OverDrive - Willson on joins us to look ahead to Thursday Night Football between the Chargers and Broncos, how Madden ratings are determind & team Hayes and Bro makes their pick

Episode Date: December 20, 2024

Former NFL TE and TSN NFL analyst Luke Willson joins us to look ahead to Thursday Night Football between the Chargers and Broncos, The report that Woody Johnson nixed a trade for Jerry Jeudy because of a low Madden rating and more!

Breaking story from Alpine News Network. Jan owns a home and a restaurant fusing French and Mexican cuisine. But she is fusing no more because her ovens have gone kaput. She called Alpine Credits who sent their speedy superhero. With her business loan approved, her ovens were quickly fixed. The hero even had some of her poutine nachos. Yum! Own your home, need a loan? Alpine Credits can help. Alpine

Credits, where homeowners get approved. Disrelicensed 12-616. If you smell what Owen Wilson is cooking. Girl, you know it's true. Yes, mandatory, a little Milli Vanilli. This would be a pretty good karaoke track.

Right? This is Luke Wilson with us. Are you a karaoke guy? No. What? I think you'd be good at it. Come on, Luke. This guy I couldn't see doing it. Maybe you'd be good at it.

I might actually have a secret talent. I've never really given it a shot. I know I can't sing. I have no musical talent. None. What? What? What?

What? I don't believe that. None strutting. Nothing. I can't play anything. Nothing. Do you sing in the car? Do you sing in the shower? Do you sing in the shower?

I mean, who doesn't sing at times when they're listening to music? Yeah, of course I do. I'm human. I'm not AI. When you're dying your hair, do you sing? Yes, I do. I have the AirPods in. I've got the, what do they put?

The curlers? The curlers and the styrofoam or whatever. Not styrofoam. I'm losing my mind. The foil. That's what it is. The foil. And I start belting out tunes.

Anyway. He can barely speak. He's so nervous right now. He's so nervous. Listen, Al's brother will join us here in a moment. I've been complaining that every single game we play is the exact same game. Even playing field, low number. Tonight, Chargers and Broncos.

Be a pro, man. Listen, we're down the stretch. You're down the stretch and you're complaining about tough games. This is what pro athletes do. We make calls down the stretch in tough games. We live in this world. This isn't going to be an issue for us. We will be fine.

Al's brother will join us in a moment. It's got to be a bigger game for the Chargers, though, right? They're 8-6. They're coming off a bad loss to Tampa. Very bad. To be honest with you, I think it's a bit of a statement game for the Chargers in the sense of Harbaugh was there. I believe at one point they were either 7-3, 7-4 maybe.

They're now sitting here at 8-6. Now their next two games after this, I believe, are New England and Las Vegas. I'm not sure if that's the right order. But it just smells, it's just a faint smell of the Chargers charging right now. You lose tonight and then all of a sudden it's like, hey,

we got one game to win out of the next. Sorry, we got to win both. We got a one game lead above Miami or Cincinnati and I don't know what the tiebreakers are there. Assuming Miami and Cincinnati win and I don't know what the tiebreakers are there, assuming Miami and Cincinnati win this weekend. But I could just see, like, you know, and then you're giving bulletin board material to the Patriots or the Raiders

being like, hey, we're obviously a terrible year for us, but by the way, we can knock these boys out of the playoffs tonight. Boys will be salivating. The Chargers start chargering, and the next thing you know, they're out of the playoffs. Just a hint. I'm not saying it's legit, but it's a hint of that. I agree with you, and I feel like they don't play good teams very well,

yet I still can't figure out what Denver is. Their offensive line has been outstanding. Bo Nix has been good. Defense is great. They're tied for number one in the league. That's what I'm saying. I mean, like I said earlier, I was saying earlier, it speaks to, I think, the greatness of the Chiefs that they're in the same

division with these two teams, and they're still 13-1. There's a lot of things that people leave out when we get to the Chiefs. They're a terrible 13-1 team. I'm like, oh, really? They're in a division with three playoff teams right now, and most likely, three of them going.

And they're 13-1. And we're griping because we don't like the way they've won 13 of their 14 games. It's incredible. And Mahomes isn't even on the injury report today. Correct. And the game they lost was against the future, or this year's league MVP, who had a Superman run on 4th and 2 in the 4th quarter. Right.

In his house in Buffalo. Correct. Tough weather. Not that weather's an issue. I mean, Kansas City. But it's like all Kansas City. I hear this all the time. Kansas City's fraudulent.

I'm like, I don't know what games you're watching. I think my thought on that is that it's too easy just to keep saying they're going to win and they're going to win and they're going to win. And it's like, I think the general public doesn't want that to continue. Yeah. Like, you want them to lose. Well, and they're not blowing anyone out. No, they're and it's like I think the general public doesn't want that to continue. You want them to lose. Well, they're not blowing anyone out. No, they're not. They're not scoring a lot, but they are still winning. There's been a lot of

their offense looks very discombobulated at times. We said that last year. Who are their receivers? Correct. And then they came out and shredded everybody in the playoffs and went right to the Super Bowl I. I think it's more of a psychological thing that you want to poke holes in them. It's very difficult to do, but you want to because it can't be this easy to play pro sports.

Let me ask the master. Thank you. If the Bills and Chiefs play tomorrow. Friday, you're the master, Brock. 10-1. 10-1, last 11. Since the speech. Since the speech.

Let's say Bills and Chiefs play tomorrow. Bills, Chiefs play tomorrow. Bills and Chiefs play tomorrow. It's the AFC Championship. Who are you picking? Chiefs. That's on the money. You're just talking money line. I'm just saying you're picking that game.

You'd still pick the Chiefs. To win the game? For sure. Right now, I think that the Chiefs defense will do enough to slow down Josh Allen. The only shot the Bills have, which is a good shot. I want to be very, very clear. It's a good shot. But the only shot the Bills have of winning the Super Bowl is if Josh Allen

strolls in the playoffs, most likely right now as the two seed. That could change. The Chiefs slip up. And he goes MVP performance, MVP performance, MVP performance. Three straight games. I do not see this team going to the Super Bowl and winning without a vintage Josh Allen, ran for two, threw for three, or some combination of 400 total yards.

They're a middle-of-the-road, if not low-average defense. The run game is hit or miss, depending on who they're playing. But they have the best player in the NFL right now. Wouldn't that apply to Lamar Jackson as well? I know he's got Derrick Henry, which is a significant help, but Lamar, in my opinion, has got to do the same thing to win a Super Bowl. Don't you have more playoff questions with Lamar than you do with Josh Allen? For sure.

Oh, absolutely. And that's the point. He's got to overcome that. But you said it. The difference for me is Lamar has more help around him. And I will also say the Ravens' run defense is phenomenal.

It's one of the best in the league. Their pass defense is the opposite. So that's another kind of issue for me where it's like, I think Lamar has more help than Josh does at this point. Strutty, you can get in on this because he's a giant

fan. So luckily he picked the right team in New York. The New York Jets, you've seen the Stradivari study where their owner, Woody Johnson, reportedly turned down a trade for Jerry Judy, who is a stud in Cleveland right now

because of his Madden rating. A video game rating, Woody Johnson said, not feeling it, and he nixed the trade. How do you respond to that as someone that was in the game for a long, long time? Both the video game and the National Football League. Real life and virtual. Yes. I will answer that from the assumption that this story is true. I have a hard time.

I don't know Woody Johnson. Obviously, you hear horror stories, but I have a hard time believing that he's that stupid. It seems insane. For a guy who has as much money as he has, it would strike me a bit bizarre that he's this dumb. But I remember, I was not a guy who played a ton of Madden. That wasn't really my jam, but there are a lot of guys at locker room who live and die by it.

And the Madden rating adjuster would stroll by practice, and guys would be all over him. Like, yo, buddy, get my speed up. Wait, that happened? Oh, yeah. Someone from EA showed up. Oh, yeah. Not often, but like, hey, in camp, they'd come by. And they're watching you to evaluate you?

Yeah, what would he be doing? So this is, it was funny because then they'd ask, guys would be like, what goes into it? In EA, this was at least how it was, whatever, nine years ago. They'd say, we actually hire guys to do the ratings that know nothing about football. So this is what makes the story even funnier. They're like, we don't want any sort of bias in these ratings. So we get these super nerds, and they come, and they do their little math and their analytics.

They run your combine stuff. They know nothing about football. They run your stats. They probably get all the analytics now. I'm sure EA has a deal with the NFL. And then it's all computerized as to what you are. So it was funny. I ran a very good a deal with the NFL. And then it's all computerized as to what you are. So it was funny. I ran a very good 40 time for my size.

So I used to get notes all the time when I was a kid. Playing in the league. Dudes, all the time. I love playing with you in Madden because speed kills in Madden. And I'd be like, I have the most overinflated speed on planet Earth. But again, in their algorithm, I tricked the game somehow. Wow. So the idea that Woody Johnson

is using some absolute stranger's information that knows literally is chosen because he knows nothing about football makes it even crazier. It does, yet it also shines a light on what happens in sports today where calculators do make decisions.

Yes. Like there are actually teams that are like, my numbers suggest this guy can't play. It's like, your numbers don't matter. What are you talking about? Watch the game. But mix in a little bit more detail than that. Call up and say, is he a good guy in the room? How about that?

Yes. Is he a guy that works hard? Is he a guy that has had injury problems? It's crazy. You talk about numbers, and I remember this. It stuck with me for my entire career. Again, You talk about numbers, and I remember this, and it stuck with me for my entire career. Again, I talk about this 40 time, and when we would go into special

teams meetings every week, it would be like right beside whoever you're playing was their 40 time. And the coaches would always say, when you run that 40 time, and you're a college kid. You're not even in the NFL yet. When you run that 40 time, that time, whatever is marked, it doesn't

matter if you had a bad hamstring, great day, bad day, whatever. It could be whatever. Raining, snowing, no one cares. That time will stick with you for the rest of your life. And then after you hit 28, it's he was a 4-5 guy, but now he's lost a step. No matter if you've gained a step.

No different. That's how it goes. That's your time. That's how they they told me and it was true because it would be like every week we'd go in again special teams walk in there be like alright here's their winger on punt or whatever big this guy's a 4-7 guy he's been playing for six years so he's probably lost a step next yeah you're like this has no relevance to what we're doing what a a scouting report. Yes. Woody Johnson. Was there ever a guy whose number was a certain thing and it changed? You're going to cut Strutty off now? I can't believe you.

That's a scumbag play. Outrageous. I can't believe you just cut off Strutty. You can cut off Luke whenever you want. You can not cut off Strutty. Go ahead, Strutty. Al's brother can wait a minute. Finish your question.

I was just going to say, so of those numbers, what was the player, who was the player that surprised you the most? Like, it was X. Then you go on the field, so I'm running like, this guy's way faster than that's said on the scouting report. So for me, Strutty, instead of speed, it was weight. So I would sit there and be like, oh, and this was more offensive style, but it's like, who am I playing this week? And they'd have them listed like, oh, this guy's 275.

So for me at tight end, I played somewhere between 250 and 255. I love that matchup. I'm supposed to be a little more agile if I'm blocking defensive end at 275. I'm loving that. The tough ones were all of a sudden now it's like this guy's three bills. I'm like, giving up 50 pounds is tough. But what would be tough was when the 275 guy showed up and hit

the 305 DN. I'd be like, there's no way this man is 275. And then you get the odd one that would be like, oh, this guy's 6'6", 260. And he'd show up and I'm like, well, I'm 6'5", 255 at some point, and this guy's 30

pounds heavier than me. So the math is not mathing. Like when I'm standing beside him. Again, but you go through it. You should have checked the Madden rating. Yeah, I probably should have. Same thing with weight. A good segue into my boy here because he once ran a 40-yard dash.

What was your number, Al's brother? 10-6? No, it was a 10-1. 10-1. His partsy was a 10-6. His partsy. Do you know that Jeff O'Neill ran it in 10-6? That is an abomination. That is an abomination.

Do you think that I could run a 40 right now backwards faster than you can forward? No, not backwards. Not backwards. You want to take it? How about we declare this right now? If we're tied at the end of the season, that's the tie break. Deal. I'm telling you right now.

Alex, brother, this is the most terrible thing you can say yes to. Please shake on it. Absolutely done. I love the confidence. Doogie's going to manipulate a... How is he going to do that? It's a 40-yard dash. What do you mean?

The guy's been giving me layups. No, no, not the time. Of course he's going to hook you guys. Of course he's going to hook you. You will avoid the time. Because he doesn't want to embarrass Luke. That's why. He doesn't want it to be the tie. Because he doesn't want to embarrass Luke. That's why. He doesn't want it to be a tiebreaker because he doesn't want to embarrass Luke.

And have him lose to me in a 40. Full stride. Not back. You're thinking back pedal. I'm talking about a backboard sprint. Yes. You're running backwards. I'm breaking 10 for fun.

Probably 7.5. No. No, you're not. You're not on a bike or something. Backwards? Yeah. You're running backwards, man. He's running backwards. It's not that a bike or something. Backwards? Yeah, I think you're on a race. You're running backwards, man. He's running backwards.

It's not that hard to run backwards. When do you do that? Thank you. Are you a kangaroo? I run. How often do you run backwards? Every warm-up. Every warm-up in the NFL.

It's a warm-up drill. Yeah, but there's no time limit on it. There's nothing too fast. You just jammed yourself. No, I didn't. I believe in my man, Al's brother. I guarantee you, he looks great these days. You're going to break nine.

That new haircut he's got does look fast. Yes. Al's brother, go ahead. That's right. It's agile. Very agile. And Luke, when you had your Madden ratings, your foot speed, terrible. So I don't know what you're talking about.

You're going to trip up on yourself. That's my point. That's tremendous information. First thing I did when I bought Madden, went to franchise mode, was a Seahawks, traded Luke Wilson every time. I love it. For future considerations. Oh, man.

For future considerations. Seven round picks. That's tough. Alex, brother, where are we at? Tremendous information. Broncos, two-and-a-half point dog. So the Chargers are two-and-a-half point favorite at home tonight. Where's your head at?

Yeah, we get jammed once again, right? This is the three-point game yesterday, and it gets dropped down to two-and-a-half tonight. Where's your head at? Yeah, we get jammed once again, right? This is the three-point game yesterday, and it gets dropped down to two and a half tonight, but I do still like the Denver Broncos. I think they're the cover darlings of the NFL. They've covered 11 of the 14 games this year, and I think the matchup is very,

very much in favor of the Broncos. They've got a stout, stout defense. They're second against the run with the league's best interior run stuffer. In terms of their win rates, DJ Jones is an absolute stud. He should be able to stop the run. And if that's the case, I don't like what's going on. Yeah, with Justin Herbert with that brace,

if he's got to maneuver around the pocket, if he gets pressured, I don't really love the offense tonight for the Chargers. And Bo Nix, he's been dealing a little bit. I like what they've been doing. So I anticipate if they can put up 20-plus points tonight, they should be able to at least cover, if not win, this game. I like where your head's at.

Luke always says it. It's tough to beat a divisional opponent twice, especially if you're on even playing ground. The Chargers beat the Broncos earlier this year. I think Sean Payton comes over the top. I think Harbaugh's losing a grip here. I think the Chargers, they're starting to really leak some oil here. They don't play good teams very well. We're taking the points.

I probably would have taken the points, but I just want to pose a couple questions. A couple questions in case you want to think about it. Your boy Kyle probably hates me. Yes. Have you talked to him? I haven't. I'll speak with him on Saturday morning. Kyle, I could have tried the reverse

psychology. Don't reverse psychology. But are you a bit nervous? Rookie on a short week. I know. And listen, Chargers need a bounce back. Chargers need a bounce back, and both teams right now, I believe, giving up 17.6 points a game. Best for number one in the NFL. Broncos run game, very poor.

This becomes a run back and forth game. You guys are going to get jammed by the hook. The hook will jam you. That's why I would have preferred it was three like it was earlier today. Doogie made sure that wasn't the case. Doogie's on the tank right now. He's going to give us layups this weekend. He will. Listen, I'm all good if we get to a tie break. I feel

great. It's like the fire making thing in Survivor. Al's brother lives in the woods. Al's brother's going to run a 40 and I'll bet you under 8'5". Under 8'5", I'll still win. No, you won't. I've been training, guys. I've been training. I love it, Al's brother.

We might have to give him a couple yards. We might have to put a spread in there. Dude, it might be icy. It could be snowy. We're not doing the parking lot. Oh, yes, we are. That's where I run. Al's brother chooses to run on. That's my home field advantage right there.

That's his home field. You get out there, it's a disaster, that parking lot. Yeah, I'm running backwards with potholes. Exactly. That's where Al's brother dances, man. He gets on his toes. It's like a cone drill for him running the 40. The dancing bear.

I love it. All right, we're taking the points. Broncos, lock it in. Al's brother. Let's ride. Great seeing you. Hopefully we see you on the 40 line The dancing bear. I love it. Alright, we're taking the points. Broncos lock it in. Al's brother. Let's ride. Great seeing you. Hopefully we see you on the 40 line sooner rather than later. There's Al's brother. Luke, enjoy yourself tonight. Cheers. Catch you guys tomorrow. There's Luke Wilson and Al's brother.

Hour 2 coming up. Overdrive continues. Or hour 3. I am in a blender right now. Yeah, you are. I'm in a bit of a blender going into this game tonight. Overdrive continues. TSN 1050 and on TSN 4.