The Matt Thomas Show with Ross - NFL Network's Colleen Wolfe

Episode Date: January 29, 2020

NFL Network's Colleen Wolfe

Interviews and a ton of hype. It's quite a magical moment. Coverage you won't hear anywhere else in H-town. Get ready for the Super Bowl. This is Sports Talk 790, live from Miami, presented by Low T-Center and Twin Peaks. That's right. It's Radio Row.

Sports Talk 790, Houston. Ross V. Real, and pleased to be joined right now by Colleen Wolf of the NFL Network. Colleen. How are you? I'm great. This is wonderful. Don't you have to scurry off in like five minutes? Done your pregame coverage. You're already doing like 72 hours straight of pregame coverage, probably something like that.

Luckily, our set is right there. I'm going to throw a stone to it, and I understand that we're doing radio. So when I say right there, that doesn't really resonate. That's fine. But yeah, it's pretty close, which is nice. But you're right. Okay. Okay. So how are you like in Miami so far? It's not bad. I hate it. No, you don't. Miami stinks.

It's so amazing. Are you kidding me? I don't understand why the Super Bowl is here every year. I mean, when we were in Minneapolis, I didn't leave the hotel. I really didn't. All I did was eat room service and then try and walk through like the skyways. But here I have to, I have to try and like lock myself in my room so I don't like get into any trouble basically. I have to sequester myself. That's probably a good idea. We got we need you we need you for the pregame. What it's so what do you all have going on in the pregame? I know I was joking 72 hours but it's probably not that far off, right?

No. You know what? I wish I could get a number for you. I'm not sure how many hours. I'll probably start at like four in the morning. You probably start from a Miami club. It'll be you at a Miami club, and then you'll be starting the pregame coverage and they go all the way to the morning. We should just do it from like one of the clubs.

I think so. We'll just go live from the Cleveland. Right. Yeah. Okay. First of all, we're in Houston, so let's talk locally Texans. And so general manager now, Bill O'Brien just got named yesterday. What's your your perspective on that?

that because here in Houston I feel like we like to complain about everything right and that's I think that's what fans do right it so he wins the aFC South Championship four years out of five they make the division around but it just always seems like there's something you get up 24 nothing to the Chiefs you lose and you get outscored 51 to 7 everybody wants the guy fired owner Cal McNair says hey no not only he's not fired he's now the general manager what do you make of that emotion yes that's what we're gonna do we'd all like to fall upwards like Bill O'Brien. Who honestly, though, could have predicted after that first quarter

that Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs would really? Yes. Let me tell you, I was actually on a flight and I watched the first quarter of the game and I had just done our Saturday morning show and I was coming off another flight so I was super tired and I ended up falling asleep on the plane and I woke up That was the right move. I woke up and I like, I walked, I turned on my headphones again and they were like, it was the halftime show. And they were like, wow, like, what a tale of two quarters. This has been Patrick Mahomes. Like, 7,000 touchdowns you through.

And I was like, you've got to be kidding me. Are you kidding me? That was an insane game. And I thought for sure the way that the Texans came out in that first quarter that it was a rap for Kansas City. But I do really respect the moves that they made. made this year to bring in Laramie Tunsell. We knew that the offensive line was a major problem. And I see your face.

I mean, it's something that I'm sure you guys have beaten to death. It just talked about over and over again. I know, but Deshawn Watson, all he did was get hit. And so they brought in, they brought in Laramie Tunsel and Kenny Stills in that trade. And that really helped them. I thought that, you know, that could be a turning point for them. But it just, they just didn't have enough firepower.

Yeah, and I think a lot of it has to do with the defense, because this is what I'm thinking, like, especially going forward, right? I mean, Deshaun Watson, great talent. We love him. The city of Houston absolutely adores Deshaunson and has embraced him. The second one of the AFC. Well, yeah, exactly. So in the AFC, if you want him to win the AFC sometime and make the Super Bowl in the next 10 years, you're going to have to get past Lamar Jackson. You're going to have to get past Patrick Mahomes. DeShon Watson's not playing free safety. You have to do something with the defense if you're going to contend in the AFC the next couple of years. Yeah, and it was surprising with the, you know, the pass rush for so long was, oh, my God, you have all of these guys. You have J.J.J. Watt, Whitney Merciless and Jadavion Clowny. And then all of a sudden, Clownie was gone to the Seahawks. And then J.J. went down, and it was just Whitney. And you can't have that when you have a suspect secondary.

You need, I feel like that pass rush really, really kind of made up for a lot of the problems in the secondary. And then that really exposed them. All right, well, now I'm getting sad. I'm sorry. Let's shift focus to the Chiefs. So, AFC Championship game, Titans. Everybody was saying, wow, they're a really hot team. A lot of people were picking them to make the upset because of Derek Henry and all that type of stuff.

Chris Jones and Frank Clark come out and saying, hey, we're going to stop them and they did it. I mean, this is pretty good. And Andy Reid, your guy, because you're Philly. Did you grow up in Philly as well? I did. I mean, I can't say that I'm like, I'm from Philadelphia. Because I'm from the suburbs of Philadelphia. Okay, yeah, that's fine.

Listen, I grew up like 40 minutes from Philly. No, we do that in Houston. And I went to school in Philly. And I have a house in Philly still. So I feel like I'm kind of Philly. No, that's what we did in Houston. Like, if you grew up like 45 minutes away from Houston, like Clear Lake or something, you're at your Houston. Okay, cool.

So then you're Philly to the bone, then is what we're going to roll with. Okay, so you're going to Andy Reed making it to the Super Bowl. I mean, that's got to be a good storyline. So what do you make? What do you make of the Super Bowl? I think, I mean, it's, what I love about it is, it's strength versus strength. And sometimes, like, for example, go Texans again, the first round matchup was the really good Buffalo defense against the Texans offense, which is their strongest unit, was the greatest. So that's what you have right now.

It's, you know, the proverbial, unstoppable force, immovable object, all that type of stuff. So, what do you make of this one so far? You know, it's tough because I'm not going to put something down yet. I feel like every person I've talked to is like, who are you picking in this game? It's so difficult because I feel like with every conversation I have about matchups with this game, I end up flipping. And it's so hard to predict how this is going to turn out because it's like, well, are the Niners the perfect team to stop Patrick Mahomes and this explosive offense? Because it feels like nobody can. The way that Patrick Mahomes is set up is probably better than anybody in the league.

But then on the other side of the ball, it's like, or on the other side, you have the 49ers who are able to run the ball. so well. And that's, they can keep Patrick Mahomes off the field. They can do so much with the weapons that they have because all of their players are so versatile, so perfect for Kyle Shanahan, because they can give so many different looks and run out of so many different formations to confuse the defense. And that's the problem with Kansas City is their defense, especially their run defense, even though they've improved. Yeah, you know, this actually reminds me of like the, like a Giants Patriot Super Bowl, where you had the, the unstoppable offenses of the, of the but then those giants defensive lines were just so dominant.

It doesn't matter what you're going to go up against. It doesn't matter who your quarterback is. If it's Tom Brady, if it's Patrick Mahomes, if he only has two seconds to throw, there's just nothing you're going to be able to do. And then you can't run. It's just game over. Right.

Like you can only neutralize that pass rush so much with screens. And to me, it's going to come down to turnovers and mistakes. Kind of like how it came down to last year. And I'm not saying it's going to be a low scoring affair like last year, because I think the Chiefs kind of need to score on every single possession that they have. But the first person that makes a mistake and slips up and turns over the ball, that other team is going to capitalize.

All right, Colleen Wolf here, NFL Network. So if I ask you to make a prediction, you're going to say, I don't know yet, or you don't want to make one yet, or you don't want to go on record. Listen, I've already gone on record, so I can't go back now. No, no, actually, you should pick the other side, and you're always right. I know. So then people in Houston, and then they'll think you're right, or your genius, or an idiot. And then wherever cities you're going and bouncing around to.

Exactly. Even though you might lose half, right? So listen, I, as you said, I'm a Philly girl. Okay. I grew up watching the Eagles when Andy Reid was there. I watched Andy Reid lose the Super Bowl with the Eagles to the Patriots 15 years ago. I would love to see Andy Reid get a ring finally. I think so too.

I think there's something to be said for, I mean, everything. He's been that guy, right? That's probably best coach without a Super Bowl ring. and he was so good in Philly for so many years. He moved to Kansas, Kansas City, and then he's been there. I would like to see Andy Reid do it, too, because I'm a fan of, like, good work or good, like,

getting rewarded after years. So I think I'm rooting for Andy Reid. I just don't think they're going to do it. I think it's going to be really tough. I honestly do. But, hey, if Andy, I just, I want to see Andy Reid cry. Do you think he would cry if he won? I mean, probably not, but I want to see him.

No, I think he'd just go for, like, a hoagie sandwich or something. Right? Cheeseburger and then go to bed. Yeah, I know. Okay, well, Colleen, well, thank you for the time. One quick question. I read about how you cut all your hair at the seventh grade. I did. I cut it all.

Why? I don't know. I was having many, many bad hair days and then decided that that was the only way to go. You're like, the only way to not have a bad hair day is just cut it all over. Right. And I was a figure skater, so it made me more aerodynamic. That's interesting. You should have got into swimming as well.

That probably would help you there. Yeah. Well, in hindsight. Oh, well. Maybe next time. Missed opportunity. Okay. All right. Well, anything you got, what do you guys got going on?

You got your Good Morning Football, NFL Network, wall-to-wall coverage, I'm sure. We're doing Super Bowl live all week here from Radio Row. We're out at the beach. We're out over at Super Bowl experience. And then good morning football weekend on Saturday. We got four hours coming up starting at 9 to 1 Eastern. And then Sunday, game day morning, I'll be holding it down with Steve Smith, Joe Thomas, and Michael Robinson on the beach. So it's going to be a fun day.

Oh, nice. Hopefully it doesn't rain. I know. Don't even jinx me right now. That was a reverse drinks. Okay, yeah, yeah, cool. Okay, all right, that's Colleen Wolf NFL Network. Thank you so much for the time.

Appreciate you having me. All right.