NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal - Week 17 recap

Episode Date: January 4, 2016

A room filled with heroes – Dan Hanzus, Gregg Rosenthal, Chris Wesseling, and Marc Sessler – go game-by-game breaking down all the action from the final week of the regular season including the Steelers clinching the final AFC wildcard spot with a win over the Browns, and Peyton Manning returning to the field to lead the Broncos to a victory and #1 playoff seed. Plus, the heroes discuss some of the early coaching shifts already happening across the league.Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comNFL Daily YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nflpodcastsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. The Around the NFL podcast. Hey, Dan. Welcome back to another edition of the Around the NFL podcast. My name is Dan Hansus, and I'm joined by a room filled with heroes. Mark Sessler, Chris Wessling, and Greg Rosenthal. Hey, Dan. What's up, boys?

How you doing? Seem a little downcast here today. The environment in the room was definitely a little more tense than usual, I would say. Or sad, I guess, would be the word. There's no tension. It's all a release. It's a sad release. The Jets are done.

It does point out a fundamental disconnect with my employment here. I joined the NFL in 2010 as a Jets fan. And I remain a Jets fan, even as I've gone through the company. writing for the website and doing a podcast and still at my heart, I'm a fan of the Jets. So when they crumble in one of their same old Jets collapses, like what happened early this afternoon, Pacific time, there's something painfully unrelenting about having eight hours of a workday ahead of you, including a 60 to 70-minute podcast. So here I am here so I don't get fined.

well you should look at it maybe the listeners and then the three of us who are just the nicest guys in the world maybe we can help heal you and by the end of this you'll rediscover your love for football or your bear your heart and then you'll connect with people i'm a pro i'll work through this and we will talk about the jets and bills a little bit later in the show i'm just going to work through it mark has a lot of um you know angst as well today this is you know it did cross my mind as the jets were stumbling into oblivion or bolivia as mike tyson would say that between mark and i there would be enough angst to feel like a house of teenage girls and boys tenfold different situation there yeah that kind of a house but um yeah i would i would say that it's been a uh you know it's week 17 it is the end for 20 teams and yours was painful and mine was predictable right and a new beginning for

the Browns, which we'll get to, once again, a new beginning for the Browns coming up on today's show. Yes, there are a lot of teams to talk about. The Denver Broncos are one of them. Somehow they are coming out of the regular season as the AFC's top team, according to the seedings coming up. We'll get into that end, the return of the sheriff. So that will be interesting. Yes, as I said, Rex Ryan, beat the Jets again. We will talk about that.

and Sunday night football with the NFC North on the line, Vikings Packers. A lot of good show ahead of us. What a show. You got to get used to this. So this is, it's a test of professionalism, as you mentioned, because the good ship, you know, the jets are high up on those paying rankings for a reason. But the good ship around the NFL, we're just getting started. We're just taking off.

So, you know, we could have a lot of situations in the coming years and in decades where there's Tough lots. Well, one counter to that, Greg. The shows are getting bigger. What I think that people like about this podcast is that we're not going to get Dan being fake excited. We're going to get the real Dan. And that's, you know, go tune in somewhere else if you want to get someone who's fake excited. Any other way.

Two words, Greg. Fundamental disconnect. And I got to work through that. It's dysfunctional, kind of like the San Francisco 49ers. More on them. That's a professional. More on that. Also, Jim Tamsula out right before we start tap.

today but let's start talking about some games and we will start with yes the denver broncos who crazy because monday night they're playing a game uh where i believe what is it a tie game late in the game was they went into overtime of course there's about 17 different ways the bengals got to won that game and they didn't do any and there was a scenario late in monday night football where the broncos could have missed the playoffs entirely fast forward six days later and they are the number one seed in the AFC, and it looks like it will be Peyton Manning leading them into the playoffs. Manning replaced an ineffective Brock Osweiler, guiding and helped guide the Broncos to a 27 to 20 win over the Chargers on Sunday. The win coupled with a surprise Patriots loss

means that the Denver Broncos have home field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. Greg, so that's the good news for the Broncos. question though and i think it's going to be the dominant narrative as we head toward the playoffs did gary kubiak make the right decision turning his team back over to the sheriff that's that's an interesting way to put it because peyton manning on the face of it didn't do a lot that was impressive in this game he went five for nine fifty nine sixty nine yards i didn't think brock isweller was playing poorly at all he was averaging over 10 yards per attempt if you looked at the three turnovers that he had uh one was on a drag

drop. Another was on a pass where someone hit his arm in his back, you know, when he was thrown. And the other was on a blindside blitz. Maybe a guy like Peyton Manning would pick up that blitz. He was no it was coming and he wouldn't have fumbled the ball like Osweller. But I do think it's the right decision ultimately because I think their ceiling of winning a possible Super Bowl is still higher with Peyton Manning. And as crazy as it is, as a football fan, I just think it was the right decision. Because how great is this? I mean, just going into the playoffs, this is a fascinating storyline. We thought Peyton Manning might never play in the NFL again.

Instead, he's got home field advantage in the playoffs. Maybe this is his last season, and he's going to try to go out a champion. Yeah, I think the world of Peyton Manning, he's not always my favorite player, but I think we're all happy that he gets to go out, you know, he has the opportunity to go out with a bang instead of a whimper. He's not coming off the bench behind Brock Osweller. I have to imagine that Gary Kuby is going to stay with him. That's what this move does.

Kubiak did not announce after the game who his quarterback will be, but it would be stunning, I think, to go back to Osweiler at this. I mean, what Kubiak has done so well is that he never closed the door on Peyton Manning's return through all the other stuff that happened. And, you know, a couple weeks ago, we were saying, oh, when Osweiler is in there, that run game really came to life. But the reverse was true today. So I'm not sure you can really say that it's because of one quarterback or the other,

but he gave them a little, he gave them a jolt today. Right. Something changed the minute he came on the field. He said it himself, Manning said after the game, and on the subject of Manning and him going out in a better way, even if they get wiped out in the divisional playoffs, the moment where he gets to come on the field and the entire crowd of Miles is definitely loud,

screaming for him and he gets to lead them to a comeback win, he had one last nice moment. So even if it goes to hell, at least it doesn't end with him on the bench behind a guy that was drafted to replace him. But, you know, I think ultimately this team did get a jolt. Manning said it himself, like, I don't think Brock Oswald did anything necessarily wrong to lead to me being in the game, which is another discussion, how this even happened. But it just seemed like the team blocked a little better, ran a little harder with me on the field, and whatever. The way that worked out for me, it worked out for the Broncos and a victory with me.

And let's not forget, it's one of the best pre-snapped quarterbacks in the league who does call line adjustments and all sorts. You mentioned in your post that you saw a little bit of a boost on that front. Well, the minute he came in the game, they went on an 80-yard drive that was mostly. running and there was two plays especially the touchdown where he clearly you know he changed the play at the line of scrimmage he ran away from the blitz and they ran for the score so that's what you get with peyton manning and kubiak said after the game i just thought the team was kind of looking around for a leader that's what he said or looking around for someone to take charge and he even said to the halftime uh to tracy wilfson of cbs and cbs coming out of half time i told

you know brock needs to basically take control of his job so the first series of the second half cj and Anderson fumbles the ball. Brock Osweiler didn't do anything. And then Osweiler gets the boot. So tough luck for him on a day where they had 500 yards of offense. You got me thinking, Dan, when you're saying, you know, circle back to last week late in week 17, what could, I mean, on Monday night football, what could have happened. Flash forward to five minutes left in this game. Well after Peyton Manning was in the game, well after they took the lead and then gave it up. It's a tie ball game. Philip Rivers has the ball. There's under five minutes to go. The chiefs are on their way in a just about won the game against Oakland. At that minute, with five minutes left, it's a tie game. Philip Rivers has the ball, and the Broncos were very much at risk of falling to the five seed. So this win, which was really set up by the defense making stop after stop after stop, when the Broncos turn the ball over and then the Broncos got to turn over late.

You know, this last five minutes of the game, I mean, it's monstrous. They would be on the road this week in the playoffs, if not for it. Manning, five of nine, 69 yards. He didn't throw enough for us to really get an idea if he can still. push the ball downfield with any accuracy or any zip. I don't know if we saw enough today. So we'll probably have to wait for two weeks to see if he can still throw

the ball. But yeah, I don't think there's any doubt West that we're going to see Peyton Manning. It wouldn't make as stunning as it was to see him come on the field out of nowhere in the third quarter to be even stranger if then they went back to Brock Oswald. I think this is Peyton's team again. I do too. And you mentioned on our NFL now hit that the NFC playoff pictures wide open

and the Broncos are the definitive example. In the second half of the season, they have a plus six point differential. That is not dominant in any way. Brian Billick has his things called toxic different or toxic, whatever. Don't get them started on that stuff. There's some formula and the Broncos are the lowest ranked AFC playoff team in that. And their quarterback was a liability for most of the year. And when we say the AFC is wide open, it's not because there's six teams that are peaking right now.

It's because anyone could win this. There is not a dominant team. And this will help Peyton Manning, any quarterback. Ronnie Hillman and C.J. Anderson, 15 carries each totaling 212 yards and two touchdowns. And C.J. Anderson all of a sudden looks like the guy that was shredding defenses last year. So the Broncos, number one seed, but a total wild card will see what happens with them. Any final thoughts, guys? No, I mean, you mentioned Anderson. Not only that, he might have changed the entire AFC playoff race. If he doesn't fumble the ball there, maybe Peyton

May never gets his team back for the rest of the season. Great mistake by him. So I'm moving on. So yes, the Broncos won, and they had a chance to steal that number one seed because the Patriots lost. They held their playoff fate in their hands entering Sunday, but familiar problems resurfaced in a 2010 loss to the Dolphins in Miami. The loss coupled with Denver's win locks the pats into the number two seed, so they still get the buy for the, you know, 400th straight year. That's nice. but no longer do they have home field throughout the AFC playoffs. And Greg, here's my question.

When's the last on the Patriots have looked this vulnerable entering the playoffs? Never. I would say this is the worst they've looked heading into the playoffs. 2009 would be the other example, but that team was just lousy throughout. Not lousy. I mean, this is on a really. For them, though. For the throne of these.

They were lousy. Wait, Brandon behind the glass. This is thrown of easy. music sir we're looking for throne of slees I was being kind at first I know that go ahead it's all I got Greg's had a rough day I was being kind me a little sleaze Greg sir I can go ahead no worries Greg you can go I want to just hear some sleazy music 2009 that was a bad team this what looked like a very good team we were talking about can anyone beat the Patriots this year when they were undefeated they finished the season

two and four down the stretch this dolphins team their only win that they've had in the last eight weeks was a two-point win at home where they didn't score a touchdown against Matt Schaub. That's the only time the Dolphins have won a game since about seven weeks ago. The Patriots only threw the ball five times in the first half. That's the lowest in Tom Brady's career. Stephen Jackson touched the ball.

I think eight of the first, you know, they ran the ball and Stephen Jackson touched it, eight of the first nine snaps. It was, it was hard to watch. The offense is just totally lost. So weird mindsets that the Patriots entered this game with, were they trying to keep Tom Brady healthy or trying to win the game? Because I saw some quotes where one of the, Nate Ebner, I believe,

told some of the Miami players. Ebo. After the game, we were just going to run the ball until we got two first downs. That was the game plan. And it looked like it. I mean, the longest pass completed to a wide receiver or tight end was 12 yards. And their leading receiver was James White because he had one screen that went 60. yards so it was it was a weird performance but they had to have been trying to win and thought they could do

both because you have tom brady out there and in belichick's defense every time brady dropped back to path he got hammered he got hit low he walked and limped off the podium he was limping around all game it was about as bad a week so a week after you you kick off and overtime you now come into this game with this kind of a scheme this game plan either the hubris is off the charts or Greg gets too much ribbing for the Patriots because this actually is a team right now that is so banged up that they just aren't the team that we thought they were. Tom Brady 12 of 21 and if you're watching on NFL now or on YouTube you just saw the low hit by Sue that really I mean the way Brady went down you you were wondering if maybe it hurt that ACL again in the right leg but Brady goes 12 of 21

134 yards I mean Stephen Jackson in a must win game to get the number one seed Stephen Jackson who's basically you know with all due respect a mummified corpse at this point 14 carries for 35 yards. Brandon Boldens. I mean, have they simply, Greg, lost too many players at this point to be seen as a real credible threat at defending their title?

No, I don't think so because I think they could flip the switch on the division round, win a close game where maybe they don't play their very best in the first round, and then get rolling again because we've seen teams do that

and I certainly think the Patriots could do that when you get Edelman back, when you get Chandler Jones missed this game to... High Tower. High Tower, Sebastian Volmer. But I don't think the injuries account for everything. That doesn't account for 438 yards for the Dolphins, 196 for the Patriots.

So this was a game that the Patriots were actually very lucky to be tied in the middle, you know, going into the fourth quarter. We're hand-wringing a little too much. We say that every year the Patriots are going to go 12 and 4. They finish 12 and 4. They're going to be – I think – It's a different 12 and 4, though. It's a personnel issue, though. This team is not the team that they're going to take into their first –

playoff game i i totally agree in the defense i've never been concerned with the defense this this season including this game for the most part they held up for most of this game and they have injuries and they'll get guys back so there's always a chance i'll i'll say this too and maybe it's just because it's all i have left but you know sometimes you look at you know you could be tempted or mistakenly look at guys like they're not actual people they're like fantasy players so you're taking julian edelman and amandola and sebastian volmer not that he would be a fantasy player but stick with me. Be a great one.

And you assume you plug them back in, and after missing X number of weeks, they're all going to be the same guy. Those injuries are completely gone. But they're so beat up that there is a very real chance that those guys won't be the same guys as they were when they were Patriots or killing everybody early in their season.

I still think there's going to be real problems even when these guys are involved with the field. I don't think it's the cure-all to what's wrong. Agreed. There's no running game. There's no running backs coming back. And so they're one-dimensional, and they're counting on short and short guys

that don't have a lot of long speed to, you know, go across the middle. It's a limited offense. Yeah, with the current roster, they are not the second best team in the AFC in my book. That said, I'm not sure what separates number two through number four or five anyways. Oh, I think they're the best team in the AFC. I wouldn't put them in this is the best team. Over Denver? Yeah, I think they're going to be healthy.

Denver's got a liability. Healthy, yes. As it is as it stands right now. Oh, yeah, but that's not who they're going to be. That's not who the Patriots are going to be when the game starts. And I don't see how anyone can consider the Broncos the favorites when their quarterback has been one of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL this year. Did he, did Bortles catch Peyton Manning for the most of the interceptions?

Right. Still, a lot of interceptions and half the season. Moving on. So yes, it is time to talk about the Jets. And if you're a Jets fan, this game, especially the first half, it reminds you a lot of what happened in 2010 in the playoffs. You beat the Patriots. in a huge, huge setting, a season-defining victory over the Patriots.

And then the next week, you let down inexplicably. In 2010, it was in the playoffs from the divisional playoffs to the AFC title game against the Patriots where they, the Steelers, excuse me, where they went down 24-0 at the half. And this year, it was Rex Ryan and the Buffalo Bills who end the jet season after a stirring week 16 win, a game where the Jets came out tight. they looked like a team that was fully aware of all the storylines that have been building up all week about why they couldn't lose this game

and what happens they fall behind they crawl back into it they cut it to 20 to 19 and that's when one of the more infamous plays in recent Jets history happens Ryan Fitzpatrick in the Bill's red zone there in field goal range locks in on Eric Decker and throws a crushing interception that spikes that drive with about 11 minutes to play in the fourth quarter. They get the ball back two more times in the fourth quarter, and all those drives end with a Ryan Fitzpatrick interception as well.

So Fitzpatrick, who had been so brilliant all season, and he threw two more touchdowns in this game, and he set the club record for touchdowns in a season by a quarterback. Again, this is a team that had Joe Namath in Once Upon a Time, so that is quite a record. Brandon Marshall had another touchdown. Eric Decker had another touchdown. But when it came down to it, it was the same old Jets.

What is with Dorel Revis' complete inability to cover Clemson wide receivers? Well, you know what? It maybe wasn't, you know, that's true. But Dorel Revis, again, showed this season. He's a very good cornerback. But if there are elite young wide receivers in the mix, it will be time for Todd Bowles to rethink strategy and maybe employ the Patriot strategy. which is put Revis on the best number two guy and then have a cornerback and a safety double the stud wide receiver.

A lot of money for a number two guy. I mean, I understand that. I mean, he shuts down almost everybody, but there are certain guys that give him trouble. And Sammy Watkins had 11 catches in this game, killed him all day. And the Jets, Mo Wilkinson broke his leg in this game, too. It was a real nice day for Jets fans in Jets history. But the Jets were the best team in football all season on third downs. and the bills converted nine third downs and two fourth downs.

They stayed on the field. They killed the Jets in time of possession. And, you know, when Fitzpatrick throws that interception early in the fourth quarter, the game shouldn't be over. There's 11 minutes ago, but the Jets' inability to get off the field meant that they only had one more possession after that. And that was also one true possession. There was a desperation possession at the end as well.

But, you know, at the end of the day, this is, and I was thinking about this, this is in my lifetime, and I really became a fan probably a real fan around 1990. This one creeps into the top five most devastating losses because of what it's signified in the sense that the AFC, as I said, and we all agree on, is a wide open situation this year. And I think the Jets could beat any team of the six that are in the playoffs and could have made a nice run the way they were set up. nice veteran team and the way Ryan Fitzpatrick season seemed to be going. It was a storybook type season. But for it to go this way and for Rex to be the guy to knock him out, it is same old Jets. And I got a lot of heat when I put the Jets number two on the pain rankings, because

there's like, oh, how can you do that? The Jets have had success. And people might even say, oh, this year they won 10 games. But the Jets are different than other franchise. Like Marks a hapless franchise where nothing ever good seems to happen. And there's, bad ownership and it leads to bad decisions, bad draft picks and so on. The Jets are the team that suck you in and then spit you out and leave you to die. And that's what happened in Orchard Park today. Where are you at with Ryan Fitzpatrick now? Do you want him to be signed to a long-term deal and become the face of the franchise?

I don't think you sign him, I don't think you're making him the face of the franchise. But I do think as long as his owner, his agent, it doesn't go nuts. Well, I just, he had a really good year, but we know he's a flawed player. He's flawed, yes, and I don't know if he'll ever have a season as good as this, but I think given their current depth chart, Gino Smith, forget about Gino Smith. Bryce Petty is still way too raw to know anything. You can't hand over the team to him. Keep in mind, this is a veteran team still with a lot of good veteran players in the early 30s.

So you kind of, you can't turn it over to the 23-year-old Ballard kid that's never done anything. So I think if you can sign Fitzpatrick to another deal, and he's going to get another deal from somebody, as long as the money isn't crazy, I'm okay turning the team over to him for a couple of years if he can be close to this guy. Give him big money and then keep trying to draft as high as you possibly can.

But he's going to get good money. He's going to get $14, $15 million a year or something crazy. And that's fine. At least. As long as it doesn't go to $20 or something and it gets out of hand, I think the Jets will be happy to bring back back. I think this year they have a GM that's not going to make a miscalculation in terms of money that way.

You've got hope as a Jets fan because you've got a good coach and you've got a good general manager who work well together. I think there's reasons to feel like they can build off this. Question, though, do you think that what happened today? And they didn't get blown out. They were in it till the end, a couple of fateful plays. But that winning the game last week against what in that locker room has to be seen as the arch rival, was there any element of letdown where they weren't able to see this game or deal with it the same way

when it was even more important, Frank? I don't think it was a letdown. I think they came out tight. I think that the moment maybe overwhelmed some of there were some drops. There were some penalties. They had a fourth and three where they got Sheldon Richardson got drawn on an encroachment type of stuff that you never see. They were making the type of mistake that Rex's bonehead team was making all season.

And, you know, I think this team is, there's still things to be excited about. One of the more surreal moments of today for me was after the game was over and I did the write-up and I kind of, you know, stumbled like a zombie into our break. room to get lunch that they served to all of us. Charlie Casterly was in there. It was just me and Charlie. Charlie, of course, was responsible for the Jets hiring Mike McCagnan. I think he played a role in Bowles, too, correct?

I think just McCagney. The Cagney, so it was. But I was like, Charlie, I said, I can't believe the Jets blew that one. He was like, ah, yeah, seeing, that was a killer, see? But I was like, but Charlie, I want to thank you for Big Mac. It was a nice hire. He's like, yeah, see, they'll be okay. I think you're right

McCagin's was a great hire and I think what happened today was just they lost one of these games I mean they won by three points against the giants who are lousy they won by three points against the Cowboys they won against Patriots and Overdom these are all close games as is sort of what the NFL is right now

and they had won three of those in a row on magical drives by Fitzpatrick and then they got picked off by a guy I think Tyrod Taylor is like the guy you don't want to play in the week you need to clinch in Buffalo Because those long drives that he had, one in the fourth quarter and then one to start the game where his legs are just keeping those drives going.

It's just, it's why Rex Ryan says it's so frustrating to go against him. And the other thing that bothered me from what I saw this game was Darrell Revis's effort on one of those Sammy Watkins long plays where he was bobbing it. And Revis starts jogging a little bit. And Revis didn't talk to the press after the game, which he's got to be smarter than that because it gives all the calmness, their little hook to say that Revis didn't want to talk because he's no longer a guy that can walk to walk that type of stuff.

Listen, I get it. There's not a stunning loss in that sense. But everybody, Greg, dreams to have that 2001 Patriot season where you're kind of like a good team, not a great team, but then the fortune starts rolling in your favor and all of a sudden you're playing in the last Sunday.

The Jet fan thought that this team could be that team in a vulnerable year for the AFC and the Patriots. I take back my criticism of any Jets in the pain rankings thing. Thank you. Take it all back. That means a lot. When we mapped this out a few weeks ago, sort of half, or mostly, mostly jokingly, we mapped it out in an NFL network kit that I'm not sure ever aired, that the most painful way to do it, most way to crush all the Jets fans the most, would be to beat the Cowboys, beat the Patriots, and then Rex takes them out. Same old Jets.

And thank you, a sincere thank you, to all the listeners that were super nice on Twitter. I got hundreds of tweets of people like sending condolences, and then there were a lot of, you know, dirtbag, Pat's fans. And I declare vengeance against all of you guys. Oh, I blocked one of those guys because he kept including us while he was. I blocked two of those guys, I think. They were trying to make. Vengeance! They were making fun of Dan.

I didn't like that. Thank you, Wes. Guys, I really appreciate you guys, your friends. Moving on. So, yes, the Jets lose and what do the Steelers have to do? The scheduling gods smile down and say, we will give you a matchup against the chaos-ridden. Cleveland Browns in Cleveland, and the Steelers took care of business.

They knock off the Browns. I'm looking at Marks right up. The ridiculous Cleveland Browns. Well, I'm accurate. 2812 wins. So the Steelers win combined with the Jets Loss, puts Pittsburgh in the Steelers. Forget about West of us. Christmas comes for Wes, who was rooting for this very scenario.

So I'm happy for you, Wes. I'm not happy for you, Marks. I know there's nothing to be happy about. out in Cleveland, but let's talk about the Steelers first. What did you see from them today, and what do you think about them as a playoff team, which they now are? Yeah, let's talk about the competent of the two teams in this game. And it really, you know, Pittsburgh, like all these other AFC playoff teams, they have

their flaws. And it starts number one with, we look at the Patriots, they're banged up. DeAngelo Williams had his foot in a cast after this game, which would be a tremendous loss for Pittsburgh because we saw what happened last year when you took their running game away and they went into the playoffs with a no-nameer. And if that happens, they're going to have to rely entirely on Antonio Brown and Ben Rothesberger. The good news is that that combination is insane right now. Brown had 10 catches in the first half alone.

I mean, if you remove some of these mistakes that Ben Rothsperger's made the past couple of weeks, this passing game is one of the strongest aspects of any team in the AFC playoff race. Now, they're incomplete in other ways. I have no, you know, I'm not taking that away, but Big Ben has to remove the interceptions. They played a better team today. I'm not sure Pittsburgh gets out of this one alive. Didn't look good for most of the day.

No, no, three turnovers. It's because you're playing Austin Davis in a Brown's unit that is just not practiced well together much at all. They turn three turnovers into three points. You're thinking if, as I was watching this, I kept telling you, Dan, you may not, no matter what the Jets do, you might see the Brown sneak out the back door or the win here

because of Pittsburgh could not heat up early on. But then, you know, in the end, effortlessly, 350 yards through the air for Big Ben, because they're that kind of offense through the air when you get down to it. And Cleveland could not stop them. And they got enough big plays to put this thing away at the end. The Williams injury is big,

but I don't worry about their offense at all. It's their defense that I've seen too many good offenses shred all season. They don't have a good secondary. No, they lose, they got rid of Dick LeBoe, which, I guess it was time, but that was kind of his gambit. Mike Tomlin's a defensive coach. Now, in theory, I'm really going to put my stamp on it, hire my guy, and their defense isn't any better.

It hasn't worked. Last week was a perfect example. Their defense came up really small against Ryan Mallet. Today, I guess they did a good enough job against the Browns, but I disagree with what you said about the offense. If Fitzgerald Touss, as you're starting running back, it just makes you way more limited than when you had D.N. Angela Williams, who I thought was playing at a Pro Bowl level.

Toussaint today 12 carries 24 yards. They finish with 30 yards on the ground. Jordan Toddman. Whatever. I mean, that's, that hurts. I think that hurts. If they're not able to run the ball against a good defense like Cincinnati next week, they're going to go to Cincinnati, have that rematch,

it just makes them limited, and it makes Ben Rothesberger have less margin for error. He hasn't had a few good weeks here throwing some bad picks. I mean, he was a big part of the reason they lost last. I think he's good and bad, but he is turnover prone, which is an aspect we're not really seen as a predominant thing for Big Ben. They played a team today that has shown no ability to adjust at halftime. And when DeAngelo Williams went out, the game plan for Cleveland didn't change. But that's not going to happen in the playoffs, in theory, against better teams that are going to take advantage of that. I think the Steelers are by far the biggest wild card of any team in the playoffs as we start looking ahead now to the final 12 teams.

because I would not be shocked if because by the way, they got beat by the Ravens and Ryan Mallet, week 16. They let a Browns team an utter chaos hang around way too long. I mean, we saw a report, you know, we could talk about what's wrong with the Browns all day, but the Browns were so ready to end the season that they didn't even have like an opening, like they didn't have an introduction.

They went from the locker room straight to the sideline. You know, the coach is getting canned, the GM's getting Ken. I mean, and they still allowed this team to hang around. I wouldn't be shocked if the Cincinnati puts one on them And I wouldn't be shocked if they win the Super Bowl. I also wouldn't be shocked if Pittsburgh won three playoff games in a row. I mean, we've seen a team like the Ravens a couple years ago get hot after we wrote their offense off in December. I'd like to, you know, I'd like to apologize, sorry, to Week 17 for doubting it earlier this week saying it was a lousy looking week 17 because this ended up being.

There was a lot going on if nothing else. When I was on the old NFL Sunday Blitz couch, Damasek was talking about. It's definitely not the name of the show. Never. It's over with. And now, Game Day Blitz. Damasek was legitimately talking off air because it was bothering him so much whether they should fire Tomlin if they lose this game.

Because at the time they were losing, I think, or it was tied. You know, Dave's got to calm down with that stuff. At the end of the day, when we were getting makeup for this show, no one can tell we're wearing it. But as the contrast to the misery that you were going through, which we feel for you, I was listening down the hallway as Damashek was in the green room. Holding court.

He was just cackling laughing because obviously this was like the greatest. After last week he was down in the dumps and fortunes flipped so quick with these two games. I think that Chek actually thinks he lives in angsty existence as an NFL fan. I don't think he's quite aware sometimes of what actual angsty teams deal with. Well, let's talk about one of those. That's a good transition, Greg, because the Cleveland Browns made it official on Sunday. they fired Mike Patton after the game. He's gone.

They fired Ray Farmer, the general manager. Before the game. Before the game. He's gone. Jimmy Haslam, if you want to trace the roots to what's going on, a lot of people can point to ownership is saying this is all product of this dysfunction could go all the way to the top. He had a press conference on Sunday night before Sunday night football where he discussed

how some of the issues begin with him. But they're going to get this figured out. but cautioned as well that this is not a one-year turnaround. This is a rebuild they're in, Mark. And I know you've heard that too many times. Here we go again, another regime out the door after two years. Well, and I don't think any Browns fan should believe what comes out of that building when they talk about patience and we're going to take our time.

Because what history tells us is that if you're Jimmy Haslam, you're on to your fourth coach at this point in not many seasons, three or four seasons, three plus. and you're hiring your third, and it's the fifth Browns coach since 2009. So if you don't succeed quickly, you're getting fired. This is a terrible situation because with a bunch of openings coming up, and many of them that have more stability from the front office down with the quarterback situation and just the talented roster,

this team is going to lose a bunch of free agents this year. No one's going to want to come here. What coach wants to come into this situation? because, yes, it's the stuff that's reported, but these people talk, and if you listen behind the scenes to what the climate is in Cleveland and who is still around after this sweepout.

Well, they made... It is highly toxic. They announced, you know, significant things in the Haslam press conference in terms of the power structure. I would call them disturbing things. Okay. The executive, new executive vice president

who was formerly their lead counsel, just their lawyer, their lead lawyer, now is in charge of football operations. Oh, no. And the 53-man roster. I'm spacing on his name right now, Mark. Sashi Brown. Sashi Brown.

So Sashi Brown is now. Oh, my God, his name is Sashi? Sashi Brown is now running football operations and has final say on the roster. He's going to be part of the team that hires the coach. Then the coach and Brown will help hire the GM, although the GM doesn't really sound like a GM if they don't have final say. And someone pointed out on Twitter,

Well, then any other team can tell them, no, he doesn't have to interview for that job because he doesn't have final say. That's part of the rules. They're already limiting themselves in terms of the type of guys they can hire. And, you know, and I... Wes is making a funny thing. No, I agree with Mark. That is especially disturbing.

It makes no sense. And there are different levels of fan pain or whatever it is. I'm just completely detached as a human being this point because this isn't the first time. I even got excited about the idea of hiring Petton last time. I had a lot of reason to think it was a good young coach to get in there. But at this time, I just don't see a team or an organization that has enough unified thought to make wise choices here or to attract talent. I wish I could believe you, Mark, because I know you well enough that I know you'll always kind of be the love affair. It's a little unconditional.

I think you'll always, but I hope you're right. I hope you do detach because it doesn't seem like that this is getting mixed up. season i told you more than ever that i was more than ever i think you bought back in at midseason i listen i i this is not a criticism no i think it's okay i think browns fans in general like you know at this point you need to see even a real reason to hope or you don't have to invest and spend your money and sit and waste your sundays watching a bad product here's the thing and i think mark you're a perfect example of this um you do not like people taking shots using the Browns's comic fodder because it's not funny.

Like what's happening with the Browns? Everyone's getting a lot of yucks out of it year after year after year and it's happening again. There's nothing funny about it. If you're a Browns fan, it's tragic. Well, here's the reason I would say that a lot are detached and I'm detached. If I wasn't working here, if I wasn't working here, you're getting, I mean, and I think it shows you're a good fan.

I don't really know what that means, to be honest at this point. but it's like if I wasn't working here, I would not spend Sundays after about late September watching the product they put on the field. There's so many better things to do with your life. You're not proving anything to anyone by sitting around and watching this into late December. And that stadium was heavy with Steelers fans today, and that's what it should be. The Browns don't deserve the sellouts they've gotten since 1999 with the product they put on the field. Johnny Mansell, you know, reports came out afterwards.

you know, Peter King, you wrote on it, that the Browns are done with him essentially after this. We'll see, and that he wants to go to Dallas, as if he can choose where he wants to go. It's like, it just. If that's really what he, if he's trying to get fired, I mean, the guy is just a total train wreck. Yeah.

Well, Dallas would be the right place to be able to get away with that kind of stuff. Yeah, well, that's true. I don't, I think we spend too much time on this team because it's, in theory, my team. But I think the team, no, no, no. But in this off season, like, they don't deserve our, attention. There's 31 teams that want to

win more than Cleveland as far as I can see. There's soap opera. Haslam was so right putting it on himself because it's all on him. Because he hired Petten while Michael Lombardi was still running the team. Then he fires Lombardi, then hires a general manager who has no history with Petton.

They don't get along at all. And that relationship, which they were battling for two years, ended up just blowing up everyone's a loser, including Haslam. And it's exactly because of the way Haslam went about things. The Brown's are the equivalent of the Making a Murderer series on Netflix where you plug in and you're fascinated and horrified and disgusted,

but you can't look away because it's kind of train wreck TV. And that's what the Browns are. You ever seen a show. You are a factory of sadness. I feel nothing at that point. You're not going to be able to hurry with that. But at this point, you ever seen a show the day after back in the 80s? No.

It was essentially what the Earth would look like if a nuclear bomb went off in the middle of America that's what this is jason robards that's where we're at folks moving on so yeah the browns are a mess the carolina panthers are really the other end of the spectrum they finish the season 15 and one in style with a 3810 win over the Tampa bay buccaneers on sunday uh the wind clinches the number one seat in the nfc for the panthers that's the first time in franchise history that they've done it. The Panthers came into the NFL in the year. Wes?

1995. Correct. So this is the first time in 20 years that they pulled it off. And, you know, I watch this game in kind of a stupor, a depressed stupor, but enough to have a couple takeaways. And number one would be Cam Newton locked up MVP honors. Not that this was even really a race, but you could put it to bed after this game.

another supremely efficient effort four touchdowns two passing two on the ground you look at his final season stats he completed 60% 60% of his passes nearly 4,000 yards 35 touchdowns through the air 10 on the ground 636 rushes there's nobody that can come close to that production all around production and then what the team did going 15 and 1 and I'll say that you know the other thing Mike shula who I know, Greg, you've never been a fan of. I am now. Yeah, I think everybody's got to be a fan of them now because you lose Kelvin Benjamin and you score 500 points in a season, which this franchise has never done before. Number one offense in the league.

Number one offense in the league. They scored 30 or more points eight times this year. And they had a slow start. I don't think they even did that in September. And then they just started rolling. You know, they didn't have Jonathan Stewart today. It didn't matter. They hung 38 on their opponent.

and then you add in the fact that their defense led the NFL with 39 takeaways and it makes sense why they flirted with perfection this team is loaded this team has to be seen as the heavy favorite to win the Super Bowl and I don't know what else can be said I mean the the Panthers are have two weeks off now and they're looking good Cam Newton did you mention has the MVP sewn up now I did that's how we started talking about this I think if you shut me out yeah I think of the vote happened after last week it would have been a close close race where Newton won

anyways over Palmer and Brady and you're right now that the last week matters so much I think he'll win it. It's solved by a landslide. I don't really have much to say about the bucks other than James Winston. And we don't need to. Finish with 4,000 yards. He's only a third rookie to ever do that. So, you know, as guys like us who go through the entire news cycle of the NFL all year, how much buzz and

ink and virtual ink was wasted on James Winston being a potential headache and nightmare it looks like they got their guy. Well, bottom line, I think he saved about 45 people in that building their jobs. But what you were saying about the Panthers, that's the answer to the question, who's the most dangerous team in the NFC?

I hate that question. Who's the most dangerous? Well, the Panthers are. They're at home, and they've lost one game all year, and they have the number one offense, and then they have the MVP in the league, and they have the coach of the year. I disagree that they're heavy favorites,

you know, to win the Super Bowl. I would put the Cardinals right there with them. I guess it would be a little smooth. We'll talk about the Cardinals a little bit later, but what happened, today, and with the Panthers, I don't know, just I'm giving the Panthers their due here. Yeah, they deserve it, but they're the most dangerous team because they've been the best team and they're at home and they've got the best player.

Oh, and by the way, all the people talking about Lovey Smith as a coach of the year candidate a month ago, closed out the season with four losses in a row. That's fair. Yeah. With the playoffs on the line. But he's safe. When the rookie quarterback shows promise, people keep their jobs, as Mark was saying. Unless you're Ken Wisenhunt, but yeah.

Moving on. Yes, the Arizona Cardinals entered Sunday with a chance to potentially steal the number one seat in the NFC, and they did not come close. So, you know, Carolina holds up their end of the bargain. They blow out their opponent. And then Arizona puzzlingly, puzzlingly, Lee, puzzlingly, Lee. In a quizzical fashion. Puzzlingly and Lee. In a quizzical fashion, get blown out.

366. The Seattle Seahawks beat them. I'm going to die. Excuse me. 36-6 win for the Seahawks who close out the season at 10 and 6. And Wes, you called this in our write-up one of the most impressive performances of the year. For the Seahawks, yes. This was a one-sided game, and it was a mindset thing for the Cardinals.

They did not enter the game with the right mindset. They played like a team that had nothing to play for, even though there was a scant chance they could still get the number one seed. but they were outworked in every facet of the game. And to me, we're mentally checked out from the opening bell. Is that a concern? I don't know. The Seahawks got out played by the Rams last week

and looked to be a concern, and they go out and blow the doors off the Cardinals this week. So things can change from week to week. It's a weird game because going into it, the conventional wisdom was the Seahawks don't have anything to play for. The Cardinals do. The Cardinals will be more motivated. And so I don't think you can take anything away from the Seahawks,

and you weren't, that they came out. and Carson Palmer is in the game in the first half, and they win the game, you know, 30 to 6 in the first half. So the game is over at that point. All the starters are in. So whatever the motivation is, I don't know, but Seahawks had the motivation to show everyone and to prove to themselves, we are a great team.

We have been as good as any team in the NFL for the last four years, as good as any team, really, for a four-year run that any teams had in the last 20 years, and the best team in the NFL for the last eight weeks, too, by the way, you know, right there with the Cardinals and the Panthers. So they proved it, and now they're going to be tough to beat. I'm willing to give the Cardinals a Mulligan just because of the fact that in every other game this season, they've showed up. They've looked highly motivated. I mean, this happens in today's NFL, too.

Good luck finding more than one or two teams that do this 16 weeks in a row. They're 13 and 3. Right. I mean, they've been fantastic, and I do think that they're just as dangerous as Carolina if they're playing at their peak. We'll see. I agree with you on the Mulligan, and I still think the Cardinals are. a stud team. I think, what, do they won nine in a row, eight in a row going into this game. But if they see Seattle in the playoffs, I feel like this game could have some DNA that could lead to Seattle having some type of psychological advantage.

I think it's one thing to win in Arizona to blow them away. I think that this really could have a big factor in the NFC playoffs. It happened last year too. I mean, that was with a different Cardinals team and not as healthy. Well, Richard Sherman, they asked him after a game, you know, There's some talk the Cardinals, I don't know where this talk comes from, the talk that the Cardinals would be worried about you guys coming back here, and he was just like they should be.

You know, we'll get after him. Who knows if the Seahawks will wind up matching up against him. Matters on the Cedians. Well, this is also useful for Bruce Ariens. It's going to be pure motivation, and it's going to get them refocused pretty easy. Yeah, the hopeful part of my Patriots fandom was thinking that with the Patriots in terms of, well, this is going to give Belichick play. plenty to harp on and be miserable about for a couple weeks.

And sometimes they respond to that. I don't think Bill needs anything to be miserable. Well, I'm not even sure that's how coaching operates half the time either, but, you know. I can't wait to pick the Seahawks in the first round of the playoffs to win because nobody wants to face them right now. Russell Wilson, this is the best seven-game stretch in NFL history as far as touchdown to interception ratio, 24 to 1. Whoa.

And their defense for the four straight year finishes with the fewest points allowed. This is a pretty complete team. The, moving on, the Houston Texans are the AFC South champions. J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilis combined for six and a half set. Listen to this guys. Six and a half sacks, three fumble recoveries, five tackles for loss, and a forced fumble, a 36 win over the supposedly improving Jacksonville Jaguars. The Texans will host the Kansas City Chiefs and the wildcard round.

In a wide open, AFC, we'd be wrong to assume they're an easy. easy out, right, Wes? Oh, yeah. You saw what J.J. Watt's going to do without a cast today. Oh, my good. He was unblockable. And do you guys think that locks up defensive player of the year for him? I think realistically it does because I think him getting into the playoffs

and having the great season that he did. Right. I thought Aaron Donald had my personal vote going into this last week and he had four quarterback hits today so he didn't have a bad game at all. And so I think it was close, but I think Wado get it. I think this game in the sack title too. And you know what? Watch should have won it two years ago.

So he's owed one, and now it's going to even out. He'll be the... If he wins... Well, it should. He wins. He'll join Lawrence Taylor as the only players ever to win it three times. I will say, you know, on a note of levity, a show that needs it. J.J. Watts' Sackdance today?

I don't know if anybody saw that, and if you're watching on YouTube, you can check it out. You know, we talked about earlier in the season. He had the line about Andy Dalton and, you know, being the pop-gun quarterback, whatever it was. And you could tell he clearly was practicing in his hotel room mirror. Here, he took every popular dance by NFL players this season, celebration dance, whether it be after a sack or a touchdown and combined them into one dance. I think he practices alone in a mirror for roughly seven hours. Oh, for sure.

J.J. is still trying too hard. He had an answer. He had an answer for that after the game. He said, if you don't like it, be good at football, join the NFL and do your own sack dance. That's cool, JJ. I'm just saying you're trying to try to be a bad guy about it. I'm just saying I see what you're doing. You're trying too hard.

Sneaky Watt, Hansa, not expecting that. It's been there all year. It's been there all year. The Texans, I don't think that the Chiefs should be a huge favorite in this game. The Chiefs are playing close games against bad teams lately. The 11th and 12th least exciting teams play each other in the playoffs. Not to rain on the Texans parade. They've played well, especially the last two weeks.

Isn't that true of them every time they get into the playoffs? That's been true of them. That's right. And, Wes, I think, I don't know if you're going to be with me on this, but I'm going to go out there. Maybe you can join me. I want to apologize to Bill O'Brien because I know we had a lot of fun with Bob, B-O-B, with his opening rant on hard knocks. And yes, he still messed up the quarterback room early in the season. But this is a hell of a coaching job by O'Brien who took a completely decimated Texans team in a bad division. I get that.

but to nine wins and into the playoffs. Bill O'Brien, stud. Both of those statements can be true that he botched the quarterback decision as badly as anyone's ever botched it in week one. You name a guy's starter and pull him after two, what, two quarters? He totally botched it and then coached his butt off the rest of the year. We, you know, we mocked him hard.

And this also, he deserved to be mocked. The same team was down 41-0 in the second quarter to the Dolphins. And who's the Houston Chronicle? John McLean, who I haven't heard from. in three months now was having a ball mocking this team. So all of a sudden now, they're a playoff team of the winning record. Just, you know.

Four and six outside the division. It's worth noting. It's a nice season, no matter what. You're winning games with Wheat and in Hoyer. I could name a few coaches that haven't done that. He's done a terrific job. Let's move on, gentlemen.

The Kansas City Chiefs capped off one of the more unlikely streaks in NFL history, beating the Oakland Raiders 2317. It was their 10th consecutive win. And here's their season, Mark. They win their opener against Houston. They lose their next five games, including that insane heartbreaker to the Broncos. It would have been nice if they had that win

when you look at how the standings ended up shaking out. Then they win their final 10 games. Another AFC team, maybe some people are looking past and maybe they shouldn't. Well, I think West summed it up, though. The chiefs are what they are. But I think that you have to. The team that never loses.

Well, okay. I would say Andy, Reed, I wrote it in the thing today. He, to me, deserves a lot of credit for a coach of the year, although he's not going to win it because of the way these seasons played out in Carolina, especially. But Andy Reid has saved his job when he probably could have been on the hot seat at that season, continued off that one-and-five start. But they aren't dominating bad teams.

They are winning these games as a complete team, where today, for instance, they get off to a 14-0 start, and it looked like it was just going to end up in one of these maybe they are going to do it 41-0 wipe out of the Raiders who don't have a lot to play for. It turned into a completely bizarre game that really required the Chief's defense to tighten the screws for a long stretch against Derek Carr. But a couple of wacky plays at the end,

the Chiefs went for it on fourth down and had a completely ill-fated, botched punt, fake pun attempt that gave the Raiders a chance to win this game. They're down by six with a minute 32 to go. Chiefs finally closed them down. And that said, forget it. This game doesn't matter to me, week 17. The Chiefs, as a whole, what they've done with their backfield,

and it's someone stepping up week after week. Alex Smith is sneaky mobile. I think he doesn't get the credit he deserves that dimension of their offense. And he does just enough as a quarterback through the air. I mean, they're banged up on defense, and they had, I think, six sacks today. He's a huge part of their running game. Yes, he is. He is a reason why they're one of the best rushing teams in the league,

and he is one of the best rushing quarterbacks in the league has been all year. I'd be concerned about their offense going into the playoffs, especially against Houston. I mean, we'll talk about that matchup moving forward. The offense is taken on water over the last month. The offense is not playing well. They're in the playoffs because their defense is number one in the league

in points allowed over this 10-game span. They have not played a winning team since that Denver game, but they won that game easy, and they've taken care of business. I mean, they've done a great job. They barely be Cleveland. But it's a defensive team who makes just enough drives. and Macklin's turned out to be good. Yeah.

Supposed to get Justin Houston back next week, correct? I don't think that's for sure. Okay, well, he did get Tom Bali. And then you go against the Texans' offensive line with DeWain Brown, their left tackle, and one of the best tackles in the league out with a torn quad. I think you're right. That's big. And I really do think Andy Reid isn't getting enough buzz for coach.

No, he's not. Because 10 wins in a row, no Jamal Charles. Justin Houston missed the last quarter of the year. not playing remarkably well as a team in the last month of the season, yet they kept winning every game, which a mediocre team isn't supposed to do that. So he's doing something right. This is a good team that Reid has playing like an undefeated team.

It's pretty remarkable. Yeah, we spent the whole show saying that the AFC lacks a dominant power at the moment, and it's very wide open, which it is. So, yeah, why not the Chiefs? Except that I just can't get behind that until I see it happen. and, you know, it's not completely logical or fair to Kansas City, but you just don't see them as that team.

Well, they got the right matchup, though. They did. They got a winnable first game, and then you never know. They're trafficking in the impossible, though. I mean, this was a team that was one in five that finished 11 and 5. So it's like, in a weird NFL season,

I'm not ready to just assume they're not going to make a run. We'll see what happens. No, it was a remarkable finish. And again, Andy Reid, why not more credit? Ridiculous. And Marcus Peters finished out strong. I mean, their defense is good at every level. Yeah.

The Bengals, let's talk. about they won't have a first round by but consider them uh chris wessling a victim of circumstance cincinnati tied a franchise record with its 12th win after knocking off those frisky ravens 24 16 the bangles enter the playoffs as the three seed and a matchup against the steelers mailman we are less than a week away or a week away exactly depending on how the schedule breaks out from west of us 16 bangles are in the wild card game for the fifth straight year my favorite holiday in the NFL, Westavis. It happens every year.

The Bengals lose in the opening round, and they're going to lose this game, too, because the Bengals can't have nice things like playoff victories. You've got 12 wins, though. This is a dream scenario. I wanted to see the Steelers on Westivis because I can't wait to pick Big Ben over A.J. McCarran in a playoff. You and everyone else.

That almost makes me think maybe the Bengals will do it, just because conventional wisdom, everyone's going to take the Steelers in this game, don't you think? Well, it just seems like the upset. If Marvin Lewis has. a motivational bone in his body he's going to ride it hard here because that will be the narrative

oh they can't do they can't do it they lose every January in the first playoff game the Steelers are great they're going to blow the doors off McCarran can't hang with Rafflesberger well I don't know by the way McCarrant didn't convert a single third down to it not a single one the first half how did how did he look overall he was a caretaker

you know he had a really good throw to Tyler Eifert down the scene for a touchdown pretty good throw to AJ Green for a touchdown But overall, he was a caretaker, and the defense was more impressive than the offense today. Vantes Burfect had his best game of the season, and to me showed that he's all the way back from micro fracture surgery. That's what I want to ask you. Let's say you don't have DeAngelo Williams next week if you're Pittsburgh, and you're not playing the Browns who don't know how to make in-game adjustments. And you've got the Bengals defense, which is, I think, the second best in the AFC, and you're playing Pittsburgh.

Do you think that you give Cincinnati a chance to at least keep it close? Oh, yeah. Well, we have plenty of time to get into the playoff, man. I just don't trust the Bengals. I don't know how anybody would. They just beat the Ravens. Steelers didn't do it. Just saying.

The Steelers beat the Bengals with AJ McCarran in there a couple weeks ago. That's a fair point. Let's check in on some of these dumpy games before we get to Sunday night football. Jamarcus Sanford's interception at the Atlanta 25-yard line with less than two minutes to play, set up a field goal. As time expired, the Saints, a 2017 win. And over the Falcons on Sunday, Julio Jones finished that game with nine catches for 149 yards, moved into second place in the NFL single season records for both receiving yards and catches. To me, the only thing really to hit on right now is that Sean Peyton is a goon.

Here he is, just for fun, one last time this season, you know, talking down to a reporter who he thinks he's better then. We got the players in tomorrow. We got to evaluate the roster. We've got a lot of things we got to do. If I feel the need to get you an itinerary, I will. Jericho. No, that's the answer, though. That's the answer.

That's the answer. You with me? I can't be more clear. Next question. What a bowl of laughs, that guy is. And then he stomped out of the press conference after three minutes because he didn't like the questions. I kind of like it. It's funny, but.

Well, it's funny, you know, when it's funny, like a guy is a jerk and it's funny to laugh at what a jerk is to people. Yeah. But have fun with that, Saints. That's your guy still in the future. Colio Jones stat, more receptions, yards, and touchdowns than the entire Rams-wide receiver court. Yeah. Oh, wow. Yeah, and I like Sean Payton.

It's so double-faced just because he's doing it at the same time that his reports are coming out there. He doesn't want to go to Miami, but he would go to San Diego. Another job that intrigues him is San Francisco. San Francisco. It's like he's even just thrown out there. I like that job that's covered right now. Him and Drew Brees are a match made in heaven, let's face it. Moving on, Matthew Stafford threw for 298 yards and three times.

touchdowns. Calvin Johnson had 137 yards in what might be his final game with the Lions. And the Lions had a 24-20 win over the Bears. Could be Jim Caldwell's final game with the team. Detroit finishes seven and nine. And they won six of their last eight games. So, you know, that's all well good. But when you start one in seven, it doesn't matter what you do in the second half. Which one of these teams has the brighter future, Wes?

I think the Lions, no question. And I think Jim Caldwell should have his job saved. He's not my favorite coach, but they finished out strong, and they were really good last year, too. And everyone always says, oh, we'll keep Jim Bob Cooter. Well, when you fire your coach, how often does the offensive coordinator stick around? That's completely thrown in a blender. And if he is that valuable, and it seems like he is to this,

he's a young play caller that they love. I mean, maybe you give this another year. He's 18 and 14. It's weird that they fire the GM, because like halfway through the season now because now you have to hire another GM and does he want Caldwell but it's unfair to fire him after 18 and 14 I mean the only way that move made sense is if they really had something lined up nicely if they're like just like everyone else now it just was kind of a strange move but things are pretty dark in Detroit I think it's easy

to forget now when they're one in seven yikes moving on uh ooh kissing cousins time kirk cousins through three touchdowns uh before leaving late in the second quarter and the Washington Redskins finished the regular season with a 34-23 win over the woeful Cowboys who are getting a top five pick out of this season, a season where they're loyal supporters and, of course, the front office thought they were a Super Bowl team. And here is your Kissing Cousins' stat of the day, guys, which I know you like that. You like that! Cousins broke Jay Schrader's franchise record for yards passing in a season.

He threw for 4,166 Redskins, four-game. winning streak going into the playoffs against we'll find out we'll find out sunday night football good point there you go guys here you go i'll tee you up say something nice about kirk cousins and we'll move on the redskins organization has been around for 83 years kirk cousins not only through for more yards in a season than any other player also has more combined touchdowns than any player in redskins history 34 touchdowns and he was in fuego today it goes to my theory that if you don't have a quarterback If you don't have a quarterback, draft multiple quarterbacks every draft, not just paying all your hopes on one guy, then don't draft one again.

Look how this is turned out for Washington. How unpredictable we never could have called this in 2012. They're not going to be a pushover for whoever plays him in the first round right now. No, they're playing really well right now. I mean, people, you know, they didn't need to win this game and they still just dropped a bomb on them for the first half and then took the guys out. They're playing really well. What Dan Snyder should now do for the Washington football franchises,

is try to get the moved into the AFC where I think they would have a chance potentially. NFC, it's a tough sledding in that. Well, they're in the worst division in football, so, you know, worked out okay. Yeah, everything's great. Moving on, Josh Freeman and Ryan Lindley each threw a touchdown pass.

How about that? And Jarrell Freeman scored on a 23-yard pick in the second half. The Colts beat the Titans 30 to 24. As we know, the Colts needed a nine-team parlay to steal the AFC South. hey playoff rob it how many of those did they get they had at half time of the game they had seven of eight going texans were up against the jaguars and that ruined it never had a chance but i do like a world where alex tanny trick shot quarterback extraordinaire comes in for an injured right uh Zach mettenberger

and almost decided who has the number one pick in this draft he came in went right down the field for a touchdown the titans only down to three at that point could have had the number one pick if they won the game. I could have lost it. I told you, Greg loves football. We're talking about this game 37 more seconds than we had to because Greg just loved the action so much. Mark and I need to figure out if the proposition was Ryan Lindley

plays another game or starts another game. We'll look into that. I mean, can we just say, thank God no more Indianapolis cults? Yes. Bye, bye, see you later. And by the way, we will, a couple things. We got to this week coming up, we've got to talk about the fork. We have multiple charity donations to make.

uh in multiple cities across the united states and also we will uh at some point this week check in on all our sandwich props for the regular season see who owes what i'm looking forward to that discussion let's move on nfc east magic here walter thurman scored on a 83 yard pick six in the third quarter and the eagles without chip kelly uh snuck by the giants 35 30 another narrow loss for Tom Coughlin and what might have been his final game after 12 seasons with the Giants, although that's not a done deal from some stuff we're seeing out there that this could still be up in the air whether Coughlin will be back, but you can't hide from the facts that since the playoff, the Super Bowl win over the Pats in the 2011 season, the Giants have missed the

playoffs every year, and they went six and ten this season at their third straight losing season. Time for a reboot. One thing about the Eagles, Zach Ertz has emerged as a star. 4.50 yards receiving over the final four games the most ever by a tight end in the final four games of a season. I love that.

You know what's going to happen? A bunch of schmows are going to draft them too high in their draft and then be ripping their hair out. What happened to December, Zach Ertz? Making a leap candidate from two years ago. I think he's good enough to replicate that again. I'm just happy to see an emotional day at the medal ends that Pat Shermer gets to go out of winter.

Yeah, that feels poetry to me. That's very, that's right. Moving on, the St. Louis Rams, congratulations, guys. You fulfilled your destiny, following 1916 and overtime to the 49ers, thus ensuring another seven and nine season. Round of applause from the round of the other time. Way to go. Jeff Fisher.

I mean, the lengths that they went to, to go. To go seven and nine. First of all, to lose. They had to work for it. To lose to a team that fired its coach literally minutes after the game ended. They lost the six-point lead in the second half. And then they did have a kick in overtime to take the lead that was blocked. Naturally.

I think they just, let's not do it. Let's kick that one right into the line. Here's the kick the snapper in the ass with the ball. That's what I heard. Here's the company that Jeff Fisher is keeping. This is from our researcher Law Murray. Since the merger in 1970, only Dave Schull and Luce Sabin have been granted a fifth year after four straight

losing seasons. And yet not only will Jeff Fisher be back. They couldn't wait to say he'd be back. The Rams are like, he's coming back. He's coming to LA, baby. He's doing exactly what the plan inside that building is. Go 7 and 9. He is a genius. He is a methodical, precise genius.

And now start the countdown clock to the combine. We're less need who, by the way, it helps you when you're a 9, 9 and a half physically, goes up to that podium. him looks better than everyone and speaks with confidence and everybody starts buying into it. And then Jeff Fisher comes out because he has respect to people and he has expensive dinners with a competition committee, he says things that kind of makes sense.

And then all of a sudden, people are talking themselves into the Rams again. But guess what? January 4th of 2017, there'll be seven and nine again, whether you're in L.A. or St. Louis. Deal with it. It's the truth. What else can be said? I told you you'd get excited by the end. of it that the football it was the rams that did it brought out the joy it's cathartic and jim tom sulla

yes has been dismissed fired as the coach after the game uh you know talk about the ultimate patsy uh he was brought aboard a team where half of the impact players uh left the team many to premature retirement um tom sula does the best he can and quite frankly five wins with this roster is kind of an achievement i'm not going to you know hand him a trophy but you know he did a nice enough job certainly didn't deserve to be a canned after one year but he was given the task of rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic and when that task was over he went down with the ship only the browns were outscored by more points this year than the 49ers but they snuck out five wins anyways humble brug which takes us anything else in jim thumpsoil

we get into it a little later in the week but we got to get this i think this is a top three disaster organization right now and they can fix it maybe they're hearing the show John Payton stuff, and they know behind the scenes that they could maybe get someone like that. But this is a fan base that where they were a couple years ago to now, what has happened and what is there to cling to this point? It wasn't long ago, Wes, you sitting in that very spot called this franchise the Vanguard of the NFL

because they had everything, they were cooking out, everything was working right, and now dysfunction on every level. And the guy who drafted all those players went to the Pro Bowls is running the show at the Washington Redskins. That's right. And Tren Balky has struggled. It looks like he's going to stay. But this change did inspire a strong candidate for sub-tweet of the year for all of 2000.

Sub-tweet of the year. I know it's early in the year, but I think this one will hold up from Jim Harbaugh tonight. Do not be deceived. You will reap what you sow. Did he drop the mic? Good for you, you crazy son of him. And he's right. I mean, Tom Sula took the hit for.

management failure above him. He was a patsy. Putting a bad spot. He was a patsy. Moving on to Green Bay Packers entered Sunday night football with a chance to clinch another NFC North title. The only thing standing in their way were the Vikings, a team that the Packers had roundly or soundly defeated a month earlier.

But like we've seen in the whole second half of the season, the Packers are not a team you can trust. And we saw it again. They fell behind 20 to 3 in their building. They launch a comeback. They get it to within 2013 and near the goal line where Aaron Rogers gets picked off, intercepted while targeting James Jones near the end zone. They get one last chance at the end of the game.

Aaron Rogers, Hail Mary again targeting Richard Rogers this time, no dice. So the end, when the dust clears, it is a 20 to 13 Vikings win. the Vikings finish the season as the NFC North champions, which means they will host a home game against the Seattle Seahawks. Next weekend, the Packers will travel to D.C. To face the Redskins. So let's start there. Who gets the better end of this?

I know the Vikings just won the division, but do you really want to be facing the Seahawks? Wouldn't you rather get the Redskins? Yeah, the Vikings, I think one of the most impressive games of any team all year was the beating the Seahawks put on the Vikings in Minnesota just a month ago. That's a tough matchup for Minnesota. It is, but this is a team in the second year of Mike Zimmer, who hasn't had a lot of success.

I mean, the franchise hasn't had a lot of success over the last five or six years to win a division title, and you get the Gatorade Bath on Zimmer, and this was a title. We did not think they were going to win as recently as a few weeks ago. That is success in itself. That is a successful season. So maybe there's no shame to losing to Seattle next week. This team, I don't think, is going to the Super Bowl anyways,

but there's a comfort in knowing what you are. They're a team that knows what they are. They're pretty much the same every week. They're a team that can win a game in Green Bay, even though Teddy Bridgewater only throws for 99 yards. Yeah, I think at the end of the year, the better team won tonight. And I don't really trust Green Bay to do more than they did this evening, which has scored 13 points.

I mean, you know, I don't think that they have an easy situation against the Washington next week. No. The Redskins are white hot, and you're right about the Vikings. I look at them as this is a two or three year situation with Zimmer. This is year one of, you know, it's a second year coaching, but they make the playoffs and they're a team on the up swing, and they're not going to go do it all this season.

Nice first step, though. Of course you want to win this game. If I would have told, if I would have privately told Mike McCarthy before kickoff today, that I'm from the future, which admittedly would be a big storyline right off the top. For McCarthy. If I would have told them you were going to hold Teddy Bridgewater to 9. 99 yards passing and interception. You're going to hold Adrian Peterson under 70 yards.

Their leading receiver would have three catches for 33 yards and you still get beat. You're scratching your head. You can't believe it. It doesn't make any sense. But such is the life with the Packers now who have a bad offense. And it goes all the way through the organization how this could have happened this season. But also some of it has to fall on Aaron Rogers. and I know, you know, no Jordy Nelson.

We've heard that, you know, till we're sick to our stomachs at this point. But Aaron Rogers has not been able to lift this offense, and he's been culpable as anyone. We knew a month ago that this was a flawed team, and I think we're starting to figure out now that they can't be trusted to beat anyone. No. Bad teams, good teams. They can't be trusted to beat the Redskins.

I mean, they're lucky they beat the Lions. Even the win they had against the Raiders, I don't think they played very well. They have not played well. since week three or four. And that was Aaron Rogers pulling off crazy plays. I don't think it was the team playing well. The Vikings know what they are.

I don't think the Packers know what they are because they are just used of racking up offensive numbers in the passing game. And now that they can't, it's like they have no other move to go to and they just seem confused. Not a great home team this year either. So this idea that, oh, they lose Lambo Field

for a potential playoff run, they weren't great. I don't think they won a division game at home this year. That's outrageous. Yeah. In an okay division that they didn't win one home division game. Randall Cobb and Devante Adams have to be on any list of the most disappointing players in the NFL this season. And their leading receiver, James Jones, it might be the slowest wide receiver in the NFL.

All right. Let's take a look now at the schedule and Wes. I know you're excited. Oh, yeah. Westivis is landing on a Saturday night. Look out. I don't know. We might have to, Greg, you might have to hire some type of, like, bodyguard to watch over West if West of his.

gets too crazy. Well, Westavis, of course, for people that don't know, the Bengals first round matchup. Well, he talked about it earlier on the show. Bengals first round playoff. Did I miss that? Yes, we did. But that's all right. The good thing about the West Coast, though, is, you know, it'll start at 530, not 8.30. So we got a little bit of time to play with. It's interesting this year. AFC games being played on Saturday, NFC games being played on Sunday. That's the first time ever, I think. Since I've been a fan where they didn't split up the conferences both Saturday and Sunday. With the Green Bay and Washington in the late game Sunday, Seattle and Minnesota, early game Sunday.

So a lot of good football. We're down to 12 teams. 12 teams. How many games? I don't know. Well, a lot of games. 12 teams, 11 games, four weeks. Got a bye week.

Don't take my heat. That's all I got left now. It's an homage. It's showing how, you know, that's when you know you're really making it. Let's end this show now because I need to go home. Whiskey could be involved. We will be back Tuesday with another episode of the Around the NFL podcast where we will start talking about these 12 teams that are left.

And we'll also, you know, we'll talk about our sandwich props from the regular season. Touch in on, as I said, our charity endeavors that we need to dig into. It's going to be a busy show on Tuesday. Probably a lot of coaching changes by then or a few more. Good point, Greg. Black Monday coming up. in less than three hours here on the West Coast. So it keeps rolling.

It ain't over yet. So make sure you tune in. Thank you to everybody listening. You could check this show out on YouTube and also on NFL now. And you could also get us at NFL.com slash podcast, Stitcher, or else? Where's that stitcher word? No one knows, but let's get out of here. That's what, Mark, let's get out of here.

It's time to go. It's time to go home. Another day with the NFL is over. This is Dan Hansis, signing off for Quarie. Storm, the mailman, the boss, Big B, behind the glass. This day's over until Tuesday. Hi and hello football fans, your old pal Dave Damasek here. Make sure you check out the Dave Damashek football program. You can watch it on YouTube, NFL.com. You can listen to it on iTunes or Stitcher or NFL.com slash podcasts. We look at the world of pro football and game called

life. This is an IHeart podcast.