NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal - MNF Recap Packers-Vikings; Beastmode returns

Episode Date: December 24, 2019

A garage filled with heroes – Dan Hanzus, Chris Wesseling, Marc Sessler, Gregg Rosenthal, and Keith Hanzus recap the showdown between the Packers and the Vikings.(4:20 The heroes then bring you all of the latest news surrounding the NFL including Mike McCarthy interviewing with the Panthers (20:33) and the return of Beastmode to Seattle! (24:45)Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comNFL Daily YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nflpodcastsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Listen to the NFL Fantasy Football podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Toyota, the official automotive partner of the NFL. Visit Toyota.com slash NFL now to learn more. The Around the NFL podcast. Does team celebrations in the end zone. Welcome to another edition of the Around the NFL podcast. My name is Dan Hansis. I'm joined in a garage filled with heroes.

Mark Sessler, Chris Wessling, and Greg Rosenthal. What is up, boys? Hey, Dan. Right before we started, Dan said, what do I say again? We start the podcast. Well, we're in a bit of a different setting. We're in Dan's garage. Did I say my name at the top of the show?

Well, you should say it now then. I think I wasn't listening that closely. I'm Dan Hensis. Did I say that? I think you covered yourself. Dad, did I say that? Have you done this before? You know, I was just, I really was listening, but it wasn't really listening.

We're plugged in. We're plugged in. All right. Well, I am Dan Hansis, and this is the Around the NFL podcast. And we are in the garage after Monday night football. The Packers obviously embarrassed the Vikings, quite frankly, in their house to take the NFC North. And we are going to get to that. Usually, of course, we do our show on Tuesday, but on the holiday week with Christmas coming up,

we're doing it here offsite in the garage home of the throwback podcast and boys first of all have you enjoyed the experience you know watching the game from the garage let's start let's start there i think it's been amazing because you know there's a celebratory christmas kind of vibe to it uh your sons jack and harrison strolled in here you're all fired up wife emily your parents is here dad you know dan's dad is here that's a special event and getting to sit and watch three hours of football in hearing what i would consider Decades worth of precise hammer-dropping pros and commentary from Dan's dad is a special experience. I've been here for a baseball playoff game as well, and it reminds me of, you know, a few years back,

it got to be trendy for all these bars, you know, in urban areas to have garage fronts that actually pull down, you know. And about five minutes into the game, Dan puts the garage door down. It feels like you're in an actual bar and you're just having a good time. It was a good setting. No, Dan did an amazing job setting up this garage. It's changed quite a bit in the last few years. It's a beautiful place to watch the game. And who better to sit next to than Keith Hanses, like I was all night.

A lot of hot takes on Aaron Rogers. We'll maybe have that a little later. He tried to stump Wes and some trivia. And Wes did a pretty good job answering the bell. Wait, what was the trivia question again, Dad? The trivia question, first of all, was what was the longest punt in NFL history? We whiffed on that one. Well, I attempted Randall Cunningham, but the answer was not that.

And what was the other one? Well, the answer to that was Steve O'Neill of the Jets'night's 98 yards. And then the other one was, and this was the real hammer dropper. The other one was back, who had the leading, as a quarterback, who had the most rushing yards for the season way back in the early 70s? who had the record before michael vick and i said bobby douglas but then keith a bit of a stickler said what year and how many yards i said 71 or 72 he nailed me down on that one so i had to go 71 it was 72

1972 and i guess 961 yards but it was 968 rushing yards so you got the answer incorrect yeah i was over to yeah i was close but not you know uh so we're gonna uh yeah and we got together here and had some Mexican food and enjoyed ourselves and watched the Monday night football game and we're going to get to that in just a little bit. We're also going to do some news, get caught up on some happenings after week 16 and including the apparent return of one of the most,

perhaps, I don't know, Mount Rushmore this thing, most famous NFL players of the 21st century, stick a pin in that. because I think this gentleman with the Seattle Seahawks might qualify. Anyway, that's a discussion to have in a little bit. But let's start, yes, with Monday night football,

the Green Bay Packers are celebrating. Jones, look at that balance. Aaron Jones, see ya. Only so much you could ask of this defense. And Aaron Jones just as far too much of them. 56-yard touchdown. Aaron Jones, 56 yards to the house. And that was the dagger for the Packers who absolutely overwhelm defensively the Vikings

in a 23 to 10 win that gives the Packers their 12th win and the NFC North title. And for the time being, puts them, Greg, I think I'm right on the computation here. they have a buy as of right now they're in the top two right behind the nineers all they have to do is beat the blowhards in detroit david blow and the lions next week to clinch a buy and they could even move up to the one seed i like their chance 49ers lose i would say don't just assume that's happening but the chances feel good so let's talk about this game a little bit because the packers certainly did not blow the doors um off the vikings aran rogers uh and company they you know they struggle for large portions of this game on offense against a good Vikings theme

in a very difficult place to play. But I think the story of this game really will be what a massive egg the Vikings laid. And Wes, we'll start with you. I know you and I have had our disagreements with Kirk Cousins and the Vikings where blame should be assessed when the Vikings go wrong. And this does not make me the winner of that argument. No, you were right. Everything that you said, it was all right.

Dan has declared the winner. No, that is not true because a lot of people didn't show up in this game. But certainly not Kirk Cousins either. Seven first downs for Minnesota in four quarters, the fewest in a home game by this organization since 1971. Keith Hansis was a junior at Clarkstown High School at that time. Senior at Clarkstown High, the man's a grandfather, Wes. Speak to it.

Come on, Kirk Cousins. Put the team on your back when they need you. Well, like I said on Thursday, you and I, see more eye-to-eyed on this than it seems like. I don't care what his record is on Monday night football. That is immaterial. Like somehow Monday night games are better than Sunday games. That might have been true in 1983.

I don't think that's been true lately. Thirdly, we've seen this before. He didn't come up when the Redskins needed a late-season victory. He didn't come up big when the Vikings of 2018 needed a late-season victory. And he didn't come up big tonight. And like you said, the blame can be assessed to a running game that didn't exist. an offensive line that got worked over by the Packers Front 7, a defense that got some turnovers but also allowed 150 yards to Aaron Jones,

a coach who punted down 13 with three and a half minutes or four minutes left in the game. There's a lot of blame to go around, but you cannot escape that Kirk Cousins led an offense that had seven first downs. And like you said, since 1971 was the last time that happened in a Vikings home game. This is one of the most disappointing performances any team has had all year. I mean, it's the worst offensive performance. You can't write how embarrassing this is. The only team to have fewer first downs in a game this season, also on Monday night football, here's a little trivia. Come on and guess it.

I'd say Chicago Bears. You've got to be able to guess it, Jets fans in the room. It was the Jets versus the Patriots. That's the only game. I have removed that from a frontal lobotomy like the Kennedy kid. They had like a third string accountant playing quarterback the Jets that night, so I'm not sure that. The difference is this is for the NFC North title. And you come in the Packers defense and Mike Patton and especially Zadaria Smith

and everyone on that defense deserves all the credit in the world for totally dominating. But to score 10 points because you had a 3 and out inside the 10-yard line and because Kirk Cousins made one nice pass, it was a 26-yard drive where he had the throw for the touchdown. That's how you got your 10 points. You had 13 drives. none of them went over 31 yards. You can't put any blame on the defense. The defense played great.

They gave them the ball three extra times tonight, including giving them two scoring chances, and they only allowed 23 points. That's an a minus from your defense who's been around for a long time and kept getting put in bad positions. This was the most embarrassing offensive performance. Any teams had all season? Let me go through it.

Let me go through it here. This is the Vikings possessions. After recovering a fumble right off the bat by the Packers, Four plays five yards, six plays 18 yards, three plays negative two yards, three plays 26 yards, three plays five yards, four plays six yards, three plays five yards, three plays seven yards, six plays three plays 31 yards. That's a pep. Five plays 20 yards. Three plays negative four yards. Seven plays 12 yards.

And finally, four plays negative five yards. I mean, Mark, this is outrageous. And that's why I think we were even saying to each other at the midway point that the Green Bay's three turnovers early that, you know, you see these in games. The Minnesota did nothing with that. They were unable to do anything with that and you felt the Green Bay would find a way to come back. And my favorite moment of the night was when Packers coach Matt LaFleur was described by Heath Hansis as a little kid with a beard. And yet somehow, somehow the coach and Aaron Rogers have gotten this far. and I have no questions.

I have no problem with the Vikings being pushed down to where they belong at the sixth seed because they're an inferior team to Green Bay, but also to every single other team in the NFC race because I don't trust them on the road. I don't trust them at home. They are flawed. Guys like Adam Thieland are not healthy. Without Dalvin Cook, I think that's a huge, I think we talked about with or without Dalvin Cook, they'll be fine.

I simply don't agree because you need his present. I didn't think it would make a big difference. And I also believe if he was in this game, it wouldn't have made that big of a difference. Maybe not tonight. But when we've looked at their offense and believed in their abilities, little things like tonight attempting a trick play and having to go into the trick play bag because they simply couldn't get basic plays done. And you have Kirk Cousins rolling out and dropping an overthrown pass. And he had a bad pick himself. Well, no, he never touched it.

He stretched out for it, of course. If Dig puts that on him, they have first and ten at the 15-yard line. is that you can kind of tell sometimes in a game early that a team's going to get into a flow and they just never found that way into this game at home. I think it's very concerning for them. I see them as a one-and-done team in the playoffs. It was hard to see this game coming, though.

I mean, they were a top-eight offense in efficiency, according to football outsiders, coming into this. They've been top 10 in offense and defense and points. Like, I thought they actually passed protected pretty well coming into this night, and especially in the fourth quarter, I think Zedarias Smith, he's not going to win defensive players, of the year, but he would be in my top five. I've been putting him in my top five all year, and this was one of the best

games any defensive players had all year. Three and a half sacks, five tackles for loss. Well, you've been saying that you like him for a defensive player of the year candidate because he makes a play or a big play every week. He's sort of the NFC's version of T.J. Watt this year, and you saw it tonight. Five QB hits, five

tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks. That's just a, that's one of the best defensive games we've seen. It's weird because their defense, the Packers, started the season playing so well. That was what Aaron Rogers said coming off the field in week one. We've got a defense. We've got a defense.

And then they went away for two months. But here they are in December. And the Packers' offense isn't consistent. And they weren't tonight. But they still have Aaron Jones and they still have Devonthe Adams. And they still have Aaron Rogers. Like they have enough offense when the defense is playing like this. They've allowed about 12 and a half points per game over the last month.

This was the first really good offense they've shut down. The Vikings are among the best big play offenses in the other. NFL before this game. Do you see them as maybe like the AFC's version of the chiefs, considering they have Rogers, Aaron Jones, Devante Adams, and then a defense that has been improving for the past month? I, you know, I think I'm with Mark, because Mark, you were getting agitated watching this game.

You don't like either of these teams. You don't view either team. Don't back off your comments now. Absolutely. As a serious Super Bowl threat. No. And I don't necessarily disagree with you because it does feel like. the Packers, despite the 12 and 3 record, they feel like a step below, which I don't think about the Chiefs.

I think the Chiefs are a team that can absolutely make major noise all the way to Miami, potentially, if things break the right way. I think both things can be true, though. I think they are a step below the Saints and the 49ers, and that if they get the one seed and they're going to get the two seed, can Mike Patton and them win a home game. But that's a very great answer because I can see them in the Super Bowl. It's true that a lot of things could happen on our planet. But in terms of when we're really, where does our belief fall? The Green Bay tonight was a couple bad players from losing this game also because their offense was defunct for two plus quarters.

They still move the ball through. I just think they dominated the game. I mean, they had 383 yards. There was a couple nice defensive plays where you knocked the ball out of Aaron Jones's Devante Adams' hand. But ultimately, they did what they needed to do. They came in there and they embarrassed. They didn't dominate the first half where they have three turnovers

and are doing nothing on offense and putting up field goals. But I hear you that, like, there's no question that they are the better team of this situation. But I struggle with them as a second seed when I have the Saints and the Niners out there in that field. Could be number one. I mean, Seattle beating San Francisco next week is not to that crazy. And Wes, you know, we did go at it a little bit on cousins, but this kills him. I mean, this is whether whether the point you're making that people get too hung up on where he stands when the team fails, whatever the viewpoint is,

this, whatever people thought and the majority of people who view him as a guy that comes up small when it matters and when the spotlight's on to average less than four yards at an attempt. And if you also factor in, going into this game,

if you do believe Cousins is a guy that does come up small, when you saw that Dalman Cook was out, and then you saw that Madison was out, it was very clear at that point that Cousins was going to need to do what Carson Wentz has done. quite frankly, in Philadelphia these last few weeks, which has put the team on his back.

And I guess, I mean, there's just so much evidence. And I know your argument's never been like, well, he can do it. He just hasn't done it yet. The evidence is there that he's just never going to be that guy. And maybe that all changes next month. But this just continues to hammer home that legacy that in prime time against good teams, he will come up small because he is one of the people who did come up. small for the Vikings tonight absolutely well your argument has been that he's a statistical monster

who comes up small and i've got no problem with that my my defense of him has been about shoehorning that argument into the conversation he is not a quarterback like james winston where he leaves his fingerprints all over every game some games he's not needed to be the story and he still ends up being the story so that's where my i think my defense of him comes and i think that's where you guys are closer to agreement is he can't lift the team by himself and i think that's and i think that's and i think the coaching staff is you know as part of it kevin's defansky it's like that whatever their plan was it clearly didn't work mike petton had it had him dialed up and kennie clark and especially zadaria smith you know busted them up and they just seemed like that minnesota's number and

adam thieling isn't adam feeling i mean that he had four targets tonight and he didn't have a catch and so suddenly you're down feeling he's on the field but it's not really thielin and you're down Cook, and it is a different time. I'd say this also. I don't feel like Aaron Rogers is Aaron Rogers on any level at this point. He does not seem like the same guy to me right now. You didn't throw a touchdown tonight. Well, they lost the Devante Adams touchdown that he threw behind him.

And there was a similar play where he threw behind Aaron Jones on a big third down early. Those are supposed to be easy pass. And speaking of Aaron Jones, I don't even know how the Pro Bowls voted. I think fans do it on Twitter by hitting retweet or something. But come on now. Players, coaches, and fans all have a contribution. All right, cool. But Aaron Jones, 23 carries 154 yards, two touchdowns in a money game, and he's been doing it all year.

He leads a league in touchdowns. And I know Zeke statistically has had a nice season. But if you've been watching these games, you know that Aaron Jones has been kind of a bigger figure in the NFL than Zeke this year. And he deserves to be – he gets the gift of going to Orlando if I make the decision, but I do not make the decision. I think some of these players are happy not to go. Orlando is a somewhat okay city, but some are fine. not traveling. He might be busy. He might be coming with us to Miami.

He's only got to win two games, maybe two home games. The garage is unanimous in the opinion that it should be Aaron Jones over Z. Yes. Any other final thoughts on this game before we do some news? All right. I'll take that. Dad, do you have any final thoughts? Oh, yeah. You were a little critical, Mr. Hansis. Keith, can I call you, about Aaron Rogers early. You had a particular theory about how he interacts. racks with his team. Yeah, well, my feeling when Aaron Rogers is that, you know, when things are

going good, you know, he's missed a good guy. But when things are not going so good, he is certainly not the same guy that you see on the sidelines that's frowning at people and looking, looking the other way. He's a man that lays blame on others. That's right. And also the, the way he handled the coach last year, not listening to the play calls and Mike McCarthy and treating him terribly shows me that I just don't think he's the kind of man that, you know, that everyone talks about. And some would say that you have like Zapruder level film evidence of that on the sideline over many games.

So I think that's fair. Let me tell you, he's a great quarterback. I will say that. There's no question about that, but that's my attitude about him. See, that's a hot take and I like it. Keith hands with a take. Keith is right, but this feels like one of those seasons where things are going right. you know i mean they've had a lot of luck this season they're 12 and 3 without you know looking

like a great team they're very likely going to be hosting a game in the divisional round but you said it Craig they don't have a they don't have a fleet of signature wins you know but they have swept they're 5 and 0 in the division and what more can you ask from mat lafleur and we're one they don't like have that like body of resume but it's not like voting to get you in they're just going to be hosting a game in lambo and the winner of that game is going to be playing in the N.S. And it's going to be like one degree and like an 88 winchill. They have a defense that's hot and a quarterback you know can get hot at a moment's notice and drop a game-winning throw like the one he made to Jared Cook. He can do that in a moment's notice.

They got enough weapons. Adams, Jones, they got enough weapons. Protection. What happens when the Bohemians, Bohemian culture, and the Blauards come in and spoil this little party down? That would be outrageous. I would not put anything by Bohemian culture and the Blauards. All right, that's going on that game. Now let's get into some news. I'm here so I won't get fine. All right, let's start with some interview, head coach interview heat. Mike McCarthy, who, yes, as Keith Hansis mentioned, got basically railroaded by Aaron Rogers down the stretch of that run in Green Bay.

He has sat out of football for a year. And now he is looking to get back in the game, and he interviewed with the Carolina Panthers. Mike Garifolo reported that what's everybody laughing about? Just that he was railroading out of town. This has become a very anti- Aaron Rogers. It's got very spicy. I mean, to be fair, Keith, I mean, let's freshen up those Mike McCarthy playbooks, shall we?

That was the most boring, predictable offense I've ever seen one of the great quarterbacks of all time. and I had been calling for him to be out of town for three or four years, so I was on Aaron Rogers' side there. All right. Very predictable. Very predictable. Anyway, Mike Arafoo reported that the Panthers interviewed Mike McCarthy

after Carolina's lost to the cults on Sunday. McCarthy, of course, fired by the Packers near the end of last season. He spent 2019 out of football. And, of course, you know, the best thing he could have done, and this has been all very calculated by McCarthy and the people that he works with was kind of lay low. let the resume kind of simmer on the back burner. And then when teams start firing head coaches at the end of the year,

put that resume out there. And all of a sudden, 125 and 77 in 13 seasons, and 10 wins in the playoffs and a Super Bowl title, all of a sudden he looks like a better coach option than maybe he did last year. And the Panthers, because they, you know, dumped Ron Rivera, they have a bit of a head start on some of these other teams that will fire coaches. Does this feel like a fit, Wes?

I know you're not that high on McCarthy either. Well, I'm just like I haven't seen a PR campaign this savvy since James Carville was running Clinton. I mean, whatever McCarthy does, if he sneezes, you got reporters reporting on it breathlessly. Like, to me, he's not, he's a little stale, and I'm not really that interested in where he's interviewing. That's just my opinion. The one thing I'd say is that he probably represents two owners looking for interviews, a secure veteran coach, which there are only a few of out there right now. And, you know, when I think of Mike Patton, I did a piece a while back called the sojourn year

where coaches that vanish for a season and what do they do with that year. And Patton talked about the fact that he felt that his own game planning and view of the game had become a bit narrow and that he took that year to examine the same way that we would, every single team and offenses and defenses around the league. And he grew. And Petten's come back and reshaped his career from it. So can Mike McCarthy do that intellectually and as a coach? I don't know. But I understand why owners would be attracted to someone with his track record. He wanted back in right away. There wasn't a ton of interest, you know, a year ago. He'll get interviews. I don't know if I, you know, would guess that he's going to get a job.

I mean, I don't think that's guaranteed. And I don't think the Panthers are necessarily a big fit, especially if you're keeping Cam Newton, but why wouldn't you interview him right now? You have time to kill your David Tepper, like, interview. Isn't that why you got rid of Rivera early? You shouldn't interview as many people as possible, and he makes sense to interview, but I guess I'd be surprised if he got one of the better jobs available. I think he'll get a job. I know Ron Rivera is going to get a job. I think McCarthy will too. I feel, I'd be very surprised if he didn't, quite frankly. I mean, I could be wrong. I could be reading it wrong, but I think there's going to be an owner that's going to buy into, like I said, that backburner

warmed up resume, and it's going to be something that sways them. And they're like, oh, we want somebody that knows what they're doing. Your Cleveland Browns, Mark, again, as we brought this up. We want a professional in here that knows what he's doing, that has experience, that the players will respect whether they actually do or not is a different conversation. They had ties to him, and they're one of the teams that didn't even go out of the way to interview. I think that if you're a fan that's sort of, you know, toiled with a struggling team for a really long time. And the other side of the PR thing with Mike McCarthy leaving Green Bay was so evil.

And so, like, unfriendly towards him that I'd be concerned as a fan just rolling Mike McCarthy and his head coach and wondering what will be different than what everyone was saying about at the end of his Packers run. When you're buying Riverboat, you're buying his leadership and the way all his players go to bat for him and love him. When you're buying Mike McCarthy, you're buying his offense. and what's to say for his offense over the last couple of years. Well, he does have that street named after Mike McCarthy way. And do you know I got it?

He's got a ring. He's got a ring? That carries weight is all I'm saying. Not saying he's a good coach. With the six-seated Packers team, no one saw it coming. There's a long time ago. That should be said as well. All right.

In other news, yes, that Mount Rushmore. Let's get back to that. Is Marshawn Lynch on the Mount Rushmore of the most popular. Popular NFL players in the last 20 years. Oh, I think popularity? Yeah, I think so. He changed from famous to popular. He's in the mix, but I would still say now.

Hmm. I mean, to me, when I think of the last 10 years, at least, he's someone who has more memories attached to him than almost like 95% of other players. Well, guess what, Mark? More memories are coming because they're running back and the Seattle Seahawks agreed to a deal on Monday. Lynch's agent announced. Lynch's contract is for this season only, which means week 17 against the Niners and the playoffs.

The Seahawks also signed Robert Turbin. Another old warhorse for them. He spent the first three NFL seasons. M. Rob is coming back from the NFL. Kristen Michaels in the building. Sean Alexander. The 2006 MVP's back. No.

The original Kurt Warner. But the original Kurt Warner. Lynch and Turbin. fill backfield spots that opened Sunday when Chris Carson and CJ Pro Seas both went down with season ending injuries. We talked about Mark on Sunday night

show that nobody had a worse Sunday than the Seahawks and let's not act like this is prime Marshawn Lynch coming into town to save the day but you know what? There's a little bit of juice to it. It was a little bit of fun and, you know, a dollop of a sprinkle of Christmas

happiness on an otherwise grim scenario for Seattle. I mean, I love, I told Totally, it can easily fall in love with the concept and the narrative of the whole thing. There were, you know, from another angle when I was in Oakland last week covering the last Raiders game, he was also there doing apparently shots with fans. So I don't know where the football shape is. It also, Wes, you know, right in the middle of Super Bowl 50, Wes was ordered to write the Marshaun Lynch retirement story when he hung his cleats and took a photo.

And now I think that West is going to have to go into our CMS system probably tonight and update that story and add some new graphs, please, Wes. Let me put that another way. I wrote this man's retirement story before I had cancer. That's how long ago. My concern, speaking of West, my concern, Marshawn Lynch, who maybe, hey, maybe he's been a gym rat the last eight months or whatever since he retired. But that he is a guy that is in danger of sustaining the worst hamstring injury since Chris Wessling, rounding second for the shield in the 2017 season. I mean, where the hamstring actually jumps off the bone and screams in agony.

It's not like a dry twig. We don't want that to happen. But in seriousness, the idea that you're going to have Lynch contributing, you take him out of retirement and pluck him into basically a playoff scenario in week 17. And then January, I wonder how much work he'll actually get in this offense. You figure he would split the reps with Travis Homer, who was there, who was their fourth string back and then Turbin. You're probably not giving him 20 carries. But it's amazing. I applaud Pete Carroll for the theme.

theatricality of it for the showmanship of it. Is this the time for that? I don't know. I think it is. It's fun. You just have the worst loss. What's your alternative? You had the worst loss that you could possibly have.

This is going to give juice to the locker room. And not that that's going to make them win or not, but it's like, why not? The worst running back that they could just sign off the street that's like the next guy up is not going to be better than the 15% chance that maybe Lynch just does something great. He did run pretty well with the Raiders. I thought he did. We gave him a little credit that he was running pretty well before he got here. Isn't there another universe that we live in where he's suddenly a week from now having rumbled for 148 yards, two touchdowns? No.

Well, I believe in that world. Maybe like a seven-yard touchdown. He goes three for 16 with a seven-yard touchdown, and he just becomes a factor. And it's fun. And you know what? They're not my team. I'm not working for them. Like, he's giving it to the rest of the football fans just as a nice fun story.

It's like something an ABA team would do to, like, It's like the attendance. But they're trying to win the Super Bowl here. But what, look, guess how much? I'm not against it. I'm just, I want everyone to temper expectations. What are the other options? What does Travers Homer weigh?

I have 174 pounds. 202 pounds. Pete Carroll has a formula. And he has talked about this. He talked about this over the summer. When our team wasn't doing well, it was because we didn't have a power running game. We did not support our quarterback. And our formula for playing is defense, power running,

and support the quarterback. Their offensive line isn't built to protect Russell Wilson, it's built to open lanes for power runners. And I don't know if Travis Homer is that guy. But there's a number three overall pick that is several years younger. Available. Power. Trent Richardson.

Well, what is he doing right now? Answer that question. He's still trying to get off the elevator before the door goes. Here's my point, though. He's 3.3 yards for career, but he led the AAF and touchdowns just last year. All right. last three running backs that have been signed off of waivers or a practice squad. Samagee P. Ryan,

Kenneth Dixon, and it doesn't even matter. Rod Smith. So can, is there like a 15% chance that Marshall Lynch is way better than those guys? I think there is. Absolutely. So it's like, why not? I agree. I'm just saying everybody, don't expect a beast quake. I'm expecting it. It's more like it'll be a cart coming for the man. That's all. We don't want that bad. You cannot shake I'm excited about this. This is one of the better things that's happened in a terrible week of football for some people. He's going to be on Sunday night football against the 49ers. That's cool. That's delicious. I would need to go through it, but this feels like the best season finale for Al and Chris since they started this game. I can't remember a better, a better one than Seahawks 49ers. Moving on, the Ravens clinched everything on Sunday. They are the number one seat in the AFC. And as expected, Lamar Jackson and several other starters will not be playing against the Steelers in week

17. Jackson, of course, Mark Ingram, who by the way, has a strained calf, which by the way is technically a torn calf muscle. And he left the stadium in a boot yesterday. And with this week off and then the buy, he gets extended time to rest and recover and rehab. But we'll see whether he's Mark Ingram come a playoff time for the Ravens. But this obviously makes a lot of sense. And then on the flip side of that, you have Bill O'Brien of the Houston Texans who, despite the fact that the Texans can't move really much at all, they are at the four seed in the AFC.

They could get up to the three seed. He is going to play his guys anyway. That feels, that feels Belichekian from the disciple, Greg. He did it last year. Well, who did it last? Bill O'Brien played his guys last year when he didn't have to. And I still don't believe him this year. I believe that he's going to enter the first quarter with the starting lineup out there.

And depending on what happens in the early games, he's going to adjust. But Deshaun Watson was limping last game. Grabbing at that ankle repeatedly. Will Fuller has a groin pool. Right. Ian says that Will Fuller is likely out three weeks. So that's basically the season. My point is your receiving core is already shallow.

You're going to risk an injury to either Stills or Hopkins. No, I don't believe that's going to happen for four quarters. Yeah, the quotes weren't as aggressive when you look. They weren't as definitive as I think people made them out to be. Aaron Wilson, who covers them every day, pointed out, them playing to win still might mean them sitting some selective starters. The Chiefs game is in the early window, so they will know whether they can move up to the three-seed. It's debatable whether they would even care that much about moving up to the three-seed.

or not, but yeah, the Chiefs would have to lose to the Chargers, which is unlikely anyways. I just don't think I have a big problem with doing it either way. Everyone thinks it's crazy to play your starters or to try to play to win or play most of them. And to me, there's only 16 of them, and he doesn't think his team is playing that well right now. And there's, you know, one way to get better at playing football as a team is to play football as a team. Like, it just doesn't feel crazy to me if he went that route. I'm with you 100% and I think that we, you know, when we're looking at these teams week to week from a distance and, yeah, we're weighing the risk of losing, you know, a key player. But when you're a coach running a locker room and you have a team that is somewhat underperformed in the Texans where they've been up and down, I think there's some value to saying, I'm not giving you a week off.

I want to go see, at least for a part of this game, go out there, practice and perform and show me that you're a playoff team. Until D'Andre Hopkins hurts his shoulders. Of course. 15 games before that. It's just like you can't change the way. He's getting it both ways. He's got the media reporting back to his team. We're going for it this week.

So he's got his team riled up and they're all going for it. And then in the first quarter, he's going to pull them. Can I make one last point on this is that I actually think it is a pretty big deal getting that three seed? Because if you get the three, you might get the Oakland Raiders in your building in the first round of the playoffs. Or or Duck Hodges and the Steelers who might be on fumes at this point, Duck Hodges on the road. You might get the Titans again. which would, or no, you could beat the Titans in theory and then get them again.

That's a possibility. Could get the Titans again. Whereas, you know, the four seed is going to get the bills, right? Yes. Bills are going to be a tough out. I don't know, you know, if they're a Super Bowl team, but I think that's a team that's destined to play a close game on Wild Card Weekend. That's a huge difference. All right.

Let's see. I also think the Ravens' backups can absolutely beat the Steelers. You can only sit so many people. And I don't know if RG3 is a better quarterback than Duck Hodge's. I think he is. You think the backup offensive line can block T.J. Yad and Bud Dupree. They only have eight or nine offensive linemen. So Yonda's sitting.

Harbaugh pointed out, like, you can't. There's only so many people you can sit. And you're still going to be like cooking up. I don't think Ronnie Stanley's going to be out there for four quarter. That's fair. Finally in the news, Philip Rivers, who is 38 years old now. He just turned 38. He's in the final year of his contract.

It's been a tough go with the Chargers and a lot of speculation that the Chargers will move on from their quarterback after this season. And I thought it was pretty interesting after a 2417 loss reporters, you know, asked Rivers about his future. And he was quite open about it and quite frankly blunt in his assessment of himself and his future. Let's listen to that. But am I capable of it? physically and mentally, there's no question. Do you want to? Yes, I do. I want to play football.

I say, yes, I want to play football, and I do. And that's what I feel deep down as I stand right here. Wes, so Rivers, he's coming back in 2020, because somebody, if not the Chargers, is going to sign him. Do you think it's a fresh start on the way? And if you do think it's a fresh start, where's a good landing spot for Mr. Rivers? It's interesting. You said the assumption, you know, a lot of people assume the cognizenti

assumes the chargers want to move on. I think there's also some people who assumed before this that Rivers might just, he and Eli go out together and call it a career because he doesn't want to play for anyone else. I could definitely see him moving back towards the southeast where he's from, where his kids are going to start high school in a couple of years, where he wants to coach. I think Tanna Hill has made the Titans probably an unlikely scenario,

but the Carolina Panthers, who are said to be wanting to move on from Cam Newton, he played college at NC State there, so that makes sense to me. I could see that, but I could also see the Chargers, even if their head coach is done with him, their GM saying, well, you want to put the franchise tag on him and see if anybody will trade for him. I got one for you. What about Jake Brisket struggling down the stretch with the cults, putting Phil Rivers

in Indy with Frank Reich and getting one last run? I feel like that could work, right? Nice Midwestern town for his family. I hadn't thought of that, but I like it. There's some juice there. And good offensive line? There is some talk of, yeah, good offensive line. Obviously a great offensive coach.

They maybe give T.Y. Hilton some help there. They get healthy, obviously. They have Marlon Mack. Maybe that's a good spot. Spend some time together, I believe, with the Chargers. Yes, they did. Yep. I would say this.

So you're not going to get any quarterback, you know, heading into week 17, telling people when he's got to go start in five or six days, I'm done with football. I'm not there mentally. Like, no one, no athletes don't operate that way. The way he talked about it and sort of the typical Philip Rivers defiance, you could just tell. He's playing. I mean, he said... Well, the charges aren't going to dictate when he retires. Let's put it that way. He said, like, there's a natural human nature. You're 38. You've thrown some bad interceptions for you to think about whether you can make these throws. And he said, none of that's true. I've made as many great throws this year, whether he's right or wrong, he believes that, as I made earlier in my career, I've made some throws that are better than ever. He is insulted by the suggestion that he's done. And whether the Chargers agree or not, I don't know.

There's a weird situation. I think with, you know, Tyrod Taylor is signed there next year. Anthony Lynn's been with them before. And so... Good luck with that, Chargers. Right. At least that they have someone where they could move on. Open up SoFi Stadium with Tyrod Taylor.

And a rookie. And a rookie, maybe. You draft someone. Yeah. All right. Let's see. Dad, what's going on? You're chewing that ice over there.

It's very loud. I'm sorry. well he's been waiting for our segment which we've done a lot of it's our top 100 games of the 1970s from 1975 to 1985 we're each going to do 20 each take a two or three minutes for each game west let's get us going well the holy roller dad i want your thoughts if you could on philip rivers we you were chewing the tape with me a little bit today uh we were watching game passes as well as i'm putting together the power rings would you want philip rivers if you were the cults or a coach that needed a little love upgraded. Do you think he's shot? No, I think Rivers still has it. And I think he would be a good addition to the Colts. The Colts, look, if they had anybody, they had a better quarterback, I think they would have definitely had nine or ten wins this year. So, you know, I think he would be a great addition. I think his time in San Diego was over. And should Adam Gase be back with the Jets? I don't know, Gase. I don't particularly like Gase. As you know, I'm a big

jet fan as you are then. And you know what? I don't particularly like him but I have to say you know they were one in seven and now they're six and nine so I'm have to be pretty pleased they haven't quit on them they haven't quit and he's got he's got it seems like he's got the team behind him but I've also heard some rumblings uh in the locker room about him not being so popular with the team but that happens a big tough guy I believe was the report in bleacher report that Greg Williams the locker room respects uh but gays a bit of an act but you know what it also feels like that could have come straight from Greg Williams' camp and lawyers.

Or just Greg Williams. You just called up, he did the conference call and said that. You know what? It was just disclosed there? What? Keith has a guest passed to the lab and Mark can't even get in the door. Oh, yeah. Well, it's absurd.

That's true. You know, there's so many situations that are untoward here. That has access. Should we give? Ocular access. Aaron Rogers, Keith's boy, the final word tonight. After tonight's win, he said, it's great to win in the stadium. after I was jeered a couple years ago,

leaving the field with a broken collarbone. Yeah, he stuck it to him. You know what? Just like Phil Rivers, these great old quarterbacks, you know, they use slights as motivation. And sure enough,

that's what happened tonight in Minneapolis. I mean, if I got booed after breaking my collarbone, that would stick with me too. Yeah. Better than getting cheered for a broken collarbone, right? All right. We will be back on

Thursday with our week 17 Mark you gotta be feeling it right now Week 17 preview show coming up I like checkpoints and that is a checkpoint where we take 20 teams and we're all in this giant clown car we just we open those back door of the car and we just shove 20 teams to the side

of the highway and we keep rolling I think of it as like catching them all like in like a tuna net and then just in a Superman way three times around the head and then fly them into the sun I like that too. They're gone. 20 of them. Anyway, so check that out when it comes.

Again, tickets available at the Miami Improv. com slash events. If you want to check out our live show on the Thursday before the Super Bowl, that's going to be a lot of fun. And finally, tomorrow is Christmas Eve, Christmas on Wednesday. Merry Christmas to all of our listeners. Greg, I believe Hanukkah is rolling now. I believe so We are right in the thing of Hanukkah.

What's going because your family's in Japan? Is the Nora out? Like take us through. What's going on? We've never, we're not really a religious household in any way. We've never celebrated Hanukkah. I mean, I didn't as a kid either. But we celebrated our Christmas before they left.

Oh, very good. Rosenthal Christmas. My parents flew in and we did that early. New Year's is the big holiday in Tokyo. So that's really why they're there. That's better put than Dan on the last show asking what the hook of Hanukkah was, as if it's not been around. for...

The candles are the honey. And it's rolling right now. And, yes, I'm lucky enough to have my dad, Keith, here, and my mom celebrating it. So we're very fortunate. And, yes, Merry Christmas and a happy holidays to everyone. We will be back Thursday. Until then, this is Dan Hansis signing off for... See, it's a different desk set up.

So I've got to say, Quiet Storm, the mailman, the old boss. And Keith Hansis, Clarksdown High, class of 71. Yes. Yes. Until Thursday. 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

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