The Herd with Colin Cowherd - What’s Wright - Best Of - Nick Wright REACTS to Seahawks-Patriots Super Bowl LX, Drake Maye STRUGGLES, Darnold CLEANSES GHOSTS

Episode Date: February 15, 2026

All lines provided by Hard Rock Bet.   Nick Wright reacts to Sam Darnold and the Seattle Seahawks' dominant Super Bowl LX win over Drake Maye's New England Patriots. Nick breaks down Darnold's career redemption, Maye's playoff struggles, and what lies ahead for both teams in the 2026-2027 NFL season. #VolumeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Body by Jake Radio, where hope meets momentum. Search Body by Jake Radio and stream it for free. Have a great day. I heart radio. Welcome to the best of the week for What's Right with Nick Wright, the best takes and moments from this week on the show. Enjoy. Before we even really get into the game, this is a bit of a litmus test. Did you enjoy watching that game?

Yeah, I mean, hey, you want to call me a casual? That's fine. I like to see some players on offense. I was a little underwhelmed with the game. I was a little underwhelmed. But I mean, I understand. I understand the great, there's great defense being played. No, I'm, so I'm not, I'm not calling you a casual.

Because I, so here is what your mom got mad at me yesterday. Because I didn't even realize it, but evidently during the game, when your mom and sister and my mom were commenting that it wasn't a very exciting game. evidently I kept saying it's professional football this is great I didn't even know I was saying that I just evidently I said it repeatedly and I was like this is a great game and then yesterday I just said offhandedly that it was kind of boring and your mom's like what are you you said all throughout the game how great of a game it was and so here's the thing I can appreciate a low scoring game I think low scoring game

scoring games can be great, but it needs to feel more in the balance, like a six to three game where anyone play to me can be captivating. This didn't quite feel like that. It felt like it was one team dominating the other, and there wasn't a lot of intrigue in the outcome after half time. I mean, both the defenses were pretty solid, but yeah, I mean, New England offense. It was just like they were still playing in the snow. It was pretty pretty bad. Right. So we will get to all of that first rate voice mail brought to you by

Boos Mobile. Sam Darnold and Kenneth Walker the third celebrated Disney. One of the most charming American traditions making our hungover gladiators after the greatest day of their life hang out, you know, at seven in the morning with Mickey Mouse. It'll never make total sense, but it's awesome. So, DeMonsey nailed the Gatorade bath, uh, color. That's a nice little plus 200 or whatever it was. Most receiving yards, but I think Matt Collins screwed me over there at the end. Oh, yeah, you're right. You're right.

Um, and then, so my favorite Super Bowl commercials. So I have a confession here. I would, or plus 275, great job DeMonze on the color of the Gatorade. And I don't want to spend too much time on. this so I'm just going to say it quickly. If you'd have asked me right after the Super Bowl what my favorite commercial was, I would have snap

said, it's like, man, that ring camera about finding lost dogs. I was like, that's awesome. And then I get on social media and everyone's like, you living, this is the surveillance state. This is how they take over our lives.

And I was like, oh, damn. I was just thinking about lost dogs. I was like I thought it was a pretty compelling case like you just put things up on the telephone pole now we can find the dog and then they're like don't you know anything about how they're gonna use this to enslave us and I'm like sweet Christ I wouldn't think in that much so I don't know so I have to put a so I don't know what my favorite Super Bowl commercial was I need to do more investigation um all right I will at some point on today's show discuss oh man the hot almost too hot to touch topic of the halftime show. Oh, boy. Do people have takes? And do people make fools of themselves with their takes so consistently?

Up to and including, I think we've seen our first real retreat in the culture wars, one Jake Paul. Jake Paul, well, Jake Paul, who lives in Puerto Rico to avoid taxes. Jake Paul had like a little tweet storm about how much he hated the halftime show and how offended he was by it. And then the next day

tweets out, yo, what happened on my Twitter yesterday? I love Puerto Rico. I love Bad Bunny. But like it was like not believable at all. He was pretending he didn't have those opinions even though his brother, who's also not known to be a Minta member,

There's tweet was like, I got to say, I disagree with my brother Jake on this. So I, so I don't know, some really bad takes, no, some really bad takes by some really bad actors. And I mean that bad actors literally and figuratively, I guess, in the case of the Paul brothers. But we will get that, we will get to that later. But first, De Manze, let's get to Super Bowl 60 champions. Yeah, for the second time in franchise history, the Seahawks are Super Bowl champions. That defense was prolific. Darnel managed the game.

He didn't turn it over. What were you most impressed by in the game? Well, so obviously, it has to be the defense. And we will, but I think Darnal does deserve credit, which we'll get to. And I'm going to get right to the Super Bowl MVP piece of it because that to me is about the defense. I think the voters should have colluded. And by that I mean, I think the voters should have, you know, gotten on a group text or something and said, hey,

do we think Seattle's defense is the MVP of this game? If so, let's all get together and pick a guy to represent that. because the reason it's so hard for a defensive player to win MVP, barring a Von Miller type of performance where it's just one guy wrecking the game, is those votes can be split so much. And I got to think that Devin Witherspoon and Derek Hall and Byron Murphy all were in contention. and because of that, Kenneth Walker, who again, he did have the most rushing yards in a Super Bowl since Terrell Davis, nearly 30 years ago. He had an awesome game and he would have probably won MVP going away if there hadn't been a hold on the 40-yard touchdown run at the end.

That it doesn't feel indicative of this game for an office. offensive player to have won MVP. And so my vote would have been for Devin Witherspoon because I thought the way they deployed Devin Witherspoon, DeMonse who in the entire regular season had 21, regular season and playoffs prior to the Super Bowl, had 21 pass rush snaps. And in the Super Bowl, had seven. So he was a guy who rushed the passer a little more than once a game in the regular season. And then they kept spamming it in the Super Bowl and the Patriots couldn't respond.

He got a sack. He got a hurry. He hit the quarterback three times. And he forced the fumble that actually wasn't a fumble because it ended up being ruled an intercept and there was returned for a touchdown. So Seattle's defense, which Mike and we talked about this a lot in the week leading up to it, young quarterbacks get eaten up by my. McDonald's defense. They're now 1 in 10 scoring less than 16 points a game. Quarterbacks of any age, the first time they play a Mike McDonald defense dating back to his time in Baltimore and Seattle are like 10 and 33 scoring less than 16 points a game.

He crushes people. And so the story was Seattle's defense making the Patriots look poorly coached, and they're not poorly coached, but they looked poorly coached in that game. It looked like you wanted to say something there to mostly. Go ahead. Can you not, I know you usually give it to one player. Can you just give the MVP to the defense as a whole? So I would have loved that. Right, you can't.

But yeah, I mean, that that was the story. Because it was so clearly, like it was then. It was every level of them. It was every, every guy on the Seahawks defense, except for they. the guy who punched Stefan Diggs in the face and got away with it, probably deserved a share of that defensive MVP. And so, listen, I'm not going to freak out about Kenneth Walker winning it. He had a great game and it typically goes to an offensive player.

But the story was that Seahawks defense, that if you're not named Matt Stafford or oddly, Baker Mayfield, that Seahawks defense put you in hell all year long. all year long. Like that is, the other thing this Super Bowl was a validation of was the MVP, even though it was incredibly close.

So the Seahawks defense allowed 38 and a loss to Baker in a game that I think Daniel made me some money by telling me to do the Baker-Mayfield live comeback bet and they ended up winning the game and they allowed 37 to the Rams in the regular season and 27 in the playoffs.

But the other games Seattle played this year, they allowed 17 to Purdy, 17 to Rogers, 13 to I think it was Spencer Rattler at the time, 20 to Kyler Murray. And again, I'm just looking at points allowed. so there might have been defensive touchdown scored by this team, so maybe the Seattle evens actually allowed less. 12 to Trevor, 19 to C.J. Stroud, 14 to Jaden Daniels in a game that Jaden got hurt in. So the 22 to whoever's playing quarterback for the Cardinals at that point.

21 to Stafford the first time. 24 to Cam Ward, 0 to Brosmer, 9 to Kurt Cousins, 16 to Philip Rivers, 10 to Bryce Young, three to Brock Purdy the second time, six to Brock Purdy the third time, and 13 to Drake May and the Patriots, and really seven. Like they allowed seven when the game was actually in the balance.

It was a dominant, dominant start-to-finish performance. And by start-to-finish, I mean of the season. And so they are now the fifth team ever to, if you care about DVOA, to finish the year, number one ranked DVOA defense and number one ranked DVOA overall. Four of those five teams won the Super Bowl and the one that didn't was Mike McDonald's. Draven's team that ran into Mahomes in the AFC title game. They were a great team. And those of us that said the NFC championship game was the Super Bowl were correct.

The two best teams in the NFL this year were the Seahawks and the Rams. And they played three times. They were all very memorable for different reasons. and the right team won the championship this year. And so I have no complaints. I have no qualms with, I said that this had the potential to be a weird year. And it kind of was a weird year.

But I also want to make this clear. And I know nobody's thinking about like the chiefs being in the Super Bowl. at this point for this season. But at like week six, the Chiefs were the Super Bowl favorites, okay? Had the Chiefs rallied the way I thought they were going to and the way some of the bookmakers thought they were going to,

and had Mahomes not gotten hurt, and had they ended up in these AFC playoffs where I think they could have made the Super Bowl? This Seattle team is the exact type of team that has beaten the Chiefs up in Super Bowls. I mean, the front four getting correct. It was, and by the way, and this is, you know, it is really good, and I'm really happy that the Rams de Monse got the Super Bowl they got five years ago.

Yeah. Because if you're a Rams fan, last postseason, you played a, the Eagles to this much, you're down six ball at the 15 with a minute left to win the game. You lose and then the Eagles curb stomp their next two opponents to win the Super Bowl. This year, you have the ball at the 14 down four more than a minute left. The game wouldn't have been over, but a chance to take the lead against Seattle. you don't convert. And then Seattle curb stomps New England in the Super Bowl.

Like the Rams, the last two champions have played nail biters with the Rams in the playoffs and then beaten their next three opponents by like a combined 70. And they're not quite 70. Yeah. And so it goes to show how hard it is to win the Super Bowl. and it also it also

it goes to show how important it is when you get to a Super Bowl to finish the deal because imagine how the Rams would really and I know it's a bunch of different players but Stafford and McVeigh are feeling if their last two seasons ended

this way and when they were in the Super Bowl Joe Burrow had beaten them on that last drive so Seattle's the rightful champs. Seattle's been the best team. And Seattle deserves a lot of credit, DeMonte, for John Schneider, twice winning Super Bowls with quarterbacks who at the beginning of the year they won the Super Bowl

were just considered guys. Russell Wilson turned into a great player. Russell Wilson, his second year in the league was just a guy. Sam Darnold was just a guy. And we're going to talk more about Darnold in a bit. But, you know, credit to John Schneider for, and gutsy moves, man. Moved on from Pete Carroll, which I criticized. Moved on from Gino Smith for Sam Darnold, which I heavily criticized.

The Russell Wilson trade, I applauded, but they so many, Devin Witherspoon, Charles Cross, so many of the key guys, from that Super Bowl were picks they got from Denver in the Russell Wilson trade. So let's talk a little more about the Seahawks. I know you have follow-ups here. Yeah. Do you think this is just the beginning for the Seahawks? Their favorites to repeat next year.

Yeah, but nobody's like a big favorite, you know, the, there's everybody's tightly. Yeah. Justed. Very, very, very, very, very, very hard to repeat. now Seattle almost did it a couple years you know not a couple years ago 10 years ago with a similar blueprint um and darnold won't be super expensive next year and the defense is young um but we don't have and maybe listen who knows what darnold's going to turn into we don't have instances certainly in the modern NFL

of anyone repeating without a super duper star quarterback and it's in the modern NFL, it's Bradshaw I mean in all of NFL I think I can do this. It's Bart Star, Bob Greasy, who is not a super duper star,

Bradshaw twice, Montana, Aikman, Elway, Brady, Mahomes. That's your list. So after, you know, after Greasy, the worst quarterback of that group is Troy Aikman. So I think repeat very, very tough, but I do think they are positioned really well. And, well, this gets to your next question about the rest of the league.

Yeah, what did Seattle approve to the rest of the league by winning this game? Well, so here's what, here's the question I would have for you. what do you think's easier finding the next Patrick Mahomes echelon guy or building a super defense because and I don't I mean it might be I think it might be easier to find I don't know I was going to say I don't know it's like one guy the defense that's a bunch of guys So the, so here is, here is the lesson I would take from, if I'm the rest of the league, from Seattle winning. Don't hamstring yourself from being able to build out this great roster, which by the way, starts with just drafting well, which everyone has the opportunity to do.

by lying to yourself that your quarterback can be the next to Mahomes. So if, listen, if your guy, you obviously are always in the draft looking for that guy. But if after a couple years, you know deep in your heart, he, you know, he can be good, but he's never going to be that guy, it doesn't mean you can't win a Super Bowl with them, but it does mean you won't win a Super Bowl with him if... Without that defense? Well, no, if in order to pretend he's that guy, you pay him like he's that guy, you...

Oh, fair, because then you don't have the players. Right, bend your team to his will as if he were that guy. But it is really interesting that, you know, this decade, the way to win a Super Bowl has been have Patrick Mahomes or have this stacked NFC roster Seattle, Philly

well you know what Patrick Mahomes were Brady because I don't think Tampa was like a stacked roster they were a good team that had Brady but remember even when the Rams when they won it they had traded for Jalen Ramsey they had traded for Stafford they had gone all in in that moment

And so I think the other thing that I do think this season was a reminder of, and this is for both teams in the Super Bowl. Man, you have the right coach and things can get very real, very quickly. You think we should have been talking about McDonald this whole time instead of Ravel? I feel like we talked a lot about Rable and his. coaching ability. McDonald.

Listen, and the Ravens defense hasn't been the same since he left. Right. I do think, as silly as this sounds, there is a real coastal bias as far as I think guys on the West Coast don't get as much attention from East Coast-based media as guys on the East Coast. So, like, I think of Mike McDonald was the coach, doesn't even have to be a supermarket team. was doing this with the Washington commanders. He would have had better PR, so to speak, than he got. Like, Seattle is, you know, very often kind of buried in that 405 window on Sundays.

They weren't the super marquee team. But McDonald was brilliant. He was brilliant all year. He doesn't really show too much character. Even like the super angry coaches, I feel like they're angry. But him, he's just stone face, like the whole time. He doesn't have a huge personality. Yeah.

I mean, I'm not saying his bad personality, but no, but yes, as far as like PR and stuff, I feel like people fall in love with like Dan Campbell and stuff like that, like with the outwardly projecting yourself. But yeah, he's like a little bit more than that. And for Vrabel, it also helps. He was a very memorable player. I know not for you. You're too young.

But guys, my age, remember Vrabel winning Super Bowls with New England. And Vrabel's also, you know, more engaging. But at some point, the Vrable PR, and I talked to this on the TV show, and I think Vrable's a great coach. But the articles, the days before the Super Bowl, and they were like, guess what, guys, he simulated a long half time at practice. That's how locked in is. It's like no shit, man. Like that, we're not reinventing the wheel here. All right, today's show is brought to you by our presenting sponsor, Hard Rock Bet, Florida Sportsbook.

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Hey, it's us, the Jonas brothers. And guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, huge news? We created our own podcast called, Hey, Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it.

We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range. of podcasts throughout there. But this one's extra special. So how do we actually come up with a name, Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it.

Well, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band. Before Jonas Brothers. This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast,

where people could call in and say, hey Jonas. And then I wrote down my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends.

Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an Acapella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, fam?

It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano and our podcast Point Game is about defying the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game.

We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson,

we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nash would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court, licking his fingers why he got the ball. Like, you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah, you figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Keith Gianmanca seemed like a mild-mannered suburban dad.

But secretly, he became someone else, a master. of disguise who went on a crime spree. At the time, did it seem like a crazy idea? It seemed very crazy. But I felt so desperate that I felt it was the quickest, easiest way out. Did you allow yourself to think about how it could go wrong on what that might look like? No. I didn't want to manifest that.

I was trying to manifest success. Every family has its secrets. But what? What happens when you discover that your dad has been living a double life? That is not the look of an innocent man. This is going to change my life and my family dynamic forever, because everything that had existed prior in my reality is now untrue. Listen to Deep Cover the Family Man on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

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This is Help from a Hypocrat, the worst advice from the dumbest people you know. Listen to Help from Hypocrite as part of the My Cultura Podcast Network available on the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. All right, De Manzi, let's talk darnold before we get to the Patriots side. things. So Donald went from seeing Ghost to winning the Super Bowl. We know his path has not been the easiest one. I've been pretty crazy.

Is there been any other athlete that you can compare it to Donald's pathway? Or is he like a one of one? I mean, Brew brought up, oh my gosh. Now I can't. Jim Plunkett. Thank you, guys. Yesterday. As, I mean, it is a good.

It is a good comp, and I loved that Brew went there with it. Jim Blunkett was the number one overall pick in the draft, and then DeMonse was, he was the number one overall pick in the 1971 draft, and busted out with the Patriots, then, you know, busted out with the Niners pre-Montana, then went to the Raiders as a backup, up and won two Super Bowls with the Raiders and was right um and was cool yeah it's in all time

so that's the that is the gold standard of this but darnald is now the silver medalist the draft no but he was the third pick i mean he's the third pick of the draft a little Little known part of first things first lore, if you will. Darnold was one of our first in-studio guests back when it was me and Chris Carter. It was right before he was drafted. Or no, it would have been right after. No, I think it was right before the draft. And Chris brought with him his Hall of Fame tie.

and gave it to Donald. And along the lines of like, oh yeah, wear this when you make it. Right. Type of thing. That's also, yeah.

And then seeing how it's like kind of panned out the first few years of his career. It was a disaster. He was a punchline. Yeah. He was a punchline. And so I do think the fact that, and the Wilds talks about this a lot,

and he's not wrong. the seeing ghost thing was brutal it was also borderline unfair like NFL films miced up never embarrasses guys like they get a lot of audio that they don't use it's not like it's a live stream and that wasn't like caught on a hot mic he was miced up and then they played it on the broadcast which was kind of of a violation. I honestly never knew that that came from like out of his mouth. I thought that was something that somebody like people always referred to. It's like he's choking.

He actually said it. He was playing a Monday night football game against New England. It might have been his last start ever with the Jets. He's like on the sideline. I'm seeing ghosts out there guys. to one of its guys or whatever. Correct. That's exactly what happened.

So I'm going to look because his last start ever with the Jets was January 3rd, 2021. Was that a Monday is the question I'm asking? No. So maybe that wasn't the game. The, that, oh, no, it was. So let me see the October 21st, 2019. That was the game. So October 21st,

2019 was a Monday. The Jets lost 33 to nothing. He was 11 of 32 for 86 yards, four picks, no touchdowns. Bad game to start year two in the league. And he said, I'm seeing ghosts out there. And even though, by the way, that year, the team went seven and six,

outside of or when he played outside of that game, he had 19 touchdowns, nine picks. That was the memorable thing. And then the next year, he was brutal and the Jets were brutal. They moved him on to Carolina. He actually has like a decent stretching Carolina, but it doesn't matter. And he goes and be the, and he's the backup in San Francisco.

And then has that remark. year with the Vikings, but we all give hand up all the credit to Justin Jefferson and Kevin O'Connell and then feel validated by his final two games of the year and then goes Seattle. And this is what I want to say about Darnold because he wasn't great in the Super Bowl. He was very good at avoiding the disaster. And he was playing with fire early. First pass of the game, I thought could have been pick six. And it ended up being a 14-yard game.

Patriots were like, the Patriots approach was, you're going to blow it. The Patriots offensive approach early was, don't make a mistake, because Donald's going to blow it. And listen, he missed some throws, but he. didn't make the disaster mistake and I thought three times de Monzee he was going to get sex yes yeah he looked dead to rights and got out of it and those were big plays but here's the other thing I'll say about Darnold as far as how heavy this Super Bowl championship is for him in a good way. If you agree with me that the real Super Bowl was the NFC championship game, well, then you have to acknowledge he was the MVP of that game. Guy threw for 350, three touchdowns, a 128 rating.

Like, was awesome, going bar for bar with Matthew Stafford. So if that was their toughest game of the year he delivered he absolutely delivered and so listen he's 28 years old turned 29 in the off season he's got a lot in front of this will be his permanent home here in there in Seattle oh I mean I would imagine he gets an extension this summer yeah and they can so here's what they could do I would imagine imagine. So, because he's on a three year, $100 million deal, right? So his cap hit next year's $38 million and the year after is 41. I would think they could give him like another, they could give him three years, $150 million a year, thereabouts. And make it so he's always one of the

lower paid quarterbacks because they can put some of that on this year's cap, like they can spread that out. The 80 million cap dollars they owe over the next two, three plus 150. So that would be 230 million in cap dollars over the next five years. So that's 46 million a year average. That's still a bargain for a quarterback. So yeah, I mean, I think he's going to be in a good spot. and you got to be happy for him.

And he was so good in the NFC championship game. And so he has kind of taken Baker's Corner as the gold standard of the contemporary redemption story arc. Like Baker's had a really good one, but Donald's now a damn Super Bowl champion. Yeah. All right. Let's talk about the other side of the ball. All right. Everything was vindicated that the folks were saying about the Patriots and Drake May in this game. New England's offense was shaky.

They could not do anything. But obviously, this is Drake May's second year in the NFL. How are we feeling about New England side of things? Well, listen, I wanted to start with Drake May. He was awesome this year. Schedule or not, he was awesome. Week to week in the regular season. I didn't think he was the best quarterback in the league.

league this year i thought that was matt stafford but he was the most consistent he almost never had a bad game he i didn't think he had the greatest supporting cast and he was excellent that is an objective truth another objective truth is he was somewhere between pretty bad to downright awful in all four playoff games. There's not one playoff game you can point to and be like, no, that's the game he was excellent. The first game of the playoffs, they scored 16 points,

he threw a pick and had two fumbles. The second game of the playoffs, he threw a pick, had four fumbles, including a couple when it was so clear the only way they could lose was him turning the ball over because C.J. Stroud was

self-immolating on the other side of the field. Third game of the playoffs, he had 40 yards before there was a drop of snow falling from the sky and they scored seven points. And in this game,

he did absolutely nothing through three quarters. And then the moment is very interesting to Monzae. First nine drives, all punts. Then final five drives when it was like, okay, got to go for stuff, did score two touchdowns and had three turnovers. The moment it was, all right, we got to start trying. to play for big plays. He turned back into a turnover machine.

He was sacked 21 times this postseason the most by any quarterback in a playoffs ever. Not all of that is on him, but some of that is on him. These were not all instant sacks. And he fumbled seven times in four playoff games, the most of all time. So I think he's really good. but you give him a big break for it being a second year right

or no like it's no no no I give him a big break for it being a second year I don't immediately say though oh and he'll

he'll have a ton of chances to make up for this no that he's I like right now I would say I don't think the Patriots, like right now, if I were to do way too early playoff picks for next year, I wouldn't have the Patriots in it.

Oh, okay. Like, so that, so I just think, so here is the thing. Also the schedule changing up and stuff. Well, when I tell you how the schedule is changed up, I don't think you're going to believe it. Because it's not just that they have a first place schedule to Monse. It's that they draw as far as the way the NFL schedule works is, You play everyone in your division twice. That's six of your games.

Then you play one other division in your conference that rotates every year. One other division in the other conference that rotates every year. And then you have three strength of schedule games. Meaning if you were the division winner, you play the two division winners in your conference that aren't on your schedule plus one from the other conference. So the Patriots go from, and this is the important part about the schedule. Every year someone has the easiest schedule by definition. That wasn't why the Patriot schedule was noteworthy. Patriot schedule was noteworthy because it was the easiest schedule anyone has played this century.

And the second easiest schedule anyone has played in 50 years. So it wasn't just the easiest this season. It was by opponent winning percentage, the easiest in 25 years and the second easiest in 50 years. So that wasn't just because they were playing, you know, a last play schedule. It was also because they drew the NFC South, which wasn't good. And the AFC North, which turned out not to be good. next year they draw the NFC North and the AFC West, and their home road splits are tough.

So here Demonsie are, and they get a little unlucky, nine road games instead of eight, because that alternates every year. They have nine road games, DeMonson. These are the Patriots road games next year. Jets, Dolphins, Divisional games. Fine. Yeah.

The Bills, a divisional game. Here are there other six road games. The Bears, the Lions, the Chiefs, the Chargers, the Jags, the Seahawks. That's the list. Well, it's all of your non-divisional road games are playoff teams, except for the Chiefs. And the Lions. And now at home, you get your, again, your divisional opponents, Jets, Dolphins, Bills. And then at home, you also get the Raiders.

So that's nice. And your other home games are Vikings. Okay. Steelers, fine. Packers, Raiders. I'm sorry, Packers, I already said Raiders. Packers, Broncos. pardon me so it is it you have the history of in the last 30 years one team that lost the

super bowl got back to it the following year the 2017 Patriots did but they were maybe a little immunized from the Super Bowl hangover because they had won the Super Bowl in 2016 so it wasn't quite as emotionally devastating and 11 teams miss the playoffs outright or 13 teams and I think it's 11 let me make sure I have this right seven no this is what it is 17 teams after losing the Super Bowl made the playoffs 13 won a single playoff game or won at least one playoff game and only or I have that wrong. Ignore me on this because Josh sent this to me yesterday. I don't have to memory. Only one teams made it back to the Super Bowl and the majority of teams in the last

30 years have either missed the playoffs or been one and done in the playoffs. That I know the other numbers I don't have committed to memory. So it's tough. And I know people are going to talk about Drake May's shoulder. I do not attribute that performance to his shoulder in part because His best passes of the game were late, like after he'd been hit even more. I also... I feel like his receivers kind of dropped some stuff, too. Like, it was on the, I feel like some of the plays. Yeah.

He was getting there, and they just were, I don't know, couldn't get it. It was a bad game by everyone on the Pat's offense. Worst game by left tackle Will Campbell. Yeah. Who, now that's another thing. We're talking about, like, the Pat's future. they spent the number four overall pick on a guy who might just be a decent left guard. That would be a problem.

You draft them be a franchise left tackle. Now, maybe he'll get better, but that was... A fuel for it. Yeah, that was a rough one. And I... You just don't know. And so I'm going to give you another fact. And I'm not trying to...

Listen, I've been very pro-Drake-May all year. But I also thought the revisionist history on why he was struggling in the playoffs, as if every game was played in the weather of the final quarter and a half in Denver was nonsense. I also thought that people, Pat's fans kept saying, well, look at the great defenses they've played. And they were great defenses. But I don't, I personally, while I might not just kill you, if you play poorly against a great defense,

you don't get out of boys for playing a great defense and playing awful. Like, there's no credit to be gained from playing really badly against the great defense. They escaped. Right. And so things fell very nicely for New England along this playoff route. They earned that. Good for them.

The team that's got to be absolutely sick to their stomach is the Broncos. like, man, if Bo Nix does, now maybe the Broncos get beat up by Seattle, but they feel like we were better than New England and our quarterback got hurt. Here's another one, DeMonse. In the last 50 years, there have only been two quarterbacks

to lose the first Super Bowl they play in and ever win one. Just two. and that is Jalen Hertz and John Elway. John Elway lost his first three in the 80s and then got to back to back in the 90s. And there's not many quarterbacks. There's not many others. I'm trying to think who it would be.

Who are even the quarterbacks other than those guys to lose their first Super Bowl and even get back to a Super Bowl? Well, Jim Kelly, obviously. He went to four in a row. Ken Anderson maybe? I don't know. Regardless. Regardless. Well, Joe Burrow maybe.

But so, no, but the Joe Burrow thing's instructive. Bengals fans after year two. As sucks, we didn't win. We'll be back. We'll be right back. And the next year, they were close. They were in the AFC title game. and then never there again.

The one everyone always will bring up, so I'm not breaking news here, is the Miami Dolphins. Year two, Dan Marino, they're 14 and 2, Dan Marino wins league MVP. They go to the Super Bowl. They get beat up by the Niners. The next year, they're in the AFC championship game.

We're right there. We're going to be there every year with Marino. the rest of Dan Marino's career, they made the conference championship game once and made zero more Super Bowls. It's hard. And it's just particularly hard in the AFC when I would imagine DeMonsay next year,

Chiefs Ravens bounce back a bit. Are the Bengals going to be just an embarrassment forever? Are they going to finally get their action? together. There's just a lot of, so this was a great year for New England. But the reason they were

14 and 3 was an MVP candidate quarterback and they didn't get that in the playoffs. And there's a combination of factors. It's defenses. It's banged up.

It's competition. it's whether it's that you know he got a little tight in my opinion it's all of it but you're not guaranteed to be back there and i'll say one other thing sacks are not exclusively a quarterback stat but they are they also aren't you know totally removed from quarterback play and drake may now in how many games is the kid played? He's played 30 games, okay? 29 starts. So 29 games in the regular season 4 in the playoffs.

So he's had 33 starts in his career. In those 33 starts, he has been sacked 102 times. That feels like too big of a number. and is something that I would be at least a little concerned about. All right, you ever notice how everything keeps going up, rinse going up, streaming services going up, your favorite burrito spot wants to charge you extra for Salza, not with Boost Mobile. With Boost Mobile, you and your phone bill, don't have to play the Will This Go Up Soon game?

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We have some big news. What's the news, new? Huge news. We created our own podcast called, Hey, Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed. First people to do podcasts.

Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there. But this one's extra special. So how do we actually come up with a name, Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. Well, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band. Before Jonas Brothers was... This is how you guys remember it going down?

Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast. people could call in and say, hey Jonas, and then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest,

SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano, and our podcast Point Game is about defying the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows.

Without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson,

we dive into some playoff history too Steve Nash will get that thing that man, hell get the flying, he running up the court, licking his fingers while he got the ball, like, after you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah, you figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court,

and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Keith Gianmanca seemed like a mild-mannered suburban dad, but secretly, he became someone else, a master of disguise who went on a crime spree. At the time, did it seem like a crazy idea? It seemed very crazy, but I felt so desperate that I felt it was the quickest, easiest way out.

Did you allow yourself to think about how it could go wrong on what that might look like? No, I didn't want to manifest that. I was trying to manifest success. Every family had its secrets. But what happens when you discover that your dad has been living a double life? That is not the look of an innocent man. This is going to change my life and my family dynamic forever, because everything that had existed prior in my reality is now untrue. Listen to Deep Cover the Family Man on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Jordan O'Don. You might know me as that last.

guy who yells out, help on the internet. Help! Somebody! Please! But there's so much more to me than me. I'm an actor. I'm a comedian, and recently, I've become quite the helper myself. And on my new podcast, Hope from a Hypocrite, I'll be changing lives, helping people in need with my sage advice and thoughtful solutions. Sike! I'm a comedian! I'm not qualified to give good advice. Join me and my comedian friends as we riff rant and recommend some of the most legally

dubious advice known to man. If I'm calling you, even if you're on your phone, let it ring twice. One ring is too scary. Cream a chicken suit. Hey, cream a chicken suit. This is Help from a Hypocrite, the worst advice from the dumbest people you know. Listen to Help from Hypocrite as part of the MyCultura podcast network available on the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Real quick, before we get to the MVP voting, which happened after our last show, a reminder, please send in any questions because we're going to do a mailbag-style podcast next week. All right, DeMonze, let's go to the Stafford stuff. Oh, yeah, so as we know, Dracquard beat Drake May by about a vote in the MVP race. After seeing this game, he also announced that he's returning next year. But after seeing this game, do you think that the voters are correct? Well, you know what I think. Yes, definitely. I also think that it was flawed logic to do what some folks were doing, which is Stafford carved up the Seahawks defense. Staffords, you know, and Drake May were one A, one B and MVP voting. So why can't Drake May carve up the Seahawks defense? defense. When Stafford carved up the Seahawks defense with the help of Shaw McVeigh, with

Pooka, with Devante Adams, and with the benefit of having played them by the time they got to the NFC championship game five times in the previous 14 months because divisional opponent and all of that. Like that's just, that's not what it was. Matt Stafford deserved league MVP this year. He was the best player in the league this season. I don't. think it is all that close. It was closer than it should have been. And I think the Super Bowl put a spotlight on it. As mad as people were at my buddy Sam Monson for the Justin Herbert MVP vote, I do want to spend a second about the, you know, my pal, friend of the show.

and voters' obsession with him, Josh Allen, in getting two first place votes. So this is now... So again, he should be on the ballot. No question about it. But first place means you think they should win it. I also have a theory

that I stumbled upon when we were talking about Hall of Fame stuff, that I wonder if people would vote more honestly for Hall of Fame and awards if this is how they did it. We're going to have 50 voters. Everyone's going to fill out their ballot.

And we are not counting the votes. We are putting all of the votes in a big Ben stirring them up and picking one ballot at

random. And that's the award. Because I know, so just hear me out on this. Let's think about the Hall of Fame thing with Belichick. Yeah. If people, if that's what, because I do feel like some people like with the Hall of Fame, they're like, well, this guy's going to get in. I'd rather my vote go for this person, try to, you try to game the system.

I didn't Sam Monson when he voted for Justin Herbert or even the people who voted for Josh Allen. they did not think this guy's going to win what they thought was i want to you know show how much value right yeah but if people knew no there's not going to be other people to fix your mistakes so to speak we are we trust you 50 voters and one of your ballots is just going to be the ballot and there's no way of telling who's i do wonder if people would be like okay i i need to yeah i can't put justin her with right i can't so i and i feel the same way it's very very difficult to make the case josh allen had a better year than stafford or drake yeah and this is now and i only care about the first place votes piece of it so i we now have had

the following instances. And I'm not picking, this is not Josh's fault. And in fact, a lot of the blowback, if there is any, or backlash Josh Allen gets, is because of some of the media treatment that is indicative of these votes. Because I don't think Josh Allen thought he deserved league MVP this year. But two of the 50 voters did. And here is the trend that I'm talking about. And I'm going to use very simple numbers here.

Okay. I understand it's more than that and I get it. But I'm going to, it's a podcast and so I can't show it to you graphically. This year, Matthew Stafford had 4,700 yards, this passing numbers, 4,700 yards, 46 touchdowns, 8 picks. Josh Allen had 3,600 yards, 25 touchdowns, 10 picks, and two people. voted for him for MVP last year he won it I thought he should have won it but again if we're just doing the passing numbers he had 3,700 yards 28 touchdowns six picks Lamar had 4,100 yards 41 touchdowns four picks fine dog Josh Allen got a first place vote the year before

when he had 29 touchdowns and led the league in interceptions with 18, Dak Prescott did not get a first place vote that year when he had 36 touchdowns and half the interceptions. 22, when Patrick Mahomes had 41 touchdowns, 12 picks, and 5200 yards, Josh Allen got one first place vote when he had 4,200 yards, 35 touchdowns, and 14 picks. And the, maybe the best one, in 2020, when Aaron Rogers had 48 touchdowns and five picks, and Mahomes had 38 touchdowns and six picks. And both teams had better records.

records than the bills. Josh Allen got four first place votes when he had 37 touchdowns and 10 picks. It is, there is a couple MVP voters that are just Josh Allen no matter what voters, and it's baffling to me. Show yourself. And so I, you know, but the voters did get it right. And I think it's good for everyone involved, including Drake May, that he didn't win MVP. Stafford deserved it. And it does cement Stafford as a Hall of Famer, in my opinion.

And I'm glad. Now, these, again, these folks doing the top 10 quarterback stuff, like, we got a, let me see if I can find my all-time quarterback. See if I can find my all-time quarterback pyramid Because I didn't want to do it off top my head But give me one second And then we'll get out of here All-time quarterback pyramid I should have had this before

Um No, that's the all-time no I don't Gosh darn it You think outside of the Rams There are any other teams in Cancun Turn their TV off piss because they should have been there And they could have won that game I mean, just the Broncos.

Yeah. You know what I mean? Just the Broncos. Let me try. I'm going to try one other thing on this. Go ahead. Sorry. No, no, I was going to say the Texans, but the Texans have no way of getting there with their quarterback play.

So the, well, yeah, but, okay, I found one of my older all-time quarterback mountains. Just real quick, if we are, for people that are wanting to. do. Stafford, where he ranks, and again, is a Hall of Famer now, in my opinion. But quarterbacks who,

without a shadow of a doubt, have to be ahead of him in the all-time quarterback rankings. Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, Peyton Manning, Joe Montana, Dan Marino, John Elway, Aaron Rogers, Brett Farr, Roger Stalbock, Terry Bradshaw, Steve Young, Johnny Unitas, Bart Starr, Otto Graham, Sammy Bov because people tell me, I'll trust him on it, Drew Breeze.

And then we can start discussing him versus Big Big Big. Lamar, Big Ben and Lamar. Like that and Josh Allen. To round out your top 20. What did you think I was talking about? We're Stafford out there? Right. So those were all the guys that I just said ahead of him.

But ahead of him? So of all time quarterbacks, I'll do it again. Brady, Mahomes, Peyton, Montana, Marino, Elway, Rogers, Farr, Staubach, Bradshaw. Those are the 10 kind of modern era guys. And then I will add the old timers, which are Unitas, Star, Graham, Sammy Ball.

Now we're at 14. Then I would get to Steve Young, Drew Brees. And then after that, we can have the discussion of, after those 16 guys, Stafford alongside Lamar, Kurt Warner, Troy Aikman, Big Ben, Josh Allen, like to round out your top 20, top 25. That's the neighborhood he's in, but this top 10 all time, it's just not,

it's much like a lot of people's top tens, the people saying it would not actually say it if they put pen to paper. So that's, you know, that's, did you, did you think I had them too high, too low? I know you don't have the history. No, I understand. I mean, yeah, there was just a bunch of, a bunch of those guys, you know, I obviously did not watch, but I thought Matthew Stafford was a, I thought he'd be a little bit higher

up in your list. The problem for Stafford is the, the decade plus in Detroit when he was a good player, but not great. And like 0 and 3 in the playoffs, made one Pro Bowl. Like just, you know, and so again, he's all a famer now to me. I'm ahead of Philip Rivers, Eli Manning, Russell Wilson, those guys. But top 10 all time is just a bananas opinion. Bananas.

All right. Maybe audio only podcast on Thursday. Keep the questions coming because we will. We'll do a kind of a mailbag-style pod next week. But yeah, subscribe wherever you get your podcast. That'll help us out. And make sure you guys get to see whenever the podcast does come out on whatever platform it is.

But yeah, but please, if you're not watching live, by the way, put your mailbag questions in the comments on YouTube, and we can get to them that way. All right, huge thank you, as always, volume and to Blue Duck. Thank you to DeMonte, to Boost Mobile, and to Hard Rock Bet. And I will see you guys live, or you guys will hear me live from Daytona on Thursday. And I'll be on TV with Colin at about 90 minutes. Talk to you guys. Talk to you guys. We're the Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own

podcast called Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast. Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. People to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it, but, you know, tired and sick. Tired and sick. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it.

Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's, Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes.

Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast point game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season,

and I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again, I was funny. You just understood. That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Marquis come in, he's like, you know, I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs.

This was just basketball. So listen to Point Game on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Every family has its secrets. But what happens when you discover that your dad has been living a double life? That is not the look of an innocent man. Is everyone lying to me about who they are? I felt such desperation. I felt it was what I had to do.

Listen to Deep Cover the Family Man on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.