OverDrive - OverDrive - December 18, 2024 - Hour 3

Episode Date: December 19, 2024

Join Bryan Hayes, Jamie McLennan and Michael DiStefano for Hour 3 on OverDrive! TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger joins to discuss biggest headlines around the NHL and the Sabres and Rangers' team issues in the spotlight. ESPN NFL Analyst and Former NFL Head Coach Herm Edwards joins to discuss Josh Allen's MVP season, the injuries on the Lions and the Falcons benching Kirk Cousins and Bryan hands out his FanDuel Best Bets.

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 final hour overdrive continues brought to you by fanduel bringing you everything from the opening line to the final score brian hayes jamie noodles mclennan michael di stefano aka alice brother big hour hour coming up. Herm Edwards on the Atlanta Falcons going to Michael Penix Jr. Yeah. Over Kirk Cousins this deep into the season. Is it a gamble? Is it something that you had to do? What does he make of this news from Kansas City?

It sounds like Mahomes will likely play on this high ankle sprain. Does he think Josh Allen officially has the MVP locked up and it's over? There's a lot to get to with Herm a little bit later this hour. And Darren Drager coming up in a moment on a lot of news and notes throughout the NHL, including Leafs stars tonight. But I have teased this Charlotte Hornets fiasco a few different times. It is quite something. So I guess they had their mascot come out dressed as Santa

a couple of nights ago, right? So they had their mascot come out, and here he is, and they were doing this in-game skit where a young fan had been promised a PlayStation 5, right? So he's in there. It's the second quarter. They're getting blown out i'm not blown out but they're losing to philly and philly stinks and you know overcome someone from the team and there's the

there's the the mascot and he's like hey buddy you got a ps5 and apparently this kid had asked santa for a playstation 5 so it turns out the charlotte hornets are going to get out in front of this and they hand him a playstation 5 and the place goes nuts. That's awesome. What a great, great story. They go back to the game. The cameras get off this kid, and they rip the PlayStation away from him and hand him a jersey instead and say, You're not getting the PlayStation 5. That's what happened.

Insanity. It is insanity. And I guess Alexei Phillips is the boy's uncle. He's a season ticket holder down there. He told the Queen City News that the family had been approached by staff to participate in the skit earlier in the game. And it turns out one of the staff members quietly informed him just seconds before this stunt happened

that they actually were not going to allow the kid to keep the PlayStation 5. But the kid was not aware of it at the time. So the kid is sitting there thinking, this is amazing. And apparently he was not alone. Turns out the cheerleaders, the dancers, everyone within the stadium was of the belief this kid was walking away from that stadium with a PlayStation 5.

And they ripped it away from him. So he was the Grinch, not Santa. The Grinch. And this just feels like such a Charlotte Hornets discussion that we're having right now. Naturally, it went online. Millions of people reacted to it online. It's gone viral.

And they have obviously been bullied into now getting this kid a PlayStation 5. And plus, plus, plus. Plus, plus, plus, plus, plus. This guy's going to be living with LaMelo Ball probably. He'll have courtside seats for the next 30 years. And I just cannot understand how multi-billion dollar companies can run an operation like this where you think it's a good idea to use him as a prop for PlayStation because they probably had some deal, right, Noodles, with PlayStation or something like that.

And then they rip it away from the kid and say, here, take a jersey that you probably don't want either. And naturally they got bullied into doing the right thing in the end. But what a joke of a franchise. That's somebody in the PR department trying to overthink it and go, we can do this and we can do that. The unfortunate part is the organization, the owner, everybody, they take shrapnel. This is somebody who's an idiot in the PR department

or in the public relations department, something like that, where you're just like, we'll do this and we'll take it this direction. Or maybe he wanted it for his kids, so he's like, I'll pretend to give it away and I'll take it home myself. Right. Because it was donated to our organization. Either way, it's an absolute loss. It's an atrocity. And now all of a sudden, like to me, that's, you know, O always says it's a fireball fence.

Whoever put that together, that's a fireball fence. And you can't get it back into the bag now. No. Of course you're going to give the kid a PlayStation, and now he's going to get some VIP treatment, and you're going to try to promote it. Like, promote it like, hey, it turns out we love you. He's going to say no hard feelings because if you're the kid, this is going to work out great for you.

You got duped and you got scarred for life, but in the end you're going to get something great. You know, now he's on TV every time we talk to him. He's probably doing a car wash. He'll be on Conan. All this stuff. He'll be doing the rounds. If Ellen was still around, he'd be there. He probably wouldn't want to.

He'll be on Kimmel or whatever's going on. And the team issued a statement saying, quote, the skit included bad decision-making and poor communication. Simply put, we turned the ball over and we apologize, end quote. So, yeah, now they've promised to make amends by giving the boy a PlayStation 5 along with a VIP experience of a future game. He drop-kicked the ball in the kid's face. That's what they did.

And using the mascot, too. Gross. Like the mascots out there, hey, there's your PlayStation 5. Give me that, you loser. Like what a scummy, scummy play by a team that would be on a short list of the ones I would think would do something like this. Irrelevant franchises. That's the Charlotte Hornets in a nutshell.

Here's our TSN Hockey Insider, Darren Dreger. What's happening, Dregs? Hey, guys. I'm actually just getting home. I was in Muskoka for the last, I would say, 30 hours. How about this? Helping a buddy move. Who does that?

Wow. At that? I know. No, that's a, like, It's one thing if it's your neighbor around the corner or something. You went to Muskoka to help him move? You're a good Samaritan, man. I mean, somebody's old

hockey dad's, right? So it's a tight fraternity. You do what you can to help people, but just getting back in time for the Leafs game tonight. Well, there you go. We've got the most expensive line in NHL history playing tonight. I'm sure you've heard the news. Marner, Nylander, and Matthews.

What do you make of it, Dregs? Yeah, I mean, it's interesting. And one thing we know about Craig Berube is, look, he knows he can always go back to the old faithful, which is Matthews and Marner. We saw the chemistry when Matthews was out with Marner and Tavares, and that worked. I wouldn't say Willie's been quiet, but, you know,

why not just put it all together and see what happens? And, you know, it works for a period, great. It works for a game, that's good too. And if you extend it beyond that, that's a lot of firepower though, right? Load it up on one line. I don't know that there's enough puck for each one of those guys. So that could be a bit of a problem. That is going to be the question tonight,

how much puck is going to be there for the three of them. But listen, you're playing with house money. It's December. You maybe motivate the guys. The other guys are obviously hoping to drive their own lines like John Tavares, Max Domi, et cetera. But we also saw David Camp has been activated off the IR, so he's playing.

Basically, everyone's available now. I mean, we're waiting for Stolarz to return, but more or less, you got pretty much everyone ready to play. This is pretty substantial when you think about what the Leafs have gone through already this season it is and look I mean they're you know certain guys are back now playing for jobs and um you know that Nicky Robertson would be in that category I mean that third line the other night on Sunday is coming off a pretty impressive showing. So can Robertson build off one game? He's going to have to if he wants to, you know, extend his time in Toronto.

But I think it's also a chance for, you know, we talked about this, Noodles, on the broadcast, and certainly during the game, about if there's an area of need, it would be probably up the middle, at center ice, in that third, maybe fourth hole, right? Well, David Kamp has been out for a stretch, but he's not a terrible centerman, right? I mean, so, you know, he's got market value,

and he has value to the Toronto Maple Leafs, so we'll see kind of how things unfold between now and March 7th. But given the bodies they have, the NHL experience, there is opportunity for certain guys to prove that they're playoff worthy and they're a big part of the team. Drex, we were talking about in the last hour the roster freeze over Christmas, and it's creeping up here. Some teams are doing some house cleaning as far as guys on waivers.

Is there ever a chance that there's a big trade before it happens, or they maybe talk about it over Christmas? Because, you know, we circle in a couple organizations, Buffalo, the New York Rangers, maybe Nashville would be in the market to maybe make a change and make a splash to jar their organizations. Yeah, that's fair. And, yeah, there's a chance. You know, the insiders kind of started kicking those tires earlier today

and going around the National Hockey League. And, you know, just getting a temperature feel for what could happen between now and the roster freeze at midnight local tomorrow. I'd throw Pittsburgh into that mix. Kyle Dubas has already done some things, and I think he's pretty eager to add some more. The Montreal Canadiens, Ken Hughes, has been in a lot of different conversations.

You know, is it possible that, you know, some of the conversations that he's had bear fruit with, you know, kind of a soft deadline looming with the roster freeze? Sure, it's possible. And then you're right. had bear fruit with, you know, kind of a soft deadline looming with the roster freeze, sure, it's possible. And then, you're right, I think most people are looking at the teams that have struggled the most, and, you know, you've got to put Buffalo at the top of that list right now. The messaging that I keep getting, though, from Buffalo Sabres is that, hey, they're willing to do something big. They're willing to consider moving out top players. The problem is to make a move like that, if you're talking about any of their top guys, Bo Byron comes to mind.

There's been speculation around him. We've got to get a top player back if he's moving out a top player like Bo Byron. So that might take a little bit longer. Greg, I want to go back to the Leafs for a second, because obviously with the Stoller's injury we now know he's going to be out four to six weeks. Dennis Hildeby is the goalie that's currently with Toronto, but would you say

this might leave the door open for a return for Matt Murray to get back into the NHL? Yeah, I think it definitely will. You know, he was out for a bit in the American Hockey League. I think he returned on Sunday or on the weekend, so they probably want him to get a couple of starts there and just kind of test how he's feeling.

So I think they'll have to go the combination of Joe Wohl and Dennis Hildeby, you know, through the roster freeze, come out of the Christmas break and see what that tandem looks like and then make a call there. But the messaging that I was getting yesterday was that there was a good sense that Matt Murray would be recalled at some point i mean this is glorious opportunity for joseph walt you know number one you know the guy's got to stay healthy and there's no reason to think that that isn't going to happen unless he's wildly unlucky because you know they took your time he

put in the work and he looks like he's close to 100%. But how great would it be for him if he could kind of run the table here for a month or so? Then that takes a tremendous amount of heat off of that position. Because, look, Matt Murray is capable, his resume is what it is, but we've also seen him struggle at times historically. So they're sure hoping, the Maple Leafs said, that Joseph Wall is going to be able to shoulder the majority of the load. With Darren Dreger, TSN Hockey Insider.

So Buffalo, they didn't just lose last night. They got embarrassed at the Bell Center. The Rangers lose in Nashville. Those are the two teams of focus right now. It feels as if neither team wants to move off their coach because of who they are their veteran status and and they've already had turnover lindy russ only 30 games into this and and lavia let just took over last year and look what he did but like is there ever a draw is there a line that you would think like if they cross that line it's just inevitable

to you have to do something like basically it's the entertainment business your fans are going to lose their minds and you almost are forced into a decision and if we're not at that line yet for the rangers and sabers how much further down this disastrous road could it go well i think you're a lot closer to that line brian in new york than you might be in buffalo and you know you've got terry pagula who probably the last thing he wanted to do, even though, hey, Montreal's a beautiful city this time of year. Yes, it is. He's still celebrating his Bills win, and he's got to get on a flight to, you know,

try and give his boys a shot in the arm, being the Buffalo Sabres. And, you know, what I was told was that, you know, he was very encouraging. He was very supportive of Lindy, of Kevin, of everyone there, just wanted the players to trust that, you know, he believes that the answers are internal. So, okay, that's the message from Terry Pagula. And then they lay the egg that they did against the Montreal Canadiens. So he's a loyal owner. He really truly is. And he has given Kevin Adams basic autonomy, right? You know, change coaches, take some risk.

You know, and Ralph Kruger back in the day, you know, all of that, you know, he's manipulated his roster several different ways. So I don't know that Kevin feels like he's on a hot seat as we're having this conversation, but they're essentially a non-playoff team. I don't think they're going to find a way to creep back in in the mix, so

I wouldn't be surprised if at a point in the offseason where ownership in Buffalo decides maybe to go a different direction. New York, man, with that owner, James Dolan, the Dolan family, look out. It feels like it's approaching scorched earth for the New York Rangers. And depending on who you talk to, yeah, lots of people are looking at Chris

Dury, the general manager, blaming him. It's all his fault. Some are suggesting that there's unrest between the players and Peter Laviolette around the room and on the bench. Well, that's what happens when you're supposed to be a top contending team in the league and you're failing in the fashion that the New York Rangers are currently dealing with. Yeah.

James Dolan is such a wild card. Like he, the definition of one. There's stories coming out of New York. I was talking to somebody yesterday on the plane, or the day before on the plane, and they were like, yeah, I used to work with the Dolan organization. He's like, I could tell you 50 stories of this guy being a wingnut walking in and firing people out of nowhere. He's got to write a check to make these people disappear.

It's just insanity the way he runs and does business there. It is, and it's not just with how he does business with the sports franchises. That's just his approach. At least that's my understanding. I've heard some stories at the ownership level across the NHL, some of his dealings with NHL Commissioner Gary Buttman. This guy, the one thing that I guess I can appreciate about Dolan, though, is he doesn't cheap out.

He spends money on his athletes, and he makes sure that all the creature comforts are there. Everything is at their fingertips. The expectation is, though, if you work for James Dolan, okay, if you're Drury or you're Peter Laviolette or you're any player, the expectation is he believes every year he's got a Stanley Cup-favorite team. And so I can't even imagine some of the conversations that Drury is having probably multiple times a week with James Dolan or the Dolan family

just trying to sort this out. It's got to be just hair-raising stuff. On a bit more of a positive note, I suppose, Montreal last night, Lion-A gets himself a hat-trick. He's got six goals in seven games since returning from his injury. How much of an appreciation do you have for the way that he's been able to get

back this season and really get up and running right away? Yeah, a lot. Because of all the adversity that he's faced. On ice, off ice injury you know he arrived in the national hockey league excuse me he like so many teenage players picked high in the draft he was immature um you know just physically and mentally and when you play in a canadian market that can be a challenge so So, you know, the long run, it didn't work out in Winnipeg. They flipped him for Pierre-Luc Dubois.

That didn't work out in Winnipeg. He gets moved out. Lyon, he didn't work in Columbus. So when the deal went down with the Montreal Canadiens, I think most of us were curious, why Lyon? What does Montreal see that the other teams just weren't able to pull out of them? And Kent Hughes explained it to me this way. He just thought, hey, we think there's something there,

but for the Montreal Canadiens, there was no risk in it, right? There was no risk in this deal, and if it works out the way that it currently looks like it's going to work out, he's a hell of a fine for the Canadians. If it doesn't, all right, a year down the road, you move on, and everybody a fine for the canadians if it doesn't all right year down the road you move on and and everybody's fine in the process but you know you like when individual stories work out and at least for now it looks like patrick linea is a pretty good fit in montreal yeah yeah it's been a great start and it's the entertainment business that building those fans they needed

something love it they needed something man they're craving a superstar and it's hopefully he supplies that for him the rest of this year into next i wouldn't commit long term i think the way things are going in montreal right now it feels like next year is another year of i think growth i can't imagine i'm in a position where i think they're gonna make the playoffs next year dregs but by the year after that it better be go time and that's when line is up so i don't see them having any conversations with him, not that they can right now, but I guess by the summer, why you would commit long-term to anybody unless, you know, you know exactly what you're dealing with because at some point,

Demidov's coming over and, you know, Hudson's coming or he's already here and Mayhew's probably coming and Reinbacher's coming and they got to get these kids in the lineup and they got to start winning games in the next year, and a half yeah i'm with you and look you know ken hughes and jeff gordon as i said earlier they continue to work it right and they're looking for that age appropriate player i i asked uh somebody uh involved with the organization how much interest they would have saying capococco we've've talked about the New York Rangers. Don't forget Jeff Gorton drafted him, right? And it doesn't

sound like they've had any recent communication, but there was some discussion with New York in the offseason, and either the ask was way too high or they just couldn't forward it. But Hughes is

looking to add some pieces so i their intent and in the playoff conversation next year and that's going to be tough i am with you on that all right dregs welcome home buddy we'll do it again soon thank you for this okay guys have a good night darren drager at tsn hockey insider um that's tough would you get would you guys go and move somebody up in Muskoka that's extreme like I don't know my kids in 20 years but like just a buddy that calls you up and do they not have moving companies in Muskoka I couldn't tell you but I could tell you that I'm not going three hours north no and the weather terrible right now. Maybe in July because he's moving up on the lake. Okay, go fishing.

You have a nice barbecue in the middle of it. But in the middle of December, a week from Christmas, no thank you. That's the play. If you ask me to come up to Muskoka for a week in July, and within that week we're moving, happy to do that. December? Yeah. No.

Unless he gets like a week up up in the cottage for the week in july as like so he's like a reward deal maybe possibly yeah maybe i i think you know knowing dregs his buddies they pay him in like crown royal like here's a bottle of crown royal thank you very much that's what it is that's the the Saskatchewan way. Yeah. For sure. That's what it is. Yeah, probably right. I don't know. Probably right. All right.

Currency moving. Herm Edwards coming up here. We got our best bets brought to you by FanDuel later in the hour. And Doogie has found a stat of John Tavares. Well, it's not his stat. I think SportLogic technically founded this stat. But it is some tremendous information on how well he's playing in the areas where he's always been elite we'll tell you about those going

into the game tonight overdrive continues tsn 10 50 and on the tsnm 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.

All right, Best Bets brought to you by Fandu. Later in the hour, Leafs stars tonight right here on TSM Radio. Look forward to that game. We got Herm Edwards coming up on tough coaching decisions in the league. And a couple of the coaches really popping off in defense of their teams. Dan Campbell was on radio in Detroit. Going to play this in just a moment. Very inspiring stuff from Dan.

He's an inspiring guy. He loves quotes. He's got good ones. We'll play it before we get to Herm. Herm had some great ones. We play to win the game. The go quote. That's one of the all-time greats.

Oh, yeah. But Brian Callahan, the head coach of the Titans, he's going off, or he went off today, because I guess someone either posed the question or there was some, like I'm guessing there might have been a columnist that wrote something or some sort of coverage around the Titans. They're not a very good team this year. They're in transition, right?

They're trying to figure out who their quarterback's going to be. Their offense has been really inept. And Callahan was asked, you know, how does he respond to the idea that some people think his team is soft and he went nuts in reaction to that and

he was defensive of his team which I can appreciate. I haven't seen enough Titans games this year outside of the one Doogie made us watch one. Yeah. For some reason Cincinnati was playing them and that had to be the one o'clock layup for Owen Wilson to keep it competitive moving forward. But I appreciate a young coach sticking up for his team.

I think you kind of have to, don't you, Noodles? There's nothing worse that can be said about a team than you're soft. Yeah. I mean, you have to. To me, a coach has to look like you're going to take bullets for your players. Right? If you're going to be a player's coach, or if he's going to have that confidence and respect within the room,

you've got to stand up for your players, regardless of what's being said. For sure. So Herm Edwards in a moment. Let's play Dan Campbell. He's on radio down in Detroit. He does a weekly hit with a morning show down there. And listen, they're in the firing line right now because they've now lost. They've given up a lot of points.

Minnie's chasing them. Green Bay's chasing them. Philly's definitely chasing them. And they're decimated with injuries. Decimated with injuries on both sides of the ball. Starting to leak into the offense now. David Montgomery done for the year. And here's how Dan Campbell had to respond to anyone doubting whether or not his team can get back on top.

You know what happens is, you know, you win 11 in a row, you know, and you lose and then the sky falls. And I hate to say it, but we're not going to be able to win 11 in a row again for the rest of this season. We're just not going to be able to do it. And, you know, what happens is you get used to eating filet and I'm talking to all of us and everything's good. Life's good, you know, what happens is you get used to eating filet, and I'm talking to all of us, and everything's good, life's good, you know, but you forgot what it was like when you had nothing and you ate fucking molded bread, you know, and it was just fine, and it gave you everything you needed. And sometimes you've got to get punched in the mouth and remember what it used to be like to really appreciate where you are, and we'll do that.

And so we got bad taste in our mouth. We got kicked around the other day. We lost a few guys. And you know what? It's exactly what we needed. This is exactly what we needed. So we're going to bounce back. We're going to respond.

We got guys that are about to have an unbelievable opportunity here. And we will play the game any way needed to win. We still got a good offense. We got plenty of defensive players. I can go rattle them off right now. We're going to put the best 11 on the field. We're going to freaking cut it loose. We're going to play with our special teams. And I don't give a crap if we

got to win by one point for the rest of the year. That's what we're going to do. And I'm going to be happy about it. We come out of the game with 50 yards of total offense and we win by one, you're going to see smiles on my face. I promise you. If it's the other way defensively, we give up 700 yards

and we win by one point, you're going to see a f***ing smile from my ear to ear. Alright? I can promise you. So we're going to find a way and we're going to get it done. Alright, so I can appreciate if you're watching on TV on TSN2. That's 97.1 the ticket. The hosts are like, man, this guy keeps dropping F-bombs.

Oh, it's great though. But it's such good content. We've got to keep going here. You know what's amazing about that? You can hear it. He's on speakerphone, and the phone is probably 20 feet away from him. He's just yelling. Revved up. You know what I mean? Seething. If it was right in front of him, there'd be pops.

The audio would be possibly inaudible. You know that's the PR staff. Probably in the gym. He could be in the gym. Plank it and just yelling PR staff. Probably in the gym. He could be in the gym. Planking and just yelling at the phone while doing some curls. He could be in the gym. I think someone from the PR staff said, you've got to go on with these guys. It's your weekly hit.

Are you revved up? We're moving the phone 15 feet away, and you can yell and scream. But listen, he's supporting his team, and I like that idea. All you've got to do is win by one, right? That's true. All you've got to do is win by one. I saw the FanDuel odds last week going into that idea. All you got to do is win by one, right? That's true. All you got to do is win by one. I saw the fan duel odds last week going into that game. They were plus 270 to win the Super Bowl, leading the charge.

After that game against Buffalo, the injuries that they accrued, they're now down to plus 500 and now in third, shortest odds to win the Super Bowl. So one game did some damage to their odds. They got a lot of injuries in Detroit, man, and it's tough. And Dan Campbell's trying to hype his team up, but hype can only go so far. You still got to play the game, and you still got to put,

like you said, 11 guys on both sides of the ball. That's what's crazy about Buffalo. You look at that roster, and they just seem to be getting healthier as the season progresses. They had their injuries early in the year, and now guys are coming back. You look at that roster, and they just seem to be getting healthier as the season progresses. They had their injuries early in the year, and now guys are coming back. You look at that injury report, you've got a lot of dudes who are now back playing full participants in practice. That wasn't the case a month ago.

That's helpful. That's really helpful and bodes well for the building. Same with Philly, right? The Eagles are pretty healthy. They're ready to go as well. Here's former NFL player, coach, ESPN NFL analyst back on Overdrive. Here's Herm Edwards. How you doing, Herm?

I am well. Thank you. You guys, you know, I was listening to you talk here and talking about Detroit, but then you talked about Buffalo and, you know, their ability to get the players healthy. Let me tell you guys something. That guy that plays quarterback for them, that's Superman. It doesn't matter if they're coming back or not.

When the guy puts his cape on, forget about it. It's not good, huh? Yeah, he's wearing a cape. He's Superman. There ain't no doubt. I mean, I've watched this team last couple weeks. They score 90 points and they go one and one

because of their defense. They scored 90 points in two games. I've never seen that. They scored 90 points and they're one and one? This is not college football. When you go out every Sunday and score 40 points. Superman, when he puts his cape on, that's what he does. Yeah. To me, he's locked up the MVP.

I'd be curious to get your take on that, but one thing that I found to be pretty incredible, I saw a stat today, that Josh Allen hasn't taken a sack since November 10th. Four games in a row, he hasn't taken a sack. What does that say about Allen, about the way that offense is

moving and shaking, that offensive line? They're just all on the same page. Well, if you do the numbers, he's only been sacked 13 times this whole season. They're number one in the league. Now, his ability to run, that poses a problem, too. I mean, you know, even if you try to sack him, you can't tackle the guy. I mean, he's so big and strong, you know. But they're playing, you know, they're playing really good right now.

I mean, they just are, you know, their numbers are their numbers, but just the way they play. I mean, they're taking the ball away at a high rate. That always helps you. They're plus 18 in the giveaway takeaway. Only five interceptions and two fumbles. They got 13 interceptions and 12 fumbles. So they're taking the ball away 25 times already as a defense. So that's how they get off the field.

They take the ball away. Because if you look at their defensive numbers, they're not very good. Only giving up 22 points, but they take the ball away. If you can take the ball away and steal possessions from an offense and give it back to Superman, your odds of winning go way up. With Herm Edwards, so in terms of the the injuries in detroit and how inspiring dan campbell is trying to be you know you've been on both sides of you've been a player i'm sure hearing coaches trying to you know pump you guys up and inspire your group when you're probably

riddled with injuries and i'm sure you've been in a coaching position where you look at your your depth chart you're like man we're really crushed here like how much can campbell dan campbell really do and really believe in his team when they are just so decimated with injuries in Detroit? Yeah, they are. But I know this. When you sit where they sit,

and they're trying to obviously, now Philly's there. Now all of a sudden, Philly is gaining on them. They want home field advantage. There's no doubt about that. They lose one of their runners. But I thought in the game they played against Buffalo, it showed me something.

Although they're hurt, just keep the quarterback standing. Because they got in a game that was basically the last team that has the ball was going to win, the last quarterback. And Jared Goff, he stood the test. You know, I mean, it's remarkable, you know, how he played. Now, it gets shadowed because of, obviously, the way that Josh Allen played. But it's just amazing because you think about it, he throws five touchdown passes and loses, and he threw five interceptions against Houston, and they won.

I can't figure that math out. But now, they're a different offense because they know they're wounded. They've got a lot of players hurt, but the quarterback is a good player. And they're going to have to score points, and they can do that. That's the

game they got into with the Buffalo Bills. You know, this Detroit Lions team is built, they want to pound the ball with their runners. They want to become a play-action pass team, keep their defense on the sidelines, you know, control the clock, control the possessions. Well, the Buffalo Bills weren't going to allow them to do that. They said, you're going to have to see if you can score with us.

Well, guess what? Jared Goff did it. He went back and he started throwing passes. Two, five touchdowns and lost at home. So they have enough guys. So we don't have to feel sorry for the Detroit Lions. They're loaded Lions. No, they showed me something in that game.

So you're talking about feeling sorry for people and quarterbacks. What do you make of Aaron Rodgers? And he's now saying that he might not play next year. He's going to figure that out in the offseason. Do you think this season has hurt his legacy, Herm? No, because we forget about it. You know, we're in the moment. And as time passes, it's not going to hurt his legacy.

He's going to go down as a Hall of Famer. I mean, look, the Jets had another guy that was kind of a little bit different too. They seem to always get the Green Bay Packers quarterbacks. They had Brett Favre. Right? Brett Favre went to the Jets too.

I mean, how did that work out? Right? Not great. It's amazing. No! It's almost like, okay, when you want one more place to go, go to the Jets. We'll take you.

Well, maybe that's where Kirk Cousins ends up next. Because it sounds as if, yeah, he may get paid $90 million for 14 starts. And this is the news of the day in the NFL, that Raheem Morris has seen enough of Kirk Cousins, and he's going to Michael Penix Jr., a rookie that they took in the top 10 this past draft. They're still in pursuit of a playoff spot right now. They're chasing down the Bucs. I'm not sure they can get them, but they've got a really soft schedule,

and they're going to a rookie quarterback this late in the season. How do you feel about that decision by Morris and the Falcons? Well, I think Raheem was hoping that their last game, obviously, that Kirk Cousins would show some

life. But if you watch that game and you watch Kirk Cousins play, it was hard. It was hard to watch. He was in fear of letting the ball go. He didn't want to throw. He's hearing all the noise. He wasn't the same Kirk Cousins. A guy

that plays with a lot of energy. Even though they won a football game, it was hard watching him play quarterback. And he still threw interceptions. I mean, though he's got nine of them now all of a sudden. It's not going away. Their offense was kind of not very good, to be nice about it.

And so now I guess they're feeling like, you know what, this is the guy we drafted. We can't keep looking at this. Let's go with the rookies. Now, they've got to be ready for this, but they've already dealt with it. The rookies are going to throw it to the bad guys. That's what they do. So you can't get mad at him now.

You can go throw it to the bad guys. But the guy that's the veteran guy has thrown it up to the bad guys. We don't want to see this movie anymore. And I think that makes sense. I mean, if you have a definitive answer that Kirk Cousins can't get the job done, then go with the other guy. He may not get it done either, but if you know the answer that Kirk Cousins isn't going to get it done

and he's been throwing a ton of interceptions, he looks very uncomfortable. I think you're risking the room. I mean, you can speak to that, Herm, but I'm sure Falcons players are thinking, we got some talent here, and there's a playoff spot that could be available. Throw the kid in, and I guess he's probably been looking pretty good in practice. I don't know what that's worth.

But, you know, they drafted him high, so give him a shot. No, and what happens is the team knows, okay, we've made the change. We're going with the rookie, and we've got to help this dude because we're still in this. So the team's not mad. But you just changed the dynamics of that team because now they're going, especially defensively, we're going, hey, man, come on, man, we're starting a rookie quarterback.

We've got to help this dude. Right? So all of a sudden your energy's back because you know the only chance we got is we got to play good around this young guy. That's the way you got to look at it, too. I can't wait to see what they have in store. It's going to be an interesting run

down the stretch here. I am curious, though, when it comes to Kirk Cousins, Herm, is this it for Kirk Cousins after this season? Obviously, it hasn't been the same coming back from that injury last year? Is this it, or do you think after an offseason, he'll get another chance to start somewhere else next year? Well, you know, they're always looking for veteran quarterback teams,

and you never know, he might find a landing spot. But you feel bad for Kirk Cousins because he's such a good guy, and he had started off so well this year. You know, he had this city excited. He was excited. And then he got in this funk, and he just couldn't find his way out of it. And last game, watching him play, you could see it on his face. He was very, very cautious.

You know, even though they won, you could hear him talking after the interview. He was not like, you know, it wasn't like the Kirk Cousins that we're used to hearing, right? Yeah, it's tough to see that happen, man. Like we asked you about Rodgers, now Kirk Cousins. You know, those are two different players in terms of their careers and their accolades. But sometimes it just, you either hit a wall

or you just need to be in the right place. Like I guess you look at a guy like Russell Wilson, now he's in the right place. You know what I mean look at a guy like Russell Wilson. Now he's in the right place. Yeah. You know what I mean? Like a lot of people writing him off Herm and he gets to Pittsburgh and Mike Tomlin and that defense. And now all of a sudden,

Russ is going to get a crack at playing in the, in the playoffs again. Yeah, no doubt. And it was, you know, and like I said, he landed, he couldn't have landed in a better spot, to be quite honest, because that offense is similar to what they ran when he was in Seattle. A run first, play action. I got a good defense back in those days when he was there. It was the Legion of Boom.

They had that great defense. Pittsburgh can play defense now. They went to Philly, and obviously Philly got after them, but their record in Philly, guys, is not very good. I can remember playing Pittsburgh Steelers back in my day when we played them, and now they're 0-12 when they go to Philadelphia. So that's just one of those deals is when they go to Philadelphia for some reason, it's a bad bus ride for them because that's all it is is a bus ride. They just can't play well in Philadelphia.

And Philadelphia plays good. Yeah, they're legit right now, man. That team is rocking. Your Eagles are playing pretty well. They are playing well. Yeah, they're playing pretty good. Great catching up with you as always, Herm. We appreciate you doing this.

Appreciate you both. Thank you. There's Herm Edwards, ESPN. Former coach, player, college, NFL, former Eagle. Eagles are in a good place, man. Yeah, he's done it all. Arm has seen it all. He's done it all.

I like the move. I'm not going to lie. Going to Pennix Jr.? Going to Pennix, yeah. I mean, it's funny how much we crucified that move in the draft, but now it looks good. Just like Jordan Love. Why did they take a quarterback in the first?

They don't need a quarterback. Well, looks like they thought they would need it a little sooner than later. Same thing. Patrick Mahomes. They got Alex Smith. What do they need to draft this kid for? Yeah. Turned out pretty well.

And Penix for the last, what are we in, week 16? He's been sitting around watching. He's been watching film. He's been in the playbook. He's been doing scout team. You're right. He definitely would have had to show, like, hey, I think I could run this offense better

than what that guy's doing, because the last five weeks, nine interceptions, just one singular touchdown, and it came against the Raiders, so does it really even count? Yeah, exactly. I don't know. And they're right behind, they're a game behind Tampa, and they got the tiebreak on Tampa. They beat them twice this year,

so it's a big opportunity for Pennix not only to play, but also get them into the playoffs. It'll be a home playoff game. You're going to win the South. So, yeah, I appreciate it, too. And I remember saying that after the Jordan Love pick. Quarterbacks are always different. If you feel you've got your guy in the future,

I don't care who you have, take him. If I'm the Kansas City Chiefs, and there's a quarterback that I look at and I'm like, I know this guy can play in the NFL, I'm taking him. Even if he's just a backup for Mahomes, you can flip him and the value you can get in the future. Quarterback is so isolated. It's so different. And like you said, obviously the Chiefs were happy with their pick. Packers happy with their pick.

And now the Falcons are happy with their pick, regardless of how people reacted to it at the time, because it's a position of need, and if you don't have it, you don't have a team. You have to have quarterbacking, or you just simply have no shot in this league. We'll come back with our best bets and tee up Leafs stars one more time. Leafs stars down in Dallas tonight.

You can hear it right here on TSM Radio. Get to our best bets and tee up the game. We'll do that next. 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. All right, today's best bets are powered by Fando. Make your picks and assemble a same-game parlay in seconds on the Fando Sportsbook app. Maple Leafs on the puck line. They're a flight dog today.

I got the Maple Leafs keeping it close. I They're a flight dog today. The Maple Leafs keeping it close. I could see them winning tonight. Austin Matthews, anytime goal scorer. I think you're playing with Marner. You're playing with Willie. He likes that building. I think he passed Rick Vive there a few years ago in overtime. Big celebration. Big game. He likes that building.

The Leafs like playing in Dallas. He's got 10 goals last 10 games against Dallas. I'm on it. Matthews, anytime tonight. Leafs like playing in Dallas. He's got 10 goals last 10 games against Dallas. I'm on it. Matthews anytime tonight. Leafs on the puck line. That parlay paying plus 191. Today's best bets are powered by FanDuel. Live same game parlays are now available for every NHL

game on the FanDuel Sportsbook app. Please play responsibly. 19 plus physically located in Ontario. I mentioned a reference to a sports logic stat from earlier today on the efficiency of John Tavares. Do you think O would let you even spew out this number

you're about to say if he was on the show? I would like to believe he would because it's, I think, important information. Tremendous information. Tremendous information, exactly. These are real stats. This isn't some bogus thing that you can manipulate one way or the other.

I think it really highlights, A, what John Tavares does very well, but also what he's been doing well this year. Per game ranks this season in the NHL. Slot shots, third in the NHL, 2.5 slot shots per game. Inner slot shots, he's first in the NHL. In puck battle wins, he's first in the NHL. And puck battle wins, he's first in the NHL. 4.47 puck battle wins

per game. So, in other words, in and around the net, in the corners, along the boards, off the draw, John Tavares is playing at a very, very elite level. I think the eye test would indicate that, but this would suggest it's as good, if not better, than anyone in those categories.

Doesn't that sound pretty awesome? Just like Craig Berube hockey, though, Noodles? It does. I mean, you know, it's speaking to his strength. That's the one thing that John Tavares does very well. He's hard on his stick. He wins a lot of draws. In that 10-foot radius around the net, he's very good. So to me, yes, it speaks on his stick. He wins a lot of draws in that 10-foot radius around the net.

He's very good. So to me, yes, it speaks to his strength. There was a moment where Macklin Celebrini was number one in the league in loose puck battles. So, you know, it is a stat that's tracked. Tavares, that doesn't surprise me. If you take a look at it along the wall, he's heavy on his stick. That is a guy that battles for 50-50 pucks pucks so um you know he's had a great start and you want like you want it

to keep going and i think he needs support along the way as well that's why i keep talking about depth down the middle of the ice that way if he can be your two guy great if he can be your two a guy if there's two second centers, Max Domi I think would be better on the wing, although a lot of people like him at the middle of the ice because he can skate and use his speed and be creative. So we'll see. We'll see how it unfolds.

But John Tavares has been as advertised and more this season. Yeah, he's been great. He has more than just pulled his weight. Yeah, and he's making $11 million. It's not like he's getting paid $850,000 and you're just asking for the most out of this guy. He is still getting paid a lot of money. He still has a letter on his

jersey. Not the captaincy anymore, but he's handled a lot of curveballs and he's done so very, very well. Also, I'm sure very inspired to get a new contract too. That might factor in. Him and Mitch flying out there. Playing as well as they are. That helps.

That certainly can't hurt. All right, Leafs stars tonight on TSM Radio. And we've got a few other games in the NHL. And Raptors are back in action. Sounds like Scotty, I don't know if we have total confirmation on what's coming with him, but he's going to return relatively soon. So the Raptors, no NBA Cup, but what are you going to return relatively soon. So the Raptors, no NBA Cup, but what are you going to do? You push for the play-in,

right? The push for the play-in begins today for the Raptors. Alright, tomorrow we've got Thursday night football. Are we on the clock tomorrow? We are on the clock. We might even show what the game is tomorrow night. Broncos-Chargers in LA,

I believe. I think the Chargers. Broncos Chargers in L.A., I believe. Yes. I think the Chargers are favored by three. Yeah, last time I checked, they were. I agree on FanDuel. I lean points, but we'll see what happens. We'll have a conversation tomorrow. All right, thanks to everyone behind the scenes for helping out.

We appreciate it. Everyone for tuning in. Michael DiStefano, great seeing you, Parsi. One more time for the road. There it is. Hazen Bro on the clock tomorrow night. Noodles, good seeing you as always as well. We're out of here. Enjoy your evenings.

Enjoy the games tonight. We're back tomorrow at 4 p.m. We'll chat then. TSM 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 Plus.