NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal - NFL ATL: Super Bowl liabilities, headlines

Episode Date: January 22, 2014

A room full of heroes -- Dan Hanzus, Gregg Rosenthal and Marc Sessler -- preview potential weak spots for the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII, patch in Kevin Patra from Honolulu to preview the first-ever Pro Bowl Draft and catch up with Chris Wesseling, who makes his case for why this year’s title game is so spectacular.  Join the conversation on Twitter: @NFL_ATL or #NFLATL.Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comNFL Daily YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nflpodcastsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. The Around the League podcast starts now. Welcome back to another edition of the Around the League podcast. My name is Dan Hanson. I'm joined by a room filled with some heroes, Mark Sessler and Greg Rosenthal. What up, boys. Remember when you almost got rid of what-up, boys? Listen, that was one of those instances where,

you have to stay out of your own way and you look back on it and you say, thank God. I look back at it as one of the best couple shows that we've ever had. Well, without it? I loved the know of what-up voice. I was anti-what-up boys. I'm going to say it.

I don't like that guy. Well, as was I, and then as I listened to the people and the people spoke out and they said, we love what-up boys, so we kept it. Dan has showed up in a fire department of New York baseball hat, which is an automatic way to walk. around into any store and, like, oh, this guy, he's a good guy. I get discounts when I wear this hat.

I found it in my closet, and I must have picked it up at some point when I was living in New York post 9-11 where this type of paraphernalia was just like flying around and sold on street corners, and I needed a hat for whatever reason. Yeah, brought it in. It's timely, because I don't know if you knew. We're headed there. You're going on Saturday. Mark and I and Chris are headed there on Sunday.

Yes, we are. The New Jersey New York Super Bowl. We got the Pro Bowl coming this week. Kevin Patcher's in Hawaii. I mean, this is big. Not since the New York, New Jersey Metro star, Zach Goldman, the Goldstandard. Another reference. There we go.

Has New York and New Jersey been put together at such a level with the big old slash? True story. And by the way, so everybody knows, we will be doing three podcasts when we are in New York. Yeah, we'll be doing it Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. really the same schedule. We'll keep it. That'll be a late-night pod on Sunday. It'll be, we have some logistical things to work out, but we'll get it done.

All right, great. All right, so the Super Bowl is less than two weeks away. We will get into some Super Bowl talk, including a, we're going to bring back a game that was introduced about, I don't know, a month and a half ago. We're going to roll it back. We are also going to talk to Kevin Patra, who is coming at you from Hawaii, Pro Bowl style. And I made a reference that it was lost in translation. Was what I had in mind when I thought about Patra sitting in a sleepy bar in a luxury area? No.

I'm actually thinking of what is that Sandler movie, Punch Drunk Love? That feels much more Patra to me than does an age-wise in Bill Murray. Patra's like, you know, he's young in the world. He's young. He has some rage within him, just like Sandler's character had in that. So we will talk to Patra from Hawaii and we'll talk some problem. We're also going to get on the phone with Chris Wessling. But let's start, as we always do in our midweek podcast with the headlines.

Roger Goodell visited our building on Monday. We were told to clean up our desks and be ready for the commission, be dressed up nicely. He never came to the office and to our newsroom, Mark, so you did not miss Roger Goodell. Yeah, I left midday, and I figured, you know, with the way things work, Probably the minute I'm walking in my cars, the minute the door opens with trumpets blaring, in comes the commissioner. But two hours later, I text you,

and you're still sitting in your seat, no sign of them. But you got to break out your slacks for the first time since I've... Yeah, it was dire. I learned again. Slacks a word. I do not fit into most of my pants the way that I do. I know. We need to button down with our fitness regime.

Run out of time. Right after the Super Bowl. But anyway, the news of this is, Roger Goodell was at NFL Network Studio, speaking with our own Rich Eisen, broke a little bit of news. he said that it is, I guess, at least being discussed, there is a theory being discussed that extra points could be abolished.

Mark Sessler, you wrote the post on this. I was hoping you could explain to me exactly what Rogg said. I guess the proposal that they're just considering, and it will go to the competition committee at some point, is a plan where a touchdown would be seven points automatically. And then a team could decide, look, either we're going to go for a two-point conversion. and if we get it, like any team could today, you get eight, and if you aren't successful, you finish with six.

So it's just, what they're saying is that extra points which over the last 10 years have a success rate of like 99.1% are unnecessary. He used the words that it's just become an unnecessary, it's not dramatic for the fans, and they're trying to make it more exciting. I like it, but one thing I wish I'd added to the post that I kind of wasn't thinking about is the fantasy implications. Hmm. Interesting. That is not something I considered. You're right. It would make kickers a little less valuable, but you never really draft kickers anyways early. It would hurt teams kickers that score a lot of touchdowns. That's fair.

Strategy-wise, it doesn't change things too much, though, I don't think. I think it's a good idea because extra points have become an afterthought. They are so Damashek has a theory, which I like. Damashik has a lot of good theories involving field goals. extra points, uprights. But I think the one where all kickers need to go straight ahead again, bring that back with the lead toe. That's a good one, but that's never going to happen. It's always going to be the soccer-style kickers.

So, yeah, wipe it out, give us the seven points, and then take a shot at it, people. And I've heard some conversation how this will change the strategy because now you'd be taking a point off the board if you go for two. And I feel like that's not really thinking through the problem. Because it really just sets up a situation that's the exact same as now, except you're not wasting your time with the extra point. You're either going to have six or you're going to have eight.

And I don't think people are going to go for any more or any less because you get seven to start with. It's the same exact situation. Bill Belichick has been talking about this for a decade. So from Bill Belichick's mouth to Roger Goodell's ears. In those coaches that they print up those little sheets where they say, here's where we go for two or not. You don't need to reprint those or even change a line on them.

Nothing changes. This is like what I've been talking about for 20 years in this country. One of the biggest problems I think is the overabundance of pennies. And we need to abolish the penny and we need to abolish the extra point. A 14-year-old Greg Rosenthal in Model Congress brought this up. And it was a winner. No one could argue. Who needs the penny?

The penny equivalent right now in this country is like $1.75 from when we're. we started. There's no use. Grounded off the five. Greg Rosenthal, in a model, Congress is like the most West Andernish thing I've ever heard of. That's very true. And by the way, you're aligning yourself with Britney Spears' ex-husband, Kevin Federline. Back when I was living in New York, I remember walking by a rally once, in which Kevin

Federline was the guy leading a rally to eliminate pennies. Really? Rosenthal Federline. That is truly bizarre. It is. It's extremely bizarre. This is, it comes up every now and then in real Congress, no lie. But for some reason, it doesn't make it through.

Aren't you sick of pennies in your pocket and they're all over the place and they're totally useless? We're all over the place is what's going on right now. I throw them away sometimes. I do too. And to put a bow on our conversation, because we already referenced some Adam Sandler content, The Lonesome Kicker, a great song off his comedy album, kickers are really starting to get. Screws are getting tied.

It's getting more and more. Before we do move on, I think this extra point thing is, a winner and I think Goodell brought it up because he believes there's a good chance that it's going to pass. He doesn't just bring it up willy-nilly. It's going to get voted on. I think there's a good chance it passes. The more impactful thing he said in terms of rule change that they're going to potentially vote on reviewing whether it's a helmet to helmet hit. And that's something Rich Eisen's been talking about for years. And when we get into the 2014 season, if that actually happens, that's going to be a big impact. That's something we're going to end up talking about. I don't know if the

extra point thing is really going to be that big of a deal. But when they're reviewing the helmet to helmet hits, it'll slow down the game. It's going to be a big thing. And it's going to change because while he frame and Goodell, who gets criticized by a lot of people, but I think he's a sharp guy and when he says things, he says them for a reason. And he said that he believed it will change, that this will become a challengeable thing. So you could, to me, you can put it in the books. We'll see what happens though. Moving forward. Broncos' offensive coordinator, Adam Gase, has pulled out of the Browns' head coaching search. But, Mark, don't worry, because the Browns will interview Mike Petton, the Bill's coordinator.

They have Seahawks' defensive coordinator, Dan Quinn, also on the books for another interview. So where are we going with this, Mark? Are you feeling good? There's a reason to be nervous. They still don't have a coach. They're the only team in the league now. I don't feel nervous at all, to be honest, about the timeline. I don't know why that's made such a big deal of.

Because all the coaches are leaving, right? Because they don't... I think any one of these guys can get a staff together for one year and then you can make some adjustments. You're sick of everyone making jokes that people are turning them down, though. It's not the greatest sign in the world that gays, who was high on their list, whether he would be good or not. He was someone they wanted to talk to, and he apparently doesn't want the job.

Yeah, it's getting to a level where for I think anyone that has an interest in the Browns, there's apparent cynicism about what the perception is. It's probably as low as it's been. Let me just, Petten to me, though, and, you know, we've talked before we read that book, Collision, Low Crossers, Bizarr title, but great book. And it's a story about the Jets. The guy follows the New York Jets for a year. And when you hear these names pop up in these coaching searches, like, people don't know if it's Patine or Petton. They don't even know who this guy is.

It sounds boring. You want them to go after John Gruden or Bill Cower. Well, Petton, to me, came across as a guy that I got excited reading about him because he was so organized and so driven. he's the son of a coach. I just feel like he would fit with Cleveland. The report is that he really, really wants to go there, too. That's nice to hear. Where at Gase, you know, there was whispers.

Well, there were whispers with Gase where he wasn't even sure he wanted to be making that jump into a head coach role. He could wait a year or two more. He's only 35. So petting to me, I think, is a good fit for Cleveland. I think we'll see. I think this can move faster than we think.

He's a second interview tonight. Couldn't agree more. Collision low crossers, first of all. is a classic of the genre. It's the book I've been waiting to read about the current NFL for about 10 or 20 years. You guys getting paid for this, by the way? Yeah, I don't care.

It's a fantastic book. And Petten stood out. I couldn't agree more that he looked and felt like a head coach after reading that book. And it sounds like, Mark, that you heard Jimmy Haslam Jr.'s message to fans last week where he basically was like,

everybody relax, I got this. And, you know, you sound like a guy that's still under control and confident. And they hired Belichick like days after the Super Bowl. The only other coach they hired after the Super Bowl, Butch Davis, he rolled them in. I'm not going to go down on that road. Actually also, Romeo.

Most successful coach since they've rebooted. Fair enough. I just, I don't know if the timeline concerns me so much. If you get the right guy, who cares if it's two weeks later. And all right. Finally, the Dallas Cowboys, this is surprising to me. As I'm on my off day, I did not see this. They are keeping defensive coordinator Monta Kiffin.

What happened with this? This is one of those stories that would have been a big story right after the season. And because now it's two or three weeks later and everyone forgot that the Dallas Cowboys defense was the biggest abomination of the 2013 season. And Monty Kiffin looked well past his prime. And Jerry Jones's decision to hire Kiffin and Fire Ryan was an abject disaster, that it's kind of slipping under the radar. But I'm stunned about this. And Jerry Jones loves to trumpet. anything Dallas Cowboys related.

And you notice there's no big press conference. It's just kind of, I'm going to slide into Mobile and mention this to a couple of reporters. I don't think they're proud of this, but they're keeping them. Don't you think that after getting rid of Rob Ryan last year and being completely humiliated by that, that there's maybe more of, I'm just going to do nothing this time, although this was the guy he definitely should part ways with. Well, I thought that they had given him a retirement package and bought him a place in Boko Raton. And they were washing their hands of what was an obvious mistake because the defense regressed massively under the old man.

And now he's coming back. This, to me, has all the markings of late period Jerry Jones' disaster thinking, and this guy will be fired next year, but not before another eight-and-eight led by a bad defense. They probably did buy him a house in Boca Raton, and he probably did spend two weeks there, and then they called him up and said, you know what, actually, you have to come back and do this again.

Or they fire him next month. I'm not even kidding. That wouldn't totally shock me if he's still sort of slow playing it. I don't know if there's someone they'd like to talk to, but it sounds like they're keeping it. He said one other ominous thing, Jones. He said, they asked him about the salary cap, and he said, well, listen, the salary cap is going to be an issue for this team

for years and years to come. What's the subtext? Like, wow. Okay, that's hopeful. And I'll tell you all it. It was fun in the 90s, but it is not easy being a Cowboys fan. It's a tougher. packet right now.

It sounds like it. You are Yankees fans. You all empathize with the Cowboys fans. You all go together. Yankees and Cowboys. It's an absurd statement. All right. Let's move on.

Let's get into our little game. About a month ago, I was away from the podcast. We had NFL Network producer Michael Berger sit again. He came up with a good idea for a segment called Who Do You Trust? Now, we're going to do a little twist on that with the Super Bowl coming up. I'm going to go with something negative. I like to skew negative. Who don't?

Don't you trust? Interesting. About the Super Bowl edition. So gentlemen, with the big game coming up, who wants to go first and tell me who you don't trust? All right. Greg is pointing in a panic state to Mark Sessler. I got to cook up something here. So cook it up, Sessor.

Pretend like this is all happening in your mind. I can go with a position group, right, or an individual. Anything you want. Who don't you trust? Well, there's less fodder here than there would have been. for two week eight opponents because these are the two best teams in football. Not a lot of weakness.

Nice start. I'm going to go, though, with Denver's ground game. Because I think that quietly, Denver's rushing game has done a nice job last week we saw it in other weeks of kind of keeping the clock going with some big runs, big third down conversions. I rewatched what Seattle did to San Francisco again last night.

And we're finding out that Frank Gore potentially a broken finger and he was not always in the game but they completely, outside of Colin Kaepernick early on in the second half blew up San Francisco's ability to run the ball and A, they're a great run defense they force fumbles, they force turnovers

all over the place I don't know if that would change Denver's offense entirely but if you could completely remove the option of converting some big third downs and you put Peyton Manning into a tougher spot against that secondary potential problems that's where I'm going. Don't they use the run game primarily just to keep the defense honest?

It's not like they're going to look to hand the ball off to No Sean Moreno and Monte Bell 35 times. Here's why this game in particular would concern me, because when you're the New England secondary, Peyton Manning is finding holes all over the place, especially with Talib out. But what Manning has to do when you've got a couple of all pros back there and not a single weak link is you've got to find a way to get yardage where you can. And I think the run game would play a big part of that if you don't want to deal with Richard Sherman on the one-third of the field and the rest of the deal.

Well, so much of the Denver's running game comes from Peyton Manning checking to runs when he has advantageous looks. Right. Because most teams have to load up in the back end to stop Manning and all those receivers. It will be really interesting to see, do the Seahawks even need to do that? Do they really even need the extra defenders in the back end? Or can they play them a little more honestly? Obviously, you're going to mix up a lot of calls when you're playing Peyton Man and you can't give them the same look all the time.

But they're such a good, complete defense everywhere. Maybe they don't have to cheat as much. I think the Broncos often is going to struggle doing anything, running or pass. Ah, Seahawks blowout. You're calling it, Craig. I already see it. Like one quick thing on the Niners game. Kaepernick, I watched every one of his throws last night,

didn't even turn his head towards the side of the field that Sherman was on. What Sherman had said at some point. He only threw to me twice, he said. And it's like that the Niners right out of the gate were only playing with two-thirds of the field. And that's another thing. It's like you can run to the right side.

That's the worst side of Seattle's defense to run the ball. But again, how will play out? I think it's going to be one of the more interesting matchups technically than we've seen all season. Red Bryant and Brandon Mebain don't get talked about a lot, but that's as good a two-sum in terms of. of run-stopping as there is in the league. And they might not need many guys up front to stop the Broncos run.

You're right. They don't run the ball that much. 11th in the league in rushing attempts, despite leading big in so many games. Only 20th in yards per carry. I like your pick. Well, Mark, one thing you didn't say, which can work to your advantage as well in this prediction. Noshone Moreno has a bad rib. We don't, obviously, he's probably going to play.

But that's an issue, too. That's a starting running. A little injection. He'll be fun. Monty ball is probably a better runner anyways I don't know if they like them as much in the past game but if you're picking a guy to get three yards for you I'd take Monty Ball

by the way you brought up Richard Sherman did you guys see what he said after the game what Sunday night after the game yeah and Aaron Andrews had got him for a couple of seconds I just to turn the game there was that play where he hit it with his left hand and then the Seahawks went to the Super Bowl see I missed the end of the I don't even know who won that game

who won that game what's happening all right I will now tell you who I don't trust. Well, this will all build up for you. Is this football related? Well, I was going to, you actually, let me cross it out. Mark Sessler is number one. Oh, come on.

Yeah. I don't trust Russell Wilson. I do trust Russell Wilson in the big picture, and I think he's one of the key figures of the NFL going forward over the next decade. However, I don't know how much I trust him right now. These are his stats so far through two playoff games. They're not terrible. And this is why pass rating, by the way, can be.

misleading sometimes. He had a 104.6 pass rating on Sunday against the Niners. He went 16 of 25, 25, 215 yards, one touchdown. But I don't think he necessarily played a great game. He threw that nice pass, the touchdown pass on the off-sides. That was a nice throw. But he also, his passes weren't always that crisp, and he also had that tendency to take a snap and scramble backwards. He got called for one ground.

He could have gotten called for another. Should have been called for another. Probably should have been called for another. And would it shock me if a guy that's a second-year player who has had some moments this season where he hasn't looked so hot on this stage against a great team, especially if he gets behind, could run into trouble. Russell Wilson.

Last time he was in a bad weather game just two weeks ago, 103 yards, 9 for 18. He struggled. There's got to be a lot of conversation about Peyton Manning in the bad weather. but if it's below freezing and there's a little bit of wind, it's going to hurt the passing game for both teams. Which passing game has enough behind it that they can survive that?

The Seahawks have struggled throwing the ball, not just in the playoffs, I would say going back to the start of December. And I think that's more of a team thing than Russell Wilson. I'm with you, Dan. But I think it's more of a pass offense, not even Russell Wilson, because it's really that whole group, the receivers, and especially the offensive line. There isn't the killer receiver that you have to absolutely keep your,

if Percy Harvin's not in the game. Baldwin produced, but you don't think of them that way. I don't at least. But, you know, Dan, that's not a bad pick at all because, like, I watched Wilson in that Niners game typically is such a clean player that doesn't make mistakes. He's a great handler. He had a couple, you know, fumble on that Alden Smith sack right out of the gate.

Two fumbles in the heat. And something just looked a little different about him. I think with the Saints game where he produced, like 103 yards passing. That wind in that game was such an issue that they really had the game plan around it. But I don't know. With Wilson to me, he's also

a guy, and I think you said this on Sunday night show, that he could surprise you and blow up and have a huge performance as well and go like 19 for 24. Like he's that guy too. Phil Sims-like. That would be Phil Sims-like. In New Jersey.

Bang. Even though that game was played in California. Right. But that's why A little bit of a New Jersey connection. By the way, and for a guy that has great mobility and great escapeability, his past five games, he's been sacked 4, 4, 4, 3, and 4. So maybe the O-Line's not doing a great job protecting him. Maybe he's holding the ball too long. If he gets some pressure on him, that will lead to trouble as well. He does do that figure 8 thing where it's more like a figure 88 where he'll just go back and back and back.

Nice, Mark. I like that. I like Dan's use of escapability. one of my favorite football only terms right behind out-physicaled. I'm waiting to see that in print, but coaches love to say Always getting nabbed and spell-checked them.

Well, you actually, you say it's only in football. I used great escapeability to get out of this work dinner for my wife about two weeks ago where I said that I had work at 5 a.m., but I was off the next day. Showed great escapeability. Guarantee one of her coworkers

just passing through the internet happens to listen to this. Big trouble in the hands of household is one's salary is removed. Wow. Greg Rosenthal, who's getting canned? I don't know. All right.

Anyone. Greg, who don't you trust? Well, I supported your Russell Wilson theory because I'm a team player. But I'm going the other way around. I don't trust the team and the defense that he's going against, especially their leadership, John Fox, Jack Del Rio. And there's something about this coaching staff that even though they've been more aggressive lately, I don't think they're a Super Bowl winning type of coaching staff.

I like Pete Carroll and John Schneider and that organization. And when you're talking X's and O's, and especially on the defensive side, I don't know if I fully trust the Broncos yet. They've played great defense. You can't say that they haven't in the two playoff games. But I like Seattle to outfox. You don't think John Fox is like one of the game's premier strategists necessarily. But maybe that's not fair to feel that way.

No, he doesn't get enough respect. I understand that in terms of the success that he's had, but game management in the big spot, I still am not fully convinced that this is a great defense. And I think Wilson could create some problems. Marshaun Lynch can create some problems. And that's where I'm at. I have won Del Rio.

Why has no one hired Del Rio? I mean, well, sometimes what you've done is preventive. and I think that Jaguar's job flamed out hard at the end and he needs this time to... Yeah, I think a couple more years. Even one more year, he would... But it's funny how some guys

are easily able to shed the baggage of a lost end of a, you know, career with one team and then instantly jump aside. Jackie D. is still working on it. I talked to him with just after he got hired by Fox at the Combine a couple years ago. Name dropper. Well, I'm not trying to do it except... Scenario dropper.

This is why I like Del Rio is that he rolled into this. We were all watching the Oscars with NFL Network. work people. And him and Fox rolled in randomly to hang out. And they were, A, Fox is one of the nicest, just the nice guy walking around acting like he's your uncle. But Del Rio was off in the corner and like I happened to be chatting with him. And we got into like a 25 minute conversation about his place in the first Tecmo Bowl. And that he used to play Tecmo Bowl with his kids and they would constantly, you know, they'd use offensive players to destroy him as a defensive guy in Tecmo Bowl. I was like, you know, I like this guy. We have a

had a serious moment in this entire chat. Maybe we're a few beers involved, but... So I should trust them, is what you're saying? Well, I don't know. It may work exactly into what you're talking about here. Maybe we should root for him because it sounds like he was a nice guy. Nice guys, but you know, you guys took two good options here in terms of lacking trust. You went got to the heart of the matter, though, Greg.

I don't know if I really need to trust a defense whose best pass rusher is Sean Phillips. How about this, by the way? How about nobody brought up that they... don't trust Peyton Manning. What do we think about that? I think it feels like low-hanging fruit, as they say. Or you want to be that guy that you went on a podcast killing Peyton Manning this week? I don't.

Or it feels like he's a five-time MVP, soon-to-be five-time MVP, that's coming off statistically the greatest season in NFL history for a quarterback. And he just slayed Tom Brady. Right, he looks locked on in that game. So what tells us that things are going to, he already showed him to do the cold weather thing. Now could Seattle shut him down? Could they slow him down in this offense? I think so, but that's not because of my lack of trust in Manning. I think he'll play well enough. That's because the Seahawks defense might be just as historical, just as excellent as this Broncos offense. See, this is why I

like doing a podcast with you guys, because there's nobody in this room that is just going to be ridiculous about Manning over this next two weeks. We all understand what he's capable of. We all know his past failures, but we're not going to get too wrapped up in it. We're just going to stay in the moment. Peyton Manning will probably play very well in Super Bowl 40. I'd agree with that. All right, it's that time of the show. We're going to get a little tropical here. We're going a little, you know, we're going over the Pacific, and we're going to talk to Kevin Patra coming at you from Honolulu, Hawaii. Kevin, are you there? Hey, what's going on, fellas? That sounds like a guy wearing a Hawaiian shirt.

I know. Patrick's usually... I'm not, but I wish I were. Patrick, usually a little gruff from the snowy basement in Chicago, but now he's realizing it all paid off to come aboard the Around the League Express, just for this Hawaii trip. Oh, yeah, I'm staring at a blue sea and palm trees everywhere I look. So this is better than your typical spot, which is a basement in Chicago? Agreed, yes. A basement or a bar bathroom. Are you doing any work? That is to be determined.

Love the hesitancy in that response. Yes, excellent. I refuse to agree to much. So, Patrick, take us through what's going on over there. Like, you're at the hotel, the NFL's hotel, right? Are there a lot of players, like, everywhere right now? Are you amongst them? Are you swimming with them?

Are they judging you? I'm not swimming with them, literally or figuratively. You know, they're just starting to trickling. J.J. Walth was on my flight in. You know, I knew it was going to be a great trip when the first thing that happened to me was, and I was at the airport, a Buffalo Bill's cheerleader sits right down next to me, and I'm like, okay, well, it's good. You know, that reminds me of...

Did you strike up a conversation? Of course, of course. Listen to this guy. You know, when I said that you were kind of like Sandler and Punch Drunk Love, you were going to find love there, does this happening? Is there something in play with a cheerleader for a major NFL team? Unfortunately, unfortunately, the first thing I noticed was a ring, and I don't play.

We don't play like that, so... Probably David Nelson's wife. That's the first homie don't play, reference in literally 21 years. That's why you get. All right. So, Kevin, let's talk about the Pro Bowl. What do we want to talk about with Kevin?

Let's talk about the Pro Bowl draft, which is Wednesday night. Well, it's a two-part draft. On Tuesday night, it's the offensive line and fullbacks and a punter. Kind of the warm-up back. Wednesday night, though, this is the three-hour spectacular you're going to want to watch. All the players are getting drafted from D.I. and Jerry Rice and basically just

it's kind of like you're picking the best players in the league wait come on the boss you're not going to throw it out there we're also doing something for around the league a live component

we're also doing a live chat on the website hosted by Daniel Hanses and if you go to the website on Wednesday before the draft

you can see the only official NFL mock draft of the Pro Bowl by Mark Sest Sessler and I. Who's not getting excited for that? Hey. We are invested in this event.

Well, we were told about 20 minutes ago that we were going to be invested. No, that don't be silly. We are pro-proble. It should be fun. So let's do a little exercise. Yeah, Kevin Patrick, what we decided to be fun to do and, you know, since you're there and you're a professional, you don't need to consult a list. You know everyone on the roster. We're going to

We're going to each pick the three top Pro Bowl players. Now, not everyone is at this event. In fact, many people aren't. In fact, the Niners, I read today that the Niners, six of the seven Niners said thanks, but no thanks. But still, we're going to go off anybody that was selected, top three. And I will start with you, Greg Rosenthal, your top three players on the Pro Bowl roster.

And, you know, we talked about this before. Let's not go too crazy with quarterbacks. Well, we're not going to take all quarterbacks or anything like that. that but yeah we're not going to do a draft here but we'll take the guys we would want and i'm going with guys that just it's the pro ball there's not a lot of wait so this is if we were the coaches of the teams and you want some grinders stars if you were michael irvin all right i like this who would be the three guys and i don't think defense matters no one wants to block who cares about linemen so i'm going for guys that if you're just on a out playing football on a sandlot

who would you want who can make people miss andrew luck is my quarterback because i think he's the most talented quarterback and just can do a little bit of anything. LaShawn McCoy is my number two pick. No one can tackle him in the regular season so they're not tackled him in the Pro Bowl. And Des Bryant is my third one. With those three guys,

who's stopping them? You don't need anyone on defense. Patrick, what do you think? That's pretty good. I got a similar mode to Greg, but I'm taking Cam Newton as my quarterback because I don't think people can't tackle them when they're trying so when they're not, I think that

he could dominate. You know, I'm going to take a flyer. I'm going to take Cordero Patterson as my wide receiver. Because I think young guys, he's going to come on. He's going to want to play a little harder. I think he's made for this game with his freakish athleticism where they could give him the ball anywhere and he could just take it to the house. That is outside the box, Kevin.

He's not even listed at wide receiver for this game. He's a punt returner, so he's not only going to draft him. You don't think guys aren't going to be like, all right, go out there. I think they're going to make some play for him. You're changing positions. You're coaching him. This is something. I'm doing it. I'm doing it. I'm getting, you will see him at wider.

I like it. I like that. And I will take a defender because I think Robert Quinn still has a little bit of a chip on his shoulder. He was just in the press conference. And I think he's going to try to, you know, take some shots with some quarterbacks. And we should give some love to him for stopping by the Around the League podcast studio here a couple days back. Oh, yeah. I like that thing. Mark Sessler, your turn. All right.

Big decision time. Here's where I'm going. Not even remotely prepared, Suss. This game is not about anything happening at the line of scrimmage. No one wants to get to the quarterback because it's probably in many cases because it's non-conferenced. I remember this conversation when I said it two minutes ago. Well, you've got defensive players aren't going to go after quarterbacks. I'm going to go with A.J. Green.

Okay. Brandon Marshall. Ooh. And Josh Gordon. Oh, wow. Lights out. The trio. It's over.

That's 75 points right there. And I don't, why do you need to pick a quarterback? You can't go wrong here. That's pretty good, buddy. Yeah. Overload the defense, lights out. The entire stadium's gone by halftime. You could play quarterback with those three guys.

Brandon Whedon could. It's about matchups, baby. Maybe not Whedon. The Pro Bowl is about matchups. I will go with Philip Rivers because I like Phil. Phil's had a nice year. That is overwhelming. Bill deserves this moment.

He has many children. He gets to take his whole family to Hawaii. Honestly, that one's got to be my number one pick too for the same reason, and I changed it at the last second time. I like it. I'll tell you who else I like. I like Eddie Lacey. Has anybody brought him up?

Hard-nosed runner, rookie, you know, really talented, a real grinder. And then, of course, last but not least, Antonio Cromarty. Pro bowler. Wow. A injury replacement for about 400 guys, ranked 68th out of seven. 71 cornerbacks, according to pro football focus. He is a guy

who called me out on Twitter a couple days ago and called me a liar for reporting something that he said in an interview that was televised. I want Carmardi on my team because that's a man with character, health, and playing at the top of his game. I like that. You can make him have

to play the entire time. Oh, he's not coming off the field. He's playing both ways. Nice. If you were going to go Jed, I thought you'd go mangled, maybe. I thought about Nick, but ultimately I said, I want to go with the greatest of all Jets, Antonio Cromaro. Well, it's funny because in that book that we talked about, Carmardi is their number one practice player,

that he is the hardest worker in terms of loving the game. So maybe he is a guy that takes the pro-law seriously. Well, they also talk about him as a guy that doesn't like to tackle anyone. Well, I could have told you that when he was on the Chargers, and Sean Green bowled him over during a playoff win for the Jets. That's your pro bowl player. I told you. I got a lot of faith in this guy.

That's not true. Patra, any plans for the rest of the week, any strategies? Now, you are at their hotel, so you literally could be hanging out at the poolside bar with some of these players. Not to be weird, you don't want to interview them there, but that's your pool. Yeah, yeah. You know, we were at the bar last night. There was a few guys. We should give Kevin one assignment, and this is like in all seriousness.

You have one job. There's a lot of guys at the Pro Bowl. Not all of them know anybody. It would be very easy for you to seriously be free. friend someone if you just kept an open mind. We want you to make one friend on a Pro Bowl roster by the end of your time. Yeah, like a legit friend where you exchanged numbers at the end of the week. Is that possible?

But I'll work on it. I'll get back to you. Two words for you, Kevin. Johnny Hecker. St. Louis Rams punter. I would definitely look for the outskirt guy. I'm not even make up a guy. I was going to put Hecker on my roster because he's a caratop and I like that.

But all right, great job. Great job, Kevin. Enjoy yourself out there. and if you could find love, even better. I appreciate it, fellow. Thanks, Kevin. All right, gentlemen, before we get Chris Wesleyan on the phone, I have to check out, this is my off day.

I have some business to take care of. I don't need to get into it anymore, do I? Or do I? No, that's my fault. You know, we have to delay the show a little bit. There's a lot going on, a lot of moving parts, it's heavily produced show. I don't trust that this business is good for our society on any level,

but enjoy yourself. You're free to leave. All right, guys, good talking to you. You too. So we said goodbye to Dan, but we will say hello to Chris Wesseling, who if you listen to Sunday night's show after the game, unfortunately, you know, is not in the studio with us. He's back with his family. His father passed away over the weekend. You know, we consider him part of the family. And it's great to talk to you, Wes. I know it hasn't been a great couple of days for you. No, I don't know how much reflecting I do on a daily basis, but it was good that I heard about it right when I was getting on a flight and had five or six hours to kind of think of all the good times.

And then it's been kind of a whirlwind since I've gotten into Cincinnati, just seeing family and friends and more stories and more laughs, and definitely celebrating a great life. Now, you told me that you know, you're not a Bengals fan. Everyone knows this, and you sort of got that from your father who had also basically given up on the Bengals, too, is that right? My dad was a season ticket holder in the 70s, and this was at a time when, you know, he was a mailman and had,

well, he didn't have seven kids yet, but never had a lot of money, but was a season ticket holder, and I think he got frustrated with the franchise for the exact same reason I did. But, yeah, he's definitely a huge sports fan was a playground legend in basketball in the local area. And had seven boys.

So he's basically a saint. Definitely, yeah. Well, Wes, I know that you left on Saturday, and we missed watching the games with you on Sunday, for sure. It's been a tradition for, what, 20-something weeks at this point? Yeah, yeah, I missed it. I went back and watched everything on Game Rewind, so I'm up to snuff on the games.

Well, let's get into some whistling takeaways from it, because let's face it, you're smarter than the rest of us when it comes to this football thing. So we've been, you know, trying to push the ball up the hill, but we need some smart takeaway, some West action. Well, you know what? I really like what I've seen from the Broncos. I mean, I think I entered the playoffs thinking the Seahawks

and probably the 49ers were stronger teams, and I'm not so sure anymore. I do think the Broncos have had two fairly, I wouldn't say easy draws, but they haven't been tested quite like the Seahawks have. But I think in both of the game, both of the playoff games, they could have easily scored 14 or 20 more points by converting

in the red zone. They're moving the ball really well, and I know from reading your article that that was the most points any team has put up on a Bill Belichick defense, or most yards any team put up on a Belichick defense, and I think they can be even better. I mean, obviously they're not going to put up 500 yards on the Seahawks,

but if they can convert in the red zone, I mean, this offense looks really good. They're running the ball so well, which they haven't done every single week all year, but it seems like they're in a good play from offense, and then defense, I'm surprised at how well they're playing. Are you buying it, though? Are you buying the defensive resurgence?

I know they played San Diego in New England, so on paper, this Super Bowl matchup is easier for their defense. I don't know why I can't quite wrap my head around it. Yeah, it doesn't seem like they should be better without Von Miller, does it? No. It doesn't, but it seems like everyone has collectively raised their level of play, and then pot roast has turned into a monster. How do you perceive that Peyton Manning

You know, we saw what Seattle's secondary did to Kaepernick, not to mention everyone else this year. Peyton Manning versus that secondary is just fascinating to think about. How does he attack that and get yardage and score points against them? I love that matchup. I mean, as well as Manning's playing, he just one of those guys like Greg Maddox. You're like, how does he do it? He throws the ball. And even if he's throwing better now than he was at certain points during the season,

sometimes it just looks like he's throwing while he pops up, and it just finds its way between three defenders into his receiver's arms. I'd imagine the Seahawks TVs are going to close faster on those passes, but the Broncos also have more weapons than the Seahawks has played against at any point this year. Yeah, I wrote a piece on the site that's up now that the storylines we're not going to get tired of. And it's obvious that the Broncos are historical offense, and they're playing the only matchup in which the number one scoring and yardage team in the league is playing the number one points allowed and yards allowed game in Super Bowl history.

And that's going to be played up. But I don't think that can be played up too much because if you love football, that is the best matchup possible. Manning and these four guys who all scored touchdowns like crazy all year in these receivers against the best secondary you said of our lifetime, I believe, Wesleyan earlier in the season, or one of them, and these linebackers that are fast and they're very good up front. I mean, if you love football, it doesn't really get much better than that.

I'm fired up for it. I love the matchup, and I feel like it's a matchup we've been heading towards all season. We thought along the Seahawks were the best team in the NFC. Maybe doubted that for a couple weeks recently with how well the 49ers were playing. But they have an historically great secondary. The Broncos broke the record for most points. I mean, you have to love this matchup. And I think one of the things I perceive, and you guys probably see it as well,

what Peyton Nanny is doing at the line of scrimmage, He's like a conductor right now, and if you bring an extra guy into the box, he's going to throw out to Decker or Demarius Thomas or Julius Thomas or Welker, and he's going to get a first down. And if you don't bring an extra defender in the box, he's going to check a No Sean Marino for a draw-play run of 20-something yards, or even Monta Ball. Monti Ball is cutting really sharply right now.

I don't know to me. They're just like firing on all cylinders. They look super sharp, yeah. It's what Manning's doing at the luncheon. a scrimmage that I don't think the Seahawks have faced yet. Let's flip it around because it's hard to disagree with a word of that about Denver. They looked amazing against New England. But Russell Wilson, you know, obviously statistically last four or five games haven't been his best.

We talked earlier about how such a clean quarterback in terms of his ball handling skills. Like he kind of ate a couple fumbles last game, a little tricky there for him. Do you think that he breaks out of that against Denver's defense or is it more of the the same? Well, he should have Percy Harvin back, right? He should. We think so. And Doug Baldwin hit him just an absolutely great game. I don't think you can say enough about how well he played. I think they're probably in better shape going into the Super Bowl than we thought they were the past few weeks. I didn't think Wilson played poorly. He played well enough, and he made a couple of key plays the week before that. Obviously, he's not playing as well as he was at mid-season

or Thanksgiving, but, yeah, I think against the Broncos defense that, yeah, they've been shutting down the run. I think they can probably still be passed on. And we're going to get into this game, you know, on Thursday when we have another podcast. And, of course, all next week, all of us will be there at the Super Bowl. Chris, I know you'll be with your family for the rest of this week in Cincinnati. So, you know, send your family our thoughts, and, you know, we'll be thinking about you. And, you know, Damashek put it well. any dad, you know, we didn't know him, but that raised the young Chris Wesseling had to be doing something right.

So, you know, send our thoughts, and we'll talk to you when we get to New Jersey and New York. Thank you, guys. And I want to thank all the listeners who sent me great messages on Twitter as well. It was very nice, and it's much appreciated. That was good, Chris Wessling, and, you know, always great to hear him. Obviously, a different subject, different tone that we're normally used to talk about the podcast. but, you know, I love doing this podcast with you guys, and it's kind of the cool thing about it

is that we've all become closer and real, and this is what's happening, Chris Life's this week. So we'll talk to him next week in New York, and I can't wait for that, but we still got a whole week of content on Around the League, and we're going to have another podcast on Thursday. So until then, for Dan Hansis, for Chris Wesleying, for Kevin Patrick coming at you from Honolulu,

for Zach the Gold Standard, Mark the Sizzler. I'm Greg Rosenthal. We'll talk to you, third.