OverDrive - OverDrive - December 10, 2024 - Hour 2

Episode Date: December 10, 2024

Join Mark Roe, Frank Corrado and Dave Feschuk for Hour 2 on OverDrive! TSN Hockey Analyst Mike Johnson joins to discuss the biggest storylines around the NHL. Former NFLer, SiriusXM NFL and Westwood One Analyst joins to discuss the Chiefs' successful run in the AFC, Josh Allen's MVP season and issues with the Eagles' roster.

It's a brand new year. Time to review last year's financial decisions and set new priorities for 2025. Kelvin the Money Guy suggests the three-step approach. One, clearly define your goals for the new year. Two, create a plan tailored to your needs and ambitions. And three, make sure your portfolio is designed to serve that plan. Goal. Plan. Portfolio. Contact Kelvin the Money Guy and set your plans in motion. Call 416-457-PLAN

or visit askkelvin.ca hour two of overdrive on tsn 10 50 the tsn app and up on tsn for mark rowan for brian hayes today alongside frankie corrado and dave fez chuck if you're just joining us the boys are on the panel tonight with james duffy as the leafs take on the devils which you can see also here on TSN for the pregame at 630. Leafs taking on a really good Devils team. And right now, the Devils are the team in the New York area, considering what the Rangers are doing at the moment. And they lost again last night.

Dude, to Chicago. last night and dude to chicago to chic and like it's there and they got it pretty bad from the and i expect this from a new york crowd like they were getting the boo birds and peter labialet afterwards was like yeah i would you expect them to say right like i'm paraphrasing but you know you lose to one of if not the worst team in the nhl given what's going on and i think it was chris crider afterwards i was like even though we were losing games i felt like we were getting closer and then tonight happens right yeah it's it's ugly and in so many different ways in new york which is crazy because they started the season so well right like out of the gate which is what we expected yeah a lot of people would have said that's a team that's going to challenge for a stanley cup before the season started and then

with their start and slowly the defensive side of the game just never came along for them and it got leakier and leakier and they weren't able to cover up with good goaltending which they still get they weren't able to cover up with you know good offensive performances which now as we see last night you only get one goal against chicago like that's drying up they're really getting exposed and you know you move jacob truba okay does that make you a better team on the ice today no it doesn't make you a better team today but you have eight million dollars in cap space so you better do something that makes you a better team or else like what i don't know what what are you doing there because that that can't be the only move that you make that's like it's not all on jacob truba there it is the nhl so how long can it be until peter

labialet is under the microscope because this is a league where you know you fire the coach you know as you take out the laundry or take out the garbage and i mean i was just looking at it it's amazing in this league there are a couple guys who've been around a long time cooper's been there since 2013 in tampa mike sullivan in pittsburgh since 2015 you know you go down the list like marty st louis the fifth longest tenured coach in the nhl and his three-year anniversary is in february you want to hear something crazy so i was doing the game last tuesday line a came back apparently that was the first game that marty san luis has had a healthy lineup since his first game when he took over against the washington capitals wow yeah that's welcome to darken ray akovich's world that's wild after

like he just that is what had not had a healthy lineup that entire time pretty tough to produce results when you you already have a young team that isn't as talented as many others and you're not healthy yeah but it's pro sports in 2024 everyone's everyone's banged up but like the rangers should not have any excuses they're not nicked up like they got if anything they've been put in a good situation because they have a third line that has a real identity and is really hard to play against at five on five with like kako heidel and that will cooley like there's actually some identity you know half like in in the middle of the lineup so you still have the offensive guys that you had you have identity in the middle part of the lineup so what where's the

excuses other than you guys just are literally not performing to the standard that you should be that's all it comes down to in new york or you don't care to or you don't care defensively but i don't know you can't say guys don't care because guys obviously do care well do they though they're not showing it on the ice right right they're getting absolutely you know bombarded with criticism because they don't show that fight they don't show whatever that third-line identity is. It doesn't run through the lineup. It's not higher in the lineup right now.

And so that's why you start looking at coaching. And that's why you start having these leaked reports about how we need a guy like Brady Kachuk, a guy that plays with some heart, a guy that plays with some spirit, a guy that can lead this team and demand more of his teammates because it doesn't seem to be that kind of leadership in the room right now, at least not that we can see from the outside. And then if you talk about coaching, it's hard to not look at a team

like the Bruins who fired Jim Montgomery, and now they're 7-3 in their last 10, and they've won four in a row. And it's like if you see that, you're like, we're going to get some kind of bump here, and is that the spark spark we need but the coach has to be a casualty for the guys to realize that they actually kind of have to buy in defensively or not make bad mistakes with the puck like the zabanajad play on the first goal last night he's made that play hundreds of times you go back for a puck you you send it to your partner he fumbles it around and then it's in the back of the net because everyone comes back and doesn't pick up the player bertuzzi like that's elementary

stuff it's elementary mistakes and like that's a team that should be far beyond those kinds of mistakes so as it stands the rangers have the final wild card spot in the eastern conference uh the devils tonight's opponent for the toronto maple leaves currently sits second in the Eastern Conference. The Devils, tonight's opponent for the Toronto Maple Leafs, currently sit second in the Metropolitan Division with 38 points. And on tonight's call will be Mike Johnson, who joins us on the Maple Toyota Hotline. MJ, did you expect

the Devils to be the best team in the New York City area when the season began? No, Marky. I did not expect them to be the best. I the Rangers mistakenly enough I was one of the people that bought on the Rangers to be really good this year but I did have the Devils to be battling Carolina for second and I thought that with the additions they made this summer with Markstrom coming in and Pesci and Hughes being back healthy and Dougie Hamilton back healthy even Mason chipping in Kovacevic.

They addressed a lot of the issues that they had last year and the better health of Dougie Hamilton and Hughes and new goaltenders. That's a really talented team. And listen, I know there's a, maybe Sheldon Keith might be a polarizing coach in Toronto, but I think the reality is in the regular season, he's an awesome coach. The record speaks for itself. I know he had a good team in Toronto. Record reflects that. He had a good team in Jersey. Record reflects that. They are playing very much a familiar style.

If you watch the game tonight, they'll look a lot like the Toronto Maple Leafs the last few years, and in the regular season, that's not a bad thing to look like. Johnny, how do you diagnose what's going on with the Rangers? Like, is that, the last few years and in the regular season that's not a bad thing to look like johnny how do you diagnose what's going on with the rangers like is that there's not just one thing happening clearly truba moves on now there's got to be some kind of corresponding move but like what what is that and how do you fix the problems there well i mean i think it's a few different things i think last year the goaltenders did paper over some of the shortcomings of that team, and those shortcomings have seemed more stark this year.

Keandre Miller's having a tough year. He's been really good two years in a row. He's taken a step back this year, five on five. He's not nearly as good. The Banajag-Kreider, five on five, have not been nearly as effective. First line's been fine. Panera's line with Trocek and Lafreniere. Third line with Hedl and Cooley and Kako has been one of the better ones

in the entire NHL, but that second line has been bleeding goals five on five. And you watch the mistakes they make. Frank, I know you look at the numbers. Like, they're one of the worst teams in the NHL defensively. The worst. You look at their expected goals against. You look at their high danger chances against. You look at their scoring chances against.

They are down in the bottom two or three with Pittsburgh and Anaheim and Montreal, the teams that have really been struggling defensively. That's their company. And trading Jacob Truba, while it is a wake-up call and it frees up money, and I'm not suggesting he was driving plan his own he wasn't the sole problem in new york and removing him is not going to fix it as you saw seven go up against seattle on the weekend and last night a pretty quiet effort against chicago so it's the guys have to play they have to prioritize it sounds like what i talked about pittsburgh frank. They have to prioritize. It sounds like what I talked about Pittsburgh, Frankie.

They have to prioritize defense with their decision-making and their puck management. And until they do that, unless you're sure you're going to quit, go crazy, they're going to have a hard time keeping pucks out of their net. So, MJ, a team that is prioritizing defense is the Maple Leafs under Craig Berube. They've turned themselves into an elite defensive team. And now we have Craig Berube asking for a little more

on the other side of the puck, essentially saying we need more secondary scoring. Saying it out loud, what the rest of us have been saying for quite a few weeks now in print and on airwaves like these, if you're Max Domi and you're coming back into the lineup tonight after a few weeks away with an undisclosed injury and you've got zero goals on your stat sheet for the season so far. How do you approach a moment where your coach is asking you for, yeah,

telling you that goals matter and you've got to get some, but you haven't been able to to this point? Well, for Max, I mean, I think because he's been gone so long, it probably makes it a little bit easier. I don't think Craig Berube is expecting him to step in the lineup tonight and go around and snap two behind Markstrom. And so you can have a game or two great, but I think the idea that Max has to go to the net more,

has to shoot more, has to look to score more, is not a message that is just being delivered today. That's a message that has been delivered the whole year. That's even delivered last year. He almost became so deferential at the end of last year when him and austin matthews went on that run and i think i think max led the team in like five on five assists last year and so he got into such a groove being rewarded for just looking to pass like just get it to austin and he'll score I'll get points he'll

get goals we'll get wins and everything's great and I think that's carried over where he's he's so far down the road of being a passer he's forgot that you know to be a good passer occasionally you have to be a threatening scorer so you know he's trying to flip that mindset I think that's it although that's when I was I don't know if you guys read Myrtle wrote an interesting article about the lack of offense in Toronto and the goals per game that they're down. And the bulk of the goals per game they are down this year can be directly attributed to the drop in production from Austin Matthews.

Yeah, exactly. Austin Matthews, right? And he was scoring whatever, point – what do you have, 70 goals last year? So he was scoring like.8 goals per game, and he's down to like., 70 goals last year. So he was scoring like 0.8 goals per game, and he's down to like 0.4-something this year. So he dropped almost half a goal a game. The Leafs are down about 0.7 goals per game. So, you know, five-sevenths of that is Austin.

And so you can talk about depth scoring, and you're right. Like you need something from the third line, something from the fourth line. And I think as bodies come back, if the third line becomes Domi, Minton, McMahon, when he's healthy, or Domi, Minton, Yarncrook when he's healthy, or whatever, and your fourth line has Pacioretty, and like, you'll get a little bit more from those guys when the bodies come back, I think, I do believe. But I think think you know the biggest drop has been austin matthews and i i again attribute that some of that will be i don't

know if he'll ever get quite get 69 goals again like he did last year um but also him not being healthy he was not the same player to start this year as he was last year when he was healthy so maybe good health for austin as he works back towards that we'll get that number back up but that has largely been the the biggest drop has come from Austin Matthews well and Mike like Frankie I also like numbers and I brought up his shooting percentage and how far down it is this year is the simple solution to getting that back up to just what his average has been in his career health or do you see anything else in his game? No, I think it's largely health. I think it's largely health, although there may be an element of, you know,

the rush opportunities, which he, like, obviously Austin Matthews is great in any situation, but even for the best players, rush chances are easier and of a higher quality than cycle chances. It's just the reality because, you know, it's cleaner, easier numbers, fewer sticks around. And so, you know, even if he were to get back to good health, does he get his shooting average all the way back to his career averages? Maybe just under that because the system is different,

but certainly much higher than it is now. Mark, you're exactly right. And, you know, there may be some power play components to that as well, but generally speaking, he should get back to where he has been. He's 10 years into his career, so it's not like it's a short sample we're looking at. He should get back to being one of the elite finishers and a higher percentage than where he's at.

When all the depth players are back, and Domi comes back tonight, at some point McMahon comes back, David Kampf, and the lineup really is what it is. Is there enough depth scoring there if everyone just kind of gives you their average output? Well, if you're going to be the third-best defensive team, sure. Right. Sure.

I mean, I think if your goalies play this well, sure, but I think you'd love some greater margins, right? You want a bigger delta. Like, if the goalies are a bit off, we still win. If the scoring's a bit down, we still win. You want different ways to get it done, not maximizing everything all the time because that doesn't happen in the NHL. I still think it's, you know, if everyone comes back and you have,

let's say you got Matthews and Marner and Tavares and Nylander. So those four guys are done, done, done. Nyes is the fifth. You have Domi, Pacioretty, McMahon to fill in that other top six spot as well as another winger. You have other options further down the line. Jarnkrok, presumably when he's healthy at some point. Kemp, and then you can filter in the rest.

What does Fraser Minton mean, Frankie? I don't know if offensively, I know his numbers look pretty good so far. He's got four points in seven games. I don't know if offensively he's there yet. They're still waiting to figure that out. But the Leafs will chase offense. There's no doubt in my mind whether it's a winger, preferably a center,

the Leafs will chase an upgrade on offense because of the way their roster looks and because of their history. We know, we've been banging the drum for a couple years now, when they lose in the playoffs, it's not because they give up too many goals, it's because they can't score them. So I think there's lots here if everyone does what they sort of are expected to or traditionally do, but they'd still like more,

especially that one more center position if Fraser Minting can't quite do it yet. Okay, MJ, I wanted to get your take on this. It's a little bit off the board, but we heard the saga of the Juan Soto signing with the New York Mets to the Mega Millions deal turned on the fact that the Mets offered him, allegedly, a suite for

his family during games, and the Yankees wouldn't go there. The Yankees said, no, no, Aaron Judge had to pay for his suite and Derek Jeter had to pay for his suite, so we can't give you one for free, sir. You know, you've been a free agent. You've been a pro athlete. What's the best perk that you ever got thrown into a deal?

Geez, nothing like that at all. Yeah, I don't, I mean, the CBA sort of prohibits all of that stuff in the NHL. Oh, good point. You can't get any extras. So there's not a lot you can do there. I mean, the CBA sort of prohibits all of that stuff in the NHL. Oh, good point. You can't get any extras. So there's not a lot you can do there. You know, like my rookie deal, I got bonuses that were commensurate with, like, the first overall pick. That was nice because I was the never overall pick.

So that was nice. But, you know, you just got to do that. Although, hearing this, what it tells me, and it little glimpse for people into the mindset of even the most elite of athletes, is like we can be petty and we can be competitive. And at some point, what is a million-dollar box when you're making $750? Exactly. Because you can. That's all.

It's because you can. It's because I can because someone else can give it to me I'm being petty I want it so I'm going to get it and if you don't give it to me I'm going to hold it against you even though if you were to take a step back this is one of the if this is the deciding factor it's crazy that you're making your decision

for the next 15 years of your life based on something so silly as that when you can obviously afford your own anyways so but it's just that's how athletes are we're wired weird like that we're wired just petty and competitive in in a good way and sometimes in a bit of a ridiculous way i did hear a story about a guy who played in a smaller market got traded to the rangers you, had a lot of money, good salary, and he always purchased a box in his other market for charity purposes, family purposes, inquired about it at MSG,

and the price of the box at MSG was like two or three times his salary that year. And it was a quick thanks, but no thanks. Well, Frankie, I remember being down in Arizona, and the guys would get big deals down in Arizona. It was, I don't know, wink, wink, nudge, nudge, not in writing, but you'll get the four-year $16 million deal. You have to buy a box. It wasn't like an option.

You have to buy a box. We need the revenue, whatever it is. I don't even know how much it would be, 50 grand a year, 80 grand a year, whatever it is, but you want the fourth year? We get four years of sweet sales out of you, even if you never show up. So it can work in the reverse as well. I love that. I would have done that in a heartbeat.

I'll take a four-year deal, no problem. Can you bring 20 friends as well? Can you drive them to the rink, please? That's the thing. They're going to have 20 Italian people. They're going to have to cater that box really well down there. But speaking of sitting out in a box, it sounds like there's a few Nashville Predators players

that could be doing that based on the comments by Andrew Burnett, who basically said he could healthy scratch every player on his roster. I don't know how you make sense of everything that's going on there, but I saw them play last week, and that was a tough watch. They looked disinterested in the game, and it looks like there's just a lot of things not working there. Power play doesn't look like it's working, although

Stephen Stamkos feels like somewhat of an afterthought on that power play. At 5-on-5, they don't have much. I don't know what you make of everything going on in Nashville. It's tough to make sense of. I will just say this. A couple red flags when they sign.

They have Phillip Forsberg, elite goal-scoring, right shot, power forward. They got two other sort of elite goal-scoring, right shot forwards. There's only so much ice and space and rolls to go around, so was it redundant on the power play specifically? They get Stamkos, Forsberg, and Marceau. Could you have used something else? That's one. Two, I don't think anyone should be surprised that Brady Shade is not scoring like he did in Carolina.

Carolina is an awesome system to pad your numbers as a defense because of the way they play. And so I don't think anyone should have been surprised to see him drop back way back from where he was where he had a couple of breakthrough years. I also think there was always going to be issues down the middle. You can load up on the wings, but after Ryan O'Reilly,

if it's Evangelista and it's Sissons and McCarron, all NHL players, sure. But play-driving, elite team, second-line, third-line guys? Probably not, unless everything's going right like it did at times last year. Stamkos was playing center last week. Right, and Stammer playing center, and how many years has it been since Stammer can drive offense on his own? Five on five.

Maybe not. Sorry, I meant center. Like six? Six years since he sort of was a real solid five-on-five driving guy himself. So, you know, he's in there, but that's because he he has to be not because they wanted him to be um so there's all those things and maybe also a little bit a little bit

fooled by the great run post you too where you know were they that good probably not probably not and so you wrap all that together and right now they're playing like a team and sadly i've been on this team guys where you're waiting for something to happen like you know it's going to whether it's a coach or trade and and you start waiting for the shoe to drop and you don't really play until it does and i watched them play last week uh and frank is you're talking about montreal games like that's what it looked like to me like a team that that is sort of, God, we're in the dumps here. Like literally the worst team in the league. And something's got to give.

And we're waiting for that to give. And then maybe we can plug back in. But you start doing the math. Who are they catching in the Central? They're catching Winnipeg, Dallas, Colorado. They're not going to catch those teams. Minnesota? No chance.

In the Pacific, they catch it. Vegas, they catch it. Edmonton, they catch it. Vancouver, no. LA, you start looking at the teams. Can they get from where they are now to 97 points? I don't think so. Mathematically, it gets really hard.

So to be 30 games in and sort of mathematically aware your season's over, that's what it looks like. I've been there. That's what it looks like. It ain't pretty. Well, one team who's waiting for something not to happen when it comes to their captains, the Ottawa Senators, and we continue to get reaction following this report by Larry Brooks

that the Rangers are trying to acquire Brady Kachuk. Yesterday, it was Michael Andlauer really stepping up and saying that, hey, this is not happening, and this is borderline, if not tampering. Soft tampering. Soft tampering. And then today, Brady Kachuk comes out and puts cold water on the fact that, you know, what are we talking about because it's his fault,

so we're wasting oxygen here. How would you assess the way that the Sens have kind of handled this situation? About as well as you could, right? The fact, I mean, I think it speaks to the Ottawa market where they are a bit more sensitive to this than others, where the fact that the owner addressed it and the owner challenged another organization to the league, the GM addressed it, the player addressed it.

You know, if this was the reverse, if it came out in Ottawa that the Rangers were interested in Chris Kreider, I don't think whoever Chris Drury is addressing that in the media, like, whatever, you know, it happens. But I think Ottawa wants to make sure to their fans that they're not shopping Brady and that somebody doesn't want to get out of Ottawa because they fought that perception that people don't want to stay in Ottawa.

So I think they've done everything they can to make it go away. Although, like, Larry Brooks, say what you want. I can't believe he's making this up out of nowhere. He's not just... He's getting this from somewhere, presumably somewhere some tie to the organization, even if it's not from Chris Drury himself.

It's one thing to say the Rangers are interested in Brady Kachuk. Well, obviously, 31 teams are interested in Brady Kachuk. It's obviously, 31 teams are interested in Brady Kachuk. It's another to say they're actively shopping him and Ottawa's listening. There's a pretty significant difference. To suggest they'd like a guy like Brady, everybody would. They're working and are having receptive conversations with Ottawa.

That's something entirely different. But I think Ottawa's done everything they can to sort of pour cold water on it and make it a nothing burger in Ottawa. Well, hopefully it's a something burger tonight in Newark, especially for the Maple Leafs. You'll be on the call with Gord. You know it's a big night in Studio 6 with the Overdrive boys. Yes.

Are you in the car with Gord right now? Usually you guys are driving to the rink together. No, he went early. So I'm in the car, just parked on my own with you guys in the parking lot chatting with you. All right. Well, that area of New Jersey is like your second home, so you probably know where to park and everything.

At this point, I sort of kind of do, Mark. There you go. Have a great call tonight. Thanks for joining us. All right, fellas. Have a good night. There you have it. Mike Johnson joining us on the Maple Toyota Hotline. Check out Maple Toyota's huge truck and SUV lineup, including Tundra, Forerunner, Highlander, and Grand Highlander, in stock and ready to deliver.

Visit mapletoyota.com. He's usually in the car with Gord, and Gord's doing stuff to distract him. Because you've probably been in that position. No, no. I've never been in that. I've heard stories. Because they fly in, carpool together.

I thought Gord was the mature guy. Just kidding. I've done the carpool with Gord. To the rink. World Juniors a couple times. Him and Pierre Maguire. They were quite the odd couple up front. I was in the back.

Gord knows where he's going. He's been around. Oh, yeah. He was driving around Bragg like it was Avenue Road and Bathurst. Yeah, I was going to say, he might know Prague and Ostrava and all those cities better than he knows downtown Toronto. He'll probably get around better than downtown Toronto. Yeah, for sure.

He's got hookups, too. You go to cities like that, you ask them if they know Gordon Miller, they know him. Oh, yeah. He's got regular spots yeah i mean this guy is a world traveler supreme yeah if you're gonna go somewhere with anybody in this business i don't know if there's anybody better to go with than gore good point you know very well connected very well connected knows his way around uh and will be merciless and make it

funny which is kind of fun yeah that's when you know you've made it. Yeah. Right? I don't think the Cowboys or the Bengals are making it this year, despite the fact that Cincinnati won that game last night. Both teams underachieving big time, and it was another blunder on a blocked punt that ends up costing the Dallas Cowboys that game. I don't know if at this point they want to be winning those games, but Ryan Harris, former former Superbowl champion.

He's now with Sirius XM and Westwood one. He's going to join us next. We'll get into the Monday nighter and also look ahead to this week's slate of games. And yeah, we're getting closer and closer to the end of the regular season. So that's coming up as overdrive continues on TSN 10 50, the TSN app,

and also on TSN four. It's a brand new year. Time to review last year's financial decisions and set new priorities for 2025. Kelvin the Money Guy suggests the three-step approach. One, clearly define your goals for the new year. Two, create a plan tailored to your needs and ambitions. And three, make sure your portfolio

is designed to serve that plan. Goal, plan, portfolio. Contact Kelvin the Money Guy and set your plans in motion. Call 416-457-PLAN or visit askkelvin.ca. Week 14 in the NFL wrapped up last night in Arlington with the Bengals winning 27-20 in a game between two teams who have fallen well short of their expectations. But the Bengals prevail.

It was entertaining. It was not a Picasso on the field. And the Dallas Cowboys who are in prime position with the game tied block a punt. And then we got shades of Leon Lett. Which, as a Cowboys fan, made me happy

because those were the good days. Even when they were making mistakes, they went on to win the Super Bowl that year. But Amani Oruwaiye on the block punt, we have it up on TSN4, tries to, like it's a bouncy ball, so you know you've got trouble written all over it. Makes contact with the ball. The Bengals get possession. A couple plays later, Jamar chase scores the scores the touchdown and that's that's all she wrote and and if it infuriates fans it's got to infuriate former

players who are so detailed and work so hard and they watch something like that um so maybe our next guest feels the same way uh former super bowl champion he's a great broadcaster now you can hear him on westwood one and Sirius XM. Ryan Harris joining Overdrive once again. How are you, Ryan? Mark, Dave, Frankie, great to be with you. Well, it's great to have you. I don't know how much you heard us talk about the block punt,

but I got to think when you see a mistake like that, that the Cowboys made, and I feel bad for Oruwariye because here's a guy that, you know, he could get cut today because of something like that. You never want to see that happen, but it's a huge blunder that decides the game. From your perspective as a former player and now a broadcaster, what's going through your mind

when you see something like that? I just hope that young man has a process for failure, has a support group around him that doesn't lie to him about it. I mean, you know, Frankie will tell you, too, you make a mistake in a game, half your family is going to be like, oh, it wasn't your fault.

And it's so easy to go down that road. But the truth is, is you have to be accountable. You have to have a plan. Nobody likes hearing, oh, I'll be better next time. Like, how? Give me some kind of tangible thing you're doing. And, you know, also those things happen. So I think that my immediate thought is I hope he has a process for failure,

which we all should, and that he's got a great support group around him. Again, we all should have that. And provided he has that, he'll have another opportunity. It sucks in the moment, but he's not the only player that made a mistake on that field. So now the Cowboys and the Bengals, both 5-8 on the moment, but he's not the only player that made a mistake on that field. So now the Cowboys and the Bengals, both 5-8 on the season, when you look back and think about the way things have gone for both these teams, is there one that sticks out as the bigger disappointment so far this year?

Yes, the Bengals. I mean, look, I love you Cowboys fans, but you haven't had anything to cheer about in the playoffs for the last 20 years. That's the truth. That hurts Mark's heart a little bit, by the way. Mark's heart has been hurt by Jerry Jones more than me. But I just think the Bengals are in that

rare window. You've got star receiver, star quarterback, and they just weren't able to get it done. I mean, Joe Burrow might have the best stats for a quarterback this season, and he's not going to the playoffs. Jamar Chase has won more fantasy football leagues than any other player in the NFL, but they're not going to the playoffs.

So the biggest disappointment is how are the Bengals unprepared? I mean, you even had one of their guys on defense was leading the NFL in sacks. I think he still is. It's not Hawkinson, Henderson. That's what it is. Henderson's leading in sacks. You've got the sack leader, the receiving leader, and the passing leader. You can't win games?

So that's where the glue guys come into place, and clearly the Bengals do not understand that you need a full roster for a full season to compete for the playoffs and defensively, as you saw last night, there are too many holes for that team to consistently win. Ryan, we were talking earlier in the show about the NFL MVP as we head into the stretch run of the season here.

The debate rages. Josh Allen, obviously, is having a hell of a year. And then there's Saquon Barkley, who, you know, the New York revenge sort of narrators want to say, hey, this guy is carrying the Philadelphia Eagles in a way that running backs don't carry NFL teams. How do you feel about that whole idea that the NFL MVP is essentially a quarterback's award?

And what do you make of Barkley's chances here in the last few weeks of the season of disrupting that tradition? I think the MVP rightfully goes to quarterbacks because they're touching the ball every single play. Their play directly impacts the game in a way that even a running back or receiver does not. But I think for Saquon Barkley, look, behind the curtain here, guys, there aren't a lot of people that believe in his success long term. I mean, I think this is his fourth or only fifth thousand-yard season, which, yeah, that's a lot. I think this is his fourth right now, currently. This season, which, yeah, that's a lot. I think this is his fourth right now currently. This is a player who's had multiple years in the NFL.

Injuries have been an issue. You know, a lot of players, 99% of players show up when you have OTAs and things like that, and some of that wasn't on him at the Giants, but it also, you know, that has an effect. So he has a lot of work to do, I think, to repair the perception of him in the NFL. Everybody's happy for him. Everybody said, wow, at the big play when he jumped over backwards

and, you know, 30 kids have probably already twisted ankles trying to do that, jumping into couches at home. But at the end of the day, it's the quarterback that dictates the success. The quarterback in the key moments has to do everything right, even as you saw with the Lions and the Packers. Jared Goff had to get the ball there even though he was down. So you need that quarterback in each and every play. A lot of fans miss how much simple run play to the right,

a quarterback is sprinting to try and meet that running back. And there's a lot that goes into that position, including, you know, people trying to break your sternum each and every play. Well, and normally, if you're the quarterback of a 12-1 team, you would think the MVP is a slam dunk for Patrick Mahomes. And yet, the way that they're winning games has been a bigger story than their record. Does their history of winning the last couple of Super Bowls, you know, give you a little bit more confidence that this won't be an issue in the playoffs and they'll be able to go on another run? A thousand percent.

LeBron James should win the MVP in the NBA every year. We agree, right? And there's no player bigger, better than him. I mean, I'm here in Denver, and, yeah, we love Nikola Jokic. And in a game of one-on-one, it's not even close. Patrick Mahomes is the man. And let's be clear, a lot of this, you know, they're not the same team. What?

You have a problem with the way they win? Well, they don't have time to talk to you about that problem that you have. And consider if you're the president or the GM of another team, even in the division, and you're asked about the Chiefs. You're not going to give glowing reviews. You're going to say things like, wow, they're really lucky to be, what is it now, 10-1? You know what I'm saying?

Like, wow, Patrick Mahomes really isn't looking the same way. They have to say that for their own benefit because they need to carry on any kind of hope that no matter what they do to get to the playoffs it's going to be worth it here's the truth it's not you're talking about a team who last year travis kelsey had two catches in the first half and ended with double digit catches in a touchdown i think it might have two right they know how to play the game and frankie will tell you i mean there's there's a way to play three periods and there's a way to win a game in overtime. And the Chiefs know how to win in overtime every time. They don't panic. They've been down

in two of the three Super Bowls in the fourth quarter that they've won, right? I mean, this is child's play to them. I mean, did anybody else not like how Tom Brady won during the regular season? Did we have those conversations? Because I don't remember them and they shouldn't be had regarding the division champion and Super Bowl defending Kansas City Chiefs. Like, that's the thing about those kinds of teams. If you're playing against them, and you're on the opposite side, and it's close, it's almost already in the back of your head where you're like,

these guys, they just kind of have the secret sauce, where if you're one of those teams that maybe struggles with that, you're almost defeated before you get there. And the season has gone on here, and I feel like there's been some great stories. There's also been some teams that have been overlooked from the national kind of scale, even up here in Canada. I think theings are one of

those teams where you know they very yeah it seems like very quietly just gone about their business and all kinds of great offensive weapons but then you know you bring in sam darnold and it's like this guy just fit right in right away um like i don't know what have you made of the vikings and are we talking about them enough or do we talk about them just enough? Well, you're talking about them in the division with the Lions, right? That's the first thing you've got to understand. And let's be clear, the Lions will be hosting playoff games, right? So they've got to go win in Detroit with the noise and the crowd that literally,

I think, 30% of Lions fans have already purchased tickets to New Orleans for the Super Bowl. They're going, right? It's not a surprise, though, guys, about Sam Darnold's success. Look, Brian Greasy's not getting enough credit, quarterback coach for the San Francisco 49ers. Not only does he have Brock Purdy playing well, but I got the call the preseason game last year where they had Sam Darnold play. He's a totally different player.

He's making quick decisions. He's staying totally different player. He's making quick decisions. He's staying in the pocket. He's not panicking. I mean, Brian Greasy deserves all the credit of what we see now from Sam Donald. And, yes, it helps to have, you know, Jamar Chase. Sorry, not Jamar Chase, the other LSU receiver. But you have Justin Jefferson. But you have to have the ability in that position to understand the game.

He currently is playing like the best quarterback to ever come out of USC in this season. The Vikings are a dangerous team to play in the regular season, but when it gets to the playoffs, every team is different on the road in a dome, and that's where they will be playing in the playoffs. on the road in a dome, and that's where they will be playing in the playoffs. So speaking of two playoff teams playing in a dome at 425 p.m. Eastern this Sunday, it's the Lions and the Bills.

Which team does this game mean more to? It means more to the Bills because of the fact that Josh Allen is trying to put on a dominance tour that nobody is buying tickets to yet. And by the time everybody gets there at the AFC championship game, it's going to be too late. He beat the Chiefs in the regular season. And I said the regular season. He knows he has to beat them again. But he's putting a beat-down tour on this season.

He's doing it with less talent than he had on the roster last year. And he's doing it in a way with the fewest interceptions he's ever had in his career. He has turned the corner, and for him and the Bills, it's proof yet again. What it is is this is probably, in the Detroit Lions, the best team in the NFC.

Let's beat them so we know we can win the Super Bowl once we beat the Chiefs in the playoffs. So it's more important to the Bills. The Lions are fun to watch. Everybody's rooting for them. Everybody likes Dan Campbell. He's also going to be the reason why they lose in the playoffs

at a key point, as he was last year. I mean, just think about the game against the Packers everybody wants to talk about. Why are you going for it on fourth down five times in a game? What's happening on first, second, and third down? And to do that, to make that gamble, to run it on fourth and short and the final play to make sure because you're scared of Jordan Love, I mean, those kinds of things are going to come to get you.

And not to mention the one earlier, I think it was the end of the third quarter, they did it on like fourth and two in their own territory. So the Lions are, in my opinion, are not ready to win because of the decisions the coaches make. But make no mistake, the Bills can win a Super Bowl this year. Well, what do you make of the Eagles' chances to

win, Ryan, given the fact that, hey, they've won nine straight games here, they're 11-2, and yet there's still some weird vibes coming out of that locker room. You know, A.J. Brown's post-game comments talking about how the passing game is not on the same page, seemingly a shot at Jalen Hurts. Obviously, we talked about Saquon Barkley and the running game really carrying that team. What do you make of the friction there between a couple of the wide receivers

and the quarterback, and do you think that can hurt this team long-term, or is this just normal sort of dressing room banter? This is the result of a coach that players do not have the most respect for. I mean, no one's going to take away what the Eagles have done. You mentioned their 11-2 record, But this is a team in the NFL that probably has the best leadership in terms of Jalen Hurts and other players. And what does it sound like if a player is calling out a coach in a postgame? That's what it sounds like.

Hey, we're not on the same page. And what that means is when we're calling the pass, how we're calling the pass. Are we calling on a third and nine? Are we calling a pass play that has three routes breaking at five yards? We're not trying, boys. I mean, that's what that sounds like. So what you're hearing and what's happening at the Eagles,

from my opinion on the outside looking in, are talented players who know their coaching staff are not making the right decisions, and everybody knows they're running out of time to get that fixed. Because once you get in the playoffs, I mean, you're going to start seeing thrown helmets and people grabbing each other if it doesn't get fixed. Well, given the fact that we are December 10th right now,

it gets better week in and week out with the NFL as we get closer to the playoffs. Ryan, you're always great when you join us here on Overdrive. We appreciate you taking some time to chat with us. Thanks, guys. Go Irish. There you have it. Ryan Harris, wonder where he went to school. Notre Dame is part of the college football playoffs. And new season for that.

12 teams playing at the schools. That'll be a scene. Yeah. Passionate. The Irish fans are always so passionate about it, hey? Oh, yeah. Crazy. Yeah, Ryan's not too high on the bills. He's like the Josh Allen Dominus tour that nobody's buying tickets to yet.

That's a take that would not go over well in the parking lot in Orchard Park, New York, on a Sunday morning. Well, you look at that game against the Rams, and Josh Allen can't do any more, and you don't win. And you can look at it both ways, where, you know, your defense is just having a terrible game, and the Rams are just, you know, they had one of those days, and you still almost win.

And if, you know, there's the block punt touchdown, you take that out, then you do actually win. Yeah. Or there's the other side of it, like, he can't play any better, and we still can't win. That's more how I feel about it. I feel like there's still a lot of skepticism about not just Josh Allen. I think Josh Allen has done all he can do this year

to kind of prove the doubters wrong, that this guy is legit and he's more disciplined with the ball and he's making better decisions. But as a team, are the B they ready to compete for a super bowl and that means you know being more complete in different ways and that's where i think more of the skepticism would lie with them yeah look i mean let's not forget like coming into this season a lot of people were predicting a bit of a setback year for the Bills, right? Wow, for sure. All that offensive talent lost? Yeah, but it's been, to your point, it's been Allen's ability to sort of make over his game

and really kind of remove the real warts from it and that propensity for the big pick. And you've asked more from him too, right? Think about how much more you've asked of him this year and he's done it without looking like it's been overwhelming. Yeah, you're right. I mean, look, I don't root for anybody, but if you're rooting for a storyline,

wouldn't it be something if this game that you're talking about, 425 on Sunday, is a Super Bowl preview? Yeah, I would love that. Two fan bases. Two fan bases. Someone's got to win a Super Bowl. Wouldn't that be cool? Finally, that would love that. Two fan bases. Someone's got to win a Super Bowl. Finally, that would be pretty cool.

And it might come down with a bill of Sean McDermott and whether or not he makes the right decisions. And I was chatting a lot with Luke Wilson last night, and the guy that he was talking about who makes terrible decisions is going to join us after the break, and that's Al's brother. We're going to hear from Al's brother. Because we got Al's brother. We got the contest for tickets. He's going to give us another clue.

Oh, we got the clue. Are the clues harder now? I guess we'll find out. I haven't heard yet this week. I don't know. Doogie, are they tougher this week? The clues? Would you say? Eh, we'll see. Last week it was in Alley. Graffiti Alley.

It was Graffiti Alley last week. Right. Where is that? On King Street? A little Italy. Wrong, King Street? Yeah, it's on King Street. Is it King Street?

I knew because he was mentioned in the Rick Mercer. Where Rick Mercer used to do his rant. I haven't been down there in years. Anyways, Al's brother is going to join us after the break. We'll also hear from Steve Phillips, kick off the 6 o'clock hour, and Carter Hutton at 6.30. Overdrive continuing on TSN 1050 and the TSN app. It's a brand new year.

Time to review last year's financial decisions and set new priorities for 2025. Kelvin the Money Guy suggests the three-step approach. One, clearly define your goals for the new year to create a plan tailored to your needs and ambitions and three make sure your portfolio is designed to serve that plan goal plan portfolio contact Kelvin the money guy and set your plans in motion call 416-457-PLAN. Or visit askkelvin.ca. Overdrive continuing on TSN 1050, the TSN app,

and still up on TSN 4 for the next couple of minutes. We'll be switching over to TSN 2. And a reminder that the pregame, Leafs and Devils with Hayes, O-Dog, and Noodles alongside James Duffy will begin at 6.30. But as Everno knows, we've sent Al's brother out somewhere in the city with a pair of leafs tickets and you have to guess where he's hiding for your chance to win them here is al's brother with today's clue hey od fans happy tuesday to you we're giving away another

pair of leaf tickets to leafs Islanders on December 21st. Your Tuesday clue. This place attracts over 50 million people annually, more visitors than any other Toronto tourist attraction. All right. Big tourist attraction. Many of them downtown. Obviously the CN Tower, is it not?

You would think. Maybe it's the aquarium next to the CN Tower. You blurred the Zoom background so he's not telling you where he is. Yeah. The beauty of it. Could be the zoo? No, the zoo's not going to be the busiest attraction. It's pretty busy.

Yeah? And it's open. It's on there all the time. It's always packed. Like Wonderland is a big one, but it's somewhat seasonal. Casa Loma. Yeah. That's a big one. I see that those

tour buses are going by Pasadena every day. Tune in tomorrow for another clue. The first caller through on Friday with a correct location wins a pair of tickets to see the Leafs take on the Islanders on December 21st. Find Al's brother is brought to you by McAlpine, Ford

and Aurora. Our family, the Ford family, and you. Full details at tsn1050.ca. We have some breaking news in baseball. Max Freed has signed with a team in the AL East that's not called the Toronto Blue Jays. Uh-oh. Yeah.

Is it someone who has a lot of money to spend and just didn't spend it or wasn't allowed to spend it? No. He's a member of the New York Yankees. Yeah, they're cool. They had a little money kicking around. Yeah. So Steve Phillips is going to join us in a couple minutes.

Can't wait. That's the perfect guy. How does that impact both the Yankees and what they do moving forward and the Blue Jays? Were they even in on Max Freed? Because they have holes to fill everywhere. So the laundry list of Christmas gifts that they would like to acquire. Spoiler alert, they'll tell you they were in on it.

They were. That's coming up as TSN 1050 continues on TSN 1050, the TSN app, and now over on TSN 2. TSN Plus is taking game day to a whole new level with NFL Red Zone. Absolutely incredible. Subscribe now for every touchdown from every game, every Sunday afternoon. NFL Red Zone, available on TSM+.