patriots and Chiefs from Arrowhead Championship Sunday. Let's dig in. Grady under center, again to Brick, and runs it left for the win. Touchdown! Patriots! And they're bowed for Super Bowl. What a call, Sosie.

We're going back, baby. And there ain't nothing you can do about it. America's worst nightmare is back. We're going to our fourth Super Bowl in five years. Pack your bags, start our buses. We're coming home, Boston. There's a human Red Bull can, Scott Zolak, along with Bob Sochi, WBZ, with the call the Patriots, recalling memories of their last Super Bowl conquest, won the overtime coin toss.

and march right down the field to glory. This time, Rex Burkhead, scoring from two yards out. The final play in the Patriots, 37, 31 win over the Chiefs at Arrowhead in the AFC title game. Tom Brady, a surgeon during that final march, and now begins prep for what will be his ninth Super Bowl. That is just stupid. Wes, wild game, multiple lead changes, defenses that couldn't get a stop on either side of the ball, and a legendary QB who came through yet again. Four fourth quarter lead changes.

several replay reviews that looked like they could have gone either way another and a long line of two-minute drill touchdown drives by Tom Brady a 30-second field goal drive with two great throws by Patrick Mahomes and then Tom Brady to start overtime has one of the best exhibitions of ball placement I've ever seen and this man was in the platonic ideal of the athletic zone he was there he said before the playoffs start

in their by week, that there's nothing in his life in football or outside of it that can replace the feeling that you have during the playoffs. And he has played like it the last two weeks. And the Patriots have played like it. They have played their best two games of the season in the playoffs. And what stands out about those drives is they're so short-handed on the outside. They're trying to throw it to Dorset. They're trying to count on Cordero Patterson to win off.

the line of scrimmage and catch a pass, that they're getting into these third and long situations, and then who do you go to there? It's Julian Edelman, who was not at his best for much of the season, and it's Gronk, who had one of his, if not his best game of the season. They needed three touchdowns to win the game on their last three drives. They got three touchdowns on their last three drives, and Edelman and Gronk had 106 of the 147 yards on those three drives. It was those three guys and James White earlier in the game, kind of the guys you think of as the Patriots in this now four to five year run

where they keep making it back. I think it was more than that too because for the second straight week, the Patriots coaching staff, that should not be a shock to us, put on long stretches of minutes of dominant play and play calling, with frankly a roster on offense

that I think other coaching staffs would not be anywhere close to the AFC championship with some of the, the guys that Tom Brady's throwing to, and for all, you know, the heat that we give New England and the exhaustion around whatever the experience is covering this team going back to the Super Bowl, I mean, I think down the road as a human being that loves football, you cannot help but look back on what Brady does in a game like this, where the whole narrative all week is, you know, understandably, he's an older quarterback, it's going to be 20 degrees, it's going

to feel like it's three degrees. You're going up against young Patrick Mahom, Holmes, who, like, you know, is impervious to cold. shrugged off all the elements. Mother Nature can't take them out. And I think also the defense, which we kind of can gloss over because there's so many known quantities on offense, played for the first half, an incredible half of football until the Chiefs got their play.

The Chiefs put up 24 points in the fourth quarter, and Patrick Mahomes looked every bit the MVP in the second half. The first half, though, they didn't score a point until late in the quarter. right? Did they get a touchdown late in the quarter? It's been such a... It was 14 to nothing at halftime. 14 nothing to have it. Thank you.

They got on the board almost immediately in the third quarter. I want to point out one more thing on the Patriots that I think is overlooked. Brady is brilliant. And on that last drive, it just felt it just felt like it was done. The coin flip, which called heads, always call heads. Every ball, like Wes is saying, right where it needed to be. And I think what's not getting enough love and certainly will, because what else do you talk about with the Patriots for two weeks now,

which we have to do almost every year now. But the offensive line deserves a lot of credit for what they did these last two weeks. We know that Brady is old and slow and doesn't like getting hit. That hasn't changed just because now they're winning in the playoffs. He still doesn't like it. But they, too often, if you're a Chiefs fan or if you're a Chargers fan, you just couldn't get near the guy. And that's just a credit to their line.

Absolutely. And I want to touch back on what Mark said about the Patriots coaching. staff. These are two of the most dominant first half you will ever see in the postseason. And they have 40 first downs versus 39 total plays for the Chiefs and Chargers in the first half of the last two games. They had more first down than the other teams had total plays in both games. And Belichick talked about it after the game. They could have scored more points. They struggled in short yardage. Brady's interception on the goal line would have been the play that Patriots fans remembered if they went on to lose this game. But the Chiefs,

defense, which is, which is not great all day, by the end of that game, they were worn out. The Patriots ran 94 plays, not even counting penalties. It would have been even more. 94 plays to 47 for the Chiefs. The Patriots had more runs in that game than the Chiefs had plays. And it then made Patrick Mahomes need to be perfect late. And that, if they had won this game, the Chiefs, that is, it would have been such a great individual performance by Mahomes who made mistakes in the first half.

Because for the most part, I think they beat good play calls. That Mahomes won late in the down where it was just Mahomes magic. Other than the touchdown play, which came kind of on another controversial play, a million plays you could look back on it. It was a pick play by the Chiefs. For the most part, their scheme wasn't winning. It was Mahomes winning. I don't want to say this because it's going to seem like I'm just being salty,

as Ricky and the millennials would say. We're well after the game. Our British... The millennials say that people are being salty. That feels like an old... Have a little salt with your dinner. They feel like we've been saying that for 40 years. If anyone was out there watching our Sky Sports hit right after the game,

which was well after midnight in the UK... So no one. It was a salty... It was a fun five minutes for me because it's right after the game. And as salty as Dan and Mark have ever been, I feel like, on air. We're like an hour-plus removed from that now, so everyone's kind of calmed down. It was salty. But this is what...

needs to be said, and I don't care. Patriots fans could, you know, stick it up their butts. Luck is a big part of what's been an incredible ride for them as well. And you could point to 10 different plays and almost every year, things that just seem to go their way. And that's part of what drives the Patriots, drives you crazy as a Patriots hater. In this case, it was a play that will stick with the Chiefs and their fans and D. Ford for the rest of their lives.

And it was, and it's funny how it changes everything. Joe Montana. I've talked about it on this podcast before. Billups of the Bengals, the defensive back, lets a game-ending interception go through his hands that keeps Joe Montana of the Niners alive in Super Bowl 23. So Joe Montana is not remembered for that interception. He's remembered as the guy could never get beaten in the Super Bowl. Grunk, who we're saying had a great game, and he did.

And it was a bounce-back effort offensively for Grunk. If D-4 doesn't line up with his foot in the neutral zone, which is an inexcusable play in the, the fourth quarter of the AFC title game, this game is remembered as the end of Brady and Granc because Gronk let a ball go right through his hands and into the opponent's hands for game ending interception. That is, in the Chiefs run, my pain rankings years ago, that is as painful way to lose. And we saw two games that are very painful ways to lose today. But cheese fans will never forget D. Ford and never forgive him for that play. I agree 100%, but I also

feel like seasons could pass where you find a Patriots player doing the same thing. It's the biggest moment and they are drummed into their heads, the details, the little moments like that. I just, I think it's believable from other teams. It's not believable from the Patriots and

they do create some of their own luck. I mean one sequence that I thought. There's like 25, 30 more plays in that game. But that is, you could say both sides. That is the game deciding play with the chief's nursing a four-point lead.

But it was until it was third and nine on the very first overtime drive and you throw a low percentage throw. Then that's the game turning play if the Chiefs make a play on. But the game's over. If D. Ford has his feet on the right side of the line. I'm just saying. It is what it is. It's undeniable that the Patriots have been lucky throughout this dynasty,

but they've also, that goes both ways. Like if not for the helmet catch and West Welker's drop, they have two more supermarkets. Yeah, my answer for that is absolutely. And I think luck is underrated for how much it affects all of sports, especially the NFL, where it does come down to a few plays. It's a monster factor. But the part that's not lucky is putting yourself in position again and again.

Because the Patriots have been on the other side, not just of painful Super Bowl losses, but a painful AFC championship game losses, which came down to a play where they could go pick out a luck. So the magic is just kind of getting into that moment. The call that got me agitated was the, because it's not, it is, let's even remove it from Patriots Chief specific. I just see too many of these, roughing the passer call, the one that was on Chris Jones, where the replay shows, in my mind, Chris Jones, you know, following through with an attempt to swat the ball or get something on Brady, and not really going for the head on any level. And ultimately, it looks like his hand kind of just went on Brady's jersey and said, let me straighten that out for you, sir, before I get.

flagged for a killer penalty. Yeah, that was absurd. But is that the only time you heard Chris Jones' name today? I mean, you only heard D.4 on the off sides? I don't think I heard Justin Houston name all day. You know what? It is. It gets so redundant. To be clear, that was a roughing the passer penalty that kick started, I believe, the drive

that put the Patriots ahead late before. Absolutely. It would have been a third and seven for the Patriots if they didn't get that call. But that's kind of what I mean is, like, if you don't get that call, and Chiefs fans remember that call, based on what Brady did, on third down the rest of the game and overtime, especially at that point. It's like I would have trusted Brady

to make the next play anyway. That's why I'm sort of saying, even remove it from this specific game. It's just more that those calls don't really have a place in my mind in a huge moment like that. It's so redundant to say this every game before the Patriots square off

against someone with a great pass rush. Oh, well, this will be the team that finally makes life tough on Tom Brady and you thought it was Joey Bosa and the Chargers. And then you thought today, oh, the team that can, you know, they can't do a lot well on defense, but they have been playing well and they lead the league in sacks. You're going to find a way in arrowhead in guttingly freezing temperatures to make life uncomfortable for a 41-year-old quarterback,

and they don't even get to them. I mean, they almost had a Golston, which longtime listeners of the podcast means no QB hits, no sacks. Depending on which stat service you trust, Jesus or ESPN, Derek Nandi may have had a quarterback hit. in this game. But the fact that he dropped back 46 times, he averaged two and a half seconds getting rid of the ball. So that's more Brady than the offensive line. But it was also the protection scheme,

and Romo did a great job pointing it out, gronk chipping. You know, the coach. Romo had the best day of anyone today. Romo was unbelievable. And Brady didn't leave the pocket one single time. So it was 46 times in the pocket without being touched. Like, that's everything coming together.

That's, but it's Brady more than anyone. And like the, and that's why I love. love Romo is that he has a better feel for when the quarterbacks are changing the play at the line of scrimmage, what they're changing it to. How many times in this game did he point that out right before Brady made the perfect play call, including on a fourth and goal on the goal line where he changed it to a successful touchdown? It's like that's his magic. Like if you want to know his magic, that's his number one magic. That's Brady's man. And it's, I go back again to New England's coaching staff because they know that they have a quarterback that's not going to scamper free

left and right, you know, rolling around the field and throwing sidearm like Patrick Mahomes. If you do get to him, he's in hot water, and they find a way with a lot of offensive linemen that sometimes they rotate in and out, you don't even know who these guys are. He doesn't get touched. It's just like, this is coaching this. Like, this is what the Rams are going to have to deal with. And I think it was key to have to run it 48 times. People, like the Patriots went against every tendency that analytics say don't run on first down.

They ran on first down for much of the game. And I think ultimately they put kind of had to. But here's... And then they transition when it wasn't working. Here's my beef with how people use analytics. Analytics are to go against tendency. Right. That's how analytics work.

When everyone else is going one way, you go the other way, because that's where the value is. Take it out of your hat, analytics. I do feel for Andy Reid. You're confusing me. I don't know. Andy, I feel so bad for Andy Reid. Yeah, that's a bummer because here's the good news for Andy Reid. Patrick Mahomes is going to be on his team next year, too.

And you know what they need to do to get better. They need more impact players. Perhaps I did do a little web surfing. Do you millennials still use web information superhighers? No. Why are we targeting? That's because we're a large sexual audience. We've got to connect with the youth to get the podcast numbers.

I know, but it sounds like we're kind of taking like a bit of a shot at them every time we kind of look down at their terminology. That's the way you're saying it. I want to connect. No, that is not the way I said it. That is how you seem to say it to me seconds ago. I looked up a chief subreddit just to see where the fans are at emotionally. And as you can imagine. Wow. it up. As you can imagine, bitterly disappointed, still optimistic about the future with Mahomes there, but everybody wants Bob Sutton fired. But I don't even know. Like Bob Sutton, their defensive coordinator, obviously the Chiefs had no answers down the stretch. Didn't he make great second half adjustment? Well, here's the thing. Also, it's like you could kill Bob Sutton for his defense giving up touchdown drives every position down the stretch. But they're on the field for like 100 plays. It was the same. It was such a carbon copy. I'm sure you have it ingrained in your head, Greg. How many plays did the Patriots run in the

Falcon Super Bowl. Right. It was the same thing. Atlanta had nothing left in the tank by the end of the game. And the coin toss, really, you could argue, Patrick Wilhouns never gets on the field in overtime, which is heartbreaking for the Chiefs. But that coin toss could have decided the game. I agree with that on the coin toss.

But it all starts early, and that's when the Patriots coach is won. How good have the Chiefs been in the first quarter? How good has Andy Reid been at scripting plays? And they were bamboozled in the first quarter. 15 play eight-minute drive, touchdown. Right. So the Patriots start perfect on offense, and the Chiefs, you know, start, I think, with two, three, and outs for the first time they had all year. The Patriots had a plan, double Hill, and they had Gilmore on Travis Kelsey in the second half. They had a different matchup in the first half.

They switched it up. They threw the ball eight times to those two guys. I mean, those are their two best player. They had four catches for 67 yards. They shut down those two guys. It worked to perfection in the first half in the second half. They had to take J.C. Jackson off at Kelsey because he was getting burnt. And that was – J.C. Jackson was leading all cornerbacks in opposing passer rating, entering this game, and he got fried.

He had three penalties in the fourth quarter alone. I mean, I always kind of – I always am not sure about the whole – keep it away from Mahomes. That's the way to do it because ultimately you still have to score more when you have the ball. But in the first half, they only had the ball three times. I mean, that's kind of amazing. They punted all three. They only had 19 plays. that was their first half, the Chiefs.

Well, and their first true drives went for negative two yards. After that, they were the Chiefs. You know, after that they were the Chiefs and then some. I think that the Patriots, I mean, you know, everyone made a big deal as they should have last week when they came out against the Chargers with a seven-plus-minute drive, opening drive touchdown, which was the longest in Bill Belichick's New England history.

So they come out today when you kind of see what they've been doing to everyone, and they have a longer drive. That record didn't even stand a full seven days. mentioned how the Chiefs did nothing in the first half. Mahomes, who was brilliant, as we said, in the second half, he takes a little blame for what happened in the first half. The one possession that really got away from him is he had the big completion of Tyreek Hill,

who was very quiet in this game, as we said. They were set up to get on the board. He misses a wide open, was it Watkins? Wide open, Sammy Watkins, and then takes a bad side. It was Damien Williams on the wheel route, and then takes a bad sack, and that took him out of field goal range. they were out of sorts in the first half.

But as out of sorts as they were in the first half, they scored a touchdown, I think, four plays into the third quarter. And at that point, it was a totally different game. Well, and they got the best game they've had all season from Sammy Watkins, who's been, you know, banged up. And I think that had a lot to do with Tyreek Hill being essentially a race. I mean, they scored 24 points in the fourth quarter. That is outrageous.

He got the, you know, Mahomes got the ball back needing a touchdown with 332. He almost did it too fast. And then he got the ball back again with 30. 39 seconds left and had two unbelievable plays that just about no quarterback is going to make and sets them up for overtime. The only thing I would have gotten on read a little bit was like, if I'm the Patriots, I'm afraid of them going for the end zone one more play. And that's easy to, that's easy to second guess.

But I don't know. You have the Super Bowl sitting there in front of you with 11 seconds left. I don't know. That defensive alignment, though, was not designed to give up a play like that. I was having flashbacks to Miami where, like, people just. kill Pellacek after the game for something going wrong. But Reed would have been killed if the young quarterback forced one into coverage. Scambling up to the line to try to, you know,

get the down the ball and end the clock and the thing runs to zero. Reed would be getting destroyed right now. One of the images I will remember from today more than any other is Erica Tamposi dancing with her Tamposi jersey in back of the glass while we were about to do the sky hit, but Dan and Mark refusing to look up at her. I did not see this. I gave you like a, I'm happy for you.

No, it wasn't that kind of look. I don't know. Can we, the House and Blackjack wins. Congratulations. Thank you. I'll take that. Brinks a two-game losing streak. Mark, why didn't you come with me, man?

I really thought about it, but I kind of just said, you know what? I'm going to roll with the home team and thought that I was sitting pretty after the road team won the first game today. Spoiler alert. Any last thoughts, Wes? Yeah, can we stand in all of Tom Brady and put his greatness into perspective for a minute here? Mike Giardt, our Patriots reporter on NFL Network, said that he entered the facility early in the week and said, announced to everyone, I'm the baddest mother trucker on the planet when he walked into the door. And then Julian Edelman says he proceeded to practice all week better than he has at any time all season.

He now, this is where he stands against his competition as a quarterback legend. 28 more touchdowns, 35, 78 more yards, 3,600 more yards, 13 more victories, and four more Super Bowl appearances than any other quarterback in postseason history.

So he has more, yeah, wow, more appearances than Montana, they're the same that Montana even made it. And since his 35th birthday, his numbers stack up against anyone's further career just about. I mean, I think you have to consider him like a Michael Jordan level player in his sport. I agree with that.

And speaking of putting greatness in perspective, every legendary chapter that gets added to this book, Wes. Every year. Only enhances the greatness of what Eli Manning and Tom Coughlin pulled off in two separate Super Bowls. I mean, it just enhances Eli's Hall fame candidacy. It just makes Coughlin look like even more of a genius. But those, yeah, to me now, like, and I'll say this if the Patriots lose on Super Bowl Sunday, too.

That enhances, like the losses enhance Brady's reputation too. because I was thinking about that and you don't want to see your team lose in the Super Bowl and they're kind of boring to cover and all that stuff. But to have this performance like they could go lose 41 to nothing

in the Super Bowl and to have this sort of performance which to me is up there with anything that Brady has done to do it another, to do something you hadn't done before win on the road like this for Gronk to have that moment

and like when everyone was making retirement jokes about it no matter what happens in the next one they weren't? Well hold on back to back the truck up just a few feet. I'm saying retirement jokes about gronk.

If they lose 41 nothing, if they lose 41 nothing in the Super Bowl, no one is going to care about this game or the last game. But I will. That's fine. But we're talking about the larger reflection of Tom Brady. If they walk in and get blank 41 nothing, no one's going to remember that they beat the Chargers. It's an extreme example.

But I do think that is the sign of greatness showing up that many different times. And you have to show up and you lose something. Like if you're going to lose some Super Bowl, you show up nine times. Speaking of Blackjack, this is what we cannot, we're going to be doing this for two weeks. When the Patriots make the Super Bowl,

it is very, for Patriot haters, like Mark myself, when they make the Super Bowl, it's like doubling down in Blackjack because there's nothing better than a Patriots lost in the Super Bowl, but there's nothing worse than a Patriots one. One thing, because there were multiple Super Bowels that we've been to where I was like rooting for Tom Brady

I was going to say, you've been conflicted over the years. I can tell you you really respect Belichick and Brady, but you seem to just be exhausted by them. It's just, like I said, on Sky Sports, it's not the game itself because they've played these amazing Super Bowls. It is, and it is fun to go to the Super Bowl, no matter what, we're going to have a great time. But I just sometimes like new stories and fresh stories.

That's all. It's not even really a complaint. It's just an observation of like the run-up to the Super Bowl is always slightly absurd for whoever's involved. and it's going to be, you know, this is even like going to take all the Sean McVe think pieces that are coming at us and it's going to dampen all those

and put them in the background because it's going to be another Bella Chick and Brady thing. No, you got it all wrong. It's going to be the young genius against the old master. It will be, but it's not going to be Sean McVeigh's stage alone

on any level because of this. It's going to be an annoying, like the narrative writers are going to have it either way because either the Patriots kind of dot the dynasty by, you know, coming back around Brady 17 years later against the Rams or the Rams, like, end the dynasty by kind of coming back around 70 years. Or win or lose, the Patriots are back the next year, too. Which is stupid.

Both are stupid. Don't put any dot or exhalation point on the Patriots is it just going to go on forever. Right. This is no dot. Look at beatific Eric Taposick there. I feel like you should go. By the way.

By the way, it's two weeks of this. You want a word. It's two weeks of this, too. Mark, you want new stories. You've never been to a Super Bowl that the Patriots. have won with me. Why can't you just be happy? Why can't you see how happy I am?

You're the last person that I would be agitated at, but it's just, we've done this with Greg five or six times at this point. But forget about Greg, I'm asking you for me. Good luck, forget about him. He's going to be in my year for like in the next 40 hours. We've got to move on, but I'll remember this when Baker Mayfield's at his ninth Super Bowl. I'll start being all cranky in your year when you're 64 years old. Yeah, we will be in our 60s at that point.

All right. Let's move on to the other title game. played earlier at the Superdome. 57-yard try to win the NFC championship game. The hold is down. The kick clears the line. And Greg Zerline sends the Rams to the Super Bowl. L.A. will play for the Lombardi.

KSPN's J.B. Long with the call. Greg, the leg. Zerline drilled a 57-yard field goal with room to spare. The decider in the Rams, 26, 23. Overtime win over the Saints in the NFC title game. It was the first and only leave for the Rams on Sunday. You battled back from the 13-0-0 first half-deficit to secure their first Super Bowl berth since the 2001 season.

A lot to get into here, including a no-call that will haunt the Saints forever. But let's start here. The Rams found a way to win a game in which Todd Gurley had just five touches. Mark, it's a testament to a team that we heard all season, lives and dies by Todd Gurley. Well, they lived without him. There's a lot to, as you said, touch on in this, and we can... Yes, that's why I said that.

I'll open with just this. This reminded me of what the Saints did a week ago, where the Saints got into a 14-0 hole against the Eagles and showed I thought great resilience at home to find their sea legs on offense and do just enough to win that game. This Rams team, we asked all week, What would it be like to play in the Superdome?

Well, they came in earlier in the year and put up a bunch of points. So maybe all this stuff about crowd noise is totally overblown. But this was one of the more lathered up fiery crowds that I can remember ever really watching in the playoffs. And it visibly threw the Rams off their step early on. They couldn't hear. Legitimately, there was communication issues in Goff's helmet that they had to deal with. But they showed them over and over.

and I thought Troy Aikman, you know, because he's been there, he could see what was happening. They couldn't even get the play out in the huddle. And it put golf into a situation where it wasn't just Sean McVeigh, you know, throwing seapomes into his ear and let's put up 50 points. It was like having to find your way out of that morass without your best player operating and almost mysteriously on the sideline because you find out that Sean McVeigh simply trusted C.J. Anderson more down the stretch in that game. And I'll let you guys unpack some of the other stuff.

but I thought that the Rams, who, you know, at times have been on my radar, this is the kind of game where you cannot help but believe in them entirely with the way they handled one of the toughest environments to play in. One of the most surprised, we'll get to all the controversial stuff, but the most surprising thing in this game to me is that both defense is really won. I mean, neither team could run the ball at all. Neither quarterback, I would say, played a great game or even like a B-plus game for how talented they are.

The two defenses won, but the Rams defense won more. I mean, the Fowler, Sue, Donald, Brockers made a few more plays to get to the point where it's 13-0. They stopped them early after the Rams turnover, which put the Saints on a short field. That was huge. And then in the final four drives, the Saints had three points. I mean, the final seven drives, they had 10 points. They really weren't the Saints' offense, which I was more surprised by that than anything, because I just thought the Rams would have to have a great offensive day to win,

and they didn't. They won it anyways with one of the great kicks in NFL history that's been overlooked a little bit too much in the postgame because of all the controversial calls. Let's talk about the elephant in the room here, which is the non-call that, unfortunately, it will not be remembered for Greg the Legs' bomb, which it should be, because that was an incredible kick, one of the best we've ever seen in the playoffs. But it'll be remembered for the no-call on Rams defensive back, Nicol Roby Coleman, who late in the fourth quarter with the Saints in good position

to run the clock all the way down near the Rams goal line and kick the potential game-winning field goal. Roby Coleman sprints toward the sideline to cover Tommy Lee Lewis on a wheel route, collides with him seconds before the ball gets there, clear penalty to fans in the stadium, people watching at home, Gene Sterator in the booth, and even the NFL, because after the game, Sean Peyton said this, just getting off the phone with the league office, they blew the call. I don't know if there was ever a more obvious pass interference call. And the result of this was clock stops. It leaves enough, they still kick

the field go to go ahead, but it leaves enough time for the Saints to go down and tie the game. so this is the play that will this game will be remembered by Sean Peyton devastated after the game because he knows that the flag comes out there the Saints are probably preparing for the Super Bowl right now here's what he had to say if we were playing pickup football in the backyard the team that committed the foul I mean it was it was as obvious a call and how we can two guys can look at that and come up and arrive with their decision and happened though so you can't dwell on it um you know we you probably never get over it you know the truth is you always some of these losses like this but one one like that um that's it's too

bad there was a third down from the 12 yard line with 148 to play scored tied at 20 uh and the incompletion and lack of a first down allowed the rams a chance roby coleman west after the game said yes i got there too early i was beat and i was trying to save the touchdown You don't see that admission too often. Should have been called pass interference, could have been called defenseless receiver, could have been called helmet to helmet, could have been called unnecessary roughness.

Take your pick. The magnitude of the missed call is such that I guarantee you there will be discussions about changing the rules on what can be challenged and what can't be. This is the history of the NFL and rule changes going back to even like the 70s and Mike Renfro's catch in the Oilers Steelers Championship game

that eventually led to instant reason. play review. These things happen. And it's just, it's a horrible, horrible injustice. And it's really going to take some of the attention away of Drew Brees coming up short with that pass. And John Payton getting too cute with his play calling at the end of the game. Those two guys should be wearing goat horns.

And instead, the referees will be. Yeah, that's, it brings up something that I really believe in. And Belichick, maybe it's because Belichick says it so much, that it never comes down. Like, it does come down to one play, but I refuse to believe that. everything that happened before and that especially everything that happened afterward is invalidated by that one call which in you like all of these things can be true it was absolutely a miss call belchuk for what it's worth has proposed officially at annual meetings that every play should be reviewable and I think he probably will again and

that's six hour games I don't necessarily want that but what I mean is though to your point the Saints have a first down there where Sean Payton calls a pass instead of running it twice to kind of burn the Rams timeouts and then maybe throwing it on third down and Drew Breeze short arms a throw that he hits one Saints fan like hit me up with he that he hits a 249 out of 250 times that play came directly after Drew Breeze short-armed a deep throw to Ted Ginn that Ted Ginn ended up making a play on because Lamarcus Joyner didn't go after the ball second I don't be short-armed it I just don't think he has the arm for Which is why he's not going to win MVP because I think his armstrike limitations were exposed down the stretch of this season.

So Alvin Camara has a no gain the next play. So all of these things happen. And in overtime, the Saints get the ball first. I mean, we could be talking about, oh, they're lucky because they won the coin toss there. But no, Dante Fowler gets pressure on breeze, causes an interception, and the Rams go win the game with one of the great kicks. So it's like all of that happening doesn't invalidate it, but it might be the worst call. It's certainly the most memorable missed call since the tuck rule, which it wasn't even a missed call,

but I think just like the most memorable play, I think. Cowboys will counter with Descartes caught it. I don't think that's quite there, but yes. But yeah, I see what you said. I agree with you, Greg. I will say that I think that the experience of the average sports fan, and by average I don't mean unremarkable people, just you're running the middle, people watching.

Okay, watching games like out at bars. Get chumokes. You're out there. You're out there with a bunch of Saints fans. And this call happens, the response in a big crowded packed sports bar or in that stadium is not, and I hear where you're coming from. But you know what? Here's 25 other things that could have gone differently. It's like a totally blown call at when the team on the threshold of making what is clearly most likely going to be the last real Super Bowl run that you're going to get from Breeze and Sean Payton. So I totally get the outrage.

Fans have a right to be outraged and not be totally centered. We watch these games in an office, sober, for the most part, you know, breaking down all the ifs, ands and butts. Wait a second. We all just looked around the room. I'm just saying, like, at least sober-minded and that we're not going crazy. Sometimes we lose our cool, too. But it's like this, the average sports fan cannot be asked to pick apart 4,000 other scenarios to nullify the fact that that was a terrible call. That's why we get the big bucks.

Gross call. I think one of the most distasteful aspects of our job is ever. every Monday morning having to cover ad nauseum controversial calls. Right. And fans are always too worked up about it. In this case, it's an exception. I think they have every right to be upset and think that their team got robbed and they should have won. Let's talk about other aspects of the game.

Obviously, that is such a huge part of this game, but there are other parts to talk about. Like the fact that the Saints came very close to running the Rams out of the building and to Los Angeles' credit and the riots outside. L.A. is on fire right now, not literally, but I mean, the fans are just going nuts here. Just kidding. It is very quiet outside. Oh, how do you now? I went for a walk to 7-Eleven before. Oh, crickets. Very quiet.

People like Lakers. Culver City is a pretty quiet place, unless, like, there are people lined up outside the gun store. Did I lie? I said it's very quiet outside. 13-0, okay? 14-23 to play in the second quarter. The Rams facing a fourth and five. at their own 30, okay? And I got issues with Sean McVeigh's decision

to kick a field goal in the fourth quarter when he should have went for it. He took the tie instead of going for the jugular and it would have cost them but he got bailed out by that bogus call. That's him not hanging the onions, which really surprised me, but he absolutely hung onions in this spot.

Johnny Hecker, who never lets him down, passes to Shields, a big gain that led to them getting on the board. And once they got the game back under control and got the game to 1310 late in the second quarter, they have a touchdown drive. Everything, they were fine from that point on. But this game was this close.

And I tweeted it that this game was teetering on the brink of another disappointing playoff game and it just changed after that fake punt call. I just, I think that you're exactly right, Dan, and the one thing about the Rams on offense showing resilience, but I thought by the time they got to overtime that Gough was more comfortable than he had been. But growing to that,

and he made a couple big money throws in this game. The dart, the 36-yard over-the-shoulder one to Brandon Cooks was beautiful. He got Gerald Everett going with a catch-and-rumble 39-yarder. He hit Josh Reynolds for a 33-yarder. I mean, they made some big plays in the passing game when they needed it most. The two throws that Gough made against pressure in overtime

were plays like, I don't expect from him because those are plays that really he beat what was the right play call two times. I mean, those were the two plays I remember most from the Rams offense in this game because he has a free rusher coming at him and he does a pretty athletic move to flip his hips to get out of the way and get the ball going. I don't think he gets, I think he is a great quarterback. I'm not saying he's one of the best in the league, but I think he is. 24 years old too. Especially those, he has such great form and great technique and he just looks like he has. he's so well put together as a quarterback if you give him time every time he got a clear path he was

putting it right on the money it was seeing him play and seeing brady play it was a lot of fun it helps i think it helps his story when todd gurley had the game he had where it was on golf more than you would have wanted it to be to make those throws down the stretch what did girlie said i had a sorry game he's something like that two what was up god girl drops um he got away with a hold on Eli Apple on a play that should have been a sack. It was great. We need to find out what's going on with Todd Gurley and we're going to have two weeks.

If you're telling me it was just a coach's decision to take out a guy that's the best player on the team, I would be surprised that there wasn't something physical going on. He was on the bike on the sideline, but he was not playing well and only touched the ball five times. That may be that he's not 100%. He ended up playing only four snaps less than, than Anderson.

He was the lowest graded player on the Rams offense on the entire team by a decent amount according to pro football focus. He struggled in that game and they were clearly running better up the middle

which is more what Anderson does versus their zone scheme with they're usually an outside running team and they didn't really try it that hard because the Saints defense which you talked up West and I think played really well overall I mean they would not

both teams could not run the ball at all like they both had to sort of give up on the run. Well, the Saints couldn't do anything except have Alvin Camara beat whoever was assigned to him. That was their offense. A great team win for the Rams, but spinning back to Greg the Legs Erlin, and you know, I'm on the kicking corner, let's call attention to that play, because that drive

in overtime for the Rams, they got the, they got the interception from Breeze, when they got pressure on Breeze, led to the turnover. They get great field position. They don't move the ball much. got maybe 15 yards they got a first down and maybe a little bit more in that range and that is you're right exactly 15 years nice they were it was a no-brainer to attempt the field goal in the dome but it also was highly risky because if gregg the leg doesn't get it done there the saints are set up at midfield uh only needing field goal so the season is really on the line and two people to credit johnny hecker it

was a low snap that he handled. And then Greg Zerlund, this does not, the fact that Jared Gough, and I know he's the quarterback, and I just said he's a great quarterback, all that. The fact that he's the one they're talking to right after the game. And then at the podium with Terry Bradshaw in the locker room after the game, they have all these gibronies up on the stage. Where's Greg Zerline? Greg Zerline drilled a 57-yard field goal to put his team into the Super Bowl

that had 15 yards to spare. and nobody was even really talking about it. Or interviewing him. A guy like Cody Parky misses a field goal and he's the biggest villain in the world and he goes on the Today Show and he gets fired and all that. Why don't the kickers get more love

when they do this is the equivalent of making an incredible, like a helmet catch or something, drilling a field goal like that at those stakes. I don't understand where Greg the leg isn't a legend right now. They're going to retire his number, the Rams are. I should. Go ahead.

I don't want to shake you to your very core here, Dan. Yes. But Justin Tucker wasn't the best. kicker in the NFL last season. That's fair. It was Greg Zerline. Last year you're saying. The 2017 season, Greg Zerline, if he didn't get injured at the end of the year, would have

broken the points record because he was phenomenal. I mean, that's one of the great kicks. We needed the NBC graphic, which says good from whatever. Because that would, it felt like that would have been. SNF kicks, it's called. It felt like it would have been good from 72. And Saints fans who probably aren't really listening to this podcast, I hate to break it. I mean, Garrett Hartley no longer has the greatest kick in Superdome history.

That's the greatest kick in Superdome history. Greg, that was Savage. Was that good, Eric? Man. Savagish is going to turn heel on the... I mean, I would just say it. It was a great kick. What will your buddy Adam think now?

He's definitely... Greg's heel turn on the Saints. Yeah, it's not a heel. Now he's claiming he's never really liked him since they won the Super Bowl. That's not true. You can like a lot of things. Something happened.

It's okay. Yeah, what did happen there? This is like the legend of me and Spicerack in Vegas. You guys always think there's something more to the story. Well, that's with me and with you and the Saints. Well, you just basically acknowledge that there is more to that. Maybe there is. Maybe there isn't. Good work, Mark.

Don't we work with enough television producers at this point, too, where I like your kicker argument that if someone's in their ear, it's like, hey, listen, we've got Greg the leg, but we also have Jared Gough right here. Which one do you want? They'll take off. Well, can it be a simple? Is that right? No, but that's what TV producers. Can it be as simple as like the Rams are new and just like you're sick of the Patriots? I'm not sick of Drew Brees.

Maybe I'm a little sick of Drew Brees. I'm not sick of the rest of the Saints. Like, the Rams are new. Like, McVeigh, like, it's just a different. You put Zerline on the podium next to Terry. Terry Bradshaw, interview Greg to like Zerline on live television. It's not a bad idea. The man hit a 57-yard field goal to send his team into the fucking Super Bowl.

Put him on television. Dan's going for that pull quote. No, I'm way too dangerous. I thought you were like, Dan's going for the Emmy. That's his Oscar clip right there. Get Dan that pull quote. It's going to be out there in 40 minutes. Anything else, boys, from this game?

Yeah, I just want to say something more about the Rams defense. They have completely shut down the ground attacks of the Cowboys and Saints the past two weeks. This defense was mediocre all year, and since Akib Taleb came back, I really think they've up their level of play. You see, and Domkins Sue playing like an all-pro again. And Dante Fowler for the last month and a half has been really disruptive behind the line of his room. Michael Thomas had 36 yards in this game. My one last thing would just be that McVeigh for all the hype that he's gotten delivered in such a big moment.

Not just the field goal, but field goal change, which is something like the coach is giving his team to change the game. I mean, that's a coaching. And bones, obviously, Jim Fassell, their special teams coordinator. But also the play call on that beautiful throw that Goff made where he's creating a mismatch between Josh Reynolds and DiMario Davis. That's a coaching play. Like, that's a coaching win. And the other one that stands out is in the fourth quarter. He decides to burn a timeout pretty early in the game

to take a timeout on third and four. And what does he set up, a 39-yard play to Gerald Everett that absolutely beat him. I mean, there were a lot of moments where McVeigh just kind of won and delivered on all the hype. I want to also shout out to Lakeisha. Oh, yes. The Paramour.

You know, I feel, I really do. I'm bummed for Saints fans because they got robbed. but Lakeisha like got up early this morning she was so excited she left early to go to a bar and get the table because she said this is the biggest game of my life she hadn't been a big diehard football fan for the greatest show on turf years like she was she was on cloud nine entering this game

so nervous and excited and to see her reaction when the Rams won I'm sure you retweeted West but if you if you haven't seen it I also retweeted Lakeisha's reaction immediately after the game that was really nice to see because she's such a rare fan in the sense that she lived in St. Louis, moves to L.A. and the team follows her. The people left behind in St. Louis, probably a little more conflicted seeing Stan Cronky on that podium instead of Greg Zerline, by the way. Him being celebrated. I can understand the frustration there.

But Lakeisha, this is a special team for her. Special season. So Wes's credit, we were up here doing the sky hit in the middle of the fourth quarter, and I started to pick up for the first time that Wes was rooted. for the Rams, even though he was happy for the Rams, rooting for the Rams, even though he locked up the Saints and the Locke competition

was down to that. The love of his life mattered more to him than that. He's also got a deal with her all week long if they lose. Forget the love. Now, you could, here's just to play devil's advocate,

if Wes would have done just a loyal to his woman and just got behind the team, he'd be tied with Mark going into the Super Bowl. Oh, that's a fair criticism. And I think you're setting the bar very low

for acceptable, like, fiancé behavior. Of course I'm going to, I mean, she's going to get way more value out of going to the Super Bowl and her team winning than I'm going to get for some lock competition on a podcast. Erica, we're all so happy for you. Oh, yeah, Erica and I locked up the road dogs. Yeah, we did. Nice job.

Ricky. Ricky's on a row. Four or no, I think now. Hubba, hubba. Hey, stand out at your event for the right reasons with the black tucks.com. The black tucks offers the kind of suits and tuxed styles that would normally be wildly expensive. Did you write this, Greg? wildly expensive to buy

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You know, you have a free tux rental if you want it. Which led me to think, wouldn't it be funny if we just, like, all rented tux and went to, like, the cozy, go to some dive bar? I would love it. And just, like, chilled out and had some drinks. That'd be funny. That'd be a great cold open for the Twitter show, right, Ricky? I know your mind was... Maybe take our wives out for a dinner or something where we're all just wearing tucks.

Don't tell them either. Be like, honey, we'll meet you there. And we're all just there. Anyway, to get $20 off your purchase, visit the black tucks.com and enter code around. That's the black tucks.com code around for $20 off your purchase. The black tux premium rental suits and tuxedos delivered. All right. Yes, Rams Patriots, Super Bowl 53 a week from Sunday.

We'll be there, of course. A reminder also when we're in Atlanta for the Super Bowl, a couple days before the big game on Thursday night will be our live show from the city winery in Atlanta. Tickets still available, but they are running low. I saw Ricky's photos of the city winery and it seems like a very cool It seems like a good venue so the info is a pinned to our around the NFL Twitter account And yeah we're hearing the tickets are going tickets are very limited

So if you want to be there for our second live show first here in the United States of America Hit up around the NFL on Twitter and click that link and reserve your tickets My significant other changed her flight To a day earlier to get there to witness this so to where does that of you, don't F it up. It better be a good show by you. Pressure-wise. Her wife.

She's sitting there. She's like, this is the man that will sink or float our family financially with his ability to be a broadcaster. And like you feel that energy. She's looking at you. She's like, is he going to be the star? Is he going to come up big or is he going to melt under the lights? Are you going to feel that energy?

I mean, when you're married to someone, they see you fail so often and so consistently that whatever I do at that show is not going to. No, not at all, but like it's not going to change any impressions at all. It's just like roll in, get it done, check the box, have a nice time, on to the next day. All right, and I think she'll think it's hot. We'll see. I think she'll like seeing her man up there on stage, and I think it's going to be a great night. And you know what else wives like?

Why don't you tell me? They like hotel rooms. So this is like it's really setting up well for you. What is going on? Help end this show as soon as possible. Wives love hotel rooms. Ask any wife. They just love it.

And you can read into that however you want. Why are you making that face, Erica? I'm just laughing at you. You're so funny. You're so witty and funny and smart and handsome and you have the best hair. Oh, my God. You're a real piece of work, Erica. All right.

That's it. All right, here's the schedule for the week. Tuesday Twitter show. Thursday, our next podcast. So we're not doing a Wednesday show this week. So Thursday podcast. Then we're on a plane, so no Sunday podcast, but then a ton of content for you next week.

We're going to be doing three shows, NFL.com video shows from Radio Row. In addition to the three podcasts that includes, yes, the live show from City Winery and, of course, our sixth annual post-super Bowl wrap-up. show from Megatron's but I'd argue too many too much content

too many shows that's a nickname for the Falcon Stadium why the roof the roof opens up like the owed by whom not Calvin

not Calvin Johnson like the actual initial the actual Megatron what yeah I get it fake robot that's in a movie

yeah not the football player I was definitely thinking Calvin Johnson and I just didn't get it all right this is a good time to get out this is Dan Hansa signing up

Aw, four. Quiet Storm, the mailman, the old boss, Ricky Hollywood behind the glass. No tears two weeks from today, Ricky, one way or the other. No tears. Tears of joy. Tears of joy, Temposi. Till Tuesday. Hey everybody, Daniel Jeremiah here. And I'm Bucky Brooks. On Move to Six, we take you inside the game from breaking down college prospects and NFL rookies to evaluating team building philosophies, coaching trends, and how front offices construct winning rosters.

We study the tape, talk to decision makers, and give you a perspective you won't find anywhere else. It's everything you need to understand the why behind what happens. happens on Sunday. Don't miss it. Listen to the Move the Sticks podcast on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast.