NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal - Rams vs Seahawks Thursday Night Recap

Episode Date: October 4, 2019

Dan Hanzus and Marc Sessler recap the Thursday Night Football game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Seattle Seahawks from Dan's house!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. I'm Marcus Grant. And I'm Michael Florio, and together we host the NFL fantasy football podcast. Ready to dominate your fantasy league this season? Then you need the NFL fantasy football podcast, your ultimate source for player news, draft tips, and winning strategies. Whether you're a rookie manager or a fantasy vet,

we've got the insight to help you crush your opponents. Listen to the NFL fantasy football. 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. Hey, everybody, Daniel Jeremiah here. And I'm Bucky Brooks. On Move the 6th, we take you inside the game from breaking down college prospects and

NFL rookies to evaluating team building philosophies, coaching trends, and how front offices construct winning rosters. We study the tape, talk to decision makers, and and give you a perspective you won't find anywhere else. It's everything you need to understand the why behind what happens on Sunday. Don't miss it. Listen to the Move the Sticks podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Wilson keeps, airs it out.

Downfield, the rookie. Touchdown, Deep King, Metcalf. Golfels, a frame-out rush. And it was called for a touchdown. Cooper Cup. Wilson steps through, flips wide open and caught after a juggle for the touchdown Carson. Zerline from 44. Zerline missed it. Greg the leg, more like Greg the egg.

Greg Zerline misses the 44-yard. field goal with seconds to play sealing the Los Angeles Rams' fate and giving the Seattle Seahawks an incredible 30 to 29 win at the clink in one of the best games of the 2019 season. Dan Hanses here along with Mark Sessler at the throwback podcast studio

as is contractually obligated here at the garage. Yeah, I'm under the impression that I offended Bob your throwback co-host last time by not, I guess, paying enough respect to the, it is a nice stool that I'm sitting in, but the piece of furniture that I'm in apparently needed to have more Bob hype attached to it. Bob, we love you. Gravitas.

Yeah, so we're here in my garage. Just finished watching, like I said, one of the best games of the year, absolutely. And games, a game that had so many twists and turns, an incredible play at the quarterback position from Russell Wilson. Jared Goff in the second half, especially really heated up and was matching Wilson down the stretch. And Mark, the Seahawks, they take the lead on that juggling catch by Chris Carson. And he could have just started walking home if he didn't catch that ball. They're unable to seal the game after the interception, the golf interception.

And the Rams march right down the field, have things, everything set up. Sometimes the kicker's got to make a kick. and he did not make the kick, and because of that, the Rams have lost two in a row. It's been a long seven or eight days for the Rams. And I remember driving over here, not remember,

it was roughly six or seven minutes ago, driving over to your house, listening to the final minutes of this, and MJD on the radio broadcast was asking the Rams to run the ball with those final couple of plays over and over, that the Seahawks now playing a relatively frequent two deep safety set, had the field wide open for maybe even a breakaway run.

They were deep in field goal range or deep enough in field goal range. Instead, it doesn't happen. They get that foul at the end for a delay of game. And that's the game right there. That's a difference. And Zerline, which, who I believe was maybe number three in Chris Wesleyan's kicker ranking still belongs there. He's one of the most consistent kickers of the era.

But that, what an ending. You kind of knew, though, that game was going to come down to something weird because it took on a life of its own and stock up on Thursday night football. These games have habitually been stinkers that we kind of have to prop up and lift back to life when we're reviewing them, not this one. We usually cannot do that. It should be noted. Yeah, Zerline, he'll survive, and he's a good kicker. And that is the least of Los Angeles's problems going forward.

And I will say, I think MJD's point was spot on that they probably could have handled that better Los Angeles. But at the end of the day, they got that last completion that got all that yardage back and then some and set them up for a very makeable field goal. And Zerlein, who we know has onions. We saw them send them to the Super Bowl with a bomb in January. It just didn't work out this time. And, and I just, Russell Wilson, and I tweeted this out, you know, Patrick Mahomes is obviously, you know, he's the reigning MVP. And he has physical abilities that no other quarterback possesses. But if you want to pound for pound, you can make an argument.

I really think you can that Russell Wilson deserves to be in the conversation, at least, of best quarterbacks. And what he did today, 17 of 23, 268, averaged almost 12 yards in attempt, four touchdowns, no interceptions. Also, his scrambling ability, which he's famous for, obviously, an incredible game. Yeah, and I mean, there were tweets and chance of MVP during it, and I could make that argument, too. And we've talked for years about, oh, now we're getting the latter stages of Tom Brady. And for a while, Peyton Manning and Drew Breed, well, that's fair. But we're at the point where they are mental giants. And we always have to mention where they're operating from the neck up.

And Russell Wilson has sort of become that guy that's operating mentally in the zone in a completely different way than earlier in his career where he was doing, he was always an incredibly smart cerebral guy and a hardworking quarterback. but the athletic stuff always captured you. He still has that too, though. I mean, the initial throw he made to Tyler Lockett on that first touchdown was insane. And he's doing stuff and he's so aware of who's around him and what's happening around him. The shot, he looked to me like a, I called it like a loaf of pumpernickel bread that he threw right through the air

into the arms of Will Disley who had about half a foot space. Will Disley, who they hired as a blocker who can block, but he's making these incredible catches and has been a big factor on offense. Chris Carson, who was a fumble machine early on. I thought tonight, he's perfectly what they need. Is he the best running back in the NFL? I don't really care. He fits that offense. And he ran tough and he tired the Rams down on occasion. 27 for 118 for Chris Carson. And your point, which is a good one, Wilson's unbelievable ability, his magic to sustain plays, keep plays alive, scramble, set his feet, keep his eyes upfield. and he hit Tyler Lockett with that incredible throw for the first touchdown.

That's what got me so angry. I was internet mad when poor Clay Matthews gets banged again by the officials in the go-ahead touchdown drive for Seattle in the fourth quarter. That is the genius of Wilson is that when everyone else, any other quarterback, the play is over, he has that ability in that last nanosecond to make a decision to make a throw that can kill you as a defense. So as a pass rush, you have no choice but to play. right through the very moment that balls out of his hands, which is what Clay Matthews did on a hit that was not helmet to helmet. They still flagging for 15 yards. Instead of third and long, and knowing Wilson's greatness, he probably does convert that. We'll never know. But instead of

third and long, around the 30-yard line, the Seahawks are set up for a touchdown, and that's exactly what they do. And on the, so I'm mad about, I'm internet mad, and now I'm podcast mad about. You're working it out right here, which is what I enjoy. And on the other side of the field with their quarterback. The Los Angeles Rams, through most of the first half, it felt like the big storyline coming out of this game was that the Rams offense was broken. And this is now reaching a crisis point. And I want to, there was a moment, Mark. There was this weird little moment when Jason Myers, the Seattle Seahawks kicker missed the 47-yarder that would have put Seattle up, I believe, 17 to 3. Yes, that would have been it. He, he, he,

misses it and they show the replay of the Rams sideline, Jared Goff taps Sean McVey on the belly and waves his team onto the field as if to say, we good, let's go, let's go. And I really, one thing you could say about Goff, you could say he's not as good as maybe what his salary is or, or that it's his support system around him that makes him a productive quarterback. But I always, I do admire that he seems to be such a California chill guy. He does, things don't get to him. And as bad as things were going, he went back on the field. He takes him right down field for a touchdown. Half time.

They get the ball at half, go right down the field again. And I know he threw that interception, and that was an incredible play by the Seattle defender. What was his name? Oh, you guys know. We're here in the garage. Things are a little looser. I was just looking around. There's so many knickknacks here in the garage.

Yes. And they do get the ball back, and he takes them down the field at the end, Gough does. he finishes with almost 400 yards passing. And I think it was a really positive step forward for the Rams' offense, even in defeat. Well, and so had the Seahawks lost this game, there would have been a, in one, the way these games unfold, there been a lot to look at. And the score was actually, it was 14 to 6 and would have been 17 to 6 had Seattle made that field goal that you mentioned. They also had the ball on the Rams 30 with 4th and 1. And Aikman and everyone thought, this is a place where maybe you go for it.

And you just seal this thing up earlier. You build that lead that the Rams would be really hard pressed to come back from. And they tried the hard count thing instead, which almost never works at this point. It's pretty conservative. You have to be semi-drunk on defense to fall for that. Or largely, you know, not cerebral, which is true of some of these guys. By largely not cerebral, you mean just dumbasses? Like the Seahawks do not get to hard count.

They do not convert. And that set up the field goal. And I thought that was a huge momentum shift that led to the Rams coming out of the gate in the third quarter and turning this into a game. And it reminds me a little bit of the 17-point swing. Right. It reminds me a little bit of the Broncos Jaguars game that I've mentioned like roughly 600 times on our show where the flacco pick before the half. I know Wesleyan setting his hair on fire if he had it right now because he hates me mentioning that. But these pre-half momentum swings seemed to take effect.

and the Rams were never the same in a good way because I also looked at golf during part of that first half and thought, yes, he's sort of got that California surfer cool but I need more from this guy. He was asleep at the wheel for drive after drive. They were 0 for four on third downs at one point and they're at a bunch of three in outs and then they came to life. Also, I'm sure his arm is sore as hell.

He threw 68 passes last week. He's on a short week and they're slinging it all over the field again because... He's 900 yards passing in two weeks. You do the math, Mark. You're smart. 68 plus 49. 68 plus 49 is 117.

What? In two and four days. It's wild. That's wild. And it's no longer... There was a player on Twitter that sent out the tweet. And again, it's a little looser in the garage. So I don't remember who sent out the tweet.

But he called Todd Gurley the NFL's most expensive decoy. Todd Gurley for the second straight week has two touchdowns. That's good. He always has had a nose for the end zone, but only 15 carries for 51 yards, 3.4 yards per carry. And with each passing week, it makes you wonder if all that, sometimes this summer of breathless or constant just speculation seems silly by the time you get to October. I don't think it's silly anymore. Todd Gurley might not be the Todd Gurley we, we know anymore. And he doesn't seem to move with the same level of grace and power that we used to see. Um, then the other side, the other big, uh, takeaway for me is Cooper Cup is Troy

Aikman called him, you know, every team is only as good as its third best offensive, uh, wide receiver. And I wouldn't know, maybe he's their best wide receiver. Maybe he's the number one because he, he is obviously the favorite target of Jared Goff and his ability to move the change. Gerald Everett had a huge game in this game. Uh, Brandon Cooks unfortunately has being evaluated for concussion again. And that is something. now it's happened repeatedly, including in the Super Bowl, that is something to keep an eye on going forward for the Rams. But I thought it was a positive step forward for their offense, but still it's a little weird that Todd Gurley isn't the centerpiece anymore. I thought that we saw a date,

you know, one of the storylines was that we know how to beat the Rams at this point. They've run the same attack. They don't adjust. Well, they're too tight end set. 137 receiving yards was the most they've had since 2013 with Jeff Fisher and Sam Bradford at quarterback. So that's a change. They haven't been doing that, and they found a way to make that work tonight against Seattle. That also started heavily in that third quarter. So, you know, this is one of those games that remind you that these division Thursday night showdowns have the chance to be these, like we saw with Carolina in Tampa Bay a couple weeks ago. Barn burners, as they say, a term that we agree. We're not really sure what that even means

just feels like it's so distant from this country now. Yeah. No shots fired at any listeners on farms, but farms or barns or any type of that zone, West would call, West would call Miami, Florida, the Midwest at this point. Yes, it is in his case. But these farms and these barns in the Midwest, there's not much of a connection at this point. Yeah, we're far away from, you know, Laura Ingalls Wilder falling asleep next to Mary in a bed in the top story of a barn. People aren't doing that as much, at least not here in where we live in Los Angeles.

I think both these teams are playoff teams. Do you agree? I do, and I think the Seattle Seahawks, I can't. think of a team that's more, I know you were, you were a little nonplussed with the way that it went down tonight. They're the most fun team to me in the league to watch. Well, I get a little, yeah, as a sad Jets fan, it annoys me a little bit when I see teams that everything always seems to work out for them, at least in their building, and high, high leverage spots and primetime situations.

I know you're happy because you had a soft lock on it. Well, that turned into a rock solid lock with that missed kid. But it must be nice being a Seahawks fan. I guess that's what I'm going to say. Unless they're up against the team that things almost always go right for. Right. That's the equalizer. And, you know, Seattle fans, they have to contend with the Mariners being terrible.

And, of course, the Sonics leaving them or being taken away from them. So that's fine. You have this team. Enjoy this team because it's a fun team. And I wish I should call Greg Rosenthal right now. You know, I'm going to call him right now. I'm going to ask him. See if he answers?

Yeah, I'm going to see if he answers and see if he wants to come. come back. I'm going to formally ask him if he wants to come back to Seahawks Corner. Quick question while you're dialing, Seahawks Green tonight, Jets Green, which is the preferable version on the eyes? I don't like the highlighter green of the Seahawks, but I get it. It's their thing. My child called it lime green. I don't see if Greg wakes up. I haven't called Greg in about three years. I mean, you'd think you'd think, oh, it must be an emergency.

You're not on his phone. Maybe I'm blocked. It's unlisted. Because this is his chance. If he doesn't pick up, the window closes. He's got the night off. Who knows what he's up to at home? That was it.

Should I leave a message? Yeah. We got it at this point. When you finished recording, you may hang up or press one for more options. All right, Greg, Dan here in the garage with Mark we're recording the Thursday night football recap. I was calling you to give you an opportunity, your final opportunity to get back on Seahawks Corner after an exhilarating win, an incredible Russell Wilson performance. Chris Carson running the hell out of the ball, DJ Metcalf making place, Tyler Lockett, getting the toe tapped down like nobody else.

But that's it. This was your last opportunity. You didn't pick up the phone, which is a shot at me. And at this point, I'm pulling the offer off the table. You're out of Seahawks Corner forever. Goodbye. You are the weakest link. It's a good idea to slight Dan on a Thursday because he'll be thinking about that all weekend.

It will become very intense. We're heading to London. It's going to be fraught with controversy. You know, he had his chance. All right. Anything else to add? I'll take that spot on the corner. You want to come?

You want to join? Listen, I mean, it's open. You know, there are a lot of these teams out there that are becoming hard on the eyes. I'm going to jump on the ones that I'd find enjoyable. All right. You officially, I'm going to put all Greg's stuff on the curb. I had been keeping his room untouched. I will clear all that stuff out.

Maybe you can give me a hand and you take the room. He gone. All right. Well, there you go. That's it. Good Thursday night football recap. You'll hear from the entire crew again on Sunday night when we recap the rest of the week five games. So make sure you tune in.

Until then, the Flames. Sign it off. Hands do some Mr. Fancy Pants. The Flames need NFL news and here's their chance. It's ATL around the league Light of Flame boys Pigskins hot tonight

Burn baby burn I'm I'm Marcus Grant And I'm Michael F. Florio, and together we host the NFL fantasy football podcast. Ready to dominate your fantasy league this season? Then you need the NFL fantasy football podcast, your ultimate source for player news, draft tips, and winning strategies. Whether you're a rookie manager or a fantasy vet, we've got the insight to help you crush your opponents. 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. Hey, everybody, Daniel Jeremiah here. And I'm Bucky Brooks. On Move the Six, we take you inside the game from breaking down college prospects and NFL rookies to evaluating team building philosophies, coaching trends,

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