The Kevin Sheehan Show - NFL Playoffs & Terps w/SVP

Episode Date: January 23, 2023

Kevin was joined by Scott Van Pelt to recap the weekend of NFL Playoff games. Plenty from the boys on the Terps' close loss at Purdue. Kevin finished up the show with the New York Post story that Jeff Bezos is considering selling the Washington Post so that he can buy the Washington Commanders.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

You don't want it. You don't need it. But you're going to get it anyway. The Kevin Cheon Show. Here's Kevin. If anybody was wondering, they're declaring that Zeke Elliott is ineligible just by alignment, although they can lateral him the ball. Final play, it looks like barring a penalty.

Prescott over the middle of the turquered. Get smoked right away. And that'll do it with the 49ers. Back to the championship game. And that was the final play of the Dallas-Fan Francisco. go game last night. I don't know exactly what they were trying to do. I don't know if they practiced it with an actual defense in front of Zeke Elliott snapping the ball to to Dak Prescott, who threw it to Turpin. I don't know what the idea of that play was, but maybe Scott Van Pelt knows. He is with

me to start the podcast. Right now, a podcast that is presented by Window Nation. Go to Windonation.com or call them at 86690 Nation. Use my name. You'll get a free estimate. Right now it's buy to get two free plus zero percent financing for five full years. Scott's with me to talk divisional round playoffs and we'll talk Terps and Purdue yesterday as well. What did you think of that last effort by Dallas? It was hysterical.

And here's the funny thing. You know, I think people are aware. I shouldn't presume this. But somewhere along the line, Steve and I just started joking around about that last play, everyone runs. And we're calling it pitchy, pitchy woo-woo. Yeah, that's your thing. And, yeah. Yeah, but see, it's part, you have a role in this that if you recall back in our true degenerate days,

we would always fear, we'd fear the woo. like the woo, or the woo-woo, we would call it, which was like a team, we would always have the dog, they'd be covering, but then you'd fear that moment where they'd throw it out, and a guy pick it and run the other way and be screaming, woo-woo, like, that was like somehow that was woo-woo. Well, pitchy-pitchy obviously just comes in with this ridiculous play, which I suppose is the only play that you could run

if you were trying to, you know, miraculously pull something out of a rabbit out of a hat. and teams have some version of it. Why the Cowboys did it with Ezekiel Elliott at the center who got absolutely trucked, I think it was by Fred Warner. And, I mean, the play just dissolved in comical fashion before they could even start doing the pitchy-pitchie or the scream and the woo-woo-woo. And that's after Dalton Schultz was unable to catch the ball, which is after Donald Schultz is unable to get out of bounds,

which enables all the people that love to do. say Mike McCarthy sucks at game management, clock management, to say all that, which I'm thinking, okay, maybe it isn't his strength, I would agree. But, I mean, that's what we're going to complain about. I mean, you know, it seemed like Dak was the turnovers, and he put it on himself. I didn't credit for that afterwards. You know, a couple of turnovers.

They just kind of couldn't have. But to be fair, it's amazing when you think back. Dallas has got the exact same pick in the red zone. where Purdy hits digs right in the hands and he dropped it. And that would have been a... Yeah, that was off a deflection. Yeah, right. That would have been a red zone turnover.

It went off a far shoulder pad. Yeah. But it digs directly. He digs directly in his hand. It seemed like it changed direction for sure. But it changed direction when Warner picked it after Ward had it bounce off his hands and he caught it. So, I mean, look, it was a game where points were very difficult to come by, as they were all weekend.

I think it was four unders, wasn't it? Four unders. After five overs, one under last week. One under was the four missed extra points. Right. But,

I mean, the Purdy's, the Purdy's storyline continues, the San Francisco defense storyline continues. The Shanahan coaching, sort of, I don't know,

I'd say brilliance continues. Just, and then Dallas is, you know, what's the right word? I mean, a futility at this level. at this level, the playoffs continues.

So there was just so much baked into that game. What was the first? I have a recollection of the first pitchy-pitchy-woo game. And I'm wondering if it's the same as yours, because I think we were both on the wrong side of this. Ohio State Northwestern. Well, I remember that one with Brett Musburger, and you used that all the time in bad beats.

But I think there was one well before that. It was a Titans Steelers game on the very final play of the game. I remember getting hurt very badly by, I think, a Steelers touchdown on a Tennessee attempt to pitch it around on the final play, and it ended up in a defensive touchdown. No, I don't. That doesn't ring a bell. I'll tell you this. In more recent years, Chiefs Redskins on Monday Night Football in 2017 was a terrible beat.

That was a horrible beat. I followed it. And it was before the climate with gambling was such that we, you know, that it was kind of, I mean, that talking about it is openly, I guess you'd say, was something, you know, everybody was a little skittish about on TV. Well, I came on. I just said, that's a bad beat. Like, I mean, that's a disaster. I mean, because that was, I remember, well, they were then the red skin. They went in there and they played well, and they were right there in the mix, and then last play of the game that happened. You're like, oh, boy. And it only happens if you're an underdog better, because if you have the favorite, it's not – you would have been behind

beyond your ability to cover almost certainly. And so, yeah, those plays always seem to end with horrific consequences. Last night, that wasn't the case unless you're Ezekiel Elliott, and you're just sort of out there for the whole world to see you getting thrown like a toddler. Just remember, for every bad beat, there's always a woo-woo winner as well. So somebody's on the right side of all those bad beats. But, you know, and I think enough of the listeners know, you know, know what and have been a big fan of yours as well for years.

And I do, and I know that we've talked about this privately. I don't know how much we've talked about it, you know, on the podcast or on the radio show in previous years. But before it became okay to talk, you know, in detail about gambling and about the numbers, you were doing it. I mean, I was doing it on my radio show before in an understanding, by the way, that it was very niche. I mean, I felt it was because I could tell that a lot of people weren't interested in the same thing, but it didn't matter because it was interesting to me. Did you ever in those early days of really pushing that? ever pushback from ESPN? Not really because, I mean, I remember vividly sitting in the office of the executive at the time,

who was my boss, a man by the name of John Wildack, and saying, listen, we do this bad beat saying on the radio, I'm going to do it on TV. You just got to trust me. You know, gambling is not legal everywhere, but I just believe me when I say, you know, neither was, you know, marijuana, but people got high. So you just have to trust me that this is some, and here's the thing, it's content that's entertaining, whether you have action or not.

And that's proven to be the case. I mean, look, Bad Beach by a factor of, I don't know what, but a lot is the most popular, I think, segment we do, just in terms of things people yell out to me if I'm walking around or things that people send me. I mean, we get,

it's a never-ending stream of content. We get sent with bad beats. Obviously, none of that was played into what happened yesterday. But the whole pitchy, pitchy, really, like, you know,

people on networks, Scott Hanson will always reference it and always reference me. He does, yeah. Which, it's just, I mean,

look, it's just a goofy thing we did. But you were doing it. But you were doing it long before you were even on TV doing it. Because as you said, the pick six for us was always, oh, my God, here comes the woo-woo. And that was the pick six when we had the dog, and the only way you could lose. I mean, you just wanted that favorite to pick up that first down so they could kneel out the clock. But instead they punted, and then there we are with the ball and we're throwing out patterns.

But only bad things could happen. Yeah. But so when that, when you had, when you mentioned it to that guy, he just went with it. He said, fine, go for it. And it, to be honest, Kevin, I don't, I don't think he necessarily knew what I meant or envisioned what it was. But to their, to their credit, when our show started, the whole thing was, well, look, if we're going to let you do something different, that just, fine, just do it. It was, his, I, and again, I remember him saying, like, you know, don't treat it. Don't, you know, he said, treated like you're, you know, on the 405 or like, you know, like, you've got lots of lanes here, you know.

I want you to, I don't want you to stay in the center lane. Like, and if it was, if they really had issues with the content and then somebody would, you know, reeled me in or something. But, I mean, at this point, it's sort of, you know, here we are. Everybody knows the lexicon. And by the way, I didn't, I hardly invented this. And I never claimed that I did. the concept of bad beats, if you bad people knew what they were. It was just, we did it in a way.

The presentation was obviously just something that was more of a mainstream thing than had really been done as directly, I guess. But again, none of that happened yesterday were Saturday. Well, I think you also introduced things like first half totals to people who never knew they existed. You know, it's like some of the bad beats are like, all right, it's a second half, the total's 35 and a half. And people are like, well, what does that even mean? And so you provided a public service as well.

Kaya, I mean, I'd rather do a little bit. Like, I mean, we haven't done many of these sort of like player props, you know, because I mean, you'll get, I get them every day. There's some parlay. Like an eight-leg, $3 to win $6 billion parlay, and you know, you didn't get the over in the third period goals for the Winnipeg game. I'm like, look, I'm sorry it happened, but trying to explain this to people in a way that you can follow. I can't help you. Yeah, but you try to mostly just deal in, you know, you had Northwestern plus seven and a half again, Ohio State, and you were supposed to cover, and then all this stuff happened. and then, you know, Bosa lands on it,

and Brent Musburger's saying, you know, some people are cheering and other people are saying, you got to be kidding me. And I'm like, yep, Uncle Brent, I'm right there with you, buddy. Yeah, that one and the UCLA Stanford one. God, that was painful. By the way, I think I was talking about this recently, and I forget with whom it could have been Cooley or Tommy.

But I think for me, the first broadcaster to really inject gambling discussion, was Brent. Do you agree with me on that or not? For sure. But Al Michaels also, you know, was doing it for a long period of time. Yeah, I think so. But, I mean, look, Musburger has explained after the fact that the famous NFL today call, you are looking live, was mostly if you're a gambler and there's a bad weather scenario, you know, and you're one, hey, I wonder what's good, you know. For instance, the Buffalo game, if you didn't know it was snowing,

and now in 2023 you have an app and you have a million ways to know, but in 1978, if you're turning on the game, and it's like there's bad weather in Chicago and Musburger hit you with you. You are looking live. Well, that's information that might be useful to somebody that's interested in things like that. So for certain, Brent was, I think, a pioneer in that sense, or at least, you know, there might have been people before that, but I just wasn't old enough to know.

I wonder if Brent had anything to do with Jimmy the Greek being the first, you know, odds maker slash tout to be on TV. I wonder if he had anything to do with it. I would have to connect us. I mean, I'm connecting Dodds making presumptions, but, I mean, given Brent's, you know, he wasn't afraid, sure. I could imagine that, you know, I could imagine a conversation where he said,

to folks, hey, you know, we have an odds maker, here's the Greek. But again, I was a kid. I don't know the history of me. And then we saw Pete Axtelm and Danny Sheridan, and, you know, they all started putting him on. By the way, on the prop bet thing, I think it's because I look at prop bets every once in a while, but I'm just not as interested in prop bets. I don't think you are either, right?

I think, no, and I think that that, I think what that speaks to is of, a different market. I think it's, I mean, maybe I'm totally wrong, but it feels like maybe a more of a younger market where there's just a zillion more options and ways to connect things together where you're rooting for, it's a similar kind of a thing.

I think you and I are more just sort of old school. We want to be right. We love the idea of do you handicap a game correctly? And it's more game-related than it is, you know, connecting if Jamar Chase is the first, to score a touchdown and Dalton Schultz is the first to score a touchdown. And I mean, again, you see it on Twitter all the time. It can be lucrative if you do it well, but I don't know. I just lay the points, take the points. That's our lane. It always has to. And let me just

tell you that those that are accepting and lining up all those prop bets, they're not doing it because they're losing. It's called profit margin in most places. By the way, I didn't, we didn't talk over the weekend. Who was your pro pick this weekend? I had, as first, I think it's the first losing week I've had in like, I don't even know, multiple months. I was on Philadelphia on Saturday night, and yesterday went Ofer, had Buffalo, and I liked Dallas to stay close, and they were pushing there until the end. And so it went one and two on the games that we gave out in the winners. Two and one for me on the smell test. Philly, lost on Buffalo, but had the Buffalo Cincinnati under.

and you know what's really strange about that? I knew that there was going to be some weather, but it looked more like, you know, rain showers, snow showers, but nothing overly significant. That ended up being one of the better snow games we've seen in a long time because it hit right at the beginning and it snowed hard throughout. But I would have probably backed off the underbet because these snow games typically, especially without wind,

usually end up generating a lot of points because the defense is literally on skates and its advantage offense. Anyway, getting back to moving on from gambling, that last play when it happened, like I'm sitting there and I just said that's the kind of play that we've got a really good idea and Zeeke is going to snap it. It may have been Tony Pollard that was supposed to do it because you don't want more speed on the field anyway on that last play. So maybe it was Tony Pollard who was supposed to do it.

And he's going to be, you know, we're going to throw it to Turpin. on the quick, and he's going to pitch it, and then we've got other guys blocking, and then we can get to the outside, whatever it was. But they didn't actually practice it all week or for the last couple of weeks with a defense where they realized that because he's now your center, he's going to get knocked on his ass right after the snap. It's like they didn't plan on that necessarily. I just thought the whole last drive.

Look, I want to start with that game in looking at the four divisional games. I kind of like Dallas too. I didn't give them out because some of our friends had suggested that there was big-time sharp action on San Francisco, especially late in the week. So I backed off that game, but I did like Dallas going into that game. I thought they had a chance. I still wasn't necessarily a believer in Purdy, and I thought Prescott may have gotten through whatever he was suffering from, end of the season on Monday night against Tampa.

But that loss is solely on Dak Prescott. he was terrible in that football game. He's lucky he wasn't picked off four or five times in that game. The PFF turnover-worthy stat is going to have him for four to five turnover-worthy plays, maybe more in that game. Greenlaw could have had to pick six there in the end, which would have symbolically and, I mean, would have changed the margin to make it, you know,

a deficit too big to overcome. I'm also just would have been just a glaring exclamation point on, oh, it was a bad day, dropped it. But, I mean, look, I give back a ton of credit for just eating it and owning it afterwards. He always does. He's a great dude. No, I agree. But it's, I mean, look, it just continues this run-up utility, you know, this team that we talk about endlessly, and there are a million reasons why they're incredibly popular.

They have an owner who is drawn to the lights of the camera. like a moth to a flame, so he's always going to give you content. And so they're popular and they're, you know, this massive story all the time. But it's their story, but this is the story. This is where it ends. Year after year after year. And so, hooray, you beat a Tampa Bay team that was mostly really bad all year long. And then you ran into a team that was really good, mostly all year long in San Francisco,

and you battle. You know, it's not like you, it's not like you were outclassed by any means. Of course, they're right there. But, DAC, on this stage wasn't good enough. And so then, okay, so what's that mean? So are we going to do that? So that law, Dad, they have to move on. No, you can't move on.

You can't move on from him in that contract, no. Of course you can't. So this is your quarterback. So it's hard to win in this league, and you've got a really good defense. You've got some playmakers. Losing Pollard, I think, was. was crippling to them. They have two real difference makers on that offense, Pollard and Lamb.

Lambs really become that. He really has, yeah, he's very good. He's much better than I thought he would be. But Pollard, too, how many times did Zeke, after Pollard went out, was there a crease where you think Pollard gets 15 because he gets into the second variant, and Zeech just doesn't have that same burst that he once had, so he gets the first down, but that's where it ends. and so that that limited them some.

But, I mean, they remain the same exact story that they always have been in this run of championship futility. They just can't get to that next step. Meanwhile, San Francisco, this is three times in four years. They've been in the NFC championship game. And they got there this year with, okay, we're going to transition to Trey Lance. Oh, okay, now it's Garapolo. Oh, okay, now it's Purdy. and they still are here, which is a credit to everything else around,

and it's a credit to Purdy. I mean, McCaffrey was all with me, and he's like, this a confident dude, and everyone talks about that. There's a confidence in this young man, and it would appear to me. I asked Tim Hasselback on the show, I'm like, is his team? I mean, they were going to move to Lance. They kept Garapolo around. He's eight-n-n-no.

I mean, are we just going to move forward with a presumption that Brock Purdy is in San Francisco 49th's quarterback? I'm asking you that. I have no idea, and I think next, I think this coming Sunday, and perhaps two Sundays following, we'll have a lot to do with that. But, you know, I was watching Matt Hasselbeck on your network last weekend. And he said, he said, he went back to training camp when he was in the 49ers training camp for whatever reason. And he said, people were raving about Brock Purdy. And he's like, yeah, yeah, whatever, whatever.

He's a seventh round pick. And he's like, but now, you know, during the course of the year, as he started to play, I thought back on that. Apparently Brian Greasy, who they hired to be the quarterback's coach and who's obviously almost family to the Shanahan's, was the guy that said, you've got to draft this kid. I mean, at least that's the story I've heard. And Matt Hasselbeck said they were raving about him in training camp. Look, every once in a while, these guys will end up being, you know, NFL quarterbacks. I mean, Tom Brady. I have no idea what Brock Purdy is.

I think he's played really well and he's looked the part. But I also think there's maybe like two or three guys that could make him look that way this young. And Kyle Shanahan's one of them. And if you think you're going to go out like a lot of our fans do, like a lot of our listeners right now, thinking like, well, Sam Hal could be Brock Purdy. Sam Hal might be Jalen Hertz. Yeah, but you don't have Kyle Shanahan. You know, you don't have an organization that built basically the best roster around Purdy in the NFL. I don't even think that's debatable.

They've got, you know, although Philly's close, you know, around Jalen Hertz. I was getting ready to say that that's what makes it so interesting because there are a lot of people that feel like Roseman and the Eagle organization has created a roster that every bit as good, maybe better, which is what makes, you know, Sunday and the link. Yeah, these are the two best teams in the NFC. I don't think there's any doubt about it that these are the two best all-around teams. And I think a lot of people will look at, well, Hertz was the second round. pick and Purdy was Mr. Irrelevant and we can do that. Well, more times than not, you're going to end up

being, you know, what the Houston Texans were with those great defenses with, you know, with JJ Watt and Genevian, Javian Clowny and they had, you know, Tom Savage at quarterback or or Brock Osweiler at quarterback until they got Deshawn Watson or you're going to be, you're going to be the Titans where you can win a bunch of games, but, you know, Tanna Hill's just not good. enough, or you're going to be Buffalo or Denver there for a few years, where they had great defenses and decent running games, but they didn't, that's what will likely happen if you start thinking about, oh, let's get the rookie contract deal. Everybody's all over that and have been for a couple of years now. I think that's even a harder inside straight than just continuing to

swing big and hope you land. But whatever, that's a debate. Yeah. No, all of that's true. but just you look at what surrounds Purdy. Yeah. I mean, the credit belongs to him for stepping in and not flinching, not blinking, but obviously what they have in terms of difference makers on offense, and an absolutely hellacious defense, you know, you're set up so that you could absorb the kind of losses they've had at the quarterback position, maybe uniquely so, you know, that you could lose your first and your second quarterback

and just keep on trucking. By the way, one more thing, two more things in this. the San Francisco Dallas game. So DAC was awful. Okay. As far as what's next, well, it's not DAC. You know, the discussion will be about McCarthy. My personal opinion, just taking a guess at this, is Kellyn Moore ends up being the scapegoat for all of this, that somehow they move on from Kellyn Moore. Unless Sean Payton wants the job and wants to deal with Jerry as a head coach,

then maybe they'll move on from McCarthy. But the other thing about this, what? I mean, I just, it's hard to win, man. And I understand the way that people consume the stuff. And on Twitter, everyone's just saying, oh, we're supposed to go for it, and his clock management. I get it. He's quarterback threw it to the wrong team a lot, man.

Like, ultimately the problem, can you be more buttoned up? San Francisco shouldn't run the ball out of bounds there late either. And Mitchell steps out of bounds, which gives Dallas the 45-6. seconds that ultimately turned into comic comedy. Well, that was a first down run, though. That was a first down run. I understand that, but if he slides down inbound, they get the ball back with 10 seconds. It was a hard slide down, but I looked at it several times, and you're right, he could have,

after getting the first down, he could have turned it back a field. I'm just saying that the, I know. If you watch the games actively with people on Twitter who are all experts in clock management, it becomes a little bit exhausting for me. I'm critical of it, but I also recognize that this doesn't happen. on a couch in a screen. This is happening in real time and there's a lot to process. And there's some people that are great at and there are other people that aren't. And so, I'm not married to McCarty. I'm just saying that the criticisms of him, I just find

interesting when there's so many more pressing matters, I would say right there in front of you on the field, most notably with your quarterback. Go ahead. Yeah, well, real quickly, so this is several years ago, probably 10 or 9 or 9 or 9. 10 years ago. Kyle was on the show and I actually did my clock management constructive criticism thing. And he did not take it well at all. And he was wrong. I know I was right. But anyway, Kyle was, I love Kyle because I think he's brilliant, but he was not as easy to deal with as Mike was. It was two different personalities. I don't think Kyle's ever been wrong, just ask him. With that said,

What I was going to say is that one of my favorite, Dallas's last drive was an utter disaster. I don't know what Prescott was doing in the end zone. Why didn't they tackle them for safety? And then Schultz not understanding forward progress and then not getting both feet down, et cetera, et cetera. Also the punt team coming out, I absolutely would have punted the ball there, guys. It's fourth and ten. If you don't pick it up, it's game over.

You've got three timeouts left. I just would have shuttled the punt team out there a little bit sooner, but they did get the benefit of a play at least before the two-minute warning. But here's where Kyle's was great. With 205 to go, he threw the ball because there's no downside of throwing it. So I love that play for 16 yards. And then everybody, including Greg Olson, is saying before they punted it away at the Dallas 43 yard line, they'll let it get down to one second and they'll call a timeout.

And for whatever reason, and this has been a pet peeve of mine for a while now, I'm like, hey, you know, usually it's better. to let the last second tick off and take the five-yard penalty. Everybody's so anxious to call the time out with one second left. It's like this thing that we see it on TV all the time, so that's what we're supposed to do. Not Kyle. He took the five-yard penalty because the extra second, who knows?

I mean, that could have been the difference between one final snap and game over. But anyway, I don't know what will happen with the Cowboys. I do know this. I do like Dak Prescott, just like you said, took it, always does. total class act. But you know what? The truth is, I haven't felt this about him in a while. He's not a top 10 quarterback.

He's a good quarterback, but he's not an elevate everybody around you quarterback. He's in that same group where my guy is. You know, Kirk Cousins, you've got to be really, really good and everything's got to be buttoned up around him, I think, to really win. That defense that Dallas had was a championship defense, and I thought they played great yesterday. All right. They did.

What was the thing you were most impressed with this weekend? And then what was the thing that you were least impressed with this weekend? Cincinnati. And by proxy, I think maybe I'm most impressed with Baltimore's defense last week. I mean, how good were they? Incredible. And they're a yard away from playing this week. My God, that was just what an ending that.

was. Cincinnati goes into Buffalo, and you have DeMarhamel in the building, you have the Bills Mafia out of its mind.

It's a snow globe game. And for whatever the sort of hyperblee that surrounds Joe Burrow and Joe Cool and all these nicknames and all this sort of however people want to talk about him,

he's every bit of it, man. They get the football and three minutes and 20 seconds right down the field in the snow at 7-0. Six-plus. And they never trail. They never trail.

They get it back, boom, right back down the field, 14 and nothing. Game on. And that defense is excellent. And they hold Buffalo to 10. And they're just everything about who they are. And I do think that there's certain franchises. And the Browns, if they ever get there, will probably deal with it. that there's, and I mean, that's not a, actually, it's not a good comparison because the Bengals do have the history of, you know, with boomer, they've been to some Super Bowls and whatever.

But I think, I think that they were bad enough for long enough, or they just, they couldn't get over the hump with Dalton, right? That there's just sort of a yeah, but, like, yeah, yeah, they're not, they're not, they're not, they're just, they're not, they're just, they're not, they're just, they're not, they're just, they're not, they're just, they're not, they're just something about the Bengals that you just want a year, but. And did that change last year? I think it did to a degree, but I still think, look, I picked Buffalo in that game, and I couldn't have been more wrong. And so what most impressed me was how much better than Buffalo they were in that game. They dominated that football game on both lines of scrimmage. With an O-line that was in flux, burrows everything that people say he is,

and has been since that last year at LSU when he rewrote record books. So, I mean, you know, Philly was really good, but they were against the Giants team that I think probably looked better than they actually were because they played Minnesota. Their defense, sorry, no disrespect, Kevin. But for me, that's the Bengals and what they did against Buffalo most impressed me. I think that that's probably my answer. I've got a couple of others, and you can add to it. But I think what you said about Cincinnati, that game was a line of scrimmage game. Joe Burrow was great, no doubt about it.

And they may have, well, they do have. I think. The best receiving core with the best receiver probably in the game. I don't know. It's close between Chase and Hill and Jefferson and Adams. That would be my top four, by the way. And then we can talk about the next group with AJ Brown and a few others. But they dominated.

The reason I loved Buffalo is because I thought Baltimore beat the shit out of Cincinnati. And I thought that Cincinnati was going to come in, banged up after barely surviving. Bottom line is, I mean, they needed a 98. eight-yard fumble return to beat Baltimore. They wouldn't have been playing yesterday, because I think the Ravens would have won that game had they not turned it over there. But they just absolutely dominated a really good Buffalo defense at the line of scrimmage. I mean, Mixing, every run was a big run. Every play was a chunk play. And then on the other side, Buffalo was completely out-schemed. They didn't know where the

pressure was coming from. They couldn't run the football. Cincinnati was super impressive. most surprised by that result. But I thought Mahomes on one ankle in the second half was really spectacular. And the numbers won't prove it and they only scored 10 points, but there were a few plays where he ducked pressure and he extended essentially on one leg or one ankle. And he made a throw. He actually scrambled for a first down where he was about to get hit on his back. And ankle and he elevated that ankle away from the hit and kind of hopped in a way where he was able to get down and avoid. He is such an incredible athlete. He's a great football player and he's a great quarterback, but you can just tell the true all-around athletes, and he's the best. He's the best.

Those high ankle sprains and you and I played a lot of basketball as young people as adults. There's high ankle sprains are the worst, and they're usually not the worst the day of. They're worse as they go along, although the report on him was good. I hope he's healthy, but even if he isn't, I still give Kansas City a chance, even though that line, my God, I was expecting them to be a solid three-point favorite. What were you expecting? Yeah, I mean, we always do this as do many people that, you know, that dabble. I think you kind of speculate what the number will be. Uh, yeah, but the way Cincinnati looked,

whether you're going to much five and a half or five in Buffalo, the way they looked, and with Mahomes' ankle situation, I thought it could have been the kind of thing where it was maybe, maybe a tick under three, but three just felt like an easy way to put, you know, just put it there and then we'll let the public decide which way they want to go, right? Well, no, it wasn't close to that. I mean, it, to me, it speaks to two things. The question and the concern if you're a book of what is, you know,

is Ken Mahomes go. Sure, it's easy for him to say, I'm good to go. Well, okay, that's what you're going to say, but how well will you be feeling come next Sunday? And then also what Cincinnati's done. Not to mention the fact, Cincinnati played him last year, insincy and beat him, went to Arrowhead and beat him,

played him in Cincinnati again this year, and beat him. And at this point, you know, there are very few people that have that kind of historical success that they can lean into, and the Bengals can. So I think all that is probably cooked into that number. But I thought it would be two and a half, three, something like that. Yeah, that's what I thought. And it's not.

Yeah. I mean, look, both lines, to me, are really fascinating because these are the four teams that I think it pretty much demonstrated that they're the best. Certainly, if Cincinnati wasn't on that list before this weekend, what they just did in Buffalo puts them on that list. So, I mean, just to echo what you said on the homes, I think he's the person who, when I want, watch him. It's interesting. I don't feel like it's a quarterback. I feel like it's something altogether different because what he does is, I mean, the

on the on-schedule throws and the deep balls and all the stuff, sure, but it's the rest of it. It's the broken, that's where he's absolutely lethal. Play breaks down, and now it's time to ad lib, and there's just no one like him, because his ability to improvise. And it's everything. It's athletic. It's football IQ.

It's an innate feel. It's just all. It's everything on a list of intangibles that if you check some of them, great. But it feels like he checks all of them. Just watching him do stuff, I'm so glad that I don't root for a team with the Chargers, the Broncos or the Raiders, where you'd have to play that guy two times a year. because I think it would drive me insane. You know what I mean?

Yeah, it would have been like being in the AFC South with Peyton all those years of the AFC East with Brady. I mean, it's just like you just chalk it up. You're going to lose those games. You've got no chance. No, but I know. But Mahomes has that. No, I know.

He has that whole different thing because where he murders you is it's third and eight and you're going to sack him. No, you're not. Oh, he just ran for 20. Awesome. First and 10. I mean, it never ends with that dude. And, you know, on one ankle there he is willing.

them to something to get by, you know, a Jaguar team that's impressed with their ability to, you know, to get some young players. Two awesome coach teams to both of them. I mean, you know, if Agnew doesn't fumble on that catch down at the four-yard line, five-yard line, I think Jacksonville's got a legit chance to win that game if they punch it in to be 27-24. If he doesn't get Agnew on that long kick return, he did a good job to get him on the ground. There were some really good kickoff returns. Agnew's been really good.

Turpin's been really good. And there were a couple, like the Turpin return, I thought if he cuts it to the outside, he's gone. I haven't looked at it on the All-22. I agree. It looked like he ran into the kicker. It looked like he ran into someone's back. I don't understand what that was about.

But I mean, easy for me to say. Again, the game's not played from my couch on a screen. Same thing as the people that are arguing, you know, about clock management. I do that all the time. Pacheco also, to me, he's been impressive all year. and I would just reiterate what I've said in the past. You really don't ever want to use a first round pick on a running back. Pacheco seventh round out of Rutgers.

God, he reminds me of like if Debo was just a running back, how hard and how urgently he runs and how physically he runs. And, you know, I said this on radio and people said, well, Josh Jacobs was leading Russian league. He was a first round pick. And, you know, Nick Chubb and Seguan Barkley. Okay, whatever. Derek Henry was second round.

You see it all the time. I just, Pacheco is outstanding. And I don't know, like I kind of, on first blush, kind of like Kansas City. What was the thing that was least impressive, or you were most disappointed by this weekend? One second here, just before, I'll answer that in a moment. As you're talking about all this, I was thinking about Andy Reid, who got to 20 wins, and that was pointed out, and I thought, man, that's awesome. A lot of that has to do with more rounds now.

gives you more chances to win, which is not to say he hasn't been great. He has. But his record in the playoffs is 20 and 16. You know what Coach Joe's was? Oh, it's phenomenal. 17 and 7. 7? Yeah, right.

17 and 7. Yeah. Just makes you realize the old heads out there that are listening are just for the younger folks. Yeah, Coach Joe. Just know that we were really lucky. We were really lucky because we had Coach Joe. and that guy, he schemed it up, brother.

And he was so good. I'm just pulling this up because I did this recently because I want to see, I think Gibbs and Landry have the most road playoff wins of any coach of all time, any of the coaches all time. I just remember going to Philly after the body bag game. It's one of my favorite games of all time.

Sending Buddy on his way. Going to Chicago and Soldier Field, Dale Green, a punt return. That was a big one. I mean, even winning, you know, in his second go-round. They went to Tampa in the second year and won that game. No, he, he, yeah, the Chicago. The Philly game for me in 1990, you know, a month and a half, two months after the bodybag game,

is the single most satisfying revenge game in franchise history. I did, I've done that segment before on the show. Now, 40 years ago, Sunday, believe it or not, was the NFC champion. championship game. And by the way, I had Dexter Manly on the podcast Friday. If anybody missed that, go back and listen to it. Dexter is such a treasure. And he was great. And I had Joe Thaisman on radio. I had Doc on radio talking about what I believe to be the single most memorable game in franchise history, 40-40-effing years ago. Anyway, so, okay, Coach Joe, we got it. Most disappointed. Yes. I mean, I suppose it would be, I suppose it would,

I mean, I guess just Buffalo's sort of inability to keep up. And I mean, I have, which I think a lot of people probably do, I really like, I like watching Josh Allen. He's not a perfect quarterback. He makes mistakes. I think he'd let the league in picks this year. But it's a fun offense to watch. I feel like Sean McDermott and the way he handled the entire.

Mar-Hamlin situation and was a true leader. I think that was remarkable, something I won't forget. Just the steady hand that he seemed to lead a group of men with was remarkable to me. And I love snow games. I think the Bill's fan base is one of one. They're just wired different. And I guess I wasn't rooting for them to win. I just was rooting for the game to be as good as the stage seemed to be.

That makes sense. And it just wasn't because Cincinnati was that good. So that was the one game. It felt like it could be a true back and forth. And seeing it play out the way it did, it makes me think of that Monday night game where Cincinnati scored, Buffalo got a field goal, Cincinnati was driving again, and you think, well, who knows, maybe that script, maybe we would have seen it already, already had the situation not played out as such a frightening way as it did with the

Hamlin injury, but thankfully, obviously, he's there and improving. And on this knockout stage, they were, Cincinnati was every bit as great as they needed to be in Buffalo, just wasn't. I think, you know, you and I discussed this a lot, just the immediate reaction and the big take that you have to have in the moment that just. happened. I think anybody that thinks that like Josh Allen isn't in Joe Burroughs league or Justin

Herbert's league or Patrick Mahomes's league. I think you guys are insane. That's my own take. I think Allen takes a lot of risks and I think Burrow is definitely, I mean Burrough was fabulous and he's great. All of them are great. I take Allen in a heartbeat though.

Like if you told me you mixed them up and I got Alan, I'd be fine with it. I think Buffalo had, they were the most disappointment for me, too, in part because I had them. And I really felt as strongly about them as I did Philadelphia. I think I told you on Friday, I think Philly's going to roll and I think Buffalo is going to roll. Whatever. I think they just had such an incredible season, right? They lost that, you know, three hour and 50-minute classic against the Vikings, then had the six

feet of snow where they had to go play a game in Detroit and then stay there through Thanksgiving. And then they had the Hamlin event. And I think that took, you know, I mean, you're right. I mean, McDermott and the whole organization was great during the whole thing. And I was just disappointed because I thought that they looked flat. And that's an easy, cliche kind of thing. But they didn't have the level of urgency. They seemed to just not have that, like, every time you watch Buffalo, you're like,

God, they're so explosive, and then they're so aggressive on defense. And everybody's wide opening, and Mixon's going through the middle of their defensive front for eight, nine yards a carry. And even when Cincinnati gets, you know, forced a pun, it's because a guy drops a pass. I don't know. I just was disappointed, but I can also kind of understand the journey that they've been on. And it had to have been exhausting. But I did not expect that yesterday. I agree with that, and I don't imagine that they would publicly say as much,

but if in a private moment somebody from that group said, hey, man, this year was a lot, you know. We go on and we get Von Miller and he's going to be a difference maker, and then losing him, that was a big loss. We didn't have a difference maker then to get to the pastor. and we had this craziness with, you know, we had to leave for a couple weeks and it snows six feet, and then we almost lose a teammate in front of us on the field, and then we had to try to, you know, maybe ride that adrenaline initially, but then if that adrenaline kind of runs out, or maybe Cincinnati just went in and kicked their ass because Cincinnati's that good.

I guess. Because Cincinnati was in the Super Bowl last year. Yeah, but they should have been eliminated last year. week, if not for Tyler Huntley, you know, trying to jump over the pile from a yard and a half out. Yeah, but that's football. I know. That's the team that should have lost in an eight, nine game in the tournament,

but somebody made a play, and then they roll from there. I mean, there's, you know, sports are littered with those moments where somehow you're, you earn the right or you're gifted the right to continue competing, and then, you know, you do what great teams do. Cincinnati's a great team. They haven't lost a football game since Halloween night in Cleveland. Is that right? Oh, my God, that's right.

Jesus. Yeah. They could have lost some along the way. I haven't lost in Halloween. Yeah. Well, I mean, Buffalo hadn't lost in a while, right? Weren't they on like a nine-game winning streak as well? Or am I thinking something else?

Neither of them, neither of those teams had lost. And, like, I want to say Buffalo's was eight. I forget. And I know Cleveland had a lot. lost since Halloween because we happened to come on after that game that night. Cincinnati hadn't lost rather since then. And then you got, you know, what, the Niners are on the longest win streak going into the playoffs and the NFC history, you know, only now, I guess, the Patriots undefeated season, only one longer going into a championship round.

I wonder if the combined points in the points spread for these championship games, two and a half and one. Philly's a two and a half point favorite for those that don't know, and Kansas City's won. So the three and a half aggregate total points in points of credit, it's got to be one of the lowest in history. I mean, these matchups are actually fabulous. I mean, I don't think there's any doubt you've got the two best teams in the NFC. And I think at this point, given what Cincinnati did at Buffalo, you've got the two best teams in the AFC. Mahomes's injury is a big deal. But I can't, you know, I'm sure that somebody will say, no, remember we had a pick him and a minus one five years ago or whatever.

Real quickly, because I do want to just chat quickly about the Maryland-Purdue game with you. But what's your first blush on both of these games? If you had to wager on both of them, where do you go? On Monday at noon, as you and I talk, Cincinnati and Philly. I think that I'm going to like Kansas City by the time we get there. So I'm going to say for now Kansas City. I think I probably will too. I think I probably will to change.

Now the Philly thing is I do kind of like Philly right now, but I'll tell you what, man, San Francisco may be one of the fastest defenses we've seen in football in a long time. And Philly has to be balanced. And I think it's going to be really interesting to see how effective they are running the football. But I'm going to go with the two home teams right now. that we'll see Philly and Kansas City. That's what Stamper Steve said last night,

because we did the same thing. I said, who you like? Just fire, and he's like, I think the whole team, the thing about, and this is the thing, this is what you can't forecast. There's no GFS or Euro, no long-range modeling that can be done to try to project.

The thing San Francisco is typically great at and has to probably be at least good at against Philly and that's turnovers. Can you get short field? Can you take the ball from Hertz in that Philadelphia offense? And at every level, from both up through Warner

to have funned on the backside, like it just feels like there are dudes flying around the field. And there are a lot more of them than just the guys they said. I'm just trying to pick a guy at the line, a guy at lineback. Yeah, Ward and Greenlaw, all of them. Keep going. There's a zillion.

They're everywhere. They can all run. all of them and arrive with bad intent and so it feels like and we had a stat on sports center

they're 15 and 0 in games where they've at least tied the turnover battle when they've won or tied the turnover differential in a game they've won the last 15 times it feels like if if their plus again as they were

against Dallas on Sunday it feels like you know certainly they could go into Philadelphia and win I'm just thinking that that At Philly offense, they take a great pride and running it on you. They had 2.70 or something on the Giants on Sunday, on Saturday, rather. It was like some kind of, I mean, it's not even Sanders. No, it was Gainwell.

It was Boston Scott. It was everybody. Yeah. It's all of them. Sometimes I think Gainwell looks like the biggest threat when he has the ball. It's almost like a Pollard, Zeeck thing. Although I think Sanders is super explosive and Zeeke isn't anymore. Gainwell every single time he's got in his hands, he looks like he's a threat.

He's one of those guys from Memphis, too. It's like Memphis has so many of these guys in the NFL. We've got one here in Antonio Gibson. Pollard, Paulard, too. Pollard, too. Yeah. Yeah, so, you know, I just, look, we could talk around in circles about the games, and I might talk myself into a different side, you know, five different times between now and, you know, when you're giving out the smell test and we're giving out winners.

and I just, you could mess for a whole lot more, I guess, unless you're a cowboy fan or a, you know, or a Bill's fan, obviously, but we're neither of their thing. So we can just, you know, settle in and ready for four great teams playing next Sunday. All right, let's do 10 minutes on Maryland Purdue right after these words from a few of our sponsors. Rees leads the Tarts. And it's his plan about as long as he has all season.

Julian Reese had, for Marilyn, Juju, as he's known, to Terp fans had, I think, the game of his career yesterday. Before all the football started, Maryland was at number three Purdue. Purdue will probably be ranked number one when the rankings come out. You guys probably already know what they are already because Kansas and Houston lost in front of them. But the Terps ended up losing to Purdue 58-55. Reese, by the way, 19 points in the game against the player of the year in Zach Eadie. He will more likely than not. be the NCAA men's basketball player of the year. Seven, four, three hundred pounds, great hands, great feet, just a dominant big man in college basketball. Maryland was getting their ass kicked

in the first half of this game. They were down by 14 and it felt like it should have been more at halftime and came out with, I thought, one of the best halves that they've had against a quality opponent over the last month and a half. And it was really upsetting that they didn't win the game. And I hate to be, you know, kind of silver lining here because I think they could have won the game. And I'll get to the officiating in a moment. But I'll let you weigh in first. Maryland lost the game by three at Purdue. It seems like every Maryland Purdue game since Maryland's joined the Big Ten has been like a one to three point final score. It seems like that anyway. what did you think of the Terps effort in the second half against Purdue?

It was fantastic. The fight was what you want to see. And the beginning, it wasn't Michigan bad in Ann Arbor, but it was trending in that kind of direction. And it looked like it could be just another road blowout. But there was a resolve on a fight. that Maryland had in that game that was just what you want to see from that group. And I think it's a reflection of Kevin Willard.

And if they just hit a three in the last four minutes, one of them, any of them, do they win? I don't know. I mean, if you put five more minutes in the clock, they could have, you know, they might not have covered who the hell knows. But they might have won the game because they had Purdue reeling. They had a suffocating defensive effort. They were turning Purdue over. I mean, if I'm a scout in Purdue, I'm going to pressure them as much as I can

because they didn't respond real well to it. Just a quick thing on Edie, they come to Maryland in the middle of February. If you go to the game, look at Edie's legs. Think back if you're old. You remember like a Ralph Stamps, a really tall person, but a very thin person. Buck Williams, Mark Fother Gill could get into his lower trunk and cause problems. Edie's legs are enormous. He's just a giant man.

And you put it well on Twitter that this was a really difficult game to officiate because Maryland is their body in them trying to do what they can. But my God is Purdue a physical team. They play great defense, but it felt like Maryland guys are getting knocked down all game long, and they're looking for an animal one and it just wasn't coming. And Purdue fans feel like, and I know Matt Painter said as much, that he feels bad for Edie because he gets fouled every time.

and it's probably a lot like a Shaquille O'Neal. When you're that big, yeah, you undoubtedly get fouled more than the fouls are called. But Maryland's defensive effort was such that it was getting transition opportunities, which you're going to need because it's so hard to score against them in the half court. But again, they just couldn't hit the three to tie it. And they had a couple of fantastic, clean looks late that unfortunately didn't go. but again that's a one seed

that's one of the very best environments in basketball Kevin said after the game it's the top four environment be interested if you talk you have them all again ask him what the other ones are because he was just raving about the environment and Mackey okay

and somehow you know they come up just slightly short but they come home for three and they've got Wisconsin Wednesday students are back. Nige out there, kids, youngsters. Then it's Wisconsin.

Then a huge game with Indiana who's suddenly playing to the kind of feeling that I think people thought they'd be. They look like what they rank like 12 or 13th. And I mean, is that the season kind of? Then you go to Minnesota. So you've got a four-game chunk, and it's like at minimum you've got to win three. Maybe could you win four? You do that. Now you solidify where you are big picture.

But I'm not trying to take the conversation away from just the Purdue game. But I think it bodes well for this coming stretch because if you play like that, you're going to win some of these games. Yeah, I mean, what's ahead is what's ahead. I mean, they're going to have to win some games here. And the schedule kind of lightens up. It's just to me, like, you know, I think I may have said this to you a couple of weeks ago. I think now, like basketball-wise, I'm okay being a Big Ten guy. I kind of feel like a Big Ten guy.

I think we've been in the league. Is this our ninth year in the league? Eighth year, ninth year, whatever is. And I really kind of understand the league, and it really is different than a lot of leagues. It's so different. It's so hard to score in the Big Ten and the Half Court. And yet, there aren't many teams that are able to run because teams are so well-coached and they get back and they, whatever. But I'll tell you what, Scott, I was so pissed.

yesterday watching this game because you're right, Zach Edy probably gets fouled a lot more than, you know, is called. Although everybody for Maryland was in foul trouble immediately in the first half. I think we had 16 fouls and most of them were against Eadie in the first 10 minutes of the game. But I don't know how they missed as much as they missed. I mean, Jemir Young had an N1 that was called on the floor. That's one of the worst things I've ever seen. Hakeem Hart got knocked down by Edy on a made shot that should have been an and one.

There's an out of bounds play that's clearly out of bounds on Purdue, and they gave it to Purdue anyway. There's a flagrant or should have been a flagrant on Edy on an elbow against Dante Scott. And they called Dante Scott for being in the circle, his foot on the circle on a play that wasn't blocked charge. It was an offensive rebound. Like they got so mixed up, and I understand that this was a crazy game that got a little bit overly fit. physical, like a lot of Big Ten games do. But I'm telling you, is it me or is Mackey the place where I feel like since we've come into the league, there's always a bad whistle in that building.

And I've heard you've been there, right? You've been to Mackey, right? Have you? You have. No, I've never been. No, you went to Illinois. You were in Illinois for that big Friday night game. Correct.

Yeah. And I've heard it's one of the best environments in the country. But I think we've gotten housed and screwed more there than any other place in this new league that we're in. Dante Scott last year, Dante goes baseline last year and absolutely gets fouled by Trayvian. In a game that we would have won. I believe it's down by one. He goes baseline. And I believe that I think that there was like some sort of an apology out.

The fact, I could be inventing this. This could be some internet lore. It was like, yeah, well, the Big Ten apologized. Or maybe they did. I don't know. Let's say it happened. I don't like complaining about a fishing. We do it anyway.

It feels like well as common denominator, and it feels like, look, win the game. But I do think that yesterday was one of those games where I think Purdue fans are frustrated because they feel like Edie gets fouled a lot. And I know Maryland fans are frustrated because of the sequence of things that you described. I mean, the ball bounced. The team had a breakout. The ball got blocked. it bounces out of bounds and their guy caught it standing out of bounds.

He was out of bounds when he caught the ball. It wasn't out yet. He's standing out of bounds and caught it. That's Maryland ball. And the guy standing right there and he points to Purdue. I'm like, what are you? Are you what? I thought he was just confused for a moment and that they would come in and correct it.

But yeah, somebody was going to come in and correct it. No, no, no, no. Well, although it did Maryland. It went off Dante Scott once, and the guy ran in and pointed Maryland's way. and then someone came in and corrected it as the other way. That's after they reviewed a flagrant, which somehow turned into a foul on Maryland. I'm like, what the fuck is this?

What are we doing? I don't know if I'm allowed to say FOMs, maybe just be it. No, you can. But, I mean, it was, it was, it was exasperating watching it because you're thinking the N-1 on a breakout, no, no, it's on the floor. And, again, Edy gets fouled a lot. He also is allowed to stand in the paint for about nine seconds. Yeah.

And again, I'm sure that Purdue fans felt like there were calls that could have been given to E. Because he's so big and he probably gets filed every time, no doubt. It was the kind of game where the officiating certainly was a topic of conversation. It certainly felt like the whistle there was tough for the road team. I think the Colson was – I jokingly tell my Wisconsin friends, and I have many, that Cole is Big Ten Cameron. You go up there and you just know the whistle's going to be tough. And I think Purdue and Wisconsin fans are of the belief that their players have never filed anyone.

Because when the whistle goes against them, they always react with abjection. Well, we do the same thing. We do the same thing. No question. No, but we punctuated with horrific language. So we've got that East Coast Douglass. We're not Midwest. We're not Midwest kind.

I'm not painting us as saints over here. Please, please hear me. So Purdue's awesome. You and I both love Painter. We both think Eadie's the player of the year. And so it was the kind of game where if you could have hit one of those threes and could have gotten out of there

somehow the way Rutgers did, winning by one as opposed to losing by three, it would have felt like such a massive victory because it would have been. But again, I do still think that whatever your complaint, were, be they officiating or, God, man, what, what the two for 21 or something from three? It's like, three for 21. There's still three, that's not great.

Well, we're not a very good three-point shooting team. I think, what's his face who was calling the game? I got him blank. Bardo? Stephen Bardo said that at one point he said, Meryl's 294th in three-point percentage offensively. I think they're 337 D1 teams. That's not good, and they were three for 21, and they had some open looks.

I mean, Kerry had a wide open look to tie it. I mean, he hit nothing on that shot. That may have been, I forget whether or not. The Jemir 3 off, there was a rebound where it got kicked back out. I thought that was the one. I know. Because that's just clean a look you're going to get because Purdue sort of going, you know, they're in the paint to try to get a rebound, and now you've got that clean look.

But, I mean, again, Young didn't have a great shooting. start, but he's impacting the game when the transition defense. I mean, it was, you know who texted me last night? You know who texted me last night? Buck texted me last night. Everybody understood, I think most of you know, Steve Buchance, who, um, he was actually a referee for many, many years in the Urban Coalition League. I mean, so Buck, for all those years doing Wizards and Bullets games was always very much into the, uh, into the officiating. And when I put out that tweet about the officiating, he texted. me and he said, Jesus Christ, not you too. I watched the game. All three are veteran officials

and made as many calls from Maryland as they did for Purdue. Go watch it objectively. And I said, two to one. I said two to one Purdue call. Purdue whistle to Maryland whistle. It's always that way at Mackey. And I sent him a picture of the ball out of bounds, in bounds, when they gave it to Purdue. And he said, yeah, they missed that one. And then I said, how do you call a, how do you call a, a on Dante Scott because it's foot's on the circle on an offensive rebound where the elbow swings and hits him in the head. That's not a block charge. They got confused on that one too. They just got confused a lot yesterday during the game. Whatever. A lot of people are listening and they're like, God, you Maryland fans, you complain about officiating. It's true. We do.

And too much. And by the way, that's the second time this year that the officiating has cost Maryland game against Purdue because they should have that the extra point off sides that wasn't called on the blocked extra point in the Purdue game, that was terrible. But whatever. I was proud of the way

they defended and got back into that game because they went away meekly against Michigan in the first one. UCLA they were exhausted, but they've been really hammered a couple of times and I thought we were on our way to another, you know,

72 to 47 final at halftime. I really did. I'm shocked. No, but it's not. They fought, and you know, loser talked to say moral victory, because no, I don't think either one of us to say moral victory. I think you could be proud that you play an

excellent team in an incredible environment, and you're there with a chance in the end. And whatever, man. Reese was really good. The next four games, just, you know, figure out how to want. win them all. You know, starts with Wisconsin at home on Wednesday

and, you know, you see where you go from there, but it is weird how often the Maryland games, particularly in Mackey, but actually at home as well have been these really close, really tense-taught things.

And, like I said, I, I love Painter, and I've always kind of like Purdue. I feel like Purdue and Maryland. They're sort of on similar planes where you know, you're not the biggest brand necessarily, and you know, maybe there are other people that are the sexy names or this or that, the other thing, but I'd love, I'd love to see them on the title someday. I'd love it for them. I'd love it for them. I'd love it for Matt. I just would have loved it if Maryland had 59 points at the end of yesterday's game.

Yeah. And they had 58. It was there. It was really close, despite all of the game, you know, all the stuff that went on. Again, I know they, I know they felt like, you know, They could have gotten more calls, too. And, you know, interesting that Buck, a guy that's a more objective, felt like it was bad both ways. I don't know. That crew sort of struggles, I'll just put it that way. Yeah, they struggled yesterday. Do you feel the same way?

By the way, you know, I feel the same way. I've loved Matt Painter for years. And I've always rooted for Purdue, even when we were in the ACC, and they had Robbie Hummel in some of those teams. I always watch them, and I'm like, God, they do such a good job. they've always kind of come up short. You know, Hummel had the torn ACL that year. And last year, you know, losing, they lost to St. Peters, didn't they? Was it St. Peters that beat him in the tournament? Yeah.

They did. They did. With J.N. Ivy. I mean, like, that's the thing. Think about what they lose. They lose. They lose the, like, wouldn't Ivey the big ten player of the year? He's a lottery pick. Yeah. I think so. And they're number one in the country. Yeah.

That's, that's saying it. But it just shows you what kind of a, what kind of thing. There are similarities, though. I mean, football-wise and basketball-wise, like Purdue's always been a basketball brand, but not at the, you know, at the super-higher, you know, we've won a national championship. They haven't. Well, maybe they have. I don't know. I'm talking about in the last 50 years.

All right. Oh, what I was going to ask you is, do you kind of feel, like I told Naki this recently. I just said, I now don't. I don't watch ACC games. I don't care about what happens in the ACC. I don't even know any ACC teams or players, but I watch the Big Ten network all the time. I watched Indiana and Michigan State yesterday early,

and it's finally, it's my league. You know, basketball, basketball-wise. Yeah, that's really interesting. And yes, I watch a ton of Big Ten, and partly because, mostly, I guess, it's because that's the league that Maryland's in. And so you're watching the teams that you're playing

coming up, you're watching the teams. You just played to see sort of what, like, you know, was the result in the Maryland game? Is that sort of how they're trending? You know what I'm saying? You're just trying to figure out, try to extrapolate meaning from other games based on what happened in the games against Maryland.

And so it just makes more sense to watch that league. But the bigger thing for me as it relates to the ACC is just, and I said this long ago when Maryland left that way you did. People are, and I'm sure I still ask you this the same way they ask me, hey, do you miss the ACC, and I'm like, do I miss

Baccar and Packer and Bones-McKeeney and sail with the pilot? Of course I do. I miss Tobacco Road. I miss all of that. But that was 1977, man. I don't miss... I don't miss the league with Louisville, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Boston College. I mean, Miami and Florida, it's a Big East.

Okay? That's what that is. It's a Big East ACC orgy, and I don't miss a league. don't miss that league because it's not the league I grew up with. And so now I feel most nights, like that's what you're talking about. You're talking about Virginia Tech playing Carolina or Syracuse is at state, or Louisville's having a really, really difficult year this year. I've watched some. I watched when Clemson played Duke because Clemson got off to this great start and they're having

a really nice year. but the amount of time that I would absolutely make sure I didn't miss a Carolina state game or something like that. No, I just don't make it a point to pay attention in terms of being sitting there watching games the way we used to consume it. And I definitely do, to your point, watching Michigan State at Indiana or yesterday. Had that been Carolina-Clemson, what I watched, I don't know. But I definitely was watching

IU in Michigan State. Yeah, I think that's so weird. It is weird because we didn't think that would be the case. And the thacker pack or bones. No. What's no? No, I'm saying no, it's not the state. We didn't think we would.

No, no, I mean, up until... We were protesting. Up until recently, I was like, this still stinks. I mean, you know, using your phrase, referring to this tractor league that we're now in. But I'll tell you what, this tractor league, This Tractor League is one hell of a basketball league. And it has been for the years that we've been in it, top to bottom, the venues.

You know, I remember one of the first, it may have been the first year we were in the Big Ten. And Docich came on my show like the Monday after calling a Maryland game in College Park. And he was raving about the Maryland crowd and how it was such an unbelievable environment and the whole thing. and wow, I mean, you know, because the Big Ten, I mean, Maryland's not going to, I mean, they're going to be going to be going to some other environments just like this one. And I had them on the show the next day. And I remember saying to him, dude, you do know that we were in the ACC. Like we played in Cameron Indoor every year.

We played in a place called Little John when Clemson's good. It's really tough. But here's the truth. The Big Ten has better home court environments throughout the league than the ACC ever did. ever did. Well, more of them. More of them. More of them. Illinois is awesome.

Indiana is awesome. Purdue's awesome. Michigan State's awesome. I haven't been to Michigan. I think it's smaller, but it can be really good. I'm probably forgetting people. Rutgers, they're screaming the rack. I know it's not called the rack anymore, but people still call it the rack.

The rack's awesome. Wisconsin's tremendous. Maryland, when it's good, is as good as any. mean, and I could just, you could keep going. Nebraska's good. Nebraska packs the house for every one of their games. You know, ask Willard about that. He'll say, it's like a pro arena, and they're the only game in town.

Minnesota, the barn. Well, sure, I just, I didn't name them this year because they're having a really difficult year. But regardless, they're great venues in the league. Just one last thing, though, the circle about it's a good league. It's just funny. You're big 10, Kevin. You're, you're like propagantic.

the things that the league, where has the league struggled? In the tournament. They get to the tournament. Why do they struggle when they get to the tournament? I think in part because the days like yesterday where games are officiated like that and you get to the tournament and then you're looking for fouls that you've been getting throughout the year or conversely, you're playing like it's third and third and three that's a game of yard and suddenly you're not allowed to play as physically as you've played

in a half court all year. Now all of a sudden, now the sudden you've got two guys with two fouls, and if you're one of those coaches that automatically fits, now all of a sudden you've got guys on the bench, and then the next thing you know, you're in a tight game with a 13 seed, and you're looking around going, how this happened? Well, because from December until February, you were allowed to mall each other, and now you're not.

And so I think that the league hurts itself with how games are officiated in league versus how they're officiated in tournament. Yeah, and I think the other, I think that's it, by the way, the conversely part, that you're, you're mulling each other all year and you're barely getting into the one and one with about three minutes to go in the game in the half, and then all of a sudden the other team's shooting with 13 minutes to go in the first half because they're calling everything. And I think the other thing is this league, you know, has a lot of half court, 58, 57, 64, 63 kind of games and sometimes you're not used to these teams that are going to start jacking up threes and trying to get out in transition and yeah i mean you're sometimes you're you're not scoring enough is the net of it um well but anyway but i just i love i love i love big tan kevin the propaganda flag labor over here i i i you are obstinate you you were never going to be that guy now you

war. Well, the one thing that is missing, though, and I think you and I would both, I think you'd agree with me on this. The one thing that's missing that I miss dearly is a rival. We don't have a rival in the Big Ten, and that kind of thing takes a long time, and it'll probably be younger generations that will benefit from some big rivalry that develops. So I still miss that. I still miss, you know, we have not, we've not been in that building, as great as that building can be, it still never has matched what it was for Duke or what it could be for Carolina on a big night in February or March. I mean, it just, that same bloodthirst isn't there. I agree. Look, as we know, but I said this to Jerome Tang the other day, the head coach

from Kansas State when he joined me after they beat Kansas. He is imploring that fan base to make it about us and not them. Like, be here and be passionate because you love Kansas State, not because you hate Kansas. And I said to him, I said, you don't know this about me, but I'm a Maryland guy, and there was, there's part of that level of rage that is counterproductive. And it blocks out the sun, and it doesn't serve you well to have that level of just, must be Duke, because you put all your eggs in that basket and then you lose, well, now what? and you've spent so much energy, even though, as we know, at its peak, that rivalry was as good as college basketball gets.

At least that's how you and I saw it. And I think a lot of Maryland people, and by the way, a lot of good people. But having said, as great as that, as great as it was, I remember vividly when Wisconsin came in with Kaminsky and Decker, final four year from them, Maryland had Des, among others, and Maryland beat him. And Kaminsky, who I know, I think I've said this on your, on this part. He told me after fact, best environment I was in my entire time at Wisconsin, hands down was Maryland

when we came in there and Maryland beaters, hands down. And building was out of its mind that night. I do, sure, was there a different level for Duke? Yeah, but there was a lot of years that was cooked into all of that. So

will anything ever feel like that? Maybe not for old-timers like us. But I mean, you know what it would be nice? Be nice to the students are there, and the buildings filled for a Wednesday game. I don't want to hear complaints about a 7 o'clock start. I don't want to hear complaints that it's raining. We got excuses for fucking everything.

It's Sunday. Sunday, man, it's bad. NFL. People like the Ravens. Oh, man, it's Wednesday. It's too early. Oh, man, it's raining. Oh, man.

It's late, man. People got school. Shut off and go to the game. How about that? Yeah. We want to talk about what we... Seriously. Everyone complains about everything.

Be the great fans we think we are. and just I know it's hard to get there on the Beltway. I live here now. But it'd be great if they had a great building. How about that? I know, but I've told you since you've moved back, this is a different town now. It's a different market.

It's a pro market. What's that mean? It just, what, that it's a pro market or a different market? What? A buddy of mine went. He drove out there the other day. He's like, there was no traffic because it was bad weather. He said there was no traffic.

There's no traffic. freeze right out there. Well, that's absurd because... I was one chance to... I was one chance to, you know, to go up against the big bad bully, number one. And, you know, the game starts. There were 2,000 people in the building.

I'm like, you've got to be kidding me. Thankfully, it got better. Yeah, but that's because it was a 7 o'clock start. And if your buddy said there was no traffic... I know that. I know that. There was no traffic, according to my friend. Who drove right out there?

Who drove out? Who drove out? Who was your friend who drove out there? said there was no traffic? It was Chief. Chief said that there was no traffic going out there at 7 o'clock on a Thursday night. I don't believe that. He said he breathed out there?

I mean, no traffic. How did he say? How did he tell you? No one knows. I'm not doing Chief. It's for six people listening to the podcast. I know. So all I'm saying is that I've told you this for a while.

7 o'clock weeknights unless it is a massive opponent and Maryland. Here's the best way you can fix all of this and end up with no excuses. Win. Win, but not just win. Be like you were, like the year that we had Diamond Stone and we were ranked number two in the country, ranked you know pretty much in the top 10 all year. The year with sticks and Wiggins and Morsell and Cowan, when we were ranked pretty much in the top 10, top 15 all year,

and you're playing these heavyweight matchups during the regular season. People will get there. The 7 o'clock games are going to be a little bit lightly attended in the first half, and then it will fill up for the second half. But that's what, look, you and I went to the Illinois game when we were ranked 13th in the country, undefeated, and it was a Friday night 9 o'clock start. That's like the perfect thing. And they were highly ranked, and that's why the building was what it was.

We're not driving from, you know, Elm Street to Main Street in West Lafayette, Indiana. It's just, it's a different animal. Of course not. Of course. I know that. I'm just saying, look, you and I are part of this passionate fan base, and we see ourselves a certain way. And when Maryland wanted more, and we got to have more than what we've had because this isn't good enough. I'm like, okay, well, then let's do our part.

and let's be the fan base that we act like we are. When we say Maryland's a top blank job. Well, why is that? Well, because of recruiting, because of resources, because of what? Well, because of the passionate fan base. Well, then be the passionate fan base and show up. And that's all I'm saying. I understand that the Beltway.

And I know we don't live in West Lafayette. I get it. Of course that. I understand all of that. I'm just saying it frustrates me when our fans want and want and want and complain, complain, complain, will then do your part and go to games. That's all. It doesn't seem like a bridge too full.

I'm looking at some of the home games. I'm not asking anyone to donate, because this is where there's a disconnect. People think that they've taken, they misconstrued by words in the past, and acted like if you don't donate, you're not allowed to complain. That's not what I ever said.

No. But you can buy a $20 ticket or a $40 ticket or whatever it is and go out there and support the team because it will help them win the games that make you and me and she, Ian and everybody else happy. You can actually help. You just said Sheehan.

By going. As if you were talking, weren't talking to Sheehan. No, you. I'm saying me and you. Shee and me and she and. People out there listening. No, no, Sunday, one o'clock, man, NFL. That's Wednesday, man.

It's raining? It's raining? Are you kidding me? It's raining. By the way, there's some... You can't go because it's raining? There's some breaking news. I know.

There's some breaking news. I can't listen to this. Jeff Bezos, according to... Guess what? Hold on. I got a little, this is breaking news, and you're here. It's so good to have you as this news is breaking.

There is news out there that Jeff Bezos is going to sell the Washington Post so that he can buy the Washington commanders. Really? Yeah, let's... It does not absolve fans from not going to Maryland games if the race is breaking. No, it doesn't. You're probably going to scrap this whole podcast. No, no, no.

No, no, I'm not. No, not. I'm getting it out because I have to take it out. because I have to take my dog to the vet. I have to take my favorite thing in my life right now to the vet. She hurt her hip. Is she okay? Yeah, she's just limping around.

So I got to take her to the vet this afternoon because Kara's up in New Jersey with her father. Okay. You know what? This was a lot of, by the way, you want to tell everybody how long I told you I have you on for? 15 minutes. And what did you say? Listen. I said it's never 15 minutes.

It's always an hour. This time it's an hour and a half. Look, I don't care. You know, with your friend. Is it, is it really? I could have just said no. Is it an hour and a half? You could have dodged your text.

Yeah. Yeah, you just go and go and go. I know. You have no self-awareness. I don't have any self. Actually, I do have self-awareness, but when it comes to this podcast, I really, when it's good, and you are excellent, you know, I, you're not available to me all the time. People always ask me, why don't you have,

Van Pelt on the show every week like you used to. Because for many years, you came on the radio show as a weekly hit. You did so, by the way, without ever getting paid. You said you're going to pay me and you never did. No, no, no, that's not true. That's not true. We did pay you briefly. And then they stopped paying everybody like literally a month after we said we pay you.

But you always came on. I didn't want to. I know you did. I know you didn't. I know. But you don't do that anymore because my radio show is from 6 to 9 a.m. and you're getting home as I am starting most days. And same with the pot.

You're usually... You've got to get you out of that. Late night. I've got to get out of the late night space. You've got to get out of the morning space. We've got to just shut her down. Live a life of leisure. I've got to go do this Bezos story now.

I'll talk to you later. Okay, doke. Thank you. Scott Van Pelt, everybody. I'll get to this breaking news next. All right, this final segment of the show, we're just going to focus on this piece of kind of break. breaking news, I guess.

It comes from the New York Post about Jeff Bezos, potentially selling the post as a way to clear the way towards a purchase of the Washington commanders. But this last segment of the show is brought to you by MyBooky. Go to MyBooky.org. Use my promo code, Kevin, D.C., and they'll double your first deposit. If something's already written in that promo code, erase it, write Kevin D.C. to get the deposit bonus. All right. MyBooky right now, by the way, has Philly at two and a half and has Kansas City minus one for the championship games.

MyBooky.ag Kevin D.C. is the promo code. So the story, sometimes I would move this to the front of the podcast, but we don't need to do that. This is a New York Post story titled Jeff Bezos may sell Washington Post to buy commanders, investors say. The investors that apparently are suggesting this are potential buyers of the Washington Post. Apparently, there was a town hall meeting with the publisher of the post, Fred Ryan, disclosing layoff plans at the post. This was recently. I didn't know that. Right now, Bezos, a spokesperson said the Post is not for sale.

I guess my question would be, would this really be necessary for Bezos to buy the commanders? Would it be some sort of gesture of goodwill towards Dan that would make Dan change his mind if his mind is already made up not to sell it to Bezos to say, oh, okay, you don't own the post anymore? But you did own it when all those stories were written. I don't know about that. The league, are they going to have an issue with him owning the post and then owning an NFL team? I don't think so. He's already a league partner with Amazon. We've already had publishers, owners be publishers as well and be media conglomerates and own sports teams.

I don't think that's nearly the so-called conflict of interest that perhaps it once was. the only thing that's written in here after reading it is that he really does want to own an NFL team. And if, you know, if for whatever reason Dan Snyder has already said in his, you know, typical petty way, just like I'm not trading Kirk Cousins to the Shanahan's for the number two overall pick, or I'm not selling my team even if it's for a billion dollars more to Jeff Bezos because he owns the post. I don't know. Would it really change his mind if Bezos sold the post? Stay tuned, I guess.

My initial reaction is that I can't imagine that if Snyder's reluctance to sell the team to Bezos is because Bezos owns the post, that somehow Bezos selling the post is somehow going to make Dan. and forget that Bezos owned the post when all of those stories were written, which, you know, Dan and, you know, perhaps Tanya and others believe that they were like a victim of some sort of, you know, personal vendetta against the team and against him. Bezos, if he really wants a football team, certainly could outbid everybody else. There is also the possibility, I would just remind everybody, that a Washington sale, especially a sale in excess of $6 billion, and let's call it closer to seven,

or split the middle, $6.5 billion, may have other owners putting their franchise up for sale, their franchise is up for sale as well. Like there is the possibility of Seattle with the widow of Paul Allen, potentially selling that team. David Tepper may want to flip the Panthers at some point. There may be another team or two as well. There may be more opportunities for Bezos than the headache of potentially the Washington commanders and a sale involving working in a deal with Dan Snyder.

Anyway, that's the breaking news of the day. There you go. Back tomorrow with Tommy.