The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz - Dave Called It: Tomlin Out, MJD In & the Best Weekend of the Year

Episode Date: January 16, 2026

Mike Tomlin will be gone. Dave said it first. And second. And probably third. But the beat reporter job is tough and while they most likely knew... no one dared tell. But Tomlin leaving obscured a bigger fact: the Steelers played terribly. Enough! Enough Pittsburgh talk! Especially, since we have Rams talk to get to with our longtime friend and former NFL wonderland Maurice Jones-Drew. We got a lot to talk about. How the frigid Chicago air impacts the Rams and Matthew Stafford. How the beautiful weather in Seattle won't impact the Hawks or the 49ers. How the Broncos might want to be scared of Josh Allen and the Bills. How Houston has an offensive problem against the Patriots. We got it all! Dave Dameshek and The Super Fuentes Brothers and MJD will get you the prep you need before the best weekend of the year on Football America! (Photo by Rusty Jones/AP) AUDIO Football America! is available wherever you listen to podcasts. Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/football-america/id1831757512 Follow us: Dave Dameshek: https://x.com/dameshek Maurice Jones-Drew: https://x.com/MJD Host: Dave Dameshek Guests: Maurice Jones Drew Team: Gino Fuentes, Mike Fuentes Director: Danny Benitez Senior Producers: Gino Fuentes, Mike Fuentes Executive Producer: Soup Campbell Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles Rams, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tennessee Titans, Washington Commanders Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hi, hello, my fellow football Americans. We got our guy Maurice Jones Drew on the way to help get right for the divisional round. Meantime, we got us a real glass half empty or is it half full situation. As you may have heard, Mike Tomlin's 19-year run as Steelers head coach ended on Tuesday, and ever since it's been a non-stop Marty Supreme promotion with opinions ping-ponging from one side saying Tomlin wasn't appreciated enough to the other side saying they wish he'd left a decade ago. Now, on one hand, Tomlin's this century's greatest floor raiser. Some of those teams he got to the playoffs had no business being there. And on the other hand, he underachieved by not reaching a Super Bowl over the five-year stretch he had one of the league's five best quarterbacks,

one of the two best wide receivers, and the best running back. Was it impressive he went to two Super Bowls in his first four years? Yes. Was it bad he didn't win a playoff game in his last nine years? Also, yes. Now, whether you see the that glass is half empty or full, we can all agree there's something in there. Which brings me to another big story this week, the Jacksonville reporter praising Liam Cohen. Listen, of course it's nice to be nice, and I don't know anyone in this dumb biz who stressed it's just football and had more fun than I have over the last 20 years or so. But don't forget, you need two sides to play ping pong and most other sports too. It shouldn't come down to whose voice is loudest,

and I say that as someone who can get pretty loud. The other option is, you know, the other option is letting subjective thought erase facts. Of course, the grotesquely wealthy would rather you just join them in good vibes and not challenge their authority. They're in charge after all. You therefore have every right to believe you're going to live on Mars in a few years because a rich guy said so. Doesn't make it true, though.

You remember group science projects in middle school? There was always one kid in the group who did 90% of the work. That's reporters. Do you want to do it? Football teams have offensive linemen who'd make bad receivers and receivers who'd make bad linemen. Likewise, sports media has pundits and analysts and hosts and draft experts and reporters and most ain't got Travis Hunter's versatility. Yeah, it's just sports, sure. Not like there's any history of the lines between sports and more important stuff blurring, well, except for two

network morning news shows now starring former NFL players and an ex-A-ESPN anchor. Was it just sports for Ali and Russell? How about Jackie Robinson and Roberto Clementi? How about performance artist slash right wing pundant Stephen A. Doesn't seem like it's just sports for him. Pat McAvey is right when he says a lot of people in sports media don't love sports. I think that's a shame because it's not just any job. It's talking about sports after all. I mean, I get to tell my wife, sorry, I can't go apple picking this weekend. I have to watch the game for work. Conversely, we know Stephen A. doesn't really watch the games. They only exist to further promote himself in his solitaire app. But I think sports do matter, and sports need biased and delusional fans.

At least I hope they do because I'm one of them. I also think the objective truth matters in sports and otherwise. Why? Well, like the former Steelers head coach used to say, the standard is the standard. Let's unleash hell and start the show. Welcome to the divisional round, my fellow football Americans. Welcome to Football America.

We're presented as ever by our pals over at Draft Kings. Draft Kings, the crown is yours. yours. It's episode 43. We have one of the great football talkers on the planet earth. Maurice Jones Drew about to join us to help break down the four divisional round games. If you don't know, Maurice is now the color analyst on the radio for the Rams. So he has some big thoughts about how his team, his new team, the Jags are his old team. He's over them. He's going with the Rams, though, up to chilly Chicago. We're going to get his thoughts on that game. The other four games, all the rest of it, meantime as we do. At the top of

every episode real quick here. I say it's episode 43, the players who wore that number best in the NFL, clear cut. It's Troy Palomalu. I think we take our first dip into motorsports in the history of football America here. King Richard, Richard Petty, and in baseball, Dennis Eckersley, I bring him up because he had a long, great Hall of Fame career, starting pitcher for the Red Sox, then becomes the best reliever of the era for the athletes. but what is he best known for giving up that home run in game one of the 1988 world series Kirk Gibson. I mentioned that because those are the stakes of the divisional round and on in the NFL here. Sam Darnold may not like that. Josh Allen may not like it. It may feel unfair to put

it all on their shoulders. That's how it works. We've talked about it before. Limited sample sizes. The advanced analytics peeps don't have to like it, but that's how history works. And we're about to see some history. Meantime, history for John Harbaugh in Baltimore, that's over with, but he's now the New York Giants coach. All the teams with openings are lining up. Coordinators all over the place, college coaches and otherwise to interview to see who gets the gig. Your thoughts, Gino and Mike, Mike and Gino Fentes. How are you, fellas? Well, you mentioned John Harbaugh, and I used to have the music for Happens to Know here, but I guess through the miracle of television, we're adding it in post. Now, there's something that I might know or I might not know and I don't

want to know. And that is this. John Harbaugh, looks like he's going to be the new man in New York, but he took a week off after the end of the Raven season. Why did he do that? Why would he take a week off? Everybody, people want to talk to this man. He's a big get. Why would people want to talk? Or why would he wait to talk? He has all the leverage. Why not? Why let people think? Why? Well, because in between him taking a one week sabbatical, the Buffalo Bills and the Jacksonville Jaguars played a little game. And this is a take that was champion by my colleague and friend, Mike Ryan, on a Dan Levitart show.

And he said, and I agree, that John Harbaugh was actually waiting for the result of the bills and then Jacksonville Jaguars because that Buffalo Bill's job may have become open. Is that true? I don't know. Wait, I fight. I thought. So you're saying that because he was waiting for Josh's going to come up. salad to make sure. I don't know. I don't want to know. You just laid out a whole conspiracy, but then you don't want to know if

it's true. Look, listen, Dave, I'm a big Marvel fan. Okay. And what happens when things happen in those movies, new timelines are created. New timelines, they split off. You're right, I don't want to know. Exactly. You don't want to know this. And I don't know. And I don't want to know. I'm just saying that there's a scenario where Jarn Harbaugh, right, is waiting and boom, Trevor Lawrence by somehow his beautiful blonde hair makes it. So the Jacksonville Jaguars triumph over those dastardly Buffalo Bills, and they ascend into the ASC divisional round. And then what happens?

Josh Allen's sad. He goes home. He has a baby on the way. He's going to have a great offseason. Okay? So he's at home, and he's thinking, so you don't want to know about any of this? I don't want to know.

But, but... Yeah, yeah, it feels like you're... You're talking a lot about it. Yeah, and Josh Allen, he may have not wanted to know, but now we're talking about an alternate timeline, Josh Allen, right? He was lost to the Trevor Lawrence Jacksonville Jaguars.

He's lost, and he's sending a home thinking, man, my coach, who I can't remember his name right now, Sean McDermott? Yeah. Sean McDermott, he, maybe he's not cutting it. Maybe he should go

because I'm Josh Allen. I'm the premier. I'm the guy in the AFC. I need something to give me over the proverbial hump, by the way. Haley Steinfeld,

congratulates on the baby. She has a hump as well. Baby in there. She had, no, she still has it. Conspiracy theories, theorists connect dots real well. It doesn't exist.

Look at who just did. Kaiser Soze, yeah. So then over the hump, maybe I need John Harbaugh. Ooh, maybe I need John Harbaugh. But you know what? It didn't happen. Boom.

Now, rip back to the main timeline, Football America timeline. John Harbaal, he goes with the Giants, but he was waiting for that Buffalo Bill's job. I don't know. Maybe he was. Maybe he wasn't. I don't know. I don't want to know. And that's a wrap on episode two, imprompt two of Mike Fuentes doesn't find out. I really like this show. I really hope a network will pick it up sooner rather than later. I find your source, Mike Ryan, a little specious, given that as far as I know, he has not spent one waking second thinking or talking about anything other than the Miami Hurricanes for the last month. So I'm not sure that that's really where that rumor came from. Mike Fuentes.

It is interesting to see the names that are cropping up a lot of coordinators out there, whether or not Marcus Freeman ultimately will move is an intriguing piece of this puzzle. the other side of you say watching that that jaguars. Gino, am I a snob that your brother can't say the word jaguar properly? Jaguar? Try it right now, Mike? Jags. I think he nailed it.

We'll settle at that. But I think the other side of that is, as I said repeatedly, if the bills had lost that game, I think McDermott would also have his name unscrap. peep right now and maybe he'd be moving to the New York Giants and John Harbaugh would be on his way to Buffalo as it is intriguing stuff. It does sound like Mike Tomlin is likely to sit out the next year. But Art Rooney the second did sort of mention in retaining his rights. You very rarely see head coaches get traded. But it does feel like that is in play come the actual season in 2020.

In the meantime, it sure feels like Mike Tomlin's going to have his feet up maybe on TV or maybe at his house. It doesn't seem like he's going to be a part of this immediate coaching cycle. All right. You know what, though? These are the have-nots we're talking about. We're wasting time. This is disrespectful. There are only eight teams left in the tournament of all tournaments in sports.

It is time to figure out who's going to advance to the title games next week. let's start the conversation with our old pal maurice jones drew all right at long last here he is along with j b long he's half of the la rams great radio broadcast booth he's all over nfl network if there were a mount rushmore of my favorite people to talk into a microphone about the game of football and or the game of life with it would be this all-time digital digital at a Wall of Famer from our old studio. It's our old pal, Maurice Jones, Drew, Maurice. How are you, fella?

You know what, Chuck. It's so good to see you, man. It's been a long time. I know. And I apologize. I've been calling you for five months and saying, when are you going to be on the show already? I told you during football season, man,

I'm coaching my kids. I'm flying back and forth. I'm doing the Rams. It's craziness. But I'm glad I got a chance. It's good to see your face. You know, I think a lot of people know, like, you really gave me and Ike a shot to really show our true personality, man.

Those years were fun. I still tell people about our Game of Thrones fantasy challenge, or I don't know what you would call it. Game of Game of Thrones. We did a fantasy. Game of game. Yes, that's exactly. Exactly.

That was still one of my favorite things that we've done amongst many other things. But good, man. How are you? I'm good. I've all the better for seeing you. Yeah. My favorite thing that you and I did was when you, and I scale Mount Lombardi.

Mount Lombardi. Man and Robin, like Adam West on the old show. He scaled up the side of a fake mountain. That was a great time. All right, listen, time is short. You're a busy man. The L.A. Rams are still alive, one of the very few pro football teams that is. Let's start here.

I mentioned your radio pal, who, by the way, I happened to be in the car during the wildcard game against the Carolina Panthers for a bit in the first half. I was driving off to my fantasy league's banquet, as grown-ups do. off to banquets to eat bad pizza with their pals. So I heard Maurice and J.B. calling the action. And I was reminded once again, dynamite. Man, you both are great at this.

Congratulations on that to be good, to butter you up a little bit. Yeah. No, I appreciate it. Thank you. I'll tell you, man, J.B. does a lot of the work. He is awesome. Like, each and every week he'll text. We have a text start of me, myself, him and DeMarco.

We do a podcast every week we can call Between the Horn. So if you want to listen to kind of the deep dive version of what the Rams go through during the week and some of the things that they're dealing with of his injuries, updates, all type of stuff like that. But J.B., he'll text you, right? And he'll be like, hey, this is what I'm thinking? What are you thinking? And then we will literally go through a whole deal. And I'll tell you this. I flew with the team last week because there was a bad flu outbreak in Charlotte.

We were quarantined in the hotel. We couldn't leave the hotel. The Rams didn't want us to leave the hotel because they're all. like if you get sick and you know you're on the plane with us everyone gets sick we're trying to make it we have a run we have a chance to win this thing so uh jb i love that kind of stuff that's the best little uh back you know behind the curtain stuff yeah i'm gonna pull it behind you in a little bit you know that's what i do with you shucks so anyways uh we're sitting there we're watching uh organ versus indiana congrats by the way thank you thank you yeah you thought i forgot congratulations

one of the few, one of the proud Hoosiers that I know, even when you guys are terrible, you still rep in Indiana. But anyways, JV, we sat down and we went through the whole thing. And I was like, look, I told him before the week, the week before that I'd rather play Tampa in Tampa. Because the Rams have had so much success against Todd Bowles when he was in Arizona. You know exactly what they're going to do. Like, I know what's going to happen in those games.

I could tell you exactly what's going to happen on third down, and defense. And when you have that, you're like, if I know that, I know the Rams know it. You know what I mean? Carolina scared me because Carolina has their whole defensive staff came from the Rams. So all their coaches, they practice against McBay. They understood. So they always had success and they could cause, you know, cause some issues. But then on the other side of the ball, the Panthers were, they were patient enough to run the football. And they would max protect to protect their quarterback, right? And so, man, and it was just like little things would pop up here and there. But we talked it out throughout the week. You're talking about J.B. We talked it out throughout the week.

And he was like, well, this is why I like it, you know. And that ability to be able to kind of bounce things off each other before the game and then go out and be able to call the game. And he's, I mean, he calls basketball games, college football games, Ray. Like, I don't know how he can compartmentalize, like calling a Texas Tech game on a Saturday and then flipping over. and calling a Rams game on a Sunday. Like, it's crazy. I think he did like a Butler basketball game last week and then went over and called the Rams.

Like so he's definitely- He looks like a guy who would be a guard on the Butler basketball team, right? No question. No question. You and I once played two-on-two basketball in the Butler gym with the Affleman. Taylor and Pat McAfee. Before McAfee was McAfee, though. Mm-hmm.

Before McAfee was McAfee and we got after you guys, Shaq. What a time. I had a bad back. You did. I can't believe you played with a bad back. I really did. Otherwise, we would have smoked you fools. All right. So much football to talk about. Last thing on J.B., though. First of all, he's a mensch because I won't, without the tails. I reached out to him to do a little something for Rams die hard a year or so ago. Without Patton and I, he did it. He made this guy's day. He made this guy's year.

So he's a lovely guy. Last thing on him, what's J.B. stand for? I think it's John, I think it's John Brown maybe, or John B's. I don't know this middle name, but it's his first name and middle name. No, it's James Baxter. He would know what the M and J stand for, Drew. Is it James Baxter? That's right. Jimmy Baxter, call him that next time you see him.

Oh, no. I thought it was John. Oh, I think his son's name is John. I don't know. All right. I just know him is J.B. All the songs you're singing about him, but you don't even know what the J and the B stand for.

either way. But I know what is coffee. I know what kind of coffee likes, but we're not going to go there. Yeah, I know other little things. You know? Little Marshawn Lynch action. No, no, no, no, no, no.

I wish. No, no, no, no. He does like that the night before the game, though. I like that. All right, let's talk about, as you like to say, you are part owner of Pittsburgh. Yeah.

Is it the whole city or is it just the stadium? Oh, no, it's the city now. It used to be the stadium. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It used to be just the stadium, but I've gone, I've gone out in Pittsburgh and met people, and they realize it to, like, some of the restaurants, they understand, you know. Well, you know, I remember in the 2017 divisional round game just before it, on game day, you had your young sons throw snowballs at Steelers fame.

Okay, so as we talk about that, I think my kids are like, 2017. Yeah, my son might have been seven years old. Now he's 17. It's unbelievable. Time flies. Who would have thought? You get a different reaction if you encourage a seven-year-old to throw a snowball at a grown-on versus a 17-year-old. Exactly.

Very blurry. Yes. Yes. They start to have muscles. Yeah, they're big now. They're not little kids. My youngest one's six feet tall. Where's his dad?

Where's his dad? We're looking for him. We're trying to figure this out. J.B. Long, where were you? Exactly. James Baxter. I'm on the lookout for you. Okay.

I want to hear your thoughts on Tomlin, but quickly now to blend these things together. The first two names out of the seven billion people out there who are potential hires to be the next Pittsburgh Steelers head coach, the first two names are both assistant coaches for the Los Angeles Rams. In a world of John Harbaugh's and Kevin Stafanskies and now Mike Tomlin, tell us why. Nate Sheelhouse, or if he were to be hired in Pittsburgh, he'd be Nate Shieldhouse. You hear about Coach Shieldhouse. He's got the guy.

He's like Mike Tomlin. He's 35 years old. Why is he getting so much buzz right now? Very sharp guy. I think he's a guy that the Rams have been trusted a lot of work in. He builds a lot of their plans. He works with Michael Flore to build the offensive plan. Obviously, Sean McVeigh has his hand in their world.

but when you have that trio of brain trust that works, people want a piece of it, right? You look at Liam Cohen, who was part of that brain trust at one point, goes off, goes to Kentucky, goes to Tampa, has success. Look at the Jags, right? And a year, turns the Jags around. They went 13 games, I think most in like 20 years of the Jags in the last 20 years.

So, like, people just understand that. Or you go to LaFleur in Green Bay, where he was with the Rams and he went off. Or KLC in Minnesota, a guy, another guy that was part of that brain trust, that got an opportunity you see the success. And so there's a lot of guys that have left this McVe tree or this branch, because he's part of the Shanahan tree, but this branch that have gone on and had a ton of success early,

Zach Taylor with the Cincinnati Bengals, had a lot of success early. And teams want to be a part of it. They want the new innovative offense, not the stale offense that just stands there in heights. They like the motions and the shifts and the way you try to manipulate defenses and those type of things. And I believe Nate Sheelhaus is obviously a great name,

I think that's why Chris Shula is a guy. Even though he's defensively, he's a defensive guy, people are going to hire him to get a piece of that Rams offense or some of those people to come over. Like I was in Atlanta where Atlanta took Rahim Morris and they took Zach Robinson with him, right? And so a lot of people want a part of that offense. And so I think when you look at this league and again,

speaking in Pittsburgh specifically, the offense was okay. It had spurts of being nice. It was good. but look at what Seattle's doing with Sam Darnold, right, with Clint Kubiak. Look at some of these other teams that have invested into this offense. I mean, look at Minnesota when they had Sam Darno and Kirk Cousins. And now we see McCarthy's not doing well, but they were a top offense at one point.

And so people want that's what people like to see. That's what the fans want. They want to see your team in the top upper echelon of offenses and scoring points. Again, I go back to Jacksonville. Look at what the Jags did with Trevor Lawrence a couple years ago. He was a bust. this year he had 38 total touchdowns, right? And so he had command of the offense.

He did some really good things. And so people want that because, again, that's what all your pals are going to talk about when they're at the bar where they're texting their group chat. Like, you know, we just got this rookie quarterback or this other quarterback and he's putting up this amount of numbers. And I'll end it with this. What the Rams have done with Matthew Stafford,

where a couple years ago, Stafford kind of, I don't want to say he was against. He didn't want to turn his back to the defense, right? He wanted to always look at the defense. That's what he was accustomed. That's what he was used to. All the high-end QBs do not want to have to do that. And the mediocre QBs are required to run play action.

But it's what they can do because as a human being, turn your back and then turn your eyes back and see if you can still divine the things you were looking at before you turned your back a second ago. Exactly. So Stafford buys into this and has one of his best seasons ever. At 37 years old, and let's not forget, just like your back was hurt, he had a back injury too, right? And so when teams and organizations and fans and owners see this, they're like, I need a piece of that.

And that's where I think the league is going. You're going to see a lot of these coaches get under these trees, these Shanahan, McVeigh, LaFlears, and they're going to start dispersing throughout. I mean, the McVeigh and Shanny disciples have already spread around the league. And I think you're exactly right. I've been making the case for two or three years. is ad nauseum. The audience is surely sick of hearing me say it. I think you can make the case that the offensive coordinator is more important than the guy at the trigger in a lot of spots.

Certainly with Shannie and Brock Purdy and it gets a little blur. I mean, Kubiak and Sam Darnold, it gets blurry when you talk Caleb and Ben Johnson. But look at Houston. Look at Houston. Houston. That's the old tight-ins coach for the Rams is the Houston OC with CJ Stroud. And C.J. Stroud's not not doing the best. things are, things are starting to, you know, people are starting to go that way because it helps build confidence. And I mean, Houston, again, no disrespect. I know you probably have PTSD from that game, but that defense had three turnovers, the Pittsburgh Sears defense. And they were still allowed to be in that game and make some plays. So it's crazy that that get that that that's, I mean, you know, the Tomlin news

obscures what happened in the 60 minutes on Monday night. But yeah, absolutely. I've been saying for two months now, the Jags would hold on based on how the schedule set up, but the best team top to bottom is the Texans in the AFC, at least. And watching the last couple of weeks, though, something's wrong with C.J. Stroud, clearly. I mean, he can't catch snaps and everything else. How much, for the longtime Jaguars legend, Maurice Jones drew, how much do these Texans remind you of the 2017 Jaggs?

I feel bad saying it out loud into a microphone to come. your Stroud to Blake Bordels, but it is, it does appear to be, man, dominant defense. Can a team dominate in the year of the Lord now, 2026 so much that you can have a deficient QB and still get to the Super Bowl? It's so crazy too because Stroud, he just flashes so many different things. I do think they can. And I said on our Sunday night show with Chris Rose, I was like, look, the Jaggs are the most complete team in the, in the AFC.

They have, they don't have many blemishes on their roster. Like, I don't know. Like across the board, they're pretty good. But the team that everyone should be scared of is in Houston, Texas, because that defense is a championship defense. And when you have two pass rushers that have double-digit sacks, when you have guys that can cover all over the place, Petrie being a joker that can play in the box and cover the slot,

but also play deep safety, those things, it just, it's tough. And it doesn't put a lot of pressure on your offense. It reminds me a lot of what Seattle's doing in Seattle, right? Seattle's defense is so dominant. Sam Darnel can make turn over. We're like, oh, you turn the ball up? We're okay. We'll get you the ball back.

Don't worry about it. And so it takes a lot of pressure off. I will say this. I think C.J. Stroud, obviously, I think he's better than Blake Bortles. He's done a really good job. He's shown that he hasn't. But for whatever reason, right now he's inconsistent. And that's what you're seeing because in that game, he was very inconsistent.

Turn the ball over. Then he'll throw a great pass. Right? Like, turn the ball over. Then he'll step up in the pocket, throw a strike. Turn the ball over. Then he'll, like, they'll go to. on the field and score. And so it was just

so inconsistent if they could try to find some continuity and consistency in that offense, they're for sure going to be scared because there's not a team of the AFC right now except for Buffalo that I'm really worried about. Oh, I like the Broncos, but I would like the Texans chances even more. But if Nico Collins can't go

and the way that defense sets up in Foxborough, Gonzalez can take away their number two. But Gonzales is out. Gazzal is out whether he's in the concussion protocol as well. All right. Yeah. Intrigue. In sports championships aren't one alone, the one with the right people around you.

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Is the quarterback throwing for more than two and a half touchdowns? I don't think Bryce Young is going to do it. The guy he's playing against Matthew Stafford might do that. And if he wins a second Super Bowl, he might be in the conversation for one of the three or five best quarterbacks of all time. Either way, the best part of pick six is Draft Kings makes it available in Texas, Georgia, California, and dozens of other states nationwide.

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you suppose you're bouncing off of these guys and you also understand the mindset of a professional athlete you got to get over what happened to the rams if you're on the rams up in seattle but you got to be just sick in your balls that you gave that game away because you should be the number one seed you should have not played a week ago now you have to go to frigid chicago pack well maurice i know you don't have a ton of winter gear um now you have to go up there instead of hosting a divisional round game. Have you heard any frustration or is that way in the rearview mirror for these games? No, no, no.

So I remember that obviously being up there for that game, the way that outcome came, people weren't happy. They weren't happy for multiple reasons. Obviously, the two-point conversion call. Like, they just weren't happy about that. Imagine how much that call can impact. They may well end up impact. who plays in the Super Bowl.

Oh, yeah. It's insane. But this is the thing. When we got on the bus, people were frustrated, but the Rams were dealing with a lot of different things. They had some injuries that had happened earlier in that week. Kevin Dotson had got hurt. They're starting right guard.

It got stepped on and hurt his leg or something. Throughout the course of that game, they scored on that defense. They had ran up 500 yards of offense, and they scored 37 points, right? They'd went out there and they did their job. offensibly defensive they were hampered. And so they had a couple guys

DeLyman that were beat up, linebackers that were beat up, some guys in the secondary that were beat up. And so they knew going in, they had, I mean, Devante Adams didn't play in that game, right? So you have all this going on that didn't happen and you lost by one. And then granted, there is no moral victories in football

as either winner you win or you lose, but they're saying, okay, we'll take that L. Like, we're not afraid to go to Seattle and play again. We're not afraid to go there, right? We're not afraid to go to Santa Clara if the Niners had won the one seat to go to Santa Clara and play them. We were not afraid of that. And so I think what they had after that game, I want to say they played terrible against Atlanta.

And then they came back and kind of stumbled early against the Cardinals and they got their footing. And Sean had talked about we have to figure out how to win these games. We're not figuring out how to win games in the right moments. And it started in Seattle. We're just starting in Carolina, to be honest with you. and it kind of carried through December. But going through that three or four game stretch has built up a ton of confidence

because a lot of other guys started making plays. We used to always say this when I play like a guy going down is a blessing in disguise because when that guy gets healthy, he's going to come back. But while he's down, these other guys are getting crucial reps. These other guys are getting better and better and better. And then in the game, they can play. Kanante Mumfield is another guy.

Xavier Smith's another guy that stepped up. Kobe Parkinson has to play a bigger role because Tyler Higley was out during that time. right. And so all these things are going on and these other guys are getting better. And then guess what? You go and play Carolina. Toby Parks and has the game winning touchdown. What he would have had that, a Tyler Hibby would have been playing? I don't know. But those reps that he got worked out. And so not nearly enough made out of how athletic that play was by. Oh my God. To catch that ball in full stride and keep his feet and run it into the end zone. People will what a great throw by Stavord.

Yeah, okay. But also what a play that is by the backup tight end. he was this far, this far from stepping out of bounds. So all these guys are getting all these reps and all these things. And Devante at the time, I remember they were saying Devante was pushing to play in all these games. And the Rams was like, no, you're not playing into the playoffs. But he was still like reping and practicing a little bit. And so now they're getting healthier. And so, yeah, we're going to go to Chicago.

It's going to be cold. The Rams don't have a great record in the cold as opposed to snow and all this other stuff. But they haven't, this is one of the first games they're going to have or they're going to have everybody that's completely healthy with two weeks of practice under their belt or a week of practice. Dodson's supposed to come back. Quentin Lake came back who played huge in the wildcard game. And so all of a sudden, that defense that we saw, the weeks one through 12, they're back healthy again.

This office that we saw, weeks one through, you know, 12, they're back healthy again. And so to me, and I'm going to do this on the podcast, and I'm going to give it to you, it's not about the bears. It has nothing to do with the bears. The Rams are the most talented team in the NFL. from top to bottom. And if they go out and execute and play the way they're supposed to play, they don't turn the ball over,

you give yourself the best chance to either go to Seattle and play the NFC championship game or host it at home if the Niners win. And so to me... Well, the most pressure on the NFC side is on Sam Darnold. He cannot lose this game against that wrecked Niners team. Yeah, but if they do... If they do in the Rams win, guess what will be right here? You know what I mean?

So if you're the Rams, you're saying, look, we got to go out there and handle our business because we are, we finally are whole again. And I think that's the most important thing. Like a lot of people don't talk about that. And Greta, I know the bears are dealing with injuries. I know the bears are doing things. And I know they're running game. I talked to be in a told him, I can't wait to see him. Hey, I'll be bundled up.

Can't wait to see you. But they've done an awesome job. They're still, their roster still, I don't think their roster man for man is where the Rams are. I agree with you. I don't think they're going to be able to bang you. on the ground. And so now you're forcing Caleb to make plays. And if you guys even have a one-point lead, Caleb's ability to rally the team goes down against that front seven when healthy. You say top the bottom best roster. The Rams, as you know, are a little light on the back end, even with

some returning players there. But I'm with you. The only thing really that spooks me, the only thing I would amend about what you said, I mean, it's a little bit of jive. I got to say, well, if they don't turn the ball over, well, that's true for most teams. Don't. turn the ball over, but the cold is what spooks me. I guess it's just foreign and be, well, you know, where do you think Caleb Williams is from? I don't care. He walks around in the cold every day. That does matter. People act like that's a non-factor. I was just, listen, I just walked on the beach for two hours, right? It's 75 and sunny. Yeah, you get used to it. That's what they're practicing in. And then you want me to go and play in

possibly negative degrees or single degrees and snowing. Like, yeah, you got to be mentally ready for that. You got to be able to make some tough catches. But I think the Rams have the guys that can do that and the defense that's willing to do it. I'm with you. Okay, last thing. I've held you up too long already. I was thinking about you the other day when the Hall of Fame finalists were announced.

Now, many moons pass retirement or race. Let's shoot straight. Do you wish you'd gotten one more year? Do you know, by the way, where you rank? Oh, my God. Do you know where you rank all time? career rushers in the NFL? I looked it up this morning.

I don't. I have no idea. That's 5-0. Number 50. You're the all-time. You're ahead of Terrell Davis. He's in the Hall of Fame. Yeah.

You know, Shaq, I'm not going to lie. If I could do it all over again, I would have made them kick me out of the league for sure. Really? Wow. I as a young kid, I always, I had other aspirations. They had a place for you in Pittsburgh, by the way, of memory. I know.

We had that conversation and I should have went to Pittsburgh and I had to play behind Labion Bill and I would probably got a ton of rushing yards and I ought to just slowly moved up. The Montmore Reese's. Oh my God. It had been awesome. I just mentally, as a young kid, I didn't really think like that. I didn't think about these things and what comes with those things. I was such an in the moment kind of guy and there were a lot of things like I said that I wanted to do that I couldn't do because football was everything to me. So I had to like give it 130% of football.

Otherwise, I didn't feel like I would be prepared to play in the season. And so over time, the offseason just got longer and harder and harder for me. And so I was kind of done with it. I wish I would have taken a break, not necessarily like take a year off, but just took a month off in the off season and kind of let my body rejuvenate instead of training like that. But, you know, you do those things, right? And so to me it's like, all right, I gained all this knowledge. I have two sons, both are pretty good football players.

Here, let me give you this stuff, right? And then I tell them all the time, you make them pull you out of the league. You make them tell you you have to retire, right? Because if you do that. I love seeing the name Deuce floating around on social media as a big recruit and everything else. Yeah. That's Maurice's boy who pelted my, my, my kid with snowballs a decade ago. That's so funny.

Yeah, those things are good. That's what I want to get. So at least for them, they'll have the opportunity. Well, I selfishly am glad you did that because I wouldn't probably have crossed paths with you. In fact, I think you were still with the Jags or I guess you were a Raider at that point. When you and I were doing draft coverage for the NFL in Chicago, and now you're going ahead and back up to Chicago, funny how the world works. But I remember that's when you were on the Ferris wheel. That's right.

Oh, it was very cold out. Yeah, I got the bum gig having to do that. But last thing is, you. You didn't get either one for all the great stuff that you've had happened to you in this life. Hall of Fame or Lombardi, you can only have one. Which do you wish you would have? What do you mean? I do have a Lombardi.

All right. I have a ring. Okay. Kind of. I have a Super Bowl ring that says Jones drew on it. Are you kidding me? All right. Guess what?

Then I have, where are my rings? I got all my. I don't know. I don't know where your rings are. I'm telling you I have a ring in 2021 with the Los Angeles Rams. Not only did I get one. I got the players. ring. And let me tell you

something. A player's ring. What did you do to get a player's ring? Because I'm a player. P-L-A-Y-A, play-ya. So I got a ring. Anyways, I got a player's ring. And this is a crazy. I tell people this all the time. Like, I am a very humble guy.

But don't let me be two-time Super Bowl champion. Don't, do you not let the Rams win another one? Because if the Rams with another one, oh, check. It's going to cost you. Well, listen, I love, I got a lot of bears loving pals up there in Chicago who will be in the stadium and everything else. I'd love to see Caleb move on. Oh, yeah. I'd also love to see Rams at Seahawks to settle the hash that was left up there last month and figure this thing out. Maurice, you're the best. You proved it once again. I could do another

three hours with you, but you got to go talk to who, James Baxter. That's right. James Baxter. I'm going to text of now, Tom. I didn't know his name was James Baxter. All right. Jesus. Because it is a little bio that you know on your contacts, people can edit their bio. It says J.B. So I thought it was John Brown. Jimmy B. That's it. Maurice, have a good and safe and successful trip up to Chicago land. Many good stakes. Be on the lookout. Go get yourself one of those. You can't take better than a steak in Chicago. I appreciate it. See you later. Be well. Go Hoosiers. There he goes. M.J.D.

even better than advertised, right? What a terrific conversation with our old pal there. Let's pick up where we left off, specifically Rams and Bears. Let's give you our picks before we get out of here. Home team Chicago Bears plus three and a half. Total is 48 and a half. The story, it feels like to me, aside from gunslinger young version, gunslinger, old version, is the weather. Soup, what's the latest forecast up there? Well, Sunday in Chicago, we're going to have light snow, 19 degrees will be the high, 2 degrees will be the low, winds 17 miles an hour. Let me tell you something. Anecdotally, as somebody who has been to Soldier Field a number of times,

it is for real 20 degrees colder than whatever the temperature is, because you're right by the lake and at night and everything else. It's going to be frigid. The, you know, broadly speaking, the SoCal teams don't have a great track record. Matthew Stafford definitely doesn't. Gino Fuentes, what did you say, Matthew Stapford? average career record is in frigid temps? One and nine all time

and cold weather game is Matthew Stafford. Well, that's not good. I'm going to try to give you a little optimism. I'm going 2823. The SoCal boys go up there and break the hearts of Chicago land. How say you, Mike Fuentes? I'm writing with what Jeff said.

I don't think the Bears' defense is that good. I think the Packers definitely lost that game. They had it in hand. You blow a 21 to 3 lead. You know, the floor is supposed to be this gigantic offensive guy. The statute, Jordan Love couldn't really do anything. I don't think the Rams are going to have that problem. They have a lot more talent, I feel, offensively, and the Packers have.

I love the receiving core of the Packers. Don't get me wrong. But in the end, to me, it's a bunch of twos and threes trying to, you know, masquerading as a one. They don't have that problem. The Rams don't have that problem. They got a legit one on a lot of teams. Avanti Adams would still be a one on a bunch of teams. He's their number two.

Kiron Williams, I think, is one of the most underrated backs in the lead. They got a bunch of good titles. Yeah. If they get out to a lead, the offense is not going to have a problem, keeping the foot on the gas against a defense that basically just lived by turnover. So I don't think they're going to make those mistakes, especially if they can't stop Kiron and Kauram on the ground. I think it's going to be not a walk in the park for the Rams, but I think they went pretty

comfortably. I'm going to say by a 10-point margin, you can pick the points. I think you just said it there. I agree with you about the high-end receivers, but I think that the difference is going to be their ability to run the ball on the bear. Sorry there, Gino. My whole thing is that the bears can't keep getting away with this. They can't keep doing this and getting fourth quarter comebacks from their

quarterback, especially not a guy who went to school and in California. I love the gun slingers, though. Either way, we win on that front. Next up, Houston Texans, New England Patriots, the redo of the Letterman Jacket bowl, if you remember when JJ Watt and his pals did that.

What was that? Like a decade or so ago? Who cares? In the here and now, Patriots laying three, total 40 and a half at the time of this recording. I'm going Patriots. 1716. This leads us to an AFC

title game. I'm going to tip it for you a little bit where I'm going in just a second here. May v. Nicks, Bo v. Drake, a new Peyton and Brady for a new generation. How say you, Gino Fuentes? I hope you're right, man, because this Houston Texans defense is really good. And I'm talking about like they can probably win games on their own. And I don't want them to win this game because I don't. They have to. They have to, given what you saw from C.J. Stroud, they're going to have to win the game for the Texans. I mean, if May's season means anything, they got to cut them on top. this week. So I'm kind of with you, 17, 16. I'll give it a little bit more. I'll give it like a 20 to 18 just because I don't want my eyeballs to bleed watching it. But yeah, I think we were talking about this earlier and I've been saying it for a long time. The Houston Texans, they're a quarterback away. C.J. Stroud wanted to lose that game against the Steelers.

He wanted to give that way a game. He tried everything he could. The Texans defense would not allow him to lose that game for them. They scored two of themselves. And I think that I don't really trust in the Patriots either. We've kind of called them frauds all year, saying their schedule was soft. They kind of have the perfect opportunity to win this game because the Texans' offense could just not give the defense anything. It's a tough game for the Texans, but I'm going to have to say that the Patriots are going to pull it out just because I have more faith in their own.

offense and I do in the Texans offense. Well, it's funny, ironically, or otherwise, I've been saying for two months now, the Texans are the most loaded team, the best team, maybe top to bottom in the AFC, but my opinion changed by watching them beat the Steelers on Monday night. I mean, they're really, what I don't think is available to them, and maybe they'll prove me wrong, is I don't think that Woody Marks is going triple digits on the ground against the Patriots like they did against the Steelers. That is, I mean, the Tomlin news kind of obscured the actual deeds that went down on Monday night football in Pittsburgh. But that was the disgrace from the Steeler side of things was that that bum offensive line and Woody Marks made so much hay in a low scoring game. That touchdown is the margin of victory.

I know it got sideways towards the end with defensive touchdowns and everything else. But the heart of that game is in a tight-knit affair, their ability to run the ball for that one drive and get into the locker. room 7, 6. I just don't think that's going to happen against the Patriots in this case. Now that they know, C.J. Stroud is a liability borderline. It doesn't seem like he's altogether right. How do you explain otherwise? All those turnovers, fumbles, not able to even receive the snap successfully. I think this adds up to, like I say, a Patriots win narrow, though. Now, the second best rivalry of the 21st century is the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks.

maybe Bears Packers has now jumped over it again, but we've had now two distinct eras in the last 25 years of the Niners and Seahawks both being good at the same time. Here in January of 2026, it's clear that the Seahawks of the superior team, the football gods, have not smiled on the Niners in terms of injuries, although there is some hope for Fred Warner to get out there at the time of this recording. I think if he is, it's more inspirational than it is practical value. I don't know what he can contribute after this much time off on a bum ankle. The biggest spot, at least in the NFC, is Sam Darnold.

The pressure is on him. The curse of Sposta weighs heavy on his shoulders. He's got to get this one done. Seahawks are laying 7, 45 and a half. The Hawks get it and cover 2617. Sorry, Niners. I didn't do it to you. The football gods did it to you.

I don't know why they banged you up to this. degree, but I think Sam Darnold does get over the hump. And that means we are getting the big reckoning game, Rams, Seahawks about a month after that weird two-point conversion and all the rest of it. How say you Mike Fuentes? It does seem like we're headed towards that. And you know what the Rams deserve it, that fluky two-point conversion. It sits on my head. You know, that's the way it should be. And I like the 49ers a lot. I think they have one of the most exciting offenses. But after what the Seahawks did to them and that was what week 18, it's just tough to think they're going to pass the test. So Fred Warner are not, Seahawks are going to the championship. I think losing George Kittle is a bridge too far. And that is the one weakness in the Seahawks defense is they don't cover the tight end well. And now you don't have Kittle. And that could have been your go-to thing. That usually is Purdy's go-to thing. So I tend to agree with you guys. I think the Seattle wins this one. Well, you know, like we talked about with Maurice and we talked about with Jeff Schwartz earlier in the week and all of that, you know, professional athletes have a different level of confidence than we normies have. And so they can overcome obvious, obvious.

obstacles. Still, I don't know what you say in the locker room if you're Kyle Shanahan to, like, they just physically beat us up a month ago. What about that would possibly change between then and now? Not much is the answer to my rhetorical question. So next up, and lastly, Buffalo Bills. Talk about a big spot. Josh Allen's in one. He is expected to carry the day with an otherwise pretty mediocre roster. Denver Broncos loaded up your number one seed second year guy, Bo Nix. You know why if you've listened to this show for any amount of time. I think the Broncos are headed to the Super Bowl. They are giving a mere point and a half.

Total is 45 and a half. I already told you. I think the Broncos are going to win this game. And so they will. 24, 21. I'm sorry, Josh Allen. Enjoy fatherhood. Bo Nix.

Enjoy the AFC title game against your new arch rival, Drake May. How say you, Gino, Fuente? I think it's going to Josh Allen's going to make this close because he makes every game close. I mean, I think in the end it's going to be the Broncos running game and defense and maybe short passing game that it comes out on top here because the bills

have nothing left. I mean, Josh Allen's got to run for 50 plus yards. I mean, they've got a running game, but I mean, they've got what, three active receivers left on the roster now. Yeah, it's just, you know, last week, Dave, you asked us like I mean, Gabe Davis is one of them too? No, Gabe Davis is Torres-A, oh, he's gone. Please, Gabe Davis is going to.

Oh, sorry, cut that. So this is the game. Remember last week, Dave, you asked us, like, which is the game you have the least amount of confidence in picking. I think this is this one just because I'm so not sure, unsure about the Broncos offense. I know the defense is going to be fine. But all you need is a couple of great moments from Josh Allen to put the bills over the hump, just like they did against Jacksonville, which is a team that came in and smoked the Broncos in mile high. So I'm not picking against Josh Allen the rest of the way.

I'm going to the Super Bowl and the AFC. But I'm not that confident this week. I hear you, man. And, you know, everybody does it. I just did it. A lot of people talk about how it's a one-man show. I mean, a high-end guy is James Cook. He's going to have to rise up here if the bills are to have a chance here. I think the Broncos are going to go home happy and then go home again to play the Patriots, as I already said. And there you have it, our division around picks looking forward to. If I'm right, that's a juicy final for Seahawks hosting the Rams and Broncos Patriots just like it was 15 years ago. between Brady and Peyton, a new version of it for the new generation.

All right. Let's move on to individual performances, shall we? All right. Last thing, and it's important because it can win you a million dollars if you get it all the way right. I'm talking about pick six presented by Draft Kings. Draft Kings. The Crown is yours.

I hope this is still available for you. I assume it is the gimmee pick of the week. Josh Allen, over half a passing yard. I think he's going to get that. Call me an optimist. Also, as we do every week, I pick a guy who's going to score a touchdown or guys who are going to score at least one touchdown. Zach Chabody, he did it last time against the Niners. He'll do it again.

Christian McCaffrey will return the favor for the visiting Niners. Kieran Williams is going to get into the end zone at least once. And Trayvian Henderson is going to score a touchdown for the home team up in Foxborough. Among your touchdown throwers, two will be thrown by Josh Allen. That's that. Those are my pick six picks. Fuentes, boys. How say you? I'm going to ride with Josh Allen rushing touchdown.

It cashed for us last week. It's going to cash for us this week. He's going to have to battle in every game. I said this last week. Every game he's going to have to do beyond belief he'll need a rushing touchdown and a passing touchdown in every game. So I'm going to get Trayon Henderson out of there just because I feel like Remind J. Stevenson is taking up way too much real estate in that backfield.

Fair. So I'm going to take out Trayvion. I'm going to put in Josh Allen. And I'm going to leave your Josh Allen to touchdowns. So I think any two touchdowns passing and one rushing. Three total from Josh Allen to get by those dastardly Denver Broncos and that 37-year-old starting quarterback that have Bo Nix. Right.

Okay, I'm going to go. Let me see. Colston Loveland has been on fire lately. No one can cover him. He's just too athletic for a tight end. So I'm going to say he scores a touchdown. And I'm going to take the two touchdown throws for Josh An out because he is playing a really good defense.

Good stuff. I think I like Mike's replacements for what I floated. there. Henderson out. I think Josh Allen in. I like that choice. Either way, by hooker by crook, whoever gets into the end zone for your favorite team, I hope it leads to a victory. I hope all the division

around teams advance to the title games. Wait, that can't happen. All right, we'll see how it does settle, and we'll talk to you on the other side of the divisional round. I'll be doing it from Miami, Florida. The scene of the national championship, Fernando and company on their way to play the U. will be talking with you

from Football America. And then Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, I'm sitting in on the Levitard show. Make sure you're checking that out. Until next time, thanks so much, my fellow football Americans. It's been a thin slice of heft.