OverDrive - Schlereth on the NFL playoff picture, the Bills' grand opportunity and Jackson's championship outlook

Episode Date: January 9, 2025

NFL on FOX Analyst and Host of the Stinkin Truth Podcast Mark Schlereth joined OverDrive to discuss the headlines around the NFL, the overview of the playoff matchups, the Bills' journey to big wins and the matchup against the Broncos, Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen's pursuit of the Super Bowl, the Packers' search for a massive victory and more.

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you, new you, new you, new you, new you, new you, new you, new you, new you, new you, new you, new you, new you, new you, new you, new you, new you, new you, new you, new you, new you, new you, new you, new you, new you, new you, new you, new you, new you, new We're doing great man and you obviously went on a number of Super Bowl runs in your career I'm curious, you know if you could take us inside the room You know a couple days before the the real stuff begins. What's it like like for an elite team like a really good team That's playing this week and like a Buffalo a Baltimore, you know teams like that Philly, Minnesota Etc when you really feel like you got a chance to do something special this year What's it like as you get closer and closer to actually playing playoff games? I think there's, I mean, I think there's ultimately a ton of confidence because you've had so much success.

So, you know, I mean, I always say the confidence comes from doing the work, right? Confidence comes from a place of humility where I've done the work, I know I'm good because I've done the work and I'm ready to go. Arrogance comes from a place of fear, right? Where it because I've done the work and I'm ready to go. Arrogance comes from a place of fear, right? Where it's, oh my god, here we go,

like I've gotta puff out my chest because I know I haven't done the work, I know I'm not that good. So I think if you're a really good team, you come from a place of confidence. Now, there is the aspect of, there is so much that you're expecting of yourself, and if you're expecting of yourself

and if you're a favorite, for me it always felt like there was more pressure when we were supposed to win it all. When we were the best team, there wasn't as much kind of joy in winning. It was more expectation of winning. And so that can affect you too. It just depends on your football team But you know, there's a there's a beauty in playing kind of on quote-unquote house money where nobody expects you to be there

Let's go shop the world. Yeah, sometimes that happens not very often, but sometimes it happens But for the most part, you know You have a lot of confidence if you played really well and you're one of those team favorites with a great quarterback And you feel like you can do it and mark uh... the host of the show you're just speaking with brian hayes he had a ranking today on the people with the most pressure

heading into the playoffs here in the nfl and i'll break his i'll give you his one two three and ask you to critique it okay cuz we we already have but he had number one lamar Jackson number two Josh Allen number three Nick Sirianni what do you make of that? Well I mean I think it's I think it's good I agree with number one I don't think there's any question that Lamar Jackson has a ton of playoff pressure on him. You think about kind of where he is as a quarterback. He like MVP, two time MVP, may win his third MVP,

but in the playoffs, he's two and four. He's completed 57% of his passes in the playoffs. He's got nine total touchdowns and nine total turnovers. So he has not played well. He has not been good in the playoffs. So I agree that he has a ton of pressure. When you look at Josh Allen, Josh Allen has performed unbelievably well in the playoffs. I mean, he is with, there's only two other guys who have put the numbers up that Josh

Allen has put up in the playoffs. 21 TDs versus four interceptions, completing over 70% of his passes. When you do that, you're supposed to win. Patrick Malone's, when he does that, is 15 and three in the playoffs. When Tom Brady does that, he's 17 and four in the playoffs. When Josh Allen does it, he's five and five in the playoffs. That's what he's done. And so I kind of look at more pressure on the organization that I do on Josh Allen. Like last year, they were winning that game against Kansas City, they were dominating that game.

Kansas City starts to make a little bit of a run, and it's like the coaching staff just folded their tents, handed the game plan to Josh and said, go win it for us, Josh, we don't know what to do. And it drives me crazy to watch that. So I think it's more on the organization, the coaches, than it is on Josh Allen in that particular situation. Although I understand the kind of concept of Josh Allen

having a ton of weight on his shoulders because of the history of the Buffalo Bills when it comes to the playoffs. But think about back a couple years ago when they faced Kansas City and they had that lead and Josh Allen played out of his mind with that lead with 13 seconds left and they kick it off into the end zone so they can down it.

Like that's 100% you either squib it or and they kick it off into the end zone so they can down it. Like that's a, that's a hundred percent you either squib it or your motor kick it. So it comes down about the one yard line and then they're forced to return it and use five or six seconds. So now we're down to eight seconds. And that play doesn't happen. So that's, you know, malfeasance of coaching on their, on their behalf. So I don't, I don't put that on, I don't put that on, um't put that on On Josh Allen, I think I think either the Nick Sirion thing is interesting Although I think he's acquitted himself quite well this season and you know, his quarterback is coming off an injury Yeah, I almost feel like Mike Tomlin. I don't think anything's gonna happen for Mike Tomlin. Mike Tomlin has not won a playoff game

this 2016 And you know, we always talk about we always talk about hey Mike Tomlin great not won a playoff game since 2016. And we always talk about, we always talk about, hey, Mike Tomlin, great coach. I know that we picked the Steelers to be fourth in the division probably, and they almost won the division, they ended up second, but they've lost four straight games, three of them by double digits.

And in Pittsburgh, I think nationally, the idea here about Mike Tomlin is one of the greatest coaches in football, and I nationally the idea here about Mike Tomlin is one of the greatest coaches in football and I don't disagree with that. But I think in Pittsburgh they're growing a little weary of Mike Tomlin and the lack of playoff success. And the truth be told, I just think that Baltimore is a much, much better football team than Pittsburgh.

I agree with you there. I think, you know, it's rare you see a team a divisional game like this in the playoffs And now they're gonna play each other for the third time They just played a few weeks ago and Baltimore just blew the doors off pit But you know generally speaking, you know history would suggest wild-card weekend at least one if not two underdogs are gonna win outright This week and I'm curious if you have one in particular mark one underdog, you know labeled in Vegas That you look at you say I think that team's gonna win this football game. I You know, I think Washington I think watching that has a real chance to go in there won their quarterback is

Played unbelievably certainly gonna be the rookie of the year. He's been unbelievable. He is he is Won four games, you know with a deficit in the fourth quarter, brought his team to a victory, two of those on the final drive to those four. He went toe to toe with Joe Burrow in one of those games. And I would do Joe Burrow in a game where they didn't even punt. The kid has been unreal, both with his arm and with his legs. I think the one thing about Jayden Daniels over and don't get me wrong. I love Baker Mayfield.

I think Baker's been amazing too, but Baker has a propensity to throw it into a team meeting every now and again. So I think the odds are that if anybody's going to turn the ball over, Baker will have more likelihood to turn turn over in this particular game then what by then uh... jaden daniel in washington both the feds are a little bit uh... of a question mark little bit of a struggle uh... but i think what you had a chance to go into camp and when i came out right

mark when you look at the bills you know you talk about that the pressure on shan mcdermott and that coaching staff for their sins of the past that have piled up in led to a lack of class excess me is there a potential disaster looming here against the broncos team coach by a very competent sean paten uh... that you know things could

get closer than anybody thinks they should be uh... given the fact is a nine- spread and into the uh... head into the big game yeah i wanted to the real chance of that i mean i think one the broncos are playing on house money and the opportunity to most important to get green big package when i was a member work it we should open the week at thirteen point i don't think it off of the one

that point i don't and there was that house money kind of feel to it Right and of course We knew how good we were We had a lot of confidence in how good we were one of the things that happened to us in that particular game was we had played them in December the year before and We had home field advantage locked up. We had Six or seven guys seven six or or seven starters that didn't start. Gary Zimmerman had a shoulder injury. He had surgery. Terrell Davis,

didn't start in that game. John Elway didn't start in that game. Three or four guys on the defense didn't start that game. Um, and they whipped our ass in that particular game. And that carried over to their, their arrogance that's following Super Bowl because they got our JV squad and they thought they're gonna kill us and this roll us over and you know, so we played that kind of house money attitude and Sean Payton has done that before remember that Super Bowl

He played in 2009 with the Norland Saints versus the apples Colts and they come out at halftime after halftime They do the onside kick and you know, there is that element of a man. We're gonna have a fake punt in this game We're gonna run our quarterback. We're gonna do the quarterback draws. We're gonna do the quarterback counters We're gonna do the quarterback powers. We're gonna do all those things. And oh by the way, we've got a pretty damn good defense We've you know, we're one of the top sack teams top pressure teams in football and advanced Joseph is one of those guys their their defense coordinator, that will bring five man pressure, six man pressure, seven man pressures, a four man zone blitz or simulated pressure if you will.

So there's always going to be something different. And Josh Allen has had a propensity in the past, not this year, but in the past, to turn the ball over. And what you're going to do is try to raise much pressure try create as much confusion as possible if you didn't get a couple of those terms are she didn't get into slip back into what he wants was uh... before this season

uh... you know this he's got forty touchdowns and forty-plus touchdowns total and uh... and they'll only six interceptions so it'll be interesting to see if they can turn them over they can they can do that, I think it could be close. With Mark Schlereth. So the Packers going into Philly playing the Eagles and Green Bay's coming in. Christian Watson's not done for the year.

Jair Alexander's done, he's not gonna play. They just lost to the Bears. They got booed off Lambeau. They haven't beaten an elite team all year. They lost to Philly on that Friday night in Brazil to start the season, twice to Minnesota, twice to Detroit. Where do you stand on Green Bay going into this game, and if they can win, how do they

win? Yeah, can they win? Certainly they can win. I mean, their quarterback can be hot, and they can run the snot out of the ball with Josh Jacobs. They've done that before, not turn the ball over. When they win, they don't turn the ball with Josh Jacobs, they've done that before, not turn the ball over. Well, you know, when they win, they don't turn the ball over in defensively. They, they're one of the top teams as far as turning the opponent over.

So like that's the formula for doing it without question. Um, that said, like Philly is one of the most talented teams, top to bottom in, in the national football league. They've got an outstanding offensive line. And I think even though Jayden, or excuse me, even though Jaylen Hertz hasn't played in several weeks, Jaylen Hertz, like you can get him into a rhythm because they run the ball so exceptionally well.

They've got to say quam-barclay. They can condense formations. They can use their two tight ends packages. They can get big and heavy and just pound you. And then all that quick play action stuff the RPO stuff you know the bubble screen stuff get your quarterback into a quick rhythm I just think that Philly honestly is one of the most talented top to bottom rosters in football and they're one of

the best rosters in football and you know my prediction for this game is a Philadelphia Eagles win cover the spread kind of a blowout game I really feel like they're gonna run them out of the building Yeah, I wouldn't be shocked man the way things are going on both sides of the ball I wouldn't be shocked in Green Bay or Philly It's gonna be a great weekend mark and you'll be all over it as always. We appreciate you doing this man. Enjoy the ball games All right, you guys take care of it be good. You got it. There's Mark Schlereth of Fox Sports and the stinking truth podcast